Late Quaternary river development in the southwest Chad Basin: OSL dating of sediment from the Komadugu palaeofloodplain (northeast Nigeria)

The Komadugu river system is the major Nigerian tributary to Lake Chad. Its large alluvial complex represents an important archive of the late Quaternary environmental history of the Chad Basin. Modern floodplains are incised into an older fluvial terrace that extends over 5000 km². Evidence from satellite images suggests that the ancient river system was dammed up by the Bama Beach Ridge during high stands of mega Lake Chad. This caused the formation of extensive wetlands with a chaotic network of relic channels. The first set of luminescence ages presented here fits well into the previously established environmental history of the Chad Basin. Both the early and mid‐Holocene pluvial periods as well as a final relatively humid period during the late Holocene are reflected by point bar to overbank deposits or channel fills. The onset of the Holocene was characterised by erosion of older dune fields as indicated by grain‐size distributions of the alluvium. Satellite images and sedimentological observations show that the floodplain was dominated by meandering channels shifted by frequent avulsion, reflecting a high variability in precipitation and discharge patterns at the beginning and end of Holocene humid periods. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of silt trapping in large reservoirs on downstream morphology: the Yangtze River

The sediment load of the Yangtze River (China) is decreasing because of construction of dams, of which the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) is the best known example. The rate of the decline in sediment load is well known, but changes in the sediment grain size distribution have not been given much attention. The TGD mostly traps sand and silt while clay is flushed through the reservoir. A large amount of sand is available in the Yangtze River downstream of the reservoir, and therefore the pre-dam sand concentration is not substantially reduced. The availability of silt on the Yangtze River bed is limited, and it is expected that most silt will be removed from the riverbed within one to two decades. In order to evaluate the impact of the change in grain size distribution on the tidal flats of the Yangtze Estuary, a highly schematized tidal flat model is setup. This model broadly reveals that the observed deposition rates are exceptionally large because of the high sediment concentration, the abundance of silt, the seasonal dominance of waves (shaping a concave profile), and the offshore tidal asymmetry. The model further suggests that deposition rates will be limitedly influenced by reductions in clay or fine silt but strongly impacted by reductions in median to coarse silt. The response of the downstream morphology to reservoir sedimentation therefore strongly depends on the type of trapped sediment. As a consequence, silt-dominated rivers, such as the Yangtze River and the Yellow River may be more strongly impacted than sand-dominated systems.     

Transport of South Atlantic water through the passages south of Guadeloupe and across 16°N, 2000–2004

CTD, vessel-mounted ADCP and LADCP measurements in the Caribbean passages south of Guadeloupe (three repeats) and along 16°N (five repeats) were carried out between December 2000 and July 2004. The CTD data were used to calculate the contribution of South Atlantic water (SAW) in the upper 1200 m between the isopycnals σ_θ=24.5 and 27.6. Northern and southern source water masses are defined and an isopycnal mixing approach is applied. The SAW fractions are then combined with the ADCP flow field to calculate the transport of SAW into the Caribbean and across 16°N. The SAW inflow into the Caribbean through the passages south of Guadeloupe ranges from 7.6 to 11.6 Sv, which is 50–75% of the total inflow. The mean (9.1±2.2 Sv) is in the range of previous estimates. Ambiguities in the northern and southern source water masses of the salinity maximum water permitted us only to calculate the contribution of SAW from the eastern source in this water mass. We estimated the additional SAW transport by the western source to be of the order of 1.9±0.7 Sv. The calculation of the SAW transport across 16°N was hampered by the presence of several anticyclonic rings from the North Brazil Current (NBC) retroflection region, some of the rings were subsurface intensified. Provided that the rings observed at 16°N are typical rings and that all rings which are annually produced in the NBC retroflection area (6.5–8.5 per year) reach 16°N, the SAW ring transport across 16°N is calculated to 5.3±0.7 Sv. From the 5 repeats at 16°N, only two showed a net northward flow, suggesting that the mean northward SAW transport is dominated by ring advection. The joint SAW transports of the Caribbean inflow (9.1 Sv) and the flow across 16°N (5.3 Sv) sum up to 14.4 Sv. The transport increases to 16.3 Sv if the additional SAW transport from the western source of SMW (1.9±0.7 Sv) is included. These transport estimates and the following implications depend strongly on the assumption that the surface water in the Caribbean inflow is of South Atlantic origin. The transport estimates are, however, in the range of the inverse model calculations for the net cross-hemispheric flow. About 30–40% of this transport is intermediate water from the South Atlantic, presumably supporting studies which found the contributions of intermediate and upper warm water to be of a comparable magnitude. For the upper warm water (σ_θ<27.1), the Caribbean inflow seems to be the major path (7.9±1.6 Sv), the ring induced transport across 16°N is about 30% of that value. The intermediate water transport across 16°N was calculated to be 2.3–3.6 Sv, the inflow into the Caribbean is slightly smaller (1.5–2.4 Sv).     

