Mapping river bathymetries: Evaluating topobathymetric LiDAR survey

Advances in topobathymetric LiDARs could enable rapid surveys at sub-meter resolution over entire stream networks. This is the first step to improving our knowledge of riverine systems, both their morphology and role in ecosystems. The Experimental Advanced Airborne Research LiDAR B (EAARL-B) system is one such topobathymetric sensor, capable of mapping both terrestrial and aquatic systems. Whereas the original EAARL was developed to survey littoral areas, the new version, EAARL-B, was also designed for riverine systems but has yet to be tested. Thus, we evaluated the ability of EAARL-B to map bathymetry and floodplain topography at sub-meter resolution in a mid-size gravel-bed river. We coupled the EAARL-B survey with highly accurate field surveys (0.03 m vertical accuracy and approximately 0.6 by 0.6 m resolution) of three morphologically distinct reaches, approximately 200 m long 15 m wide, of the Lemhi River (Idaho, USA). Both point-to-point and raster-to-raster comparisons between ground and EAARL-B surveyed elevations show that differences (ground minus EAARL-B surveyed elevations) over the entire submerged topography are small (root mean square error, RMSE, and median absolute error, M, of 0.11 m), and large differences (RMSE, between 0.15 and 0.38 m and similar M) are mainly present in areas with abrupt elevation changes and covered by dense overhanging vegetation. RMSEs are as low as 0.03 m over paved smooth surfaces, 0.07 m in submerged, gradually varying topography, and as large as 0.24 m along banks with and without dense, tall vegetation. EAARL-B performance is chiefly limited by point density in areas with strong elevation gradients and by LiDAR footprint size (0.2 m) in areas with topographic features of similar size as the LiDAR footprint. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temperature of Solar Prominences Obtained with the Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph on the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory

We observed solar prominences with the Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph (FISS) at the Big Bear Solar Observatory on 30 June 2010 and 15 August 2011. To determine the temperature of the prominence material, we applied a nonlinear least-squares fitting of the radiative transfer model. From the Doppler broadening of the Hα and Ca ii lines, we determined the temperature and nonthermal velocity separately. The ranges of temperature and nonthermal velocity were 4000?–?20?000 K and 4?–?11 km?s^?1. We also found that the temperature varied much from point to point within one prominence.     

Magnetic Power Spectra Derived from Ground and Space Measurements of the Solar Magnetic Fields

We study magnetic power spectra of active and quiet regions by using Big Bear Solar Observatory and SOHO/MDI measurements of longitudinal magnetic fields. The MDI power spectra were corrected with Gaussian Modulation Transfer Function. We obtained reliable magnetic power spectra in the high wave numbers range, up to k=4.6 Mm⁻¹, which corresponds to a spatial scale l=1.4 Mm. We find that the occurrence of the spectral discontinuity at high wave numbers, k≥3 Mm⁻¹, largely depends on the spatial resolution of the data and it appears at progressively higher wave numbers as the resolution of the data improves. The spectral discontinuity in the raw spectra is located at wave numbers about 3 times smaller than wave numbers, corresponding to the resolution of the data, and about 1.5–2.0 times smaller in the case of the noise- and-resolution corrected spectra. The magnetic power spectra for active and quiet regions are different: active-region power spectra are described as ∼k ^−1.7, while in a quiet region the spectrum behaves as ∼k ^−1.3. We suggest that the difference can be due to small-scale dynamo action in the quiet-Sun photosphere. Our estimations show that the dynamo can generate more than 6% of the observed magnetic power.     

High-Resolution Hα Observations of Proper Motion in NOAA 8668: Evidence for Filament Mass Injection by Chromospheric Reconnection

There have been two different kinds of explanations for the source of cool material in prominences or filaments: coronal condensations from above and cool plasma injections from below. In this paper, we present observational results which support filament mass injection by chromospheric reconnection. The observations of an active filament in the active region NOAA 8668 were performed on 17 August 1999 at a wavelength of H–0.6 Å using the 65 cm vacuum reflector, a Zeiss H birefringent filter, and a 12-bit SMD digital camera of Big Bear Solar Observatory. The best image was selected every 12 s for an hour based on a frame selection algorithm. All the images were then co-aligned and corrected for local distortion due to the seeing. The time-lapse movie of the data shows that the filament was undergoing ceaseless motion. The H flow field has been determined as a function of time using local correlation tracking. Time-averaged flow patterns usually trace local magnetic field lines, as inferred from H fibrils and line-of-sight magnetograms. An interesting finding is a transient flow field in a system of small H loops, some of which merge into the filament. The flow is associated with a cancelling magnetic feature which is located at one end of the loop system. Initially a diverging flow with speeds below 10 km s^–1 is visible at the flux cancellation site. The flow is soon directed along the loops and accelerated up to 40 km s^–1 in a few minutes. Some part of the plasma flow then merges into and moves along the filament. This kind of transient flow takes place several times during the observations. Our results clearly demonstrate that reconnection in the photosphere and chromosphere is a likely way to supply cool material to a filament, as well as re-organizing the magnetic field configuration, and, hence, is important in the formation of filaments.     

