Absolute seafloor vertical positioning using combined pressure gauge and kinematic GPS data

Knowledge of the position and motion of points on the seafloor can be critically important in both fundamental research (for example, global geodesy and plate tectonics) and for more practical applications such as seismic risk evaluation, off-shore construction and pipeline monitoring. In the Vanuatu subduction zone, for example, measuring deformation underwater could provide valuable information for modeling deformation and understanding the seismic cycle. We report a shallow water experiment in Vanuatu to measure the relative and absolute depth of seafloor points. The experiment differs from previous efforts mainly in that it uses the height of the sea surface determined by kinematic GPS, allowing us to locate the points in a global reference frame. The ITRF2005 ellipsoidal height of a seafloor benchmark was determined with a 1-sigma uncertainty of 0.7–2.1 cm. The estimated ellipsoidal height differs only by a few tenths of a centimeter between measurements made in 2004 and another set made in 2006. These results are encouraging and open new perspectives for vertical underwater deformation monitoring in shallow water areas. Sea-surface GPS measurements can also help to reduce the uncertainty in depth difference determination for relative measurements.     

Climate change triggered sedimentation and progressive tectonic uplift in a coupled piedmont–axial system: Cuyama Valley,California, USA

Channels on the north‐facing piedmont of the Sierra Madre range in Cuyama Valley, California have alternated between three process regimes during the late Quaternary: (1) vertical incision into piedmont alluvium and older sedimentary deposits; (2) lateral erosion; and (3) sediment accumulation. The state of the piedmont system at a given time has been controlled by upstream sediment flux, regional tectonic uplift and incision of the axial Cuyama River. To better understand the timing and to attempt to interpret causes of past geomorphological processes on the Sierra Madre piedmont, we mapped the surficial geology and dated alluvial deposits using radiocarbon, cosmogenic and optical dating methods. Four primary episodes of sedimentation have occurred since ca. 100 ka, culminating in the most recent period of extensive piedmont sedimentation between 30 and 20 ka. Fill terraces in Cuyama Valley formed by piedmont sediment accumulation followed by vertical incision and lateral erosion are fairly planar and often mantle strath bedrock surfaces. Their vertical spatial arrangement is a record of progressive regional tectonic uplift and concomitant axial Cuyama River channel incision migrating up tributary piedmont channels. Subparallel longitudinal terrace profiles which have a linear age–elevation relationship indicate that multiple episodes of climatically controlled sedimentation overprints ～1 m kyr^?1 of regional uplift affecting the Cuyama River and its tributaries. Sedimentation was probably a result of increased precipitation that caused saturation landsliding in steep catchments. It is possible that increased precipitation during the Last Glacial Maximum was caused by both continental‐scale circulation pattern reorganization and increased Pacific storm frequency and intensity caused by ‘early warming’ of nearby Pacific Ocean surface waters. Older episodes of piedmont sedimentation are difficult to correlate with specific climate regimes, but may correlate with previous periods of increased precipitation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improving resolution and accuracy of mean sea surface from kinematic GPS,Vanuatu subduction zone

Satellite altimetry provides an ocean mean sea surface (MSS) map with global coverage and overall excellent precision. However, in some areas, like the Vanuatu archipelago, the coverage and resolution of this tool are not sufficient to correctly map the short scale undulations of the sea surface, due to numerous islands and to strong lithospheric and mantle heterogeneities. New applications such as seafloor geodesy may require local mean surface representation with improved resolution in specific areas. We used sea surface height collected with kinematic GPS during three different cruises in 2004, 2006 and 2007 to reconstruct a homogeneous sea surface map around Santo Island, Vanuatu. We assess the accuracy of this GPS-derived local sea surface to 6–19 cm and evaluate the quality of existing altimetry and gravity-derived MSSs on the Vanuatu archipelago. Observed short scale undulations are interpreted as due to local geodynamics.     

