Resident Attitudes to Farmland Protection Measures in the Northern Rivers Region,New South Wales

In-migration to popular ‘sea change’ and ‘tree change’ regions has produced conflicts between rural land users. In the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, new residential developments have been built on much of what was previously prime agricultural land, while farmers (in particular, those negatively affected by the deregulation of the dairy industry) have sought to secure retirement incomes by subdividing land for sale. Although developers, local councils and individual farmers sometimes see eye to eye on the mutual benefits of in-migration and population growth, land use has none the less become the subject of a hotly contested local political battle. Conflicts occur at the interface of growing urban developments and surrounding farmland, with new residents finding the sights, sounds and smells of rural production intrusive. More generally, there is considerable concern that the best farmland in the region may be lost to urbanisation and rural residential subdivision. This paper discusses the results of a survey that collected opinions from local residents about the pressures on the region's land uses by in-migration, the future role of farmland as both an economic and cultural landscape, and views on proposed measures to protect prime farmland in the region. Results highlighted a strong and consistent ‘pro-farmland’ and ‘pro-protection’ attitude throughout the region, and across social groups. Yet, variations emerged when respondents were asked about why they attribute value to agricultural landscapes. For some, ‘economic’ values dominated, while for others, value was attributed in ways that reflected an emerging ethos of ‘localism’ and village lifestyle. Although values differed, a clear message from this study is that the population of Australia's pre-eminent ‘sea change’ region strongly support measures to curb urban development and the more destructive consequences of a dynamic property market.     

Iron Speciation of Mud Breccia from the Dushanzi Mud Volcano in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, NW China

Organic-inorganic interactions occurring in petroleum-related mud volcanoes can help predict the chemical processes that are responsible for methane emissions to the atmosphere. Seven samples of mud breccia directly ejected from one crater were collected in the Dushanzi mud volcano, along with one argillite sample of the original reddish host rocks distal from the crater, for comparison purposes. The mineral and chemical compositions as well as iron species of all samples were determined using XRD, XRF and M?ssbauer spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicate that a series of marked reactions occurred in the mud volcano systems, more specifically in the mud breccia when compared to the original rocks. Changes mainly included: (1) some conversion of clay minerals from smectite into chlorite and illite, and the precipitation of secondary carbonate minerals such as calcite and siderite; (2) silicon depletion and significant elemental enrichment of iron, manganese, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus; and (3) transformation of iron from ferric species in hematite and smectite into ferrous species in siderite, chlorite and illite. These geochemical reactions likely induced the color changes of the original reddish Neogene argillite to the gray or black mud breccia, as a result of reduction of elements and/or alteration of minerals associated with the oxidation of hydrocarbons. Our results also suggest that greenhouse gases emitted from the mud volcanoes are lowered through a series of methane oxidation reactions and carbon fixation (i.e., through carbonate precipitation).     

Continental Scale Hydrostratigraphy: Comparing Geologically Informed Data Products to Analytical Solutions

This study synthesizes two different methods for estimating hydraulic conductivity (K) at large scales. We derive analytical approaches that estimate K and apply them to the contiguous United States. We then compare these analytical approaches to three-dimensional, national gridded K data products and three transmissivity (T) data products developed from publicly available sources. We evaluate these data products using multiple approaches: comparing their statistics qualitatively and quantitatively and with hydrologic model simulations. Some of these datasets were used as inputs for an integrated hydrologic model of the Upper Colorado River Basin and the comparison of the results with observations was used to further evaluate the K data products. Simulated average daily streamflow was compared to daily flow data from 10 USGS stream gages in the domain, and annually averaged simulated groundwater depths are compared to observations from nearly 2000 monitoring wells. We find streamflow predictions from analytically informed simulations to be similar in relative bias and Spearman's rho to the geologically informed simulations. R-squared values for groundwater depth predictions are close between the best performing analytically and geologically informed simulations at 0.68 and 0.70 respectively, with RMSE values under 10 m. We also show that the analytical approach derived by this study produces estimates of K that are similar in spatial distribution, standard deviation, mean value, and modeling performance to geologically-informed estimates. The results of this work are used to inform a follow-on study that tests additional data-driven approaches in multiple basins within the contiguous United States.     

