Assessment of drought hazard,exposure, vulnerability,and risk for rice cultivation in the Mun River Basin in Thailand

Natural Hazards - When assessing drought risk, most studies focus on hazard and vulnerability, paying less attention to exposure. Here, we propose a comprehensive drought risk assessment scheme...     

Detrital zircon U-Pb-He double dating: A method of quantifying long- and short-term exhumation rates in collisional orogens

A U-Pb-He double-dating method is applied to detrital zircons with core-rim structure from the Ganges River in order to determine average short- and long-term exhumation rates for the Himalayas. Long-term rates are calculated from the U/Pb ages of metamorphic rims of the grains that formed during the Himalayan orogeny and their crystallization temperatures, which are calculated from the Ti-in-zircon thermometer. Short-term rates are calculated from(U-Th)/He ages of the grains with appropriate closure temperatures. The results show that short-term rates for the Himalayas, which range from 0.70 ± 0.09 to 2.67 ± 0.40 km/Myr and average 1.75 ± 0.59(1±) km/Myr, are higher and more varied than the long-term rates, which range from 0.84 ± 0.16 to 1.85 ± 0.35 km/Myr and average 1.26 ± 0.25(1±) km/Myr. The differences between the long-term and short-term rates can be attributed to continuous exhumation of the host rocks in different mechanisms in continental collision orogen. The U/Pb ages of 44.0 ± 3.7 to 18.3 ± 0.5 Ma for the zircon rims indicate a protracted episode of ~25 Myr for regional metamorphism of the host rocks at deeper crust, whereas the(U-Th)/He ages of 42.2 ± 1.8 to 1.3 ± 0.2 Ma for the zircon grains represent a protracted period of ~40 Myr for exposure of the host rocks to shallower crustal level. In particular, the oldest(U-Th)/He ages of the zircon grains are close to the oldest U/Pb ages for the rims, indicating that some parcels of the rocks that contain zircons were rapidly exhumed from deep to shallow levels in the stage of collisional orogeny. On the other hand, some parcels of the rocks may have been carried upwards by thrust faults in the post-collisional stage. The parcels could be carried upwards by the thrust faults that steepen as they near the surface, or by transient movement faults so that areas of rapid exhumation became areas of slow exhumation and visa versa on a time scale of a few Myr in order to maintain the continuous exhumation. In this regard, the Ganges River must be preferentially sampling areas that are currently undergoing above average rates of uplift.     

A comparison of biohydrodynamic interaction within mangrove and saltmarsh boundaries

Mangrove forests and saltmarshes are recognized for their roles in wave and current attenuation, although a comparison of in situ observations between woody and herbaceous plants is needed in order to understand the different mechanisms of bio‐physical interaction within coastal wetlands. The aim of our study was to compare the mechanisms of flow reduction and energy dissipation by mangrove trees and saltmarsh grass in a subtropical area where tidal currents dominate. Fieldwork was conducted to measure the hydrodynamic processes occurring at the boundaries between a bare mudflat and vegetated tidal flat, as the flow transitions from a bare mudflat to either mangrove or saltmarsh. Synchronous acoustic Doppler velocimetry (ADV) measurements at three sites revealed that the mangrove was more effective than the saltmarsh grass at flow reduction. In addition, a considerable rotation in flow direction was observed as the flow entered the mangrove trees, while rotation was considerably less pronounced within the saltmarsh edge. The mechanism for this difference was explained through a combination of changes in drag force and eddy viscosity over the two vegetation types. Although overall the mangrove was observed to dissipate energy more effectively than the saltmarsh, the relative efficiency of the vegetation at dissipating turbulent energy was found to vary with the maximum water level of tidal cycle. When the maximum water level remained below the mangrove canopy bottom (‘bio‐line’), the energy dissipation ability of the mangrove was relatively low, as a result of the presence of rigid, sparse trunks rather than denser saltmarsh grass found near the bed; when the maximum water level was sufficiently high to reach the mangrove canopy, the ability of the mangrove to dissipate energy was significantly increased, becoming more effective than the saltmarsh grass. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

