Freshwater chlorophycean algae in recent marine sediments of the Beaufort, Laptev and Kara Seas (Arctic Ocean) as indicators of river runoff

Freshwater chlorophycean algae are characteristic organic-walled microfossils in recent coastal and shelf sediments from the Beaufort, Laptev and Kara seas (Arctic Ocean). The persistent occurrence of the chlorophycean algae Pediastrum spp. and Botryococcus cf. braunii in marine palynomorph assemblages is related to the discharge of freshwater and suspended matter from the large Siberian and North American rivers into the Arctic shelf seas. The distribution patterns of these algae in the marine environments reflect the predominant deposition of riverine sediments and organic matter along the salinity gradient from the outer estuaries and prodeltas to the shelf break. Sedimentary processes overprint the primary distribution of these algae. Resuspension of sediments by waves and bottom currents may transport sediments in the bottom nepheloid layer along the submarine channels to the shelf break. Bottom sediments and microfossils may be incorporated into sea ice during freeze-up in autumn and winter leading to an export from the shelves into the deep sea. The presence of these freshwater algae in sea-ice and bottom sediments in the central Arctic Ocean confirm that transport in sea ice is an important process which leads to a redistribution of shallow water microfossils.     

Width control on event-scale deposition and evacuation of sediment in bedrock-confined channels

In mixed bedrock–alluvial rivers, the response of the system to a flood event can be affected by a number of factors, including coarse sediment availability in the channel, sediment supply from the hillslopes and upstream, flood sequencing and coarse sediment grain size distribution. However, the impact of along-stream changes in channel width on bedload transport dynamics remains largely unexplored. We combine field data, theory and numerical modelling to address this gap. First, we present observations from the Daan River gorge in western Taiwan, where the river flows through a 1 km long 20–50 m wide bedrock gorge bounded upstream and downstream by wide braidplains. We documented two flood events during which coarse sediment evacuation and redeposition appear to cause changes of up to several metres in channel bed elevation. Motivated by this case study, we examined the relationships between discharge, channel width and bedload transport capacity, and show that for a given slope narrow channels transport bedload more efficiently than wide ones at low discharges, whereas wider channels are more efficient at high discharges. We used the model sedFlow to explore this effect, running a random sequence of floods through a channel with a narrow gorge section bounded upstream and downstream by wider reaches. Channel response to imposed floods is complex, as high and low discharges drive different spatial patterns of erosion and deposition, and the channel may experience both of these regimes during the peak and recession periods of each flood. Our modelling suggests that width differences alone can drive substantial variations in sediment flux and bed response, without the need for variations in sediment supply or mobility. The fluctuations in sediment transport rates that result from width variations can lead to intermittent bed exposure, driving incision in different segments of the channel during different portions of the hydrograph. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Testing models of step formation against observations of channel steps in a steep mountain stream

Steep streams often feature a step-pool morphology where the steps determine channel stability and dissipate the stream's energy, and thus are important for local flow hydraulics and bedload transport. Steps also play a key-role for the coupling of channels and adjacent hillslopes by controlling hillslope stability. Although step-pool systems have been investigated in various modelling and experimental efforts, the processes of step formation and destruction remain under debate. Theories of step formation consider a wide range of dominant drivers and fall into three groups favouring hydraulic controls ( HC ), granular interactions during flow ( GI ) or random drivers ( RD ) as relevant factors for step location. A direct evaluation of these models with field observations is challenging, as step formation cannot be directly observed. Based on the physical mechanisms of the various formation models we derive diagnostic morphometric parameters and test them with a field data set from a steep stream in Switzerland. Our results suggest that one class of alluvial steps form due to jamming in narrow and narrowing sections of the channel, while steps in wide and widening sections form around rarely mobile keystones. These two models of step formation apply in our study reach at the same time in different locations of the channel. A third class of steps is forced by logs. Such steps are typically located close to the original growth position of the tree and therefore reflect strong channel-hillslope coupling. Wood-forced steps make up a minor fraction of the step population, but contribute significantly to the cumulative step height and are therefore relevant to reach-scale flow resistance of the channel. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pilot-Scale Electrochemical Treatment of a 1,4-Dioxane Source Zone