Study of the post-flare loops on 29 July 1973

We present revised values of temperature and density for the flare loops of 29 July 1973 and compare the revised parameters with those obtained aboard the SMM for the two-ribbon flare of 21 May 1980. The 21 May flare occurred in a developed sunspot group; the 29 July event was a spotless two-ribbon flare. We find that the loops in the spotless flare extended higher (by a factor of 1.4–2.2), were less dense (by a factor of 5 or more in the first hour of development), were generally hotter, and the whole loop system decayed much slower than in the spotted flare (i.e. staying at higher temperature for a longer time). We also align the hot X-ray loops of the 29 July flare with the bright H ribbons and show that the H emission is brightest at the places where the spatial density of the hot elementary loops is enhanced.presently at Big Bear Solar Observatory, Caltech, California, U.S.A.presently at The Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.A.     

Estimates of wind power and radiative near-inertial internal wave flux

Ocean Dynamics - Energy transfer mechanisms between the atmosphere and the deep ocean have been studied for many years. Their importance to the ocean’s energy balance and possible...     

Prevention of well clogging during aquifer storage of turbid tile drainage water rich in dissolved organic carbon and nutrients

Well clogging was studied at an aquifer storage transfer and recovery (ASTR) site used to secure freshwater supply for a flower bulb farm. Tile drainage water (TDW) was collected from a 10-ha parcel, stored in a sandy brackish coastal aquifer via well injection in wet periods, and reused during dry periods. This ASTR application has been susceptible to clogging, as the TDW composition largely exceeded most clogging mitigation guidelines. TDW pretreatment by sand filtration did not cause substantial clogging at a smaller ASR site (2 ha) at the same farm. In the current (10 ha) system, sand filtration was substituted by 40-μm disc filters to lower costs (by 10,000–30,000 Euro) and reduce space (by 50–100 m²). This measure treated TDW insufficiently and injection wells rapidly clogged. Chemical, biological, and physical clogging occurred, as observed from elemental, organic carbon, 16S rRNA, and grain-size distribution analyses of the clogging material. Physical clogging by particles was the main cause, based on the strong relation between injected turbidity load and normalized well injectivity. Periodical backflushing of injection wells improved operation, although the disc filters clogged when the turbidity increased (up to 165 NTU) during a severe rainfall event (44 mm in 3 days). Automated periodical backflushing, together with regulating the maximum turbidity (<20 NTU) of the TDW, protected ASTR operation, but reduced the injected TDW volume by ~20–25%. The studied clogging-prevention measures collectively are only viable as an alternative for sand filtration when the injected volume remains sufficient to secure the farmer’s needs for irrigation.

     

Effects of chronic exposure to dispersed oil on selected reproductive processes in adult blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and the consequences for the early life stages of their larvae

Mussels (Mytilus edulis) were continuously exposed to dispersed crude oil (0.015-0.25 mg/l) for 7 months covering the whole gamete development cycle. After 1 month exposure to 0.25 mg oil/l, the level of alkali-labile phosphates (ALP) and the volume density of atretic oocytes in female gonads were higher than those in the gonads of control females, indicating that oil affected the level of vitellogenin-like proteins and gamete development. Spawning of mussels was induced after 7 months oil exposure. Parental oil exposure did not affect subsequent fertilization success in clean seawater but this was reduced in 0.25 mg oil/l. Parental exposure to 0.25 mg oil/l caused both slow development and a higher percentage of abnormalities in D-shell larvae 2 days post-fertilization; reduced growth 7 days post-fertilization. These effects were greatly enhanced when larval stages were maintained at 0.25 mg oil/l. Similar studies are warranted for risk assessment prognosis.     

