Suspended sediment transport and deposition in a high arctic meromictic lake

A study of sedimentary processes and sediment yields in a high arctic meromictic lake (Lake C2, Taconite Inlet, Northern Ellesemere Island, Canada) was undertaken from May 1990 through August 1992 to understand the links between climatic controls, hydrology, and the laminated sediment record preserved in the lake. Understanding the relationships between processes and the sediment record is critical for interpreting the climatic significance of the laminated sediments in a region where high resolution climate proxy records are quite limited.Sediment transport to Lake C2 is dominated by fluvial processes. During the early part of the melt season slushflows transport sediment to the lake surface. Subsequently, suspended sediment is delivered to the lake by the main inlet stream and distributed lakeward by a plume emanating the main inlet channel. Due to the strong density stratification of the water column the plume distributes sediment downlake by overflows and interflows in the epilimnion. In general, overflows are generated by lower discharge events whereas interflows penetrate to the halocline during high discharge with increased suspended sediment concentration.Sediment trap analysis demonstrates that suspended sediment transport and deposition responds to diurnal through annual changes in stream discharge. Seasonal and annual sediment trap yields agree with average accumulation rates determined from varve thickness measurements and cumulative suspended sediment discharge from the main inlet stream indicating a close link between climatological, hydrological, and sedimentological controls and varve deposition.This is the fourth in a series of papers published in this issue on the Taconite Inlet Lakes Project. These papers were collected by Dr R. S. Bradley.     

Planning of Soil-Pore Water Sampling Campaigns Using Pesticide Transport Modeling

Soil-pore water sampling by suction lysimeters monitors the fate of soil contaminants as a function of depth and time. However, sampling campaigns must be planned to most effectively monitor the migration of contaminants with a minimum expenditure of resources. The vertical migration of pesticides was studied at two sites treated with systemic s-triazine herbicides and equipped with suction lysimeters. The measured concentrations were compared with those calculated by a simulation model. This modeling was based on the processes that control the transport and fate of pesticide within the soil. The usefulness of such a tool was demonstrated by the good approximation obtained for pesticide concentrations and arrival times. Moreover, the significant spatial variability of concentrations observed justifies the use of a stochastic approach in modeling that takes into account the spatial variability of soil parameters. Also, the rapid transformation of herbicides observed in unsaturated soil zones demonstrates the importance of taking into account the sum of the toxic residues when evaluating the fate of s-triazines in soil.     

Case Histories of Shallow Time Domain Electromagnetics in Environmental Site Assessment

Time domain electromagnetic (TDEM) soundings were utilized in site assessment studies for the purpose of accomplishing two objectives: (1) measuring the migration of brines from oil and gas field evaporation pits, and (2) mapping the continuity of clay strata. Both case histories are representative of common objectives in site assessment. The data for both examples were analyzed by one-dimensional ridge regression inversions.
Both case histories illustrate that TDEM is an effective method for determining the lateral and vertical resistivity distribution (geoelectric section) of the subsurface in the depth range from about 5 m to 100 m, and it is known from other investigations that depths of investigations up to 2500 m can be achieved with TDEM.
Frequently, the lateral extent of contaminant plumes emanating from localized sources are of limited areal extent. The case history involving the use of TDEM to map a brine plume shows that a TDEM measurement has a relatively small zone of influence, so that meaningful information about the lateral and vertical extent of the plume can be obtained. Both case histories demonstrate the ability of TDEM to determine geoelectric sections below layers of low resistivity.     

