The role of floodplains in attenuating contaminated sediment fluxes in formerly mined drainage basins

Many upland river catchments in the UK have been historically mined for metals such as lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn), and as part of the mining process large quantities of metal contaminated sediment were released into the river system. The levels of sediment associated heavy metal contamination in river systems are largely controlled by the volumes of contaminated sediment released into the river and fluvial processes (e.g. erosion and deposition). As a consequence, the contamination patterns are often highly variable, which can make it difficult to create accurate assessments of the volumes of contaminated sediment remaining within the system. This paper uses a combination of techniques to establish the volumes of metal contaminated sediment remaining within the River Swale, UK. Firstly, using detailed field sampling and a geographical information system (GIS), it estimates the volumes of sediment remaining within one formerly mined tributary (Gunnerside Beck) which is then extrapolated to represent the contaminant volumes on other tributaries of the River Swale. Secondly, combining fresh field data with a range of existing data, volumes of contaminated sediment on the main stream of the River Swale are established. This two tier approach shows that significant volumes of contaminated sediment remain within the River Swale, with over 32 000 tonnes of Pb within the mined tributaries and 123 000 tonnes within the main channel belt of the River Swale itself. This represents approximately 28% of the Pb produced in the Swale catchment. Given these volumes and present day rates of removal, it may take over 5000 years for all of the metal rich sediment to be removed from the catchment. If the contaminated sediment is used as a tracer, present day rates of reworking of floodplain sediment can be calculated to be 0·02% per year. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of the rock accretions in the lower pecos region of southwest texas

Calcium oxalate (whewellite) was found to be the primary component of crusts on limestone in the dry rock shelters throughout the Lower Pecos region of Texas. This material forms a translucent patina that covers the pictographs in this area. Evidence from analyses using SEM/EDS, FTIR, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and AMS is presented that suggests the oxalate-rich crusts were produced by metabolic activity of lichen or fungi on or near the surface of the limestone substrate. The paucity of hyphae and microbes in samples studied using SEM may indicate that the organisms responsible for the production of the oxalate are no longer present on the shelter walls. Radiocarbon ages of three oxalate samples range from 2100 to 5570 years B. P., indicating that the crust may be used for obtaining chronological information on the rock art.     

Effects of land cover change on streamflow in the interior Columbia River Basin (USA and Canada)

An analysis of the hydrological effects of vegetation changes in the Columbia River basin over the last century was performed using two land cover scenarios. The first was a reconstruction of historical land cover vegetation, c. 1900, as estimated by the federal Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP). The second was current land cover as estimated from remote sensing data for 1990. Simulations were performed using the variable infiltration capacity (VIC) hydrological model, applied at one‐quarter degree spatial resolution (approximately 500 km² grid cell area) using hydrometeorological data for a 10 year period starting in 1979, and the 1900 and current vegetation scenarios. The model represents surface hydrological fluxes and state variables, including snow accumulation and ablation, evapotranspiration, soil moisture and runoff production. Simulated daily hydrographs of naturalized streamflow (reservoir effects removed) were aggregated to monthly totals and compared for nine selected sub‐basins. The results show that, hydrologically, the most important vegetation‐related change has been a general tendency towards decreased vegetation maturity in the forested areas of the basin. This general trend represents a balance between the effects of logging and fire suppression. In those areas where forest maturity has been reduced as a result of logging, wintertime maximum snow accumulations, and hence snow available for runoff during the spring melt season, have tended to increase, and evapotranspiration has decreased. The reverse has occurred in areas where fire suppression has tended to increase vegetation maturity, although the logging effect appears to dominate for most of the sub‐basins evaluated. Predicted streamflow changes were largest in the Mica and Corralin sub‐basins in the northern and eastern headwaters region; in the Priest Rapids sub‐basin, which drains the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains; and in the Ice Harbor sub‐basin, which receives flows primarily from the Salmon and Clearwater Rivers of Idaho and western Montana. For these sub‐basins, annual average increases in runoff ranged from 4·2 to 10·7% and decreases in evapotranspiration ranged from 3·1 to 12·1%. In comparison with previous studies of individual, smaller sized watersheds, the modelling approach used in this study provides predictions of hydrological fluxes that are spatially continuous throughout the interior Columbia River basin. It thus provides a broad‐scale framework for assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to altered streamflow regimes attributable to changes in land cover that occur over large geographical areas and long time‐frames. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The 2005 eruption of Sierra Negra volcano,Galápagos,Ecuador

