Dynamics and fluxes of organic carbon and nitrogen in two Guiana Shield river basins impacted by deforestation and mining activities

Deforestation and mining activities have proven to be very damaging to rivers because these activities disturb the environmental characteristics of rivers. Thus, the concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate nitrogen (PN), and Chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a) were measured monthly during 2 hydrological years in the Maroni and Oyapock Rivers to assess the dynamics and fluxes of organic carbon and nitrogen in these 2 Guiana Shield basins, which have been strongly (Maroni) and weakly (Oyapock) impacted by deforestation and mining activities. The 2‐year time series show that DOC, POC, PN, and Chl‐a concentrations vary seasonally with discharge in both rivers, indicating a hydrologically dominated control. Temporal patterns of DOC, POC, and PN indicate that these variables show maximum concentrations in rising waters due to the yield of organic matter and nitrogen accumulated in soils, which are incorporated into the rivers during rainfall. However, the Chl‐a concentrations were at a maximum during low‐water stages. The C/N and C/Chl‐a ratios also showed a seasonal trend, with lower values during the low water periods due to an increase in algal biomass. During high water, the POC in both rivers is the result of terrestrial organic matter, whereas during low‐water autochthonous organic matter can reach up to 34% of the POC. The mean annual fluxes of TOC and PN were higher (4.56 × 10⁵ tonC year^?1 and 1.77 × 10⁴ tonN year^?1, respectively) in the Maroni River than those (1.84 × 10⁵ tonC year^?1 and 0.54 × 10⁴ tonN year^?1, respectively) in the Oyapock River. However, the specific fluxes of DOC, POC, and PN from both basins were nearly the same. Although gold mining activities are performed in both basins, there is no conclusive evidence regarding the impact of these activities on the dynamics of organic matter and particulate nitrogen in the Maroni and Oyapock Rivers.     

Impacts of human activities on recharge in a multilayered semiarid aquifer (Campo de Cartagena,SE Spain)

The development of intense agriculture in semiarid areas modifies intensity and spatial distribution of groundwater recharge by summing irrigation return flow to limited rainfall infiltration. Environmental tracers provide key information, but their interpretation is complicated by more complex groundwater flow patterns. In multilayered aquifers, the real origin of the groundwater samples is hard to assess because of local mixing processes occurring inside long‐screened boreholes. We use environmental tracers (¹⁴C, ¹³C, ²H, ¹⁸O, ³H) to investigate the long‐term evolution of recharge in the five‐layer Campo de Cartagena aquifer in South‐Eastern Spain, in addition to high‐resolution temperature loggings to identify the depth of origin of groundwater. Despite the complex background, this methodology allowed a reliable interpretation of the geochemistry and provided a better understanding of the groundwater flow patterns. The tritium method did not give good quantitative results because of the high variability of the recharge signal but remained an excellent indicator of recent recharge. Nonetheless, both pre‐anthropization and post‐anthropization recharge regime could be identified and quantified by radiocarbon. Before the development of agriculture, recharge varied from 17 mm.year^‐1 at the mountain ranges to 6 mm.year^‐1 in the plain, whereas the mean annual rainfall is about 300 mm. In response to the increase of agricultural activity, recharge fluxes to the plain were amplified and nowadays reach up to 210 mm.year^‐1 in irrigated areas. These values are strengthened by global water budget and local unsaturated zone studies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A spectral analysis of Iberian Peninsula monthly rainfall

Summary A spectral analysis of Iberian Peninsula monthly rainfall series was carried out. The data set consists of monthly precipitation records from 40 meteorological observatories over 74 years (1919–1992). The stations are representative of most of the Iberian Peninsula. The rainfall series were analyzed spatially by means of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and temporally by means of the Multi-Taper Method (MTM) of spectral analysis of by Monte-Carlo Singular Spectrum Analysis (MCSSA). The PCA gave six dominant modes of variation which explain 75% of the variance with each component affecting a different region of the Peninsula. The spectral analysis showed 7 year oscillations for the dominant pattern and 2.7 and 16 years for the third pattern. The 7-year oscillation seems to be related to other climatic oscillations recorded in the northern hemisphere while the 2.7-year oscillation could be related to the ENSO phenomenon. Received July 18, 2000 Revised April 19, 2001     

Fast water infiltration: a mechanism for fracture formation during land subsidence

