Estimating fluvial wood discharge using time‐lapse photography with varying sampling intervals

Monitoring large wood (LW: width > 10 cm, length > 1 m) in transport within rivers is a necessary next step in the development and refinement of wood budgets and is essential to a better understanding of basin‐wide controls and patterns of LW flux and loads. Monitoring LW transport with coarse interval (≥ 1 min) time‐lapse photography enables the deployment of monitoring cameras at large spatial and long temporal scales. Although less precise than continuous sampling with video, it allows investigators to answer broad questions about basin connectivity, compare drainages and years,and identify transport relationships and thresholds. This paper describes methods to: (i) construct fluvial wood flux curves; (ii) analyze the effects of sample interval lengths on transport estimates; and (iii) estimate total wood loads within a specified time period using coarse‐interval time‐lapse photography. Applying these methods to the Slave River, a large‐volume (10³ m³ s^‐1), low‐gradient (10^{? 2} m km^{? 1}) river in the subarctic (60^° N), yielded the following results. A threshold relationship for wood mobility was located around 4500 m³ s^‐1. More wood is transported on the rising limb of the hydrograph because wood flux declines rapidly on the falling limb. Five‐ and ten‐minute sampling intervals provided unbiased equal variance estimates of 1 min sampling, whereas 15 min intervals were biased towards underestimation by 5–6%, possibly due to periodicity in wood flux. Total LW loads estimated from the 1 min dataset and adjusted for a 15% misdetection rate from 13 July to 13 August are: 1600 ± 200 # pieces, 600 ± 200 m³ and of the order of 1.3 × 10⁵ kg carbon. The total wood load for the entire summer season is probably at least double this estimate because only the second half of the summer was monitored and a large early summer peak freshet was missed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

汶川、鲁甸、康定地震前应变数据由自洽到失洽的转变与地震成核

根据四分量钻孔应变观测的弹性理论模型,四个分量的观测值 S1、S2、S3、S4之间存在“自洽方程”：S1＋S3＝S2＋S4。“十五”期间新建的“数字地震观测网络工程”四分量钻孔应变观测系统中已有一批台站,无论是几天的短期数据,还是6年以上的长期数据,两组面应变相关系数 k 值都超过了0．99。k 值不受降雨、河湖水位、机井抽水等外界干扰影响,具有稳定性。但姑咱台和昭通台,分别在汶川8．0级、鲁甸6．5级和康定6．3级地震前,观测到了 k 值发生明显变化即数据自洽性遭到破坏的现象。导出自洽方程的条件是安装应变仪钻孔附近岩石完整及应力源与观测点间介质的连续性要求,由此,作者认为,姑咱台和昭通台面应变相关系数发生变化可能由于台站附近发生的大地震的地震成核过程中震源区地层介质连续性逐渐受到破坏所致。     

Texas environmental flow standards and the hydrology-based environmental flow regime methodology

Abstract

In 2007, the Texas legislature created a program to identify environmental flow standards statewide through the coordinated efforts of scientific and stakeholder groups and rulemaking by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. To aid in this task, a Hydrology-based Environmental Flow Regime (HEFR) method was developed that combines a suite of user-customizable hydrologic statistics with an implementation framework. Following the concepts of the Natural Flow Paradigm, the methodology includes the separation of a long-term hydrograph into key flow components (e.g. subsistence, base, high-flow pulse and overbank) defined by the Texas Instream Flow Program. Seasonal, annual and inter-annual flow component statistics were then coupled with biology, water quality and geomorphology overlays, where available, and with implementation rules applied to example large-scale water supply projects to support development of environmental flow standards for use in water rights permit conditions. The HEFR methodology and resulting flow recommendations are compared to two contemporary in-stream flow studies and adopted environmental flow standards. Subsistence flows were fairly similar. Baseflows were in a similar range, but fewer than three seasonal levels have sometimes been specified in in-stream flow studies. Episodic events are quite different in terms of magnitude, frequency, duration and applicable number.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Guest editor M. Acreman

Citation Opdyke, D.R., Oborny, E.L., Vaugh, S.K., and Mayes, K.B., 2014. Texas environmental flow standards and the hydrology-based environmental flow regime methodology. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (3–4), 820–830.     

Revealing the natural complexity of topographic change processes through repeat surveys and decision‐tree classification

Topographic change processes (TCPs) are the mechanisms by which a landscape is interpreted to be experiencing landform deformation, and are defined by the specific actions occurring within a contiguous, localized region that cause sediment to be either deposited or eroded. Past topographic change studies have mostly been focused at the site scale. The goal of this study was to identify and delineate spatially explicit TCP types across the valley width in a 34‐km long cobble‐gravel river at the scale of one‐tenth of the bankfull channel width over a period of seven to nine years. To accomplish this, a new procedure was developed that analyzes spatial patterns of topographic change evident from differencing two raster digital elevation models and accounting for sources of uncertainty, then identifying and classifying those changes using a decision tree framework that invokes the locations of those changes as they relate to the locations of specific geographic characteristics. Once mapped, TCP polygons were analyzed for areal patterns and volumetric rates of change. Results showed that 19 unique TCP types occurred and that they have organized but complex spatial patterns. Within this study segment, overbank storage processes occurred over the most area and displaced the most net volume of sediment, while cohesive bank retreat created the largest net change in topographic elevations. Analyses of the TCPs reveal that the regulated lower Yuba River (LYR) is not experiencing the expected combination of channel incision and floodplain deposition commonly reported below dams. Instead, the LYR is a dynamic valley that is still adjusting valley‐wide to the upstream dam with a diverse suite of processes that cause the channel and floodplains to scour and fill in concert. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

