Observing Global Surface Water Flood Dynamics

Flood waves moving along river systems are both a key determinant of globally important biogeochemical and ecological processes and, at particular times and particular places, a major environmental hazard. In developed countries, sophisticated observing networks and ancillary data, such as channel bathymetry and floodplain terrain, exist with which to understand and model floods. However, at global scales, satellite data currently provide the only means of undertaking such studies. At present, there is no satellite mission dedicated to observing surface water dynamics and, therefore, surface water scientists make use of a range of sensors developed for other purposes that are distinctly sub-optimal for the task in hand. Nevertheless, by careful combination of the data available from topographic mapping, oceanographic, cryospheric and geodetic satellites, progress in understanding some of the world’s major river, floodplain and wetland systems can be made. This paper reviews the surface water data sets available to hydrologists on a global scale and the recent progress made in the field. Further, the paper looks forward to the proposed NASA/CNES Surface Water Ocean Topography satellite mission that may for the first time provide an instrument that meets the needs of the hydrology community.     

WOODY VEGETATION AND DEBRIS FOR IN-CHANNEL SEDIMENT CONTROL

lINTRODUCTlONChanne1erosionandsedimentationareoftenproblemsinagriculturalwatersheds.Forexample,annualsuspendedsedimentyieldfrom8mixedcoverwatershedswithloessialsoilsinnorthwesternMississippi,U.S.A.ranginginsizetYom2lto622km2wasbetween7O4and1673tonnes(Shieldsetal.l995).ControlofchannelbankerosionintheU.S.hastraditionaIlybeenaddressedwithstructurescostingontheorderof$l5Om-1ofbankline.BecauseoftheecologicaIvalueandoftenlowercost(relativetononlivingstructure)ofvegetativetreatments,weargue…     

A search for the submillimetre counterparts to Lyman break galaxies

We have carried out targeted submillimetre observations as part of a programme to explore the connection between the rest-frame ultraviolet and far-infrared properties of star-forming galaxies at high redshift, which is currently poorly understood. On the one hand, the Lyman break technique is very effective at selecting     galaxies. On the other, 'blank-field' imaging in the submillimetre seems to turn up sources routinely, amongst which some are star-forming galaxies at similar redshifts. Already much work has been done searching for optical identifications of objects detected using the SCUBA instrument. Here we have taken the opposite approach, performing submillimetre photometry for a sample of Lyman break galaxies, the ultraviolet properties of which imply high star formation rates. The total signal from our Lyman break sample is undetected in the submillimetre, at an rms level of ∼0.5 mJy, which implies that the population of Lyman break galaxies does not constitute a large part of the recently detected blank-field submillimetre sources. However, our one detection suggests that with reasonable SCUBA integrations we might expect to detect those few Lyman break galaxies that are far-infrared brightest.     

Monitoring Growth in Rapidly Urbanizing Areas Using Remotely Sensed Data

Urbanization and the ability to manage for a sustainable future present numerous challenges for geographers and planners in metropolitan regions. Remotely sensed data are inherently suited to provide information on urban land cover characteristics, and their change over time, at various spatial and temporal scales. Data models for establishing the range of urban land cover types and their biophysical composition (vegetation, soil, and impervious surfaces) are integrated to provide a hierarchical approach to classifying land cover within urban environments. These data also provide an essential component for current simulation models of urban growth patterns, as both calibration and validation data. The first stages of the approach have been applied to examine urban growth between 1988 and 1995 for a rapidly developing area in southeast Queensland, Australia. Landsat Thematic Mapper image data provided accurate (83% adjusted overall accuracy) classification of broad land cover types and their change over time. The combination of commonly available remotely sensed data, image processing methods, and emerging urban growth models highlights an important application for current and next generation moderate spatial resolution image data in studies of urban environments.     

