Land‐use Effects on Anion‐associated Cation Leaching in Response to Above‐normal Precipitation

Fertilizers and liming agents are generally used to achieve optimal economic yields. However, several negative effects of long‐term annual fertilization of nitrogen (N) in particular have been observed, such as reduced cation exchange capacity and decreased base saturation, which may stimulate accelerated leaching loss of other nutrients. Equilibrium‐tension lysimeters installed at a depth of 1.4 m were used to evaluate leaching of soil‐solution ionic constituents from a tallgrass prairie restoration and optimally and deficiently N‐fertilized, no‐tillage (NT) and chisel‐plowed (CP) maize (Zea mays L.) agroecosystems on Plano silt loam soil (fine‐silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiudoll). This study was conducted in south‐central Wisconsin, USA during a 1‐year period of above‐normal precipitation between January 2000 and January 2001. The loss of soluble constituents added to agroecosystems to maintain adequate soil fertility and pH, such as N, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, was generally numerically smaller from the natural prairie 25 years after conversion from cultivated agriculture than from optimally and deficiently N‐fertilized, NT and CP maize agroecosystems, though the differences were not significant. Tillage and fertilizer N‐rate generally did not significantly affect drainage, ionic concentrations, or their leaching losses in the maize agroecosystems, though all parameters evaluated tended to be numerically smaller in the deficiently than optimally N‐fertilized maize agroecosystems. Nitrate‐N leaching losses were generally significantly positively correlated with leaching losses of K, Ca, Mg, and Na in the maize agroecosystems, but not for the prairie, indicating that nitrate‐N leaching plays a significant role in the concomitant loss of cations to maintain soil‐solution charge balance in N‐fertilized maize agroecosystems in a temperate environment.     

Snowmelt variability in Polar Bear Pass,Nunavut, Canada,from QuikSCAT: 2000–2009

Snowmelt onset and end date estimates are made from QuikSCAT scatterometer measurements in the Canadian High Arctic wetland of Polar Bear Pass (PBP) and the surrounding region of Bathurst Island, Nunavut. In situ data within PBP is used to validate QuikSCAT snowmelt onset/end date estimates. Results indicate that within PBP from 2000 to 2009, the mean snowmelt onset date was Year Day (YD) 162, the mean snowmelt end date was YD179, and the mean snowmelt duration was 17 days. More interannual variability was apparent in snowmelt end date and duration compared with onset, and only snowmelt end date was significantly correlated with mean June air temperature at ?0.78. Cooler air temperatures in 2004 contributed to a long snowmelt duration of 24 days, and the very short snowmelt duration in 2007 of just 11 days was caused by rapid and sustained increases in air temperature. For snowmelt end date and duration the mean spatial pattern revealed two centres of later snowmelt end date/longer snowmelt duration over Bathurst Island. They were separated by early snowmelt end date/short snowmelt duration in PBP. These patterns are in agreement with the spatial distribution of mean May to July air temperature over Bathurst Island and are likely influenced by the local‐scale topography of Bathurst Island. Given the correlation between air temperature and snowmelt end date, we might expect quicker snowmelt under increased warming. The latter process may have implications for the sustainability of the PBP wetland under a warmer climate. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ENSO and Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies in Association with Canadian Wheat Yield Variability

Interannual variations of spring wheat yields in Canadian agricultural regions are analyzed, together with the associated sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the northern hemisphere tropics and extratropics, from 1961 to 2015. The cubic trend is calculated and used to represent the trend related to advances in agricultural technology over this time period. The correlations between Canadian wheat yields at regional scales and the tropical El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability are not robust at any stage of the evolution of ENSO. Based on the power spectrum and cross-spectrum analysis, the most prominent yield variance is found in the Canadian Prairies, with a significant power peak of 4.5 years but does not co-vary significantly with interannual ENSO variability. ENSO weakly affects temperature and precipitation anomalies in the Canadian Prairie Region in summer—two important agroclimatic conditions for crop growth—and hence insignificantly impacts wheat yields. This indicates that there would be little benefit to including tropical ENSO indices in the operational wheat yield forecasting system. For Canadian wheat yield forecasting, attention should be paid to the preceding winter and spring SST anomalies in the northern extratropics. The SST anomalies associated with yields in the Canadian Prairie region and Central Region are generally stronger than those associated with yields in the Canadian Pacific Coast Region and eastern Maritime Region. In association with the Prairie Region and Central Region yields, SST shows pronounced anomalies in the mid-high latitudes of the North Pacific from winter to summer. The non-linearity of the SST anomalies associated with the Canadian yields is also clearly evident. Stronger (weaker) SST anomalies in the extratropical North Pacific correspond to low wheat yields in the Prairie (Central) Region, while weaker (stronger) SST anomalies correspond to high yields in the Prairie (Central) Region.     

