Climate change effects on hydrological system conditions influencing generation of storm runoff in small Alpine catchments

Floods and debris flows in small Alpine torrent catchments (<10 km²) arise from a combination of critical antecedent system state conditions and mostly convective precipitation events with high precipitation intensities. Thus, climate change may influence the magnitude–frequency relationship of extreme events twofold: by a modification of the occurrence probabilities of critical hydrological system conditions and by a change of event precipitation characteristics. Three small Alpine catchments in different altitudes in Western Austria (Ruggbach, Brixenbach and Längentalbach catchment) were investigated by both field experiments and process‐based simulation. Rainfall–runoff model (HQsim) runs driven by localized climate scenarios (CNRM‐RM4.5/ARPEGE, MPI‐REMO/ECHAM5 and ICTP‐RegCM3/ECHAM5) were used in order to estimate future frequencies of stormflow triggering system state conditions. According to the differing altitudes of the study catchments, two effects of climate change on the hydrological systems can be observed. On one hand, the seasonal system state conditions of medium altitude catchments are most strongly affected by air temperature‐controlled processes such as the development of the winter snow cover as well as evapotranspiration. On the other hand, the unglaciated high‐altitude catchment is less sensitive to climate change‐induced shifts regarding days with critical antecedent soil moisture and desiccated litter layer due to its elevation‐related small proportion of sensitive areas. For the period 2071–2100, the number of days with critical antecedent soil moisture content will be significantly reduced to about 60% or even less in summer in all catchments. In contrast, the number of days with dried‐out litter layers causing hydrophobic effects will increase by up to 8%–11% of the days in the two lower altitude catchments. The intensity analyses of heavy precipitation events indicate a clear increase in rain intensities of up to 10%.     

High spatio-temporal resolution measurements of cohesive sediment erosion

In this study, we present a novel approach to measure fundamental processes of cohesive sediment erosion. The experimental setup consists of a laboratory erosion flume (SETEG) and a photogrammetric method to detect sediment erosion (PHOTOSED). Detailed data are presented for three erosion experiments, which were conducted with a natural non-cohesive/cohesive sediment mixture at increasing sediment depths (4, 8, 16 cm). In each experiment, the sediment was exposed to a set of incrementally increasing shear stresses and the erosion was measured dynamically, pixel-based, and approximate to the process scale given the resolution of PHOTOSED. This enables us to distinguish between (i) individual emerging erosion spots caused by surface erosion and (ii) large holes torn open by detached aggregate chunks. Moreover, interrelated processes were observed, such as (iii) propagation of the erosion in the longitudinal and lateral direction leading to merging of disconnected erosion areas and (iv) progressive vertical erosion of already affected areas. By complementing the (bulk) erosion volume profiles with additional quantitative variables, which contain spatial information (erosion area, specific deepening, number of disconnected erosion areas), conclusions on the erosion behaviour (and the dominant processes) can be drawn without requiring qualitative information (such as visual observations). In addition, we provide figures indicating the spatio-temporal erosion variability and the (bulk) erosion rates for selected time periods. We evaluate the variability by statistical quantities and show that significant erosion is mainly confined to only a few events during temporal progression, but then considerably exceeds the time-averaged median of the erosion (factors between 7.0 and 16.0). Further, we point to uncertainties in using (bulk) erosion rates to assess cohesive sediment erosion and particularly the underlying processes. As a whole, the results emphasise the need to measure cohesive sediment erosion with high spatio-temporal resolution to obtain reliable and robust information. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Vodyanitskii mud volcano,Sorokin trough,Black Sea: Geological characterization and quantification of gas bubble streams

