Very high-frequency and seasonal cave atmosphere PCO2 variability: Implications for stalagmite growth and oxygen isotope-based paleoclimate records

Cave air P_CO2 at two Irish sites varied dramatically on daily to seasonal timescales, potentially affecting the timing of calcite deposition and consequently climate proxy records derived from stalagmites collected at the same sites. Temperature-dependent biochemical processes in the soil control CO₂ production, resulting in high summer P_CO2 values and low winter values at both sites. Large Large-amplitude, high-frequency variations superimposed on this seasonal cycle reflect cave air circulation. Here we model stalagmite growth rates, which are controlled partly by CO₂ degassing rates from drip water, by considering both the seasonal and high-frequency cave air P_CO2 variations. Modeled hourly growth rates for stalagmite CC-Bil from Crag Cave in SW Ireland reach maxima in late December (0.063 μm h^− 1) and minima in late June/early July (0.033 μm h^− 1). For well-mixed ‘diffuse flow’ cave drips such as those that feed CC-Bil, high summer cave air P_CO2 depresses summer calcite deposition, while low winter P_CO2 promotes degassing and enhances deposition rates. In stalagmites fed by well-mixed drips lacking seasonal variations in δ¹⁸O, integrated annual stalagmite calcite δ¹⁸O is unaffected; however, seasonality in cave air P_CO2 may influence non-conservative geochemical climate proxies (e.g., δ¹³C, Sr/Ca). Stalagmites fed by ‘seasonal’ drips whose hydrochemical properties vary in response to seasonality may have higher growth rates in summer because soil air P_CO2 may increase relative to cave air P_CO2 due to higher soil temperatures. This in turn may bias stalagmite calcite δ¹⁸O records towards isotopically heavier summer drip water δ¹⁸O values, resulting in elevated calcite δ¹⁸O values compared to the ‘equilibrium’ values predicted by calcite–water isotope fractionation equations. Interpretations of stalagmite-based paleoclimate proxies should therefore consider the consequences of cave air P_CO2 variability and the resulting intra-annual variability in calcite deposition rates.     

Incremental growth of normal faults: Insights from a laser-equipped analog experiment

We conducted a laser-equipped analog experiment aimed at quasi-continuously monitoring the growth of a dense population of normal faults in homogeneous conditions. To further understand the way geological faults progressively gain in slip and length as they accumulate more strain, we measured with great precision the incremental slip and length changes that the analog faults sustain as they grow. These measurements show that the analog faults share common features with the natural ones. In particular, during their growth, the faults develop and maintain cumulative slip profiles that are generally triangular and asymmetric. The growth takes place through two distinct phases: an initial, short period of rapid lateral lengthening, followed by a longer phase of slip accumulation with little or no lengthening. The incremental slip is found to be highly variable in both space (along the faults) and time, resulting in variable slip rates. In particular, ‘short- and long-term’ slip rates are markedly different. We also find that slip measurements at local points on fault traces do not contain clear information on the slip increment repeat mode. Finally, while the fault growth process is highly heterogeneous when considered at the scale of a few slip events, it appears homogeneous and self-similar at longer time scales which integrate many slip increments. This is likely to be the result of a feedback between stress heterogeneities and slip development. The long-term scale homogeneity also implies that the long-term faulting process is primarily insensitive to the short-term heterogeneities that are rapidly smoothed or redistributed. We propose a new conceptual scenario of fault growth that integrates the above observations and we suggest that faults grow in a bimodal way as a result of a self-driven and self-sustaining process.     

