Assessment of a new solution for tracking pebbles in rivers based on active RFID

Low‐frequency passive integrated transponders (PIT tags), are commonly used for monitoring pebble mobility in gravel‐bed rivers. Although early studies reported high recovery rates for PIT tags used in small streams, recovery rates in larger systems remain low, substantially limiting the possibilities for their use in such rivers. These low recovery rates are potentially due to missed detections caused by tag signal collision, burial in the sediment layer deeper than the maximum detection range and insufficient (but still exhausting) field effort to cover the concerned areas. A potential solution for addressing these problems is to use active ultra‐high frequency (a‐UHF) transponders as these have a greater detection range and anti‐collision protocols. In order to assess the potential of such transponders for pebble tracking in rivers, we used 433.92 MHz COIN‐ID and COIN‐HC models (ELA Innovation Company, Montpellier, France). We completed several tests to (i) characterize transponder detection ranges in the water and in saturated sediment and (ii) develop field protocols for locating tags by combining global positioning systems (GPS) sites and transponder received signal strength indication (RSSI) levels. The results showed that (i) the maximum detection ranges are about 2.4 m in the water column and more than 2.6 m in a column of saturated gravelly‐sandy sediment, (ii) RSSI spatial interpolation can be used to determine transponder position with good accuracy (< 1 m), (iii) the desired minimal level of accuracy can be adjusted depending on in‐field effort and signal impulse interval, (iv) the RSSI maximal value observed cannot yet be used to determine transponder burial depth because of the multipath propagation of radio frequencies and the semi‐directional emission of the tag signal. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Biocrust landscape-scale spatial distribution is strongly controlled by terrain attributes: Topographic thresholds for colonization in a semiarid badland system

Biological soil crust, or biocrust communities, are the dominating life form in many extreme habitats, such as arid and semiarid badlands, where water scarcity and highly erodible substrates limit vegetation cover. While climate, soil and biotic factors have been described as environmental filters influencing biocrust distribution in such biomes, little is known about the effect of terrain attributes on creating specific microhabitats that promote or restrict biocrust colonization. This study aimed to identify the main terrain attributes controlling biocrust distribution in the driest badland system in Europe, the Tabernas Badlands (SE Spain). To do this, we analysed the influence of different terrain attributes related to landscape stability and microclimate formation on the spatial distribution of lichen and cyanobacteria, using field measurements and topographical information from a LiDAR survey. Our results showed that the spatial distribution of cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts, which are physiologically and morphologically adapted to extreme drought and high UVA radiation, was mostly associated with areas of high potential incoming solar radiation. The exception was bare south-aspect hillslopes with very high sediment transport potential, where bare physically crusted soils were the dominant ground cover. Lichen-dominated biocrusts, in contrast, colonized near the top of north-aspect hillslopes, characterized by low potential incoming solar radiation and potential evapotranspiration, and their cover decreased downstream, as conditions became good enough for vascular plants. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bayesian estimation of seismic hazard for two sites in Switzerland

Seismic hazard analysis is based on data and models, which both are imprecise and uncertain. Especially the interpretation of historical information into earthquake parameters, e.g. earthquake size and location, yields ambiguous and imprecise data. Models based on probability distributions have been developed in order to quantify and represent these uncertainties. Nevertheless, the majority of the procedures applied in seismic hazard assessment do not take into account these uncertainties, nor do they show the variance of the results. Therefore, a procedure based on Bayesian statistics was developed to estimate return periods for different ground motion intensities (MSK scale).Bayesian techniques provide a mathematical model to estimate the distribution of random variables in presence of uncertainties. The developed method estimates the probability distribution of the number of occurrences in a Poisson process described by the parameter . The input data are the historical occurrences of intensities for a particular site, represented by a discrete probability distribution for each earthquake. The calculation of these historical occurrences requires a careful preparation of all input parameters, i.e. a modelling of their uncertainties. The obtained results show that the variance of the recurrence rate is smaller in regions with higher seismic activity than in less active regions. It can also be demonstrated that long return periods cannot be estimated with confidence, because the time period of observation is too short. This indicates that the long return periods obtained by seismic source methods only reflects the delineated seismic sources and the chosen earthquake size distribution law.     

Oxidative stress in Laeonereis acuta (Polychaeta, Nereididae): environmental and seasonal effects

Laeonereis acuta was seasonally collected in an industrially polluted site (P) and in an unpolluted site (UP) at the Patos Lagoon estuary (southern Brazil). Glutathione S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity (U/mg protein) was determined in five groups of worms from each site. Metallothionein (MT - mol GSH/g ww) and lipid peroxides content (LPO - nmoles of cumene hydroperoxide/g ww) were also measured. Annual mean values for CAT (UP=3.7+/-0.3; P=5.7+/-0.6), GST (UP=0.034+/-0.003; P=0.045+/-0.004) and MT (UP=0.15+/-0.02; P=0.23+/-0.03) were higher (p<0.05) in worms from the P site. In autumn, CAT activity was higher (p<0.05) in worms from the P site (7.6 +/- 1.3) than in those from the UP site (3.6 +/- 0.4). In summer, MT concentration was higher in worms from the P site (0.37 +/- 0.03) than in those from the UP site (0.19 +/- 0.01). No significant difference (p>0.05) in the LPO content was observed in worms from the different sites or collected in different seasons. These results indicate that worms from the polluted site showed higher antioxidant responses than those from the unpolluted site, sufficient to prevent oxidative damage in terms of LPO.     

