Hydraulic borehole characterization through the application of moment methods to fluid conductivity logs

In any type of groundwater transport problem (contaminant solutes, heat, etc.), knowledge of the location and properties of pathways of increased hydraulic conductivity is essential. However, answering such questions in strongly heterogeneous media, such as fractured rock, can be very difficult and budget-intensive with standard geophysical or hydrogeological field investigations. We present a new testing concept and analysis procedure based on a time sequence of wellbore electric conductivity logs, which provides the exact location and the outflow parameters (transmissivity, formation fluid conductivity) of flowing features (fractures, faults, layers) intercepted by the borehole.Previously the quantitative analysis of this time sequence of electrical conductivity logs was based on a code, called BORE, used to simulate borehole fluid conductivity profiles given these parameters. The present report describes a new direct (not iterative) method for analyzing a short time series of electric conductivity logs which is based on moment quantities of the individual outflow peaks, and applies it to synthetic as well as to field data. The results of the method are promising and are discussed in terms of the method's advantages and limitations. In particular it is shown that the method is capable of reproducing hydraulic properties derived from packer tests well within a factor of three, which is below the range of what is recognized as the accuracy of packer tests themselves. Furthermore the new method is much quicker than the previously used iterative fitting procedure and is even capable of handling transient fracture outflow conditions.     

Dark Carbon Fixation in the Columbia River’s Estuarine Turbidity Maxima: Molecular Characterization of Red-Type cbbL Genes and Measurement of DIC Uptake Rates in Response to Added Electron Donors

Dark CO₂ fixation has been shown to rival the importance of oxygenic photosynthesis in the global carbon cycle, especially in stratified environments, such as salt wedge estuaries. We investigated this process in the Columbia River estuary using a variety of techniques including functional gene cloning of cbbL (the large subunit of form I RuBisCO), quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) estimations of cbbL abundance, and analyses of stimulated ¹⁴C-bicarbonate assimilation. A diversity of red-type cbbL genes were retrieved from clone libraries, with 28 unique operational taxonomic units determined from 60 sequences. The majority of the sequences formed two clusters that were distinct from the major clusters typically found in soil environments, revealing the presence of a unique community of autotrophic or facultatively autotrophic/mixotrophic microorganisms in the Columbia River estuary. qPCR estimates indicated that roughly 0.03–0.15 % of the microbial population harbored the cbbL gene, with greater numbers of total bacteria and cbbL gene copies found in the estuarine turbidity maxima (ETM) compared to non-ETM events. In vitro incubations with radiolabeled bicarbonate indicated maximum stimulation by thiosulfate and also suggested that a diversity of other potential electron donors may stimulate CO₂ fixation, including nitrite, ammonium, and Mn(II). Taken together, these results highlight the diversity of the microbial metabolic strategies employed and emphasize the importance of dark CO₂ fixation in the dynamic waters of the Columbia River estuary despite the abundance of organic material.     

Apparent dynamic stability of the southeast African coast despite sea level rise

The coast of southeast Africa is dominated by sandy beaches that tend to be confined within log‐spiral or headland‐bound embayments. Investigations using serendipitous air imagery data set have been previously undertaken and conclusions drawn about the stability of the coast. We show that conclusions drawn from this data, with respect to the high water mark (HWM) position are fraught with errors, which include tidal state, pressure regime, beach slope, high‐swell erosion, seasonal and multi‐annual changes. We highlight and discuss these sources of error, together with their magnitudes. The most significant of these are the high‐swell, seasonal and multi‐annual variations. From case studies we show that the seasonal beach rotation and long‐term beach width variation are responsible for tens of metres of unaccounted HWM variation, 30 to 50 m is common, with maximums reaching 60 to 100 m. Overall the southeast African coastline appears to be in a state of long‐term dynamic equilibrium. There is no evidence of any sea‐level rise‐forced transgression in the coastal sediment budget, despite sea‐level rise (SLR). If such a signal is, in fact present, it is lost within the beach width variation. Some southeast African coastal reaches are suffering chronic erosion, but these are related to anthropogenic impacts. The extreme difficulty of placing a HWM, with any temporal validity on this coast precludes the routine use of the Bruun Rule. Although no transgressive signature is found, there is evidence of a decreasing coastal sand budget as a result of anthropogenic or natural climate change, or both. This decrease in the coastal sand volume is likely to result in increased future erosion. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determining hydraulic resistance in gravel‐bed rivers from the dynamics of their water surfaces

