Performance evaluation of three DEM‐based fluvial terrace mapping methods

The availability of high‐resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) surveys has spurred the development of several methods to identify and map fluvial terraces. The post‐glacial landscape of the Sheepscot River watershed, Maine, where land‐use change has produced fill terraces upstream of historic dam sites, was selected to implement a comparison between terrace mapping methodologies. At four study sites within the watershed, terraces were manually mapped on LiDAR‐DEM‐derived hillshade images to facilitate the comparison among fully and semi‐automated DEM‐based procedures, including: (1) spatial relationships between interpreted terraces and surrounding natural topography, (2) feature classification algorithms, and (3) the TerEx terrace mapping toolbox. Each method was evaluated based on its accuracy and ease of implementation. The four study sites have varying longitudinal slope (0.0008–0.006 m/m), channel width (< 5–30 m), surrounding landscape relief (20–80 m), type and density of surrounding land use, and mapped surficial geologic units. All methods generally overestimate terrace areas (average predicted area 210% of manually defined area) with the most accurate results achieved within confined river valleys surrounded by the steep hillslopes. Accuracy generally decreases for study sites surrounded by low‐relief landscapes (predicted areas ranged 4–953% of manual delineations). We conclude with the advantages and drawbacks of each method tested and make recommendations for the scenarios where the use of each method is most appropriate. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of Holocene barrier-island evolution on water-table elevations, Hatteras Island, North Carolina, USA

 On Hatteras Island, North Carolina, USA, complex stratigraphy results from surficial sediments being superimposed on an inherited Pleistocene platform. Numerical simulations used to simulate water-table profiles on the island illustrate the influence that the complex stratigraphy has on water-table elevations. Field data consist of water-table profiles collected from a cross-island transect of wells. These profiles show unusually high water-table elevations in the south-central portion of Hatteras Island. Geophysical data are used to constrain the subsurface stratigraphy. Simple analytical solutions to the groundwater flow equation using laterally varying recharge rates cannot match mean water-table profiles. More complex numerical simulations, which do match the profiles, indicate that the elevated water levels result from a low-permeability unit that extends several kilometers along the longitudinal axis of the island. Island geomorphology and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data suggest that this unit is a former interdunal wetland that has been buried by a series of parabolic dunes. Received, September 1999 / Revised, March 2000 / Accepted, March 2000     

Comparative genetic structure in two high-dispersal prawn species from the south-west Indian Ocean

The penaeid prawns Fenneropenaeus indicus and Metapenaeus monoceros support shallow-water prawn fisheries in the south-west Indian Ocean. They are sympatric and have similar life histories, including developmental stages that depend on estuarine and marine habitats and a short dispersal duration. Nevertheless, M. monoceros juveniles display a more generalist habitat preference in estuaries and recruit to offshore habitats during a different season than F. indicus. We hypothesised that these differences would affect dispersal patterns, leading to dissimilar geographic genetic structure between the two taxa. Given their short dispersal phase, we also hypothesised that the Mozambique Channel would form a barrier to dispersal between the southeastern African mainland and Madagascar sites. Population differentiation was assessed based on analysis of mitochondrial DNA control-region sequences. Both species displayed high haplotype and low nucleotide diversity. Pairwise ?_ST statistics supported the existence of admixed populations along the African mainland sites for both species, with geographic distance isolating populations at the extremes of the sampled range (Kenya and east coast of South Africa). The Madagascar population differed significantly from African mainland populations. The concordant patterns in population differentiation suggest that F. indicus and M. monoceros can be considered as single African stocks, or fisheries management units.     

Petrography and geochemistry of eclogites from the Mir kimberlite,Yakutia, Russia

