Relationships of Agricultural Land Use to an Expanded Road Network within Tropical Forest Landscapes of Cameroon and Republic of the Congo

Road building in Congo Basin forests has increased due to expansion of commercial logging, with potential to expose intact forests to greater establishment of agriculture. We developed new knowledge of agriculture clearing sizes, spatial patterns, and relationships with roads in seven case study sites comprising 7,529 km². Using very high spatial resolution satellite imagery, we mapped roads and rivers, plus clearings for agriculture, settlements, and logging. Mapped clearings (N = 1,781) ranged in size from 0.008 ha to more than 300 ha; most were smallholder agriculture, with 64 percent ≤ 1 ha. Statistical tests of spatial pattern confirmed that agriculture occurred in an inhomogeneous-aggregated pattern, suggesting interactions with other landscape elements. Proximity analyses showed that 76 percent of clearings were within 1 km of a road or river. Thirty-five percent of agriculture clearings were within 1 km of main public roads built before 1990, compared to 17 percent for logging roads built after 2000. Less than 6 percent of agriculture clearings were within 1 km of logging roads with overgrown canopies, suggesting transient relationships. Results based on fine-scale data provide new empirical support for understanding the interactions between agriculture and roads in one of the remaining relatively intact forest areas of the Congo Basin.     

Chemical characteristics of atmospheric bulk deposition in a semi-rural area of the <Emphasis Type="Bold">Po Valley</Emphasis> (Italy)

This study provides an analysis of a five-year time series chemical composition of the bulk deposition (2009–2013), collected within a farm surrounded by industrial and urban settlements in a semi-rural area of the Po Valley, with the aim of characterizing potential emission sources affecting precipitation composition at the site. Most monitoring efforts in this region, recognized as one of the most polluted in the world both due to the intense industrialisation and urbanisation as well as to frequent air stagnation conditions, are presently devoted more to gaseous and particulate pollutants than to precipitation chemistry. The bulk deposition samples were very concentrated in chemical species, both acidic and alkaline, high compared to other polluted sites in the world and to locations in the same district. The mean ions concentrations (in μeq l^?1) are: NO₃ ^? (243) > SO₄ ^2? (220) > PO₄ ^3? (176) > Cl^? (153) > NO₂ ^? (29) > F^? (2.6); NH₄ ⁺ (504) > Ca²⁺ (489) > K⁺ (151) > Na⁺ (127) > Mg²⁺ (127). pH data shows a trend toward slightly alkaline conditions attributed to the large presence of ammonium and crustal elements, in spite of high concentrations of nitrates and sulphates. The relevant concentrations of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ further suggests that these alkaline conditions might be due to the correspondingly significant concentrations of carbonates/bicarbonates in our dataset. While back-trajectories analysis suggests the stronger importance of local resuspension over long-range transport, statistical analyses on ion composition highlight the key role exerted by agricultural activity, especially in the case of NH₄ ⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺ and PO₄ ^3? (especially linked to fertilisation practices and soil resuspension due to mechanical operations). Apart from Na⁺ and Cl^? ions which correlate well as expected, indicating their likely common origin from marine salt, the identification of the origin of the other ions is very complex due to the contribution of diverse local sources, such as industrial and residential settlements.     

Sediment Nitrogen Fixation: a Call for Re-evaluating Coastal N Budgets

Coastal ocean primary productivity is often limited by nitrogen (N) availability, which is determined by the balance between N sources (e.g., N-fixation, groundwater, river inputs, etc.) and sinks (e.g., denitrification, sediment burial, etc.). Historically, heterotrophic N-fixation in sediments was excluded as a significant source of N in estuarine budgets, based on low, indirectly measured rates (e.g., acetylene reduction assay) and because it was unnecessary to achieve mass balance. Many recent studies using net N₂ flux measurements have shown that sediment N-fixation can equal or exceed N₂ loss. In an effort to quantify N₂ production and consumption simultaneously, we measured N-fixation and denitrification directly in sediment cores from a temperate estuary (Waquoit Bay, MA). N-fixation, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, and denitrification occurred simultaneously, and the net N₂ flux shifted from uptake (N-fixation) to efflux (denitrification) over the 120-h incubation. Evidence for N-fixation included net ²⁸N₂ and ³⁰N₂ uptake, ¹⁵NH₄ ⁺ production from ³⁰N₂ additions, ¹⁵N_{organic matter} production, and nifH expression. N-fixation from ³⁰N₂ was up to eight times higher than potential denitrification. However, N-fixation calculated from ¹⁵NO₃ ^? was one half of the measured fixation from ³⁰N₂, indicating that ¹⁵NO₃-isotope labeling calculations may underestimate N-fixation. These results highlight the dynamic nature of sediment N cycling and suggest that quantifying individual processes allows a greater understanding of what net N₂ fluxes signify and how that balance varies over time.     

