Shallow water tidal currents in close proximity to the seafloor and boundary-induced turbulence

Velocity measurements with vertical resolution 0.02 m were conducted in the lowest 0.5 m of the water column using acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) at a test site in the western part of the East China Sea. The friction velocity u _* and the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate ε _wl(ζ) profiles were calculated using log-layer fits; ζ is the height above the bottom. During a semidiurnal tidal cycle, u _* was found to vary in the range (1–7) × 10⁻³ m/s. The law-of-the-wall dissipation profiles ε _wl(ζ) were consistent with the dissipation profiles ε _mc(ζ) evaluated using independent microstructure measurements of small-scale shear, except in the presence of westward currents. It was hypothesized that an isolated bathymetric rise (25 m height at a 50-m seafloor) located to the east of the measurement site is responsible for the latter. Calculation of the depth integrated internal tide generating body force in the region showed that the flanks of the rise are hotspots of internal wave energy that may locally produce a significant turbulent zone while emitting tidal and shorter nonlinear internal waves. This distant topographic source of turbulence may enhance the microstructure-based dissipation levels ε _mc(ζ) in the bottom boundary layer (BBL) beyond the dissipation ε _wl(ζ) associated with purely locally generated turbulence by skin currents. Semi-empirical estimates for dissipation at a distance from the bathymetric rise agree well with the BBL values of ε _mc measured 15 km upslope.     

How do early successional patterns in man-made wetlands differ between cold temperate and Mediterranean regions?

The early stages of succession in newly created wetlands should be impacted by the region in which the wetland is located, since climate may have filtered the dominant biological strategies of the taxa leading this process and may condition their dynamics. We studied the early successional patterns of macroinvertebrates within man made ponds, located in cold temperate (Scandinavian Peninsula) and Mediterranean regions (Iberian Peninsula), during the first three years following their creation. We predicted (1) non random subsets of the regional species pool (deterministic assembly) guiding the successional process in cold temperate wetlands, and random (stochastic) assembly in the Mediterranean region; (2) higher successional rates in Mediterranean ponds than in the cold temperate ponds, with contrary episodes of highest and lowest change throughout the year; and (3) a significant difference in the composition of biological traits between regions, due to the dominance of traits adapted to hydrological variability in the Mediterranean region. Hypotheses on community structure (1) and the composition of dominant biological traits (3) were mostly supported – deterministic assembly mechanisms in the cold temperate ponds and stochastic assembly in the Mediterranean ponds; and a dominance of different biological traits between regions, explained by the need to overcome hydrological disturbances in the Mediterranean ponds. The dynamics of succession (2) were explained by climatic factors in the cold temperate region but not in the Mediterranean ponds. We suggest that the intrinsic hydrological variability of Mediterranean lentic systems may be a major factor driving community changes in man-made wetlands in this region. In order to generalize the observed patterns, we performed a meta-analysis of the temporal trends of taxonomic distinctness parameters of other successional studies across a latitudinal gradient in Europe, which supported the differences we had observed between latitudinal extremes.     

March 1, 2005 Daylight Fireball Over Galicia (NW of Spain) and Minho (N. Portugal)

A daylight bolide was observed over Galicia (NW Spain) and Minho (N. Portugal) on March 1, 2005 at 15 h10 min ± 3 min UTC. We interviewed 23 eyewitnesses of the event in order to obtain the azimuth, altitude, and slope of the fireball’s trajectory. Reports suggest an atmospheric ending height below 20 km, indicating that meteorite survival was likely. From the reconstructed trajectory and the fireball’s duration, we obtained the approximate heliocentric orbits for the meteoroid. Assuming an entry velocity higher than 20 km s⁻¹ which is consistent with its estimated duration, the meteoroid originated in the asteroid belt.     

Management alternatives to offset climate change effects on Mediterranean fire regimes in NE Spain

Fire regime is affected by climate and human settlements. In the Mediterranean, the predicted climate change is likely to exacerbate fire prone weather conditions, but the mid- to long-term impact of climate change on fire regime is not easily predictable. A negative feedback via fuel reduction, for instance, might cause a non-linear response of burned area to fire weather. Also, the number of fires escaping initial control could grow dramatically if the fire meteorology is just slightly more severe than what fire brigades are prepared for. Humans can directly influence fire regimes through ignition frequency, fire suppression and land use management. Here we use the fire regime model FIRE LADY to assess the impacts of climate change and local management options on number of fires, burned area, fraction of area burned in large fires and forest area during the twenty-first century in three regions of NE Spain. Our results show that currently fuel-humidity limited regions could suffer a drastic shift of fire regime with an up to 8 fold increase of annual burned area, due to a combination of fuel accumulation and severe fire weather, which would result in a period of unusually large fires. The impact of climate change on fire regime is predicted to be less pronounced in drier areas, with a gradual increase of burned area. Local fire prevention strategies could reduce but not totally offset climate induced changes in fire regimes. According to our model, a combination of restoring the traditional rural mosaic and classical fire prevention would be the most effective strategy, as a lower ignition frequency reduces the number of fires and the creation of agricultural fields in marginal areas reduces their extent.     

