Diversity and Habitat Distribution of Birds in Coastal Marshes and Comparisons with Surrounding Upland Habitats in Southeastern South America

We studied variation in bird assemblages with plant associations for three different coastal marshes from Southeastern South America (SESA) and assessed how marsh bird assemblages related to nearby upland bird assemblages. We surveyed bird species and plant structure along the tidal gradient of each locality from the low tide level to the upper habitats bordering coastal marshes. Twenty species frequently used coastal marshes, including relatively few migratory species. We found that birds occurring in SESA coastal marshes do not have distributions constrained to coastal marshes. Nonetheless, four bird assemblages were recognized in association with vegetation types and/or sites. Among the recorded coastal marsh species, the bay-capped wren-spinetail (Spartonoica maluroides) is both the most frequent and the most habitat constrained. Bird richness increases steadily along the tidal gradient associated with the increase in vegetation structure, suggesting that bird richness is directly explained by vegetation and indirectly by the physical conditions influencing vegetation structure. Results highlight the importance of SESA middle marshes as habitat for conservation of some threatened SESA grassland birds.     

Catastrophic,rainfall-induced debris flows in Andean villages of Tarapacá, Atacama Desert,northern Chile

In March 2012, during the rainy season in the Altiplano plateau, a >100-year return period rainfall event affected the deeply incised valleys of the Precordillera of the Tarapacá Region, northern Chile. This extreme event in a very arid region triggered a number of debris and mud flows that caused severe damage and destruction in several small villages along the Camiña and Tarapacá valleys. The highly vulnerable location of the villages on top of alluvial fans due to socioeconomic and cultural reasons is a key factor to explain the level of destruction in most villages. In this paper, this unusual, remarkable landslide event is described, and the hazard faced by these settlements for future rainfall episodes and possible mitigation measures are discussed.     

江西武宁县石门寺钨铜矿区风化作用过程中W、Cu等元素的表生地球化学行为(之一)

以江西省武宁县石门寺钨铜矿区燕山期和晋宁期岩体风化作用过程中W、Cu等元素的表生地球化学行为为研究对象,通过反映风化程度的化学风化指数CIA、风化作用过程中组分得失的估算、不同介质中W、Cu等成矿元素的含量变化及大离子亲石元素表生地球化学行为等方法的研究表明,石门寺钨铜矿区2个时期岩体元素淋失与风化强度有关,土壤剖面中碱金属、碱土金属元素大量淋失,而W、Cu等成矿元素在土壤B层中显著富集;从岩石到土壤、再到水系沉积物风化过程中,W、Cu等成矿元素含量逐渐升高,为此,一级水系沉积物和B层土壤是赣北九岭W、Sn、Cu、Mo多金属矿集区地球化学找矿的绝佳采样介质,是矿集区内找矿新突破的有效手段。     

Quick sulfide buffering in inner shelf sediments of the East China Sea impacted by eutrophication

In the eutrophic coastal ocean, quick formation of iron (Fe) sulfide is environmentally important to effectively prevent accumulation of dissolved sulfide and its detrimental effects on the benthic ecosystem. In this study, 0.5 N HCl-extractable labile Fe (LFe), acid volatile sulfide, and pyrite in the East China Sea inner shelf sediments were examined to investigate the mechanisms of quick sequestration of dissolved sulfide and potential impacts of frequent algal blooms on the capacity of quick sulfide-buffering in eutrophic coastal areas of the large-sized continental shelf subject to massive terrestrial input. The results indicate that sulfate reduction has been competitively suppressed by dissimilatory Fe reduction due to limited availability of labile organic matter. Dissolved sulfide can be quickly buffered by reaction with LFe and, therefore, is difficult to accumulate to a high level. The quick sulfide-buffering capacity has not become exhausted partly because of the formation of un-sulfidized LFe(II) via dissimilatory reduction of less reactive Fe oxides. It is expected that dissolved sulfide will not pose detrimental effects on the benthic ecosystem in the near future if the current biogeochemical/ecological state remains.     

Spatial evaluation of phosphorus retention in riparian zones using remote sensing data

