Sources of debris flow material in burned areas

The vulnerability of recently burned areas to debris flows has been well established. Likewise, it has been shown that many, if not most, post-fire debris flows are initiated by runoff and erosion and grow in size through erosion and scour by the moving debris flow, as opposed to landslide-initiated flows with little growth. To better understand the development and character of these flows, a study has been completed encompassing 46 debris flows in California, Utah, and Colorado, in nine different recently burned areas. For each debris flow, progressive debris production was measured at intervals along the length of the channel, and from these measurements graphs were developed showing cumulative volume of debris as a function of channel length. All 46 debris flows showed significant bulking by scour and erosion, with average yield rates for each channel ranging from 0.3 to 9.9 m³ of debris produced for every meter of channel length, with an overall average value of 2.5 m³/m. Significant increases in yield rate partway down the channel were identified in 87% of the channels, with an average of a three-fold increase in yield rate. Yield rates for short reaches of channels (up to several hundred meters) ranged as high as 22.3 m³/m. Debris was contributed from side channels into the main channels for 54% of the flows, with an average of 23% of the total debris coming from those side channels. Rill erosion was identified for 30% of the flows, with rills contributing between 0.1 and 10.5% of the total debris, with an average of 3%. Debris was deposited as levees in 87% of the flows, with most of the deposition occurring in the lower part of the basin. A median value of 10% of the total debris flow was deposited as levees for these cases, with a range from near zero to nearly 100%. These results show that channel erosion and scour are the dominant sources of debris in burned areas, with yield rates increasing significantly partway down the channel. Side channels are much more important sources of debris than rills. Levees are very common, but the size and effect on the amount of debris that reaches a canyon mouth is highly variable.     

The Bartonian unit stratotype (S. England): Assessment of its correlation problems and potential

The problems of correlation of strata belonging to the unit Bartonian Stage in its type area of the Hampshire Basin, UK, are reviewed. These problems involve not only correlation outside the Hampshire Basin, through biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy, but also within the basin in terms of understanding patterns of facies distributions and reliability of local biostratigraphy. On the basis of a combination of calcareous nannoplankton, dinoflagellate cyst and magnetostratigraphic evidence, the base of the type unit Bartonian lies within Chron C18r. However, no reliable biostratigraphic indicators have yet been found to allow a more precise correlation of the base. It is suggested that more detailed microfossil and palaeomagnetic sampling at key sites could resolve these problems in order to help further the quest for an appropriate Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Bartonian Stage.     

From krill to convenience stores: Forecasting the economic and ecological effects of fisheries management on the US West Coast

There is a need to better understand the linkages between marine ecosystems and the human communities and economies that depend on these systems. Here those linkages are drawn for the California Current on the US West Coast, by combining a fishery ecosystem model (Atlantis) with an economic model (IO-PAC) that traces how changes in seafood landings impact the broader economy. The potential effects of broad fisheries management options are explored, including status quo management, switching effort from trawl to other gears, and spatial management scenarios. Relative to Status Quo, the other scenarios here involved short-term ex-vessel revenue losses, primarily to the bottom trawl fleet. Other fleets, particularly the fixed gear fleet that uses pots and demersal longlines, gained revenue in some scenarios, though spatial closures of Rockfish Conservation Areas reduced revenue to fixed gear fleets. Processor and wholesaler revenue tracked trends in the bottom trawl fleet, which accounted for 58% of total landings by value. Income impacts (employee compensation and earnings of business owners) on the broader economy mirrored the revenue trends. The long-term forecast (15 years) from the Atlantis ecosystem model predicted substantial stock rebuilding and increases in fleet catch. The 15 year projection of Status Quo suggested an additional ∼$27 million in revenue for the fisheries sectors, and an additional $23 million in income and 385 jobs in the broader economy, roughly a 25% increase. Linking the ecological and economic models here has allowed evaluation of fishery management policies using multiple criteria, and comparison of potential economic and conservation trade-offs that stem from management actions.     

Protein expression signatures identified in Mytilus edulis exposed to PCBs, copper and salinity stress.

Applied to environmental toxicology, proteome analysis may be used to isolate chemical-specific protein expression signatures (PES). In this project specific PES were isolated in mussels, Mytilus edulis, from the Baltic Sea subjected in the laboratory to treatment with copper (70 ppb), Aroclor 1248 (1 ppb), and to lowered salinity. Four mussels in each treatment group were acclimated in the laboratory for 24 h before beginning the 7-day exposure. Whole body tissue was homogenized and separated using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The protein gels were scanned to TIFF files and compared using MELANIE II 2D gel analysis software (BioRad). Protein expression signatures including proteins induced and repressed by exposure were isolated for each treatment group. The specificity of PES due to environmental changes shows promise in bioindication, toxicity testing and in helping identify possible toxicity mechanisms.     

