Large wood potential,piece characteristics,and flood effects in Swiss mountain streams

We present results of two studies on the (1) potential wood load in steep headwater streams and (2) properties of large wood (LW) transported in mountain rivers during the large August 2005 flood event in Switzerland. Ten headwater reaches of 1000 m length were surveyed in different regions of Switzerland. The potential wood load was estimated for in-channel deadwood, and possible driving factors were explored. Correlations were found with dead wood volume on hillslopes and mean channel width. We established size distributions of LW pieces and identified probable recruitment processes. Four reaches were resurveyed after an exceptionally severe flood in August 2005, showing limited LW transport in channels but considerable wood input by mass wasting processes. In addition, characteristics of deposits of LW along mountain rivers affected by the 2005 flood were investigated. Diameter and length distribution of transported and deposited pieces were comparable to those of LW from steep headwater streams, yet with considerably fewer long pieces in the deposits of mountain rivers. Most LW pieces were fresh wood, indicating that the portion of in-channel deadwood transported during the 2005 flood was limited. Findings of the study contribute to a better understanding of LW dynamics in Alpine mountain streams.     

Mayfly communities in a prealpine stream system of Switzerland

The mayfly fauna of twelve localities belonging to a calcareous stream system of the Swiss Prealps was investigated during the last three years. The stream system was divided into three distinct topographical sections, each characterized by specific thermic and geomorphologic components. Thirty-five mayfly species, that belonged to different faunistic groups according to their respective longitudinal distribution, were found. A coefficient of interspecific association was determined for every pair of species. Non-parametric indices of diversity, as well as a parametric analysis, were calculated for the three stations investigated quantitatively. The faunistic classification of the twelve stations reflected the main topographical organization of the stream system.     

The effects of seasonal changes to in-stream vegetation cover on patterns of flow and accumulation of sediment

In-stream macrophytes are typically abundant in nutrient-rich chalk streams during the spring and summer months and modify the in-stream environment by altering river flows and trapping sediments. We present results from an inter-disciplinary study of two river reaches in the River Frome catchment, Dorset (UK). The investigation focused on how Ranunculus (water crowfoot), the dominant submerged macrophyte in the study reaches, modified patterns of flow and sediment deposition. Measurements were taken on a monthly basis throughout 2003 to determine seasonal patterns in macrophyte cover, associated changes in the distributions of flow velocities and the character and amount of accumulated fine sediment within stands of Ranunculus.Maximum in-stream cover of macrophytes exceeded 70% at both sites. Flow velocities were less than 0.1 m s^− 1 within the stands of Ranunculus and accelerated to 0.8 m s^− 1 outside the stands. During the early stages of the growth of Ranunculus, fine sediment mostly accumulated within the upstream section of the plant but the area of fine sediment accumulation extended into the downstream trailing section of the plant later in the growing season. The fine sediment accumulations were dominated by sand (63–1000 μm) with silts and clays (0.37–63 μm) comprising < 10% by volume. The content of organic matter in the accumulated sediments varied within stands, between reaches and through the growing season with values ranging between 9 and 105 mg g^− 1 dry weight. At the reach scale the two sites exhibited different growth forms of Ranunculus which created distinctive patterns of flow and fine sediment deposition.     

Seismicity in the Rotorua and Kawerau geothermal systems,Taupo Volcanic Zone,New Zealand,based on improved velocity models and cross-correlation measurements

We analyze earthquakes occurring in and around the Rotorua and Kawerau geothermal systems, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. The two data sets contain 504 and 1875 shallow (≤ 20 km deep) earthquakes, respectively, and span the 21 year period between 1984 and 2004. The arrival time data for these earthquakes are first used to calculate 1-D P- and S-wave seismic velocity models and accompanying station correction terms for both areas. In order to address the non-uniqueness of the joint hypocenter-velocity model estimation problem, we analyze suites of 1000 velocity models computed from random initial models. The final velocity models are well constrained, particularly at depths between 4 and 15 km, and consistent with the results obtained in previous seismic refraction studies of the central Taupo Volcanic Zone. Using a combination of cross-correlation-derived and catalog-based arrival times, we relocate subsets of the Rotorua and Kawerau data sets. In Rotorua, the relocated earthquakes cluster near the geothermally active parts of Rotorua City and beneath the Mount Ngongotaha rhyolite dome. Earthquake clusters and alignments reveal seismogenic structures in the mid-crust whose positions and geometries are consistent with previously published fault mechanisms and known near-surface faults. In Kawerau, the earthquakes within the geothermal field align along northeast-trending lineations, consistent with the predominant alignment of surface-mapped faults in the area.     

Using isotopes to understand landscape-scale connectivity in a groundwater-dominated,lowland catchment under drought conditions

The Demnitzer Millcreek catchment (DMC), is a 66 km² long-term experimental catchment located 50 km SE of Berlin. Monitoring over the past 30 years has focused on hydrological and biogeochemical changes associated with de-intensification of farming and riparian restoration in the low-lying landscape dominated by rain-fed farming and forestry. However, the hydrological function of the catchment, which is closely linked to nutrient fluxes and highly sensitive to climatic variability, is still poorly understood. In the last 3 years, a prolonged drought period with below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures has resulted in marked hydrological change. This caused low soil moisture storage in the growing season, agricultural yield losses, reduced groundwater recharge, and intermittent streamflows in parts of an increasingly disconnected channel network. This paper focuses on a two-year long isotope study that sought to understand how different parts of the catchment affect ecohydrological partitioning, hydrological connectivity and streamflow generation during drought conditions. The work has shown the critical importance of groundwater storage in sustaining flows, basic in-stream ecosystem services and the dominant influence of vegetation on groundwater recharge. Recharge was much lower and occurred during a shorter window of time in winter under forests compared to grasslands. Conversely, groundwater recharge was locally enhanced by the restoration of riparian wetlands and storage-dependent water losses from the stream to the subsurface. The isotopic variability displayed complex emerging spatio-temporal patterns of stream connectivity and flow duration during droughts that may have implications for in-stream solute transport and future ecohydrological interactions between landscapes and riverscapes. Given climate projections for drier and warmer summers, reduced and increasingly intermittent streamflows are very likely not just in the study region, but in similar lowland areas across Europe. An integrated land and water management strategy will be essential to sustaining catchment ecosystem services in such catchment systems in future.     

