The influence of bend amplitude and planform morphology on flow and sedimentation in submarine channels

We present a series of experiments that investigate the morphology of sediment deposits within sinuous submarine channels of different sinuosity (S = 1.14–1.94) and planform (symmetric and asymmetric bends), generated by bedload-dominated turbidity current flows. Flows were generated by releasing dense saline gravity currents over a mobile sediment bed through pre-formed sinuous channels. Flows had a basal-outwards helicity and produced a characteristic bed morphology with point bars downstream of the bend apex at the inside of bends and scour at the outside of bends. An increasing loss of fluid through overspill with increasing channel sinuosity results in a decreasing magnitude of cross-stream velocity downstream, a decreasing amount of erosion and deposition, and decreasing transverse slopes of in-channel deposits. Basal fluid from within the channel is transported over the outer-levee at bends, implying that proximal outer-bend levee deposits will have similar sediment composition to that within the channel. More deposition of coarse material might be expected on levees and in overbank regions close to higher amplitude bends. No simple relationship was observed between superelevation and sinuosity, probably due to changes in the relative influences of downstream velocity and bend curvature on centrifugal force and inertial run-up. In the channel with the tightest initial bend curvature, overspill fluid from Bend 1 re-entered the channel at Bend 2, dominating flow characteristics and disrupting the basal-outwards helicity observed in the other channels. Higher sinuosity channels and those with shallow regional and levee slopes are thus more likely to have a higher proportion of anomalous flow and sedimentation patterns due to the influence of overspill fluid re-entry into the channel. The results of this investigation are combined with published observations to enable the synthesis of a new model for sedimentation in sinuous submarine channels.     

Partial amorphization of experimentally shocked plagioclase: A spectroscopic study

Shock amorphization of plagioclase, from partial to complete, has been used to evaluate the degree of shock in meteorites. Important information on the shock amplitude can be derived from the measurement of the refractive index in plagioclase, either from mineral separates or in petrographic thin sections. However, this technique is time‐consuming, and associated sample preparations are considered destructive and are not always possible for precious and rare meteorite samples. In addition, plagioclase amorphization is commonly inhomogeneous at the sample scale and a statistically meaningful number of grains must be considered. Here, we apply several nondestructive spectroscopic techniques, such as Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and cathodoluminescence, to plagioclase experimentally shocked at 28 GPa, and thus in the transition regime between crystalline plagioclase and fully amorphous material. Most of the plagioclase was transformed into diaplectic glass at 28 GPa, yet some grains exhibit heterogeneously distributed crystalline domains. This confirms that intrinsic and extrinsic factors lead to local variations in the intensity of the shock pressure within individual plagioclase crystals of homogeneous composition. The amorphization of plagioclase can qualitatively (and potentially also quantitatively) be investigated by spectroscopic techniques, highlighting such local variations in the shock efficiency.     

The Geospatial Semester: Concurrent Enrollment in Geospatial Technologies

Geospatial technologies are becoming more ubiquitous in our society; however, efforts to sustainably and effectively bring these tools to secondary education have proven challenging. An innovative program in Virginia, the geospatial semester (GSS), is described. The program offers high school students the opportunity to learn about geospatial technologies and apply them to local problems, and students can earn university credit. This article shares details of the program, along with examples of student work. Assessment of the program's impact shows that GSS students have increased spatial vocabularies and improved performance in making claims and providing evidence compared with non-GSS students.     

Arrest Rates during Natural Resource Development: Drilling,Drinking and Disorderly Conduct in the Marcellus Shale Region

Increased criminal activity has been linked to rapid natural resource development, particularly in rural areas. These “boomtowns” often experience rapid population growth, resulting in “social disruption”. This research examines one component of social disruption, crime, in the context of unconventional energy development in Pennsylvania. We employ quantitative longitudinal methods to examine the association between county-level arrest rates for four types of minor crimes and unconventional natural gas well density in Pennsylvania from 2005 to 2014 controlling for demographic and socioeconomic variables. Results indicate that well density is positively associated with driving under the influence and disorderly conduct arrest rates, but is not associated with arrest rates for drug abuse violations or public drunkenness. Findings suggest the need to look beyond broad categories of criminal activity to particular types of crime related to energy development, and to what extent these indicate broader patterns of social disruption.     

Larval fish abundance and physical forcing in the Gulf of Alaska, 1981–2003

The present study investigates ecological patterns and relationships to environmental variables among a time-series of larval fish species abundance from late spring surveys (1981–2003) in the northwest Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Links between interannual variation in species abundance and the physical environment were explored using generalized additive modeling (GAM). Trends in larval abundance and connections with physical variables displayed patterns that indicate unique and complex responses among species to environmental forcing during the larval period. In particular, the observed patterns suggest that ontogenetic-specific responses, representing sub-intervals of early life, are important. In addition, a notable degree of synchrony in larval abundance trends, and similarity in links with physical variables, were observed among species with common early life history patterns. The deepwater spawners, northern lampfish, arrowtooth flounder, and Pacific halibut, were most abundant in the study area during the 1990s, in association with enhanced wind-driven onshore and alongshore transport. Years of high abundance for Pacific cod, walleye pollock, and northern rock sole were associated with cooler winters and enhanced alongshore winds during spring. High larval abundance for spring–summer spawning rockfish species and southern rock sole seemed to be favored by warmer spring temperatures later in the time-series. This apparent exposure–response coupling seems to be connected to both local-scale and basin-scale environmental signals, to varying degrees depending on specific early life history characteristics. Understanding such ecological connections contributes to the evaluation of vulnerability and resilience among GOA species’ early life history patterns to fluctuating climate and oceanographic conditions. This investigation also provides crucial information for the identification of “environmental indicators” that may have a broad-spectrum effect on multiple species early life history stages, as well as those that may be more species-specific in exerting control on early life history survival. Of particular interest was the emergence of the EP–NP (East Pacific–North Pacific) teleconnection index as the top-ranked variable in the GAM models exploring the connections between late spring larval abundance and the physical environment. The EP–NP index represents an important and often primary mode of spring–summer atmospheric variability in the northeast Pacific, with a strong expression in the GOA, and its connection with species in this study implies that it may be a climate mode of significant ecological importance.     

