Hydrogeochemical evolution of the shallow and deep basaltic aquifers in Tamborine Mountain,Queensland (Australia)

Tamborine Mountain, Queensland (Australia), is a prime example of a basalt fractured-rock aquifer. Yet very little is known about the hydrochemistry of this groundwater system. Both analytical (major ions and stable isotopes) and multivariate (hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis and factor analysis) analyses were used in this study to investigate the factors that interact within this aquifer system, in order to determine groundwater hydrogeochemistry. A new approach was applied to the data by classifying hydrographs by water type to clearly identify differing aquifer zones. Three distinct groundwater chemistry types were identified, and they were differentiated by variations in depth. Shallow bores were dominated by Na–Cl waters, deep bores were dominated by Na–HCO₃ and Ca–HCO₃ waters, and the two deepest bores were dominated by mixed water types. The evaluation of hydrogeochemical data has determined that both mineral weathering processes and groundwater/surface-water interaction had a strong influence on the hydrogeochemistry. Seasonal effects were minimal in the study area based on physicochemical parameters and ion chemistry. However, stable isotopic data show temporal trends. Increased rainfall events during the wet season produced a depletion in δ¹⁸O and increased d-excess values. The opposite is found during the dry season as a result of higher evaporation rates that are not hindered by intense rainfall events.

     

Geophysical surveys integrated with rainfall data analysis for the study of soil piping phenomena occurred in a densely urbanized area in eastern Sicily

Natural Hazards - The occurrence of strong and abrupt rainfall, together with a wrong land use planning and an uncontrolled urban development, can constitute a risk for infrastructure and...     

Variations in turbulent kinetic energy at a point source submarine groundwater discharge in a reef lagoon

The influence of sea level variations due to tides and wave setup on turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) was observed at a point source submarine groundwater discharge in a fringing coral reef lagoon. Tidal and wave setup variations modulated speed, TKE, TKE dissipation, and water temperature and salinity at the buoyant jet. The primary driver of jet TKE and speed variations was tides, while wave setup was a minor contributor. An inverse relationship between surface elevation and TKE was explained with an exponential equation based on sea level variations. During low tides, peak jet speeds (up to 0.3 m s^?1) and TKE per unit mass (up to 0.4 m² s^?2) were observed. As high tide approached, the jet produced minimum TKE of ~0.003 m² s^?2 and TKE dissipation ranged from 2 to 8×10^?4 m² s^?3. This demonstrated the sensitivity of the jet discharge to tides despite the small tidal range (<20 cm). Jet temperatures and salinities displayed semidiurnal oscillations with minimum salinity and temperature values during maximum discharge. Jet salinities increased throughout low tides while temperatures decreased. This pattern suggested the jet conduit was connected to a stratified cavity within the aquifer containing cool fresh water over cool salty water. As low tides progressed, jet outflow increased in salinity because of the mixing within the conduit, while lower jet temperatures suggested water coming from further or deeper in the aquifer. The presence of such a cavity has been recently confirmed by divers.     

Environmental features of deep-sea habitats linked to the genetic population structure of a crustacean species in the Mediterranean Sea

The deep-sea habitat, from 200 to 2000 m depth, has long been thought as an ecosystem where biotic and abiotic factors vary very little and consequently species are not disturbed by processes and phenomena which could promote fast evolutionary mechanisms. Unfortunately, biological information relating to deep water is limited, especially regarding the population genetics of species inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea, and general patterns cannot be inferred. In this study we report data on the population genetic structure of Aristeus antennatus , a deep-sea decapod crustacean species which has been widely studied due to its important economic value. We surveyed and examined the variation in a 369-bp fragment of the mtDNA control region from individuals caught by Spanish and Italian trawlers in eight localities. High levels of mitochondrial control region haplotypic diversity (ranging from 0.884 to 0.989) were observed. AMOVA showed a high level of genetic variation, more within than between populations, and a low but significant Φ_ST value was recovered. Minimum spanning network did not separate any haplotype group and haplotype distribution does not mirror the geographic origin of the samples. The absence of population substructuring was also observed with a principal coordinates analysis, which uses an individual-by-individual comparison. These results revealed extensive gene flow among populations. Information on demographic history based on mismatch analysis revealed an unstable population, showing an alternate pattern of growth and decline. Our results indicated that in the western and central Mediterranean basins A. antennatus is a large panmictic population with a fluctuating abundance. The absence of deep-sea barriers and adult migration may prevent the structuring of the species into genetically differentiated populations.     

The key role of the sea urchin Diadema aff. antillarum in controlling macroalgae assemblages throughout the Canary Islands (eastern subtropical Atlantic): an spatio-temporal approach

Diadema aff. antillarum performs a key role in organizing and structuring rocky macroalgae assemblages in the Canary Islands. Densities of D. aff. antillarum higher than 2 individuals m(-2) are found to drastically reduce non-crustose macroalgal cover to below 30% and wave exposure appears as a major factor determining sea urchin density, which decreases with exposure level. Substrates containing >20% sand limit urchin to under 1 individual m(-2) but high relief rocky habitats show higher density. Moreover, several anthropogenic factors (number of islanders and tourists per coastal perimeter, and number of operational fishing boats) were positively correlated with urchin abundance. A trend of increasing urchin density through time was found, although well structured marine systems found at Mar de Las Calmas Marine Protected Area and at the no-take area of La Graciosa Marine Protected Area do not seem to follow this general trend.     