 Diamond-bearing eclogites are an important component of the xenoliths that occur in the Mir kimberlite, Siberian platform, Russia. We have studied 16 of these eclogite xenoliths, which are characterized by coarse-grained, equigranular garnet and omphacite. On the basis of compositional variations in garnet and clinopyroxene, this suite of eclogites can be divided into at least two groups: a high-Ca group and a low-Ca group. The high-Ca group consists of high-Ca garnets in equilibrium with pyroxenes that have high Ca-ratios [Ca/(Ca+Fe+Mg)] and high jadeite contents. These high-Ca group samples have high modal% garnet, and garnet grains often are zoned. Garnet patches along rims and along amphibole- and phlogopite-filled veins have higher Mg and lower Ca contents compared to homogeneous cores. The low-Ca group consists of eclogites with low-Ca garnets in equilibrium with pyroxenes with a low Ca-ratio, but variable jadeite contents. These low-Ca group samples typically have low modal% of garnet, and garnets are rarely compositionally zoned. Three samples have mineralogic compositions and modes transitional to the high- and low-Ca groups. We have arbitrarily designated these samples as the intermediate-Ca group. The rare-earth-element (REE) contents of garnet and clinopyroxene have been determined by ion microprobe. Garnets from the low-Ca group have low LREE contents and typically have [Dy/Yb]_n < 1. The high-Ca group garnets have higher LREE contents and typically have [Dy/Yb]_n > 1. Garnets from the intermediate-Ca group have REE contents between the high- and low-Ca groups. Clinopyroxenes from the low-Ca group have convex-upward REE patterns with relatively high REE contents (ten times chondrite), whereas those from the high-Ca group have similar convex-upward shapes, but lower REE contents, approximately chondritic. Reconstructed bulk-rock REE patterns for the low-Ca group eclogites are relatively flat at approximately ten times chondrite. In contrast, the high-Ca group samples typically have LREE-depleted patterns and lower REE contents. The δ¹⁸O values measured for garnet separates range from 7.2 to 3.1‰. Although there is a broad overlap of δ¹⁸O between the low-Ca and high-Ca groups, the low-Ca group samples range from mantle-like to high δ¹⁸O values (4.9 to 7.2‰), and the high-Ca group garnets range from mantle-like to low δ¹⁸O values (5.3 to 3.1‰). The oxygen isotopic compositions of two of the five high-Ca group samples and four of the eight low-Ca group eclogites are consistent with seawater alteration of basaltic crust, with the low-Ca group eclogites representative of low-temperature alteration, and the high-Ca group samples representative of high-temperature hydrothermal seawater alteration. We interpret the differences between the low- and high-Ca group samples to be primarily a result of differences in the protoliths of these samples. The high-Ca group eclogites are interpreted to have protoliths similar to the mid to lower sections of an ophiolite complex. This section of oceanic crust would be dominated by rocks which have a significant cumulate component and would have experienced high-temperature seawater alteration. Such cumulate rocks probably would be LREE-depleted, and can be Ca-rich because of plagioclase or clinopyroxene accumulation. The protoliths of the low-Ca group eclogites are interpreted to be the upper section of an ophiolite complex. This section of oceanic crust would consist mainly of extrusive basalts that would have been altered by seawater at low temperatures. These basaltic lavas would probably have relatively flat REE patterns, as seen for the low-Ca group eclogites. Received: 10 July 1995 / Accepted: 17 May 1996     

Tax and trade: a hybrid climate policy instrument to control carbon prices and emissions

This article describes a ‘tax and trade' emission regulations system that controls both emission costs and emission quantities. Emitters are taxed at a fixed price on carbon emissions and the government uses the tax revenue to buy carbon offsets on existing emissions markets. Unlike a traditional carbon tax, regulated firms may also produce carbon credits which may be sold to the government. Thus, the government bears the compliance cost risk rather than an individual firm and has control over the number of offsets purchased and the effective emission reduction. This unusual form of hybrid has potential political advantages of creating an economic incentive on corporate choices (at the margin) substantially greater than the actual trading price, and with lower financial transfers than in most schemes.

Policy relevance

The article presents a hybrid carbon emissions system that adds to the growing discussion of hybrid policy instruments which could be implemented by policy makers, particularly in nations without current cap and trade policies.     

Two anisotropic layers in the Slave craton

Four years of recording global earthquakes using a broadband seismometer located at the Ekati diamond mine revealed variations with earthquake azimuth in the arrival of SKS phases. These variations can be modeled assuming two distinct layers of anisotropy in the lithosphere. The lower layer probably lies in the mantle, and the anisotropy aligns with both North American plate motion and the strike of mantle structures identified by previous conductivity and geochemical analyses, at ˜N50°E. The upper layer is hypothesized to result from regional structures in the uppermost mantle and the crust; these trends are distinct from the mantle trends.     