Ground-motion Attenuation Relation from Strong-motion Records of the 2001 Mw 7.7 Bhuj Earthquake Sequence (2001–2006), Gujarat, India

Predictive relations are developed for peak ground acceleration (PGA) from the engineering seismoscope (SRR) records of the 2001 M_w 7.7 Bhuj earthquake and 239 strong-motion records of 32 significant aftershocks of 3.1 ≤ M_w ≤ 5.6 at epicentral distances of 1 ≤ R ≤ 288 km. We have taken advantage of the recent increase in strong-motion data at close distances to derive new attenuation relation for peak horizontal acceleration in the Kachchh seismic zone, Gujarat. This new analysis uses the Joyner-Boore’s method for a magnitude-independent shape, based on geometrical spreading and anelastic attenuation, for the attenuation curve. The resulting attenuation equation is,

An easily implemented agro-hydrological procedure with dynamic root simulation for water transfer in the crop–soil system: Validation and application

Models for water transfer in the crop–soil system are key components of agro-hydrological models for irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide practices. Many of the hydrological models for water transfer in the crop–soil system are either too approximate due to oversimplified algorithms or employ complex numerical schemes. In this paper we developed a simple and sufficiently accurate algorithm which can be easily adopted in agro-hydrological models for the simulation of water dynamics. We used a dual crop coefficient approach proposed by the FAO for estimating potential evaporation and transpiration, and a dynamic model for calculating relative root length distribution on a daily basis. In a small time step of 0.001 d, we implemented algorithms separately for actual evaporation, root water uptake and soil water content redistribution by decoupling these processes. The Richards equation describing soil water movement was solved using an integration strategy over the soil layers instead of complex numerical schemes. This drastically simplified the procedures of modeling soil water and led to much shorter computer codes. The validity of the proposed model was tested against data from field experiments on two contrasting soils cropped with wheat. Good agreement was achieved between measurement and simulation of soil water content in various depths collected at intervals during crop growth. This indicates that the model is satisfactory in simulating water transfer in the crop–soil system, and therefore can reliably be adopted in agro-hydrological models. Finally we demonstrated how the developed model could be used to study the effect of changes in the environment such as lowering the groundwater table caused by the construction of a motorway on crop transpiration.     

Temporally weighted average curve number method for daily runoff simulation

The modified Soil Conservation Service curve number (CN) method is widely used in long‐term continuous models to predict daily surface runoff. However, it has been shown that this method gives poor results in reproducing peak flows in high rainfall periods. This is because there is an inaccuracy stemming from the model algorithm as it adjusts the daily runoff curve number as a function of soil moisture content at the end of the previous day. This paper proposes an alternative daily based curve number technique that can provide better prediction of daily runoff during the high flow season. The proposed method uses the temporally weighted average curve number (TWA‐CN) to estimate daily surface runoff, while considering the effect of rainfall during a given day as well as the antecedent soil moisture condition. To test the applicability of the TWA‐CN method, it was incorporated with the long‐term, continuous simulation watershed models SWAT and SWAT‐G. Simulations were conducted for the Miho River watershed located in the middle of South Korea. The graphical displays and statistics of the determination coefficient (R²) and the Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE) of the observed and simulated daily runoff indicated that the modified SWAT with the TWA‐CN method may provide better runoff prediction (R² = 0·837, NSE = 0·833) than the original SWAT (R² = 0·815, NSE = 0·824). Likewise, the determination coefficient (R² = 0·816) and the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE = 0·834) for the modified SWAT‐G are also higher than the original version (R² = 0·782, NSE = 0·825). It is expected that the improved capability in predicting surface runoff using the suggested CN estimate method will provide a sound contribution to the accurate simulations of water yield. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

桩-液化土相互作用p-y关系分析

基于多工况的桩-液化土体动力相互作用振动台试验,研究地震荷载作用下液化土层中桩土间侧向相互作用力p与桩身和土体间侧向相对位移y之间的关系。将试验得到的实际p-y曲线与采用拟静力法和以API规范为基础的折减系数法计算出的p-y曲线进行对比,结果表明:(1)液化土层中试验得到的桩真实p-y响应及由拟静力法和折减系数法得到的结果都呈非线性变化,三者极限状态有接近一致的趋势,但变化过程差异明显;(2)采用拟静力法和折减系数法都会使液化土层桩基础侧向反力迅速增长,很快达到屈服极限,远远超过实际情况,会导致相当保守的结果;(3)液化进程中控制桩p-y响应的是土体位移而非惯性力,因而拟静力法和折减系数法的原理不适合桩-液化土体动力相互作用分析,不能用于液化土层中桩基础地震响应的计算。     

How do streamflow generation mechanisms affect watershed hypsometry?