Seasonal variability of denitrification efficiency in northern salt marshes: an example from the St. Lawrence Estuary

In coastal ecosystems, denitrification is a key process in removing excess dissolved nitrogen oxides and participating in the control of eutrophication process. Little is known about the role of salt marshes on nitrogen budgets in cold weather coastal areas. Although coastal salt marshes are important sites for organic matter degradation and nutrient regeneration, bacterial-mediated nitrogen cycling processes, such as denitrification, remain unknown in northern and sub-arctic regions, especially under winter conditions. Using labelled nitrogen (15N), denitrification rates were measured in an eastern Canadian salt marsh in August, October and December 2005. Freshly sampled undisturbed sediment cores were incubated over 8h and maintained at their sampling temperatures to evaluate the influence of low temperatures on the denitrification rate. From 2 to 12 degrees C, average denitrification rate and dissolved oxygen consumption increased from 9.6 to 25.5 micromol N2 m-2 h-1 and from 1.3 to 1.8 mmol O2 m-2 h-1, respectively, with no statistical dependence of temperature (p>0.05). Nitrification has been identified as the major nitrate source for denitrification, supplying more than 80% of the nitrate demand. Because no more than 31% of the nitrate removed by sediment is estimated to be denitrified, the presence of a major nitrate sink in sediment is suspected. Among possible nitrate consumption mechanisms, dissimilatory reduction of nitrate to ammonium, metal and organic matter oxidation processes are discussed. Providing the first measurements of denitrification rate in a St. Lawrence Estuary salt marsh, this study evidences the necessity of preserving and restoring marshes. They constitute an efficient geochemical filter against an excess of nitrate dispersion to coastal waters even under cold northern conditions.     

Correlation and dating of Quaternary alluvial-fan surfaces using scarp diffusion

Great interest has recently been focused on dating and interpreting alluvial-fan surfaces. As a complement to the radiometric methods often used for surface-exposure dating, this paper illustrates a rapid method for correlating and dating fan surfaces using the cross-sectional shape of gullies incised into fan surfaces. The method applies a linear hillslope-diffusion model to invert for the diffusivity age, κt (m²), using an elevation profile or gradient (slope) profile. Gullies near the distal end of fan surfaces are assumed to form quickly following fan entrenchment. Scarps adjacent to these gullies provide a measure of age. The method is illustrated on fan surfaces with ages of approximately 10 ka to 1.2 Ma in the arid southwestern United States. Two areas of focus are Death Valley, California, and the Ajo Mountains piedmont, Arizona. Gully-profile morphology is measured in two ways: by photometrically derived gradient (slope) profiles and by ground-surveyed elevation profiles. The κt values determined using ground-surveyed profiles are more consistent than those determined using photo-derived κt values. However, the mean κt values of both methods are comparable. The photometric method provides an efficient way to quantitatively and objectively correlate and relatively-date alluvial-fan surfaces. The κt values for each surface are determined to approximately 30–50% accuracy.     

Controls on valley spacing in landscapes subject to rapid base‐level fall

What controls the architecture of drainage networks is a fundamental question in geomorphology. Recent work has elucidated the mechanisms of drainage network development in steadily uplifting landscapes, but the controls on drainage‐network morphology in transient landscapes are relatively unknown. In this paper we exploit natural experiments in drainage network development in incised Plio‐Quaternary alluvial fan surfaces in order to understand and quantify drainage network development in highly transient landscapes, i.e. initially unincised low‐relief surfaces that experience a pulse of rapid base‐level drop followed by relative base‐level stasis. Parallel drainage networks formed on incised alluvial‐fan surfaces tend to have a drainage spacing that is approximately proportional to the magnitude of the base‐level drop. Numerical experiments suggest that this observed relationship between the magnitude of base‐level drop and mean drainage spacing is the result of feedbacks among the depth of valley incision, mass wasting and nonlinear increases in the rate of colluvial sediment transport with slope gradient on steep valley side slopes that lead to increasingly wide valleys in cases of larger base‐level drop. We identify a threshold magnitude of base‐level drop above which side slopes lengthen sufficiently to promote increases in contributing area and fluvial incision rates that lead to branching and encourage drainage networks to transition from systems of first‐order valleys to systems of higher‐order, branching valleys. The headward growth of these branching tributaries prevents the development of adjacent, ephemeral drainages and promotes a higher mean valley spacing relative to cases in which tributaries do not form. Model results offer additional insights into the response of initially unincised landscapes to rapid base‐level drop and provide a preliminary basis for understanding how varying amounts of base‐level change influence valley network morphology. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Water organisation at the solid–aqueous solution interfaceOrganisation de l'eau à l'interface solide–solution aqueuse