人与保护区：理解态度差异 提高保护成效

When the attitudes of local people towards wildlife and conservation are not aligned with those of other stakeholders, significant conflicts can result, potentially undermining conservation efforts. We collected attitudinal data from 171 local people and 59 governmental staff from a Nature Reserve in southwestern China. These attitudinal questions covered key topics of ecosystem services, protected areas and human-wildlife coexistence. Statistically significant (p<0.05) similarities of responses between local people and staff were identified and the nature of any disparity was investigated. The majority of attitudes relating to protected areas (60%) and coexistence (100%) were statistically similar between the two groups, unlike 25% of responses relating to ecosystem services. Few characteristics of staff were statistically associated with their attitudes, whereas responses from local people were frequently associated with sub-village. Such attitudinal studies inform recommendations that consider the potential for future conflicts that might persist following attitudinal disparity between two key stakeholders.     

Potentially mobile pools of phosphorus and silicon in sediment from the Bay of Brest: Interactions and implications for phosphorus dynamics

Competitive interactions between silicate and phosphate at ligand exchange sites in the sediment surface layer may increase the release of phosphorus (P) from the sediment into the water column. In this study, the role of silicon (Si) in the release of P from the sediment surface layer was studied in a marine estuarine environment, the Bay of Brest, with the aid of a sequential sediment fractionation procedure developed for P, and the addition of inorganic or diatom-bound Si to surface sediment samples in vitro. The potentially mobile pools of P in the surface sediment (loosely bound P + Fe/Al-bound-P) amounted to 5.0 μmol g⁻¹ dry sed., 42% of the total extractable and 33% of the total amount of P in the sediment, while the similarly extracted pools of Si were bigger (ca. 20 μmol g⁻¹ dry sed., 50% of the total extractable Si). Additions of inorganic Si increased the concentration of dissolved P in the sediment interstitial water in a bottle experiment, and the addition of both inorganic Si and cultivated diatoms to intact sediment cores increased the outward flux of dissolved P. Model calculations based on the regression equation from the bottle experiment and Si and P water column data showed that the sedimentation of spring diatoms could cause Si pulses to the sediment which would produce a P flux to the water column of ca. 44 μmol m⁻² d⁻¹. Field data from the bay show that in spring, decreases in P and Si and an increase in chl a due to diatom production are often followed by a small separate P peak which may be caused by Si-induced P fluxes from the sediment surface.     

Holocene floristic diversity and richness in northeast Norway revealed by sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) and pollen

We present a Holocene record of floristic diversity and environmental change for the central Varanger Peninsula, Finnmark, based on ancient DNA extracted from the sediments of a small lake (sedaDNA). The record covers the period c. 10 700 to 3300 cal. a BP and is complemented by pollen data. Measures of species richness, sample evenness and beta diversity were calculated based on sedaDNA sampling intervals and 1000‐year time windows. We identified 101 vascular plant and 17 bryophyte taxa, a high proportion (86%) of which are still growing within the region today. The high species richness (>60 taxa) observed in the Early Holocene, including representatives from all important plant functional groups, shows that modern shrub‐tundra communities, and much of their species complement, were in place as early as c. 10 700 cal. a BP. We infer that postglacial colonization of the area occurred prior to the full Holocene, during the Pleistocene‐Holocene transition, Younger Dryas stadial or earlier. Abundant DNA of the extra‐limital aquatic plant Callitriche hermaphroditica suggests it expanded its range northward between c. 10 200 and 9600 cal. a BP, when summers were warmer than present. High values of Pinus DNA occur throughout the record, but we cannot say with certainty if they represent prior local presence; however, pollen influx values >500 grains cm^?2 a^?1 between c. 8000 and 7300 cal. a BP strongly suggest the presence of pine woodland during this period. As the site lies beyond the modern tree limit of pine, it is likely that this expansion also reflects a response to warmer Early Holocene summers.     

