Geochemical record of Late Quaternary paleoclimate from lacustrine sediments of paleo-lake San Felipe,western Sonora Desert,Mexico

Stratigraphy, mineralogy, major and trace elements, organic carbon, carbonate, sulfate and AMS ¹⁴C dates are used to infer Late Quaternary depositional environments and paleo-hydrological conditions in the paleo-lake San Felipe located in the western part of Sonora Desert. Sediment stratigraphy divides the depth profile into aeolian and pluvio-lacustrine regimes. Aeolian regime is constrained to >44.5 ¹⁴C kyr BP. The pluvio-lacustrine regime consists of two stratigraphic units with characteristic geochemical proxies indicating changing chemical weathering, clastic input, salinity and provenance and provides a measure of varying climatic conditions between ca. 37 and 3 ¹⁴C kyr BP. Lower catchment erosion and inflow into the basin, higher lake productivity, precipitation of Na-sulfate mineral and higher clastic input from the proximal aeolian deposits during ca. 37–14 ¹⁴C kyr BP are comparable to the regional registers of dominant winter rainfall related to westerly storm tracks and colder conditions. In the last 12 ¹⁴C kyr BP, higher sedimentation and inflow and lower productivity are comparable to dominant summer rainfall. Higher humidity and lake productivity during ca. 37–29 ¹⁴C kyr BP is possibly due to the position of westerly storm tracks at 31°N and the gradually reducing humidity till ca. 14 ¹⁴C kyr BP is related to northerly migration of westerly storm tracks. Regional arid conditions during ca. 11 ¹⁴C kyr BP and ca. 6 ¹⁴C kyr BP are characterized by influx of coarser quartz and feldspars into the basin.     

Retracted and replaced: A modelling study of hyporheic exchange pattern and the sequence,size, and spacing of stream bedforms in mountain stream networks,Oregon, USA

This article has been retracted and replaced. See Retraction and Replacement Notice DOI: 10.1002/hyp.6350 Studies of hyporheic exchange flows have identified physical features of channels that control exchange flow at the channel unit scale, namely slope breaks in the longitudinal profile of streams that generate subsurface head distributions. We recently completed a field study that suggested channel unit spacing in stream longitudinal profiles can be used to predict the spacing between zones of upwelling (flux of hyporheic water into the stream) and downwelling (flux of stream water into the hyporheic zone) in the beds of mountain streams. Here, we use two‐dimensional groundwater flow and particle tracking models to simulate vertical and longitudinal hyporheic exchange along the longitudinal axis of stream flow in second‐, third‐, and fourth‐order mountain stream reaches. Modelling allowed us to (1) represent visually the effect that the shape of the longitudinal profile has on the flow net beneath streambeds; (2) isolate channel unit sequence and spacing as individual factors controlling the depth that stream water penetrates the hyporheic zone and the length of upwelling and downwelling zones; (3) evaluate the degree to which the effects of regular patterns in bedform size and sequence are masked by irregularities in real streams. We simulated hyporheic exchange in two sets of idealized stream reaches and one set of observed stream reaches. Idealized profiles were constructed using regression equations relating channel form to basin area. The size and length of channel units (step size, pool length, etc.) increased with increasing stream order. Simulations of hyporheic exchange flows in these reaches suggested that upwelling lengths increased (from 2·7 m to 7·6 m), and downwelling lengths increased (from 2·9 m to 6·0 m) with increase in stream order from second to fourth order. Step spacing in the idealized reaches increased from 5·3 m to 13·7 m as stream size increased from second to fourth order. Simulated upwelling lengths increased from 4·3 m in second‐order streams to 9·7 m in fourth‐order streams with a POOL–RIFFLE–STEP channel unit sequence, and increased from 2·5 m to 6·1 m from second‐ to fourth‐order streams with a POOL–STEP–RIFFLE channel unit sequence. Downwelling lengths also increased with stream order in these idealized channels. Our results suggest that channel unit spacing, size, and sequence are all important in determining hyporheic exchange patterns of upwelling and downwelling. Though irregularities in the size and spacing of bedforms caused flow nets to be much more complex in surveyed stream reaches than in idealized stream reaches, similar trends emerged relating the average geomorphic wavelength to the average hyporheic wavelength in both surveyed and idealized reaches. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Critical properties of spherically symmetric accretion in a fractal medium

Spherically symmetric transonic accretion of a fractal medium has been studied in both the stationary and the dynamic regimes. The stationary transonic solution is greatly sensitive to infinitesimal deviations in the outer boundary condition, but the flow becomes transonic and stable when its evolution is followed through time. The evolution towards transonicity is more pronounced for a fractal medium than it is for a continuum, and in the former case the static sonic condition is met on relatively larger length scales. The dynamic approach also shows that there is a remarkable closeness between an equation  of motion for a perturbation in the flow, and the metric of an analogue acoustic black hole. The stationary inflow solutions of a fractal medium are as much stable under the influence of linearized perturbations as they are for the fluid continuum.     