Sierra Negra volcano began erupting on 22 October 2005, after a repose of 26 years. A plume of ash and steam more than 13 km high accompanied the initial phase of the eruption and was quickly followed by a ~2-km-long curtain of lava fountains. The eruptive fissure opened inside the north rim of the caldera, on the opposite side of the caldera from an active fault system that experienced an m_b 4.6 earthquake and ~84 cm of uplift on 16 April 2005. The main products of the eruption were an `a`a flow that ponded in the caldera and clastigenic lavas that flowed down the north flank. The `a`a flow grew in an unusual way. Once it had established most of its aerial extent, the interior of the flow was fed via a perched lava pond, causing inflation of the `a`a. This pressurized fluid interior then fed pahoehoe breakouts along the margins of the flow, many of which were subsequently overridden by `a`a, as the crust slowly spread from the center of the pond and tumbled over the pahoehoe. The curtain of lava fountains coalesced with time, and by day 4, only one vent was erupting. The effusion rate slowed from day 7 until the eruption’s end two days later on 30 October. Although the caldera floor had inflated by ~5 m since 1992, and the rate of inflation had accelerated since 2003, there was no transient deformation in the hours or days before the eruption. During the 8 days of the eruption, GPS and InSAR data show that the caldera floor deflated ~5 m, and the volcano contracted horizontally ~6 m. The total eruptive volume is estimated as being ~150×10⁶ m³. The opening-phase tephra is more evolved than the eruptive products that followed. The compositional variation of tephra and lava sampled over the course of the eruption is attributed to eruption from a zoned sill that lies 2.1 km beneath the caldera floor.     

Physiological responses of transplants of the freshwater angiosperm Vallisneria americana along a salinity gradient in the Caloosahatchee Estuary (Southwestern Florida)

Fluctuations in freshwater input may affect the physiology and survival of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) occurring in oligoaline to mesohaline estuarine regions. Controls on the distribution of the freshwater angiosperm Vallisneria americana, were investigated by transplanting ramets. Pots (3.8-1) containing ramets were distributed among four sites (upstream site [least saline], donor site, near downstream site, and far downstream site [most saline]) in the Caloosahatchee Estuary (Southwest Florida) during wet (May–August) and dry (October–February) seasons. During 2–4 mo of each season, physiological indicators were monitored, including photosynthesis, glutamine synthetase activity, and protein content in shoots, and carbohydrates and total nitrogen and carbon in shoot and subterranean tissues. Where the physical environment (light or salinity) was suboptimal, all physiological indices, except photosynthetic rate, showed similar stress responses, which ranged from a slow decline to a rapid drop in physiological function. Levels of soluble carbohydrates decreased in response to unfavorable conditions more rapidly than did insoluble carbohydrates. Shoot protein of V. americana declined prior to transplant death, suggesting that measuring protein content may provide a rapid assessment of physiological health. V. americana transplants at the low-salinity upstream site died during both wet and dry season experiments, likely in response to light limitation and/or partial burial by sediments. At the far downstream site, death occurred within 2–4 wk, and was attributable to elevated salinities (>ca. 15‰). Comparison of physiological responses with salinity and light regimes at the donor and near downstream sites suggest that light may ameliorate salinity stress. This study demonstrates that V. americana, nominally classed as a freshwater macrophyte, is capable of a remarkable degree of halotolerance.     

Regional Inequality in China: A Case Study of Jiangsu Province

The tremendous changes in China's development philosophy and regional economies during the last two decades have carved out selectively new locations of development across the nation. While politicians heatedly debate the acceptable levels of regional inequality, most scholarly studies focus on broad aggregate trends of inequality among provinces and groups of provinces, and pay little attention to identifying and conceptualizing sources and major agents of spatial change. This paper aims at revealing detailed spatial ramifications of the reforms, and at understanding the impacts of the state, local agents, and foreign investors on regional development. To this effect, we conduct a disaggregated and empirical study of Jiangsu, a coastal province experiencing dramatic economic and spatial restructuring. We show that local agents which favor rural industrial enterprises accelerated new growth in selected rural areas, in contrast to slower growth of older cities and state‐owned enterprises, resulting in a net decline of intercounty inequality. But the coalescence of state policy, local agents, and foreign investment has widened the historical gap between northern and southern Jiangsu, and is likely to accelerate intercounty inequality in the future. Our study demonstrates the utility of the “developments from above, below and outside” framework for analyzing key forces of regional growth in socialist transitional economies.     

