Holocene fluvial valley fill sources of atmospheric mineral dust in the Skeleton Coast,Namibia

Western Namibia is a significant global source of atmospheric mineral dust. We investigate the relationship between dust and source sediments, assessing the sustainability of dust flux. Remote sensing studies have highlighted specific ephemeral fluvial systems as important contributors to dust flux, including highlighting sections of valleys that are the origins of dust plumes in the period 2005–2008. Little is known however about the specific within‐valley dust sediment sources, particularly whether dust is derived from modern ephemeral channel floors or older valley fill sediments, many of which have been reported in the region. As part of a region‐wide analysis of aeolian dust flux, we investigate the sediment properties of atmospheric dust samples and valley sediments from the Huab valley, one of the principal regional dust sources. Trapped dust samples contain up to 88% very fine sand and silt when collected samples are disaggregated prior to analysis. Valley fill surface samples comprise 80% very fine sand and silt, and the surface of the modern ephemeral channel 30%. Valley fill sediments were sampled at depths up to 3.6 m below the present surface and reveal Holocene depositional ages from 0.6 ± 0.03 ka back to 9.79 ± 0.73 ka. These sediments contain 30% to 6% very fine sand and silt, with levels decreasing with depth and age. Aeolian bedforms in the valley system (nebkhas on the fill surface and climbing dunes on valley margins) indicate that aeolian processes under the influence of strong seasonal easterly winds likely result in dust being winnowed out of the valley fill surfaces, with sandy bedforms being constructed from the coarser component of the fill sediments. The volume of valley fill sediment suggests dust sourced from Holocene sediments is likely to continue into the future regardless of flow conditions in the modern channel system. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determining hydrological regimes in an agriculturally used tropical inland valley wetland in Central Uganda using soil moisture,groundwater, and digital elevation data

Inadequate knowledge exists on the distribution of soil moisture and shallow groundwater in intensively cultivated inland valley wetlands in tropical environments, which are required for determining the hydrological regime. This study investigated the spatial and temporal variability of soil moisture along 4 hydrological positions segmented as riparian zone, valley bottom, fringe, and valley slope in an agriculturally used inland valley wetland in Central Uganda. The determined hydrological regimes of the defined hydrological positions are based on soil moisture deficit calculated from the depth to the groundwater table. For that, the accuracy and reliability of satellite‐derived surface models, SRTM‐30m and TanDEM‐X‐12m, for mapping microscale topography and hydrological regimes are evaluated against a 5‐m digital elevation model (DEM) derived from field measurements. Soil moisture and depth to groundwater table were measured using frequency domain reflectometry sensors and piezometers installed along the hydrological positions, respectively. Results showed that spatial and temporal variability in soil moisture increased significantly (p < .05) towards the riparian zone; however, no significant difference was observed between the valley bottom and riparian zone. The distribution of soil hydrological regimes, saturated, near‐saturated, and nonsaturated regimes does not correlate with the hydrological positions. This is due to high spatial and temporal variability in depth to groundwater and soil moisture content across the valley. Precipitation strongly controlled the temporal variability, whereas microscale topography, soil properties, distance from the stream, anthropogenic factors, and land use controlled the spatial variability in the inland valley. TanDEM‐X DEM reasonably mapped the microscale topography and thus soil hydrological regimes relative to the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission DEM. The findings of the study contribute to improved understanding of the distribution of hydrological regimes in an inland valley wetland, which is required for a better agricultural water management planning.     

