High-resolution optical dating of Late Holocene storm surge deposits – a showcase from Schokland (Noordoostpolder,the Netherlands)

Storm surges have a major impact on land use and human habitation in coastal regions. Our knowledge of this impact can be improved by correlating long-term historical storm records with sedimentary evidence of storm surges, but so far few studies have applied such an approach. Here we apply, for the first time, state-of-the-art optically stimulating luminescence (OSL) methods to obtain high-resolution age information on a sequence of Late Holocene storm surge deposits. By combining this chronological framework of storm surges with other reconstruction methods, we investigate the storm surge impact on the former island Schokland, located in a former inlet of the North Sea (central Netherlands).During the Late Holocene, Schokland transformed from a peat area that gradually inundated (~800 CE) via an island in a marginal marine environment (~1600 CE) to a land-locked island in the reclaimed Province of Flevoland (1942 CE). These transitions are recorded in the sediment archive of the island, consisting of silty clay with sandy intervals deposited during storm surges. A series of ten quartz OSL ages, obtained using best-practice methods to deal with incomplete resetting of the OSL signal and dose rate heterogeneity, reveal two periods of storm surge deposition, around 1600 CE and between 1742 and 1822 CE. Historical sources indicate that major storm surges hit Schokland during these periods. Laboratory analyses (thermogravimetry, grain-size, foraminifera, bivalves and ostracods) corroborates the existence of the two sets of storm surge deposits within the clay sequence. Our study sets a benchmark for obtaining robust depositional age constraints from storm surge sediments, and demonstrates the great potential of modern OSL methods to contribute to improved assessment of storm surge risk. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of groundwater recharge influenced by floodwater spreading: an integrated approach with limited accessible data

To assess the response of groundwater to artificial recharge through floodwater spreading (FWS) a combination approach of water table fluctuations and water budget was used. In this process, water level data in six observation wells installed inside and around the site of the FWS systems together with the amount of rainfall and volume of floodwater diverted to the system were examined during the period 1993–2012. Specific yield was also determined based on measured soil hydraulic properties for three experimental wells hand drilled within the FWS systems. The observation wells located inside the FWS systems were less susceptible to drought and abstractions than the other wells in the area. The hydrograph of the wells inside the FWS showed a large disparity in rises (0.5–2.05 m) after the two major floods in 2004 and 2005 due to systems closure in 2004. The water budget calculated based on water table fluctuations for 2010/11 showed that the contribution of FWS systems to total recharge in the study area was about 57–61%.

EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis

ASSOCIATE EDITOR S. Kanae     

Geographic prospects for large-scale African mammal wildlife conservation

This work assesses current geographic prospects for large-scale conservation of Africa’s mammals on the basis of statistics on wildlife habitat, elephant numbers, political stability and potential for environmental tourism and concludes that these prospects depend on events in a small number of eastern and southern African (core) countries, geographically grouped into a ‘safari-belt’ between South-Africa and Kenya. Additional countries with good potential are connected to this belt. African countries need more global scientific support for their conservation efforts, particularly with respect to ongoing trans-boundary conservation efforts.     

Empirical NLTE analyses of solar spectral lines

A method is suggested for empirical NLTE analyses of solar spectral lines. Special depthdependent departure coefficients (x) are introduced and the formulas are given for further application. From test calculations it is shown that the separation of the departure coefficients for the upper and the lower level from each other and from the uncertainties in several input parameters (oscillator strength times abundance, turbulent velocities and damping constant) is greatly facilitated when spectral lines are analysed on the disk, around the limb, as well as in the flash spectrum. Therefore it is necesssary that all accessible line data are used, from accurate line profiles to equivalent widths or integrated intensities. To reduce the number of independent variables the analysis should include many multiplets between a few spectroscopic terms.We discuss the advantages of translating the departure coefficients into a set of temperatures. Some published LTE and NLTE analyses are compared in terms of these temperatures. The results do not show inexplicable contradictions. For several atomic spectra the departures from LTE seem large enough to be established quantitatively by the detailed method suggested in this paper.     

River response to variations of periglacial climate in mid-latitude Europe

The Last Glaciation was characterised by considerable changes in climate. Many European river basins reacted to these changes by initial incision and subsequent pattern change. Earlier research explained this by the time lag of vegetation development after a climatic change, which considerably affected the sediment load. However, since some river basins react differently, or do not react at all, this model needs to be refined. This paper deals with the fluvial evolution of several rivers in northern and central Europe during the Last Glaciation, and two of them, the Weiße Elster river in the Leipzig area and the Spree river in the Niederlausitz (Germany), are discussed in more detail. The vegetation cover on the floodplain, in combination with the presence of frozen ground, which affects the discharge characteristics, largely determines the river type. Nevertheless, when the sequences are compared, not only synchronous changes in fluvial development may be observed, but also distinct differences in fluvial development. By analysing the different rivers in their varying geomorphological settings, it appears that grain size, basin configuration and catchment size are important parameters also, which can determine whether a threshold is exceeded or not.     

