Initial hydro‐geomorphic development and rill network evolution in an artificial catchment

The formation of erosion rills and gullies is a critical step in land surface development, but possibilities to study initial unaffected surface development under natural conditions and with well‐defined initial and boundary conditions are rare. The objective of this study was to characterize rill network development from ’point zero’ in the artificially‐created catchment ‘Hühnerwasser’. To ensure unaffected development, the study was largely restricted to the analysis of remotely‐sensed data. We analyzed a series of photogrammetry‐based digital elevation models (DEMs) for 10 points in time, over a period of five years and beginning with the initial state. The evolving erosion rill network was quantitatively described based on mapping from aerial photographs. DEMs and rill network maps were combined to specifically analyze the development of morphometry for different parts of the network and to characterize energy dissipation and connectivity. The restriction to remote‐sensing data did not allow for analyzing specific processes governing rill network development, nevertheless, two major development phases could be characterized. We observed a phase of growth of the rill network along with variations in drainage patterns during the first two years of development and a subsequent phase of reduction of its area along with comparably stable patterns. Region‐specific analysis of morphometry indicates that, besides effects of changing sediment characteristics and vegetation cover development, locally evolving hydro‐geomorphic feedback cycles influenced this development. Results show an increasing similarity of overall statistical characteristics (e.g. drainage density) for two parts of the catchment, but a persistent influence of initial conditions on specific rill geometry. The observed development towards higher orderliness and increased connectivity is consistent with experiments and concepts on drainage network evolution across scales; however, we did not observe major influences of rill piracy and cross grading or a reduction of energy dissipation with network development. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ray-based amplitude tomography for crosshole georadar data: a numerical assessment

Analyses of travel times and amplitudes of crosshole georadar data provide estimates of the electromagnetic velocity and attenuation of the probed media. Whereas inversions of travel times are well established and robust, ray-based inversions of amplitudes depend critically on the complex directive properties of the georadar antennae. We investigate the variations of radiation patterns in the presence of water-filled boreholes and/or changes of electrical material properties in the vicinity of the transmitters or receivers. To assess the implications of such complicating factors for ray-based georadar amplitude tomography, we generate crosshole georadar data for a suite of canonical models using a finite difference time domain (FDTD) solution of Maxwell's equations in cylindrical coordinates. The emitting dipole-type antenna is approximated by an infinitesimal vertical electric dipole, whereas a corresponding receiving antenna is emulated by recording the vertical component of the transmitted electric field. Inversions of the amplitudes of these synthetic data demonstrate that the presence of water-filled boreholes as well as changes in the material properties along the boreholes may cause substantial artifacts in the estimated attenuation structure. Furthermore, our results indicate that ray-based amplitude tomography of crosshole georadar data is unable to constrain absolute values of attenuation. Despite these inherent limitations, the method is surprisingly robust at detecting and constraining relative changes in attenuation. In particular, we find the method to be highly effective for locating conductivity contrasts that are not associated with corresponding changes in dielectric permittivity, and hence, cannot be located by travel time tomography alone.     

The Brittlestar Amphiodia urtica; A Candidate Bioindicator?

Abstract. The ophiuroid Amphiiodia urtica L yman is presently under study as a potential wastewater discharge indicator species from ocean outfalls in the Southern California Bight. On the San Pedro Shelf, the maximum abundance of A. urtica was found at depths from 30 to 100 m, and in sediment with a median grain size of 0.085 nim, 60–80% sand. 15–30% silt, 0–37% clay, and 0.2–0.5% TOC. The mean abundance of A. urtica fluctuated annually with a slight increase from 1977 through 1993.
The hypothesis was posed that the distribution and abundance of A. urtica is not influenced by an ocean outfall and its operation on the San Pedro Shelf. Based on long-term (1977–1994) and intensive (2860 samples) sampling. the hypothesis was rejected. However, the effect of the outfall is not clear because sediment bioassays from test stations and controls produced no significant differences in survivorship and growth of juveniles. Amphiodia presently occupies areas within the Zone of Initial Dilution (ZID) where it was not found during the mid-1970s and early 1980s. While recognizing that A. urtica abundance responds to proximity to the outfall, the mechanism for this response is still unclear. The application of a single species as a bioindicator is not recommended, and most certainly not without fully essing its role in community structure and function.     

Vertical migration and mortality of benthos in dredged material—part I: Mollusca

Benthic invertebrates have many characteristics which make them prime candidates for burial studies in dredged material. A major concern in dredging and disposal projects is the effect of burial on the survival of benthic invertebrates. The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to determine the ability of estuarine benthos—in particular three species of molluscs (Mercenaria mercenaria, Nucula proxima and Ilyanassa obsoleta)—to migrate vertically in natural and exotic sediments and to determine the survival of benthos when exposed to particular amounts of simulated dredged material.Mortalities generally increased with increased sediment depth, with increased burial time and with overlying sediments whose particle size distribution differed from that of the species native sediment. Temperature affected mortalities and vertical migration. It was concluded that vertical migration is a viable process which can significantly affect rehabilitation of a dredged disposal area. Under certain conditions, vertical migration should be considered, together with larval settling and immigration from outside impacted areas, as a mechanism of recruiting a dredgedump site.     

