Co‐evolution of riparian vegetation and channel dynamics in an aggrading braided river system,Mount Pinatubo,Philippines

Increased bank stability by riparian vegetation can have profound impacts on channel morphology and dynamics in low‐energy systems, but the effects are less clear in high‐energy environments. Here we investigate the role of vegetation in active, aggrading braided systems at Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, and compare results with numerical modeling results. Gradual reductions in post‐eruption sediment loads have reduced bed reworking rates, allowing vegetation to finally persist year‐round on the Pasig‐Potrero and Sacobia Rivers. From 2009–2011 we collected data detailing vegetation extent, type, density, and root strength. Incorporating these data into the RipRoot model and BSTEM (Bank Stability and Toe Erosion Model) shows cohesion due to roots increases from zero in unvegetated conditions to > 10·2 kPa in densely‐growing grasses. Field‐based parameters were incorporated into a cellular model comparing vegetation strength and sediment mobility effects on braided channel dynamics. The model shows both low sediment mobility and high vegetation strength lead to less active systems, reflecting trends observed in the field. The competing influence of vegetation strength versus channel dynamics is a concept encapsulated in a dimensionless ratio between timescales for vegetation growth and channel reworking known as T*. An estimated T* between 1·5 and 2·3 for the Pasig‐Potrero River suggests channels are still very mobile and likely to remain braided until aggradation rates decline further. Vegetation does have an important effect on channel dynamics, however, by focusing flow and thus aggradation into the unvegetated fraction of braidplain, leading to an aggradational imbalance and transition to a more avulsive state. The future trajectory of channel–vegetation interactions as sedimentation rates decline is complicated by strong seasonal variability in precipitation and sediment loads, driving incision and armoring in the dry season. By 2011, incision during the dry season was substantial enough to lower the water‐table, weaken existing vegetation, and allow for vegetation removal in future avulsions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mercury methylation dynamics in estuarine and coastal marine environments — A critical review

Considerable recent research has focused on methylmercury (MeHg) cycling within estuarine and coastal marine environments. Because MeHg represents a potent neurotoxin that may magnify in marine foodwebs, it is important to understand the mechanisms and environmental variables that drive or constrain methylation dynamics in these environments. This critical review article explores the mechanisms hypothesized to influence aqueous phase and sediment solid phase MeHg concentrations and depth-specific inorganic Hg (II) (Hg_i) methylation rates (MMR) within estuarine and coastal marine environments, and discusses issues of terminology or methodology that complicate mechanism-oriented interpretation of field and laboratory data. Mechanisms discussed in this review article include: 1) the metabolic activity of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB), the microbial group thought to dominate mercury methylation in these environments; 2) the role that Hg_i concentration and/or speciation play in defining depth-specific Hg_i methylation rates; and 3) the depth-dependent balance between MeHg production and consumption within the sedimentary environment. As discussed in this critical review article, the hypothesis of SRB community control on the Hg_i methylation rate in estuarine and coastal marine environments is broadly supported by the literature. Although Hg_i speciation, as a function of porewater inorganic sulfide and/or dissolved organic matter concentration and/or pH, may also play a role in observed variations in MMR, the nature and function of the controlling ligand(s) has not yet been adequately defined. Furthermore, although it is generally recognized that the processes responsible for MeHg production and consumption overlap spatially and/or kinetically in the sedimentary environment, and likely dictate the extent to which MeHg accumulates in the aqueous and/or sediment solid phase, this conceptual interpretation requires refinement, and would benefit greatly from the application of kinetic modeling.     

Holocene river development and environmental change in Upper Wharfedale,Yorkshire Dales,England

This paper provides the first radiometrically dated evidence of Holocene alluvial landform development in Upper Wharfedale, Yorkshire Dales. Four river terraces are identified. Terraces 1 and 2 are closely linked to Late Devensian and early Holocene environmental change, with gravel reworked from local glacial and periglacial sources prior to cementation by carbonate‐rich waters. U‐series dating of cement provides age estimates for cementation of between ca. 5.1–7.4 kyr BP for Terrace 1 and ca. 3.6–>8.0 kyr BP for Terrace 2. U‐series dating of tufas overlying Terraces 1 and 2 produced ages of ca. 4.2–4.5 kyr BP and ca. 2.1–2.2 kyr BP respectively, and provide upper age limits for terrace formation. Terrace 3 marks a change in sediment calibre, supply and sedimentation style, and ¹⁴C dating suggests that the principal source of fine‐grained material may be agricultural expansion in the Yorkshire Dales from ca. ad 600 (1350 cal. yr BP). Radiocarbon dates indicate that Terrace 4 was deposited from the eleventh century, with initiation of the contemporary floodplain between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries ad. Both these lowest units contain sediments contaminated with heavy metals as a result of mining activities within the catchment. The evidence presented in this study is comparable to that of research undertaken in upland environments elsewhere in northern and western Britain, thereby adding to the corpus of information currently available for evaluating the fluvial geomorphological response to climate and vegetation change during the Holocene. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Environmental impacts of urban growth from an integrated dynamic perspective: A case study of Shenzhen, South China

China is home to one-fifth of the world's population and that population is increasingly urban. The landscape is also urbanizing. Although there are studies that focus on specific elements of urban growth, there is very little empirical work that incorporates feedbacks and linkages to assess the interactions between the dynamics of urban growth and their environmental impacts. In this study, we develop a system dynamics simulation model of the drivers and environmental impacts of urban growth, using Shenzhen, South China, as a case study. We identify three phases of urban growth and develop scenarios to evaluate the impact of urban growth on several environmental indicators: land use, air quality, and demand for water and energy. The results show that all developable land will be urban by 2020 and the increase in the number of vehicles will be a major source of air pollution. Demand for water and electricity will rise, and the city will become increasingly vulnerable to shortages of either. The scenarios also show that there will be improvements in local environmental quality as a result of increasing affluence and economic growth. However, the environmental impacts outside of Shenzhen may increase as demands for natural resources increase and Shenzhen pushes its manufacturing industries out of the municipality. The findings may also portend to changes other cities in China and elsewhere in the developing world may experience as they continue to industrialize.     