Vodyanitskii mud volcano is located at a depth of about 2070 m in the Sorokin Trough, Black sea. It is a 500-m wide and 20-m high cone surrounded by a depression, which is typical of many mud volcanoes in the Black Sea. 75 kHz sidescan sonar show different generations of mud flows that include mud breccia, authigenic carbonates, and gas hydrates that were sampled by gravity coring. The fluids that flow through or erupt with the mud are enriched in chloride (up to ∼650 mmol L⁻¹ at ∼150-cm sediment depth) suggesting a deep source, which is similar to the fluids of the close-by Dvurechenskii mud volcano. Direct observation with the remotely operated vehicle Quest revealed gas bubbles emanating at two distinct sites at the crest of the mud volcano, which confirms earlier observations of bubble-induced hydroacoustic anomalies in echosounder records. The sediments at the main bubble emission site show a thermal anomaly with temperatures at ∼60 cm sediment depth that were 0.9 °C warmer than the bottom water. Chemical and isotopic analyses of the emanated gas revealed that it consisted primarily of methane (99.8%) and was of microbial origin (δD-CH₄ = −170.8‰ (SMOW), δ¹³C-CH₄ = −61.0‰ (V-PDB), δ¹³C-C₂H₆ = −44.0‰ (V-PDB)). The gas flux was estimated using the video observations of the ROV. Assuming that the flux is constant with time, about 0.9 ± 0.5 × 10⁶ mol of methane is released every year. This value is of the same order-of-magnitude as reported fluxes of dissolved methane released with pore water at other mud volcanoes. This suggests that bubble emanation is a significant pathway transporting methane from the sediments into the water column.     

Advanced characterization of marine dissolved organic matter by combining reversed-phase liquid chromatography and FT-ICR-MS

Marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) was separated by reversed-phase (RP) liquid chromatography method and analyzed with fluorescence/absorption detection and Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS). The three key characteristics of the RP method are: (a) The C18-RP column chosen provides enhanced separation when the aqueous phase is 100% buffer-free water, and it does not degrade over time; (b) the water eluent adjusted to pH 7 significantly improves the resolution of water soluble compounds; (c) the initial flow maintained at low levels improves the separation of polar compounds. In samples, containing “fresh” DOM, specific peaks were detected, which were absent in “old” DOM samples. The combination with size exclusion chromatography (SEC) also demonstrated the relation between polarity and molecular size of DOM. FT-ICR-MS was applied to evaluate the quality of separation on a molecular scale demonstrating that physico-chemical characteristics of DOM can be related to molecular formulas. Sample extracts were separated into 4 preparative fractions, and a large suite of the identified molecular formulas only occurred in specific fractions. This is an important basis for the application of further analytical techniques in order to perform a more target-oriented analysis aiming at the determination of source and process biomarkers for DOM.     

Tracing suspended organic nitrogen from the Yangtze River catchment into the East China Sea

Total suspended matter was collected along the Yangtze River (Changjiang) and in the East China Sea in April to May and in September 2003, respectively, to study origin and fate of particulate organic nitrogen. Concentrations of particulate organic carbon (POC), nitrogen (PN) and hydrolyzable particulate amino acids (PAA; d- and l-enantiomers) were higher in the Yangtze Estuary than in the river and decreased offshore towards the shelf edge. In the coastal area, higher values of PAA were observed in the surface layer than in the bottom water. Stable carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C) of POC increased from − 24.4‰ in the river to values around − 21‰ on the East China Sea Shelf. Dominant amino acids were aspartic acid + aspartine (Asx), glutamic acid + glutamine (Glx), glycine, alanine and serine. The proportions of Asx, Glx and isoleucine were higher in the marine than in the riverine samples contrary to the distributions of glycine, alanine, threonine and arginine. The proportions of d-amino acids were highest in the riverine suspended organic matter (6% of PAA) decreasing towards the shelf edge (1.5% of PAA). d-arginine, not reported in natural aquatic samples so far, was the most abundant d-amino acid in the river. The amino acid composition of the particulate organic matter (POM) in the Yangtze River indicates an advanced stage of degradation of POM. Highly degraded organic matter from soils is probably a main source of POM in the Yangtze River, but the relatively high δ¹³C values and low C/N ratios (7.7 ± 1.6) also indicate contribution from anthropogenic sources. The degraded riverine material was a dominant organic matter source in the estuary, where aquatic primary production had only a small overall contribution. In the East China Sea, gradual settling of riverine organic matter and the addition of fresher phytoplankton impacted the amino acid composition and δ¹³C values, and on the outer shelf relatively fresh phytoplankton-derived organic matter dominated.     

