Evidence for a mantle component shown by rare gases, C and N isotopes in polycrystalline diamonds from Orapa (Botswana)

In an attempt to constrain the origin of polycrystalline diamond, combined analyses of rare gases and carbon and nitrogen isotopes were performed on six such diamonds from Orapa (Botswana). Helium shows radiogenic isotopic ratios of R/Ra = 0.14–1.29, while the neon ratios (²¹Ne/²²Ne of up to 0.0534) reflect a component from mantle, nucleogenic and atmospheric sources. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios of between 477 and 6056 are consistent with this interpretation. The (¹²⁹Xe/¹³⁰Xe) isotopic ratios range between 6.54 and 6.91 and the lower values indicate an atmospheric component. The He, Ne, Ar and Xe isotopic compositions and the Xe isotopic pattern are clear evidence for a mantle component rather than a crustal one in the source of the polycrystalline diamonds from Orapa. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotopic values of − 1.04 to − 9.79‰ and + 4.5 to + 15.5‰ respectively, lie within the range of values obtained from the monocrystalline diamonds at that mine. Additionally, this work reveals that polycrystalline diamonds may not be the most appropriate samples to study if the aim is to consider the compositional evolution of rare gases through time. Our data shows that after crystallization, the polycrystalline diamonds undergo both gas loss (that is more significant for the lighter rare gases such as He and Ne) and secondary processes (such as radiogenic, nucleogenic and fissiogenic, as well as atmospheric contamination). Finally, if polycrystalline diamonds sampled an old mantle (1–3.2 Ga), the determined Xe isotopic signatures, which are similar to present MORB mantle – no fissiogenic Xe from fission of ²³⁸U being detectable – imply either that Xe isotopic ratios have not evolved within the convective mantle since diamond crystallization, or that these diamonds are actually much younger.     

Identifying uncertainties in Arctic climate change projections

Wide ranging climate changes are expected in the Arctic by the end of the 21st century, but projections of the size of these changes vary widely across current global climate models. This variation represents a large source of uncertainty in our understanding of the evolution of Arctic climate. Here we systematically quantify and assess the model uncertainty in Arctic climate changes in two CO₂ doubling experiments: a multimodel ensemble (CMIP3) and an ensemble constructed using a single model (HadCM3) with multiple parameter perturbations (THC-QUMP). These two ensembles allow us to assess the contribution that both structural and parameter variations across models make to the total uncertainty and to begin to attribute sources of uncertainty in projected changes. We find that parameter uncertainty is an major source of uncertainty in certain aspects of Arctic climate. But also that uncertainties in the mean climate state in the 20th century, most notably in the northward Atlantic ocean heat transport and Arctic sea ice volume, are a significant source of uncertainty for projections of future Arctic change. We suggest that better observational constraints on these quantities will lead to significant improvements in the precision of projections of future Arctic climate change.     

Advancements in the U.S. army corps of engineers hydrographic survey capabilities: The SHOALS system

In an effort to modernize its hydrographic survey capabilities, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has undertaken a joint development program with Canada to construct and field test an operational prototype airborne lidar bathymeter system. The construction and field verification effort of this program began March 1990 with field tests scheduled for winter 1993. The system will be built by Optech, Inc., based on their design of the LARSEN 500, the only commercial lidar system currently producing bathymetric surveys.

The Scanning Hydrographic Operational Airborne Lidar Survey (SHOALS) system will operate out of a medium‐sized helicopter such as the Bell 212 at approximately 200 meters altitude where the laser scanning system generates a swath width of just over 140 meters. System requirements dictate a laser operating at 200 Hz in both the blue‐green wave length for maximum water depth penetration and the infrared for surface interface recognition. Each laser shot strikes the water surface at a known location where its energy is partially reflected back to the receiver and partially transmitted through the water column. Transmitted energy undergoes scattering and absorption along its path to the bottom where the remaining energy is then reflected back to the receiver.

The Transceiver, Positioning, Acquisition, Control and Display, and Ground Based Data Processing subsystems make up the SHOALS system. These subsystems have been designed, constructed, and currently are being laboratory tested prior to total system integration and field testing. This article presents the system's design and discusses system use following development.     

