A longer-term perspective on soil moisture,groundwater and stream flow response to the 2018 drought in an experimental catchment in the Scottish Highlands

The drought of summer 2018, which affected much of Northern Europe, resulted in low river flows, biodiversity loss and threats to water supplies. In some regions, like the Scottish Highlands, the summer drought followed two consecutive, anomalously dry, winter periods. Here, we examine how the drought, and its antecedent conditions, affected soil moisture, groundwater storage, and low flows in the Bruntland Burn; a sub-catchment of the Girnock Burn long-term observatory in the Scottish Cairngorm Mountains. Fifty years of rainfall-runoff observations and long-term modelling studies in the Girnock provided unique contextualisation of this extreme event in relation to more usual summer storage dynamics. Whilst summer precipitation in 2018 was only 63% of the long-term mean, soil moisture storage across much of the catchment were less than half of their summer average and seasonal groundwater levels were 0.5 m lower than normal. Hydrometric and isotopic observations showed that ~100 mm of river flows during the summer (May-Sept) were sustained almost entirely by groundwater drainage, representing ~30% of evapotranspiration that occurred over the same period. A key reason that the summer drought was so severe was because the preceding two winters were also dry and failed to adequately replenish catchment soil moisture and groundwater stores. As a result, the drought had the biggest catchment storage deficits for over a decade, and likely since 1975–1976. Despite this, recovery was rapid in autumn/winter 2018, with soil and groundwater stores returning to normal winter values, along with stream flows. The study emphasizes how long-term data from experimental sites are key to understanding the non-linear flux-storage interactions in catchments and the “memory effects” that govern the evolution of, and recovery from, droughts. This is invaluable both in terms of (a) giving insights into hydrological behaviours that will become more common water resource management problems in the future under climate change and (b) providing extreme data to challenge hydrological models.     

Evolution of anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions of air pollutants at global and regional scales during the 1980�C2010 period

Several different inventories of global and regional anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions are assessed for the 1980?C2010 period. The species considered in this study are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and black carbon. The inventories considered include the ACCMIP historical emissions developed in support of the simulations for the IPCC AR5 assessment. Emissions for 2005 and 2010 from the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) are also included. Large discrepancies between the global and regional emissions are identified, which shows that there is still no consensus on the best estimates for surface emissions of atmospheric compounds. At the global scale, anthropogenic emissions of CO, NO_x and SO₂ show the best agreement for most years, although agreement does not necessarily mean that uncertainty is low. The agreement is low for BC emissions, particularly in the period prior to 2000. The best consensus is for NO_x emissions for all periods and all regions, except for China, where emissions in 1980 and 1990 need to be better defined. Emissions of CO need better quantification in the USA and India for all periods; in Central Europe, the evolution of emissions during the past two decades needs to be better determined. The agreement between the different SO₂ emissions datasets is rather good for the USA, but better quantification is needed elsewhere, particularly for Central Europe, India and China. The comparisons performed in this study show that the use of RCP8.5 for the extension of the ACCMIP inventory beyond 2000 is reasonable, until more global or regional estimates become available. Concerning biomass burning emissions, most inventories agree within 50?C80%, depending on the year and season. The large differences between biomass burning inventories are due to differences in the estimates of burned areas from the different available products, as well as in the amount of biomass burned.     

Tectonics of a fast spreading center: A Deep-Tow and sea beam survey on the East Pacific rise at 19°30′ S

Sea Beam and Deep-Tow were used in a tectonic investigation of the fast-spreading (151 mm yr^-1) East Pacific Rise (EPR) at 19°30 S. Detailed surveys were conducted at the EPR axis and at the Brunhes/Matuyama magnetic reversal boundary, while four long traverses (the longest 96 km) surveyed the rise flanks. Faulting accounts for the vast majority of the relief. Both inward and outward facing fault scarps appear in almost equal numbers, and they form the horsts and grabens which compose the abyssal hills. This mechanism for abyssal hill formation differs from that observed at slow and intermediate spreading rates where abyssal hills are formed by back-tilted inward facing normal faults or by volcanic bow-forms. At 19°30 S, systematic back tilting of fault blocks is not observed, and volcanic constructional relief is a short wavelength signal (less than a few hundred meters) superimposed upon the dominant faulted structure (wavelength 2–8 km). Active faulting is confined to within approximately 5–8 km of the rise axis. In terms of frequency, more faulting occurs at fast spreading rates than at slow. The half extension rate due to faulting is 4.1 mm yr^-1 at 19°30 S versus 1.6 mm yr^-1 in the FAMOUS area on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). Both spreading and horizontal extension are asymmetric at 19°30 S, and both are greater on the east flank of the rise axis. The fault density observed at 19°30 S is not constant, and zones with very high fault density follow zones with very little faulting. Three mechanisms are proposed which might account for these observations. In the first, faults are buried episodically by massive eruptions which flow more than 5–8 km from the spreading axis, beyond the outer boundary of the active fault zone. This is the least favored mechanism as there is no evidence that lavas which flow that far off axis are sufficiently thick to bury 50–150 m high fault scarps. In the second mechanism, the rate of faulting is reduced during major episodes of volcanism due to changes in the near axis thermal structure associated with swelling of the axial magma chamber. Thus the variation in fault spacing is caused by alternate episodes of faulting and volcanism. In the third mechanism, the rate of faulting may be constant (down to a time scale of decades), but the locus of faulting shifts relative to the axis. A master fault forms near the axis and takes up most of the strain release until the fault or fault set is transported into lithosphere which is sufficiently thick so that the faults become locked. At this point, the locus of faulting shifts to the thinnest, weakest lithosphere near the axis, and the cycle repeats.     

