Does sea-level rise have an impact on saltwater intrusion?

Climate change effects are expected to substantially raise the average sea level. It is widely assumed that this raise will have a severe adverse impact on saltwater intrusion processes in coastal aquifers. In this study we hypothesize that a natural mechanism, identified here as the “lifting process,” has the potential to mitigate, or in some cases completely reverse, the adverse intrusion effects induced by sea-level rise. A detailed numerical study using the MODFLOW-family computer code SEAWAT was completed to test this hypothesis and to understand the effects of this lifting process in both confined and unconfined systems. Our conceptual simulation results show that if the ambient recharge remains constant, the sea-level rise will have no long-term impact (i.e., it will not affect the steady-state salt wedge) on confined aquifers. Our transient confined-flow simulations show a self-reversal mechanism where the wedge which will initially intrude into the formation due to the sea-level rise would be naturally driven back to the original position. In unconfined systems, the lifting process would have a lesser influence due to changes in the value of effective transmissivity. A detailed sensitivity analysis was also completed to understand the sensitivity of this self-reversal effect to various aquifer parameters.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In Situ</Emphasis> Signatures of Interchange Reconnection between Magnetic Clouds and Open Magnetic Fields: A Mechanism for the Erosion of Polar Coronal Holes?

We outline a method to determine the direction of solar open flux transport that results from the opening of magnetic clouds (MCs) by interchange reconnection at the Sun based solely on in-situ observations. This method uses established findings about i) the locations and magnetic polarities of emerging MC footpoints, ii) the hemispheric dependence of the helicity of MCs, and iii) the occurrence of interchange reconnection at the Sun being signaled by uni-directional suprathermal electrons inside MCs. Combining those observational facts in a statistical analysis of MCs during solar cycle 23 (period 1995 – 2007), we show that the time of disappearance of the northern polar coronal hole (1998 – 1999), permeated by an outward-pointing magnetic field, is associated with a peak in the number of MCs originating from the northern hemisphere and connected to the Sun by outward-pointing magnetic field lines. A similar peak is observed in the number of MCs originating from the southern hemisphere and connected to the Sun by inward-pointing magnetic field lines. This pattern is interpreted as the result of interchange reconnection occurring between MCs and the open field lines of nearby polar coronal holes. This reconnection process closes down polar coronal hole open field lines and transports these open field lines equatorward, thus contributing to the global coronal magnetic field reversal process. These results will be further constrainable with the rising phase of solar cycle 24.     

Variably saturated groundwater modelling for optimizing managed aquifer recharge using trench infiltration

Spreading‐basin methods have resulted in more than 130 million cubic metres of recharge to the unconfined Navajo Sandstone of southern Utah in the past decade, but infiltration rates have slowed in recent years because of reduced hydraulic gradients and (or) clogging. Trench infiltration is a promising alternative technique for increasing recharge and minimizing evaporation. This paper uses a variably saturated flow model to further investigate the relative importance of the following variables on rates of trench infiltration to unconfined aquifers: saturated hydraulic conductivity, trench spacing and dimensions, initial water‐table depth, alternate wet/dry periods, and number of parallel trenches. Modelling results showed (1) increased infiltration with higher hydraulic conductivity, deeper initial water tables, and larger spacing between parallel trenches, (2) deeper or wider trenches do not substantially increase infiltration, (3) alternating wet/dry periods result in less overall infiltration than keeping the trenches continuously full, and (4) larger numbers of parallel trenches within a fixed area increases infiltration but with a diminishing effect as trench spacing becomes tighter. An empirical equation for estimating expected trench infiltration rates as a function of hydraulic conductivity and initial water‐table depth was derived and can be used for evaluating feasibility of trench infiltration in other hydrogeologic settings. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A bio-available strontium isoscape for eastern Beringia: a tool for tracking landscape use of Pleistocene megafauna

Numerous paleoecological questions concern the mobility of ancient fauna in eastern Beringia. Strontium (Sr) isotope ratio (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) analysis has emerged as a powerful tracer for determining the provenance of ancient biological materials. However, it is important to characterize ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr variation across a landscape. We measured the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr composition of teeth from present-day, herbivorous rodents (n = 162) sampled from across eastern Beringia to estimate bio-available ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values. We compiled these data with the very limited number of previously published ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values from the region. We then used this dataset and a machine learning, random-forest regression to predict bio-available ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr variations across eastern Beringia. As a case study using our new ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr map (isoscape), we measured the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and oxygen stable isotope values (δ¹⁸O) of five radiocarbon-dated steppe bison from eastern Beringia and compared these to our ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isoscape and a δ¹⁸O isoscape to estimate the probable landscape use of these ancient fauna. Our model and isoscape provide important foundations for a wide range of additional applications, including studies of the paleo-mobility of other fauna, ancient people and present-day fauna in eastern Beringia.     

Quality analysis applied on eddy covariance measurements at complex forest sites using footprint modelling

Summary Measuring turbulent fluxes with the eddy covariance method has become a widely accepted and powerful tool for the determination of long term data sets for the exchange of momentum, sensible and latent heat, and trace gases such as CO₂ between the atmosphere and the underlying surface. Several flux networks developed continuous measurements above complex terrain, e.g. AmeriFlux and EUROFLUX, with a strong focus on the net exchange of CO₂ between the atmosphere and the underlying surface. Under many conditions basic assumptions for the eddy covariance method in its simplified form, such as stationarity of the flow, homogeneity of the surface and fully developed turbulence of the flow field, are not fulfilled. To deal with non-ideal conditions which are common at many FLUXNET sites, quality tests have been developed to check if these basic theoretical assumptions are valid.In the framework of the CARBOEUROFLUX project, we combined quality tests described by Foken and Wichura (1996) with the analytical footprint model of Schmid (1997). The aim was to identify suitable wind sectors and meteorological conditions for flux measurements. These tools were used on data of 18 participating sites. Quality tests were applied on the fluxes of momentum, sensible and latent heat, and on the CO₂-flux, respectively. The influence of the topography on the vertical wind component was also checked. At many sites the land use around the flux towers is not homogeneous or the fetch may not be large enough. So the relative contribution of the land use type intended to be measured was also investigated. Thus the developed tool allows comparative investigations of the measured turbulent fluxes at different sites if using the same technique and algorithms for the determination of the fluxes as well as analyses of potential problems caused by influences of the surrounding land use patterns.     