Characteristics of a stable are based on FAST and MIRACLE observations

A stable evening sector are is studied using observations from the FAST satellite at 1250 km altitude and the MIRACLE ground-based network, which contains all-sky cameras, coherent radars (STARE), and magnetometers. Both FAST and STARE observe a northward electric field region of about 200 km width and a field magnitude of about 50 mV/m southward of the arc, which is a typical signature for an evening-sector arc. The field-aligned current determined from FAST electron and magnetometer data are in rather good agreement within the arcs. Outside the arcs, the electron data misses the current carriers of the downward FAC probably because it is mainly carried by electrons of smaller energy than the instrument threshold. Studying the westward propagation speed of small undulations associated with the arc using the all-sky cameras gives a velocity of about 2 km//s. This speed is higher than the background ionospheric plasma speed (about 1 km//s), but it agrees rather well with the idea originally proposed by Davis that the undulations reflect an E × B motion in the acceleration region. The ground magnetograms indicate that the main current flows slightly south of the arc. Computing the ionospheric conductivity from FAST electron data and using the ground magnetograms to estimate the current yields an ionospheric electric field pattern, in rather good agreement with FAST results.     

Late quaternary sea‐level changes,crustal movements and coastal evolution in Northumberland,UK

Northumberland lies in the transition between Holocene emergence and submergence and is thus a critical zone for testing models of isostatic rebound. We have collected data from this area to reconstruct relative sea‐level changes and lateral coastline movements for the last 14000 y. These are deposits from tidal marsh, back‐barrier wetland and terrestrial environments producing 47 sea‐level index points from 12 sites. There is no unequivocal evidence for Late Devensian sea levels above present and the reliable sea‐level index points are restricted between −6 m and +2.5 m relative to present and 9.0–2.5 kyr cal. BP. Analysis of these quantifies differential responses to glacio‐ and hydroisostatic rebound, with the northern sites recording a mid‐Holocene sea‐level maximum ca. 2.5 m above present, whereas the southern sites show a maximum ca. 0.5 m above present. These observations show a reasonable fit with the predictions from quantitative models of glacio and hydroisostatic rebound, but there is currently no unique solution of Earth and ice model parameters that will explain all the sea‐level observations. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Biotite dissolution and Cr(VI) reduction at elevated pH and ionic strength

The effects of elevated pH, ionic strength, and temperature on sediments in the vadose zone are of primary importance in modeling contaminant transport and understanding the environmental impact of tank leakage at nuclear waste storage facilities like those of the Hanford site. This study was designed to investigate biotite dissolution under simulated high level waste (HLW) conditions and its impact on Cr(VI) reduction and immobilization. Biotite dissolution increased with NaOH concentrations in the range of 0.1 to 2 mol L^-1. There was a corresponding release of K, Fe, Si, and Al to solution, with Si and Al showing a complex pattern due to the formation of secondary zeolite minerals. Dissolved Fe concentrations were an order of magnitude lower than the other elements, possibly due to the formation of green rust and Fe(OH)₂. The reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) also increased with increased NaOH concentration. A homogeneous reduction of chromate by Fe(II)_aq released through biotite dissolution was probably the primary pathway responsible for this reaction. Greater ionic strengths increased biotite dissolution and consequently increased Fe(II)_aq release and Cr(VI) removal. The results indicated that HLW would cause phyllosilicate dissolution and the formation of secondary precipitates that would have a major impact on radionuclide and contaminant transport in the vadose zone at the Hanford site.     

气候变暖条件下,中(高)亚洲地区不稳定型冻土的巨大挑战和创新解决方案:——来自首届亚洲冻土大会及会后青藏高原考察的总结报告

首届亚洲冻土大会于2006年8月5~16日在兰州、青藏线和拉萨顺利召开.大会讨论主要包括以下5个议题:1)冻土工程;2)山区和高原冻融灾害及冰缘环境;3)冰冻圈的气候与环境条件;4)冻土水文、寒区水资源及土地利用,和;5)冻土监测、制图及模拟.国内论文大多集中于青藏铁路各种科技创新和工程(示范)建设方面.中亚冻土分类、制图和监测研讨会明确了制定统一的中亚地区冻土图的计划和实施方案.会议期间,国内主要新闻媒体对全球15位著名冻土学家进行了联合采访.大约80位中外代表参加了青藏(公)铁路沿线考察,并于8月15日在拉萨举行青藏铁路工程和环境问题讨论会.专家一致认为,青藏铁路所采取的冻土工程措施基本上是恰当、有效的,能够保证青藏铁路路基的长期稳定性.但是,沿线寒区环境保护问题还任重道远,需要尽快进行综合管(治)理,以达到青藏地区社会经济和谐、持续发展的目标.     

The Environment Act 1995 and quiet enjoyment: implications for countryside recreation in the national parks of England and Wales, UK

Summary National parks in England and Wales have traditionally been seen as places of quiet, less hurried recreation. The phrase 'quiet enjoyment' was adopted to represent this notion, and this paper traces the policy-making process involved in attempting to conserve this view. The debate during the enactment of the Environment Act 1995 brought the use and meaning of the phrase to prominence; amongst other issues, the use of the phrase in tenancy law precluded its use in legislation. The loss of the phrase 'quiet enjoyment' could have prolonged effects on the way in which national parks are used for recreational purposes.