The sedimentology of an ephemeral fluvial–aeolian succession

Ephemeral fluvial systems are commonly associated with arid to semi-arid climates. Although their complex sedimentology and depositional settings have been described in much detail, depositional models depicting detailed lateral and vertical relationships, and interactions with coeval depositional environments, are lacking compared to well-recognized meandering and braided fluvial systems. This study critically evaluates the applicability of current models for ephemeral fluvial systems to an ancient arid fluvial example of the Lower Jurassic Kayenta Formation of the Colorado Plateau, USA. The study employs detailed sedimentary logging, palaeocurrent analysis and photogrammetric panels across the regional extent of the Kayenta. A generic model that accounts for the detailed sedimentology of a sandy arid ephemeral fluvial system (drawing upon both ancient and geomorphological studies) is developed, along with analysis of the spatial and temporal interactions with the aeolian setting. Results show that the ephemeral system is dominated by laterally and vertically amalgamated, poorly channelized to sheet-like elements, with abundant upper flow regime flat beds and high sediment load structures formed between periods of lower flow regime conditions. Through interaction with a coeval aeolian system, most of the fluvial deposits are dominated by sand-grade sediment, unlike many modern ephemeral fluvial systems that contain a high proportion of conglomeratic and/or finer grained mudstone and siltstone deposits. During dominantly fluvial deposition, high width to thickness ratios are observed for channelized and sheet-like elements. However, with increasing aridity, the aeolian environment becomes dominant and fluvial deposition is restricted to interdune corridors, resulting in lower width to thickness ratio channels dominated by flash-flood and debris-flow facies. The data presented here, coupled with modern examples of ephemeral systems and flood regimes, suggest that ephemeral flow produces and preserves distinctive sedimentological traits that can not only be recognized in outcrops, but also within core.     

Numerical implementation and sensitivity analysis of a wave energy converter in a time-dependent mild-slope equation model

Several Wave Energy Converters (abbreviated as WECs) have intensively been studied and developed during the last decade and currently small farms of WECs are getting installed. WECs in a farm are partly absorbing, partly redistributing the incident wave power. Consequently, the power absorption of each individual WEC in a farm is affected by its neighbouring WECs. The knowledge of the wave climate around the WEC is needed to predict its performance in the farm. In this paper a technique is developed to implement a single and multiple WECs based on the overtopping principle in a time-dependent mild-slope equation model. So far, the mild-slope equations have been widely used to study wave transformations around coastal and offshore structures, such as breakwaters, piles of windmills and offshore platforms. First the limitations of the WEC implementation are discussed through a sensitivity analysis. Next the developed approach is applied to study the wave height reduction behind a single WEC and a farm. The wake behind an isolated WEC is investigated for uni- and multidirectional waves; it is observed that an increase of the directional spread leads to a faster wave redistribution behind the WEC. Further the wake in the lee of multiple WECs is calculated for two different farm lay-outs, i.e. an aligned grid and a staggered grid, by adapting the performance of each WEC to its incident wave power. The evolved technique is a fast tool to find the optimal lay-out of WECs in a farm and to study the possible influence on surrounding activities in the sea.     

The Holme Pierrepont sand and gravel and the timing of Middle and Late Devensian floodplain aggradation in the English Midlands

This paper provides the first detailed, multi-proxy environmental record for the character of Lateglacial conditions in the lowest Pleistocene terrace of the main valley floor of the River Trent at Holme Pierrepont near Nottingham. The analysis of pollen, plant, insect and mollusc remains preserved within organic channels near the base of the terrace, named the Holme Pierrepont Sand and Gravel by the British Geological Survey (historically known as the Floodplain Terrace), provided evidence of cool, though not fully arctic climatic conditions and a largely treeless landscape, roamed by large herbivores. Radiocarbon dating indicates that these sediments were deposited during the Loch Lomond Stadial (Younger Dryas GS-1). Comparison of these dates from Holme Pierrepont with those from morphostratigraphically similar deposits in the wider Trent catchment suggests that the Holme Pierrepont Sand and Gravel may have been laid down in two separate pulses of braidplain aggradation either side of the ‘Last Glacial Maximum’. It has been demonstrated from historical documentation and riverine archaeological evidence that the middle Trent has been particularly sensitive to changing flood frequency and magnitude associated with climatic oscillations during the late Holocene; this study demonstrates that such sensitivity appears to extend back into the late Pleistocene. The timing of fluvial aggradation recorded at Holme Pierrepont agrees broadly with that recorded from other sites across England and north-west Europe.