The Early Proterozoic Nabberu Basin and associated iron formations of Western Australia

Rocks of the Early Proterozoic Nabberu Supergroup were deposited in the Nabberu Basin along the northern margin of the Archaean Yilgarn Shield in Western Australia. The Nabberu Basin consists of three tectonic-sedimentary units known as the Earaheedy, Glengarry and Padbury Sub-basins.The Earaheedy Group within the easternmost sub-basin is divided into a lower Tooloo Sub-group and an upper Miningarra Sub-group, representing succeeding sedimentary cycles totalling some 6000 m of shallow water sediments. The Tooloo Sub-group comprises thin quartzose to arkosic clastics (Yelma Formation) which rest unconformably on Archaean rocks, and are overlain by chert, shale, iron formations and minor carbonate (Frere Formation), and thinly bedded carbonate, shale and sandstone (Windidda Formation). The overlying Miningarra Sub-group includes sandstone and shale (Wandiwarra Formation), super-mature quartz sandstone and arkosic siltstone (Princess Ranges Quartzite), fine arkosic sandstone, siltstone, shale and carbonate (Wongawol Formation), limestone, shale and sandstone (Kulele Creek Limestone) and sandstone and shale (Mulgarra Sandstone). Distinctive stromatolite assemblages occur in carbonate units throughout the sequence.Iron formations of the Frere Formation are similar to those of the Lake Superior and Labrador Provinces of North America, and commonly have a distinctive pelletal (intraclastic) texture, but are locally oolitic or laminated. Benthonic microfossils found at one locality are identical to those in the Lake Superior iron formations (Walter et al., 1976).West into the Glengarry Sub-basin and Peak Hill—Robinson Ranges area the basal clastics become considerably thicker, finer-grained and more varied, and are commonly interbedded with basaltic volcanics and greywackes. The Peak Hill Beds (MacLeod, 1970), Finlayson Sandstone and Maraloou Formation (Bunting et al., 1977) may be lateral equivalents of the Yelma Formation, while the overlying Horseshoe Range Beds, Labouchere Formation and Robinson Range Formation (Barnett, 1975) are possible equivalents of the Frere Formation. The Millidie Creek Formation may be equivalent to the Wandiwarra Formation.Deformation of the Nabberu Basin has resulted in the development of the Stanley Fold Belt in the north and the Kingston Platform in the south. On the Kingston Platform the rocks dip very gently north, but deformation increases northwards. A slaty cleavage becomes more conspicuous in this direction, while folds become tighter, overturned southwards and cut by north-dipping thrusts. The fold belt trends west-northwest across the eastern portion of the basin before swinging to the southwest. Archaean basement is increasingly involved in the deformation and becomes progressively more gneissic as the Early Proterozoic rocks become more strongly schistose. Refolding of early structures is pronounced in the west. Metamorphic grade, based on mineral assemblages in basic, pelitic and carbonate rocks and iron formations, also increases north and northwest, reaching a maximum grade of granulite facies west of the Robinson Ranges. The sediments are essentially unmetamorphosed in the southeastern part of the basin.     

High temperature,high strain rate deformation in the lower crustal Kalka Intrusion,central Australia

Mafic and ultramafic gneisses (blastomylonites) characterised by a strongly developed planar lenticular foliation-layering are developed in lower crustal (high pressure) cumulates of the stratiform Kalka Intrusion in central Australia. The gneisses occur in two distinct zones, the Numbunja and West Kalka Gneissic Belts, parallel to or at low angles to igneous layering. They developed during and shortly after the final stages of crystallization of the intrusion at temperatures between about 1000 and 1200 ° C, and represent an incipient thrusting deformation probably with associated high strain rates. The most deformed textures in the centre of the belts typically consist of megacrysts of orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase showing abundant features of extreme ductile flow within a finegrained syntectonically recrystallized matrix of the same material. Mineral elongation, kink band orientation and matrix petrofabrics indicate that the maximum principal elongation and the maximum principal shortening occurred parallel to the lineation and normal to the foliation respectively.Single crystal deformation features (some unique to these rocks) include flow elongation of orthopyroxene and plagioclase (up to at least 400% elongation without recrystallization), kinking of orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase, production of rare clinoenstatite in orthopyroxene, and an unusual fingerprint texture in clinopyroxene. The occurrence of either flow elongation or kinking of orthopyroxene is dependent on crystal orientation relative to the maximum principal elongation/shortening directions. Detailed analysis shows that the flow orthopyroxenes and possibly the flow plagioclases deformed by simple shear. The results have relevance in studies of possible deformation mechanisms in the upper mantle, and in alpine peridotites.     

