A study of channel changes in a reach of the North Nashwaaksis stream,New Brunswick,Canada

Repeated surveys of a short channelized reach of the North Nashwaaksis Stream near Fredericton, N.B. over the period 1971-1981 provide the basis for evaluating the type and magnitude of some physical and botanical changes in the study reach. In 1967 a 200 m reach of the stream was shortened by about 10 per cent by cutting a new channel through a pasture. The original channel was protected by a dense growth of shrubs along its banks. The average width of the top of the channel in the channelized reach widened from 11 m to 17 m in response to a major flood in 1973. Rough estimates indicate that as much as 78 per cent of the published suspended-sediment load associated with the flood could reasonably have been derived from the banks in this short channelized reach. During the 1973 flood, a mid-channel bar was formed in the portion of the channel which experienced the most widening. Subsequent to the flood, the mid-channel bar was first colonized by sedges, and then by alders. By 1981, the width of the low flow channel in the channelized reach was about the same as that for the unmodified upstream reaches. This case study provides useful information for those planning channelization projects on small to intermediate size streams in humid temperate areas.     

Oceanographic studies supporting the assessment of deep-sea disposal of defueled decommissioned nuclear submarines

Based on criteria developed by the international Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), potential disposal sites for defueled, decommissioned nuclear submarines appear to exist in deep water south of the Mendocino Fracture Zone within 200 nautical miles of the United States Oceanographic measurements in the water column and at the sea floor in a study area (W-N) at 39 5°N, 127 5°W will allow the operational and radiological consequences of deep-sea disposal to be compared with land burial of old submarines. The W-N studies also are yielding new data that will provide insights to the deposition and early diagenesis of distal hemipelagic sediments Royalty-free reproduction of this article by the U S Government or by the authors for U S. Government purposes is permitted.     

The chemistry of sublimates collected directly from lava fountains at Kilauea Volcano,Hawaii

During 1970, it was occasionally feasible to collect sublimate from directly above the lava fountain in the crater of Mauna Ulu on the east rift zone of Kilauea Volcano, when the level of the lava pool had dropped within the crater. Collecting equipment was suspended down the steep wall to a position above the fountain. Collections were made on quartz wool held within open-ended quartz tubes and, for silica detection, on stainless steel wool in a stainless steel tube. The main components in the sublimate were, in order of decreasing concentration for the best sample, Na, Ca, Al, Fe, Mg, K, B, Si, Ti, Zn, H⁺, NH₄⁺, Cu, Ni in the form of sulfates, chlorides and fluorides.In order to investigate the forms in which the sublimate ions occur under different conditions of temperature and oxidation, the equilibrium compositions of the compounds most likely to be present were calculated. This was done for those important components for which thermodynamic data are available, using a computer program to calculate the minimum free energy for the mixture. The results indicate that, for primary conditions of high temperature and low oxygen partial pressure, the halides were the most likely form of the metallic compounds. Particulate sulfates appear under increasing oxidizing conditions caused by the access of air. These conclusions were reinforced by collections made from holes drilled through the thin crust of a lava lake formed during the same eruption.     

Changes in the thermal structure of moderate to large sized lakes in response to changes in air temperature

Interannual variability in the thermal structure of lakes is driven by interannual differences in meteorological conditions. Dynamic or mechanistic models and empirical or statistical methods have been used to integrate the physical processes in lakes enabling the response of the thermal structure to changes in air temperature to be determined. Water temperature records for Lake Mendota, WI., are possibly the most extensive for any dimictic lake in the world and allowed both approaches to be used. Results from both techniques suggest the mixed layer temperature increases with increasing air temperature. Results from the empirical approach suggested epilimnion temperatures increase 0.5 to 1.0°C per 1.0°C increase in air temperature compared to 0.4 to 0.85°C estimated from a dynamical model (DYRESM). Increased air temperatures are related to significant warming in deep water temperatures in the absence of stratification; however, mid summer hypolimnion temperatures are expected to change very little or increase only slightly in response to climatic warming. Both approaches suggest increases in air temperatures increase the length of summer stratification; results from the dynamic model suggest an increase of approximately 5 days per 1°C increase in air temperature. Longer stratification is reflected in shallower late summer thermocline depths. With these quantitative relationships and forecast increases in air temperature for the 2 × CO₂ climatic scenario (Greenhouse Effect) from three General Circulation Models, projections are made describing the changes in the future mean thermal structure of moderate to large sized lakes.     

