A new and simple method for qualitative sampling of meiobenthos-communities

The introduced collecting method is based on a common entomologist exhauster, which is specified for the fieldwork in aquatic systems with a sieve-inset and a bottom-lid. The living organisms are collected visually from the sampled debris and no further extraction is needed. The apparatus is designed for qualitative sampling of microcrustaceans (e.g. Cladocera, Copepoda, Ostracoda) and minimises disturbance at the sampling site.     

Holocene paleoenvironmental change inferred from two sediment cores collected in the Tibetan lake Taro Co

Journal of Paleolimnology - The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the “Water Tower of Asia” because of its function as a water storage and supply region, responds dramatically to modern...     

Land subsidence characteristics of Jakarta between 1997 and 2005, as estimated using GPS surveys

Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia with a population of about 12 million people, inhabiting an area of about 625 km². It is well known that several areas in Jakarta are subsiding rapidly. There are four different types of land subsidence that can be expected to occur in the Jakarta basin, namely: subsidence due to groundwater extraction, subsidence induced by the load of constructions (i.e., settlement of high compressibility soil), subsidence caused by natural consolidation of alluvial soil and tectonic subsidence. In addition to the leveling method, Global Positioning System (GPS) survey methods have been used to study land subsidence in Jakarta. In this paper, we characterize subsidence in the Jakarta basin using eight episodic/campaign GPS surveys between 1997 and 2005. The estimated subsidence rates are 1–10 cm/year. The observed subsidence rates in several locations show a positive correlation with known abstraction volumes of groundwater extraction. These basin-wide series of GPS measurements show how this type of measurement can play an important role in multiple public policy decision making in this rapidly growing area.     

Non-magnetic aspect sensitive auroral echoes from the lower E region observed at 50 MHz

Backscatter from E-region irregularities was observed at aspect angles close to 90° (almost parallel to the direction of the magnetic field) using the ALOMAR SOUSY radar at Andoya/Norway. Strong electric fields and increased E-region electron temperatures simultaneously measured with the incoherent scatter facility EISCAT proved that the Farley-Buneman plasma instability was excited. In addition, strong particle precipitation was present as inferred from EISCAT electron densities indicating that the gradient drift instability may have been active, too. Backscatter at such large aspect angles was not expected and has not been observed before. The characteristics of the observed echoes, however, are in many aspects completely different from usual auroral radar results: the Doppler velocities are only of the order of 10 m/s, the half-width of the spectra is around 5 m/s, the echoes originate at altitudes well below 100 km, and they seem to be not aspect-sensitive with respect to the magnetic field direction. We, therefore, conclude that the corresponding irregularities are not caused by the mentioned instabilities and that other mechanism have to be invoked.     

EFFECT OF SHAPE ON INCIPIENT MOTION OF SEDIMENT PARTICLES

IINTRODUCTIONItisveryoftentoobservegravelpericlesinformofimbricateclustersonmountainousriverbeds.Theparticleassemblagesareonaveragethreetosixparticlesinlengthandformassingle,highlyimbricatedlongitUdinalthreads.Theyneednotconsistofthelargestmaterialonthebed,eventhoughthisispredominantlythecase(DeJongandErgenzinger,1995).Theyaredifferentiatedintermsofshape,numberandarrangementofparticles,butmostlythelengthandthewidthoftheparticlesareafewtimesofthethickness.Willettsetal.(1982)investigatedt…     

Triangulation hand‐held laser‐scanning (TriHaLaS) for micro‐ and meso‐habitat surveys in streams

A novel hand‐held laser‐based stream bed survey system is presented. The system facilitates the capture of detailed 3D mapping of shallow (< 0.7 m) riverbed topography in sections approximately 4 m by 2 m. The system includes a stationary reference system, which projects three laser sheets (two at offset angles), within which a hand‐held monitoring pole is moved. The unique configuration of the light sheets intercepts with the pole as it moves within the survey area providing an exact horizontal location. Pole tilt is compensated for by an inertial measurement unit on the pole, and the height above the bed of the pole and submerged scanning laser are monitored relative to the horizontal laser sheet. Verification and application measurements demonstrate high resolution and accuracy in the horizontal (~5 mm) and vertical (~1 mm) direction. The system can be applied at sites where a free view is blocked and other optical through‐water methods fail. It is appropriate for studies on riverbed statistics and dynamics, which necessitate non‐invasive in‐situ surveys. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transformation of parabolic dunes into mobile barchans triggered by environmental change and anthropogenic disturbance

Parabolic dunes are widely distributed on coasts and margins of deserts and steppes where ecosystems are vulnerable and sensitive to environmental changes and human disturbances. Some studies have indicated that vegetated parabolic dunes can be activated into highly mobile barchan dunes and the catastrophic shift of eco‐geomorphic systems is detrimental to land management and social‐economic development; however, no detailed study has clarified the physical processes and eco‐geomorphic interactions that control the stability of a parabolic dune and its resistance to unfavorable environmental changes. This study utilizes the Extended‐DECAL (Discrete Eco‐geomorphic Aeolian Landscapes) model, parameterized by field measurements of dune topography and vegetation characteristics combined with remote sensing, to explore how increases in drought stress, wind strength, and grazing stress may lead to the activation of stabilizing parabolic dunes into highly mobile barchans. The modeling results suggest that the mobility of an initial parabolic dune at the onset of a perturbation determines the capacity of a system to absorb environmental change, and a slight increase in vegetation cover of an initial parabolic dune can increase the activation threshold significantly. The characteristics of four eco‐geomorphic interaction zones control the processes and resulting morphologies of the transformations. A higher deposition tolerance of vegetation increases the activation threshold of the dune transformation under both a negative climatic impact and an increased sand transport rate, whereas the erosion tolerance of vegetation influences the patterns of resulting barchans (a single barchan versus multiple barchans). The change in the characteristics of eco‐geomorphic interaction zones may indirectly reflect the dune stability and predict an ongoing transformation, whilst the activation angle may be potentially used as a proxy of environmental stresses. In contrast to the natural environmental changes that tend to affect relatively weak and young plants, grazing stress can exert a broader impact on any plant indistinctively. A small increase in grazing stress just above the activation threshold can accelerate dune activation significantly. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Proglacial erosion rates and processes in a glacierized catchment in the Swiss Alps

In the Swiss Alps, climatic changes have not only caused glacier retreat, but also likely increased sedimentation downstream of glaciers. This material either originates from below the glacier or from periglacial environments, which are exposed as glaciers retreat, and often consist of easily erodible sediment. Griesgletscher's catchment in the Swiss Alps was examined to quantify erosion in the proglacial area, possible hydrological drivers and contributions of the sub‐ and periglacial sources. Digital elevation models, created from annual aerial photographs, were subtracted to determine annual volume changes in the proglacial area from 1986 to 2014. These data show a strong increase in proglacial erosion in the decade prior to 2012, coincident with increasing proglacial area size. However, examination of the gradient between discharge and sediment evacuation, and modeled sediment transport, could suggest that the proglacial area began to stabilize and sediment supply is limited. The large influx of sediment into the proglacial reservoir, which is roughly 2.5 times greater than the amount of sediment eroded from the proglacial area, demonstrates the importance of subglacial erosion to the catchment's sediment budget. Although far more sediment originates subglacially, erosion rates in the proglacial area are over 50 times greater than the rest of the catchment. In turn, both sub‐ and periglacial processes, in addition to constraining sediment supply, must be considered for assessing future sediment dynamics as glacier area shrinks and proglacial areas grow. © 2017 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.