Soil water content is a key variable for biogeochemical and atmospheric coupled processes. Its small‐scale heterogeneity impacts the partitioning of precipitation (e.g., deep percolation or transpiration) by triggering threshold processes and connecting flow paths. Forest hydrologists frequently hypothesized that throughfall and stemflow patterns induce soil water content heterogeneity, yet experimental validation is limited. Here, we pursued a pattern‐oriented approach to explore the relationship between net precipitation and soil water content. Both were measured in independent high‐resolution stratified random designs on a 1‐ha temperate mixed beech forest plot in Germany. We recorded throughfall (350 locations) and stemflow (65 trees) for 16 precipitation events in 2015. Soil water content was measured continuously in topsoil and subsoil (210 profiles). Soil wetting was only weakly related to net precipitation patterns. The precipitation‐induced pattern quickly dissipates and returns to a basic pattern, which is temporally stable. Instead, soil hydraulic properties (by the proxy of field capacity) were significantly correlated with this stable soil water content pattern, indicating that soil structure more than net precipitation drives soil water content heterogeneity. Also, both field capacity and soil water content were lower in the immediate vicinity of tree stems compared to further away at all times, including winter, despite stemflow occurrence. Thus, soil structure varies systematically according to vegetation in our site. We conclude that enhanced macroporosity increases gravity‐driven flow in stem proximal areas. Therefore, although soil water content patterns are little affected by net precipitation, the resulting soil water fluxes may strongly be affected. Specifically, this may further enhance the channelling of stemflow to greater depth and beyond the rooting zone. 相似文献
This paper describes a complex sequence of glacigenic sediments occupying a faultbounded depression at Aberdaron Bay, western Lleyn. The sequence offers an insight into sedimentary environments during deglaciation of the Irish Sea Basin. A lower stratified diamict association (LDA) containing contorted units of fine sand/silt and displaying strong, consistent clast fabrics, is overlain by an upper diamict association (UDA) with weaker fabrics and extensive sand and gravel layers and channel fills. Certain characteristics of the sequence can be explained by a glacimarine depositional model, but there are several problems. In particular, the geometry of the sediments is difficult to explain without recourse to the melting of buried ice. An alternative model that overcomes these problems involves the decay of a terrestrial glacier containing reworked marine sediments. Supraglacial sediment flows released during decay of thinner ice covering the surrounding hills (UDA) would have rapidly buried a thick stagnant ice mass in the Aberdaron depression, facilitating slow melting and release of basal meltout till (LDA). A model is presented that accounts for the stagnation and in situ decay of a debris-rich Irish Sea glacier, and which could explain many of the deposits and landforms surrounding the Irish Sea Basin without recourse to high relative sea-levels. 相似文献
Antuco (37.4°S, 71.4°W; Chile) is a dominantly basaltic stratovolcano whose original?~?3300 m altitude main cone experienced a catastrophic sector collapse at?~?7.1 cal ka BP, producing a volcanic debris avalanche deposit (VDAD) with hummocky surface and?~?6.4 km3 of volume. We carried out geological studies of its debris avalanche deposit, which was distributed to the W and displays a longitudinal facies transformation from edifice’s megablocks and block to mixed facies in distal areas (up to 25 km from the scar). Our observations support the behavior of the avalanche beginning as a translational slide, and then as plug flow when confined within the Laja River valley. Clay abundance and high content of hydrothermally altered material may suggest active participation of water; flow velocities are estimated to?~100 m s?1. We primarily identify the steep-sided flanks of the cone, and hydrothermal alteration promoted the edifice instability, while basement seismogenic structures may have ultimately triggered the landslide. Subsequent landslide-led events include the transformation of the volcanic activity with explosive eruptions producing a sequence of dilute pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) ending?~3.4 ky BP, and extensive lava effusion rapidly reconstructing the collapsed edifice. Moreover, the Antuco VDAD also blocked the natural output of the Laja Lake, increasing its level by?~200 m and then triggering cataclysmic outburst floods by dam rupture, preserved as high-energy alluvial beds with ages between 2.8 and 1.7 ky BP. The Antuco constitutes an excellent example of a critical chain of events initiated by a stratovolcano lateral collapse and warns for detailed hazard investigations to better comprehend its related impacts.
This paper examines community-based water supply management (CBWSM) in three rural districts of Northwest Cameroon as well as a review of the literature focusing on some successful community-based natural resource management initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa. Using empirical and secondary data collected through participatory research methods, it is argued that CBWSM has failed to achieve sustainable water supplies in Northwest Cameroon. Findings revealed that centralized control, the prevalence of poverty, passive involvement of public, private and grassroots community has continued to thwart water supplies within these districts. It is important to note that in any natural resource management system, power becomes a crucial factor as it determines who has and does not have access to common-pool resources. This paper argues that argues that strong traditional leadership, resolute devolution, and active participation of rural communities will facilitate and invigorate a platform for capturing the views of diverse user groups and this can bring about a people-centered and community-driven development process. Some aspects of best practice arising from successful case studies in Cameroon can contribute significantly to promoting the development of effective CBWSM in other rural communities with similar characteristics in and out of Cameroon. This will be possible only if rural groups are involved and engaged in the management of their resources while integrating some aspects of best practice.
We present the design of a novel way of handling astronomical catalogs in Astro-WISE in order to achieve the scalability required for the data produced by large scale surveys. A high level of automation and abstraction is achieved in order to facilitate interoperation with visualization software for interactive exploration. At the same time flexibility in processing is enhanced and data is shared implicitly between scientists. This is accomplished by using a data model that primarily stores how catalogs are derived; the contents of the catalogs are only created when necessary and stored only when beneficial for performance. Discovery of existing catalogs and creation of new catalogs is done through the same process by directly requesting the final set of sources (astronomical objects) and attributes (physical properties) that is required, for example from within visualization software. New catalogs are automatically created to provide attributes of sources for which no suitable existing catalogs can be found. These catalogs are defined to contain the new attributes on the largest set of sources the calculation of the attributes is applicable to, facilitating reuse for future data requests. Subsequently, only those parts of the catalogs that are required for the requested end product are actually processed, ensuring scalability. The presented mechanisms primarily determine which catalogs are created and what data has to be processed and stored: the actual processing and storage itself is left to existing functionality of the underlying information system. 相似文献