Large grains matter: contrasting bed stability and morphodynamics during two nearly identical experiments

While the stabilizing function of large grains in step‐pool streams has long been recognized, the role they play in gravel‐bed streams is less clear. Most researchers have ignored the role of large grains in gravel‐bed streams, and have assumed that the median bed surface size controls the erodibility of alluvial boundaries. The experiments presented herein challenge this convention. Two experiments were conducted that demonstrate the significant morphodynamic implications of a slight change to the coarse tail of the bed material. The two distributions had the same range of particle sizes, and nearly identical bulk d₅₀ values (1.6 mm); however the d₉₀ of experiment GSD1 was slightly finer (3.7 mm) than that for experiment GSD2 (3.9 mm). Transport rates during GSD1 were nearly four times greater than during GSD2 (even though the dimensionless shear stress was slightly lower), and the channel developed a sinuous pattern with well‐developed riffles, pools and bars. During GSD2 the initial rectangular channel remained virtually unchanged for the duration of the experiment. The relative stability of GSD2 seems to be associated with a slightly larger proportion of stable (large) grains on the bed surface: at the beginning of GSD1, 3.5% of the bed was immobile, while almost twice as much of it (6.1%) was immobile at the beginning of GSD2. The results demonstrate that the largest grains (not the median size) exert first‐order control on channel stability. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of sediment storage over 45 years in Carnation Creek,BC, a previously glaciated mountain catchment

The movement of sediment through mountain river networks remains difficult to predict, as processes beyond streamflow and particle size are responsible for the entrainment and transport of bedload sediment. In deglaciated catchments, additional complexity arises from glacial impacts on landscape organization. Research to date indicates that the quantity of sediment stored in the channel is an important component of sediment transport in systems which alternate between supply and transport limited states, but limited long-term field data exist which can capture storage-transfer dynamics over a timescale encompassing episodic supply typical of mountain streams. We use a 45-year dataset with annual and decadal-scale data on sediment storage, channel morphology, and wood loading to investigate the spatial and temporal organization of storage in Carnation Creek, a previously glaciated 11 km² catchment on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Sediment is supplied episodically to the channel, including additions from debris flows in the early 1980s just upstream of the studied channel region. Analyzing the spatial and temporal organization of sediment storage along 3.0 km of channel mainstem reveals a characteristic storage wavelength similar to the annual bedload particle travel distance. Over time, two scales of variation in storage are observed: small-scale fluctuation of 3–10 years corresponding to local erosional and depositional processes, and larger scale response over 25–35 years related to supply of sediment from hillslopes. Complex relationships between storage and sediment transfer (i.e., annual change in storage) are identified, with decadal-scale hysteresis present in storage-transfer relations in sites influenced by hillslope sediment and logjams. We propose a conceptual model linking landscape organization to temporal variability in storage and to storage–export cycles. Collectively, our results reaffirm the importance of storage to sediment transport and channel morphology, and highlight the complexity of storage–transport interactions. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Explaining radical policy change: Norwegian climate policy and the ban on cultivating peatlands

For decades Norwegian climate policy has largely ignored the agricultural sector and focused on cost-effective emission reductions abroad. Yet in June 2020, Norway decided to ban the cultivation of peatlands to protect critical carbon sinks, and the issue became ‘high politics’. We explain this radical policy change by combining an adapted version of the Multiple Streams framework with the Punctuated Equilibrium model of agenda-setting. We argue that the two models combined can provide a holistic explanatory framework, albeit with two revisions. Firstly, the window of opportunity or punctuation was in our case of a longer duration than both models anticipate. Secondly, we find that multiple complete couplings can take place within the opening of a policy (or more specifically, a decision) window. Both findings can be explained by party competition, thus underlining the need to revise agenda-setting models to better account for party politics.     

The Reporoa Caldera,Taupo Volcanic Zone: source of the Kaingaroa Ignimbrites

The Reporoa Caldera occupies the northern end of the Reporoa Depression, previously described as a tectonic fault-angle depression. Earlier confirmation of the topographic basin as a caldera had been hindered by the lack of an associated young pyroclastic flow deposit of large enough volume to have caused caldera collapse. New exposures on the eastern margin of the Reporoa basin reveal thick lithic lag breccias (>30 m) interbedded within the 0.24 Ma Kaingaroa Ignimbrites. These ignimbrites were previously attributed to the adjacent Okataina Volcanic Centre. Lag breccia thicknesses and maximum clast sizes decrease rapidly outward from the caldera rim, and discrete breccias are absent from ignimbrite sections more than 3 km from the rim. The lithic lag breccias, together with structural and geophysical evidence, confirm Reporoa Caldera as the source of the c. 100 km³ Kaingaroa Ignimbrites, adding another major rhyolitic volcanic centre to the seven previously recognized in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Other, older, calderas may also be present in the Reporoa Depression.