The rainfall intensity–duration control of shallow landslides and debris flows: an update

A global database of 2,626 rainfall events that have resulted in shallow landslides and debris flows was compiled through a thorough literature search. The rainfall and landslide information was used to update the dependency of the minimum level of rainfall duration and intensity likely to result in shallow landslides and debris flows established by Nel Caine in 1980. The rainfall intensity–duration (ID) values were plotted in logarithmic coordinates, and it was established that with increased rainfall duration, the minimum average intensity likely to trigger shallow slope failures decreases linearly, in the range of durations from 10 min to 35 days. The minimum ID for the possible initiation of shallow landslides and debris flows was determined. The threshold curve was obtained from the rainfall data using an objective statistical technique. To cope with differences in the intensity and duration of rainfall likely to result in shallow slope failures in different climatic regions, the rainfall information was normalized to the mean annual precipitation and the rainy-day normal. Climate information was obtained from the global climate dataset compiled by the Climate Research Unit of the East Anglia University. The obtained global ID thresholds are significantly lower than the threshold proposed by Caine (Geogr Ann A 62:23–27, 1980), and lower than other global thresholds proposed in the literature. The new global ID thresholds can be used in a worldwide operational landslide warning system based on global precipitation measurements where local and regional thresholds are not available..     

Revision of the planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the Voirons Flysch (Chablais Prealps,Haute-Savoie,France)

The ages obtained from planktonic foraminiferal assemblages retrieved from two exposures in the Gurnigel Flysch and from the re-examination of similar material gathered by previous researchers from the Voirons Flysch reveal only minor discrepancies with previous studies based on nannofossil biostratigraphy. In contrast, major divergences between this work and previous studies on the Voirons Flysch also based on planktonic foraminifera have been identified. They are generally related to distinct approaches in species classification and the use of different zonal schemes. Based on our data, the age of the Voirons Flysch extends from the Early Eocene (planktonic foraminiferal zone P7) to the Middle Eocene (planktonic foraminiferal zone P12). Contrasting with claims made in earlier studies, no specimen of Late Eocene or Early Oligocene age has been observed in the revised material. However, we cannot exclude a younger age (possibly Late Eocene) for the upper portion of this flysch from which we did not revise any sample. Thus, more research and sampling are needed to resolve this question. The palaeogeographic origin of the Voirons-Wägital complex as well as the sedimentation history of these flyschs need now to be re-evaluated in light of this revised biostratigraphic data.     

High-resolution monitoring of water temperature and oxygen concentration in Lake Murten (Switzerland)

Lake Murten is located in the Lake District in western Switzerland and so far, it has been poorly investigated. The Environmental Service of Fribourg (SEn) has monitored this lake once a month for several years by water profiles (water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity) at its deepest part. The SEn identified the stratification of water masses as one of the main causes for oxygen consumption in the hypolimnion. In the present study, a Lander System was deployed in Lake Murten from April to September 2015 at 20 m depth at the northwestern part of the lake to monitor water temperature and dissolved oxygen at higher resolution (30 s interval). These records were compared with time series of atmospheric parameters like atmospheric temperature, wind speed and precipitation. A clear correlation of lake temperatures with wind speed was observed during the Spring and Autumn. The water mass stratification evolved through the season and reached its peak during Summer, preventing surface turbulences to reach the deeper part (20 m) of the water column and to partially oxygenate the metalimnion.