Physical volcanology and structural development of Cerro Azul Volcano, Isabela Island, Galápagos: implications for the development of Galápagos-type shield volcanoes

3 ) erupted from circumferential vents near the summit. These flows are nearly an order of magnitude smaller in volume than the predominantly aa flows erupted from radial eruptive fissures near the break in slope (0.06–0.1 km³). The differences in volume and flow morphology with altitude are due to slower eruption rates from summit vents than from flank vents, which, in turn, are attributable to the different heights the magmas must ascend from shallow reservoirs. These observations support the contention that the steep upper flanks were constructed by the buildup of short lava flows rather than by the structural deformation of originally gently dipping flanks. In addition to the higher eruption rates, a subdued lower flank geometry is promoted by the deposition of lava deltas onto the shallow Galápagos platform on the western, northern, and eastern flanks of the volcano. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology and volume estimates show that, despite their morphologic differences, the growth of the western Galápagos shields has been nearly synchronous, precluding an evolutionary model for their development. The wide variations in elevation, volume, area, and the distribution of slope angles among the western volcanoes can be linked instead to different long-term eruption rates and, to a lesser degree, the position of each volcano relative to the edge of the Galápagos platform. Received: 24 September 1998 / Accepted: 7 August 1999     

The oxygen isotope composition of water masses in the northern North Atlantic

The ratio of oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 (expressed as per mille deviations from Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water, δ¹⁸O) is reported for seawater samples collected from seven full-depth CTD casts in the northern North Atlantic between 20° and 41°W, 52° and 60°N. Water masses in the study region are distinguished by their δ¹⁸O composition, as are the processes involved in their formation. The isotopically heaviest surface waters occur in the eastern region where values of δ¹⁸O and salinity (S) lie on an evaporation–precipitation line with slope of 0.6 in δ¹⁸O–S space. Surface isotopic values become progressively lighter to the west of the region due to the addition of ¹⁸O-depleted precipitation. This appears to be mainly the meteoric water outflow from the Arctic rather than local precipitation. Surface samples near the southwest of the survey area (close to the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone) show a deviation in δ¹⁸O–S space from the precipitation mixing line due to the influence of sea ice meltwater. We speculate that this is the effect of the sea ice meltwater efflux from the Labrador Sea. Subpolar Mode Water (SPMW) is modified en route to the Labrador Sea where it forms Labrador Sea Water (LSW). LSW lies to the right (saline) side of the precipitation mixing line, indicating that there is a positive net sea ice formation from its source waters. We estimate that a sea ice deficit of ≈250 km³ is incorporated annually into LSW. This ice forms further north from the Labrador Sea, but its effect is transferred to the Labrador Sea via, e.g. the East Greenland Current. East Greenland Current waters are relatively fresh due to dilution with a large amount of meteoric water, but also contain waters that have had a significant amount of sea ice formed from them. The Northeast Atlantic Deep Water (NEADW, δ¹⁸O=0.22‰) and Northwest Atlantic Bottom Waters (NWABW, δ¹⁸O=0.13‰) are isotopically distinct reflecting different formation and mixing processes. NEADW lies on the North Atlantic precipitation mixing line in δ¹⁸O–salinity space, whereas NWABW lies between NEADW and LSW on δ¹⁸O–salinity plots. The offset of NWABW relative to the North Atlantic precipitation mixing line is partially due to entrainment of LSW by the Denmark Strait overflow water during its overflow of the Denmark Strait sill. In the eastern basin, lower deep water (LDW, modified Antarctic bottom water) is identified as far north as 55°N. This LDW has δ¹⁸O of 0.13‰, making it quite distinct from NEADW. It is also warmer than NWABW, despite having a similar isotopic composition to this latter water mass.     

Estuaries of the South Atlantic coast of North America: Their geographical signatures

Estuaries of the southeastern Atlantic coastal plain are dominated by shallow meso-tidal bar-built systems interspersed with shallow sounds and both low flow coastal plain and high flow piedmont riverine systems. Three general geographical areas can be discriminated: the sounds of North Carolina; the alternating series of riverine and ocean dominated bar-built systems of South Carolina, Georgia, and northeast Florida, and the subtropical bar-built estuaries of the Florida southeast coast. The regional climate ranges from temperate to subtropical with sea level rise and hurricanes having a major impact on the region's estuaries because of its low and relatively flat geomorphology. Primary production is highest in the central region. Seagrasses are common in the northern and southern most systems, while intertidal salt marshes composed ofSpartina alterniflora reach their greatest extent and productivity in South Carolina and Georgia. Nuisance blooms (cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates, and cryptomonads) occur more frequently in the northern and extreme southern parts of the region. Fishery catches are highest in the North Carolina and Florida areas. Human population growth with its associated urbanization reaches a maximum in Florida and it is thought that the long-term sustainability of the Florida coast for human habitation will be lost within the next 25 years. Tidal flushing appears to play an important role in mitigating anthropogenic inputs in systems of moderate to high tidal range, i.e., the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. The most pressing environmental problems for the estuaries of the southeastern Atlantic coast seem to be nutrient loading and poor land use in North Carolina and high human population density and growth in Florida. The future utilization of these estuarine systems and their services will depend on the development of improved management strategies based on improved data quality.