SEDIMENT MOBILIZATION BY SURFACE EROSION IN MIDDLE MOUNTAIN CATCHMENTS OF NEPAL

1 INTRODUCTION Soil erosion in the foothills of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas (HKH) is considered to be a hot topic in land degradation research in the region (Scherr and Yadav, 1996). The land degradation research has mainly addressed the issue of topsoil los…     

Development of longitudinal profiles of alluvial channels in response to base-level lowering

Degradation of alluvial channels in cohesive sediments was studied in 15 m and 20 m long flumes with a slope of 0°01 cm/cm. Degradation was initiated by lowering base level to a fixed position, and the development of the longitudinal profile of the channel is analysed through a model formulated as a heat (diffusion) equation. It is based on the equation of sediment continuity, combined with an assumption regarding sediment transport, namely that sediment discharge is linearly proportional to the channel slope. In accordance with the boundary and initial conditions imposed by the experimental setup and procedure, the basic equation is amenable to an analytical solution, which defines bed elevation at any distance and time, as a function of the amount of base-level lowering and a ‘diffusion’ coefficient. Additional problems arising from bank erosion and channel armouring are also treated successfully within the framework of the same model. The results show that in homogeneous alluvial sediments, not subject to armouring, the ultimate result of base-level lowering by a certain amount is degradation all along the channel by the same amount. The main impact of erosion is felt in the early stages after initiation of the process, and mainly near the mouth. The rate of degradation at any station along the channel reaches a peak and then slowly decreases with time, and the peak rate is attenuated with distance from the outlet. The model permits the prediction of intermediate stages of profile development at any distance from the outlet and at different times.     

Evaluation of oceanic transport parameters using transient tracers from observations and model output

A method is presented to find the age distribution of ocean waters, the transit-time distribution (TTD), by combining an eddying global ocean model’s estimate of the TTD with hydrographic observations of CFC-11, temperature, and salinity. The method uses a mixture model of an assumed form of the TTD, an inverse Gaussian (IG), and an established Bayesian statistical method. All known significant sources of uncertainty are propagated to arrive at estimates of two oceanic transport parameters associated with the IG TTD, the mean age (Γ) and either the half-variance (${\mathrm{\Delta }}^2$) or the Peclet number ($\mathit{Pe}={\mathrm{\Gamma }}^2/{\mathrm{\Delta }}^2$). It is found that the uncertainties on Γ do not overlap zero in most locations using only CFC-11, temperature, and salinity. However, the uncertainty on the other IG parameter does not overlap zero in only a few locations. With the inclusion of another transient tracer (³He/³H), the uncertainty on this other IG parameter does not overlap zero in just a few additional locations in the deep North Atlantic Ocean. Neither a single- nor mixture-IG representation is adequate for representing the full TTD in the ocean, particularly in the Southern Ocean.Differences between the IG parameters estimated using the model’s tracers as data (BayesPOP) and those estimated using tracer observations as data (BayesObs) provide information about the sources of model biases, and give a more nuanced picture than can be found by comparing the simulated CFCs with observed CFCs. Using the differences between each of the oceanic transport parameters from BayesObs and those from BayesPOP with and without a constant Pe assumption along each of the hydrographic cross-sections considered here, it is found that the model’s eddy mixing biases often lead to larger model errors than the model’s mean advection time biases. It is also found that mean advection time biases in the model can be statistically significant at the 95% level where mode water is found in the Southern Ocean.     

Mapping and modelling trade-offs and synergies between grazing intensity and ecosystem services in rangelands using global-scale datasets and models

Vast areas of rangelands across the world are grazed with increasing intensity, but interactions between livestock production, biodiversity and other ecosystem services are poorly studied. This study explicitly determines trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services and livestock grazing intensity on rangelands. Grazing intensity and its effects on forage utilization by livestock, carbon sequestration, erosion prevention and biodiversity are quantified and mapped, using global datasets and models. Results show that on average 4% of the biomass produced annually is consumed by livestock. On average, erosion prevention is 10% lower in areas with a high grazing intensity compared to areas with a low grazing intensity, whereas carbon emissions are more than four times higher under high grazing intensity compared to low grazing intensity. Rangelands with the highest grazing intensity are located in the Sahel, Pakistan, West India, Middle East, North Africa and parts of Brazil. These high grazing intensities result in carbon emissions, low biodiversity values, low capacity for erosion prevention and unsustainable forage utilization. Although the applied models simplify the processes of ecosystem service supply, our study provides a global overview of the consequences of grazing for biodiversity and ecosystem services. The expected increasing future demand for livestock products likely increase pressures on rangelands. Global-scale models can help to identify targets and target areas for international policies aiming at sustainable future use of these rangelands.     