Temporal and spatial variation of infilling processes in a landslide scar in a steep mountainous region,Japan

The duration of the soil‐depth recovery needed for reoccurrence of shallow colluvial landslides at a given site in humid regions is much longer than the return period of rainfall needed to generate sufficient pore water pressure to initiate a landslide. Knowledge of the rate of change in soil depth in landslide scars is therefore necessary to evaluate return intervals of landslides. Spatial variation in sediment transport at the Kumanodaira landslide scar in central Japan was investigated by field observations. Spatial distribution of the rate of change in soil depth was estimated using sediment transport data and geographic information system (GIS) analysis. Observations revealed that the timing of sediment transport differed for shallow and deep soil layers. Near‐surface sediment transport (mostly dry ravel and some shallow soil creep at depths ≤0·05 m) measured in sediment traps was active in winter and early spring and was affected by freezing–thawing; soil creep of subsoil (i.e. >0·05 m), monitored by strain probes, was active in summer and autumn when precipitation was abundant. Near‐surface sediment flux was estimated by a power law function of slope gradient. Deeper soil creep was more affected by relative location to the landslide scar, which influences soil depth, than by slope gradient. Our study indicated that the rate of soil‐depth recovery is high just below the head scarp of the landslide. Abrupt changes in the longitudinal slope topography immediately above, within and just below the head scarp became smoother with time due to degradation proximate to the landslide head scarp and flanks, as well as aggradation just below the head scarp. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Twenty years of Belgian North Sea aerial surveillance: a quantitative analysis of results confirms effectiveness of international oil pollution legislation

Over the years many policy measures have been taken to prevent illegal oil discharges from ships, like the MARPOL 73/78 Convention (1983) and the Bonn Agreement (1969/1983). However, the number of discharges remained high, leading to chronic oiling of seabirds and sensitive coastlines, therefore further measures were taken. The aim of this study is to quantify the effectiveness of two key legislative regulations: the IMO-designation of the North Sea as MARPOL Special Area which took effect in 1999, and the adoption of the EU Directive on Port Reception Facilities in 2000. Under study is the heavily navigated Belgian Surveillance Area, monitored since 1991, characterised by shallow waters with ecologically important sandbanks. The aerial surveillance data from 1991 to 2010 show a stepwise decrease in ship-source oil pollution. Three time periods can be distinguished with two turning points coinciding with the actual implementation of these key legislative measures, confirming their effectiveness.     

Numerical modeling of environmental flows using DAM: Some preliminary results

Development of closures and parameterizations for subgrid scale effects is a significant and longstanding problem in the numerical simulation of environmental flows. The model described herein uses a rigorous approach for developing double-averaged governing equations — first a traditional Reynolds averaging to derive the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equation (RANS), then a volume average to derive a set of double-averaged equations (DANS). An existing finite element flow model is then modified to accommodate these equations. This process gives rise to several new terms that require closures, as well as a new equation for free surface elevation. This paper is directed toward model development and uses several existing closure schemes as test cases.     

Shear wave velocities of Mississippi embayment soils from low frequency surface wave measurements

Deep unconsolidated sediments in the Mississippi embayment will influence ground motions from earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone. Shear wave velocity profiles of these sediments are important input parameters for modeling wave propagation and site response in this region. Low-frequency, active-source surface wave velocity measurements were performed to develop small-strain shear wave velocity (V_S) profiles at eleven deep soil sites in the Mississippi embayment, from north of New Madrid, Missouri to Memphis, Tennessee. A servo-hydraulic, low-frequency source was used to excite surface wave energy to wavelengths of 600 m, resulting in V_S profiles to depths of over 200 m. The average V_S profile calculated from the eleven sites is in good agreement with common reference V_S profiles that have been used in seismic hazard studies of this region. The variability in V_S profiles is shown to be associated with changes in formation depth and thickness from site-to-site. Using lithologic information at each site, average formation velocities were developed and compared to previous studies. We found average V_S values of about 193 m/s for alluvial deposits, 400 m/s for the Upper Claiborne formations, and 685 m/s for the Memphis Sand formation.     

基于测井、VSP和地面地震数据最佳拟合的子波估计(英文)

本文提出了基于测井、VSP和地震数据拟合的子波估计方法,从输入输出都包含随机噪声的统计模型出发,采用相关性拟合技术来提取子波。拟合度和误差分析为整个过程提供了定量的质量控制手段,可以评估数据拟合和子波估计的可靠性。实际数据试算表明,该方法在含有噪声的实际数据中稳定而有效,在地震频带内的子波估计和数据拟合是可靠的。该方法无需对子波相位和振幅谱进行任何假设,其主要优点在于确定相位的能力。     

Soil Carbon and Nutrient Accumulation under Forest Plantations in Jharkhand State of India

The decrease and degradation of the tropical forests affect not only the production of timber but also the global environment in a large scale. The ability of soil to sustain and its supply of nutrients to a growing forest are controlled by a complex of biogeochemical processes. The purpose of the present study aims to assess the degraded forest fringe areas, to promote plantations of various types and to evaluate their impacts on the soil nutrients and carbon content accumulation. The soil organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient content were evaluated and compared between plantations of mixed native species (MNS), some native tree species as Shorea robusta, Dalbergia sissoo, Dendrocalamus spp., certain agro‐forestry species and some exotic varieties. The impacts of the plantations on the SOC and the nutrients were firstly analyzed through comprehensive chemical analyses and the results were compared with the soil samples collected prior to plantation forestry. Significant changes were observed in SOC content, in nutrients, and in amounts of exchangeable cations. Soil carbon levels were highest under the MNS, Dendrocalamus and Tectona grandis stands and lowest under D. sissoo and Terminalia arjuna. Total N showed highest levels under Dendrocalamus and Pongamia pinnata and significantly higher in stands of native species; lowest total N level was observed in D. sissoo plantations. The C/N ratios of the soil varied between 9.2 and 13.5 among the exchangeable cations. Ca²⁺ recorded the maximum levels and Na⁺ showed the lowest levels.