Metal pollution of estuarine sediments caused by leaching of acid sulphate soils

This study tracks changes in metal distribution in estuarine sediments as a result of leakage from acid sulphate (AS) soil landscapes in the Boreal Zone (Finland). The main objective was to identify the impact of these nasty soils on sediment geochemistry in a biologically sensitive and shallow brackish-water estuary. In order to do this four sediment cores were sampled in a profile extending seawards from the mouth of the Vörå River, which is one of the most heavily AS soil-impacted rivers in Finland and Europe. Two of the cores were rather deep (2.5 m and 4.0 m) and the others were shallow (0.4 m and 0.8 m). The results showed that an appreciable amount of aluminium (Al), cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) were elevated in the surface and sub-surface of the sampled bottom sediments compared to the deeper sediment background levels. These metals are all known to be abundantly leached from the AS soils. At the site approximately 4 km away from the river mouth, the concentrations of Cd, Co, Mn, Ni and Zn were elevated 5–100 times as compared to the background levels and showed an intriguing cyclic pattern, most likely reflecting seasonal leaching dynamics in the AS soil landscapes. In contrast, metals that are not abundantly leached from AS soils, i.e. chromium (Cr), iron (Fe) and vanadium (V) had consistently low concentrations throughout all sediment cores. The elevated metal concentrations in the top layers of the sediments in the estuary are alarming. The continuous land uplift of the region combined with the episodic rapid declines in pH may result in short and long term extensive release of metals. This, in turn, may have significant effects on the trace-metal contents in the Gulf of Bothnia and the entire Baltic Sea.     

A Coupled Groundwater–Surface Water Modeling Framework for Simulating Transition Zone Processes

There is an identified need for fully representing groundwater–surface water transition zone (i.e., the sediment zone that connects groundwater and surface water) processes in modeling fate and transport of contaminants to assist with management of contaminated sediments. Most existing groundwater and surface water fate and transport models are not dynamically linked and do not consider transition zone processes such as bioturbation and deposition and erosion of sediments. An interface module is developed herein to holistically simulate the fate and transport by coupling two commonly used models, Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) and SEAWAT, to simulate surface water and groundwater hydrodynamics, while providing an enhanced representation of the processes in the transition zone. Transition zone and surface water contaminant processes were represented through an enhanced version of the EFDC model, AQFATE. AQFATE also includes SEDZLJ, a state‐of‐the‐science surface water sediment transport model. The modeling framework was tested on a published test problem and applied to evaluate field‐scale two‐ and three‐dimensional contaminant transport. The model accurately simulated concentrations of salinity from a published test case. For the field‐scale applications, the model showed excellent mass balance closure for the transition zone and provided accurate simulations of all transition zone processes represented in the modeling framework. The model predictions for the two‐dimensional field case were consistent with site‐specific observations of contaminant migration. This modeling framework represents advancement in the simulation of transition zone processes and can help inform risk assessment at sites where contaminant sources from upland areas have the potential to impact sediments and surface water.     

The effect of changes in daily and interannual climatic variability on CERES-Wheat: A sensitivity study

We investigate the effect of changes in daily and interannual variability of temperature and precipitation on yields simulated by the CERES-Wheat model at two locations in the central Great Plains. Changes in variability were effected by adjusting parameters of the Richardson daily weather generator. Two types of changes in precipitation were created: one with both intensity and frequency changed; and another with change only in persistence. In both types mean total monthly precipitation is held constant. Changes in daily (and interannual) variability of temperature result in substantial changes in the mean and variability of simulated wheat yields. With a doubling of temperature variability, large reductions in mean yield and increases in variability of yield result primarily from crop failures due to winter kill at both locations. Reduced temperature variability has little effect. Changes in daily precipitation variability also resulted in substantial changes in mean and variability of yield. Interesting interactions of the precipitation variability changes with the contrasting base climates are found at the two locations. At one site where soil moisture is not limiting, mean yield decreased and variability of yield increased with increasing precipitation variability, whereas mean yields increased at the other location, where soil moisture is limiting. Yield changes were similar for the two different types of precipitation variability change investigated. Compared to an earlier study for the same locations wherein variability changes were effected by altering observed time series, and the focus was on interannual variability, the present results for yield changes are much more substantial. This study demonstrates the importance of taking into account change in daily (and interannual) variability of climate when analyzing the effect of climate change on crop yields.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Long-term hydrological,biogeochemical, and ecological data for the Kuparuk River,North Slope,Alaska

