Exchange Between an Estuary and an Intertidal Marsh and Slough

The hydrodynamic characteristics of small, intertidal perimeter habitats make flushing and residence times in these environments difficult to quantify using conventional approaches. The flooding and draining of intertidal shallows surrounding small perimeter sloughs result in large volume changes relative to total system volume during each tidal cycle. In such environments, an Eulerian framework of flushing and residence time may not be the best approach for quantifying tidal exchange; thus, alternative approaches should be considered in analyzing hydrodynamic exchange in small perimeter habitats. In this study, the results of applying such an approach to a small intertidal perimeter slough in South San Francisco Bay are presented. Previous work has shown that hydrodynamic exchange in an estuarine system can be analyzed by making Eulerian measurements of hydrodynamic fluxes and binning them according to salinity and temperature classes, thus providing a quasi-Lagrangian method of analyzing exchange and transport in an estuarine system. We apply a method which uses this approach to estimate the volumetric exchange ratio M, which is used to estimate the tidal exchange within an estuary during each tidal cycle. We find that the estimation of volumetric exchange ratios and the calculation of hydrodynamic residence times in estuarine systems can be complicated by mixing conditions associated with very strong tidal forcing, particularly in small-volume systems such as small perimeter sloughs, where the tidal prism can be on the scale of or greater than the total system volume.     

Time stability and variability of Electronically Scanned Thinned Array Radiometer soil moisture during Southern Great Plains hydrology experiments

Variability and time‐stability analysis for field‐scale (800 m) Electronically Scanned Thinned Array Radiometer soil moisture within a satellite scale footprint (∼ 50 km) were quantified using observations from the Southern Great Plains Hydrology Experiment 1997 and 1999 (SGP97 and SGP99). The pixels' time‐stability properties were examined with respect to soil, vegetation and topographic parameters in order to determine which physical parameters can be used to identify good candidate observation locations for validating soil moisture from satellite observations and global‐scale model output. The results show that the time‐stability concept remains valid at the satellite scale. The root mean square error values were 1·47, 1·51, 1·93 and 2·32% for the 1st, 2nd, 50th and 100th most stable fields, respectively. The most stable locations had sand and clay percentages consistent with sandy loam soils and moderate to high normalized difference vegetation index values. Neither land cover nor topography properties could be used to identify potentially stable fields in the study region. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulating Astrophysical Jets in Laboratory Experiments

Pulsed-power technology and appropriate boundary conditions have been used to create simulations of magnetically driven astrophysical jets in a laboratory experiment. The experiments are quite reproducible and involve a distinct sequence. Eight initial flux tubes, corresponding to eight gas injection locations, merge to form the jet, which lengthens, collimates, and eventually kinks. A model developed to explain the collimation process predicts that collimation is intimately related to convection and pile-up of frozen-in toroidal flux convected with the jet. The pile-up occurs when there is an axial non-uniformity in the jet velocity so that in the frame of the jet there appears to be a converging flow of plasma carrying frozen-in toroidal magnetic flux. The pile-up of convected flux at this “stagnation region” amplifies the toroidal magnetic field and increases the pinch force, thereby collimating the jet.     

Petrography and geochemistry of the enriched basaltic shergottite Northwest Africa 2975

We present a study of the petrology and geochemistry of basaltic shergottite Northwest Africa 2975 (NWA 2975). NWA 2975 is a medium‐grained basalt with subophitic to granular texture. Electron microprobe (EMP) analyses show two distinct pyroxene compositional trends and patchy compositional zoning patterns distinct from those observed in other meteorites such as Shergotty or QUE 94201. As no bulk sample was available to us for whole rock measurements, we characterized the fusion crust and its variability by secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) measurements and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (LA‐ICP‐MS) analyses as a best‐available proxy for the bulk rock composition. The fusion crust major element composition is comparable to the bulk composition of other enriched basaltic shergottites, placing NWA 2975 within that sample group. The CI‐normalized REE (rare earth element) patterns are flat and also parallel to those of other enriched basaltic shergottites. Merrillite is the major REE carrier and has a flat REE pattern with slight depletion of Eu, parallel to REE patterns of merrillites from other basaltic shergottites. The oxidation state of NWA 2975 calculated from Fe‐Ti oxide pairs is NNO‐1.86, close to the QFM buffer. NWA 2975 represents a sample from the oxidized and enriched shergottite group, and our measurements and constraints on its origin are consistent with the hypothesis of two distinct Martian mantle reservoirs: a reduced, LREE‐depleted reservoir and an oxidized, LREE‐enriched reservoir. Stishovite, possibly seifertite, and dense SiO₂ glass were also identified in the meteorite, allowing us to infer that NWA 2975 experienced a realistic shock pressure of ~30 GPa.     