再论陆相三级层序内四分方案及其在油气勘探中的应用

结合在陆相盆地中的实例研究,将一个发育完整的陆相三级层序细分为4个体系域：低水位体系域（LST）、水进体系域（TST）、高水位体系域（HST）和水退体系域（RST）,称为I型层序。或者一个层序可以不发育低水位体系域,而由水进体系域、高水位体系域和水退体系域组成,称为II型层序。低水位体系域发生在湖平面（基准面）快速下降时期;水进体系域出现在首次湖泛面到最大湖泛面之间;高水位体系域形成在高水位时期的湖平面相对静止期;水退体系域形成在湖平面缓慢下降期,在沉积物供给速率大于可容空间增加速率时形成。一般低水位体系域发育小型进积式准层序组,纵向沉积环境变浅,在盆地边缘形成河流下切作用;水进体系域发育退积式准层序组,沉积环境自下而上明显变深;高水位体系域发育加积型准层序组,纵向沉积环境变化不大,且多为静水沉积;水退体系域发育大型进积式准层序组,沉积环境自下而上明显变浅,沉积体系向盆地中心推进。结合对松辽盆地的实例研究,分别阐述了断陷盆地和坳陷盆地中各不同体系域的油气藏分布规律：低水位体系域主要在断陷盆地的陡坡侧和坳陷盆地的深水区发育透镜状岩性油气藏;水进体系域主要在断陷盆地的陡坡带发育上倾尖灭型岩性油气藏,在缓坡带和坳陷盆地的斜坡带发育地层超覆油气藏;高水位体系域主要以深水区的透镜状岩性油气藏为主;水退体系域在断陷盆地中主要发育地层不整合遮挡油气藏,在坳陷盆地中主要发育断块油气藏以及断层遮挡油气藏。从而,以理论与实践相结合的方式,阐明了陆相层序四分体系域的实用性。     

Characteristics of annual runoff variation in major rivers of China

The statistical properties of annual runoff in major rivers of China are studied based on the theory of stochastic process and technology of time series analysis. These properties include the characteristics of intra‐annual and inter‐annual variations of runoff, trends, abrupt changes and periodicities. The new findings from the intensive calculations and appropriate analysis of data in longer period are as follows: (i) compared with the nonuniformity of intra‐annual runoff before 1980, the nonuniformity of intra‐annual runoff in China generally decreased after 1980, except for Huaihe River and Songhua River; (ii) compared with the annual runoff before 1980, the annual runoff in China generally decreased after 1980 except for WangJiaba station in Huaihe River and Ha‐Erbin station in Songhua River; the frequency of continuous low flow and continuous high flow in Haihe River and the downstream of Yellow River is higher than those in other rivers in China; (iii) annual runoff shows a downward trend in major rivers of China especially in Haihe River, Liao River and the midstream and downstream of Yellow River; (iv) there exist certain abrupt changes of annual runoff in major rivers of China; the abrupt change‐points are different among different river basins; and (v) almost periodicities of annual runoff sequences in major rivers of China are generally 20 years below, that is, 3~7 and 12~20 years. The reasons for these changes are mainly caused by climate change and human activities. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of geomorphological variables on mountainous stream water chemistry (Sierras Pampeanas, Córdoba, Argentina)

The relationship between geomorphological features and water geochemistry was studied for a group of mountainous rivers (from ~ 900 to ~ 2200 m a.s.l.) with similar geology and climate, in the Sierras Pampeanas of Córdoba (Argentina, 31° 30′, 32° 00′S, and 64° 30′, 65° 10′W). A multivariate approach was used to identify three morphological domains that describe the set of sampled rivers, namely “size” dominance, slope dominance, and drainage density dominance. The links between physicochemical and geomorphological variables show that “size” dominance is mostly related to major ions, conductivity, and pH, which tend to increase downstream. Slope dominance is associated with the total concentration of heavy metal (i.e., high heavy metal concentrations are associated with relatively flat areas with slightly acid to circumneutral pH, which promotes desorption). The drainage density dominance results in an association between well-drained catchments and low Cl⁻ concentration (i.e., preserving the chemical signature of atmospheric precipitation).     

中国大陆地区对外贸易差异的演变、成因与收敛路径

根据采用因子分析法进行的综合评价结果表明,中国大陆地区对外贸易水平呈现明显的非均衡发展态势。以变异系数度量的对外贸易总量差异表明,1985~2006年间,地带间外贸总量差异呈逐步增大的态势,地带内部外贸总量差异呈趋于收敛的态势。以制成品进出口占全国比重度量的对外贸易结构表明,四大地带中,东部始终占据全国主导地位且占比逐年上升。在地区对外贸易差异的形成过程中,对外开放政策、外商直接投资、人力资本、经济性基础设施、国内投资和地理区位等因素起到了决定性作用。以对数单位模型进行的实证检验表明,加大道路交通建设、提高中央与地方的分权水平、扩大投资规模、改善人力资本状况、提升通讯水平和加强省际外贸合作,是促进地区对外贸易向均衡方向发展的有效路径。