Seasonal temperature responses to land-use change in the western United States

In the western United States, more than 79 000 km² has been converted to irrigated agriculture and urban areas. These changes have the potential to alter surface temperature by modifying the energy budget at the land–atmosphere interface. This study reports the seasonally varying temperature responses of four regional climate models (RCMs) – RSM, RegCM3, MM5-CLM3, and DRCM – to conversion of potential natural vegetation to modern land-cover and land-use over a 1-year period. Three of the RCMs supplemented soil moisture, producing large decreases in the August mean (− 1.4 to − 3.1 °C) and maximum (− 2.9 to − 6.1 °C) 2-m air temperatures where natural vegetation was converted to irrigated agriculture. Conversion to irrigated agriculture also resulted in large increases in relative humidity (9% to 36% absolute change). Modeled changes in the August minimum 2-m air temperature were not as pronounced or consistent across the models. Converting natural vegetation to urban land-cover produced less pronounced temperature effects in all models, with the magnitude of the effect dependent upon the preexisting vegetation type and urban parameterizations. Overall, the RCM results indicate that the temperature impacts of land-use change are most pronounced during the summer months, when surface heating is strongest and differences in surface soil moisture between irrigated land and natural vegetation are largest.     

ESTIMATION OF ERRORS IN ABSORBANCE RATIO MEASUREMENTS

Ratio measurements are commonly used to address a variety of analytical problems in environmental,forensic and pharmaceutical laboratories.In absorbance ratioing techniques,analytical chemists rely onthe spectral features of the analyte(s)of interest.The absorbances at two wavelengths are monitored andthe ratio of these two absorbances is computed.This ratio is then used to confirm the identity of theanalyte(s)of interest,the purity of a product or the overlap of chromatographic peaks.These decisionsoften have far-reaching consequences(e.g.the identification of the source,biogenic or petrogenic,ofhydrocarbons in biological tissues or water).Given the cost and the liabilities associated with suchdecisions,it is unfortunate that these ratios are seldom reported with any statistical confidence.Thepurpose of this study is to delineate the parameters that affect absorbance ratio measurements.Themodels that can be used to estimate the statistical confidence in these measurements are derived andevaluated experimentally.The results show that these models can estimate the relative standard deviationsin absorbance ratios accurately.They can also estimate the effect of signal-to-noise ratio and the choiceof wavelengths on the precision of absorbance ratios.     

Carbon pools in an arid shrubland in Chile under natural and afforested conditions

The pattern of carbon (C) allocation among the different pools is an important ecosystem structural feature, which can be modified as a result of changes in environmental conditions that can occur gradually (e.g., climatic change) or abruptly (e.g., management practices). This study quantified the C pools of plant biomass, litter and soil in an arid shrubland in Chile, comparing the natural condition (moderately disturbed by grazing) vs. the afforested condition (two-year-old plantation with Acacia saligna (Labill.) H.L. Wendl.), each represented by a 60 ha plot. To estimate plant biomass, allometric functions were constructed for the four dominant woody species, based on the volume according to their shape, which showed high correlation (R² > 0.73). The soil was the largest C pool in both natural and afforested conditions (89% and 94%, respectively) and was significantly lower in the afforested than natural condition at all five soil depths. The natural condition had in total 36.5 ton (t) C ha⁻¹ compared to 21.1 t C ha⁻¹ in the afforested condition, mainly due to C loss during soil preparation, prior to plantation of A. saligna. These measurements serve as an important baseline to assess long-term effects of afforestation on ecosystem C pools.     

The effects of boreal forest expansion on the summer Arctic frontal zone

Over the last 100?years, Arctic warming has resulted in a longer growing season in boreal and tundra ecosystems. This has contributed to a slow northward expansion of the boreal forest and a decrease in the surface albedo. Corresponding changes to the surface and atmospheric energy budgets have contributed to a broad region of warming over areas of boreal forest expansion. In addition, mesoscale and synoptic scale patterns have changed as a result of the excess energy at and near the surface. Previous studies have identified a relationship between the positioning of the boreal forest-tundra ecotone and the Arctic frontal zone in summer. This study examines the climate response to hypothetical boreal forest expansion and its influence on the summer Arctic frontal zone. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting model over the Northern Hemisphere, an experiment was performed to evaluate the atmospheric response to expansion of evergreen and deciduous boreal needleleaf forests into open shrubland along the northern boundary of the existing forest. Results show that the lower surface albedo with forest expansion leads to a local increase in net radiation and an average hemispheric warming of 0.6°C at and near the surface during June with some locations warming by 1–2°C. This warming contributes to changes in the meridional temperature gradient that enhances the Arctic frontal zone and strengthens the summertime jet. This experiment suggests that continued Northern Hemisphere high-latitude warming and boreal forest expansion might contribute to additional climate changes during the summer.