Coastal inshore waters in the NW Mediterranean: Physicochemical and biological characterization and management implications

The physicochemical and biological characteristics of coastal waters form a gradient extending from land to ocean. In the Mediterranean this gradient is particularly large, due to the sea’s weak tides. Within coastal waters, those waters in contact with land are called coastal inshore waters (CIW), defined herein as between 0 and 200 m from the shoreline. Here we present the first physicochemical and biological characterization of CIW of the NW Mediterranean Sea. This case study is based on 19 years of data collected from coastal inshore (CIW; 0–200 m), nearshore (CNW; 200–1500 m), and offshore (COW; >1500 m) waters of the Catalan coast. Analyses of these data showed that the physicochemical and biological characteristics of CIW differ significantly from those of CNW and COW due to: (1) significantly higher concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients (nitrate = 11.07 μM, nitrite = 0.52 μM, ammonium = 6.43 μM, phosphate = 0.92 μM, silicates = 5.99 μM) and chlorophyll-a (=2.42 μg/L) in CIW than in either CNW or COW (in some cases up to one order of magnitude); (2) a greater variability of dissolved inorganic nutrients and chlorophyll-a in CIW than in CNW and COW, and (3) the presence of a mostly urban population and the effects of river inflows as a primary source of CIW variability but with minimal impact on CNW or COW. In addition, the risk of eutrophication was found to be highest in CIW, placing human and environmental interests at greater risk than in the outermost coastal waters. The results highlight the importance of considering the distinctive physicochemical and biological properties of CIW in future coastal waters studies. This is of major importance in assessments of eutrophication and coastal water quality, not only to identify the pressure–impact relationships but also to allow the timely detection of local environmental problems and thus avoid endangering the unique communities of CIW and ensuring the sustainability of human activities. In conclusion, CIW characterization is essential to integrate coastal zone management.     

Climate changes and human activities recorded in the sediments of Lake Estanya (NE Spain) during the Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age

A multi-proxy study of short sediment cores recovered in small, karstic Lake Estanya (42°02?? N, 0°32?? E, 670 m.a.s.l.) in the Pre-Pyrenean Ranges (NE Spain) provides a detailed record of the complex environmental, hydrological and anthropogenic interactions occurring in the area since medieval times. The integration of sedimentary facies, elemental and isotopic geochemistry, and biological proxies (diatoms, chironomids and pollen), together with a robust chronological control, provided by AMS radiocarbon dating and ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs radiometric techniques, enabled precise reconstruction of the main phases of environmental change, associated with the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), the Little Ice Age (LIA) and the industrial era. Shallow lake levels and saline conditions with poor development of littoral environments prevailed during medieval times (1150?C1300 AD). Generally higher water levels and more dilute waters occurred during the LIA (1300?C1850 AD), although this period shows a complex internal paleohydrological structure and is contemporaneous with a gradual increase of farming activity. Maximum lake levels and flooding of the current littoral shelf occurred during the nineteenth century, coinciding with the maximum expansion of agriculture in the area and prior to the last cold phase of the LIA. Finally, declining lake levels during the twentieth century, coinciding with a decrease in human pressure, are associated with warmer climate conditions. A strong link with solar irradiance is suggested by the coherence between periods of more positive water balance and phases of reduced solar activity. Changes in winter precipitation and dominance of NAO negative phases would be responsible for wet LIA conditions in western Mediterranean regions. The main environmental stages recorded in Lake Estanya are consistent with Western Mediterranean continental records, and show similarities with both Central and NE Iberian reconstructions, reflecting a strong climatic control of the hydrological and anthropogenic changes during the last 800 years.     

A model of boiling for fluid inclusion studies: Application to the Bolaños Ag–Au–Pb–Zn epithermal deposit,Western Mexico

Boiling can be inferred from fluid inclusion microthermometry studies when a progressive increase in apparent salinity is observed along with a decrease of homogenization temperature (T_H) and depth, thus reflecting the partitioning of non-volatile solutes into the liquid phase during steam loss. We propose a model for fluid evolution during boiling based on mass and heat balance equations, which establishes paths in the T_H-salinity space that can be compared with fluid inclusion data to confirm or discard boiling. Additionally, the model allows calculating paleo-depths, for which the effect of steam bubbles lowering the hydrostatic pressure is taken into account.     

