River sediments,great floods and centennial‐scale Holocene climate change

A new analysis of all 346 published ¹⁴C dated Holocene alluvial units in Britain offers a unique insight into the regional impacts of global change and shows how surprisingly sensitive British rivers have been to relatively modest but repeated changes in climate. Fourteen major but probably brief periods of flooding are identified bracketed within the periods 400–1070, 1940–3940, 7520–8100 and at ca. 10 420 cal. yr BP. There is a strong correspondence between climatic deteriorations inferred from mire wet shifts and major periods of flooding, especially at ca. 8000 cal. yr BP and since ca. 4000 cal. yr BP. The unusually long and complete British record also demonstrates that alterations in land cover have resulted in a step change in river basin sensitivity to variations in climate. This has very important implications for assessing and mitigating the impact of increasing severe flooding. In small and medium‐sized river basins land use is likely to play a key role in either moderating or amplifying the climatic signal. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seasonal warm-water refuge and sanctuary usage by the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in Kings Bay,Citrus County,Florida

The largest Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) aggregation at a natural warm-water site occurs in Kings Bay, Crystal River, FL. In accordance with the Manatee Recovery Plan, manatee protection areas within Kings Bay have been created by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the State of Florida including a year-round refuge designation and seven Federal manatee sanctuaries during the winter manatee season (15 November–31 March). Over the last 30 years, an increase in manatee counts has been observed in Kings Bay which has prompted the need to review existing manatee protection measures. Aerial survey data collected between 1983 and 2012 were used to examine the seasonal change in manatee distribution within Kings Bay to assess the effectiveness of current sanctuary sizes and locations. Regression analysis suggested a significant change in manatee abundance among the winter seasons (p < 0.05). The average winter manatee counts increased by 4.81 animals per year over the 30-year period. Spatially explicit maps using geographic information system (GIS) analysis revealed a strong correlation between high manatee density and artesian springs in Kings Bay during the winter seasons. Highest abundances were identified at three locations: King Spring, Three Sisters Springs, and Magnolia Springs, which coincide with preexisting sanctuary designations. Additional coverage is advocated to support the overflow of manatees outside of sanctuary boundaries. As density patterns were not uniform across summer periods, a consideration of additional boat speed regulations is recommended.     

Meander development and floodplain sedimentation: A case study from mid-Wales

Spatial and temporal patterns of meander development and sedimentation are assessed for a meander loop on the River Rheidol. Several scales and rates of change are distinguished for which different observational approaches are helpful. The meander loop itself developed over approximately 100 years while primary high-flow bedforms grew and migrated within the loop modifying its form. These were themselves variously dissected and embellished at intermediate discharges, but their residues are preserved as a major component of floodplain sedimentation. The characteristic and irregular pattern of point bar micro-relief common to rivers in mid-Wales suggests some adjustment of ideas on meander activity is required.     

Temporal fluctuations in weather disasters: 1950–1989

A unique historical data set describing the 142 storms producing losses in excess of $100 million in the United States during the 1950–89 period were analyzed to describe their temporal characteristics. These weather disasters (WDs) caused $66.2 billion in losses, 76% of the nation's insured losses in this period. Disasters were most prevalent in the south, southeast, northeast, and central U.S., with few in and west of the Rockies. The incidence of WDs was high in the 1950s, low in the 1960s-early 1970s, and peaked in the 1980s. Losses due to WDs peaked in the 1950s, again in the late 1960s, and with a lesser peak after 1985. The areal extent of storm losses peaked after 1975 and was least in the 1960s. The temporal variations of the three storm measures (incidence, losses, and extent) had poor agreement, and agreed only when they peaked in the 1950s. Regionally-derived time distributions of WDs showed marked north-south differences with a U-shaped 40-year distribution in the northern half of the nation, whereas southern regions had a relatively flat trend until achieving a peak in the 1980s. The temporal distributions of hurricane-caused disasters differed regionally, with the distributions in the southern, southeastern, and northeastern U.S. each quite different. Temporal distributions of thunderstorm and winter storm-produced disasters were regionally more uniform. The national 5-year WD frequencies correlated moderately well with annual mean temperatures which explained 40% of the variability found in WDs during 1950–89. Weather disasters peaked in the relatively warm-dry 1950s and again in the warm-wet 1980s, and were least in the cool-wet 1960s and 1970s. The distribution of WDs during 1950–89 appears positively related to the temporal fluctuations in cyclonic activity.     

MS 1603.6+2600: an accretion disc corona source?