Riparian zones act as important buffer zones for non-point source pollution, thus improving the health of aquatic ecosystems. Previous research has shown that riparian zones play an important role, and that land use has an important effect, on phosphorus (P) retention. A spatial basin-scale approach for analyzing P retention and land use effects could be important in preventing pollution in riparian zones. In this study, a riparian phosphorus cycle model based on EcoHAT was generated with algorithms from soil moisture and heat models, simplified soil and plant phosphorus models, plant growth models, and universal soil loss equations. Based on remote sensing data, model performance was enhanced for spatial and temporal prediction of P retention in the riparian zone. A modified soil and plant P model was used to simulate the soil P cycle of a riparian zone in a temperate continental monsoon climate in northern China. A laboratory experiment and a field experiment were conducted to validate the P cycle model. High coefficients of determination (R ²) between simulated and observed values indicate that the model provides reliable results. P uptake variations were the same as the net primary productivity (NPP) trends, which were affected by soil temperature and moisture in the temperate continental monsoon climate. Beginning in June, the monthly content increased, with the maximum appearing in August, when the most precipitation and the highest temperatures occur. The spatial distribution of P uptake rates from March to September showed that areas near water frequently had relatively high values from May to August, which is contrary to results obtained in March, April, and September. The P uptake amounts for different land uses changed according to expectation. The average monthly P uptake rates for farmlands and grasslands were more than those for orchards and lowlands, which had moderate P uptake rates, followed by shrubs and forests. The spatial distribution of soil erosion demonstrated that the soil erosion came primarily from high-intensity agricultural land in the western and central areas, while the northern and eastern study regions, which were less affected by human activity, experienced relatively slight soil erosion. From the point of view of P pollution prevention, the spatial structure of riparian zones and the spatial distribution of land use around the Guanting reservoir are thus not favorable.     

3D alluvial aquifer reconstruction in polluted areas by means of GPR (Sabiñánigo,N Spain)

Assumptions of simple geometries for alluvial deposits (related to main rivers) can preclude determination of complexities that are revealed as fundamental controls in underground flow. Although subhorizontal contacts between alluvial and substratum materials are expected, previous sedimentary or erosional processes can result in irregular geometries, only accessible through detailed analysis. The studied case presents the 3D reconstruction of a Quaternary terrace in the proximities of Sabiñánigo (Southern Pyrenees, Northeastern Spain), lying on homogeneous Eocene marls. The studied area is located in an industrialized area supporting strongly pollutant chemical industry (chlorinated pesticides) for the past 50 years. The objective of the study was to constrain the groundwater pathway along the area to subsequently analyze leakage of chemicals to the water table. In order to reveal preferred flow paths, a detailed characterization of the internal structure of the alluvial deposits (0.5–13 m thick) and their relations with the Tertiary substratum was carried out by means of ground penetrating radar (GPR, 50 and 100 MHz antennas). The obtained models permit identifying several topographic highs in the alluvial/substratum contact, determining preferred pathways in water flow, favoring particular conditions associated with low levels of the water table. The presented results support the interest of application of GPR surveys in order to characterize the groundwater pathways in expected homogeneous areas and their importance in order to establish the contaminant surveillance network.     

Archean to Recent aeolian sand systems and their sedimentary record: Current understanding and future prospects

The sedimentary record of aeolian sand systems extends from the Archean to the Quaternary, yet current understanding of aeolian sedimentary processes and product remains limited. Most preserved aeolian successions represent inland sand‐sea or dunefield (erg) deposits, whereas coastal systems are primarily known from the Cenozoic. The complexity of aeolian sedimentary processes and facies variability are under‐represented and excessively simplified in current facies models, which are not sufficiently refined to reliably account for the complexity inherent in bedform morphology and migratory behaviour, and therefore cannot be used to consistently account for and predict the nature of the preserved sedimentary record in terms of formative processes. Archean and Neoproterozoic aeolian successions remain poorly constrained. Palaeozoic ergs developed and accumulated in relation to the palaeogeographical location of land masses and desert belts. During the Triassic, widespread desert conditions prevailed across much of Europe. During the Jurassic, extensive ergs developed in North America and gave rise to anomalously thick aeolian successions. Cretaceous aeolian successions are widespread in South America, Africa, Asia, and locally in Europe (Spain) and the USA. Several Eocene to Pliocene successions represent the direct precursors to the present‐day systems. Quaternary systems include major sand seas (ergs) in low‐lattitude and mid‐latitude arid regions, Pleistocene carbonate and Holocene–Modern siliciclastic coastal systems. The sedimentary record of most modern aeolian systems remains largely unknown. The majority of palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of aeolian systems envisage transverse dunes, whereas successions representing linear and star dunes remain under‐recognized. Research questions that remain to be answered include: (i) what factors control the preservation potential of different types of aeolian bedforms and what are the characteristics of the deposits of different bedform types that can be used for effective reconstruction of original bedform morphology; (ii) what specific set of controlling conditions allow for sustained bedform climb versus episodic sequence accumulation and preservation; (iii) can sophisticated four‐dimensional models be developed for complex patterns of spatial and temporal transition between different mechanisms of accumulation and preservation; and (iv) is it reasonable to assume that the deposits of preserved aeolian successions necessarily represent an unbiased record of the conditions that prevailed during episodes of Earth history when large‐scale aeolian systems were active, or has the evidence to support the existence of other major desert basins been lost for many periods throughout Earth history?