A mechanism for fracture generation and for triggering land subsidence is presented. Infiltration through a pre-existing fracture zone into a two-layered system, as well as the deformation of unconsolidated sediments on the land surface, was numerically investigated. The numerical simulation of infiltration is based on a two-phase flow-model concept for porous media, and for the deformation, it is based on a Mohr-Coulomb model concept. Different studies with variations of the fracture parameter and infiltration conditions have been carried out. The infiltration results show that fast infiltration in a partially saturated aquifer leads to land subsidence, extension of pre-existing fractured zones and the generation of new cracks. If the water column is only on the fracture, the clay layer acts like a barrier and inhibits the infiltration through the fracture. If the water column covers the entire surface, the barrier effect is overcome; the infiltration intensity depends on the height of the water column, the fracture permeability and the fracture width. The deformation results show that a strong rainfall event of 2 h leads to deformations that are about 30 % of the vertical and 70 % of the horizontal annual land-subsidence rates.     

Active faults, seismicity and stresses in an internal boundary of a tectonic arc (Campo de Dalías and Níjar, southeastern Betic Cordilleras, Spain)

The Betic-Rif Cordilleras, formed by the interaction of NW–SE convergence between the Eurasian and African plates and the westward motion of their Internal Zones, provide a good example of an active tectonic arc. The Campo de Dalías and Campo de Níjar constitute outcropping sectors of Neogene and Quaternary rocks located in the southeastern border of the Betic Cordilleras and allow us to study the recent deformations developed in the internal border of this tectonic arc.The main active faults with related seismicity, representing a moderate seismic hazard, associated to the southeastern Betic Cordilleras boundary, include high-angle NW–SE-oriented normal faults that affect, at least, the upper part of the crust, a main detachment located at 10 km depth, and probably another detachment at 20 km as well. Seismite structures, recent fault scarps with associated colluvial wedges that deform the drainage network and the alignment of the coastline, indicate that the high-angle faults have been active at least since the Quaternary.Paleostresses determined from microfault analysis in Quaternary deposits generally show an ENE–WSW trend of extension. Present-day earthquake focal mechanisms include normal, strike-slip and reverse faulting. Normal and strike-slip focal mechanisms generally indicate ENE–WSW extension, and strike-slip and reverse focal mechanisms are related to NNW–SSE compression.The maximum horizontal compression has a consistently NNW–SSE trend. The deep activity of detachments and reverse faults determines the NNW–SSE crustal shortening related to the Eurasian–African plate convergence. At surface, however, the predominance of normal faults is probably produced by the increase in the relative weight of the vertical stress axis, which in turn may be related to relief uplift and subsequent horizontal spreading. The internal mountain front boundary of the Betic Cordilleras developed through the activity of a set of structures that is more complex than a typical external mountain front, probably as a consequence of a vertical variable stress field that acted on previously deformed rocks belonging to the Internal Zone of the cordilleras.     

Graphic method for reconstruction of a strain ellipse from distorted regular polygons

A graphical method to determine the finite strain ellipse from deformed polygons of similar size is presented. This technique has been developed on sections normal to columnar joints of igneous rocks, but it can also be applied to any feature in which the corresponding unstrained polygons have their vertices located on a circumscribed circle.     

Lower Paleozoic extensional tectonics in the limit between the West Asturian-Leonese and Central Iberian Zones of the Variscan Fold-Belt in NW Spain

The limit between the West Asturian-Leonese and Central-Iberian Zones in the NW of the Iberian Peninsula is described in the area of Caurel-Truchas (Provinces of Orense and León). From the distribution of the sedimentary formations and the Variscan structures it is inferred that the transition between the two zones was a fault system, which was active during, at least, the Ordovician and Lower Silurian. The faults were supposedly normal, though they had probably some strike-slip component, and gave rise to a half-graben in which a syn-rift sequence was deposited. The latter underwent inversion at the onset of the Variscan tectonism, producing a ramp anticline-syncline pair that forms the more important folds in the area. The varying geometry of these folds is interpreted partly as being due to the existence of previous en échelon folds related to the strike-slip component of the faults and, partly, as a result of the variable intensity of the shear strain undergone during the first variscan phase.