Hydrogeomorphological differentiation between floodplains and terraces

Floodplains and terraces in river valleys play important roles in the transport dynamics of water and sediment. While flat areas in river valleys can be identified from LiDAR data, directly characterizing them as either floodplain or terraces is not yet possible. To address this challenge, we hypothesize that, since geomorphic features are strongly coupled to hydrological and hydraulic dynamics and their associated variability, there exists a return frequency, or possibly a narrow band of return frequencies, of flow that is associated with floodplain formation; and this association can provide a distinctive signature for distinguishing them from terraces. Based on this hypothesis we develop a novel approach for distinguishing between floodplains and terraces that involves transforming the transverse cross‐sectional geometry of a river valley into a curve, named a river valley hypsometric (RVH) curve, and linking hydraulic inundation frequency with the features of this curve. Our approach establishes that the demarcation between floodplains and terraces can be established from the structure of steps and risers in the RVH curves which can be obtained from the DEM data. Further, it shows that these transitions may themselves be shaped by floods with 10‐ to 100‐year recurrence. We additionally show that, when floodplain width and height (above channel bottom) are normalized by bankfull width and depth, the ratio lies in a narrow range independent of the scale of the river valley. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

西藏日喀则江当及其毗邻地区植被组成特点

西藏河谷风沙地貌最为发育的日喀则宽谷段及其毗邻山地植被的植物区系组成表现为日益旱化和寒化过程中发生的温性中旱生、旱中生植物为主,带有北温带区系成份性质。由于区系发展的时间短,属的分化显得微弱,形成许多寡种、属的科。其植被受基质及水热条件再分配的影响表现为明显的垂直性分异。以上述分析为基础,砂生槐等为主的河谷沙地植被的特点得以重点讨论。     

TWO-DIMENSIONAL SCATTERING OF P,SV AND RAYLEIGH WAVES: PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR THE VALLEY OF MEXICO

A direct boundary element method for calculating the two-dimensional scattering of seismic waves from irregular topographies and buried valleys due to incident P-, SV- and Rayleigh waves is employed to model a section of the Mexico City Valley. The method has been formulated with isoparametric quadratic boundary elements and contains, with respect to previous works in the field, some improvements that are briefly presented. Because the Mexico City Valley is relatively flat and shallow and the contrast of S-waves between the clays and the basement rock is very high, it is believed that the one-dimensional theory is enough to explain the amplification patterns. Although this is true for most sites, results from recent accelerometric data suggest that two- and three-dimensional models are needed to explain the amplification behaviour at some places. In this work, two accelerometric sites have been chosen: Site 84 to probe that the one-dimensional model works well for most sites, and Site TB, as an example of irregular response. The two-dimensional method presented here was used to model a section of the valley where site TB is located, showing that this method yields results closer to the observations than the one-dimensional approach. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

金沙江干热河谷区攀枝花市土地退化初探

金沙江河谷区由于河谷深切、焚风效应显著、气候干热、生态环境脆弱,加上人类活动的强烈干扰,使水土流失加剧及土地退化甚至荒漠化的发生和发展。位于金沙江干热河谷的攀枝花市土地退化面积占本市总面积的49.1%,轻度、中度、强度和极强度退化土地面积分别占总土地面积的37.2%、8.2%、3.2%和0.5%。土地退化使土层变薄、肥力下降、土地生产力降低,破坏水利设施、影响水利工程效益,加剧自然灾害。土地退化的防冶对策为:制定正确的土地退化防治政策;严格控制人口增长;加强宣传,提高农民群众的生态意识;保护现有森林,加强植树造林;巩固与加强农田水利基本建设。     

渭河三阳川盆地最高级阶地的年代厘定及其对河谷发育的指示意义

青藏高原东缘水系的演化历史长期存在着重大争议,鉴于任一水系的形成演化都是通过主要河谷的发育及其不断延展与整合完成的,因此确定河谷发育的起始时代是研究水系演化的关键。本文针对渭河上游三阳川盆地最高级阶地形成时代的研究,发现李家小湾河流阶地砾石层的ESR年代为1.26±0.15 Ma和1.32±0.19 Ma,26Al/10Be埋藏年代为1.45±0.70 Ma和1.04±0.43 Ma,说明该段河谷形成于早更新世晚期。综合青藏高原东缘夷平面、剥蚀面与河流阶地的研究成果,推断该区现代河谷系列主要形成于1.2 Ma以后,河流平均下切速率较高,为0.1~0.32 m/ka,指示了中更新世以来该区快速的地表抬升与河谷发育过程;而其前少数地段的先成河谷下切速率介于0.04~0.29 m/ka之间,说明区域地势总体低平,地表过程以剥蚀夷平为主,即高原东缘的现今水系格局主要是第四纪期间构造和气候共同作用下河流侵蚀的产物。     