The aim of this review is to examine the present knowledge about water structure close to an interface or confined in porous spaces. First, the structure of liquid water is briefly described. Though its understanding remains incomplete, it appears that it is largely dominated by the hydrogen bond network and its dynamical evolution. The presence of any ‘foreign’ substance in water perturbs such a structure by changing at least locally the hydrogen bond network. For this reason, the presence of a solid interface significantly modifies the structure of the first adsorbed layers. Whatever the support, it is now clearly evidenced that structural perturbations are limited to distances lower than 10–15 Å from the interface. The nature, energetic heterogeneity and hydrophilicility/hydrophobicity of the solid surface influence the arrangement of water molecules. This surface organisation must definitely be considered when studying adsorption phenomena at the solid–aqueous solution interface. The relevance of such problems to geosciences is illustrated by a few situations in which water structure plays a prominent role. To cite this article: L.J. Michot et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 611–631.     

Which way do you lean? Using slope aspect variations to understand Critical Zone processes and feedbacks

Soil‐mantled pole‐facing hillslopes on Earth tend to be steeper, wetter, and have more vegetation cover compared with adjacent equator‐facing hillslopes. These and other slope aspect controls are often the consequence of feedbacks among hydrologic, ecologic, pedogenic, and geomorphic processes triggered by spatial variations in mean annual insolation. In this paper we review the state of knowledge on slope aspect controls of Critical Zone (CZ) processes using the latitudinal and elevational dependence of topographic asymmetry as a motivating observation. At relatively low latitudes and elevations, pole‐facing hillslopes tend to be steeper. At higher latitudes and elevations this pattern reverses. We reproduce this pattern using an empirical model based on parsimonious functions of latitude, an aridity index, mean‐annual temperature, and slope gradient. Using this empirical model and the literature as guides, we present a conceptual model for the slope‐aspect‐driven CZ feedbacks that generate asymmetry in water‐limited and temperature‐limited end‐member cases. In this conceptual model the dominant factor driving slope aspect differences at relatively low latitudes and elevations is the difference in mean‐annual soil moisture. The dominant factor at higher latitudes and elevations is temperature limitation on vegetation growth. In water‐limited cases, we propose that higher mean‐annual soil moisture on pole‐facing hillslopes drives higher soil production rates, higher water storage potential, more vegetation cover, faster dust deposition, and lower erosional efficiency in a positive feedback. At higher latitudes and elevations, pole‐facing hillslopes tend to have less vegetation cover, greater erosional efficiency, and gentler slopes, thus reversing the pattern of asymmetry found at lower latitudes and elevations. Our conceptual model emphasizes the linkages among short‐ and long‐timescale processes and across CZ sub‐disciplines; it also points to opportunities to further understand how CZ processes interact. We also demonstrate the importance of paleoclimatic conditions and non‐climatic factors in influencing slope aspect variations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Abrupt axial variations along the slow to ultra-slow spreading centers of the northern North Fiji Basin (SW Pacific): Evidence for short wave heterogeneities in a back-arc mantle

This study presents results of surveys conducted along the slow to ultra-slow spreading axis of the Northern North Fiji Basin (NNFB), including the Hazel Holmes, Tripartite and South Pandora Ridges, and the newly discovered Futuna and North Cikobia spreading centers. Spreading segments along these axes display highly contrasted axial morphologies, ranging from a rift valley to a prominent axial high. In some places, abrupt inversions of topography are observed between neighboring segments. Detailed analyses of bathymetry and backscatter maps reveal that axial highs are spotted with numerous coalescent volcanoes forming features ranging from irregular terrains to well-organized ridges. The volcanic edifices are distributed over a wide neovolcanic zone, which corresponds to the axial relief, suggesting on important contribution of volcanism to the relief construction. Comparisons between various ridge-shaped segments reveal that axial volcano-tectonic patterns are directly related to the local magma production and delivery, in a context of tectonic extension related to plate divergence, and suggest that coalescent volcanoes are fed from multiples short-lived and unconnected magma lenses. In the competition between horizontal and vertical accretion of oceanic crust, the spreading centers of the NNFB represent a special case where lava production is locally high enough and spreading rate is low enough to allow prominent axial highs to develop. The along axis morphologic variability is related to intermittent volcanic activity that may result from rapid temporal and spatial variations in the distribution of upper mantle convection cells below accretion centers, superimposed on the regional thermal anomaly located under the whole basin.