Isotope mixing models require individual isotopic tracer content for correct quantification of sediment source contributions

The use of isotopic tracers for sediment source apportionment is gaining interest with recent introduction of compound‐specific stable isotope tracers. The method relies on linear mixing of source isotopic tracers, and deconvolution of a sediment mixture initially quantifies the contribution of sources to the mixture's tracer signature. Therefore, a correction to obtain real sediment source proportions is subsequently required. As far as we are aware, all published studies to date have used total isotopic tracer content or a proxy (e.g., soil carbon content) for this post‐unmixing correction. However, as the relationship between the isotopic tracer mixture and the source mixture is different for each isotopic tracer, post‐unmixing corrections cannot be carried out with one single factor. This contribution presents an isotopic tracer model structure—the concentration‐dependent isotope mixing model (CD‐IMM)—to overcome this limitation. Herein, we aim to clarify why the “conventional” approach to converting isotopic tracer proportions to source proportions using a single factor is wrong. In an initial mathematical assessment, error incurred by not using CD‐IMM (NCD‐IMM) in unmixing two sources with two isotopic tracers showed a complex relation as a function of relative tracer contents. Next, three artificial mixtures with different proportions of three soil sources were prepared and deconvoluted using ¹³C of fatty acids using CD‐IMM and NCD‐IMM. Using NCD‐IMM affected both accuracy (mean average error increased up to a threefold compared with the CD‐IMM output) and precision (interquartile range was up to 2.5 times larger). Finally, as an illustrative example, the proportional source contribution reported in a published study was recalculated using CD‐IMM. This resulted in changes in estimated source proportions and associated uncertainties. Content of isotopic tracers is seldom reported in published work concerning use of isotopic tracers for sediment source partitioning. The magnitude of errors made by miscalculation in former studies is therefore difficult to assess. With this contribution, we hope the community will acknowledge the limitations of prior approaches and use a CD‐IMM in future studies.     

Using hourly measurements to explore the role of secondary inorganic aerosol in PM2.5 during haze and fog in Hangzhou,China

This paper explores the role of the secondary inorganic aerosol （SIA） species ammonium,NH4＋,nitrate,NO3-,and sulfate,SO24-,during haze and fog events using hourly mass concentrations of PM2.5 measured at a suburban site in Hangzhou,China.A total of 546 samples were collected between 1 April and 8 May 2012.The samples were analyzed and classified as clear,haze or fog depending on visibility and relative humidity （RH）.The contribution of SIA species to PM2.5 mass increased to ～50％ during haze and fog.The mass contribution of nitrate to PM2.5 increased from 11％ during clear to 20％ during haze episodes.Nitrate mass exceeded sulfate mass during haze,while near equal concentrations were observed during fog episodes.The role of RH on the correlation between concentrations of SIA and visibility was examined,with optimal correlation at 60％-70％ RH.The total acidity during clear,haze and fog periods was 42.38,48.38 and 45.51 nmol m-3,respectively,indicating that sulfate,nitrate and chloride were not neutralized by ammonium during any period.The nitrate to sulfate molar ratio,as a function of the ammonium to sulfate molar ratio,indicated that nitrate formation during fog started at a higher ammonium to sulfate molar ratio compared to clear and haze periods.During haze and fog,the nitrate oxidation ratio increased by a factor of 1.6-1.7,while the sulfur oxidation ratio increased by a factor of 1.2-1.5,indicating that both gaseous NO2 and SO2 were involved in the reduced visibility.     

The flares of April 1980

We discuss the spatial and temporal characteristics of X-ray flares occurring in the active region NOAA2372 from April 6 to 13, 1980. The flares are seen to extend in most cases across the whole active complex, involving several magnetic features. They originate in an intermediate bipole, between the two main sunspots of the active region, where high magnetic shear was detected. A rapid expansion is seen in some cases, in conjunction with the start of the impulsive hard X-ray bursts. We also detect, in the late phases of some of the events, a large soft X-ray structure overlying the whole active region, which also shows up as a noise storm region at metric wavelengths. These large loops cool by heat conduction but, in some cases, Hα condensations seem to appear, probably as a result of magnetic compression and a condensation mode of the thermal instability. The topological aspects of the field configuration are discussed, in the context of flare models invoking magnetic reconnection at the site of the primary energy release. In such a model, the intermediate bipole is the natural site of initial magnetic reconnection, particle acceleration and heating. In one particular case of a flare observed at the limb, we find possible evidence of particle acceleration in a neutral sheet at the boundary between two clearly defined magnetic structures.