Modelling coastal connectivity in a Western Boundary Current: Seasonal and inter-annual variability

Understanding the transport and distribution of marine larvae by ocean currents is one of the key goals of population ecology. Here we investigate circulation in the East Australian Current (EAC) and its impact on the transport of larvae and coastal connectivity. A series of Lagrangian particle trajectory experiments are conducted in summer and winter from 1992-2006 which enables us to investigate seasonal and inter-annual variability. We also estimate a mean connectivity state from the average of each of the individual realisations. Connectivity patterns are related to the movement of five individual larval species (two tropical, two temperate and one invasive species) and are found to be in qualitative agreement with historical distribution patterns found along the coast of SE Australia.We use a configuration of the Princeton Ocean Model to investigate physical processes in the ocean along the coast of SE Australia where the circulation is dominated by the EAC, a vigorous western boundary current. We assimilate hydrographic fields from a ∼10?\km global analysis into a ∼3?\km resolution continental shelf model to create a high-resolution hindcast of ocean state for each summer and winter from 1992-2006. Particles are released along the coast of SE Australia, and at various isobaths across the shelf (25-1000 m) over timescales ranging from 10-90 days. Upstream of the EAC separation point across-shelf release location dominates the particle trajectory length scales, whereas seasonality dominates in the southern half of the domain, downstream of the separation point.Lagrangian probability density functions show dispersion pathways vary with release latitude, distance offshore and the timescale of dispersion. Northern (southern) release sites are typified by maximum (minimum) dispersal pathways. Offshore release distance also plays a role having the greatest impact at the mid-latitude release sites. Maximum alongshore dispersion occurs at the mid-latitude release sites such as Sydney. Seasonal variability is also greatest at mid-latitudes, associated with variations in the separation point of the EAC. Climatic variations such as El Niño and La Niña are also shown to play a role in dictating the connectivity patterns. La Niña periods have a tendency to increase summer time connectivity (particularly with offshore release sites) while El Niño periods are shown to increase winter connectivity.The EAC acts as a barrier to the onshore movement of particles offshore, which impacts on the connectivity of offshore release sites. Consequentially particles released inshore of the EAC jet exhibit a greater coastal connectivity than those released offshore of the EAC front. The separation point of the EAC also dictates connectivity with more sites being connected (with lower concentration) downstream of the separation point of the EAC. These results can provide a useful guide to the potential connectivity of marine populations, or the spread of invasive pests (via ballast water or release of propagules from established populations).     

Dynamic response of an elastic and viscoelastic full-space to a spherical source

The dynamic response due to a spherical source of radius a embedded in an elastic and viscoelastic full-space is investigated at a distance R from the source. Previous solutions to the elastic case are extended to incorporate realistic source pressure functions. The elastic solution is then cast in a scale independent form in order to generalize the application. The results show that the near-field of the spherical source may be defined by R/a < 5. For this region the particle velocity and displacement decrease as R^?2, and the risetime decreases as R^?1. However. in the far-field region (R/a > 5) the particle velocity and displacement decrease as R^?1, and the risetime is independent of R. A non-constant Q model is developed to model viscoelastic attenuation and a complete analytical solution for wave propagation is obtained by cascading the separate mechanisms of geometric attenuation and viscoelastic attenuation. A comparison of our analytical model with the results of dynamic finite element modelling shows excellent agreement. This suggests that the method of cascading the separate transfer functions is a valid approach for wave propagation in viscoelastic media.     

Evidence that piezometers vent gas from peat soils and implications for pore‐water pressure and hydraulic conductivity measurements

Entrapped gas bubbles in peat can alter the buoyancy, storativity, void ratio and expansion/contraction properties of the peat. Moreover, when gas bubbles block water‐conducting pores they can significantly reduce saturated hydraulic conductivity and create zones of over‐pressuring, perhaps leading to an alteration in the magnitude and direction of groundwater flow and solute transport. Some previous researches have demonstrated that these zones of over‐pressuring are not observed by the measurements of pore‐water pressures using open‐pipe piezometers in peat; rather, they are only observed with pressure transducers sealed in the peat. In has been hypothesized that open‐pipe piezometers vent entrapped CH₄ to the atmosphere and thereby do not permit the natural development of zones of entrapped gas. Here we present findings of the study to investigate whether piezometers vent subsurface CH₄ to the atmosphere and whether the presence of piezometers alters the subsurface concentration of dissolved CH₄. We measured the flux of methane venting from the piezometers and also determined changes in pore‐water CH₄ concentration at a rich fen in southern Ontario and a poor fen in southern Quebec, in the summer of 2004. Seasonally averaged CH₄ flux from piezometers was 1450 and 37·8‐mg CH₄ m^?2 d^?1 at the southern Ontario site and Quebec site, respectively. The flux at the Ontario site was two orders of magnitude greater than the diffusive flux at the site. CH₄ pore‐water concentrations were significantly lower in open piezometers than in water taken from sealed samplers at both the Ontario and Quebec sites. The flux of CH₄ from piezometers decreased throughout the season suggesting that CH₄ venting through the piezometer exceeded the rate of methanogenesis in the peat. Consequently we conclude that piezometers may alter the gas dynamics of some peatlands. We suggest that less‐invasive techniques (e.g. buried pressure transducers, tracer experiments) are needed for the accurate measurement of pore‐water pressures and hydraulic conductivity in peatlands with a large entrapped gas component. Furthermore, we argue that caution must be made in interpreting results from previous peatland hydrology studies that use these traditional methods. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The 1997 El Niño,Indonesian Forest Fires and the Malaysian Smoke Problem: A Deadly Combination of Natural and Man-Made Hazard