Clast abrasion of a rock shore platform on the Atlantic coast of Ireland

The abrasion of coastal rock platforms by individual or clusters of clasts during transport has not been quantitatively assessed. We present a study which identifies the types of abrasion and quantifies erosion due to the transport of clasts during three storms in February and March 2016. We explore relationships between platform roughness, determined by the fractal dimension (D) of the topographic profiles, geomorphic controls and the type and frequency of abrasion feature observed. Clast transport experiments were undertaken in conjunction with the measurement of wave energy to assess transport dynamics under summer and winter (non‐storm) conditions. Platform abrasion occurred extensively during the storms. We identify two types of clast abrasion trails: simple and complex. In addition, we find two forms of erosion occur on these trails: Scratch marks and Percussion marks. An estimated 13.6 m² of the platform surface was eroded by clast abrasion on simple abrasion trails during the three storms. We attribute approximately two thirds of this to scratch‐type abrasion. The total volume of material removed by abrasion was 67 808 cm³. Despite the larger surface area affected by scratch marks, we find that the volume of material removed through percussion impact was almost seven times greater. We also find that the type and frequency of abrasion features is strongly influenced by the effect of platform morphometry on transport mode, with impact‐type abrasion dominating areas of higher platform roughness. Results of the clast transport experiments indicate that abrasion occurs under non‐storm wave energy conditions with observable geomorphological effects. We suggest that abrasion by clasts is an important component of platform erosion on high energy Atlantic coastlines, particularly over longer timescales, and that the morphogenetic link between the cliff and the platform is important in this context as the sediment supplied by the cliff is used to abrade the platform. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Extraterrestrial organic compounds and cyanide in the CM2 carbonaceous chondrites Aguas Zarcas and Murchison

Evaluating the water‐soluble organic composition of carbonaceous chondrites is key to understanding the inventory of organic matter present at the origins of the solar system and the subsequent processes that took place inside asteroid parent bodies. Here, we present a side‐by‐side analysis and comparison of the abundance and molecular distribution of aliphatic amines, aldehydes, ketones, mono‐ and dicarboxylic acids, and free and acid‐releasable cyanide species in the CM2 chondrites Aguas Zarcas and Murchison. The Aguas Zarcas meteorite is a recent fall that occurred in central Costa Rica and constitutes the largest recovered mass of a CM‐type meteorite after Murchison. The overall content of organic species we investigated was systematically higher in Murchison than in Aguas Zarcas. Similar to previous meteoritic organic studies, carboxylic acids were one to two orders of magnitude more abundant than other soluble organic compound classes investigated in both meteorite samples. We did not identify free cyanide in Aguas Zarcas and Murchison; however, cyanide species analyzed after acid digestion of the water‐extracted meteorite mineral matrix were detected and quantified at slightly higher abundances in Aguas Zarcas compared to Murchison. Although there were differences in the total abundances of specific compound classes, these two carbonaceous chondrites showed similar isomeric distributions of aliphatic amines and carboxylic acids, with common traits such as a complete suite of structural isomers that decreases in concentration with increasing molecular weight. These observations agree with their petrologic CM type‐2 classification, suggesting that these meteorites experienced similar organic formation processes and/or conditions during parent body aqueous alteration.     

Compound‐specific carbon isotope compositions of aldehydes and ketones in the Murchison meteorite

