Observations and Impacts from the 2010 Chilean and 2011 Japanese Tsunamis in California (USA)

The coast of California was significantly impacted by two recent teletsunami events, one originating off the coast of Chile on February 27, 2010 and the other off Japan on March 11, 2011. These tsunamis caused extensive inundation and damage along the coast of their respective source regions. For the 2010 tsunami, the NOAA West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center issued a state-wide Tsunami Advisory based on forecasted tsunami amplitudes ranging from 0.18 to 1.43 m with the highest amplitudes predicted for central and southern California. For the 2011 tsunami, a Tsunami Warning was issued north of Point Conception and a Tsunami Advisory south of that location, with forecasted amplitudes ranging from 0.3 to 2.5 m, the highest expected for Crescent City. Because both teletsunamis arrived during low tide, the potential for significant inundation of dry land was greatly reduced during both events. However, both events created rapid water-level fluctuations and strong currents within harbors and along beaches, causing extensive damage in a number of harbors and challenging emergency managers in coastal jurisdictions. Field personnel were deployed prior to each tsunami to observe and measure physical effects at the coast. Post-event survey teams and questionnaires were used to gather information from both a physical effects and emergency response perspective. During the 2010 tsunami, a maximum tsunami amplitude of 1.2 m was observed at Pismo Beach, and over $3-million worth of damage to boats and docks occurred in nearly a dozen harbors, most significantly in Santa Cruz, Ventura, Mission Bay, and northern Shelter Island in San Diego Bay. During the 2011 tsunami, the maximum amplitude was measured at 2.47 m in Crescent City Harbor with over $50-million in damage to two dozen harbors. Those most significantly affected were Crescent City, Noyo River, Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, and southern Shelter Island. During both events, people on docks and near the ocean became at risk to injury with one fatality occurring during the 2011 tsunami at the mouth of the Klamath River. Evaluations of maximum forecasted tsunami amplitudes indicate that the average percent error was 38 and 28 % for the 2010 and 2011 events, respectively. Due to these recent events, the California tsunami program is developing products that will help: (1) the maritime community better understand tsunami hazards within their harbors, as well as if and where boats should go offshore to be safe, and (2) emergency managers develop evacuation plans for relatively small “Warning” level events where extensive evacuation is not required. Because tsunami-induced currents were responsible for most of the damage in these two events, modeled current velocity estimates should be incorporated into future forecast products from the warning centers.     

Phytoplankton Productivity and Photophysiology in the Surf Zone of Sandy Beaches in North Carolina, USA

Measurements of primary production in surf-zone habitats are relatively rare and often utilize simulation approaches, owing to the physical challenges of working in surf. The study reported here examined primary production in situ at two open ocean sandy beaches in southeastern North Carolina during relatively calm summer conditions. In situ bottle incubations using ¹⁴C uptake methods were complemented by simultaneous measures of phytoplankton photo-physiology assessed by Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometry (FRRF) in flow-through mode at the two sites across a spring-neap tidal cycle in July, 2010. The surf-zone phytoplankton was dominated by small centric and pennate diatoms as well as cyanobacteria and chlorophytes with biomass concentrations of 3.63?C9.23?mg chl a m^?3. Primary productivity was relatively high, ranging from 31.5?C88.0?mg?C?m^?3?h^?1 by ¹⁴C. Biomass-specific productivity averaged ??9.4?mg C (mg chl a)^?1?h^?1 by ¹⁴C, indicating healthy phytoplankton populations. Measurements of the functional absorption cross section of photosystem II, ??_PSII, via FRRF were 327?C380, comparable to values reported by other investigators of open ocean phytoplankton. Averaged values of the maximum effective quantum yield, F _v/F _m, corresponded to proportions of photochemically competent PSII reaction centers of 62.6?% to 72?%, indicating that the phytoplankton were nutrient-replete. These data suggest that the surf zone, although a spatially confined habitat, is a productive one that plays a significant role in coastal ocean ecology. Further investigation is needed to better understand primary productivity of phytoplankton in the surf zone and the effect of the dynamic environment on their physiological responses.     