Long-term drainage evolution in the shoalhaven catchment,southeast highlands,Australia

The long-term evolution of streams in the Shoalhaven catchment of southeast New South Wales has been a contentious issue for decades. Several authors have suggested that the Shoalhaven River was captured at the sharp eastward bend near Tallong: this has been used as evidence for the westward migration of the east Australian divide in this area. Other workers, however, have argued that capture did not occur and that the location of the divide has been stable throughout the Tertiary. A vast sheet of sediments which spread across and infill a palaeovalley network cut into a broad undulating plain in the middle Shoalhaven catchment provides a record of stream behaviour since at least the start of the Tertiary. This record shows that the Shoalhaven River and many of its tributaries have maintained almost the same courses since at least the very Early Tertiary. This provides strong evidence against the capture hypothesis. The record further suggests that during the Paleogene these streams were graded to a level within the southeast Australian highlands; their depths of incision thus cannot be used as evidence for the extent of uplift of the southeast Australian highlands during this time.     

Pounding of buildings modelled by an impact oscillator

Pounding of adjacent buildings is modelled by an impact oscillator subjected to harmonic excitation. Non-linear impact stiffness is represented by a Hertz-type relationship. Spectra of impact velocity are presented for a range of model parameters. These spectra are characterized by a strong peak near a period equal to one half the natural period of a similar non-impacting oscillator. Bands of response are found in which periodic multiple impacts and non-periodic or chaotic impacts occur.     

Delivery of upper-basin sediment to the lower neuse river,North Carolina,U.S.A.

Extensive storage of upper-basin Piedmont sediment and apparent low sediment supply to streams in lower-basin Coastal Plain areas generates questions as to the source of alluvium in lower reaches of rivers of the U.S. Atlantic drainage. This was investigated on the Neuse River, North Carolina, using a mineralogical indicator of sediment source areas. The utility of mica flakes for discriminating between Piedmont and non-Piedmont sources of sediment in the lower Coastal Plain reaches of the Neuse was established on the basis of an examination of the U.S. National Soils Database and of 26 soil surveys of the North Carolina Coastal Plain. From the Neuse River estuary to 48 km upstream there are no mica flakes in floodplain soils or in river bank and channel shelf sediments. Mica flakes become more common upstream. This suggests that a very small proportion of the sediment eroded in the Piedmont portion of the watershed is delivered to the river mouth. The small amounts which presumably do reach the lower Coastal Plain are so diluted by Coastal Plain-derived alluvium that no Piedmont origin can be discerned. This demonstrates a dominantly Coastal Plain source and underscores the importance of storage and discontinuous transport in fluvial sediment systems. More importantly, results suggest that upper- and lower-basin sediment dynamics are not only non-linearly related, but may be virtually decoupled.     

Land degradation impacts on tropical agricultural basins and their management: the Nigerian example

This study uses the fault-tree technique to identify the major effects of land degradation caused by the adoption of a malfunctioning shifting cultivation technology for food production in tropical basins. Through reference to existing empirical research, the sequence of events in the process of degradation of the Nigerian agricultural basins and the adjoining river systems was identified and related to the appropriate causal agent. A complete picture of the cost of land degradation goes beyond the degraded terrain and includes damage in areas where there is an unloading of large quantities of run-off and sediments. The causal pathway showed that existing land degradation management policies have focused on the symptoms rather than on the cause of the degradation process. Through a thorough examination of those malfunctioning components of the traditional farming technology, appropriate management strategies are proferred. An institutional organization for land degradation management in Nigeria which includes the federal, state and local governments is strongly recommended.     

Time dependence of magnetic susceptibility of soil chronosequences on the California coast

As the age of the soils in a chronosequence on the California coast increases, the difference between the magnetic susceptibility of eluvial and illuvial horizons increases, and the residual susceptibility after extraction with citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite (CBD) decreases. Enhanced susceptibility results from the conversion of nonferrimagnetic minerals to secondary ferrimagnetic forms (most likely maghemite) and the preferential accumulation of inherited and pedogenic magnetic minerals. Little enhancement occurs for pedons younger than 40,000 yr. By 124,000 yr, most of the magnetic susceptibility can be attributed to forms soluble in CBD. Magnetic susceptibility appears to vary systematically over time for three chronosequences from areas with mean annual precipitation ranging from 650 to 1500 mm yr⁻¹. Magnetic susceptibility enhancement may be a useful parameter for estimating soil age in certain climates.