Traditionally, approaches to account for the effect of the boundary roughness of a gravel‐bed river have used a grain‐size index of the bed surface as a surrogate for hydraulic resistance. The use of a single grain‐size does not take into account the spatial heterogeneity in the bed surface and how this heterogeneity imparts resistance on the flow, nor the way in which this relationship changes with variables such as flow stage. A new technique to remotely quantify hydraulic resistance is proposed. It is based on measuring the dynamics of a river's water surface and relating this to the actual hydraulic resistance created by a rough sediment boundary. The water surface dynamics are measured using a new acoustic technique, grazing angle sound propagation (GRASP). This proposed method to measure hydraulic resistance is based on a greater degree of physical reasoning, and this is discussed in the letter. By measuring acoustically the temporal dynamics of turbulent water surfaces over a water‐worked gravel bed in a laboratory flume, a dependency is demonstrated between the temporal variation in the reflected acoustic pressure and measured hydraulic resistance. It is shown that the standard deviation in acoustic pressure decreases with increasing hydraulic resistance. This is shown to apply for a range of relative submergences and bed slopes that are typical of gravel‐bed rivers. This remote sensing technique is both rapid and inexpensive, and has the potential to be applied to natural river channels and to other environmental turbulent flows, such as overland flows. A whole new class of low‐cost, remote and non‐intrusive instruments could be developed as a result and used in a wide range of hydraulic and hydrological applications. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Serpentinization and infiltration metasomatism in the Trinity peridotite,Klamath province,northern California: implications for subduction zones

The Trinity peridotite was emplaced over metabasalts and metasedimentary rocks of the central metamorphic belt along the Devonian Trinity thrust zone. Three metamorphic events can be recognized in the Trinity peridotite: (1) antigorite (D= –63 to –65%.) formation related to regional underthrusting of the central metamorphic belt; (2) contact metamorphism associated with Mesozoic dioritic plutons; and (3) late-stage formation of lizardite ± brucite and chrysotile (D= –127 to –175%.) due to infiltration of meteoric waters. Abundant relict phases indicate incomplete reactions and strongly suggest that the availability of H₂O was a controlling factor during serpentinization.Antigorite (event 1) formed as a result of infiltration into the Trinity peridotite of mixed H₂O-CO₂ fluids derived from the underlying central metamorphic belt. Foliation defined by magnetite veins and shear zones within antigorite serpentinites are subparallel to the Trinity thrust. The assemblage Fo + Atg + Chl + Mag ± Tr ± Carb reflects partial hydration of peridotite at 425–570° C. Talc-rich serpentinite formed along the thrust as a result of the infiltration of silica-bearing fluids. Metasomatic mass-balance calculations based on silica solubilities and the extent of antigorite serpentinization suggest that 80–175 volumes of fluid have passed through a given volume of original peridotite at the Trinity thrust.The Trinity thrust probably represents a Devonian subduction zone. Thermodynamic calculations suggest that hydration reactions account for 30–35% of the total heat released by the cooling Trinity peridotite. By analogy, similar hydration reactions are to be expected in the overlying mantle wedge of a subduction zone which act to retard cooling of the hanging wall, just as dehydration reactions delay heating of the downgoing slab. Metasomatic zones formed in peridotite at the Trinity thrust may reflect similar metasomatic processes to those proposed to occur in the mantle wedge above a subducting slab.     

An innovative application of the Kinect in Earth sciences: quantifying deformation in analogue modelling of volcanoes

Measuring surface deformation is critical in analogue modelling of Earth science phenomena. Here, we present a novel application of the Microsoft Kinect sensor to measure vertical deformation in a scaled analogue model of Nisyros volcano (Greece), simulating two magmatic sources and related surface deformation. The Kinect permits capture of real time, 640 × 480 pixel, true‐colour images (RGB) and a grid of distances to the modelled surface with a horizontal and vertical resolution of ±1 mm. Using recorded distances permits quantification of vertical deformation in terms of maximum and average down‐ and uplift during deflation and inflation phases respectively, which is of crucial importance for defining the kinematics of faults formed during the modelling, determined from interpretation of the RGB images. Although other techniques have demonstrated similar or higher accuracy, our study demonstrates the cost‐effectiveness of the Kinect in analogue modelling of volcanoes.     