Review of methods used to estimate catchment response time for the purpose of peak discharge estimation

Abstract

Large errors in peak discharge estimates at catchment scales can be ascribed to errors in the estimation of catchment response time. The time parameters most frequently used to express catchment response time are the time of concentration (T_C), lag time (T_L) and time to peak (T_P). This paper presents a review of the time parameter estimation methods used internationally, with selected comparisons in medium and large catchments in the C5 secondary drainage region in South Africa. The comparison of different time parameter estimation methods with recommended methods used in South Africa confirmed that the application of empirical methods, with no local correction factors, beyond their original developmental regions, must be avoided. The T_C is recognized as the most frequently used time parameter, followed by T_L. In acknowledging this, as well as the basic assumptions of the approximations T_L = 0.6T_C and T_C ≈ T_P, along with the similarity between the definitions of the T_P and the conceptual T_C, it was evident that the latter two time parameters should be further investigated to develop an alternative approach to estimate representative response times that result in improved estimates of peak discharge at these catchment scales.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor Qiang Zhang     

Integrating the LISFLOOD‐FP 2D hydrodynamic model with the CAESAR model: implications for modelling landscape evolution

Landscape evolution models (LEMs) simulate the geomorphic development of river basins over long time periods and large space scales (100s–1000s of years, 100s of km²). Due to these scales they have been developed with simple steady flow models that enable long time steps (e.g. years) to be modelled, but not shorter term hydrodynamic effects (e.g. the passage of a flood wave). Nonsteady flow models that incorporate these hydrodynamic effects typically require far shorter time steps (seconds or less) and use more expensive numerical solutions hindering their inclusion in LEMs. The recently developed LISFLOOD‐FP simplified 2D flow model addresses this issue by solving a reduced form of the shallow water equations using a very simple numerical scheme, thus generating a significant increase in computational efficiency over previous hydrodynamic methods. This leads to potential convergence of computational cost between LEMs and hydrodynamic models, and presents an opportunity to combine such schemes. This paper outlines how two such models (the LEM CAESAR and the hydrodynamic model LISFLOOD‐FP) were merged to create the new CAESAR‐Lisflood model, and through a series of preliminary tests shows that using a hydrodynamic model to route flow in an LEM affords many advantages. The new model is fast, computationally efficient and has a stronger physical basis than a previous version of the CAESAR model. For the first time it allows hydrodynamic effects (tidal flows, lake filling, alluvial fans blocking valley floor) to be represented in an LEM, as well as producing noticeably different results to steady flow models. This suggests that the simplification of using steady flow in existing LEMs may bias their findings significantly. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Critical assessment and validation of a time‐integrating fluvial suspended sediment sampler

Delivery of fine sediment to fluvial systems is of considerable concern given the physical and ecological impacts of elevated levels in drainage networks. Although it is possible to measure the transfer of fine sediment at high frequency by using a range of surrogate and automated technologies, the demands for assessing sediment flux and sediment properties at multiple spatially distributed locations across catchments can often not be met using established sampling techniques. The time‐integrated mass‐flux sampler (TIMS) has the potential to bridge this gap and further our understanding of fine sediment delivery in fluvial systems. However, these devices have undergone limited testing in the field. The aim of this paper was to provide a critical validation of TIMS as a technique for assessing fluvial fine sediment transfer. Fine sediment flux and sediment properties were assessed over 2 years with individual sampling periods of approximately 30 days. Underestimation of sediment flux ranged between 66% and 99% demonstrating that TIMS is unsuitable for assessing absolute sediment loads. However, assessment of relative efficiency showed that six of seven samplers produced statistically strong relationships with the reference sediment load (P < 0.05). Aggregated data from all sites produced a highly significant relationship between reference and TIMS loads (R² = 0.80; P < 0.001) demonstrating TIMS may be suitable for characterizing patterns of suspended sediment transfer. Testing also illustrated a consistency in sediment properties between multiple samplers in the same channel cross section. TIMS offers a useful means of assessing spatial and temporal patterns of fine sediment transfer across catchments where expensive monitoring frameworks cannot be commissioned. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental constraints on the volatility of germanium,zinc, and lithium in Martian basalts and the role of degassing in alteration of surface minerals

