A patch hierarchy approach to modeling surface and subsurface hydrology in complex flood‐plain environments

Geomorphology interacts with surface‐ and ground‐water hydrology across multiple spatial scales. Nonetheless, hydrologic and hydrogeologic models are most commonly implemented at a single spatial scale. Using an existing hydrogeologic computer model, we implemented a simple hierarchical approach to modeling surface‐ and ground‐water hydrology in a complex geomorphic setting. We parameterized the model to simulate ground‐ and surface‐water ?ow patterns through a hierarchical, three‐dimensional, quantitative representation of an anabranched montane alluvial ?ood plain (the Nyack Flood Plain, Middle Fork Flathead River, Montana, USA). Comparison of model results to ?eld data showed that the model provided reasonable representations of spatial patterns of aquifer recharge and discharge, temporal patterns of ?ood‐water storage on the ?ood plain, and rates of ground‐water movement from the main river channel into a large lateral spring channel on the ?ood plain, and water table elevation in the alluvial aquifer. These results suggest that a hierarchical approach to modeling ground‐ and surface‐water hydrology can reproduce realistic patterns of surface‐ and ground‐water ?ux on alluvial ?ood plains, and therefore should provide an excellent ‘quantitative laboratory’ for studying complex interactions between geomorphology and hydrology at and across multiple spatial scales. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Visual method for spectral band selection

We present a new method for performing band selection experiments with spectral data. This method allows for the visual inspection and assessment of the experiment results, and includes a statistical significance test. The method follows a standard feature selection approach in which a multivariate distance measure is used as a figure of merit in a search-optimization procedure. For this letter, we have chosen the Jeffries-Matusita distance between each sample and its immediate background. The band selection methodology uses either an exhaustive search over all possible combinations of 1-4 bands or sequential forward selection. To analyze the band selection results, we count the number of times that each band is selected as a member of the best set by the protocol, and we plot the results as a band frequency histogram. This allows us to visually discern spectral patterns that are not evident otherwise, and thus better assess the utility of each spectral band. We can compute band frequency histograms over individual classes of samples or over groups of classes. In addition, we can compute a significance statistic that gives us the probability that a given histogram is not the result of random band selection outcomes.     

Web-cam’s potential for collaborative activities in the Earth sciences

We report here our experiences from using easily acquired web-cam components for collaborative ventures in the Earth sciences. We have used a variety of hardware and different software. We demonstrate from various locations in the U.S.A. the feasibility of using web-cam in multitudinous activities, relevant for conducting research and knowledge dissemination. We summarize the quality of the connections from the various combinations of communicating parties. Today, web-cams can be utilized as an economical and viable means of point-to-point communication in the Earth science community. Greater bandwidth is sorely needed for activities such as multi-party conferencing on the present internet network. We propose that web-cam can be readily deployed as a web-service for facilitating collaborative research over the GRID infrastructure, using the middleware Narada-Brokering. Web-cam will play an important role in the emerging field of geoinformatics.     

The influence of climate on mechanistic pathways that affect lower food web production in Northern San Francisco Bay estuary

Significant coherence among time series of environmental and biological production variables suggested mechanistic pathways through which climate contributed to the downward shift in estuarine production (biomass) in northern San Francisco Bay estuary, 1975–1993. Climate directly and indirectly affected physical processes in the estuary through precipitation and its subsequent impact on streamflow and physical variables affected by streamflow. Climate also directly influenced air temperature and wind velocity. The influence if climate was evaluated through a climate index based on sea level pressure. A shift in this climate index in the early 1980s coincided with changes in many environmental variables including water transparency, water temperature, wind velocity, and rainfall. These physical changes were accompanied by a decrease in diatom, total zooplankton, andNeomysis mercedis carbon at the base of the food web throughout the estuary. Box-Jenkins time series coherence analysis was used to quantify associations among these physical, chemical, and biological time series for nine regions of the estuary. These associations were used to develop a conceptual model of mechanistic pathways that directly linked food web carbon production to climate. Strong coherence among diatom, zooplankton, andN. mercedis carbon time series suggested climate also had an indirect impact on food web production through trophic cascade. Differing mechanistic pathways among the nine regions of the estuary suggested climate was an important contributor to the spatial variability in total food web production and trophic structure.     

An experimental and theoretical determination of oxygen isotope fractionation in the system magnetite-H2O from 300 to 800°C