Atmospheric data assimilation on the equatorial beta plane

Abstract

Kalman filter theory shows great promise when applied to the assimilation of atmospheric observations. Previous work has concentrated on extratropical dynamics, and tropical aspects have not yet been seriously tackled. In this article, a Kalman filter is applied to the linearized shallow water equations on an equatorial beta plane. The system or model error is constructed from the slow eigenmodes of the model and is based on an expansion in parabolic cylinder functions. The resulting second‐moment statistics are discussed in some detail. The Kalman filter is applied to a special observation network that allows the diagonalization of the system. Following Daley and Ménard (1993), it is then possible to obtain the complete space and time solution for the second‐moment forecast and analysis error statistics. The slow (low‐frequency) and fast (high‐frequency) error statistics are examined separately for both the optimal and suboptimal cases.     

Geographical distribution of general aerobic heterotrophic bacteria in surficial sediments from the Chukchi Sea and Canadian Basin

This paper determined the abundance of General Aerobic heterotrophic Bacteria(GAB) in surficial sediments from the Chukchi Sea and the Canadian basin by using MPN and discussed their geographical distribution.The result shows that the determination percentages of the GAB were high,even till 100 percentage.The abundance range and averages of GAB for 4℃and 25℃ were from 4.00×102 to 2.40×106,1.71×106 ind.·g-1(wet sample) and from 2.40×105 to 2.40×107,1.10×107 ind.·g-1(wet sample) respectively.Not only the abundance range but also the averages of GAB in 25℃ were higher than that in 4℃.The abundance of GAB in sediments show a tendency that it is roughly greater in the lower latitudinal area than in the higher latitudinal area.The abundance of GAB increased from east to west as for the longitudinal distribution.With the water depth increasing,the abundance of GAB at 4℃ decreased,but GBA at 25℃ is not changed obviously with water depth.It seems that warmer circumstantial temperature is more suitable for some GAB.     

Cropping patterns in the Canadian Prairies: thirty years of change

Changes in cropping patterns in the Canadian Prairies are examined from the early 1960s to the mid-1990s using census data. Patterns of change within the region are mapped by census division using averaged proportions of land in crops occupied by the main crops for three pairs of census years. Spring wheat and oat have undergone the most significant relative declines. Canola increased dramatically from being the sixth-ranked crop by area in the early 1960s to the third-ranked crop by area by the 1990s. The main change in the Brown soil zone has been a large decline in spring wheat and a compensatory gain in durum wheat. Increases in special crops, especially pulse crops, canola and durum wheat have offset a substantial decline in spring wheat in the Dark Brown soil zone. Barley, tame hay and especially canola have increased at the expense of spring wheat, oat and flaxseed in the Black and Gray soil zones. Prices, transportation costs, changing export markets, crop breeding and local processing all have contributed to these changes.     

Cordilleran Intermontane thermotectonic history and implications for neotectonic structure and petroleum systems,British Columbia,Canada

Heat flow increases northward along Intermontane Belt in the western Canadian Cordillera, as shown by geothermal differences between Bowser and Nechako sedimentary basins, where geothermal gradients and heat flows are ∼30 mK/m and ∼90 mW/m² compared to ∼32 mK/m and 70 –80 mW/m², respectively. Sparse temperature profile data from these two sedimenatary basins are consistent with an isostatic model of elevation and crustal parameters, which indicate that Bowser basin heat flow should be ∼20 mW/m² greater than Nechako basin heat flow. Paleothermometric indicators record a significant northward increasing Eocene or older erosional denudation, up to ∼7 km. None of the heat generation, tectonic reorganization at the plate margin, or erosional denudation produce thermal effects of the type or magnitude that explain the north–south heat flow differences between Nechako and Bowser basins. The more southerly Nechako basin, where heat flow is lower, has lower mean elevation, is less deeply eroded, and lies opposite the active plate margin. In contrast, Bowser basin, where heat flow is higher, has higher mean elevation, is more deeply eroded, and sits opposite a transform margin that succeeded the active margin ∼40 Ma. Differences between Bowser and Nechako basins contrast with the tectonic history and erosion impacts on thermal state. Tectonic history and eroded sedimentary thickness suggest that Bowser basin lithosphere is cooling and contracting relative to Nechako basin lithosphere. This effect has reduced Bowser basin heat flow by ∼10–20 mW/m² since ∼40 Ma. Neither can heat generation differences explain the northerly increasing Intermontane Belt heat flow. A lack of extensional structures in the Bowser basin precludes basin and range-like extension. Therefore, another, yet an unspecified mechanism perhaps associated with the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province, contributes additional heat. Bowser basin’s paleogeothermal gradients were higher, ∼36 mK/m, before the Eocene and this might affect petroleum and metallogenic systems.     

The Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act: Transparency of the environmental management of the offshore oil and gas industry

This paper considers the overall outcome of a “public environmental audit” of the government management of the oil and gas offshore industry in eastern Canada. Five requests for data sets were placed using the Access to Information Act; all five requests were denied by the Canada-Newfoundland Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board. This lack of access to environmental monitoring data significantly hinders the ability of independent scientific inquiry and/or public involvement in the environmental assessment process.     

The nearshore western Beaufort Sea ecosystem: Circulation and importance of terrestrial carbon in arctic coastal food webs

The nearshore shelf of the Beaufort Sea is defined by extreme physical and biological gradients that have a distinctive influence on its productivity and trophic structure. Massive freshwater discharge from the Mackenzie River, along with numerous smaller rivers and streams elsewhere along the coast, produce an environment that is decidedly estuarine in character, especially in late spring and summer. Consequently, the Beaufort coast provides a critical habitat for several species of amphidromous fishes, some of which are essential to the subsistence lifestyle of arctic native populations. Because of its low in situ productivity, allochthonous inputs of organic carbon, identifiable on the basis of isotopic composition, are important to the functioning of this arctic estuarine system. Coastal erosion and river discharge are largely responsible for introducing high concentrations of suspended sediment from upland regions into the nearshore zone. The depletion in the ¹³C content of invertebrate and vertebrate consumers, which drops about 4–5‰ eastward along the eastern Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast, may reflect the assimilation of this terrestrial organic matter into local food webs. In addition, the large range in ¹³C values of fauna collected in the eastern Beaufort (nearly 8‰) compared to the same species in the northeastern Chukchi (3‰), indicate a lower efficiency of carbon transfer between trophic levels in the eastern Beaufort. The wider spread in stable isotope values in the eastern Beaufort may also reflect a decoupling between benthic and pelagic components. Isotopic tracer studies of amphidromous fishes in the Simpson Island barrier island lagoon revealed that terrestrial (peat) carbon may contribute as much as 30–50% of their total dietary requirements. On the eastern Alaska Beaufort Sea coast, the δ¹³C values of arctic cod collected in semi-enclosed lagoons were more depleted, by 3–4‰, compared to fish collected in the coastal Beaufort Sea. Calculations from isotopic mixing equations indicate cod from lagoons may derive 70% of their carbon from terrestrial sources. The δ¹⁵N values of lagoon fish were also 4‰ lower than coastal specimens, reflective of the lower δ¹⁵N values of terrestrially derived nitrogen (0–1.5‰ compared to 5–7‰ for phytoplankton). The role of terrestrial carbon in arctic estuarine food webs is especially important in view of the current warming trend in the arctic environment and the role of advective processes that transport carbon along the nearshore shelf. Biogeochemical studies of the arctic coastal estuarine environment may provide more insights into the function of these biologically complex ecosystems.     

Storm waves in the Canadian Atlantic: A numerical simulation

The Grand Banks and the Scotian Shelf regions of the Canadian Atlantic often experience strong winds and high waves associated with the passage of intense storms during the winter months of December to March. These storm waves are identified as a major hazard to shipping, offshore exploration and other marine activities in eastern Canada.In this study, an operational spectral ocean wave model has been used to simulate sea-states associated with selected storm events in the Canadian Atlantic. The wave model operates on a grid (with grid spacing of about 111 km) which covers a major portion of the north Atlantic. A nested fine grid (with grid spacing of about 37 km) has been designed which covers the shelf regions of the Canadian Atlantic. The model employs deep-water physics over the coarse grid while over the fine grid shallow-water processes as represented by wave refraction, wave shoaling, bottom friction and wave number scaling are included. The wave model also includes, as an optional package, the third-generation source terms as represented by the nonlinear wave-wave interaction terms.For two selected storm events, the model generated sea-states are evaluated against available buoy data as well as against hand analyzed operational wave height charts over the northwest Atlantic. The evaluation shows that the various versions of the model can simulate the observed sea-states, reasonably well. The utility of the wave model in providing numerical guidance for offshore activities is briefly discussed.