Several studies have shown that the dominant streamflow generation mechanism in a river basin can leave distinct geomorphological signatures in basin topography. In particular, it has been suggested previously that basins generated by groundwater discharge tend to have a larger hypsometric integral than surface runoff basins because fluvial erosion is more focused in the valleys where groundwater discharge tends to occur. In this analysis, we aim to clarify this relationship by developing an alternative method to quantify the effects of streamflow generation mechanisms on basin hypsometry and by using a numerical model that can generate streamflow by different processes to evaluate the sensitivity of the results to the hydrological and geomorphological properties of the basin. The model results suggest that the hypsometric characteristics that are usually associated with groundwater discharge basins, such as a larger hypsometric integral, occur primarily when drainage networks are still advancing in the watershed. During later stages of development, an additional factor such as lithological controls or a distinct geomorphological process would be needed to preserve these features. The model results also show that the hypsometric effects are stronger when the parameters of the fluvial erosion process promote the influence of small discharge rates. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flood‐based analysis of high‐magnitude sediment transport using a non‐parametric method

Upland erosion and the resulting reservoir siltation is a serious issue in the Isábena catchment (445 km² Central Spanish Pyrenees). During a three‐month period, water and sediment fluxes have been monitored at the catchment outlet (Capella), two adjacent subcatchments (Villacarli, 41 km²; Cabecera, 145 km²) and the elementary badland catchment Torrelaribera (8 ha). This paper presents the results of the monitoring, a method for the calculation of a sedigraph from intermittent measurements and the derived sediment yields at the monitored locations. The observed suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) demonstrate the role of badlands as sediment sources: SSCs of up to 280 g l^?1 were encountered for Villacarli, which includes large badland areas. SSCs at the Cabecera catchment, with great areas of woodland, barely exceeded 30 g l^?1. SSCs directly at the sediment source (Torrelaribera) were comparable to those at Villacarli, suggesting a close connection within this subcatchment. At Capella, SSCs of up to 99 g l^?1 were observed. For all sites, SSC displayed only a loose correlation with discharge, inhibiting the application of a simple sediment rating curve. Instead, ancillary variables acting as driving forces or proxies for the processes (rainfall energy, cumulative discharge, rising/falling limb data) were included in a quantile regression forest model to explain the variability in SSC. The variables with most predictive power vary between the sites, suggesting the predominance of different processes. The subsequent flood‐based calculation of sediment yields attests high specific sediment yields for Torrelaribera and Villacarli (6277 and 1971 t km^?2) and medium to high yields for Cabecera and Capella (139 and 410 t km^?2) during the observation period. In all catchments, most of the sediment was exported during intense storms of late summer. Later flood events yield successively less sediment. Relating upland sediment production to yield at the outlet suggests considerable effects of sediment storage within the river channel. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Streamflow scaling properties: investigating characteristic scales from different statistical approaches

This paper studies the links between scaling properties of river flow time series by comparing the results of three techniques applied to an extended data set of 34 French discharge gauging stations. The three approaches used are based on different mathematical tools and hypotheses: (1) shape analysis of flood hydrographs; (2) a multifractal framework through spectral and moment analyses, and (3) flood frequency analysis through the fitting of flood duration frequency curves (QdF). The general aim is to test the hypothesis of scaling invariance of river flow and the shape invariance of the hydrographs, in order to investigate the link between scaling properties and flow dynamics. In particular, the coherence between different approaches widely used in the literature to describe these characteristics is evaluated through the estimation of parameters defining the range of time‐scales on which the scaling properties are valid. The results show that most of these timescale parameters are linked to the flow dynamics and suggest that the approaches applied are interrelated. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bayesian power-law regression with a location parameter,with applications for construction of discharge rating curves

This paper presents a Bayesian approach for fitting the standard power-law rating curve model to a set of stage-discharge measurements. Methods for eliciting both regional and at-site prior information, and issues concerning the determination of prior forms, are discussed. An efficient MCMC algorithm for the specific problem is derived. The appropriateness of the proposed method is demonstrated by applying the model to both simulated and real-life data. However, some problems came to light in the applications, and these are discussed.