Pre-Imbrian craters and basins: ages,compositions and excavation depths of Apollo 16 breccias

Breccia fragments have been analyzed from the 2–4 mm sieve fraction of three Apollo 16 soils collected in the vicinity of North Ray Crater (63503,17 at Station 13; 67603,1 and 67703,14 at Station 11). Ar³⁹-Ar⁴⁰ ages, Ar³⁷-Ar³⁸ exposure ages, abundances of major and certain trace elements, and petrographie data relevant to thermal history have been obtained for up to 48 individual fragments.Among the samples. 30 gave Ar³⁹-Ar⁴⁰ release patterns that allowed the assignment of a high- or intermediate-temperature plateau age and the recognition of three age groups. Group I (10 fragments) are 4.12-4.21 AE, Group 2 (13 fragments) are 3.89-4.02 AE, and Group 3 (6 fragments) are <2.5 AE in age. Only one fragment (3.60 AE) falls outside this grouping and possibly represents Theophilus ejecta. The probability that the gap between 4.12 and 4.02 AE is a statistical fluctuation is only ～2%. The exposure ages cluster strongly around 50 × 10⁶y. the age of North Ray Crater.The oldest, Group 1 fragments are all anorthositic metamorphosed breccias of light-matrix type. The younger. Group 2 fragments are noritic anorthosite and anorthositic norite breccias with textures indicative of greater annealing (melted matrix), one totally melted sample being of KREEP-basalt texture. The very young. Group 3 fragments are chiefly of glass or devitrified glass. There is a marked distinction between Groups 1 and 2 in compositional as well as textural properties. The Group 2 breccias are generally enriched in Mg, K and REE relative to the aluminous Group I breccias (eg. K ≤ 400 ppm in Group 1 and mostly ≥ 600 ppm in Group 2). This difference is attributed to the introduction of KREEP and mafic ANT components during the formation of the Group 2 breccias.The results are interpreted as reflecting two magnitudes of cratering. The older craters (>4.1 AE) were of medium size (diameters up to a few hundred kilometers), large enough to reset the ages but not capable of excavating deeper than predominantly feldspathic (anorthositic) layers of the crust. The younger craters (～3.9-4.0 AE) were, in contrast, those ascribed to major basin-forming events and were therefore capable of excavating a deeper and wider spectrum of crustal lithologies. The latter resulted in admixture of KREEP and mafic ANT components with the feldspathic ANT, cover layer. KREEP was thus only excavated in abundance during the basin-forming events, from a sub-crustal layer formed initially at ～4.4 AE but incorporated in the breccias at ～4 AE.The KREEP-contaminated. Group 2 breccias have—except two fragments—ages between 3.95 and 4.02 AE. This group includes a crystallized melt (3.97 ± 0.04 AE), close in composition and texture to 14310 (3.87 ± 0.04 AE) which is generally attributed to the Imbrian basin-forming event (～3.88 AE). The pre-Imbrian. Group 2 breccias of Apollo 16 can best be attributed to the Nectaris basin-forming event, which according to the clustered ages probably occurred at ～3.98 AE. Our results support a multi-impact lunar cataclysm with the formation of Nectaris (3.98 AE). Humorum. South Serenitatis, Crisium and Imbrium (3.88 AE) within a 0.1 AE time interval.     

Effect of spoil disposal on benthic invertebrates

Hydraulic dredging and spoil disposal behind the inner breakwater in Delaware Bay has an impact over several kilometres from the site of operations. While dissolved oxygen and the density of animals fell in the areas immediately affected, the total impact of this operation appears to have been small. There may even have been some recruitment of animals to the spoil areas after the operations.     

Snowpack and runoff response to climate change in Owens Valley and Mono Lake watersheds

Precipitation from the Eastern Sierra Nevada watersheds of Owens Lake and Mono Lake is one of the main water sources for Los Angeles’ over 4 million people, and plays a major role in the ecology of Mono Lake and of these watersheds. We use the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrologic model at daily time scale, forced by climate projections from 16 global climate models under greenhouse gas emissions scenarios B1 and A2, to evaluate likely hydrologic responses in these watersheds for 1950–2099. Comparing climate in the latter half of the 20th Century to projections for 2070–2099, we find that all projections indicate continued temperature increases, by 2–5 °C, but differ on precipitation changes, ranging from ?24 % to +56 %. As a result, the fraction of precipitation falling as rain is projected to increase, from a historical 0.19 to a range of 0.26–0.52 (depending on the GCM and emission scenario), leading to earlier timing of the annual hydrograph’s center, by a range of 9–37 days. Snowpack accumulation depends on temperature and even more strongly on precipitation due to the high elevation of these watersheds (reaching 4,000 m), and projected changes for April 1 snow water equivalent range from ?67 % to +9 %. We characterize the watershed’s hydrologic response using variables integrated in space over the entire simulated area and aggregated in time over 30-year periods. We show that from the complex dynamics acting at fine time scales (seasonal and sub-seasonal) simple dynamics emerge at this multi-year time scale. Of particular interest are the dynamic effects of temperature. Warming anticipates hydrograph timing, by raising the fraction of precipitation falling as rain, reducing the volume of snowmelt, and initiating snowmelt earlier. This timing shift results in the depletion of soil moisture in summer, when potential evapotranspiration is highest. Summer evapotranspiration losses are limited by soil moisture availability, and as a result the watershed’s water balance at the annual and longer scales is insensitive to warming. Mean annual runoff changes at base-of-mountain stations are thus strongly determined by precipitation changes.