Modelling long‐term contaminant migration in a catchment at fine spatial and temporal scales using the UP system

A method has been developed to simulate the long‐term migration of radionuclides in the near‐surface of a river catchment, following their release from a deep underground repository for radioactive waste. Previous (30‐year) simulations, conducted using the SHETRAN physically based modelling system, showed that long‐term (many decades) simulations are required to allow the system to reach steady state. Physically based, distributed models, such as SHETRAN, tend to be too computationally expensive for this task. Traditional lumped catchment‐scale models, on the other hand, do not give sufficiently detailed spatially distributed results. An intermediate approach to modelling has therefore been developed which allows flow and transport processes to be simulated with the spatial resolution normally associated with distributed models, whilst being computationally efficient.The approach involves constructing a lumped model in which the catchment is represented by a number of conceptual water storage compartments. The flow rates to and from these compartments are prescribed by functions that summarize the results from physically based distributed models run for a range of characteristic flow regimes. The physically based models used were, SHETRAN for the subsurface compartments, a particle tracking model for overland flow and an analytical model for channel routing. One important advantage of the method used in constructing the lumped model is that it makes down scaling possible, in the sense that fine‐scale information on the distributed hydrological regime, as simulated by the physically based distributed models, can be inferred from the variables in the lumped model that describe the hydrology at the catchment scale. A 250‐year flow simulation has been run and the down scaling process used to infer a 250‐year time‐series of three‐dimensional velocity fields for the subsurface of the catchment. This series was then used to drive a particle tracking simulation of contaminant migration. The concentration and spatial distribution of contaminants simulated by this model for the first 30 years were in close agreement with SHETRAN results. The remaining 220 years highlighted the fact that some of the most important transport pathways to the surface carry contaminants only very slowly so both the magnitude and spatial distribution of concentration in surface soils are not apparent over the shorter SHETRAN simulations. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“Difference Dating”: A novel approach towards dating alpine glacial moraines

The East Antarctic Ice Sheet responds sluggishly to shifts in climate. To capture subtle changes in Antarctic climate, researchers have focused instead on smaller alpine and cirque glaciers that fringe the ice sheet throughout the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The exposure ages of glacial moraine boulders scatter widely and often incorporate large amounts of inheritance, prohibiting the construction of a regional deglaciation chronology. We present a new sampling technique that takes advantage of ubiquitous desert pavements and allows for the detection of inheritance in overlying glacial moraine boulders. Our approach requires a large sample set, but offers increased confidence in modeling moraine age, an acceptable trade-off considering the need for more refined Antarctic paleoclimate reconstructions. Using the beryllium-10 system in sandstone quartz, we show that single exposure ages collected from moraine boulder tops are frequently inaccurate, and consistently over- and underestimate moraine age. Difference Dating offers a new approach to dating alpine glacial moraines independent from traditional boulder exposure age dating.     

Asymmetric hillslope erosion following wildfire in Fourmile Canyon,Colorado

Infrequent, high‐magnitude events cause a disproportionate amount of sediment transport on steep hillslopes, but few quantitative data are available that capture these processes. Here we study the influence of wildfire and hillslope aspect on soil erosion in Fourmile Canyon, Colorado. This region experienced the Fourmile Fire of 2010, strong summer convective storms in 2011 and 2012, and extreme flooding in September 2013. We sampled soils shortly after these events and use fallout radionuclides to trace erosion on polar‐ and equatorial‐facing burned slopes and on a polar‐facing unburned slope. Because these radionuclides are concentrated in the upper decimeter of soil, soil inventories are sensitive to erosion by surface runoff. The polar‐facing burned slope had significantly lower cesium‐137 (¹³⁷Cs) and lead‐210 (²¹⁰Pb) inventories (p < 0.05) than either the polar‐facing unburned slope or equatorial‐facing burned slope. Local slope magnitude does not appear to control the erosional response to wildfire, as relatively gently sloping (~20%) polar‐facing positions were severely eroded in the most intensively burned area. Field evidence and soil profile analyses indicate up to 4 cm of local soil erosion on the polar‐facing burned slope, but radionuclide mass balance indicates that much of this was trapped nearby. Using a ¹³⁷Cs‐based erosion model, we find that the burned polar‐facing slope had a net mean sediment loss of 2 mm (~1 kg m^?2) over a one to three year period, which is one to two orders of magnitude higher than longer‐term erosion rates reported for this region. In this part of the Colorado Front Range, strong hillslope asymmetry controls soil moisture and vegetation; polar‐facing slopes support significantly denser pine and fir stands, which fuels more intense wildfires. We conclude that polar‐facing slopes experience the most severe surface erosion following wildfires in this region, indicating that landscape‐scale aridity can control the geomorphic response of hillslopes to wildfires. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling localized sources of sediment in mountain catchments for provenance studies

