Mud bank colonization by opportunistic mangroves: A case study from French Guiana using lidar data

Mud bank colonization by mangroves on the Amazon-influenced coast of French Guiana was studied using light detection and ranging (lidar) data which provide unique information on canopy geometry an sub-canopy topography. The role of topography was assessed through analysis of vegetation characteristics derived from these data. Measurements and analyses of mangrove expansion rates over space and time led to the identification of two distinct colonization processes. The first involves regular step-by-step mangrove expansion to the northwest of the experimental site. The second is qualified as ‘opportunistic’ since it involves a clear relationship between specific ecological characteristics of pioneer Avicennia and mud cracks affecting the mud bank surface and for which probabilities of occurrence were computed from terrain elevations. It is argued from an original analysis of the latter relationship that mud cracks cannot be solely viewed as water stress features that reflect desiccation potentially harmful to plant growth. Indeed, our results tend to demonstrate that they significantly enhance the propensity for mangroves to anchor and take root, thus leading to the colonization of tens of hectares in a few days. The limits and potential of lidar data are discussed with reference to the study of muddy coasts. Finally, the findings of the study are reconsidered within the context of a better understanding of both topography and vegetation characteristics on mangrove-fringed muddy coasts.     

Numerical modelling of desiccation cracking of clayey soil using a cohesive fracture method

This paper presents a numerical study on the desiccation cracking process of clayey soil. The initiation and propagation of cracks were investigated using finite element code, including the damage-elastic cohesive fracture law to describe the behaviour of cracks. The coupling between the hydraulic behaviour (moisture transfer in the soil matrix and in the cracks) and the mechanical behaviour (volume change of the soil matrix and development of cracks) were also considered. The results of a laboratory experiment performed on clay soil, taken from a literature review, were used to evaluate the numerical modelling. The results show that the code can reproduce the main trends observed in the experiment (e.g., shrinkage related to drying, crack development). In addition, the numerical simulation enables the identification of other phenomena, such as the evolution of suction and stress related to drying and the development of a single crack. These phenomena are difficult to observe experimentally.     

Desiccation-induced Shrinkage in Compacted Lateritic Soils

Specimens prepared from three lateritic soil samples were subjected to drying under laboratory conditions. Volumetric shrinkage strains were measured at the end of the drying period. Results of this study indicate that, for the lateritic soils tested, volumetric shrinkage strains are influenced by soil composition and compaction conditions. Volumetric shrinkage strain increased with higher compaction water content. The influence of compaction water content on measured volumetric shrinkage strain was more pronounced in specimens with higher fines content. A regression equation was developed from the data to estimate volumetric shrinkage strain given the compaction water content relative to optimum, plasticity index, fines content and compactive effort.     

Numerical simulation of desiccation cracking in a thin clay layer using 3D discrete element modeling

Desiccation cracking of clay soil is of critical importance in many applications, such as industrial waste containment, hydraulic barriers, road embankments, and agricultural operations. The factors that influence cracking are known qualitatively, but it is not clear how to predict the initiation and propagation of cracks. This study presents a discrete element approach to modeling desiccation cracking in thin clay layers, considering material property changes. First, an aggregate shrinkage model based on the aggregate structure of clay was proposed, and the drying shrinkage of clay soil was modeled by imposing drying shrinkage kinetics for each aggregate at the micro-scale. Second, the clay soil was represented by an assembly of aggregates linked by bonds, and desiccation cracking of the clay layer was modeled using a three-dimensional discrete element code (PFC3D), with the aid of the embedded programming language FISH. When the clay layer is sufficiently thin, the water content gradient along the section can be neglected; thus, the shrinkage kinetics are the same for all of the grains of clay. In the model based on the discrete element method (DEM), the bond strength and contact stiffness changed during drying. Their changes were determined by matching the simulation results with the experimental data. Third, the DEM approach was validated by reproducing experimental desiccation tests performed on a thin clay layer in a disk shape. The geometric parameters of surface cracks were quantified using image analysis techniques and were compared with experimental observations. Fourth, some factors of influence, such as the sample thickness, the properties of the soil–base interface, micro-mechanical parameters, and shrinkage parameters, were investigated using the DEM model. The results obtained from the DEM analyses were compared with the results of prior research in this field of study. The approach used in this study is very promising for simulating desiccation cracking in thin clay soil because the model captures the initiation and propagation mechanism of desiccation cracks. Although this study was carried out on surface cracking in a thin clay layer, the extension of this methodology is of potential benefit not only for predicting three-dimensional desiccation cracking in real clay liners but also for modeling cracking in other materials with properties that vary with water content or temperature, such as concrete and rock.     