The dehydration process of gypsum under high pressure

The effects of pressure on the dehydration of gypsum materials were investigated up to 633 K and 25 GPa by using Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction with an externally heated diamond anvil cell. At 2.5 GPa, gypsum starts to dehydrate around 428 K, by forming bassanite, CaSO₄ hemihydrate, which completely dehydrates to γ-anhydrite at 488 K. All the sulphate modes decrease linearly between 293 and 427 K with temperature coefficients ranging from −0.119 to −0.021 cm⁻¹ K⁻¹, where an abrupt change in the ν₃ mode and in the OH-stretching region indicates the beginning of dehydration. Increasing the temperature to 488 K, the OH-stretching modes completely disappear, marking the complete dehydration and formation of γ-anhydrite. Moreover, the sample changes from transparent to opaque to transparent again during the dehydration sequence gypsum-bassanite-γ-anhydrite, which irreversibly transforms to β-anhydrite form at 593 K. These data compared with the dehydration temperature at room pressure indicate that the dehydration temperature increases with pressure with a ΔP/ΔT slope equal to 230 bar/K. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments show similar values of temperature and pressure for the first appearance of bassanite. Evidence of phase transition from β-anhydrite structure to the monazite type was observed at about 2 GPa under cold compression. On the other hand at the same pressure (2 GPa and 633 K), β-anhydrite was found, indicating a positive Clausis-Clayperon slope of the transition. This transformation is completely reversible as showed by the Raman spectra on the sample recovered after phase transition.     

EUREC<Superscript>4</Superscript>A: A Field Campaign to Elucidate the Couplings Between Clouds,Convection and Circulation

Trade-wind cumuli constitute the cloud type with the highest frequency of occurrence on Earth, and it has been shown that their sensitivity to changing environmental conditions will critically influence the magnitude and pace of future global warming. Research over the last decade has pointed out the importance of the interplay between clouds, convection and circulation in controling this sensitivity. Numerical models represent this interplay in diverse ways, which translates into different responses of trade-cumuli to climate perturbations. Climate models predict that the area covered by shallow cumuli at cloud base is very sensitive to changes in environmental conditions, while process models suggest the opposite. To understand and resolve this contradiction, we propose to organize a field campaign aimed at quantifying the physical properties of trade-cumuli (e.g., cloud fraction and water content) as a function of the large-scale environment. Beyond a better understanding of clouds-circulation coupling processes, the campaign will provide a reference data set that may be used as a benchmark for advancing the modelling and the satellite remote sensing of clouds and circulation. It will also be an opportunity for complementary investigations such as evaluating model convective parameterizations or studying the role of ocean mesoscale eddies in air–sea interactions and convective organization.     

Adapting the CHEMTAX method for assessing phytoplankton taxonomic composition in Southeastern U.S. estuaries

CHEMTAX is a matrix factorization program used to derive taxonomic structure of phytoplankton from photosynthetic pigment vitios. The program was originally developed from and applied to the analysis of oceanic phytoplankton assemblages. We found that application of the original CHEMTAX reference matrix to southeastern United States estuarine systems produced inaccurate results, as verified by microscopy. Modification of the matrix, based primarily on the pigment ratios of 33 estuarine isolates, improved the predictive capabilities of CHEMTAX for our samples. Limitations of the method included an overstimation of diatom biomass (due to the inability to differentiate diatoms from taxa with chloroplasts derived from diatom endosymbionts, notably some dinoflagellates) and a tendency to exclude some raphidophyte species. In complement with microscopic verification, the method was shown to improve assessment of phytoplankton taxonomic composition.     

On several numerical strategies to solve Richards’ equation in heterogeneous media with finite volumes

Computational Geosciences - We propose several numerical approaches building on upstream mobility two-point flux approximation finite volumes to solve Richards’ equation in domains made of...     

RCP4.5: a pathway for stabilization of radiative forcing by 2100

Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 is a scenario that stabilizes radiative forcing at 4.5?W?m^?2 in the year 2100 without ever exceeding that value. Simulated with the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM), RCP4.5 includes long-term, global emissions of greenhouse gases, short-lived species, and land-use-land-cover in a global economic framework. RCP4.5 was updated from earlier GCAM scenarios to incorporate historical emissions and land cover information common to the RCP process and follows a cost-minimizing pathway to reach the target radiative forcing. The imperative to limit emissions in order to reach this target drives changes in the energy system, including shifts to electricity, to lower emissions energy technologies and to the deployment of carbon capture and geologic storage technology. In addition, the RCP4.5 emissions price also applies to land use emissions; as a result, forest lands expand from their present day extent. The simulated future emissions and land use were downscaled from the regional simulation to a grid to facilitate transfer to climate models. While there are many alternative pathways to achieve a radiative forcing level of 4.5?W?m^?2, the application of the RCP4.5 provides a common platform for climate models to explore the climate system response to stabilizing the anthropogenic components of radiative forcing.