Linking reforestation policies with land use change in northern Vietnam: Why local factors matter

In many countries worldwide, similar state policies on land management have been implemented as a response to deforestation in mountainous areas. So far, few studies have examined to which extent these policies have actually contributed to reforestation. This is the focus of our analysis, based on a case study in Vietnam. Because land access and land use were traditionally governed by common rules, we examine land use changes from an institutional perspective. We use the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, coupled with an historical perspective and the analysis of actors’ perception and dominant narratives on land management and forests. Results show that national policies significantly interfered with local factors, leading to a complex course of decision-making and action. Substantial reforestation in the area was not a response by farmers to policy incentives but rather the unexpected outcome of the disruption of local institutions by these policies. We argue that, because national interventions have relied on false or exaggerated narratives and beliefs, their implementation is in conflict with the local reality in upland areas, leading to unpredictable and locally dependent outcomes. We defend hence the need for local level studies and also recommend considering local institutions for land use change analysis in contexts where land use systems are characterised by a high degree of human interaction.     

Hydrous partial melting in the sheeted dike complex at fast spreading ridges: experimental and natural observations

In ophiolites and in present-day oceanic crust formed at fast spreading ridges, oceanic plagiogranites are commonly observed at, or close to the base of the sheeted dike complex. They can be produced either by differentiation of mafic melts, or by hydrous partial melting of the hydrothermally altered sheeted dikes. In addition, the hydrothermally altered base of the sheeted dike complex, which is often infiltrated by plagiogranitic veins, is usually recrystallized into granoblastic dikes that are commonly interpreted as a result of prograde granulitic metamorphism. To test the anatectic origin of oceanic plagiogranites, we performed melting experiments on a natural hydrothermally altered dike, under conditions that match those prevailing at the base of the sheeted dike complex. All generated melts are water saturated, transitional between tholeiitic and calc-alkaline, and match the compositions of oceanic plagiogranites observed close to the base of the sheeted dike complex. Newly crystallized clinopyroxene and plagioclase have compositions that are characteristic of the same minerals in granoblastic dikes. Published silicic melt compositions obtained in classical MORB fractionation experiments also broadly match the compositions of oceanic plagiogranites; however, the compositions of the coexisting experimental minerals significantly deviate from those of the granoblastic dikes. Our results demonstrate that hydrous partial melting is a likely common process in the root zone of the sheeted dike complex, starting at temperatures exceeding 850°C. The newly formed melt can either crystallize to form oceanic plagiogranites or may be recycled within the melt lens resulting in hybridized and contaminated MORB melts. It represents the main MORB crustal contamination process. The residue after the partial melting event is represented by the granoblastic dikes. Our results support a model with a dynamic melt lens that has the potential to trigger hydrous partial melting reactions in the previously hydrothermally altered sheeted dikes. A new thermometer using the Al content of clinopyroxene is also elaborated.     

A search for variable stars in the globular cluster M3

We describe here the results of a photometric time-sequence survey of the globular cluster M3 (NGC 5272), in a search for contact and detached eclipsing binary stars. We have discovered only one likely eclipsing binary and one SX Phe-type star in spite of monitoring 4077 stars with V  < 20.0 and observing 25 blue straggler stars (BSS). The newly identified SX Phe star, V237, shows a light curve with a variable amplitude. Variable V238 shows variability either with a period of 0.49 d or with a period of 0.25 d. On the cluster colour–magnitude diagram, the variable occupies a position a few hundredths of a magnitude to the blue of the base of the red giant branch. V238 is a likely descendant of a binary blue straggler.   As a side result we obtained high-quality data for 42 of the previously known RR Lyrae variables, including 33 of Bailey type ab, seven type c and two double-mode pulsators. We used equations that relate the physical properties of RRc stars to their pulsation periods and Fourier parameters in order to derive masses, luminosities, temperatures and helium parameters for five of the RRc stars. We also tested equations that relate the [Fe/H], M _V and temperature of RRab stars to pulsation period and Fourier parameters. We derived [Fe/H]= −1.42 in good agreement with spectroscopic determinations.     

A new adiabatic kernel for the MC2 model

Abstract

Traditional semi‐implicit formulations of nonhydrostatic compressible models may not be stable in the presence of steep terrain when pressure gradient terms are split and lagged in time. If all pressure gradient terms and the divergence are treated implicitly, the resulting wave equation for the pressure contains off‐diagonal cross‐derivative terms leading to a highly nonsymmetric linear system of equations. In this paper we present a more implicit formulation of the Mesoscale Compressible Community (MC2) model employing a Generalized Minimal Residual (GMRES) Krylov iterative solver and a more efficient semi‐Lagrangian advection scheme. Open boundaries now permit exact upwind interpolation and the ability to reproduce simulations to machine precision is illustrated for one‐way nesting at equivalent resolution. Numerical simulations of hydrostatic and nonhydrostatic mountain waves demonstrate the stability and accuracy of the new adiabatic kernel. The computational efficiency of the model is reported for 1D Jacobi and 3D Alternating Direction Implicit (ADI) line relaxation preconditioned implemented with a parallel data transposition strategy.