A detailed magnetic study of the Reykjanes Ridge between 63°00′N and 63°40′N

Immediately southwest of Iceland, the Reykjanes Ridge consists of a series ofen échelon, elongate ridges superposed on an elevated, smooth plateau. We have interpreted a detailed magnetic study of the portion of the Reykjanes Ridge between 63°00N and 63°40N on the Icelandic insular shelf. Because the seafloor is very shallow in our survey area (100–500 m), the surface magnetic survey is equivalent to a high-sensitivity, nearbottom experiment using a deep-towed magnetometer. We have performed two-dimensional inversions of the magnetic data along profiles perpendicular to the volcanic ridges. The inversions, which yield the magnetization distribution responsible for the observed magnetic field, allow us to locate the zones of most recent volcanism and to measure spreading rates accurately. We estimate the average half spreading rate over the last 0.72 m.y. to have been 10 mm/yr within the survey area. The two-dimensional inversions allow us also to measure polarity transition widths, which provide an indirect measure of the width of the zone of crustal accretion. We find a mean transition width on the order of 4.5±1.6 km. The observed range of transition widths (2 to 8.4 km) and their mean value are characteristic of slow-spreading centers, where the locus of crustal accretion may be prone to lateral shifts depending on the availability of magmatic sources. These results suggest that, despite the unique volcanotectonic setting of the Reykjanes Ridge, the scale at which crustal accretion occurs along it may be similar to that at which it occurs along other slow-spreading centers. The polarity transition width measurements suggest a zone of crustal accretion 4–9 km wide. This value is consistent with the observed width of volcanic systems of the Reykjanes Peninsula. The magnetization amplitudes inferred from our inversions are in general agreement with NRM intensity values of dredge samples measured by De Boer (1975) and ourselves. Our thermomagnetic measurements do not support the hypothesis that the low amplitude of magnetic anomalies near Iceland is the result of a high oxidation state of the basalts. We suggest that the observed reduction in magnetic anomaly amplitude toward Iceland may be the result of an increase in the size of pillows and other igneous units.     

Tectono-sedimentary evolution of Jurassic–Cretaceous diapiric structures: Miravete anticline,Maestrat Basin,Spain

Integration of extensive fieldwork, remote sensing mapping and 3D models from high-quality drone photographs relates tectonics and sedimentation to define the Jurassic–early Albian diapiric evolution of the N–S Miravete anticline, the NW-SE Castel de Cabra anticline and the NW-SE Cañada Vellida ridge in the Maestrat Basin (Iberian Ranges, Spain). The pre shortening diapiric structures are defined by well-exposed and unambiguous halokinetic geometries such as hooks and flaps, salt walls and collapse normal faults. These were developed on Triassic salt-bearing deposits, previously misinterpreted because they were hidden and overprinted by the Alpine shortening. The Miravete anticline grew during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous and was rejuvenated during Cenozoic shortening. Its evolution is separated into four halokinetic stages, including the latest Alpine compression. Regionally, the well-exposed Castel de Cabra salt anticline and Cañada Vellida salt wall confirm the widespread Jurassic and Early Cretaceous diapiric evolution of the Maestrat Basin. The NE flank of the Cañada Vellida salt wall is characterized by hook patterns and by a 500-m-long thin Upper Jurassic carbonates defining an upturned flap, inferred as the roof of the salt wall before NE-directed salt extrusion. A regional E-W cross section through the Ababuj, Miravete and Cañada-Benatanduz anticlines shows typical geometries of salt-related rift basins, partly decoupled from basement faults. These structures could form a broader diapiric region still to be investigated. In this section, the Camarillas and Fortanete minibasins displayed well-developed bowl geometries at the onset of shortening. The most active period of diapiric growth in the Maestrat Basin occurred during the Early Cretaceous, which is also recorded in the Eastern Betics, Asturias and Basque-Cantabrian basins. This period coincides with the peak of eastward drift of the Iberian microplate, with speeds of 20 mm/year. The transtensional regime is interpreted to have played a role in diapiric development.     

