Double Glacier Volcano,a ‘new’ Quaternary volcano in the eastern Aleutian volcanic arc

The Double Glacier Volcano (DGV) is a small dome complex of porphyritic hornblende andesite and dacite that is part of the Cook Inlet segment of Quaternary volcanoes of the eastern Aleutian arc. Its discovery reduces the previously described large volcano gap in Cook Inlet segment to a distance similar to that between other volcanoes in the area. DGV lavas are medium-K, calcalkaline andesites and dacites with concentrations of major and minor elements similar to the other Quaternary volcanoes of the Cook Inlet segment. Available K-Ar ages indicate that DGV was active 600–900 ka.     

Microphytobenthos: The ecological role of the “secret garden” of unvegetated,shallow-water marine habitats. I. Distribution,abundance and primary production

The microphytobenthos consists of unicellular eukaryotic algae and cyanobacteria that grow within the upper several millimeters of illuminated sediments, typically appearing only as a subtle brownish or greenish shading. The surficial layer of the sediment is a zone of intense microbial and geochemical activity and of considerable physical reworking. In many shallow ecosystems, the biomass of benthic microalgae often exceeds that of the phytoplankton in the overlying waters. Direct comparison of the abundance of benthic and suspended microalgae is complicated by the means used to measure biomass and by the vertical and horizontal distribution of the microphytobenthos in the sediment. Where biomass has been estimated as chlorophyll a, there may be negligible to large (40%) error due to interference by degradation products, except where chlorophyll is measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The vertical distribution of microphytobenthos, aside from mat-forming species, is determined by the opposing effects of their vertical migration, which tends to concentrate them near the surface, and physical mixing by overlying currents, which tends to cause an even vertical distribution through the mixed layer of sediment. Uncertainties in vertical distribution are compounded by frequently patchy horizontal distribution. Under-sampling on small (<1 m) scales can lead to errors in the estimate that are comparable to the ranges of seasonal and geographic variation. These uncertainties are compounded by biases in the techniques used to estimate production by the microphytobenthos. In most environments studied, biomass (as chlorophyll a) and light availability appear to be the principal determinants of benthic primary production. The effect of variable light intensities on integral production can be described by a functional response curve. When normalized to the chlorophyll content of the surficial sediment, the residual variation in the data described by the functional response curve is due to changes in the chlorophyll-specific response to irradiance. Production by the benthos is often a significant fraction of production in the water column and microphytobenthos may contribute directly to water column production when they are resuspended. Thus on both the basis of biomass and biogeochemical reactivity, benthic microalgae play significant roles in system productivity and trophic dynamics, as well as such habitat characteristics as sediment stability. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY074 00003     

The effect of bridge piles on stratification in lower Chesapeake Bay

Tidally-forced flow beneath the existing trestle of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel causes significant distortion of the ambient density field in the immediate vicinity of the trestle due to flow over the scour zone around the pilings. Effects are minimal a short distance away from the trestle. Contrary to previous studies, stratification was not appreciably stronger during neap as compared to spring tide periods at the time of these observations, but a tendency toward such a state was detected. Estimates of piling-induced destratification based on direct observations of temperature, salinity, and currents near the pilings indicate that piling effects are substantially less than naturally occurring destratification due to bottom and wind stresses.     

The development of stochastic space transformation and diagrammatic perturbation techniques in subsurface hydrology

This paper develops concepts and methods to study stochastic hydrologic models. Problems regarding the application of the existing stochastic approaches in the study of groundwater flow are acknowledged, and an attempt is made to develop efficient means for their solution. These problems include: the spatial multi-dimensionality of the differential equation models governing transport-type phenomena; physically unrealistic assumptions and approximations and the inadequacy of the ordinary perturbation techniques. Multi-dimensionality creates serious mathematical and technical difficulties in the stochastic analysis of groundwater flow, due to the need for large mesh sizes and the poorly conditioned matrices arising from numerical approximations. An alternative to the purely computational approach is to simplify the complex partial differential equations analytically. This can be achieved efficiently by means of a space transformation approach, which transforms the original multi-dimensional problem to a much simpler unidimensional space. The space transformation method is applied to stochastic partial differential equations whose coefficients are random functions of space and/or time. Such equations constitute an integral part of groundwater flow and solute transport. Ordinary perturbation methods for studying stochastic flow equations are in many cases physically inadequate and may lead to questionable approximations of the actual flow. To address these problems, a perturbation analysis based on Feynman-diagram expansions is proposed in this paper. This approach incorporates important information on spatial variability and fulfills essential physical requirements, both important advantages over ordinary hydrologic perturbation techniques. Moreover, the diagram-expansion approach reduces the original stochastic flow problem to a closed set of equations for the mean and the covariance function.     