A hydrology–sediment modelling framework based on the model Topkapi-ETH combined with basin geomorphic mapping is used to investigate the role of localized sediment sources in a mountain river basin (Kleine Emme, Switzerland). The periodic sediment mobilization from incised areas and landslides by hillslope runoff and river discharge is simulated in addition to overland flow erosion to quantify their contributions to suspended sediment fluxes. The framework simulates the suspended sediment load provenance at the outlet and its temporal dynamics, by routing fine sediment along topographically driven pathways from the distinct sediment sources to the outlet. We show that accounting for localized sediment sources substantially improves the modelling of observed sediment concentrations and loads at the outlet compared to overland flow erosion alone. We demonstrate that the modelled river basin can shift between channel-process and hillslope-process dominant behaviour depending on the model parameter describing gully competence on landslide surfaces. The simulations in which channel processes dominate were found to be more consistent with observations, and with two independent validations in the Kleine Emme, by topographic analysis of surface roughness and by sediment tracing with ¹⁰ Be concentrations. This research shows that spatially explicit modelling can be used to infer the dominant sediment production process in a river basin, to inform and optimize sediment sampling strategies for denudation rate estimates, and in general to support sediment provenance studies. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

工业化以来海洋污染历史的分子（元素）地层学记录

本文介绍了运用高分辨率的分子（元素）地层学记录来研究海洋污染历史的原理和方法。通过实例,阐述了利用放射性同位素２１０Ｐｂ等定年的湖泊、河口沉积物以及冰芯、土壤记录来研究环境污染历史的最新进展,指出对近百年来高时间分辨率的近海海域污染历史研究对于评估海域环境负荷变化,预测海洋环境的发展具有十分重要的意义。     

The sensitivity of hillslope bedrock erosion to precipitation

Decoupling the impacts of climate and tectonics on hillslope erosion rates is a challenging problem. Hillslope erosion rates are well known to respond to changes in hillslope boundary conditions (e.g. channel incision rates) through their dependence on soil thickness, and precipitation is an important control on soil formation. Surprisingly though, compilations of hillslope denudation rates suggest little precipitation sensitivity. To isolate the effects of precipitation and boundary condition, we measured rates of soil production from bedrock and described soils on hillslopes along a semi‐arid to hyperarid precipitation gradient in northern Chile. In each climate zone, hillslopes with contrasting boundary conditions (actively incising channels versus non‐eroding landforms) were studied. Channel incision rates, which ultimately drive hillslope erosion, varied with precipitation rather than tectonic setting throughout the study area. These precipitation‐dependent incision rates are mirrored on the hillslopes, where erosion shifts from relatively fast and biologically‐driven to extremely slow and salt‐driven as precipitation decreases. Contrary to studies in humid regions, bedrock erosion rates increase with precipitation following a power law, from ～1 m Ma^?1 in the hyperarid region to ～40 m Ma^?1 in the semi‐arid region. The effect of boundary condition on soil thickness was observed in all climate zones (thicker soils on hillslopes with stable boundaries compared to hillslopes bounded by active channels), but the difference in bedrock erosion rates between the hillslopes within a climate region (slower erosion rates on hillslopes with stable boundaries) decreased as precipitation decreased. The biotic‐abiotic threshold also marks the precipitation rate below which bedrock erosion rates are no longer a function of soil thickness. Our work shows that hillslope processes become sensitive to precipitation as life disappears and the ability of the landscape to respond to tectonics decreases. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Recent Developments in Trace Element Analysis by ICP-AES and ICP-MS with Particular Reference to Geological and Environmental Samples

