Remotely sensed observations of the turbidity maximum in the highly turbid Humber Estuary, UK

The Humber Estuary, UK, divides into the Ouse and Trent estuaries at the so-called Apex within its upper reaches. Remotely sensed Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) images and boat measurements were used to observe a strong turbidity maximum in the upper Humber and Ouse during a spring tide in November 1995. Surface suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations during the late ebb, as estimated from the CASI data, increased from approximately 6 to 13 g I⁻¹ moving up-estuary into the Ouse. Greater SPM concentrations (∼10 g I⁻¹) were evident in the deeper channels of the Ouse, compared with shallower areas, possibly due to faster ebb currents there and differential down-estuary advection of the turbidity maximum. Ribbons, or streaks, of lower SPM and slightly cooler waters were observed. It appears that slightly cooler and lower turbidity waters from the confluent Trent estuary remained fairly distinct for distances of approximately 2 km down-stream of its confluence with the upper Humber and Ouse. These waters eventually broke into ribbon-like or streak-like structures within the higher SPM-laden and slightly warmer waters of the Humber. They were discernible for more than 5 km down-estuary of the confluence of the Humber, Ouse, and Trent. Boat measurements showed that the turbidity maximum occurred over a fairly restricted region of the upper Humber, between about 20 to 50 km from the tidal limit at high water. The turbidity maximum’s sediment load was largely suspended in the water column during stronger currents. SPM rapidly settled close to the bed during high water and low water slack periods. At these times, SPM concentrations in a thin, near-bed layer were >60 g I⁻¹ in the turbidity maximum region of the Ouse and >30 g 1⁻¹ in the upper Humber (where channel volumes were much greater). SPM within the turbidity maximum comprised very fine-grained material and its low organic content demonstrated that the SPM was essentially mineral, clastic sediment derived originally from erosion and decay of crustal rocks.     

The structure of vertical current profiles in a macrotidal,partly-mixed estuary

A local, one-dimensional, depth-dependent model is used in conjunction with a one-dimensional, longitudinal, hydrodynamical model to examine the mechanisms affecting yertical profiles of longitudinal residual current in the macrotidal (tidal range typically exceeds 4 m during spring tides), partly-mixed Tamar Estuary. Residual currents are simulated at a deep (15m) station in the lower reaches, which possesses a small tidal amplitude to depth ratio and a nonzero salinity throughout the tidal cycle, as well as at a shallow station in the upper reaches, which varies in depth from 1 m at low water, when salinity is zero, to 5 m at high water. A slow, up-estuary current dominates the residual circulation just beneath the high-water level at the deeper station. Further down the water column a down-estuary residual current develops which is the near-surface component of a two-layer gravitational circulation. The up-estuary component of this gravitational circulation occurs deeper in the column and extends to the bed at the deep station, whereas at the shallow station it is eventually dominated by a down-estuary current in the bottom 1 m. Simulated residual currents are fairly insensitive to estuary-bed slope and to observed depth variations in longitudinal density gradient. Residual current profiles of the observed form can only be generated by a longitudinal density gradient. The reduction in vertical eddy viscosity by water column stability due to stratification is an essential requirement for producing a strong gravitational circulation of the observed magnitude. Stratification at the shallow station is much higher during the ebb than during the flood and this asymmetry enhances the gravitational circulation in the upper reaches. The formation of residual flows at both stations is illustrated by showing time-series data over a tidal cycle for the simulated current profiles.     

Dynamics of Turbidity in the Tweed Estuary

Results are presented of turbidity measurements made in the Tweed Estuary during 14–29 September 1993. The observations covered a spring-neap period of very strong and relatively weak tides, which included strong wave activity at the mouth of the estuary, the aftermath of a strong freshwater inflow event and a minor inflow event which coincided with neap tides. Turbidity levels between the mouth and the limit of saline intrusion during this period were observed to lie in the range 2–30 ppm. Temperature–salinity relationships, based on rapid sampling throughout the estuary, often indicated conservative mixing between riverine and coastal waters. Turbidity–salinity relationships throughout the estuary were approximately linear for most of the lower salinity range (<30) although the relationships varied throughout a tidal cycle. At the highest salinities, in the lower 2·5 km of estuary, significantly enhanced turbidities occurred during strong, onshore swell-wave conditions. Near-mouth turbidities were very low (<5 ppm) at high-water (HW) when the swell-wave height was small (<0·3 m). There was no correlation between near-mouth turbidity at HW and tidal range, whereas the correlation between near-mouth turbidity and swell-wave height explained over 90% of the variance in near-mouth turbidity. The temporal trends in freshwater turbidity and freshwater inflow during the fieldwork period were fairly similar. A statistically significant relationship existed between these variables when freshwater turbidity was correlated against inflow 30 h earlier. A ‘ model ’ of turbidity, based on 5 days of inflows and used to hindcast turbidity from 14 days of inflows between 16–29 September, explained over 80% of the variance in freshwater turbidity. Therefore, inflow exerted a significant control on the fluvial turbidity. It appears that very fine-grained particles were responsible for the observed turbidity in the central and upper reaches of the Tweed. During the flood, in the presence of strong wave activity in the coastal zone, larger sediment was rapidly winnowed in the lower reaches, close to the mouth, whereas fine silt particles remained in suspension and reached the limit of saline intrusion.     