Preconsolidation stress in the Vega Baja and Media areas of the River Segura (SE Spain): Causes and relationship with piezometric level changes

Preconsolidation stress (σ′_p) is the maximum effective stress that a soil has suffered throughout its life. From a geotechnical point of view, preconsolidation stress has a great importance because it separates elastic and reversible deformations from inelastic and only partially irreversible deformations and marks the starting point of high compressibility. This study calculates the preconsolidation stress for 139 undisturbed soil samples from the Vega Baja and Media of the Segura river (SE Spain), using the uniaxial consolidation test and applying the method proposed by Casagrande while using a novel analytical procedure proposed by Gregory et al. [Gregory, A.S., Whalley, W.R., Watts, C.W., Bird, N.R.A., Hallet, P.D., Whitmore, A.P., 2006. Calculation of the compression index and precompression stress from soil compression test data. Soil and Till. Res., 89, 45–57] to avoid subjective interpretations of maximum curvature point. The results show overconsolidation ratio (OCR — the ratio of preconsolidation stress to current natural overburden stress) values for the 10–15 m depth of soil varying from 2 to 14 and maximum preconsolidation stresses above 800 kPa. The main causes of calculated preconsolidation identified are desiccation due to seasonal drying and wetting cycles that have induced additional stresses always lower than 42 kPa for the more superficial samples. Water level decline due to the reduction of recharge suffered by the aquifer system during periods of drought and the uncontrolled withdrawal of water is considered to be the second cause of anomalous OCR values. This second cause induces low stresses to the more superficial layers (lower than 41 kPa) that can reach values higher than 150 kPa for the deeper layers for known water level decreases. In consequence, the soils of the Vega Baja and Media of the Segura river are highly overconsolidated for the first 5 m, decreasing gradually with depth to 10–15 m deep. For samples located deeper than 15 m the soils seem to be underconsolidated, probably due to the existence of confined aquifers that cause deviations from a hydrostatic and linear pore pressure model. This fact has a huge practical significance which implies that deformations affecting superficial layers are lower than those expected for deeper layers for the same load.     

Localization and characterization of cracks in clay‐rocks using frequency and time‐domain induced polarization

Induced polarization (IP) is a geophysical method that is potentially sensitive to the presence of cracks in porous rocks and therefore to damage. We performed time‐domain and frequency domain IP measurements at the Tournemire Underground Research Laboratory (URL, Aveyron, France) in areas where different types of cracks are observed. These cracks correspond to both tectonic fractures and new cracks associated with stress release and desiccation resulting from the excavation of a gallery. These measurements were performed both in eastern and northern galleries of the test site. The eastern gallery was excavated in 1996 while the northern gallery was excavated recently in 2008. This gives us the opportunity to study the electrical characteristics of the excavation damaged zone surrounding the galleries with respect to the age of the excavation. Longitudinal profiles were performed along the floor of the galleries with 48 Cu/CuSO₄ electrodes separated by a distance of 20 cm. Chargeability and resistivity were inverted using a Gauss‐Newton iterative approach assuming an isotropic heterogeneous clay‐rock material. The resulting IP tomograms show a correlation between high values of chargeability and the presence of calcite‐filled tectonic fractures. X‐ray analysis indicates that the presence of pyrite in these fractures is a potential source of the observed IP signals. The cracks associated with the mechanical damage of the formation exhibit low values of chargeability, on the same order of magnitude than the chargeability of the clay‐rock matrix and are therefore hardly observable. A smaller IP response associated with the presence of these cracks is observed in the older gallery and this observation is qualitatively related to the desaturation process associated with these cracks. In a specific area of one of the galleries, the presence of calcareous nodules is observed to be an important source of anomalous chargeability. This signature seems to be associated with the presence of pyrite.     

Seed predation and moisture limit germination of recalcitrant Dobera glabra (Salvadoraceae) seeds in the Afar rangelands, Ethiopia

We studied current recruitment failure of Dobera glabra, an important famine-food throughout the dryland parts of the Horn of Africa. The species has previously been found to have recalcitrant seeds, a strategy not common for plants in dryland areas. We experimentally tested (1) how germination capacity of D. glabra is affected by seed form, storage period and moisture under nursery conditions, and (2) how seed predation by vertebrate herbivore and seed exposure at germination site affect germination under field conditions in northern Afar rangelands, Ethiopia. D. glabra seeds that received either mulching or supplementary watering (3 days/week) had a higher germination success than controls. The seeds are probably desiccation sensitive since stored seeds had poor germination performance compared to fresh seeds. Seeds in the rangeland plots protected from herbivores had significantly higher germination success compared to open plots. Our findings demonstrate that seed predation and moisture limitation highly reduced the germinability of the recalcitrant D. glabra seeds, indicating that the species might have persisted due to past wetter periods and low herbivore density in dry environments.