Social segregation and academic achievement in state-run elementary schools in the municipality of Campinas, Brazil

Space not only reflects social inequality, it also reinforces the advantages or disadvantages associated with social class. However, the study of how neighbourhoods affect their residents has only recently entered the debate on urban poverty in Latin America. We use 2000 data from the Brazilian population census, school census, and the state of São Paulo’s educational evaluation system to analyze the relationship between school infrastructure, school academic achievement, and the neighbourhoods in which these schools are located. Our analyses indicate that state-run elementary schools located in areas of concentrated poverty have lower academic achievement in mathematics tests and Portuguese than mixed and affluent areas of the city, even though these schools are all administered by the same government body. We end with a discussion of the relationship between Brazilian education policy and its influence on spatial differences in São Paulo State.     

Oxygen-Containing Compounds Identified in Groundwater from Fuel Release Sites Using GCxGC-TOF-MS

This research continues a 7-year study of oxygen-containing organic compounds present in groundwater at gasoline and diesel fuel release sites that are quantified as diesel-range “total petroleum hydrocarbons” when measured by methods utilizing solvent extraction and gas chromatography. Two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to tentatively identify 1162 compounds (TICs) in 113 groundwater samples from 22 sites. Samples were collected from wells either upgradient of the release, within the source zone, or downgradient of the source but still within the plume of dissolved organics associated with release. The names and formulas of all TICs found in samples from each well type are presented and the results from upgradient and downgradient locations are compared in detail. About 60% of the most frequently detected TICs in downgradient wells were also detected in upgradient wells. A majority of these were saturated straight chain alkyl acids, commonly called fatty acids, or fatty acid esters. Of TICs frequently detected in downgradient wells but not upgradient wells, over half were branched alkyl alcohols. Hierarchical cluster analysis results suggest about 80% of the chemical composition of downgradient samples is more similar to upgradient samples than to source area samples. This similarity is due to the presence of the same types of fatty acids and esters. Principal component analysis indicates a continuum of biodegradation between the source area and downgradient samples with the latter becoming more consistent with upgradient samples. Results suggest some TICs may not be petroleum degradation intermediates but compounds synthesized by microorganisms through secondary production and carbon cycling.     

The effect of dock length on harbour siltation

Density-driven exchange flows between estuaries and harbour docks are influenced by the length of the dock. As a result, increasing dock size through its lengthening, not necessarily results in an increase in sedimentation rates. The propagation of a low-salinity surface patch into the dock is blocked at the head of a relatively short dock, resulting in a reversal of density-driven flows, and a reduction of the hydrostatic pressure gradients in the entrance of the dock. A reduced hydrostatic pressure in the dock, in turn, promotes near-bed inflow. When this increased near-bed inflow coincides with a high sediment supply on the adjacent river, the sediment transport into the dock increases. This has been tested with an extensively validated high-resolution numerical model developed for the Deurganckdok in the Port of Antwerp. In the Deurganckdok, siltation rates are expected to decrease when the dock is fully excavated compared to the present half-opened dock.Whether exchange flows between estuaries and harbour docks are influenced by the length of the dock, depends on the tidal variation in salinity. For small tidal density variations (around 0.5 kg/m³), the dock length is expected to influence exchange flows in a short dock (approximately 1 km), whereas the dock should be much longer (4 km) when the tidal density variation is higher (around 5 kg/m³). Whether these changing exchange flow result in a lowering or increase of sediment import, depends on the phase difference between sediment concentration peaks on the adjacent river/estuary and the salinity variation, and on the vertical distribution of sediment.