Paleoecology and its application to fire and vegetation management in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia

High-resolution analysis of macroscopic charcoal and pollen ratios were used to reconstruct a 10,000 yr history of fire and vegetation change around Dog Lake, now in the Montane Spruce biogeoclimatic zone of southeastern British Columbia. Lake sediment charcoal records suggest that fire was more frequent in the early Holocene from 10,000 to 8200 calendar yrs BP, when climate was warmer and drier than today and forest fuels were limited. Fire frequency increased and reached its maximum during the early to mid-Holocene from 8200 to 4000 calendar yrs BP, corresponding to the dry and warm Hypsithermal period in the Rocky Mountains. During the Hypsithermal period forests around Dog Lake were dominated by Pseudotsuga/Larix,Pinus and open meadows of Poaceae that were subject to frequent fire. From 4000 calendar yrs BP to present, fires became less frequent with the onset of cooler and wetter Neoglacial climate and an increase in wet-closed Picea and Abies forests in the valley. Changes in fire frequency are supported by dry-open/wet-closed pollen ratio data indicating that forest type and disturbance regimes vary with changing climate. The fire frequency and forest cover reconstructions from Dog Lake are a first attempt at defining a range of natural variability for Montane Spruce forests in southeastern British Columbia. Fire and vegetation management in Kootenay National Park can now use this century to millennial-scale range of variability to define the context of current forest conditions and potential changes under global warming scenarios.     

The international at-sea intercomparison of fCO2 systems during the R/V Meteor Cruise 36/1 in the North Atlantic Ocean

The ‘International Intercomparison Exercise of fCO₂ Systems’ was carried out in 1996 during the R/V Meteor Cruise 36/1 from Bermuda/UK to Gran Canaria/Spain. Nine groups from six countries (Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, USA) participated in this exercise, bringing together 15 participants with seven underway fugacity of carbon dioxide (fCO₂) systems, one discrete fCO₂ system, and two underway pH systems, as well as systems for discrete measurement of total alkalinity and total dissolved inorganic carbon. Here, we compare surface seawater fCO₂ measured synchronously by all participating instruments. A common infrastructure (seawater and calibration gas supply), different quality checks (performance of calibration procedures for CO₂, temperature measurements) and a common procedure for calculation of final fCO₂ were provided to reduce the largest possible amount of controllable sources of error. The results show that under such conditions underway measurements of the fCO₂ in surface seawater and overlying air can be made to a high degree of agreement (±1 μatm) with a variety of possible equilibrator and system designs. Also, discrete fCO₂ measurements can be made in good agreement (±3 μatm) with underway fCO₂ data sets. However, even well-designed systems, which are operated without any obvious sign of malfunction, can show significant differences of the order of 10 μatm. Based on our results, no “best choice” for the type of the equilibrator nor specifics on its dimensions and flow rates of seawater and air can be made in regard to the achievable accuracy of the fCO₂ system. Measurements of equilibrator temperature do not seem to be made with the required accuracy resulting in significant errors in fCO₂ results. Calculation of fCO₂ from high-quality total dissolved inorganic carbon (C_T) and total alkalinity (A_T) measurements does not yield results comparable in accuracy and precision to fCO₂ measurements.     

Random variation of fabric eigenvalues: implications for the use of a‐axis fabric data to differentiate till facies†

Fabric ‘shape’, based on the relative values of three eigenvalues calculated from fabric data, has been used to differentiate sediment facies and infer deformation histories. The eigenvalues are based on samples drawn from parent populations, and as such are subject to statistical variance due to sampling effects. In this paper, the degree of statistical variance in fabric data for two types of subglacial till from Breidamerkurjøkull, Iceland, is investigated using ‘bootstrapping’ techniques, in which empirical ‘confidence regions’ are built up by repeated resampling of the original data. The experiments show that, for each till type, the observed between‐sample variability in the fabrics lies within the boundaries associated with random variations, indicating that the observed range of fabric shapes within each till type is likely to be entirely the product of sampling effects. Differences in fabric shape between till types are generally greater than that associated with random variations, indicating that their fabric shape characteristics, as measured by eigenvalues, are significantly different. Nevertheless, the results suggest that great care should be exercised when using a‐axis fabric data to differentiate sedimentary facies, or to infer subtle differences in physical processes or conditions. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & ­Sons, Ltd.