Monitoring well placement using conditional simulation of hydraulic head

A theoretical technique for conditioning simulations in frequency domain is developed and then applied to a hydraulic-head data set from Pittman, Nevada. Frequency-domain simulation rapidly generates simulations while requiring minimal computer memory. This makes it possible by using a personal computer to create large numbers of simulations of a physical parameter field for use in studying stochastic processes. In our application, groundwater flowlines are constructed from the simulations of the hydraulic head field. Then, the crossings of the flowlines at a transect down-stream from a contaminant point source generate histograms for predicting the probability of plume interception by groundwater monitoring wells. The simulation process is discussed in detail for the Pittman study site.     

Probability of plume interception using conditional simulation of hydraulic head and inverse modeling

A procedure to estimate the probability of intercepting a contaminant groundwater plume for monitoring network design has been developed and demonstrated. The objective of the procedure is to use all available information in a method that accounts for the heterogeneity of the aquifer and the paucity of data. The major components of the procedure are geostatistical conditional simulation and parameter estimation that are used sequentially to generate flow paths from a suspected contaminant source location to a designated monitoring transect. From the flow paths, a histogram is constructed that represents the spatial probability distribution of plume centerlines. With an independent estimate of the plume width, a relationship between the total cost and the probability of detecting a plume can be made. The method uses geostatistical information from hydraulic head measurements and is conditioned by the data and the physics of groundwater flow. This procedure was developed specifically for the design of monitoring systems at sites where very few, if any, hydraulic conductivity data are available.     

On the stability of the geostatistical method

A thorough geostatistical analysis of spatial data, observed at given spatial locations, includes exploratory data analysis, spatial-model building, diagnosing the model fit, and inference on unknown model parameters or unobserved values (at known locations). Using results from mathematical analysis, exact and asymptotic distribution theory, and simulation studies, we argue that, when used sensibly, the geostatistical method is reassuringly stable.     

On the Issues of Scale,Resolution, and Fractal Analysis in the Mapping Sciences*

Scale and resolution have long been key issues in geography. The rapid development of analytical cartography, GIS, and remote sensing (the mapping sciences) in the last decade has forced the issues of scale and resolution to be treated formally and better defined. This paper addresses the problem of scale and resolution in geographical studies, with special reference to the mapping sciences. The fractal concept is introduced, and its use in identifying the scale and resolution problem is discussed. The implications of the scale and resolution problem on studies of global change and modeling are also explored.     

Radii and Albedos of four Trojan asteroids and Jovian satellites 6 and 7

Thermal radiation has been detected from four asteroids of the Trojan group, and J6 and J7, the brightest of the outer satellites of Jupiter. The six objects all have exceedingly low geometric albedos of 0.02 or 0.03 according to calculations based on their known visual brightness and the measured thermal fluxes. 624 Hektor, the largest object studied here, has a radius of 110 ± 20 km, though the exact shape of this body is in question. While the sample observed in this work is small (the total number of Trojans larger than 0.25 km in radius is about 1000), the fact that all four studied have similarly low albedos suggests that this property is characterisic of the Trojans and at least two of the outer members of Jupiter's retinue of satellites. The low surface albedo of the Trojans may preclude the proposed origin of the Jovian group of comets among these bodies according to E. Rabe. Updated tables of the dimensions of all the Jovian satellites are given.