Capturing Farmers’ Knowledge: Testing the Analytic Hierarchy Process and a Ranking and Scoring Method

Abstract

Integrating local and Indigenous knowledge into land-use planning and the assessment of ecosystems services requires reliable, quantitative data. We tested two approaches to obtain such data by quantifying farmer opinion of different land-covers in Eastern Panama using (1) the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and (2) a simpler ranking and scoring technique. Both methods produce a set of numerical values reflecting the ability of land-covers to deliver ecological and socio-economic criteria. We present our experience with both methods and offer recommendations for researchers looking to quantify landholder opinion. The AHP survey was relatively long (on average it took 19?min to complete per criterion) and we faced problems with inconsistent responses. In contrast, the ranking and scoring method was much quicker (only 3?min per criterion) and therefore may be more suitable for gathering more data from a larger number of farmers.     

Effectiveness of pulse flows in a regulated river for inducing upstream movement of an imperiled stock of Chinook salmon

We assessed the effectiveness of pulse flows in facilitating the upstream migration of an imperiled summer-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) stock in the Puntledge River, BC, Canada. During July and August, over 3 years, we tracked radio-tagged fish (n = 100) in a reach of the Puntledge River where water is diverted for power generation, resulting in stable low flows that are believed to impede migration. Over the course of  13 pulse flows, we measured migration rate, passage rate at natural barriers that are difficult to pass during low flows, movement away from the turbine outlet pool that creates distracting flows, and locomotor activity. Mean river flow during the peak of the pulses varied from 12.1 to 42.5 m³ s^?1 and was at least 6.1 m³ s^?1 above residual base flows. Typically, the pulse flows lasted 48 h. Migration rate was higher during some pulse flows, but results varied among pulses. Passage at natural barriers was only higher during an abnormal pulse where flows reached twice that of the prescribed flow (i.e., 24+ m³ s^?1). Some fish moved away from the turbine outlet pool during pulse flows. Pulse flows did not affect fish activity levels, as measured by electromyogram telemetry. Although the effect of pulsed flows on the migration of the Puntledge River summer-run Chinook salmon was unclear, no negative impacts, such as hyperactivity or downstream displacement were observed. The use of pulse flows as a management tool still requires further research.     

Impact,Mechanism,Monitoring of Land Subsidence in Coastal Cities(Annual Work of IGCP 663)

正Land subsidence is a worldwide geohazard consisting in the lowering of the ground surface due to natural and human-induced processes occurring in the shallow and deep subsoil.Over the last two decades,land subsidence has caused damages and widespread impacts to a variety of infrastructures in coastal cities (Ma et al.,2011;Liu et al.,2016;Minderhoud et al.,2018).Meanwhile,it is particularly alarming as it reduces the ground     

Eclogite-facies rocks in the Saxonian Erzgebirge,Germany: high pressure metamorphism under contrasting P-T conditions

The metamorphic sequences of the Saxonian Erzgebirge were thoroughly overprinted by a Variscan medium-pressure event under amphibolite facies conditions. However, eclogitic relics documenting an older high-pressure event are widespread. P-T conditions of the eclogite-facies metamorphism systematically decrease, over a distance of 50 km, from about >29 kbar/850°C, in the central part, to 20–24 kbar/650°C, in the westernmost part of the Erzgebirge crystalline complex. A distinct gap in P-T conditions exists between the central and the western Erzgebirge coinciding with the fault zone of the Flöha syncline. Therefore, the eclogitebearing sequences are assumed to represent at least two different nappe units. The lower-grade eclogite assemblages in the western Erzgebirge display a continuous metamorphic zonation with a gradual decrease of peak metamorphic temperatures towards the west. Assemblages formed in the stability field of coesite and thus indicating a regional ultra-high pressure metamorphism, are restricted to the central Erzgebirge, where they are widespread in the eclogites, but also present in metaacidic country rocks. The same high-temperature/high-pressure conditions, testifying to a burial of at least 100 km, were independently recorded for the ultramafic garnet pyroxenites associated with the eclogites of the central Erzgebirge. Mineral relics included in the eclogite phases and mineral assemblages formed by retrograde reactions permit reconstruction of the prograde and retrograde P-T paths in the different parts of the Erzgebirge crystalline complex.     