Climate impacts of recent multidecadal changes in Atlantic Ocean Sea Surface Temperature: a multimodel comparison

During the twentieth century sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean exhibited prominent multidecadal variations. The source of such variations has yet to be rigorously established—but the question of their impact on climate can be investigated. Here we report on a set of multimodel experiments to examine the impact of patterns of warming in the North Atlantic, and cooling in the South Atlantic, derived from observations, that is characteristic of the positive phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). The experiments were carried out with six atmospheric General Circulation Models (including two versions of one model), and a major goal was to assess the extent to which key climate impacts are consistent between the different models. The major climate impacts are found over North and South America, with the strongest impacts over land found over the United States and northern parts of South America. These responses appear to be driven by a combination of an off-equatorial Gill response to diabatic heating over the Caribbean due to increased rainfall within the region and a Northward shift in the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) due to the anomalous cross-equatorial SST gradient. The majority of the models show warmer US land temperatures and reduced Mean Sea Level Pressure during summer (JJA) in response to a warmer North Atlantic and a cooler South Atlantic, in line with observations. However the majority of models show no significant impact on US rainfall during summer. Over northern South America, all models show reduced rainfall in southern hemisphere winter (JJA), whilst in Summer (DJF) there is a generally an increase in rainfall. However, there is a large spread amongst the models in the magnitude of the rainfall anomalies over land. Away from the Americas, there are no consistent significant modelled responses. In particular there are no significant changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) over the North Atlantic and Europe in Winter (DJF). Additionally, the observed Sahel drying signal in African rainfall is not seen in the modelled responses. Suggesting that, in contrast to some studies, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation was not the primary driver of recent reductions in Sahel rainfall.     

Stratospheric temperature trends: impact of ozone variability and the QBO

In most climate simulations used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007 fourth assessment report, stratospheric processes are only poorly represented. For example, climatological or simple specifications of time-varying ozone concentrations are imposed and the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of equatorial stratospheric zonal wind is absent. Here we investigate the impact of an improved stratospheric representation using two sets of perturbed simulations with the Hadley Centre coupled ocean atmosphere model HadGEM1 with natural and anthropogenic forcings for the 1979–2003 period. In the first set of simulations, the usual zonal mean ozone climatology with superimposed trends is replaced with a time series of observed zonal mean ozone distributions that includes interannual variability associated with the solar cycle, QBO and volcanic eruptions. In addition to this, the second set of perturbed simulations includes a scheme in which the stratospheric zonal wind in the tropics is relaxed to appropriate zonal mean values obtained from the ERA-40 re-analysis, thus forcing a QBO. Both of these changes are applied strictly to the stratosphere only. The improved ozone field results in an improved simulation of the stepwise temperature transitions observed in the lower stratosphere in the aftermath of the two major recent volcanic eruptions. The contribution of the solar cycle signal in the ozone field to this improved representation of the stepwise cooling is discussed. The improved ozone field and also the QBO result in an improved simulation of observed trends, both globally and at tropical latitudes. The Eulerian upwelling in the lower stratosphere in the equatorial region is enhanced by the improved ozone field and is affected by the QBO relaxation, yet neither induces a significant change in the upwelling trend.     

Conservative behavior of arsenic and other oxyanion-forming trace elements in an oxic groundwater flow system

Groundwater samples were collected along a flow path in a shallow, fractured tuffaceous aquifer from the Oasis Valley–Beatty Wash region of southern Nevada, USA, and analyzed for a number of oxyanion-forming trace elements including arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo), and tungsten (W). In addition, ancillary geochemical parameters, including pH, major solute compositions, dissolved silica, dissolved oxygen, and iron and manganese concentrations were quantified in the groundwaters. Arsenic concentrations range from 70 nmol/kg up to 316 nmol/kg in groundwaters of the Oasis Valley–Beatty Wash flow system, and generally exhibit increasing concentrations with flow down-gradient along the flow path. Antimony, W, and to a lesser extent, Mo, exhibit similar increasing concentration trends with flow down-gradient in the aquifer, albeit, at lower concentrations levels (e.g., mean ± SD for Sb, W, and Mo are 2.3 ± 0.9 nmol/kg, 7.4 ± 3.7 nmol/kg, and 101 ± 19 nmol/kg, respectively). Selenium concentration, which range between 4 and 11 nmol/kg, generally decrease in groundwaters with flow down-gradients in the Oasis Valley–Beatty Wash groundwater flow systems. Inverse modeling of groundwater chemistry evolution from the lower reaches of the Oasis Valley flow path using PHREEQC indicate that the groundwater composition is consistent with mixing of nearly equal proportions of groundwater from upper reaches of Oasis Valley and Beatty Wash groundwater, along with dissolution of volcanic glass, potassium feldspar, and gypsum, followed by calcite precipitation, and formation of secondary zeolites (analcime), clay minerals (Ca-montmorillonite), and cristobalite. The geochemical modeling indicates that the concentrations of As and the other oxyanion-forming trace elements are controlled by dissolution of volcanic glass, water–rock interaction with mineralized zones within the aquifer (i.e., sulfide oxidation), desorption from aquifer surface sites, and mixing of Oasis Valley and Beatty Wash groundwaters.