Cosmogenic 10Be insights into the extent and chronology of the last deglaciation in Wester Ross,northwest Scotland

Cosmogenic ¹⁰Be surface exposure ages for bedrock sites around Torridon and the Applecross Peninsula in Wester Ross, northwest Scotland, provide new insights into the Lateglacial transition. Accounting for postglacial weathering, six statistically comparable exposure ages give a late Younger Dryas (G‐1) exposure age of 11.8 ± 1.1 ka. Two further outliers are tentative pre‐Younger Dryas exposure ages of 13.4 ± 0.5 ka in Torridon, and 17.5 ± 1.2 ka in Applecross. The Younger Dryas exposure ages have compelling implications for the deglaciation of marginal Loch Lomond Stadial ice fields in Torridon and Applecross. Firstly, they conflict with predictions of restricted ice cover and rapid retreat based on modelling experiments and climate proxies, instead fitting a model of vertically extensive and prolonged ice coverage in Wester Ross. Secondly, they indicate that >2 m of erosion took place in the upper valleys of Torridon and Applecross during the Younger Dryas, implying a dominantly warm‐based glacial regime. Finally, the exposure ages have clarified that corrie (cirque) glaciers did not readvance in Wester Ross, following final deglaciation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A model of channel response in disturbed alluvial channels

Dredging and straightening of alluvial channels between 1959 and 1978 in West Tennessee caused a series of morphologic changes along modified reaches and tributary streams. Degradation occurred for 10 to 15 years at sites upstream of the area of maximum disturbance and lowered bed-levels by as much as 6·1 m. Following degradation, reaches upstream of the area of maximum disturbance experienced a secondary aggradation phase in response to excessive incision and gradient reduction. Aggradation downstream of the area of maximum disturbance reached 0·12 m per year with the greatest rates occurring near the stream mouths. The adjustment of channel geometry and phases of channel evolution are characterized by six process-oriented stages of morphologic development—premodified, constructed, degradation, threshold, aggradation, and restabilization. Down-cutting and toe removal during the degradation stage causes bank failure by mass wasting when the critical height and angle of the bank material is exceeded (threshold stage). Channel widening continues through the aggradation stage as the ‘slough line’ develops as an initial site of lower-bank stability. The bank profile develops three dynamic elements (1) vertical face (70° to 90°), (2) upper bank (25° to 50°), and (3) slough line (20° to 25°). Alternate channel bars form during the restabilization stage and represent incipient meandering of the channel.     

Modelling the cosmological co-evolution of supermassive black holes and galaxies – II. The clustering of quasars and their dark environment

We use semi-analytic modelling on top of the Millennium simulation to study the joint formation of galaxies and their embedded supermassive black holes. Our goal is to test scenarios in which black hole accretion and quasar activity are triggered by galaxy mergers, and to constrain different models for the light curves associated with individual quasar events. In the present work, we focus on studying the spatial distribution of simulated quasars. At all luminosities, we find that the simulated quasar two-point correlation function is fit well by a single power law in the range  0.5 ≲ r ≲ 20  h ⁻¹ Mpc  , but its normalization is a strong function of redshift. When we select only quasars with luminosities within the range typically accessible by today's quasar surveys, their clustering strength depends only weakly on luminosity, in agreement with observations. This holds independently of the assumed light-curve model, since bright quasars are black holes accreting close to the Eddington limit, and are hosted by dark matter haloes with a narrow mass range of a few  10¹²  h ⁻¹ M_⊙  . Therefore, the clustering of bright quasars cannot be used to disentangle light-curve models, but such a discrimination would become possible if the observational samples can be pushed to significantly fainter limits. Overall, our clustering results for the simulated quasar population agree rather well with observations, lending support to the conjecture that galaxy mergers could be the main physical process responsible for triggering black hole accretion and quasar activity.     

On the role of tides and strong wind events in promoting summer primary production in the Barents Sea

Tides and wind-driven mixing play a major role in promoting post-bloom productivity in subarctic shelf seas. Whether this is also true in the high Arctic remains unknown. This question is particularly relevant in a context of increasing Arctic Ocean stratification in response to global climatic change. We have used a three-dimensional ocean-sea ice-plankton ecosystem model to assess the contribution of tides and strong wind events to summer (June-August 2001) primary production in the Barents Sea. Tides are responsible for 20% (60% locally) of the post-bloom primary production above Svalbard Bank and east of the Kola Peninsula. By contrast, more than 9% of the primary production is due to winds faster than 8 m s⁻¹ in the central Barents Sea. Locally, this contribution reaches 25%. In the marginal ice zone, both tides and wind events have only a limited effect on primary production (<2%). Removing tides or winds faster than 8 m s⁻¹ promotes a regime more sustained by regenerated production with a f-ratio (i.e. the proportion of nitrate-based “new” primary production in the total primary production) that decreases by up to 26% (east of the Kola Peninsula) or 35% (central Barents Sea), respectively. When integrated over all Barents Sea sub-regions, tides and strong wind events account, respectively, for 6.8% (1.55 Tg C; 1 Tg C=10¹² g C) and 4.1% (0.93 Tg C) of the post-bloom primary production (22.6 Tg C). To put this in context, this contribution to summer primary production is equivalent to the spring bloom integrated over the Svalbard area. Tides and winds are significant drivers of summer plankton productivity in the Barents Sea.