Surface water and groundwater interactions in an extensively mined watershed,upper Schuylkill River,Pennsylvania, USA

Streams crossing underground coal mines may lose flow, whereas abandoned mine drainage (AMD) restores flow downstream. During 2005–2012, discharge from the Pine Knot Mine Tunnel, the largest AMD source in the upper Schuylkill River Basin, had near‐neutral pH and elevated concentrations of iron, manganese and sulphate. Discharge from the tunnel responded rapidly to recharge but exhibited a prolonged recession compared with nearby streams, consistent with rapid infiltration of surface water and slow release of groundwater from the mine complex. Dissolved iron was attenuated downstream by oxidation and precipitation, whereas dissolved CO₂ degassed and pH increased. During high flow conditions, the AMD and downstream waters exhibited decreased pH, iron and sulphate with increased acidity that were modelled by mixing net‐alkaline AMD with recharge or run‐off having low ionic strength and low pH. Attenuation of dissolved iron within the river was least effective during high flow conditions because of decreased transport time coupled with inhibitory effects of low pH on oxidation kinetics. A numerical model of groundwater flow was calibrated by using groundwater levels in the Pine Knot Mine and discharge data for the Pine Knot Mine Tunnel and West Branch Schuylkill River during a snowmelt event in January 2012. Although the calibrated model indicated substantial recharge to the mine complex took place away from streams, simulation of rapid changes in mine pool level and tunnel discharge during a high flow event in May 2012 required a source of direct recharge to the Pine Knot Mine. Such recharge produced small changes in mine pool level and rapid changes in tunnel flow rate because of extensive unsaturated storage capacity and high transmissivity within the mine complex. Thus, elimination of stream leakage could have a small effect on the annual discharge from the tunnel, but a large effect on peak discharge and associated water quality downstream. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Petrography and origin of granulite‐facies rocks in the Western Musgrave Block,Central Australia

The granulite‐facies rocks in the Tomkinson Ranges of central Australia are dominated by layered felsic (quartzofeldspathic) gneisses with minor interbanded mafic, calcareous, ferruginous, and quartzitic granulites. They are regarded as representing a middle Proterozoic metasedimentary and/or metavolcanic sequence which has undergone anhydrous granulite‐facies metamorphism approximately 1200 m.y. ago. Conditions of metamorphism have been derived from a petrogenetic grid based on several experimentally determined reactions and give estimates of 10–11 kb pressure and 950–1000°C. Such metamorphism could take place close to the base of the crust with a moderate geothermal gradient of 25–30°C/km.     

A New Method for Resolving the 180° Ambiguity in Solar Vector Magnetograms

We present a new method to resolve the 180° ambiguity for solar vector magnetogram measurements. The basic assumption is that the magnetic shear angle (), which is defined as the difference between the azimuth components of observed and potential fields, approximately follows a normal distribution. The new method is composed of three steps. First, we apply the potential field method to determine the azimuthal components of the observed magnetic fields. Second, we resolve the ambiguity with a new criterion: –90°+_mp lele90°+_mp, where _mp is the most probable value of magnetic shear angle from its number distribution. Finally, to remove some localized field discontinuities, we use the criterion B _tB _mt ge0, where B _t and B _mt are an observed transverse field and its mean value for a small surrounding region, respectively. For an illustration, we have applied the new ambiguity removal method (Uniform Shear Method) to a vector magnetogram which covers a highly sheared region near the polarity inversion line of NOAA AR 0039. As a result, we have found that the new ambiguity solution was successful and removed spatial discontinuities in the transverse vector fields produced in the magnetogram by the potential field method. It is also found that our solution to the ambiguity gives nearly the same results, for highly sheared vector magnetograms and vertical current density distributions, of NOAA AR 5747 and AR 6233 as those of other methods. The validity of the basic assumption for an approximate normal distribution is demonstrated by the number distributions of magnetic shear angle for the three active regions under consideration.