Swath mapping of the seafloor and its application to deep-bottom fisheries in New Caledonia

A bottom longline fishery operated in the EEZ of New Caledonia from 1988 to 1991. Fishing focused on five seamounts with summits at depths ranging from 500 to 750 m. The target species was alfonsino, Beryx splendens. As the soundings available from marine charts were not detailed enough, the fishing masters had to make their own charts in order to set the gear in the right location. A series of 11 scientific cruises devoted to a research program on alfonsino was launched in late 1991. During the first scientific cruises, several days were spent mapping the seabed to improve the existing knowledge of the topography of three seamounts by coupling the EDO echosounder depth measurements to the GPS positions. As this procedure is slow, it is applicable to limited areas or, if a wider grid is used, to large zones to locate major structures such as ridges and seamounts. The emergence of the multibeam echosounder has greatly improved seabed mapping performance. This tool seems to fit the requirement of exploratory deep-bottom fishing particularly well, as it covers large areas while providing details of the bottom. The EM 12 was used to obtain bathymetry and imagery of the SE portion of the EEZ of New Caledonia, covering an approximate area of 70,000 km² in two weeks. For depths ranging from 500 to 4,500 m, the results were impressive. They confirmed the known major features and provided greater topographical detail, revealing fine unknown structures. They also provided information on the type of substratum, information which might influence the fishing strategy. Finally, they made it possible to obtain an accurate estimate of the exploitable area which in turn led to new stock estimates.     

Spatial and temporal evolution of soft and hard X-ray emission in a solar flare

We study the spatial and temporal characteristics of the 3.5 to 30.0 keV emission in a solar flare on April 10, 1980. The data were obtained by the Hard X-ray Imaging Spectrometer aboard the Solar Maximum Mission Satellite. It is complemented in our analysis with data from other instruments on the same spacecraft, in particular that of the Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer.Key results of our investigation are: (a) Continuous energy release is needed to substain the increase of the emission through the rising phase of the flare, before and after the impulsive phase in hard X-rays. The energy release is characterized by the production of hot (5 × 10⁷ T 1.5 × 10⁸ K) thermal regions within the flare loop structures. (b) The observational parameters characterizing the impulsive burst show that it is most likely associated with non-thermal processes (particle acceleration). (c) The continuous energy release is associated with strong chromospheric evaporation, as evidenced in the spectral line behavior determined from the Bent Crystal Spectrometer data. Both processes seem to stop just before flare maximum, and the subsequent evolution is most likely governed by the radiative cooling of the flare plasma.     

Heat balance for the high-temperature component of a solar flare

Shortly after the occurrence of the impulsive spikes of the two-ribbon flare of May 21, 1980, a temperature analysis of the X-ray emitting flare plasma showed the presence of a low-temperature component [n = 15 × 10¹⁰ cm^#X2212;3; T = 20 × 10⁶ K] and a high-temperature component [n = 2 × 10¹⁰ cm^#X2212;3; T = 40 × 10⁶ K]. The mean free path of an electron in the hot component is comparable to the size of the source (≈ 10⁴ km). Heat losses from the hot source can therefore not be described with classical formulae. Theoretical arguments show that most likely the electron to ion temperature ratio T _e/T_i in the hot plasma is close to unity. This implies the presence of a hot ion component (T _i ≈ 40 × 10⁶ K) as well. Under these conditions (T _e ≈ T _i) heat flux limitation by electrostatic turbulence is ineffective. However, reduction of the heat flux is still possible due to the breakdown of classical theory. It is demonstrated that only non-classical current dissipation processes can sustain a hot source against cooling by a saturated heat flux. Investigation of the collisionality as a function of position along a magnetic loop shows that the breakdown of classical theory should be expected to occur first near the base of the loop. We conclude that the newly discovered hot source is important for the energy budget of the flare, even if the heat losses are considerably reduced. It is estimated that for the May 21, 1980 flare a total of about 10³¹ ergs were necessary to maintain the hot source against heat losses over the time period that it was observed (≈ 10 min).     

TNOs are Cool: A Survey of the Transneptunian Region

Over one thousand objects have so far been discovered orbiting beyond Neptune. These trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) represent the primitive remnants of the planetesimal disk from which the planets formed and are perhaps analogous to the unseen dust parent-bodies in debris disks observed around other main-sequence stars. The dynamical and physical properties of these bodies provide unique and important constraints on formation and evolution models of the Solar System. While the dynamical architecture in this region (also known as the Kuiper Belt) is becoming relatively clear, the physical properties of the objects are still largely unexplored. In particular, fundamental parameters such as size, albedo, density and thermal properties are difficult to measure. Measurements of thermal emission, which peaks at far-IR wavelengths, offer the best means available to determine the physical properties. While Spitzer has provided some results, notably revealing a large albedo diversity in this population, the increased sensitivity of Herschel and its superior wavelength coverage should permit profound advances in the field. Within our accepted project we propose to perform radiometric measurements of 139 objects, including 25 known multiple systems. When combined with measurements of the dust population beyond Neptune (e.g. from the New Horizons mission to Pluto), our results will provide a benchmark for understanding the Solar debris disk, and extra-solar ones as well.