Impact of wildfire on source water contributions in Devil Creek,CA: evidence from end‐member mixing analysis

A geochemical and end‐member mixing analysis (EMMA) is undertaken in Devil Canyon catchment, located in southern California, to further understanding of watershed behaviour and source water contributions after an acute and extensive wildfire. Physical and chemical transformations in post‐fire watersheds are known to increase overland flow and decrease infiltration, mainly due to formation of a hydrophobic layer at, or near, the soil surface. However, less is known about subsurface flow response in burned watersheds. The current study incorporates EMMA to evaluate and quantify source water contributions before, and after, a catchment affected by wildfires in southern California during the fall of 2003. Pre‐ and post‐fire stream water data were available at several sampling sites within the catchment, allowing the identification of contributing water sources at varying spatial scales. Proposed end‐member observations (groundwater, overland flow, shallow subsurface flow) were also collected to constrain and develop the catchment mixing model. Post‐fire source water changes are more evident in the smaller and faster responding sub‐basin (interior sampling point). Early post‐fire storm events are dominated by overland flow with no significant soil water or groundwater flow contribution. Inter‐storm streamwater in this smaller basin shows an increase in groundwater and a decrease in soil water. In the larger, baseflow‐dominated system, source water components appear less affected by fire. A slight increase in lateral flow is observed with only a slight decrease in baseflow. Changes in the post‐fire flow regimes affect nutrient loading and chemical response of the basin. Relatively rapid recovery of the chaparral ecosystem is evidenced, with active re‐growth and evapotranspiration evidenced by the fourth post‐fire rainy season. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatially resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy of IC 5063

We present spatially resolved 10-μm spectra of the nucleus of IC 5063 that are near-diffraction-limited. The observations were obtained with T-ReCS, the mid-infrared (mid-IR) imager and spectrometer on the 8.1-m Gemini South telescope, with the slit aligned at a position angle on the sky along the direction of the cone of narrow-line emission. The spectra cover the nucleus and the inner reaches of the ionization cones at a spatial resolution of approximately 0.4 arcsec (90 pc). Individual spectra, extracted in steps in the spatial direction along the slit, reveal variations in continuum slope and silicate feature profile and depth on subarcsecond scales, illustrating in unprecedented detail the complexity of the circumnuclear regions of this galaxy at mid-IR wavelengths. The dust population in the vicinity of the narrow-line region, north-west of the nuclear position, is significantly warmer than that to the south-east of the nucleus. This is consistent with an observation of the cooler dust associated with the outer reaches of the postulated torus that obscures the type 1 nucleus in this object.     

Effects of frictional forces acting on sidewalls of buried box culverts

The effects of frictional forces acting on the sidewalls of buried box culverts are presented as determined with finite element method (FEM) and detailed soil modelling. The possibility of reducing earth pressure on deeply buried concrete box culverts by the imperfect trench installation (ITI) method has been contemplated during the last several decades. There have been limited research results published primarily regarding the qualitative aspect of load reduction in ITIs. It was found during the course of this study that significant frictional forces develop along the sidewalls of box culverts and adjacent sidefills in ITIs. Current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials provisions do not consider these frictional forces, but they cannot be neglected in ITIs, as their effect is dominant. An optimum geometry for the soft zone in ITIs is presented to maximize earth load reductions. The soil–structure interaction at the box culvert–soil interface was found to have a significant effect on total earth pressure acting on the bottom slab. Predictor equations for earth load reduction rates were formulated for ITIs incorporating the optimum soft zone geometry based on the FEM. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long‐term trend of precipitation and runoff in Korean river basins