The Kuparuk River, located on Alaska's North Slope, is one of the most studied rivers in the Arctic. For nearly 40 seasons, physical, chemical, and biological parameters have been monitored continuously in a 5 km, 4th-order reach of the river during the short summer season when there is flow in this river. Flow decreases as the tundra begins to refreeze in the late autumn and these streams normally remain frozen until the spring freshet. The monitoring program has supported a 34-year phosphorus enrichment experiment conducted by the Arctic Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. Enrichment with phosphorus dramatically changed the structure and function of the primary producer community in the fertilized reach, with cascading effects in higher trophic levels. The datasets generated by this experiment have revealed significant increases in flow-weighted mean concentrations of nitrate and significant decreases in flow-weighted mean concentrations of dissolved organic N and P over time. In this paper, we present an overview of the nutrient concentration, discharge, macroinvertebrate, and Arctic grayling population datasets we have collected. The purposes of these datasets are to track changes resulting from the enrichment experiment, support ancillary research on responses of an Arctic stream to climate warming and permafrost thaw, and to provide input and validation data for models to predict future changes in Arctic streams.     

Impact of global change on the biogeochemistry and ecology of an Arctic freshwater system

Lakes and streams in the foothills near Tookik Lake, Alaska, at 68°N have been studied since 1975 to predict physical, chemical and biological impacts of future global change. Experimental manipulations include whole lake and continuous stream fertilization as well as removal and addition of predators (copepods, lake trout, grayling, sculpin). Based on our evidence the following scenario is likely. Warming thaws the upper layers of permafrost and streams and lakes become enriched with phosphorus. Streams respond quickly with higher production of diatoms but animal grazers keep biomass changes to a minimum. Fish productivity also increases. If phosphorus levels are too high, mosses become the dominant primary producer and sequester all of the nutrients. Growth of Arctic grayling under the present conditions only occurs in summers with higher than average stream flow. The present population would be stressed by warmer temperatures. When higher phosphorus levels reach lakes and cause slight europhication, the number of trophic levels will increase, especially within the microbial food web. Warmer lake temperatures increase stratification and, combined with eutrophication, could decrease oxygen in the hypolimnion. Oxygen levels will also decrease in winter under the ice cover. Eventually this habitat change will eliminate the lake trout, a top predator. Removal of lake trout results in a striking increase in abundance and productivity of smaller fish, including small lake trout, and the emergence of burbot as an alternate top predator. Large species of zooplankton will become virtually extinct.     

The Environment Act 1995 and quiet enjoyment: implications for countryside recreation in the national parks of England and Wales, UK

Summary National parks in England and Wales have traditionally been seen as places of quiet, less hurried recreation. The phrase 'quiet enjoyment' was adopted to represent this notion, and this paper traces the policy-making process involved in attempting to conserve this view. The debate during the enactment of the Environment Act 1995 brought the use and meaning of the phrase to prominence; amongst other issues, the use of the phrase in tenancy law precluded its use in legislation. The loss of the phrase 'quiet enjoyment' could have prolonged effects on the way in which national parks are used for recreational purposes.     

Perceived attributes of hurricane-related retrofits and their effect on household adoption

Natural Hazards - Understanding how homeowners make protective action decisions is important for designing policies and programs to encourage those actions and community resilience as a whole. This...     

Impact of recycling and lateral sediment input on grain size fining trends—Implications for reconstructing tectonic and climate forcings in ancient sedimentary systems

Grain size trends in basin stratigraphy are thought to preserve a rich record of the climatic and tectonic controls on landscape evolution. Stratigraphic models assume that over geological timescales, the downstream profile of sediment deposition is in dynamic equilibrium with the spatial distribution of tectonic subsidence in the basin, sea level and the flux and calibre of sediment supplied from mountain catchments. Here, we demonstrate that this approach in modelling stratigraphic responses to environmental change is missing a key ingredient: the dynamic geomorphology of the sediment routing system. For three large alluvial fans in the Iglesia basin, Argentine Andes we measured the grain size of modern river sediment from fan apex to toe and characterise the spatial distribution of differential subsidence for each fan by constructing a 3D model of basin stratigraphy from seismic data. We find, using a self‐similar grain size fining model, that the profile of grain size fining on all three fans cannot be reproduced given the subsidence profile measured and for any sediment supply scenario. However, by adapting the self‐similar model, we demonstrate that the grain size trends on each fan can be effectively reproduced when sediment is not only sourced from a single catchment at the apex of the system, but also laterally, from tributary catchments and through fan surface recycling. Without constraint on the dynamic geomorphology of these large alluvial systems, signals of tectonic and climate forcing in grain size data are masked and would be indecipherable in the geological record. This has significant implications for our ability to make sensitive, quantitative reconstructions of external boundary conditions from the sedimentary record.