We have observed the eclipsing low-mass X-ray binary MS 1603.6+2600 with Chandra for 7 ks. The X-ray spectrum is well fit with a single absorbed power law with an index of ∼2. We find a clear sinusoidal modulation in the X-ray light curve with a period of  1.7 ± 0.2 h  , consistent with the period of 1.85 h found before. However, no (partial) eclipses were found. We argue that if the X-ray flare observed in earlier X-ray observations was a type I X-ray burst, then the source can only be an accretion disc corona source at a distance of ∼11–24 kpc (implying a height above the Galactic disc of ∼8–17 kpc). It has also been proposed in the literature that MS 1603.76+2600 is a dipper at ∼75 kpc. We argue that, in this dipper scenario, the observed optical properties of MS 1603.6+2600 are difficult to reconcile with the optical properties one would expect on the basis of comparisons with other high-inclination, low-mass X-ray binaries, unless the X-ray flare was not a type I X-ray burst. In that case, the source can be a nearby soft X-ray transient accreting at a quiescent rate, as was proposed by Hakala et al., or a high-inclination source at ∼15–20 kpc.     

Sources and sinks for atmospheric H2: A current analysis with projections for the influence of anthropogenic activity

Oxidation of CH₄ provides the major source for atmospheric H₂ which is removed mainly by reaction with OH. Biological activity at the Earth's surface appears to represent at most a minor sink for H₂. Anthropogenic activity is a significant source for both H₂ and CO in the present atmosphere and may be expected to exert a growing influence in the future. Models are presented which suggest a rise in the mixing ratio of H₂ from its present value of 5.6 × 10^?7 to about 1.8 × 10^?6 by the year 2100. The mixing ratio of CO should grow from 9.7 × 10^?8 to 2.3 × 10^?7 over the same time period and there should be a rise in CH₄ by about a factor of 1.5 associated with anthropogenically induced reductions in tropospheric OH.     

A significant middle Pleistocene tephra deposit preserved in the caves of Mulu,Borneo

A distinctive white sediment in the caves of Mulu, Sarawak, Borneo is a well-preserved tephra, representing a fluvially transported surface air-fall deposit, re-deposited inside the caves. We show that the tephra is not the Younger Toba Tephra, formerly considered as most likely. The shards are rod-shaped with elongate tubular vesicles; the largest grains ~ 170 μm in length; of rhyolitic composition; and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70426 ± 0.00001. U–Th dating of associated calcites suggest that the tephra was deposited before 125 ± 4 ka, and probably before 156 ± 2 ka. Grain size and distance from closest potential source suggests an eruption of VEI 7. Prevailing winds, grain size, thickness of deposit, location of potential sources, and Sr isotopic ratio limit the source to the Philippines. Comparisons with the literature give the best match geochemically with layer 1822 from Ku et al. (2009a), dated by ocean core stratigraphy to 189 ka. This tephra represents a rare terrestrial repository indicating a very substantial Plinian/Ultra-Plinian eruption that covered the Mulu region of Borneo with ash, a region that rarely receives tephra from even the largest known eruptions in the vicinity. It likely will be a valuable chronostratigraphic marker for sedimentary, palaeontological and archaeological studies.     

Determination of Elemental Concentrations in Nine CMEA Rock and Ore Standards,in NBS 98 Plastic Clay and in Fired Clay Gent (FCG) by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis*

Data for as many as 31 elements were determined by instrumental thermal neutron activation analysis for nine European Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) rock and ore standards. The National Bureau of Standards plastic clay 98 and the University of Gent fired clay FCG were also analyzed. Synthetic, multielement standards were used and USGS rock standards provided reference samples. Correction factors for uranium fission products on cerium and molybdenum, and also for less commonly encountered spectral interferences, such as those due to the 213 ppm tantalum in granitoid 2B, were evaluated.     

Delineating and defining the boundaries of an active landslide in the rainforest of Puerto Rico using a combination of airborne and terrestrial LIDAR data

Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) is a remote sensing technique that uses light, often using pulses from a laser to measure the distance to a target. Both terrestrial- and airborne-based LIDAR techniques have been frequently used to map landslides. Airborne LIDAR has the advantage of identifying large scarps of landslides covered by tree canopies and is widely applied in identifying historical and current active landslides hidden in forested areas. However, because landslides naturally have relatively small vertical surface deformation in the foot area, it is practically difficult to identify the margins of landslide foot area with the limited spatial resolution (few decimeters) of airborne LIDAR. Alternatively, ground-based LIDAR can achieve resolution of several centimeters and also has the advantages of being portable, repeatable, and less costly. Thus, ground-based LIDAR can be used to identify small deformations in landslide foot areas by differencing repeated terrestrial laser scanning surveys. This study demonstrates a method of identifying the superficial boundaries as well as the bottom boundary (sliding plane) of an active landslide in National Rainforest Park, Puerto Rico, USA, using the combination of ground-based and airborne LIDAR data. The method of combining terrestrial and airborne LIDAR data can be used to study landslides in other regions. This study also indicates that intensity and density of laser point clouds are remarkably useful in identifying superficial boundaries of landslides.