Analysis of village accessibility and its impact on land use dynamics in a mountainous province of northern Vietnam

Surveys carried out in mountainous areas of northern Vietnam at research sites selected across a gradient of market integration, revealed strong relationships between the location of the village with respect to the national road network and the nature of its land-use systems, its poverty level and more generally its potential for development. We developed and tested in Bac Kan province a method to give an objective and quantitative definition of accessibility over a large geographic area. Accessibility maps integrated in a provincial GIS showed that despite recent improvements to the road network, some remote areas do not benefit from recent development.     

Evidence for Early Miocene wrench faulting in the Marlborough Fault System,New Zealand: structural implications

Abstract

In New Zealand, the Marlborough strike-slip faults link the Hikurangi subduction zone to the Alpine fault collision zone. Stratigraphic and structural analysis in the Marlborough region constrain the inception of the current strike-slip tectonics.

Six major Neogene basins are investigated. Their infill is composed of marine and freshwater sediments up to 3 km thick; they are characterised by coarse facies derived from the basins bounding relief, high sedimentation rates and asymmetric geometries. Proposed factors that controlled the basins generation are the initial geometry of the strike-slip faults and the progressive strike-slip motion. Two groups of basins are presented: the early Miocene (23 My) basins were generated under wrench tectonics above releasing-jogs between basement faults. The late Miocene (11 My) basins were initiated by halfgrabens tilted along straighter faults during a transtensive stage. Development of faults during Cretaceous to Oligocene times facilitated the following propagation of wrench tectonics. The Pliocene (5 My) to current increasing convergence has shortened the basins and distorted the Miocene array of faults. This study indicates that the Marlborough Fault System is an old feature that connected part of the Hikurangi margin to the Alpine fault since the subduction and collision initiation. © Elsevier, Paris     

High-magnetization zones near spreading center discontinuities

Three-dimensional inversions of the magnetic field reveal the presence of zones of high magnetization over the propagating limb of large spreading center discontinuities. The presence of high-magnetization zones is confirmed by rock magnetic measurements where available. Magnetization highs are associated with basalts which tend to have high Fe contents and low Mg numbers. These data suggest that high-magnetization zones observed over large ridge axis discontinuities are associated with highly differentiated basalts enriched in iron. Following Christie and Sinton [1], such highly evolved basalts may be the result of shallow-level crystal fractionation in small magma bodies with a low supply rate. These small magma bodies are postulated to correspond to the first stages in the development of a sub-axial magmatic system as a result of the propagation of one of the limbs of the offset into older lithosphere. Because high-magnetization zones at large ridge axis discontinuities often correspond to gaps in the along-axis extent of a seismically detectable magma chamber, these magma bodies may be smaller than a few hundred meters. Rock magnetic measurements suggest that the enrichment in iron associated with increased differentiation may be accompanied, in a few cases, by an increase in the concentration of titanomagnetite within the basalts and in the magnetization of the rocks. However, the exact relationship between high magnetization intensities and iron enrichment is complex and unclear, and may be significantly affected by factors such as magnetic mineralogy and crystallization history.     

An Intercomparison of Large-Eddy Simulations of the Stable Boundary Layer

Results are presented from the first intercomparison of large-eddy simulation (LES) models for the stable boundary layer (SBL), as part of the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment Atmospheric Boundary Layer Study initiative. A moderately stable case is used, based on Arctic observations. All models produce successful simulations, in as much as they generate resolved turbulence and reflect many of the results from local scaling theory and observations. Simulations performed at 1-m and 2-m resolution show only small changes in the mean profiles compared to coarser resolutions. Also, sensitivity to subgrid models for individual models highlights their importance in SBL simulation at moderate resolution (6.25 m). Stability functions are derived from the LES using typical mixing lengths used in numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate models. The functions have smaller values than those used in NWP. There is also support for the use of K-profile similarity in parametrizations. Thus, the results provide improved understanding and motivate future developments of the parametrization of the SBL.