Glacial and periglacial buzzsaws: fitting mechanisms to metaphors

The buzzsaw hypothesis refers to the potential for glacial and periglacial processes to rapidly denude mountains at and above glacier Equilibrium Line Altitudes (ELAs), irrespective of uplift rates, rock type or pre-existing topography. Here the appropriateness of the buzzsaw metaphor is examined alongside questions of the links between glacial erosion and ELAs, and whether the glacial system can produce low-relief surfaces or limit summit heights. Plateau fragments in mountains on both active orogens and passive margins that have been cited as products of glacial and periglacial buzzsaw erosion instead generally represent dissected remnants of largely inherited, pre-glacial relief. Summit heights may correlate with ELAs but no causal link need be implied as summit erosion rates are low, cirque headwalls may not directly abut summits and, on passive margins, cirques are cut into pre-existing mountain topography. Any simple links between ELAs and glacial erosion break down on passive margins due to topographic forcing of ice-sheet growth, and to the km-scale vertical swaths through which ELAs have shifted through the Quaternary. Glaciers destroy rather than create low-relief rock surfaces through the innate tendency for ice flow to be faster, thicker and warmer along valleys. The glacial buzzsaw cuts down.     

Maximized erosion at the last glacial maximum revealed by thermoluminescence thermochronometry

Increased erosion rates during the last 2 Myr of Earth history are commonly associated with widespread glaciation and global cooling. However, whether erosion rates actually increased during that period of time remains debated. This is in part because the respective role of fluvial and glacial erosion is difficult to assess, and because many existing techniques used to estimate erosion rates may be affected by averaging biases that may produce increased erosion rates towards the present. Here, we apply thermoluminescence thermochronometry to granitic bedrock samples of the southern-central Chilean Andes, a region which experienced a full transition from glacial-humid to fluvial-dry conditions during the Quaternary. Inverse modelling of the thermochronological data enables us to extract unbiased time series of erosion rates during the last ∼100 kyr. We find that erosion rates were systematically higher during around the last glacial maximum than at present, with differences exceeding an order of magnitude. Our findings indicate that glacial erosion is probably more efficient than fluvial erosion and imply that erosion has remained transient during the Quaternary.     

The submarine landscape of the ‘Jurassic Coast’ World Heritage Site,Dorset, UK and its Setting

This paper reviews recent studies of the seabed offshore from the Jurassic Coast and discusses their significance for understanding landforms of the World Heritage Site’s Setting as well as adding to understanding of the structures exposed in the cliffs. The processes of coastal formation as sea-levels rose and fell during the Pleistocene and in the recent post-glacial period are critical for this as they reveal the landforms which preserve former shorelines. Detailed surveys of the seabed provide evidence of the low slope of much of this seabed and so enhance the potential to interpret older terrestrial landforms which have been attributed to uplift of former sea beds. Considering both the seabed and the coast from the Pleistocene to the Anthropocene means that it is possible to assess the human impact on these landforms and processes, as well as the natural timescale within which changes occur. The paper describes the seabed geomorphology, relating this, where appropriate, to both the coastal landforms and the exposed structures. Current interpretations of the seabed features and their implications for our understanding of the recent evolution of the Site and Setting are explored. The features of the coast and adjacent sea bed at different phases of the changing coastal environment are discussed to the extent that the available evidence makes this possible, but for much of the area this remains speculative.     

沙子口湾海岸侵蚀原因及防治对策研究

通过实测水文资料、岸滩冲淤变化规律和泥沙动态研究沙子口湾近３０ａ来的变化,分析湾顶海滩侵蚀的原因,对现有的海岸工程进行调查,研究海岸防护对策,分析海岸防护工程的可行性。     

沉积盆地中恢复地层剥蚀量的新方法

主要介绍了磷灰石裂变径迹分析法,沉积波动过程分析法和宇宙成因核素分析法等３种恢复和计算地层剥蚀量的新方法。它们的优点是不但给出一个剥蚀面造成的地层总的剥蚀量,还能详细刻画整个剥蚀过程,从而能计算出每一期构造抬升引起的地层剥蚀量。     

THE STABILITY OF ROCK-VENEERED HILLSLOPES

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