Compound‐specific carbon isotope analysis (δ¹³C) of meteoritic organic compounds can be used to elucidate the abiotic chemical reactions involved in their synthesis. The soluble organic content of the Murchison carbonaceous chondrite has been extensively investigated over the years, with a focus on the origins of amino acids and the potential role of Strecker‐cyanohydrin synthesis in the early solar system. Previous δ¹³C investigations have targeted α‐amino acid and α‐hydroxy acid Strecker products and reactant HCN; however, δ¹³C values for meteoritic aldehydes and ketones (Strecker precursors) have not yet been reported. As such, the distribution of aldehydes and ketones in the cosmos and their role in prebiotic reactions have not been fully investigated. Here, we have applied an optimized O‐(2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine (PFBHA) derivatization procedure to the extraction, identification, and δ¹³C analysis of carbonyl compounds in the Murchison meteorite. A suite of aldehydes and ketones, dominated by acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, and acetone, were detected in the sample. δ¹³C values, ranging from ?10.0‰ to +66.4‰, were more ¹³C‐depleted than would be expected for aldehydes and ketones derived from the interstellar medium, based on interstellar ¹²C/¹³C ratios. These relatively ¹³C‐depleted values suggest that chemical processes taking place in asteroid parent bodies (e.g., oxidation of the IOM) may provide a secondary source of aldehydes and ketones in the solar system. Comparisons between δ¹³C compositions of meteoritic aldehydes and ketones and other organic compound classes were used to evaluate potential structural relationships and associated reactions, including Strecker synthesis and alteration‐driven chemical pathways.     

The finite volume method for Richards equation

In this paper we prove the convergence of a finite volume scheme for the discretization of an elliptic–parabolic problem, namely Richards equation β(P)_t?div(K(β(P))× ?(P+z))=0, together with Dirichlet boundary conditions and an initial condition. This is done by means of a priori estimates in L² and the use of Kolmogorov's theorem on relative compactness of subsets of L².     

The Colorado East River Community Observatory Data Collection

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Colorado East River Community Observatory (ER) in the Upper Colorado River Basin was established in 2015 as a representative mountainous, snow-dominated watershed to study hydrobiogeochemical responses to hydrological perturbations in headwater systems. The ER is characterized by steep elevation, geologic, hydrologic and vegetation gradients along floodplain, montane, subalpine, and alpine life zones, which makes it an ideal location for researchers to understand how different mountain subsystems contribute to overall watershed behaviour. The ER has both long-term and spatially-extensive observations and experimental campaigns carried out by the Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA), led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and researchers from over 30 organizations who conduct cross-disciplinary process-based investigations and modelling of watershed behaviour. The heterogeneous data generated at the ER include hydrological, genomic, biogeochemical, climate, vegetation, geological, and remote sensing data, which combined with model inputs and outputs comprise a collection of datasets and value-added products within a mountainous watershed that span multiple spatiotemporal scales, compartments, and life zones. Within 5 years of collection, these datasets have revealed insights into numerous aspects of watershed function such as factors influencing snow accumulation and melt timing, water balance partitioning, and impacts of floodplain biogeochemistry and hillslope ecohydrology on riverine geochemical exports. Data generated by the SFA are managed and curated through its Data Management Framework. The SFA has an open data policy, and over 70 ER datasets are publicly available through relevant data repositories. A public interactive map of data collection sites run by the SFA is available to inform the broader community about SFA field activities. Here, we describe the ER and the SFA measurement network, present the public data collection generated by the SFA and partner institutions, and highlight the value of collecting multidisciplinary multiscale measurements in representative catchment observatories.     

Influence of Shallow Geology on Volatile Organic Chemical Attenuation from Groundwater to Deep Soil Gas

Vapor intrusion pathway evaluations commonly begin with a comparison of volatile organic chemical (VOC) concentrations in groundwater to generic, or Tier 1, screening levels. These screening levels are typically quite low reflecting both a desired level of conservatism in a generic risk screening process as well as limitations in understanding of physical and chemical processes that impact vapor migration in the subsurface. To study the latter issue, we have collected detailed soil gas and groundwater vertical concentration profiles and evaluated soil characteristics at seven different sites overlying chlorinated solvent contaminant plumes. The goal of the study was to evaluate soil characteristics and their impacts on VOC attenuation from groundwater to deep soil gas (i.e., soil gas in the unsaturated zone within 2 feet of the water table). The study results suggest that generic screening levels can be adjusted by a factor of 100× at sites with fine‐grained soils above the water table, as identified by visual observations or soil air permeability measurements. For these fine‐grained soil sites, the upward‐adjusted screening levels maintain a level of conservatism while potentially eliminating the need for vapor intrusion investigations at sites that may not meet generic screening criteria.