Whaling and its controversies: Examining the attitudes of Japan's youth

This article presents the results of a survey examining the attitudes of young Japanese people towards whaling and its controversies. Using an online and paper-based questionnaire, 529 useable surveys were completed by Japanese students (between 15 and 26 years old) from May to December 2007. Factorial analysis, correlation and regression models were used to identify relational predictors underlying the attitudes of young Japanese people on whaling issues. An approval of whaling exists amongst the participating students, with two constructs standing out as contributing the most to this affirmation; firstly, an approval of the consumption of whalemeat by Japanese children; and secondly, an acceptance of the pro-whaling rhetoric commonly produced by the Government of Japan (GOJ) and associated media. This research represents an initial exploration into the attitudinal structures of Japanese students on whaling issues, contributing to a deeper understanding of the complexities that surround the debate.     

A tool to navigate overlaps in fragmented ocean governance

Implementation of marine ecosystem-based management requires improved understanding of existing governance, including gaps and overlaps resulting from fragmented management. Focusing on overlaps, this paper presents a technique using text analysis to assist in the identification of agencies and laws involved in overlaps from a system perspective. The overlaps analysis uses term frequency counts on ocean laws and regulations in conjunction with relevant agency authority. Such information delivered in a transparent user-friendly presentation can help policymakers and other constituents of ecosystem-based management to find existing overlaps as a step to facilitate improved coordination.     

Chlorinated hydrocarbons in the open mediterranean ecosystem and implications for mass balance calculations

Studies on the biogeochemical cycling of organic contaminants in the Mediterranean have demonstrated the importance of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as relatively stable markers of recent anthropogenic influence in ocean systems. This paper presents results of hydrocarbon analyses of deep water profiles, sediments and their associated surface flocculent layers, and zooplankton samples collected in the western basin. Seawater concentrations were higher than those previously reported for the eastern basin and were consistent with the presence of industrial sources in the northwestern segment. In the water column, the percent of PCBs associated with filterable particles was related to the ambient concentrations of total suspended matter, distance from coastal input sources and on depth. The occurrence of deep water residues primarily in the dissolved phase and observations of subsurface maxima in seawater concentrations during a season of high surface productivity were consistent with the predictions of vertical transport models based on residues associated with sinking particles and equilibrium partitioning. Flocculent layers at the sea/sediment interface contained two and three orders of magnitude, respectively, more PCBs and petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) than their associated surface sediments. The flocculent particles also contained several biogenic hydrocarbons presumably originating from plankton and relatively soluble and labile contaminants such as hexachlorohexane isomers (HCH) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), thus confirming that the majority of the flux of hydrocarbons to sediments is carried on rapidly settling large particles. By combining the sediment and flocculents data with published sedimentation rates for the deep basins of the Mediterranean, a yearly flux rate of PCBs to the open sea sediments was estimated as 13 μg m⁻² yr⁻¹ or less than half of the rate measured in a coastal sediment trap experiment. Analytical results are placed in the context of other distribution data for PCBs and long-term flux studies to construct a partial mass balance budget for this semi-enclosed sea. The computed coastal inventory showed that about 35% remains suspended in the water column while the majority of residues are deposited in coastal sediments. However in the open sea, the deep water column may contain up to 70% of the total inventory and may be a continually increasing reservoir of stable organic contaminants reaching the ocean. The budget shows that priority for improved research and monitoring efforts in ocean systems should be given to continued advancement in techniques for the precise measurement of deep water concentrations and for measuring current atmospheric inputs and sedimentation rates in order to develop more accurate ocean flux models.     

Equatorial influence of QuikSCAT winds in an isopycnal ocean model compared to NCEP2 winds

An ocean model was used to examine whether the scatterometer winds can improve the model performance both dynamically and thermodynamically. Comparisons were done using QuikSCAT and NCEP2 winds for both the mean and variability from 2000 to 2004. The comparisons showed that the model forced by QuikSCAT winds gives more realistic mean SST, 20 °C isotherm depth (Z20), and latent heat flux than NCEP2 winds do. Sensitivity experiments indicated that QuikSCAT mean wind stress is important for the improved mean SST, Z20, and latent heat release to the atmosphere in the eastern Pacific. QuikSCAT wind speed, through its effect on the turbulent heat fluxes, is most important for the mean SST in the western Pacific. Finally, there were comparable correlations with observations of both SST and Z20 on the intra-seasonal time scale between the model forced with QuikSCAT winds and the model forced with NCEP2 winds.