Oscillatory soil response and liquefaction in an unsaturated layered seabed

The subject of wave-induced soil response in a real seabed has attracted the attention of geotechnical and coastal engineers over the last three decades, for which several basic theories have been developed. However, the evaluation of soil liquefaction has not been attempted theoretically in a seabed with multiple sub-layers, in which homogeneity in soil properties can be assumed within each layer. In this study, a semi-analytical approach is presented for obtaining solutions for the pore pressure and effective stresses in a non-cohesive layered seabed of finite thickness subject to a system of three-dimensional waves. Based on the numerical results for a layered seabed, influences of soil characteristics (relative layer thickness, permeability ratio and shear modulus) on seabed responses are described. Special attention is given to the effect of placing a coarser material as a top layer for protecting an underlayer of finer sediment. Although only a three-layered seabed is explicitly solved in this study, the procedure outlined can readily be extended to a multi-layered soil system. The three-dimensional solutions can also be applied to the two-dimensional progressive or standing wave systems.     

Numerical simulations of flow motion and deposition characteristics of granular debris flows

Flow motion and deposition characteristics of debris flows are of concern regarding land use planning and management. A simple model for the prediction of mentioned characteristics has been developed, incorporating a friction–collision rheological model. It demonstrated to be able to satisfactorily simulate the two-dimensional behavior of laboratory results and the one-dimensional behavior of two real debris-flow events. The numerical results show that the topography of the channel bed, the yield stress level of the debris flows, and the inflow pattern have significant influence on the simulated flow motion and deposition characteristics of debris flows. In addition, the predicted run-out distance has been compared with analytical solutions and field observations. The model could be employed for the preliminary evaluation of one-dimensional run-out distance of granular debris flows provided that the volume of the debris involved in the initial mobilization is assumed.     

Petrology and mineralogy of the Ningqiang carbonaceous chondrite

Abstract— We report detailed chemical, petrological, and mineralogical studies on the Ningqiang carbonaceous chondrite. Ningqiang is a unique ungrouped type 3 carbonaceous chondrite. Its bulk composition is similar to that of CV and CK chondrites, but refractory lithophile elements (1.01 × CI) are distinctly depleted relative to CV (1.29 × CI) and CK (1.20 × CI) chondrites. Ningqiang consists of 47.5 vol% chondrules, 2.0 vol% Ca,Al‐rich inclusions (CAIs), 4.5 vol% amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs), and 46.0 vol% matrix. Most chondrules (95%) in Ningqiang are Mg‐rich. The abundances of Fe‐rich and Al‐rich chondrules are very low. Al‐rich chondrules (ARCs) in Ningqiang are composed mainly of olivine, plagioclase, spinel, and pyroxenes. In ARCs, spinel and plagioclase are enriched in moderately volatile elements (Cr, Mn, and Na), and low‐Ca pyroxenes are enriched in refractory elements (Al and Ti). The petrology and mineralogy of ARCs in Ningqiang indicate that they were formed from hybrid precursors of ferromagnesian chondrules mixed with refractory materials during chondrule formation processes. We found 294 CAIs (55.0% type A, 39.5% spinel‐pyroxene‐rich, 4.4% hibonite‐rich, and several type C and anorthite‐spinel‐rich inclusions) and 73 AOAs in 15 Ningqiang sections (equivalent to 20 cm²surface area). This is the first report of hibonite‐rich inclusions in Ningqiang. They are texturally similar to those in CM, CH, and CB chondrites, and exhibit three textural forms: aggregates of euhedral hibonite single crystals, fine‐grained aggregates of subhedral hibonite with minor spinel, and hibonite ± Al,Ti‐diopside ± spinel spherules. Evidence of secondary alteration is ubiquitous in Ningqiang. Opaque assemblages, formed by secondary alteration of pre‐existing alloys on the parent body, are widespread in chondrules and matrix. On the other hand, nepheline and sodalite, existing in all chondritic components, formed by alkali‐halogen metasomatism in the solar nebula.     

季节性河流体系高流态沉积构造特征:以内蒙古岱海湖半滩子河为例*

高流态尤其是超临界流动的水动力学机制及其床沙底形演化的研究相较于次临界流动具有一定的差距。季节性河流以高流态为主要沉积搬运过程,为超临界流的形成与保存提供了有利条件,是研究超临界流沉积的重要载体。在季节性河流沉积体系研究进展调研基础上,明确了其基本定义、判别标准及沉积特征。通过对内蒙古岱海湖北部典型季节性冲积体系——半滩子河流发育的沉积构造进行研究表明:随着低流态向高流态演化,沙丘底形(Dune)逐步向上部平坦床沙底形(Upper plane bed)过渡,形成了低角度/S型交错层理;在高流态初期,形成了上部平坦床沙成因的平行层理;随着流动强度逐渐增大,流动机制演变为超临界流,平坦床沙逐渐向逆行沙丘(Antidune)过渡,形成了与平行层理伴生的逆行沙丘交错层理;当流动强度进一步增大,携带沉积物的流体发生较强的水力跳跃,形成了流槽与冲坑(Chute-and-Pool)。半滩子河流现代沉积中发育的高流态沉积与区域内气候变化具有明确的响应关系,表明河流沉积中广泛发育的高流态沉积构造指示了强烈季节性变化的气候特征。