Oxygen isotope fractionations have been determined between magnetite and water from 300 to 800°C and pressures between 10 and 215MPa. We selected three reaction pathways to investigate fractionation: (a) reaction of fine-grained magnetite with dilute aqueous NaCl solutions; (b) reduction of fine-grained hematite through reaction with dilute acetic acid; and (c) oxidation of fine iron power in either pure water or dilute NaCl solutions. Effective use of acetic acid was limited to temperatures up to about 400°C, whereas oxide-solution isotope exchange experiments were conducted at all temperatures. Equilibrium ¹⁸O/¹⁶O fractionation factors were calculated from the oxide-water experiments by means of the partial isotope exchange method, where generally four isotopically different waters were used at any given temperature. Each run product was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and on a limited basis, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Results from the microscopic examinations indicate the formation of well-crystallized octahedra and dodecahedra of magnetite where the extent of crystallization, grain size, and grain habit depend on the initial starting material, P, T, solution composition, and duration of the run.The greatest amount of oxygen isotope exchange (∼90% or greater) was observed in experiments where magnetite either recrystallized in the presence of 0.5 m NaCl from 500 to 800°C or formed from hematite reacted with 0.5 m acetic acid at 300, 350 and 400°C. Fractionation factors (10³ ln α_mt-H2O) determined from these partial exchange experiments exhibit a steep decrease (to more negative values) with decreasing temperature down to about 500°C, followed by shallower slope. A least-squares regression model of these partial exchange data, which accounts for analytical errors and errors generated by mass balance calculations, gives the following expression for fractionation that exhibits no minimum: 1000lnα_lmt-lw=−8.984(±0.3803)x+3.302(±0.377)x²—0.426(±0.092)x³ with an R² = 0.99 for 300 ≤ T≤ 800°C (x = 10⁶/T²). The Fe oxidation results also exhibit this type of temperature dependence but shifted to slightly more negative 10³ ln α values; there is the suggestion that a kinetic isotope effect may contribute to these fractionations. A theoretical assessment of oxygen isotope fractionation using β-factors derived from heat capacity and Mössbauer temperature (second-order Doppler) shift measurements combined with known β-factors for pure water yield fractionations that are somewhat more negative compared to those determined experimentally. This deviation may be due to the combined solute effects of dissolved magnetite plus NaCl (aq), as well as an underestimation of β_mt at low temperatures. The new magnetite-water experimental fractionations agree reasonably well with results reported from other experimental studies for temperatures ≥ 500°C, but differ significantly with estimates based on quasi-theoretical and empirical approaches. Calcite-magnetite and quartz-magnetite fractionation factors estimated from the combination of magnetite β’s calculated in this study with those for calcite and quartz reported by Clayton and Kieffer (1991) agree very closely with experimentally determined mineral-pair fractionations.     

Geochemical evidence for abrupt changes in relative strength of the Arabian monsoons during a stadial/interstadial climate transition

The occurrence and propagation of abrupt climate change between the high and low-latitudes has become an important focus of paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic research. The causes of abrupt change have significant implications for understanding future manifestations of similar forcings under late Holocene (‘Anthropocene’) boundary conditions. Of particular interest are signals indicative of sub-millennial scale climate change in the sub-tropics of similar magnitude and frequency to those recorded in Greenland ice cores. Earlier research in the Arabian Sea has highlighted the sensitivity of sedimentary organic carbon and nitrogen isotope measurements for recording the state of the SW monsoon and associated Arabian Sea Oxygen Minimum Zone. In this study, we exploit the unprecedented fidelity of the sedimentary δ¹⁵N record to identify a 20 cm interval at ODP Site 723 containing a stadial/inter-stadial interval between 43-42 Kyr BP. We employ sedimentary nitrogen isotopes, chlorin pigment and alkenone abundances, major and minor element analyses of highly-resolved (2 mm ≈ 10 yr) samples across this interval to compare a comprehensive, multi-proxy data set to understand (a) the processes contributing to the δ¹⁵N signal in the longer records of denitrification; and (b) the associated climatic events, especially the relative intensity of summer and winter monsoons at these times. A lack of evidence for bioturbation in excess of our 2 mm sampling resolution facilitates decadal-scale oceanographic and climatic reconstructions. Using a four-component flux-dilution model, we show that the deposition of carbonate decreased in parallel with an increase in Total Organic Matter flux from stadial to inter-stadial time. This interval is also marked by a significant drop in lithogenic (dust) accumulation, analogous to a similar decrease noted during deglaciation in the Western Arabian Sea. Combined with alkenone U₃₇^K′-derived estimates for sea surface temperature (SST), we conclude that the climatological shift from stadial to inter-stadial conditions at low latitudes was characterized by repeated switches in mean monsoon state approximately every 200 yr. The winter monsoon was the dominant mode during maximum stadial conditions; conversely the summer monsoon was dominant during maximum interstadial-like conditions. However, each interval was separated by a distinct ‘inter-monsoon’ mode, indicated by a higher continental dust flux but warmer SST. Proxy records for changing bottom-water oxygenation show near-identical results down to the mm-scale, but hint at increased export production leading the onset of anoxia during the stadial/inter-stadial transition. The coherence of all sedimentary signals depicts a wholesale reorganization of the Arabian Sea climate and marine ecosystem over approximately 200 years, a period that may be associated with monsoon modulation by small oscillations in solar irradiance.     