龙潭喀斯特槽谷倾坡土壤水分变异性研究

保水保土是石漠化治理的关键,掌握石漠化区土壤水分的变化规律对石漠化治理有重要的作用。2017年6月—2018年11月在重庆酉阳县龙潭槽谷两侧顺、逆倾坡(典型石漠化治理区)选择4个土壤剖面分15 cm、30 cm土层深度埋设探头,开展高分辨率土壤水分和土壤温度的动态监测。结果表明:(1)季节尺度上,土壤水分与降雨量的关系较大,与土温的关系较小;顺倾坡土壤水分高于逆倾坡,且多雨季节比少雨季节明显;多雨季节,裸岩出露影响降雨的再分配:顺倾坡得到双重补给,即降雨补给、裸岩地表径流补给。(2)降雨间歇期,顺倾坡失水量较逆倾坡少,这主要与坡面坡度和土壤质地的差异有关。(3)降雨期间,降雨强度较小时,土壤水分随土层深度的增加而增加;但降雨强度较大时,顺倾坡土壤监测点出现表层土壤水分大于底层土壤水分的现象,这主要与强降雨引起坡面的超渗产流有关。(4)受龙潭槽谷顺、逆倾坡空间差异的影响,槽谷两侧裸岩出露率、土层厚度、土壤有机质等自然要素差别明显,进而对该区土壤水分的时空分布有重要影响,因此在石漠化治理过程中应采取不同的保水保土措施。     

Tectonic evolution of a crustal-scale oblique ramp,Hellenides thrust belt,Greece

This study investigates the tectonic evolution of the Omalos transverse zone, which served as a crustal-scale oblique ramp in the External Hellenides thrust belt on Crete island. The Omalos oblique ramp developed above an inherited Mesozoic fault zone that strikes NE–SW, oblique to the regional SSW-directed tectonic transport. During the Early Miocene–Pleistocene evolution of the thrust belt, the oblique ramp was repeatedly reactivated localizing deformation above the inherited structure. Geological and structural mapping combined with kinematic analysis of ductile and brittle structures suggest that the Omalos oblique ramp generated a local kinematic field, which deviated significantly from the regional kinematic pattern in the thrust belt. The most conspicuous feature in the tectonic evolution of the oblique ramp is a change from a ductile wrench-dominated to a brittle, primarily reverse faulting regime across the brittle–ductile transition, followed by brittle wrench deformation after the final exhumation of high-pressure (HP) rocks. Deflections of transport and compression orientations from the regional pattern are attributed to buttressing against basement-cover offsets produced by the pre-existing fault zone, to oblique ramping, and to transfer faulting, respectively. Our findings are potentially applicable to other examples of crustal-scale oblique thrust ramps in various tectonic settings.     

那陵格勒河山谷段数字流域特征提取与流域调蓄能力初探

流域特征的精确提取对深入研究流域水文过程和水资源管理至关重要。利用DEM数据进行数字流域特征分析,尤其在难以进入、地形复杂的无资料山区,可高效精准地提取、统计和研究地貌和水系特征。基于Arc GIS实验平台,利用DEM数据,从流域产汇流形成以及洪水调蓄角度对那陵格勒河山谷段进行流域特征提取。结论如下:1)流域地貌特征表明产汇流面较大,地面侵蚀过程较强,重力侵蚀过程较弱。2)流域水系为狭长形弯曲河道,主河道比降小。实际沟谷网络密度为1.71~2.32 km/km2。3)流域地貌特征使子流域的沟谷集水面广量大且速度快,易形成大的径流汇入主河道;但流域水系特征可降低主河道汇流速度,延长汇流时间,有利调蓄,洪峰不易集中。