Scientists' warning on extreme wildfire risks to water supply

2020 is the year of wildfire records. California experienced its three largest fires early in its fire season. The Pantanal, the largest wetland on the planet, burned over 20% of its surface. More than 18 million hectares of forest and bushland burned during the 2019–2020 fire season in Australia, killing 33 people, destroying nearly 2500 homes, and endangering many endemic species. The direct cost of damages is being counted in dozens of billion dollars, but the indirect costs on water-related ecosystem services and benefits could be equally expensive, with impacts lasting for decades. In Australia, the extreme precipitation (“200 mm day −1 in several location”) that interrupted the catastrophic wildfire season triggered a series of watershed effects from headwaters to areas downstream. The increased runoff and erosion from burned areas disrupted water supplies in several locations. These post-fire watershed hazards via source water contamination, flash floods, and mudslides can represent substantial, systemic long-term risks to drinking water production, aquatic life, and socio-economic activity. Scenarios similar to the recent event in Australia are now predicted to unfold in the Western USA. This is a new reality that societies will have to live with as uncharted fire activity, water crises, and widespread human footprint collide all-around of the world. Therefore, we advocate for a more proactive approach to wildfire-watershed risk governance in an effort to advance and protect water security. We also argue that there is no easy solution to reducing this risk and that investments in both green (i.e., natural) and grey (i.e., built) infrastructure will be necessary. Further, we propose strategies to combine modern data analytics with existing tools for use by water and land managers worldwide to leverage several decades worth of data and knowledge on post-fire hydrology.     

Late Holocene Mediterranean coastal change along the Tiber Delta and Roman occupation of the Laurentine shore, central Italy

A line of Roman villas once dominated the Mediterranean coastline to the south of the Tiber river mouth near Ostia in central Italy. The Roman remains, which were constructed within a series of dune ridges, now lie up to 900 m from the current shoreline as a result of the continued evolution of the Tiber delta in response to postglacial sea level rise, sediment inputs from the Tiber river catchment and tectonic uplift. Infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) ages of potassium-rich feldspars extracted from dune sands are in good agreement with the independent age control provided by the Roman structures and allow us to hypothesise an increase in aggradation rates of five times since the end of the period of Roman occupation compared with the earlier Holocene.     

Demonstrating urban pollution using toxic metals of road dust and roadside soil in Chengdu,southwestern China

As one of the largest economical hubs in southwestern China, Chengdu is witnessing fast urbanization characterized by rapid urban sprawl, population growth, infrastructural construction, and motorization. However, this rapid urbanization may lead to environmental degradation, placing human health at risk. In this study, toxic metals in road dust and roadside soil are used as proxies to illustrate environmental changes of Chengdu. In August 2009, 133 dust and 132 soil samples were collected from the first, second and third ring roads, along which areas have urbanized for different times. By means of a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer, concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cu in the samples were determined. The results indicate that the concentrations and contamination levels of Pb, Zn and Cu in dust declined significantly from the first to the third ring roads, paralleling the decreasing trends in traffic and building densities from the first to the third ring roads. However, concentrations of the three elements in roadside soil were relatively stable among the roads. These data may suggest that the metals in road dust can be used as proxies to demonstrate environmental degradation during the urbanization of Chengdu, while concentrations of the metals in roadside soil are affected more by natural factors (e.g., background concentrations, precipitation, and distance to road) than by anthropogenic factors (e.g., traffic and building densities). Furthermore, compared to Pb concentrations measured in the 1990s, Pb concentrations in road dust have been reduced most likely owing to the exclusion of leaded petrol since 2000. Similar situations may be found in many other cities that are experiencing fast urbanization.     

Use of Multiple Chemical Tracers to Define Habitat Use of Indo-Pacific Mangrove Crab, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scylla Serrata</Emphasis> (Decapoda: Portunidae)