Sulfur isotope fractionation during growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria on various carbon sources

Stable sulfur isotope fractionation during microbial sulfate reduction is a potential tool to estimate sulfate reduction rates at field sites. However, little is known about the influence of the utilized carbon source on the magnitude of sulfur isotope fractionation. To investigate this effect, both a pure culture (strain PRTOL1) and enrichment cultures from a petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC)-contaminated aquifer were used and grown in batch cultures on various carbon sources with an initial sulfate concentration of 1 mmol/L. As sole carbon sources the PHC components naphthalene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, and heating oil (enrichment culture) and the organic acids acetate, pyruvate, benzoate, and 3-phenylpropionate (enrichment culture and PRTOL1) were used. Sulfate reduction rates of all cultures ranged from 6 ± 1 nmol cm⁻³ d⁻¹ (enrichment culture grown on 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) to 280 ± 6 nmol cm⁻³ d⁻¹ (enrichment culture grown on pyruvate). Cell-specific sulfate reduction rates ranged from 1.1 × 10⁻¹⁴ mol cell⁻¹ d⁻¹ (PRTOL1 grown on pyruvate) to 1.5 × 10⁻¹³ mol cell⁻¹ d⁻¹ (PRTOL1 grown on acetate). Sulfur isotope enrichment factors (ε) for the enrichment culture ranged from 16.1‰ (3-phenylpropionate) to 34.5‰ (1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) and for PRTOL1 from 30.0‰ (benzoate) to 36.0‰ (pyruvate). Cultures of PRTOL1 always showed higher ε values than the enrichment culture when grown on the same carbon source due to culture-specific properties. Higher ε values were obtained when the enrichment culture was grown on PHC components than on organic acids. No relationship between ε values and cell-specific sulfate reduction rate existed when all data were combined. When comparing the magnitude of ε values determined in this laboratory study with ε values measured at contaminated and uncontaminated field sites, it becomes evident that a multitude of factors influences ε values at field sites and complicates their interpretation. The results of this study help us assess some of the general parameters that govern the magnitude of ε in sulfate-reducing environments.     

Urban land transformation for pro-poor economies

The transformation of land into a setting for clustering local economies can become an important cornerstone of poverty policy. This transformation has several functional aspects, which in turn have important institutional and political aspects. Underlying both the functional and institutional factors is the role of local government and local democracy. Such a conceptualization puts to center stage several paradoxes: A terrain that seems “slum-like” turns out to be highly productive and employment generating. Complex tenure forms and mixed land use seen as “unplanned” turn out to be pre-requisites for economic development. There are institutional paradoxes that contrast efforts at “transparency” and managerial “best practices”. Here, the messiness of local bureaucracies in municipal government turns out to be critical for poor groups to influence interventions in their favor. Influencing the public process may be more effective in stealth-like ways rather taking a more visible approach. Most fundamentally these issues remind us that the potential of cities to reinforce or reduce poverty moved far beyond projects and programs and the normative frameworks used by planners and administrators. Instead, it is the transformative process of turning land into economic settings that might be at the center stage. This is a stage where poor groups are the central actors who stealth-like draw on complex alliances across ethnic and class lines to shapes cities in their interests.     

Soil moisture potential and water content in the unsaturated zone within the arid Ejina Oasis in Northwest China

Three soil profiles were selected in the Ejina Oasis, northwest China, to determine water content profiles and evolution of soil moisture potentials in the unsaturated zone within the arid area. The total soil moisture potentials have been monitored for about 3 months in 2001 at different depths in the soil profiles. The occurrence and movement of water in the unsaturated zone was analyzed using the zero flux plane (ZFP) method. It is shown that convergent ZFPs and divergent ZFPs may occur at depths between 0.5 and 3.0 m, and that the depth of the ZFPs was controlled by the root zone of plants growing on the land surface. Profiles of the total soil moisture potentials were observed to be coincident with those of the water contents at the three experimental sites. The total soil moisture potential showed a slight increasing trend and the ZFPs tend to vanish from summer to winter as the water extraction by roots decreased. Evapotranspiration through vegetation has an important bearing on the water content and the total potential in the unsaturated zone.     

Inferring the mass fraction of floc-deposited mud: application to fine-grained turbidites

Fine sediment deposition in the ocean is complicated by the cohesive nature of muds and their tendency to flocculate. The result is disaggregated inorganic grain size (DIGS) distributions of bottom sediment that are influenced by single‐grain and floc deposition. This study outlines a parametric model that characterizes bottom sediment DIGS distributions. Modelled parameters are then used to infer depositional conditions that account for the regional variation in the grain sizes deposited by turbidity currents on the Laurentian Fan–Sohm Abyssal Plain, offshore south‐eastern Canada. Results indicate that, on the channellized Laurentian Fan, the mass fraction of floc‐deposited mud increases only slightly downslope. The small evolution in this fraction arises because sediment concentration and turbulent energy are associated in turbidity currents. On the Sohm Abyssal Plain, however, the mass fraction of floc‐deposited mud decreases, probably as a result of lower sediment concentration at this source‐distal site. Estimates of the mass fraction of mud deposited as flocs suggest that floc deposition is the dominant mode by which sediment is lost from suspension, although single‐grain deposition contributes more to the depositional flux in proximal areas where high energy breaks flocs and in distal areas where low sediment concentration limits floc formation. It is concluded that, throughout the dispersal system, changes in the fraction of flocculated mud deposited from turbidity currents reflect changes in sediment concentration and energy downslope.