Spatio-temporal analysis of decadal-scale patterns in barrier island response to storms: Perdido Key,NW Florida

The ability to accurately quantify shoreline variability is essential in order to establish aggressive mitigation strategies, based on recent global climate change projections. This investigation employed a suite of coastal data (topographic maps, aerial photography, satellite imagery and lidar) to establish decadal trends of shoreline movement along Perdido Key, a sandy barrier island off Florida’s northwest coast. The technique used to detect morphologic change with time was a recently developed tool, Analyzing Moving Boundaries Using R. This innovative methodology improves our understanding of the evolution of coastal systems by modeling shoreline variance using a method that is sensitive to shoreline shape. Results show that the barrier shoreline is a highly dynamic feature with distinct zones of erosion and accretion that are pervasive over time. In general, the island is displaying a mechanism of rotational instability with the eastern half retreating, and the western portion advancing. The inflection point, around which this rotational shifting is taking place, lies at the center of a Pleistocene headland located along the island’s midpoint. The results of this study suggest that coastal evolution along the island may be meta-stable, with trends in shoreline variance corresponding mainly to discrete storm events in time.     

The contribution of gully erosion to total sediment production in a small watershed in Southwest China

Determining the contribution of gully erosion to the total sediment yield is important for enhancing decision-making regarding sediment abatement and soil conservation measures. The dry-hot valley region of the Jinsha River is one of the most intensive areas of gully erosion in China. However, the contribution of gully erosion to total sediment production in this region is unclear. Instead of using the source tracing technique commonly employed in other studies, this study provides a method of rapidly reconstructing historical sediment yields based on the properties of sediment that accumulated in an undrained pond at a small gully watershed outlet. We produced a three-dimensional model in geographical information system software to calculate the volume of each layer of accumulated pond deposits from 2006 to 2011. Moreover, we estimated sheet erosion amounts using the Universal Soil Loss Equation. The results showed that sheet erosion accounted for between 14.28 and 23.39% of the total sediment yield in the watershed in the case that the sediment delivery ratio was 100%. Therefore, gully erosion is the major source of total soil loss in this area, and effective soil measures of gully erosion mitigation are crucial for managing the sediment yield.     

河北坝上农田、退耕地和天然草地土壤的可风蚀性

对河北坝上农田、退耕地和天然草地土壤干团聚体稳定性（DASt）、土壤可蚀度（EF）和理化性质进行分析,讨论了这3种土地利用类型土壤风蚀可蚀性的差异及其与土壤理化性质的关系。结果表明：农田和天然草地EF与DASt值差异性显著（P<0.05）,天然草地和退耕地、退耕地和农田差异性不显著,对于EF和DASt,天然草地 > 退耕地> 农田;对于平均粒径,农田≈退耕地>天然草地;对于土壤机械组成黏粒与粉粒含量,天然草地 > 退耕地 > 农田;对于砾石含量,农田 > 退耕地 > 天然草地;对于土壤有机质和全氮含量,天然草地 > 退耕地 > 农田。农田、退耕地、天然草地的DASt、EF系数与砾石含量、平均粒径有着显著相关性,有机质、全氮含量和DASt在天然草地上极显著负相关;EF与有机质、全氮含量在3种地类显著负相关。坝上地区草地和退耕地土壤肥力较高,但表层土壤具有很高的风蚀潜力,因此要限制开垦草地,在必要的地区继续退耕还林还草,提高地表植被的覆盖度,防风固沙,提高土壤肥力,减少土壤风蚀。     

自动连续称重式集沙仪设计及野外应用

集沙仪是定量监测风沙活动的重要工具。设计了一种自动连续称重式集沙仪,可以根据试验需要采集不同高度沙样,每分钟收集一次质量数据,实现高频连续集沙。试验结果显示,自动连续称重式集沙仪在15、30、60 cm高度的集沙量满足随高度增加呈指数减少的规律;在15 cm高度,风速与输沙通量呈指数函数关系(y=6E-05·e0.8417x,R2=0.6042),随集沙高度升高输沙通量与风速相关性减弱。自动连续称重式集沙仪与新型平口式集沙仪所测的输沙通量具有很好的一致性(y=0.8119x+0.2645,R2=0.7481)。自动连续称重式集沙仪虽然在稳固性方面需要改良,但能够很好地捕捉高度在15 cm以下沙物质的输移信息,野外应用效果良好,是一种适合野外高精度风沙活动自动监测的新型测量工具。     

库布齐沙漠110MW光伏基地次生风沙危害的动力学机制

为了解释光伏设施干扰下沙质地表侵蚀堆积的动力机制,在库布齐沙漠110MW光伏电站选取2个断面,利用MetOne 014A/024A型自动风速仪,同步观测了光伏板前后不同位置20、50、100、200cm高度的1min平均风速,分析了光伏板干扰下流场格局变异及其与地表蚀积态势的关系。结果表明:(1)光伏设施强烈干扰流场格局,产生流场分异区:板下集流加速区、板前板后遇阻减速区、板面抬升区和板间恢复区,但光伏基地上风向边缘区域与腹地的流场分布格局存在显著差异;(2)空间流场特征区发育程度所指示的动力分布与地面侵蚀堆积态势基本对应;(3)植被可有效增大地面粗糙度,降低0~50cm近地表过境风速,减缓地表蚀积过程的发生与加剧;(4)光伏板下的集流加速和板前板后的反向涡旋,是塑造地表风蚀沟(坑)及积沙带发育的主要动力。     

Discussion on evolution of Min Jiang River: Heavy mineral evidence from the Quaternary fluvial sediments in Yibin area,Sichuan Province