Evaporation and condensation of giant interstellar clouds in a hot-gas environment

Gas phases of the interstellar medium (ISM) coexist locally, penetrate each other and mix by means of dynamical and plasmaphysical processes. E.g. heat conduction from the hot to the cooler gas leads to energy and mass exchange between the gas phases. Analytical solutions exist under which evaporation of cloudy material or condensation of hot gas onto the clouds' surface dominate. Since these results are derived for stationary and static conditions and under ideal assumptions, they do not necessarily hold for a dynamical ISM. On the other hand, the mass and energy exchange between the gas phases is of great importance for the energy budget of the ISM and by this influences the evolution of galaxies. This led us to investigate the evolution of interstellar clouds in a hot gas by means of numerical simulations. At first, we compare static models with the analytical results and found that interstellar clouds with parameters requiring analytically evaporation are, in contrast, accreting surrounding material if self-gravitation and cooling are implied. For the more realistic case, where clouds are embedded in a streaming hot gas, the models show that Kelvin-Helmholtz instability which leads to the disruption of the clouds is suppressed by heat conduction so that the clouds are stabilized to survive. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Sedimentary evidence for recent eutrophication in the northern basin of Lake Taihu,China: human impacts on a large shallow lake

Environmental change in Lake Taihu and its catchment since the early to middle part of the twentieth century has left a clear geochemical record in the lake sediments. The human activities in the lake and its catchment responsible for the change include agriculture, fishery, urbanisation, sewage and industrial waster disposal. Sediment cores were collected from Meilian Bay of northern Lake Taihu to investigate the record of anthropogenic impacts on the lake’s ecosystem and to assess its natural, pre-eutrophication baseline state. Two marked stratigraphic sediment units were identified on the basis of total phosphorus concentration (TP), pigments, total organic carbon (TOC)/total nitrogen (TN), δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N corresponding to stages in the lake history dominated by phytoplankton, and by aquatic macrophytes. Results show that as TP loading increased from the early 1950s the lake produced sediments with increasing amounts of organic matter derived from phytoplankton. In the early 1950s, the first evidence for eutrophication at the Meilian Bay site is recorded by an increase in C/N values and in sediment accumulation rate, but there is little change in phosphorus concentrations, pigments, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N at this time. After 1990 a more rapid increase in trophic status took place indicated by increased levels of phosphorus, pigments, δ¹⁵N and by decreased δ¹³C and TOC/TN values in the lake sediments. The first increase in trophic status of the early 1950s results mainly from agricultural development in the catchment. In contrast, the acceleration from ca. 1990 originates from the recent development of fisheries and the urbanisation and industrialisation of the catchment.     

Volatile (S,Cl and F) and fluid mobile trace element compositions in melt inclusions: implications for variable fluid sources across the Kamchatka arc

Volatile element, major and trace element compositions were measured in glass inclusions in olivine from samples across the Kamchatka arc. Glasses were analyzed in reheated melt inclusions by electron microprobe for major elements, S and Cl, trace elements and F were determined by SIMS. Volatile element–trace element ratios correlated with fluid-mobile elements (B, Li) suggesting successive changes and three distinct fluid compositions with increasing slab depth. The Eastern Volcanic arc Front (EVF) was dominated by fluid highly enriched in B, Cl and chalcophile elements and also LILE (U, Th, Ba, Pb), F, S and LREE (La, Ce). This arc-front fluid contributed less to magmas from the central volcanic zone and was not involved in back arc magmatism. The Central Kamchatka Depression (CKD) was dominated by a second fluid enriched in S and U, showing the highest S/K₂O and U/Th ratios. Additionally this fluid was unusually enriched in ⁸⁷Sr and ¹⁸O. In the back arc Sredinny Ridge (SR) a third fluid was observed, highly enriched in F, Li, and Be as well as LILE and LREE. We argue from the decoupling of B and Li that dehydration of different water-rich minerals at different depths explains the presence of different fluids across the Kamchatka arc. In the arc front, fluids were derived from amphibole and serpentine dehydration and probably were water-rich, low in silica and high in B, LILE, sulfur and chlorine. Large amounts of water produced high degrees of melting below the EVF and CKD. Fluids below the CKD were released at a depth between 100 and 200 km due to dehydration of lawsonite and phengite and probably were poorer in water and richer in silica. Fluids released at high pressure conditions below the back arc (SR) probably were much denser and dissolved significant amounts of silicate minerals, and potentially carried high amounts of LILE and HFSE. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.