Longitudinal velocity patterns and bed morphology interaction in a rill

Present‐day understanding of rill dynamics is hampered by a lack of detailed data on velocity distributions in rills. The latter are dif?cult to collect with traditional techniques due to the very low water depths and the relatively high ?ow velocities in rills. The objectives of this paper were to investigate the feasibility of miniaturized acoustic Doppler velocimeter (mADV) measurements in rill ?ow and to explore longitudinal variations in ?ow velocities and their relationship with rill bed morphology. Detailed data on longitudinal ?ow velocity were required to achieve these objectives. A 1·8 m long rill was formed freely in a ?ume at 5° slope and 0·001 m³ s^?1 discharge. Rill topography was characterized by an alternation of steps and pools. The ?ume surface was then ?xed to preserve rill roughness. A topographical scanning of the entire ?ume surface was made. Velocity was measured with a mADV along the rill, and at different depths. Flow depth in a longitudinal direction was also measured using an elevation gauge. A strong relationship exists between rill topography and ?ow hydraulics. Over steps, ?ow was unidirectional and rapidly accelerating until a threshold Froude number (Fn) value between 1·3 and 1·7 was reached and a hydraulic jump occurred leading to the formation of a pool. In the pool, the ?ow pattern was multidirectional and complex. The ?ow was subcritical when leaving the pool and accelerated over the next step until the threshold Froude number value was again reached. Energy loss in the rill was concentrated in the pools, mainly due to the action of a hydraulic jump. This mechanism of energy dissipation appeared to be an essential factor in rill formation and bedform evolution. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Radar facies of paraglacial barrier systems: coastal New England, USA

Analysis of a large data base of ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) profiles from both natural and developed paraglacial barriers along the coast of New England has allowed identification of eight reflection configurations that characterize this type of mid- to high-latitude coastal environment. Bedrock anchor points yield primarily hyperbolic configurations, whereas glacial anchor points and sediment-source areas are characterized by chaotic, parallel, and tangential-oblique configurations. Beaches and dunes produce predominantly sigmoidal oblique, hummocky, reflection-free, and bounding-surface configurations. Back-barrier sediments may yield basin-fill configurations, but generally include abundant signal-attenuating units.
The GPR data, calibrated with information from cores, were collected across swash-aligned and drift-aligned barriers in a variety of wave- and tidal-energy settings. Application of a 120-MHz antenna, as used in this study, enables portrayal of a range of sedimentary units, from individual bedforms (on single records) to entire barrier elements (using large numbers of intersecting GPR sections), at maximum vertical resolutions that vary between 0·2 m and 0·7 m.
The most important drawback of GPR in the coastal environment is attenuation of the electromagnetic (EM) signal by layers of salt-marsh peat or by brackish or salty groundwater, primarily along barrier edges. This disadvantage is offset by many benefits. Data can be collected at rates of several km per day, making GPR an excellent reconnaissance tool. A core that is used in the calibration of GPR data can be matched with great accuracy to its position on the complementary GPR record, allowing detailed correlation between lithostratigraphy and reflection configuration.     

The binary star population of the young cluster NGC 1818 in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We determine the binary star fraction as a function of radius in NGC 1818, a young rich cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud, using Hubble Space Telescope images in bands F336W (∼ U ) and F555W (∼ V ). Our sample includes binaries with M _primary ∼ 2–5.5 M_⊙ and M _secondary ≳ 0.7 M_primary. The binary fraction increases towards the cluster centre, from ∼ 20 ± 5 per cent in the outer parts, to ∼ 35 ± 5 per cent inside the core. This increase is consistent with dynamical mass segregation and need not be primordial. We compare our results with expectations from N -body models, and discuss the implications for the formation and early evolution of such clusters.     

Convective scaling of the average dissipation rate of temperature variance in the atmospheric surface layer

The flux of sensible heat from the land surface is related to the average rate of dissipation of temperature fluctuations in the atmospheric surface layer through the temperature variance budget equation. In many cases it is desirable to estimate the heat flux from measurement or inference of the dissipation rate. Here we study how the dissipation rate scales with atmospheric stability, using three inertial range methods to calculate the dissipation rate: power spectra, second order structure functions, and third order structure functions. Experimental data are analyzed from a pair of field experiments, during which turbulent fluctuations of velocity and temperature were measured over a broad range of neutral and unstable atmospheric flows. It is shown that the temperature dissipation rate scales with a single convective power law continuously from near-neutral to strongly unstable stratification. The dissipation scaling is found to nearly match production in the near-neutral region, but to be consistently lower than production in the more convective regimes. The convective scaling is shown to offer a simplified means of computing sensible heat flux from the dissipation rate of temperature variance.Also at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MarylandAlso at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico.     

Oxygen-containing functional groups in land-derived humic acids—I. Evaluation by derivatization methods

Determinations of reactive oxygen-containing functional groups were performed by usual chemical derivatization methods of four humic acids isolated from soils and deltaic sediments. Statistical tests and calculations based on elemental analysis demonstrated the validity and limits of these techniques and allowed us to identify from 60 to 71% of the total humic oxygen. Oxygen budgets of humic acids are discussed.     

Oxygen-containing functional groups in land-derived humic acids—II. Changes in the oxygen distribution of humic acids during early diagenesis as revealed by derivatization methods

Extensive functional group analyses were performed on humic acids representative of eight increasing depth levels from a core drilled in the Mahakam delta (East Kalimantan, Indonesia). Oxygen amounts decrease observed during early diagenesis was related chiefly to loss of hydroxyl (lignol?) groups. Comparison between upper and deeper levels shows the following variations: hydroxyl group abundances go from 19 to 6% of humic oxygen. Identified functional groups amounts represent 47 to 32% of weight of moisture- and ash-free humic acids. No evidence of decarboxylation of humic material was detected.     

Effects of a variety of impacts on seagrass restoration in Jamaica

For the first time seagrass rehabilitation was attempted in a tropical nation, Jamaica. Repairs to a variety of developmental impact types were attempted with test plots: dredge and fill, bauxite and oil spills, channelization, urban run-off, urban sewage, river bulkheading, jetty construction and artificial beach, industrial lagoons, saline lagoons, thermal effluents, and cement tailings. Three species were routinely planted (Thalassia testudinum, Halodule wrightii, Syringodium filiforme) plus Ruppia maritima in saline lagoons, each by two planting techniques. Types of damage which were successfully attempted to be restored for the first time were from heated wastes, bauxite spills, jettied river mouths, small scale oil spills, and diluted urban wastes. Types of pollution damage previously repaired in subtropics and temperate zones, which could be successfully repaired in the tropics also were dredge and fill and urban run-off. Erosion seagrass restoration repair was partially successful at some sites. Attempts to repair high salinity lagoons (up to 160‰) and cement tailings were unsuccessful. Functional species were found which could tolerate ongoing pollutant loads in some cases.