An evaluation of two automated quality control methods designed for use with hourly wind profiler data

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has completed the installation of a 30-site demonstration network of wind-profiling radars in the central United States. The network is being used to demonstrate and assess the utility of wind profiler technology in a quasi-operational environment, and to help define operational requirements for possible future national networks. This paper describes two automated quality control methods designed to remove erroneous winds from the hourly network data. Case study examples and statistical evaluation of the performance of each method are also presented.     

A Biota Associated with Matuyama-Age Sediments in West-Central Illinois

A fossil assemblage containing molluscs, mammals, insects, ostracodes, and plants has been recovered from a silt-filled depression near Lima, in west-central Illinois. The reversed remanent magnetic signature of the sediments and the temporal ranges of two mammals, Microtus paroperarius and Lasiopodomys deceitensis, constrain the age of the assemblage to between 730,000 and 830,000 yr B.P. The extent of isoleucine epimerization in the molluscan shell is consistent with this age interpretation. The fauna includes at least 43 taxa of beetles from 11 families, 35 nominal species of molluscs, and two genera of ostracodes. The mammals include two shrews, three rodents, and a rabbit. The plant macrofossils (no pollen recovered) include 25 species of seed plants and four kinds of terrestrial or wetland mosses. Most of the plant species identified still occur in the upper Midwest, although a few of the taxa are found mainly to the north of the site. The fauna is characterized by an almost total absence of true aquatic taxa. The association of both boreal and thermophilous faunal and floral elements suggest that summer temperatures were not greatly different from present ones, but cooler, moist areas must have been available to support the boreal elements. Local conditions were probably similar to those now found in northeastern Iowa, where rains blocks, fissures, and joints in carbonate bedrock serve as traps for debris accumulations, provide shade, and are kept cool and moist during the hot summer months by cold-air drainage and groundwater seepage. Summer mean temperature in these microhabitats was probably between 18 and 20°C, similar to temperatures that now occur near the northern hardwood spruce-fir transition in the eastern United States.     

The chronology and stratigraphy of the alluvial terraces of the river Dane Valley,Cheshire, N.W. England

Three groups of alluvial terraces together with the modern floodplain mark the Postglacial development of the middle part of the Dane Valley, Cheshire. These are a High terrace group of late Pleistocene age, a Middle terrace group of late Pleistocene to early Holocene age, a Low terrace of mid–late Holocene age, and a modern (post ca. 1840 AD) floodplain. A chronology of erosion, deposition, and landform development since mid-Holocene times is established in this paper on the basis of terrace morphology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, soil analysis, magnetic mineral analysis, and four radiocarbon dates. After dissection of the Middle terrace during the early to mid-Holocene, a long period of lateral activity by the river was followed by a major aggradation phase, which formed the Low terrace surface. This was followed by dissection during the last ca. 300 years and the development of the modern floodplain since ca. 1840 AD. Various explanations for the changes during the Holocene are considered; the Low terrace aggradation appears to be related to a major phase of mediaeval soil erosion.     

The Pedagogical Benefits of Participatory GIS for Geographic Education

In this article, participatory GIS (PGIS) is explored and established as a powerful platform for geographic education. PGIS pedagogy can help educators meet diverse learning objectives pertaining to: (1) local knowledge and place-based thinking; (2) community engagement; (3) field mapping with geospatial technologies; (4) mixed-methods research; and (5) fostering of critical reflexivity in students. The discussion is supported with insights from multiple student-facilitated PGIS projects organized in rural Tanzania. There also is a thorough discussion of the challenges and caveats associated with involving students in PGIS projects, and a call for new research for assessing and advancing PGIS pedagogy.