Centimeter repeatability of the VLBI estimates of European baselines

Summary In the last three years, the European Geodetic Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Network has grown to a total of six fixed antennas placed in Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden, all equipped with the standard geodetic VLBI instrumentation and data recording systems. During this period of time, several experiments have been carried out using this interferometer providing data of very high quality due to the excellent sensitivity and performance of the European stations. The purpose of this paper is to study the consistency of the VLBI geodetic results on the European baselines with respect to the different degrees of freedom in the analysis procedure. In order to complete this study we have made use of both real and simulated data sets, two different software packages (OCCAM 3.0 and CALC 7.4/SOLVE) and a variety of strategies in the data analysis. The results we have obtained show that the repeatability of the VLBI estimates of the baseline lengths in the European network is better than one centimeter, independent of the different analysis methods, and is consistent with the formal error levels expected from the data analysis. This consistency should be enough to produce geophysically significant information in Europe from VLBI data within a relatively short time span.     

Post-fire management effects on sediment (dis)connectivity in Mediterranean forest ecosystems: Channel and catchment response

Forest fires and post-fire practices influence sediment connectivity (SC). In this study, we use the ‘aggregated index of connectivity’ (AIC) to assess SC in five Mediterranean catchments (198–1090 ha) affected by a wildfire in 2012 in south-eastern Spain. Two temporal scenarios were considered, immediately after the fire and before post-fire management, and 2 years after the fire including all practices (hillslope barriers, check-dams, afforestation, salvage logging and skid trails). One LiDAR (light detection and ranging)-derived digital elevation model (DEM, 2 m × 2 m resolution) was generated, per scenario. The five catchment outlets were established as the computation target (AIC_OUT), and structural and functional SC were calculated. Index outputs were normalized to make the results of the non-nested catchments comparable (AIC_N-OUT). The output analysis includes the SC distribution along the catchments and at local scale (929 sub-catchments, 677 in the burned area), the hillslope and channel measures' effect on SC, and a sedimentological analysis using observed area-specific sediment yield (SSY) at 10 new (built after post-fire practices) concrete check-dams located in the catchments (SSY = 1.94 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹; σ = 1.22). The catchments with more circular shapes and steeper slopes were those with higher AIC_N-OUT. The structural SC maps – removing the rainfall erosivity influence – allowed evaluating the actual role played by the post-fire practices that reduced SC ( $\overline{x}$= − 1.19%; σ = 0.41); while functional SC was linked to the actual change of SC ( $\overline{x}$= + 5.32%; σ = 0.62). Hillslope treatments resulted in significant changes on AIC_N-OUT at sub-catchment scale with certain disconnectivity. A good and positive correlation was found between the SSY and the changes of AIC_N-OUT. However, the coarse DEM resolution explained the lack of effect of the rock check-dams – located on the secondary channels – on AIC_N-OUT. AIC_N-OUT proved to be a useful tool for decision making in post-fire restoration, but an optimal input data is still necessary to refine calculations.     

A Numerical Study of the Impact of Greenhouse Gases on the South Atlantic Ocean Climatology

The National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate SystemModel (NCAR CCSM, version 3) numerical coupled model is used tounderstand the climatic impacts on the South Atlantic Ocean due toindustrialization and consequent increase of greenhouse gasemission. Two experiments are analyzed: the first one withtrace/greenhouse gases at pre-industrial levels and a second one wherepresent day levels were adopted. The results show that the annualaveraged sea surface temperature, sea level pressure and barotropictransport intensify and precipitation weakens from one period to thenext. With respect to the seasonal cycle, the sea surface temperaturewarms relative to the pre-industrial period mainly during the winterand spring; while sea level pressure presents higher values in summerand autumn. Barotropic transport has revealed significant differencesbetween the two experiments at middle and high latitudes. Increasedtransport is associated with the intensification of the SubtropicalGyre and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Changes in barotropictransport and sea surface temperature leads to an intensification ofthe Polar Front and associated gradients. Examination of theprecipitation field differences showed an increase over the Amazonregion and along the South Atlantic Convergence Zone, during summer.The changes in sea surface temperature, sea-level pressure andbarotropic transport from the pre-industrial period to the present daywere more pronounced at high latitudes. These reach almost 1 °Cand 11Sv between 45-60° S, respectively. Majordifferences in precipitation are confined to the tropics.