Electrochemical treatment is a promising emerging technology in which direct current is applied to drive the degradation of aqueous contaminants. Several bench-scale studies have demonstrated the capability of electrochemical oxidation to fully mineralize refractory organics such as pesticides and perfluorinated compounds. However, insights into large-scale design and field performance are critically lacking. Here, we designed six pilot-scale reactors and tested their performance and efficiency for the treatment of groundwater contaminated with 1,4-dioxane (1,4-DX) at concentrations exceeding 1000 mg/L. Anode surface area-normalized degradation rates increased with increasing potential applied, while the process was more energy-efficient per mass unit removed at low potentials. While not all 1,4-DX was completely mineralized, the detected ring-opening intermediates are known to be readily biodegradable. Analyses of potential by-products from chloride oxidation revealed the generation of chloromethanes and perchlorate at low mg/L concentrations. Towards the end of the 8.5-month pilot test, decreasing currents and degradation rates indicated progressing passivation of the electrodes, likely due to cathodic carbonate precipitation and/or poisoning by the uniquely high organic carbon load of this source zone groundwater. The findings of our study demonstrate that electrochemical groundwater remediation is a capable approach for the treatment of persistent organic pollutants. Our pilot-scale test provides practitioners with a basis for evaluating its efficiency under site-specific conditions and collecting critical performance metrics for technology scale-up.     

Field techniques for measuring bedrock erosion and denudation

Bedrock erosion rates in natural landscapes are usually slow, of the order of millimeters per year or less, and sophisticated techniques have been developed to measure them. Different techniques have proved to be valuable depending on the spatial and temporal scale on which information is needed, on the environment and on the scientific question that is asked. Here, we give an overview of the various methods that have been developed. We introduce their working principles and outline their advantages and disadvantages. Further, we provide comprehensive references to relevant literature, both on the methods and on scientific examples of their application. © 2016 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Modeling ground water flow in alluvial mountainous catchments on a watershed scale

In large mountainous catchments, shallow unconfined alluvial aquifers play an important role in conveying subsurface runoff to the foreland. Their relatively small extent poses a serious problem for ground water flow models on the river basin scale. River basin scale models describing the entire water cycle are necessary in integrated water resources management and to study the impact of global climate change on ground water resources. Integrated regional-scale models must use a coarse, fixed discretization to keep computational demands low and to facilitate model coupling. This can lead to discrepancies between model discretization and the geometrical properties of natural systems. Here, an approach to overcome this discrepancy is discussed using the example of the German-Austrian Upper Danube catchment, where a coarse ground water flow model was developed using MODFLOW. The method developed uses a modified concept from a hydrological catchment drainage analysis in order to adapt the aquifer geometry such that it respects the numerical requirements of the chosen discretization, that is, the width and the thickness of cells as well as gradients and connectivity of the catchment. In order to show the efficiency of the developed method, it was tested and compared to a finely discretized ground water model of the Ammer subcatchment. The results of the analysis prove the applicability of the new approach and contribute to the idea of using physically based ground water models in large catchments.     

Complex resistivity and radar investigation of building material: First results of field scale measurements

Moisture ingress is one of major damaging factors for masonry buildings. As the complex resistivity (CR) is sensitive to textural properties as well as to the pore fluid chemistry of wet porous media, its non-destructive application can provide helpful information for conservators. In a comprehensive laboratory study it has been shown that CR might even be able to distinguish between salt content and saturation degree in only one measurement. The combined use of electrical and electromagnetic measurement techniques in two field-scale flooding experiments has shown some unexpected differences. Possible reasons are discussed and it is shown that bringing together the information of both methods leads to a clearer picture.