The mangrove or mud crab, Scylla serrata, is an important component of mangrove fisheries throughout the Indo-Pacific. Understanding crab diets and habitat use should assist in managing these fisheries and could provide additional justification for conservation of the mangrove ecosystem itself. We used multiple chemical tracers to test whether crab movements were restricted to local mangrove forests, or extended to include adjacent seagrass beds and reef flats. We sampled three mangrove forests on the island of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia at Lelu Harbor, Okat River, and Utwe tidal channel. Samples of S. serrata and likely food sources were analyzed for stable carbon (δ¹³C), nitrogen (δ¹⁵N), and sulfur (δ³⁴S) isotopes. Scylla serrata tissues also were analyzed for phosphorus (P), cations (K, Ca, Mg, Na), and trace elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and B). Discriminant analysis indicated that at least 87% of the crabs remain in each site as distinct populations. Crab stable isotope values indicated potential differences in habitat use within estuaries. Values for δ¹³C and δ³⁴S in crabs from Okat and Utwe were low and similar to values expected from animals feeding within mangrove forests, e.g., feeding on infauna that had average δ¹³C values near −26.5‰. In contrast, crabs from Lelu had higher δ¹³C and δ³⁴S values, with average values of −21.8 and 7.8‰, respectively. These higher isotope values are consistent with increased crab foraging on reef flats and seagrasses. Given that S. serrata have been observed feeding on adjacent reef and seagrass environments on Kosrae, it is likely that they move in and out of the mangroves for feeding. Isotope mixing model results support these conclusions, with the greatest mangrove ecosystem contribution to S. serrata diet occurring in the largest mangrove forests. Conserving larger island mangrove forests (> 1 km deep) appears to support crab foraging activities.     

Doing community geography

Community Geography offers researchers, community groups, and students opportunities to engage in action oriented applied geographical research. Creating and sustaining these research programs can be challenging, programs can involve many partners from both academic and the community, have different goals and purposes, and utilize a variety of methods to perform research. In this paper we offer a framework of three primary overarching principles for implementing CG projects; (1) Who, (2) Why, and (3) How. (1) “Who” describes who is involved in CG, including researchers, community partners, academic institutions, (2) “Why” describes the justifications and benefits of taking this approach. (3) “How” explains how CG borrows methodologies from many disciplines within geography and beyond. Our examples are not exhaustive; rather, they serve as starting points to inspire researchers interested in CG.

     

Scaling the ivory towers

David Clements and Amanda Baker report on the RAS Careers Session at the NAM 2001, which examined barriers to progress from fixed-term contract posts.     

Oxygen and Ethene Biostimulation for a Persistent Dilute Vinyl Chloride Plume

Contamination of groundwater with chlorinated ethenes is common and represents a threat to drinking water sources. Standard anaerobic bioremediation methods for the highly chlorinated ethenes PCE and TCE are not always effective in promoting complete degradation. In these cases, the target contaminants are degraded to the daughter products DCE and/or vinyl chloride. This creates an additional health risk, as vinyl chloride is even more toxic and carcinogenic than its precursors. New treatment modalities are needed to deal with this widespread environmental problem. We describe successful bioremediation of a large, migrating, dilute vinyl chloride plume in Massachusetts with an aerobic biostimulation treatment approach utilizing both oxygen and ethene. Initial microcosm studies showed that adding ethene under aerobic conditions stimulated the rapid degradation of VC in site groundwater. Deployment of a full‐scale treatment system resulted in plume migration cutoff and nearly complete elimination of above‐standard VC concentrations.     

DNA-based methods in paleolimnology: new opportunities for investigating long-term dynamics of lacustrine biodiversity

We reconstructed 150 years of ecological change in a shallow boreal lake located on the east shore of the Baltic Sea by integrating different types of environmental evidence: paleolimnological records (XRF-measured elements, fossil pigments and Cladocera assemblages), information from historical limnological surveys and archival maps. We assessed the role of biomanipulation by liming and fish-removal in the disappearance of submerged macrophytes, such as Lobelia dortmanna L., and their replacement by persistent cyanobacterial blooms. The combination of different strands of evidence revealed that the shift from macrophyte to cyanobacterial dominance was part of a long-term ecological response to eutrophication and increased sediment load from catchment disturbances. The findings demonstrate that a gradual loss of wetlands and increase of ditches in a catchment had a more significant effect on the lake ecosystem, compared to the direct, but short-term impact of biomanipulation. The study highlights the importance of catchment land-use and disturbance by ditches in changing the ecology of boreal water bodies. Also, it illustrates that a thorough understanding of the long-term ecosystem dynamics and differentiation among responses to multiple anthropogenic impacts are essential preconditions for addressing the deterioration of habitats and change in aquatic environments.