The rural in dispute: Discourses of rurality in the Pyrenees

There is a widespread assumption that associates the rural with the unchanged and unchangeable. However, what constitutes ‘the rural’ is under constant transformation. In rural Europe a rapid process of social recomposition and economic restructuring is taking place causing increasing social complexity and new disputes about what is and should become the rural. This is more apparent in mountain areas, being locations that are particularly vulnerable to change. This situation is reflected in the growing diversity of discourses of rurality, which struggle to impose their particular views and interests on others. Nevertheless, little attention is paid in understanding the multiplicity of representations and interests held by rural dwellers about their own world. This paper aims to explore the diversity of perceptions and perspectives held by the inhabitants of the county of El Pallars Sobirà, in the Catalan Pyrenees. The material provided by semi-structured interviews given to local residents has been analysed through the Q methodology. As a result, four discourses of rurality have been identified, namely: the agriculturalist, entrepreneurial, conservationist and endogenous development. Finally, we argue that an underlying social structure, derived from the experiences of local dwellers of the rural population movements and the tertiarisation of local economies, exists behind the organisation of the debate on the rural. This leads us to assume that not only perceptions, but also socioeconomic reorganisations are in dispute.     

A fractal fragmentation model for rockfalls

The impact-induced rock mass fragmentation in a rockfall is analyzed by comparing the in situ block size distribution (IBSD) of the rock mass detached from the cliff face and the resultant rockfall block size distribution (RBSD) of the rockfall fragments on the slope. The analysis of several inventoried rockfall events suggests that the volumes of the rockfall fragments can be characterized by a power law distribution. We propose the application of a three-parameter rockfall fractal fragmentation model (RFFM) for the transformation of the IBSD into the RBSD. A discrete fracture network model is used to simulate the discontinuity pattern of the detached rock mass and to generate the IBSD. Each block of the IBSD of the detached rock mass is an initiator. A survival rate is included to express the proportion of the unbroken blocks after the impact on the ground surface. The model was calibrated using the volume distribution of a rockfall event in Vilanova de Banat in the Cadí Sierra, Eastern Pyrenees, Spain. The RBSD was obtained directly in the field, by measuring the rock block fragments deposited on the slope. The IBSD and the RBSD were fitted by exponential and power law functions, respectively. The results show that the proposed fractal model can successfully generate the RBSD from the IBSD and indicate the model parameter values for the case study.     

Near-inertial motions in and around the Palamós submarine canyon (NW Mediterranean) generated by a severe storm

During 9–16 November 2001 the western Mediterranean Sea was lashed by one of the most extreme storms of the last decades. Current meter data from seven moorings in the Palamós submarine canyon (northwestern Mediterranean) are analyzed to understand the vertical propagation of near-inertial energy generated by the storm. The daily inertial rotary components are examined for evidence of free and forced near-inertial oscillations. Free near-inertial motions are increased during the storm, although they are larger outside the canyon than inside. Conversely, forced near-inertial motions are relatively large inside the canyon but are almost negligible outside. Based on the results of a three-dimensional ocean circulation model, these differences are shown to be caused by the presence of a storm-generated alongshore front. The mechanisms by which near-inertial energy propagates are distinct at each side of the front. On the onshore side of the front (inside the canyon), free near-inertial motions are rapidly carried away by normal inertial waves, and wave reflection off canyon wall is responsible for the dissipation of free near-inertial motions and enhancement of forced near-inertial motions. On the offshore side of the front (outside the canyon), on the other hand, free near-inertial motions propagates first downward with anomalously low frequency internal waves and are then advected southward and offshore by the mean flow.     

Astrometry and Photometry of Open Clusters: NGC 1746, NGC 1750 and NGC 1758

We present an astrometric and photometric analysis of a 5 square degree region around NGC 1746, NGC 1750 and NGC 1758, close to the Galactic anti-center (l = 179°, b = -10°), in Taurus. We describe the acquisition, reduction and analysis of the observational data, including the development of innovative data analysis tools. The data comprise CCD UBVRI photometry, photographic BVR photometry and proper motions. The clusters NGC 1750 and 1758 are poor and loose. We determine several physical parameters (distance, age, colour excess, positions, density profiles). The mutual separation, their relative velocity and their age difference allows us to conclude that these two clusters are physically independent. No real object in the area can be identified as NGC 1746. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.