Effect of biogeochemical diagenesis on sediment fabric in shallow marine carbonate sediments near the Dry Tortugas, Florida

 Shallow marine carbonate sediments near the Dry Tortugas undergo extensive biogeochemical diagenesis upon deposition, resulting in postdepositional fabric comprised of micritic aggregates of clay-sized particles, a matrix of peloidal mud, and intraparticular cementation. Freshly deposited primary skeletons, mostly Halimeda fragments, yield micritic aggregates of clay-sized particles, which then form peloidal mud fabric upon compaction. The cryptocrystalline particles produced by micritization are later replaced by high magnesian calcite. Cementation is observed in the intra-particular microenvironment. However, no inter-particular, grain-binding cement was detected throughout the gravity core samples investigated.     

The orbit, mass, size, albedo, and density of (65489) Ceto/Phorcys: A tidally-evolved binary Centaur

Hubble Space Telescope observations of Uranus- and Neptune-crossing object (65489) Ceto/Phorcys (provisionally designated 2003 FX₁₂₈) reveal it to be a close binary system. The mutual orbit has a period of 9.554±0.011 days and a semimajor axis of 1840±48 km. These values enable computation of a system mass of (5.41±0.42)×¹⁰¹⁸ kg. Spitzer Space Telescope observations of thermal emission at 24 and 70 μm are combined with visible photometry to constrain the system's effective radius and geometric albedo . We estimate the average bulk density to be , consistent with ice plus rocky and/or carbonaceous materials. This density contrasts with lower densities recently measured with the same technique for three other comparably-sized outer Solar System binaries (617) Patroclus, (26308) 1998 SM₁₆₅, and (47171) 1999 TC₃₆, and is closer to the density of the saturnian irregular satellite Phoebe. The mutual orbit of Ceto and Phorcys is nearly circular, with an eccentricity ?0.015. This observation is consistent with calculations suggesting that the system should tidally evolve on a timescale shorter than the age of the Solar System.     

A method of monitoring mudflow movements

A method for continuously measuring surface movements of mudflows is described, based on work in northeast Ireland. Some results are presented which show that the mudflows move erratically, combining periods of quiescence with accelerating and decelerating patterns. Rapid surges of movement also occur and may be related to the onset of heavy rainfall.     

Architectural element analysis within the Kayenta Formation (Lower Jurassic) using ground-probing radar and sedimentological profiling, southwestern Colorado

A well exposed outcrop in the Kayenta Formation (Lower Jurassic) in southwestern Colorado was examined in order to delineate the stratigraphy in the subsurface and test the usefulness of ground-probing radar (GPR) in three-dimensional architectural studies.

Two fluvial styles are present within the Kayenta Formation. Sandbodies within the lower third of the outcrop are characterized by parallel laminations that can be followed in the cliff-face for well over 300 m. These sandbodies are sheet-like in appearance, and represent high-energy flood deposits that most likely resulted from episodic floods. The remainder of the outcrop is characterized by concave-up channel deposits with bank-attached and mid-channel macroforms. Their presence suggests a multiple channel river system.

The GPR data collected on the cliff-top, together with sedimentological data, provided a partial three-dimensional picture of the paleo-river system within the Kayenta Formation. The 3-D picture consists of stacked channel-bar lenses approximately 50 m in diameter.

The GPR technique offers a very effective means of delineating the subsurface stratigraphy. Its high resolution capabilities, easy mobility, and rapid rate of data collection make it a useful tool. Its shallow penetration depth and limitation to low-conductivity environments are its only drawbacks.     

The orbit, mass, and albedo of transneptunian binary (66652) 1999 RZ253

We have observed (66652) 1999 RZ₂₅₃ with the Hubble Space Telescope at seven separate epochs and have fit an orbit to the observed relative positions of this binary. Two orbital solutions have been identified that differ primarily in the inclination of the orbit plane. The best fit corresponds to an orbital period, days, semimajor axis a=4660±170 km and orbital eccentricity e=0.460±0.013 corresponding to a system mass m=3.7±0.4×¹⁰¹⁸ kg. For a density of the albedo at 477 nm is p₄₇₇=0.12±0.01, significantly higher than has been commonly assumed for objects in the Kuiper belt. Multicolor, multiepoch photometry shows this pair to have colors typical for the Kuiper belt with a spectral gradient of 0.35 per 100 nm in the range between 475 and 775 nm. Photometric variations at the four epochs we observed were as large as 12±3% but the sampling is insufficient to confirm the existence of a lightcurve.