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Zusammenfassung Die Grenze zwischen der West-Asturischen-Leonesischen und Zentral-Iberischen Zone im NW der Iberischen Halbinsel wird aus dem Gebiet von Caurel-Truchas (Provinz Orense und León) beschrieben. Aufgrund der Verteilung der sedimentären Formationen, sowie der variszischen Strukturen wird abgeleitet, daß der Übergang zwischen den beiden Zonen durch ein Störungssystem bedingt wurde, das zumindest zwischen Ordovizium und Untersilur aktiv war. Dabei handelte es sich vermutlich um Abschiebungen mit einer Horizontalverschiebungskomponente. Diese Ausbildung führte zu einem Halbgraben mit darin abgelagerter sedimentärer Syn-Riftsequenz. Letztere wurde während der Anfangsphase der variszischen Tektonik invertiert, so daß es zu einem Rampen-Antiklinal-Synklinal Paar kam, welches die wichtigsten Falten der Gegend bildet. Die variable Geometrie der Falten wird zum einen der Existenz von frühen En-échelon Falten zugeschrieben, die durch die Horizontalverschiebungskomponente der Störungen hervorgerufen wurden; zum anderen sind sie das Resultat der veränderlichen Intensität der Scherspannung während der ersten variszischen Phase.

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Resumen Se describe el límite entre las Zonas Asturoccidental-Leonesa y Centroibérica en el NO de la Península Ibérica en el área del Caurel-Truchas (Provincias de Orense y León). Partiendo de la distribución de las formaciones sedimentarias y de la geometría de las estructuras varíscicas, se deduce que la transición entre las dos zonas fue un sistema de fallas, que fue activo al menos durante el Ordovício y el Silúrico Inferior. Se supone que la principal componente de las fallas fue normal, aunque debió de existir también una componente de desgarre, y su juego originó un semi-graben en el que se acumuló una secuencia sin-rift. Esta última experimentó una inversión al principio de la tectogénesis Varíscica, formándose un par de pliegues de rampa que son los pliegues más importantes del área. La geometría variable de esos pliegues se interpreta como debida, en parte, a la existencia previa de pliegues en escalón relacionados con la componente de desgarre de las fallas y, en parte, como consecuencia de la variable intensidad de la deformación por cizallamiento sufrida durante la primera fase de deformación varíscica.

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Évolution thermique des séries sédimentaires de la Marge ardéchoise : étude pétrographique de la matière organique et des argilesThermal evolution of the sedimentary series of the Ardèche Margin: petrological studies of organic matter and clays

Two wells, Balazuc (BA1) and Morte-Mérie (MM1), located in a confined area (1200 m apart) and separated by the Uzer fault (a Liassic structure with a dip fault of 1300 m) were analysed using conventional methodologies and techniques (PRV, TAI, XRD, STEM) in order to compare the diagenetic evolution of clays and organic matter. The thermal convective process allows the circulation of hot fluids and the oxidation of organic matter. The conductive process allows the maturation of the organic matter, the expulsion of hydrocarbons and the deposit of pyrobitumes in the migration channels. To cite this article: L. Martinez et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 1021–1028.     

Directionally dependent strength and dilatancy behavior of soil–structure interfaces

Acta Geotechnica - Soil–structure interfaces typically exhibit a shear behavior that is independent of the direction of relative displacement due to symmetry in the solid material's...     

Manmade Vulnerability of the Cancun Beach System: The Case of Hurricane Wilma

Climate change and resultant coastal erosion and flooding have been the focus of many recent analyses. Often these studies overlook the effects of manmade modifications to the coastline which have reduced its resilience to storm events. In this investigation, we integrate previous reports, historical photo analysis, field work, and the application of numerical models to better understand the effects of Wilma, the most destructive hurricane to affect Cancun, Mexico. Huge waves (of significant height, >12 m), long mean wave periods (>12 s), devastating winds (>250 km/h), and powerful currents (>2 m/s) removed >7 million cubic meters of sand from the Cancun beach system, leaving 68% of the sub‐aerial beach as bedrock, and the rest considerably eroded. Numerical simulations show that the modifications to the barrier island imposed by tourist infrastructure have considerably increased the rigidity of the system, increasing the potential erosion of the beach under extreme conditions. If there were no structural barriers, a series of breaches could occur along the beach, allowing exchange of water and alleviating storm surge on other sections of the beach. If the effects caused by anthropogenic changes to Cancun are ignored, the analysis is inaccurate and misleading.