The spatial and temporal variations of precipitation and runoff for 139 basins in South Korea were investigated for 34 years (1968–2001). The Precipitation‐Runoff Modelling System (PRMS) was selected for the assessment of basin hydrologic response to varying climates and physiology. A non‐parametric Mann–Kendall's test and regression analysis are used to detect trends in annual, seasonal, and monthly precipitation and runoff, while Moran's I is adapted to determine the degree of spatial dependence in runoff trend among the basins. The results indicated that the long‐term trends in annual precipitation and runoff were increased in northern regions and decreased in south‐western regions of the study area during the study period. The non‐parametric Mann–Kendall test showed that spring streamflow was decreasing, while summer streamflow was increasing. April precipitation decreased between 15% and 74% for basins located in south‐western part of the Korean peninsula. June precipitation increased between 18% and 180% for the majority of the basins. Trends in seasonal and monthly streamflow show similar patterns compared to trends in precipitation. Decreases in spring runoff are associated with decreases in spring precipitation which, accompanied by rising temperatures, are responsible for reducing soil moisture. The regional patterns of precipitation and runoff changes show a strong to moderate positive spatial autocorrelation, suggesting that there is a high potential for severe spring drought and summer flooding in some parts of Korea if these trends continue in the future. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Classification of precipitation types using fall velocity-diameter relationships from 2D-video distrometer measurements

Fall velocity-diameter relationships for four different snowflake types (dendrite, plate, needle, and graupel) were investigated in northeastern South Korea, and a new algorithm for classifying hydrometeors is proposed for distrometric measurements based on the new relationships. Falling ice crystals (approximately 40 000 particles) were measured with a two-dimensional video disdrometer (2DVD) during a winter experiment from 15 January to 9 April 2010. The fall velocity-diameter relationships were derived for the four types of snowflakes based on manual classification by experts using snow photos and 2DVD measurements: the coefficients (exponents) for different snowflake types were 0.82 (0.24) for dendrite, 0.74 (0.35) for plate, 1.03 (0.71) for needle, and 1.30 (0.94) for graupel, respectively. These new relationships established in the present study (PS) were compared with those from two previous studies. Hydrometeor types were classified with the derived fall velocity-diameter relationships, and the classification algorithm was evaluated using 3× 3 contingency tables for one rain-snow transition event and three snowfall events. The algorithm showed good performance for the transition event: the critical success indices (CSIs) were 0.89, 0.61 and 0.71 for snow, wet-snow and rain, respectively. For snow events, the algorithm performance for dendrite and plate (CSIs = 1.0 and 1.0, respectively) was better than for needle and graupel (CSIs = 0.67 and 0.50, respectively).     

Cosmic‐ray exposure history of the Norton County enstatite achondrite

Abstract– We report measurements of cosmogenic nuclides in up to 11 bulk samples from various depths in Norton County. The activities of ³⁶Cl, ⁴¹Ca, ²⁶Al, and ¹⁰Be were measured by accelerator mass spectrometry; the concentrations of the stable isotopes of He, Ne, Ar, and Sm were measured by electron and thermal ionization mass spectrometry, respectively. Production rates for the nuclides were modeled using the LAHET and the Monte Carlo N‐Particle codes. Assuming a one‐stage irradiation of a meteoroid with a pre‐atmospheric radius of approximately 50 cm, the model satisfactorily reproduces the depth profiles of ¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al, and ⁵³Mn (<6%) but overestimates the ⁴¹Ca concentrations by about 20%. ³He, ²¹Ne, and ²⁶Al data give a one‐stage cosmic‐ray exposure (CRE) age of 115 Ma. Argon‐36 released at intermediate temperatures, ³⁶Ar_n, is attributed to production by thermal neutrons. From the values of ³⁶Ar_n, an assumed average Cl concentration of 4 ppm, and a CRE age of 115 Ma, we estimate thermal neutron fluences of 1–4 × 10¹⁶ neutrons cm^?2. We infer comparable values from ε¹⁴⁹Sm and ε¹⁵⁰Sm. Values calculated from ⁴¹Ca and a CRE age of 115 Ma, 0.2–1.4 × 10¹⁶ neutrons cm^?2, are lower by a factor of approximately 2.5, indicating that nearly half of the ¹⁴⁹Sm captures occurred earlier. One possible irradiation history places the center of proto‐Norton County at a depth of 88 cm in a large body for 140 Ma prior to its liberation as a meteoroid with a radius of 50 cm and further CRE for 100 Ma.