This review describes recent developments in trace element analysis using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). It aims to focus on the application of ICP techniques to geological and environmental samples. Therefore, fundamental studies in ICP-MS and ICP-AES instrumentation have largely been ignored. Whereas the majority of literature reviewed related to ICP-MS, indicating that ICP-MS is now the preferred technique for all geological analysis, there is still a steady development of ICP-AES to environmental applications. It is clear that true flexibility in elemental analysis can only be achieved by combining the advantages of both ICP-AES and ICP-MS. Two particular groups of elements (long-lived radionuclide and the platinum-group elements) stood out as warranting dedicated sections describing analytical developments these areas.     

Use of fallout tracers 7Be, 210Pb and 137Cs to distinguish the form of sub‐surface soil erosion delivering sediment to rivers in large catchments

Fallout radionuclides (FRNs) ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb are well established as tracers of surface and sub‐surface soil erosion contributing sediment to river systems. However, without additional information, it has not been possible to distinguish sub‐surface soil erosion sources. Here, we use the FRN ⁷Be (half‐life 53 days) in combination with ¹³⁷Cs and excess ²¹⁰Pb to trace the form of erosion contributing sediment in three large river catchments in eastern Australia; the Logan River (area 3700 km²), Bowen River (9400 km²) and Mitchell River (4700 km²). We show that the combination of ¹³⁷Cs, excess ²¹⁰Pb and ⁷Be can discriminate horizontally aligned sub‐surface erosion sources (rilled and scalded hillslopes and the floors of incised drainage lines and gully ‘badland’ areas) from vertical erosion sources (channel banks and gully walls). Specifically, sub‐surface sources of sediment eroded during high rainfall and high river flow events have been distinguished by the ability of rainfall‐derived ⁷Be to label horizontal soil surfaces, but not vertical. Our results indicate that in the two northern catchments, erosion of horizontal sub‐surface soil sources contributed almost as much fine river sediment as vertical channel banks, and several times the contribution of hillslope topsoils. This result improves on source discrimination provided previously and indicates that in some areas erosion of hillslope soils may contribute significantly to sediment yield, but not as topsoil loss. We find that in north‐eastern Australia, scalded areas on hillslopes and incising drainage lines may be sediment sources of comparable importance to vertical channel banks. Previous studies have used the combination of ¹³⁷Cs, excess ²¹⁰Pb and ⁷Be to estimate soils losses at the hillslope scale. Here, we show that with timely and judicious sampling of soil and sediment during and immediately after high flow events ⁷Be measurements can augment fallout ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb to provide important erosion source information over large catchments. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Persistent organic pollutant, trace metal and radionuclide concentrations in bottom organisms of the Barents Sea and adjacent areas

On data of the Barents Sea and some regions of the Kara, White, Norwegian and Greenland Seas transregional study, carried out in 1991–1992, concentrations of various contaminants in benthic algae and invertebrates are defined. According to the results of two-way ANOVA the conclusion about the absence of spatial variability in concentrations of POP, TM and K-40 in the investigated shelf biota is done. Concentrations of the analysed substances in organisms and the differences in contaminant bioaccumulation by plants and animals of various taxons are presented in a form of a table. In spite of the discrepant information about the background level of contamination, given by different authors, the obtained data to a greater degree corresponds to the idea of the background concentration of contaminants in biota, than testify to the man-induced pollution of the investigated area.