The surface of Mars is enriched in Cl and S which is linked to volcanic activity and degassing. Similarly, elevated Ge and Zn levels in Gale crater sedimentary bedrock indicate a magmatic source for these elements. To constrain the relative effects of Cl and S on the outgassing of these trace metals and chemical characteristics of primary magmatic vapor deposits incorporated to Martian surface, we conducted a set of degassing and fumarolic alteration experiments. Ge is found to be more volatile than Zn in all experiments. In S-bearing runs, the loss of Ge and Zn was less than any other experiments. In Cl-only runs, degassing of Zn was more than twice that of Ge within the first 10 min and percent loss increased for both elements with increasing time. In Cl + S runs, S-induced reduction of GeO₂ and ZnO to metallic Ge and Zn switches the preference of chloride formation from Zn to Ge. Up to 90% of Ge and Zn loss in the 1-h no volatile-added (NVA) experiments might be due to the small amounts of Cl contamination in NVA mixes via other oxides used for synthesis. Alteration experiments show different phases between 1-h and 24-/72-h runs. In 1-h runs, anhydrite and langbeinite dominate while in 24-/72-h runs halite and sylvite dominate the condensate assemblages. S-bearing phases form as the intermediate products of fumarolic deposition, while chlorides are common when the system is allowed to cool gradually. One-hour exposure was sufficient to form alteration phases and vapor deposits such as NaCl, KCl, CaSO₄, and langbeinites on the Martian analog minerals. These salts were identified in Martian meteorites and in situ measurements. Our results provide evidence that volcanic degassing along with fumarolic alteration could be a potential source for the enrichment and varying abundances of Cl, S, Fe, Zn, Ge in Martian surface, as well as a cause for Ge depletion in shergottites.     

Coastal eutrophication, land use changes and Ceratium furca (Dinophyceae) blooms in Pago Pago Harbor, American Samoa 2007�C2009

The bloom forming dinoflagellate, Ceratium furca, has been linked with coastal eutrophication worldwide in tropical and subtropical locations. During the summer of 2007, an unusual 6-month long bloom of C. furca was observed in Pago Pago Harbor, Tutuila Island, American Samoa. Incidents of dinoflagellate blooms in this area have not been previously reported. The bloom was first reported in May and dissipated in November 2007. In February?CMarch 2009, a similar C. furca bloom was observed. During both blooms, no fish mortality events were reported. Maximum cell counts were observed on September 20, 2007 at 9 200 cell/mL. At this time, total nitrogen was measured at 1.2 mg/L while total phosphate was below detection limits. Changes in land use practices may have been the primary driver of these blooms. Intense fertilization of athletic fields coupled with ineffective management strategies is hypothesized to have a direct link to the increase in nutrients found in the Pago Pago Harbor and may have been the trigger for the initialization of these blooms. During 2008, the fields were not used due to an infestation of the fire ant, Solenopsis geminata. Once controlled, the fields were opened again in 2009 and fertilizers were applied in January, a month before the bloom was observed.     

Coastal eutrophication, land use changes and Ceratium furca (Dinophyceae) blooms in Pago Pago Harbor, American Samoa 2007-2009

The bloom forming dinoflagellate, Ceratium furca, has been linked with coastal eutrophication worldwide in tropical and subtropical locations. During the summer of 2007, an unusual 6-month long bloom of C. furca was observed in Pago Pago Harbor, Tutuila Island, American Samoa. Incidents of dinoflagellate blooms in this area have not been previously reported. The bloom was first reported in May and dissipated in November 2007. In February-March 2009, a similar C. furca bloom was observed. During both blooms,...     

Changes in population evacuation potential for tsunami hazards in Seward, Alaska, since the 1964 Good Friday earthquake

Pedestrian evacuation modeling for tsunami hazards typically focuses on current land-cover conditions and population distributions. To examine how post-disaster redevelopment may influence the evacuation potential of at-risk populations to future threats, we modeled pedestrian travel times to safety in Seward, Alaska, based on conditions before the 1964 Good Friday earthquake and tsunami disaster and on modern conditions. Anisotropic, path distance modeling is conducted to estimate travel times to safety during the 1964 event and in modern Seward, and results are merged with various population data, including the location and number of residents, employees, public venues, and dependent care facilities. Results suggest that modeled travel time estimates conform well to the fatality patterns of the 1964 event and that evacuation travel times have increased in modern Seward due to the relocation and expansion of port and harbor facilities after the disaster. The majority of individuals threatened by tsunamis today in Seward are employee, customer, and tourist populations, rather than residents in their homes. Modern evacuation travel times to safety for the majority of the region are less than wave arrival times for future tectonic tsunamis but greater than arrival times for landslide-related tsunamis. Evacuation travel times will likely be higher in the winter time, when the presence of snow may constrain evacuations to roads.