Heavy minerals deposited on river terraces can be used to reflect source rock properties and reveal river evolutionary processes. This study focused on the heavy minerals deposited in the lower Min Jiang River terraces and in the modern deposits. We studied paleo-current direction, characteristics of the heavy mineral assemblages, characteristic metamorphic minerals and heavy mineral characteristic indices. The results show that the lower reaches of the Min Jiang River Ⅴ- to Ⅲ-level terrace deposits consist dominantly of magmatic rock type, which mainly comes from the Longmen Shan mountain tectonic belt. The heavy minerals deposited in modern sediment come from the Songpan-Ganzi fold belt. The heavy mineral characteristic indices suggest that this change is due to headward erosion of the Min Jiang River. Affected by the phase B of the Kunhuang movement, the Min Jiang River was incised to the Wenchuan area at 0.73-0.7 Ma and the Ⅴ-level terrace formed. The Min Jiang River was strongly cut down at 0.5-0.3 Ma due to the phase C of the Kunhuang movement, and as a result the Ⅳ-level terrace formed. Influenced by Gonghe movement, the Min Jiang River was incised to the stone mark and Ⅲ-level terrace formed in 0.11-0.09 Ma. After that, the modern Min Jiang River was formed at around 27 ka.     

Holocene Rockwall Retreat in Svalbard: A Triple-Rate Evolution

Volumetric calculations of slope deposits, direct measurements of rockwall retreat and chronological control based on lichenometry provide a wide range of rockwall retreat rates in Svalbard (0–1580 mm ka⁻¹) that appears consistent with previous evaluations from other Arctic areas. In northwest and central Spitsbergen (79°N), a triple-rate rockwall retreat is suggested for the last two millennia: very slow biogenic flaking (2 mm ka⁻¹), moderate retreat due to frost shattering (100 ka⁻¹) and rapid retreat associated with post-glacial stress relaxation (c. 1000 mm ka⁻¹). Examination of the distribution of various processes indicates that the Holocene retreat of most rockwalls has not exceeded one or two metres. Bedrock conditions appear to be the main control on retreat rates. The massiveness of igneous and metamorphic outcrops, widespread in Arctic shield areas, largely accounts for the slowness of rockwall retreat, which on these lithologies is primarily due to chemical and biological processes. More rapid rates are usually associated with stress relaxation following glacial surges or with local frost susceptibility of bedrock, often where faulting has induced high joint density. At such sites, rockwall retreat rates are of the same order of magnitude as those reported from Alpine areas (1000–3000 mm ka⁻¹) where both bedrock weakening due to tectonic stresses and the greater height of steep rockwalls account for the more rapid rockwall retreat rate. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Magnitude and variation in the contribution of bank erosion to the suspended sediment load of the River Severn,UK

The wide range of studies describing the role of bank erosion in fluvial sediment supply have mostly lumped amounts of bank erosion into coarse temporal units, such as years. This paper investigates sediment yields from individual bank erosion events within the upper River Severn, UK (basin area 380 km²). Manual erosion pins and photo-electronic erosion pins were used to estimate bank erosion, and turbidity meters were used to determine suspended sediment transport. At the annual time-scale, the silt-clay fraction of bank-derived sediment accounted for an equivalent of 17 per cent of the suspended load, increasing to an average of 38 per cent at the monthly timescale, and then to an average of 64 per cent at the event timescale. This research highlighted that for an upland catchment, bank erosion was an important supply of suspended sediment, and that for some flood events bank erosion can supply more sediment than is transported. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Suspended sediment discharge in subsurface flow from the head hollow of a small forested watershed,northern Japan

Surface flow and suspended sediment discharge from the head hollow of the Jozankei Experimental Watershed in Hokkaido, northern Japan, were measured to clarify the implications of subsurface hydrology for soil movement. Subsurface discharges during the extremely large storms of 1993 to 1994 were measured in a V-notch weir installed at a natural spring near the bottom of the head hollow, and shallow groundwater levels were observed in the wells excavated in the hollow. Sediment samples whose particle size range from 0·001 to 0·1 mm were manually and automatically collected at 15 to 60 min intervals, by use of 1 or 21 polyethylene bottles. Maximum concentration and flux of suspended sediment during the storms preceded the peak discharge of subsurface flow by several hours. Neither the changes in concentration (mg l⁻¹) nor flux (mg s⁻¹) of suspended sediment coincided with those in subsurface discharge (l s⁻¹). Furthermore, sediment concentration was poorly correlated with the rate of change in subsurface discharge (l s⁻²) during the rising limb of the hydrograph. Suspended sediment flux during the acceleratory limb, however, was closely correlated with the rate of change in subsurface discharge. The relationship between suspended sediment flux and rate of change in subsurface discharge were in inverse proportion to initial subsurface discharge before the storm runoff and they represented rare seasonal variation. Subsurface hydraulic erosion and transport of suspended sediment resulting from changes in rate of change in subsurface discharge actively occur during the acceleratory rising limb of the hydrograph. Accordingly, subsurface hydraulic erosion during the acceleratory rising limb of the hydrograph can be physically understood by analysing suspended sediment flux associated with rate of change in subsurface discharge and initial subsurface discharge. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Patterns and controls of gully growth along the shoreline of Lake Huron

An empirical approach was used to examine the morphology and behaviour of gullies along the eastern shoreline of Lake Huron, Canada. Gully and watershed dimensions and percentage vegetation cover of a sample of 44 gullies were measured from aerial photographs between 1930 and 1992. Gullies with larger watersheds had higher area growth rates. Larger gullies continue to expand over time while small gullies are more likely to become stable. Growth rates increased between 1955 and 1978 because of increased snowfall, extreme flow events, the extension of municipal drains, and the use of subsurface drainage. After 1970, efforts to rehabilitate gullies using drain pipes and check dams contributed to a decrease in gully growth rates. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.