The El Niño of 1997–1998 produced the most intenseimpact on the conterminous U.S.A., generating a seriesof powerful rain and wind storms off the coast ofCalifornia in early February 1998. The 1997–1998 ElNiño also produced severe flooding and extensive mudslides along the west coast of South America andprolonged drought conditions in northeast Brazil. Onthe other (west) side of the equatorial Pacific, the El Niño produced the worst drought in 50 years overIndonesia and helped spread the ongoing forest fireson the island of Borneo to well over one millionacres. In this paper, the smoke and pollution problem overMalaysia will be analyzed in the context of ongoingIndonesian forest fires and the severity of the 1997El Niño – a deadly combination which led to the mosthazardous smoke problem over Malaysia duringAugust–September 1997. The severity of the smokepollution is documented using media reports andavailable API (air pollution index) values overselected cities in Malaysia. The role of the El Niñoand its evolution in enhancing the smoke pollutionover Malaysia is further discussed and suitably documented.Some of the mitigation measures presently beingadopted in Malaysia to combat the smoke pollution arebriefly discussed.     

Degraded forest,degraded land and the development of industrial tree plantations in Laos

The concepts of degraded forest (pa mai xout xom) and degraded land (din seuam xom) have been variously applied in official Lao government policy narratives and law over the last couple of decades. In this article I focus on the concepts of degraded forest and land, and the relationship with industrial tree plantations, using two examples from southern Laos. I argue that the concepts have been significant in both facilitating and obstructing the development of large‐scale industrial tree plantations in different times and spaces, thus significantly influencing access and exclusion, as well as the spatialization of tree plantations. I provide a tentative genealogy regarding the emergence of these concepts in land and forestry policy in Laos, and briefly explain the links between degradation and ‘the land rush’ presently affecting Laos.     

Comparing bleaching and mortality responses of hard corals between southern Kenya and the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

We compared the bleaching and mortality response (BMI) of 19 common scleractinian corals to an anomalous warm-water event in 1998 to determine the degree of variation between depths, sites, and regions. Mombasa corals experienced a greater temperature anomaly than those on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) sites and this was reflected in the greater BMI response of most taxa. Comparing coral taxa in different sites at the same depth produced high correlation coefficients in the bleaching response in Kenya at 2 m (r=0.86) and GBR at 6 m depth sites (r=0.80) but less in the GBR for shallow 2 m sites (r=0.49). The pattern of taxa susceptibility was remarkably consistent between the regions. Coral taxa explained 52% of the variation in the response of colonies to bleaching between these two regions (Kenya BMI=0.90 GBR BMI+26; F(1,19) - 18.3; p < 0.001; r2 = 0.52). Stylophora and Pocillopora were consistently susceptible while Cyphastrea, Goniopora Galaxea and Pavona were resistant in both regions. Three taxa behaved differently between the two regions; Acropora, and branching Porites were both moderately affected on the GBR but were highly affected in Kenya while the opposite was true for Pavona. These results suggest that a colonies response to bleaching is phylogenetically constrained, emphasizing the importance of features of the host's physiology or morphology in determining the response to thermal stress.     

Linking stress field deflection to basement structures in southern Ontario: Results from numerical modelling

Analysis of stress measurement data from the near-surface to crustal depths in southern Ontario show a misalignment between the direction of tectonic loading and the orientation of the major horizontal principal stress. The compressive stress field instead appears to be oriented sub-parallel to the major terrane boundaries such as the Grenville Front, the Central Metasedimentary Belt boundary zone and the Elzevir Frontenac boundary zone. This suggests that the stress field has been modified by these deep crustal scale deformation zones. In order to test this hypothesis, a geomechanical model was constructed using the three-dimensional discontinuum stress analysis code 3DEC. The model consists of a 45 km thick crust of southern Ontario in which the major crustal scale deformation zones are represented as discrete faults. Lateral velocity boundary conditions were applied to the sides of the model in the direction of tectonic loading in order to generate the horizontal compressive stress field. Modelling results show that for low strength (low friction angle and cohesion), fault slip causes the stress field to rotate toward the strike of the faults, consistent with the observed direction of misalignment with the tectonic loading direction. Observed distortions to the regional stress field may be explained by this relatively simple mechanism of slip on deep first-order structures in response to the neotectonic driving forces.