Late Holocene upper bounds of flood magnitudes and twentieth century large floods in the ungauged, hyperarid alluvial Nahal Arava, Israel

The impact of large twentieth century floods on the riparian vegetation and channel morphology of the relatively wide anabranching and braided Nahal Arava, southern Israel, was documented as part of developing tools to (a) identify recent large floods, (b) determine these flood's respective magnitudes in alluvial ungauged streams, and (c) determine long-term upper bounds to flood stages and magnitudes. Along most of its course Nahal Paran, a major tributary that impacts the morphology, floods and sediments of Nahal Arava at the study reach, is a coarse-gravel, braided ephemeral stream. Downstream of the Arava–Paran confluence, aeolian and fluvial sand delivered from eastern Arava valley alters the channel morphology. The sand has accreted up to 2.5 m above the distinct current channels, facilitating the recording of large floods. This sand enhances the establishment of denser riparian vegetation (mainly Tamarix nilotica and Haloxylon persicum) that interacts with floods and affects stream morphology. A temporal association was found between specific floods recorded upstream and tree-ring ages of re-growth of flood-damaged tamarix trees (‘Sigafoos trees’) in the past 30 years. This association can be utilized for developing a twentieth century flood chronology in hyperarid ungauged basins in the region. The minimum magnitude of the largest flood that covered the entire channel width, estimated from flood deposits, is approximately 1700–1800 m³s^− 1. This is a larger magnitude than the largest gauged flood of 1150 m³s^− 1 that occurred in 1970 about 30 km upstream in Nahal Paran. Our estimation agrees with flood magnitude estimated from the regional envelope curve of the largest floods. Based on Holocene alluvial stratigraphy and OSL dating in the study reach we also conclude that flood stages did not reach the late Holocene ( 2.2 ka) surface and therefore we estimate a non-exceedance upper bound of  2000 m³s^− 1 flood magnitudes for Nahal Arava during that interval. This study indicates that in unfavorable areas the combination of hydrology, fluvial morphology and botanic evidence can increase our understanding of ungauged basins and give information crucial for hydrology planning.     

Rapid incision of a small,coarse and steep fan‐delta in response to base‐level fall: the case of Nahal Qedem,the Dead Sea,Israel

The Dead Sea has been continuously dropping 0·4–1·0 m yr^?1 since the middle of the 20th century and thus provides a unique field laboratory for studying in real time the response of drainage systems to a non‐tectonic base‐level fall. The aim of this work is to study the short‐term ongoing erosive response to a rapid base‐level drop in a small, steep‐fronted, erodible fan‐delta setting. The work explores the controls of the steep Qedem fan‐delta, guided by its clinoform structure, on its incision. Longitudinal profiles of the fan‐delta and of its entrenched channel were measured in the field. Sedimentary facies changes – fluviatile, shallow lacustrine and beach – were followed along exposures. The existence of large boulders provided an opportunity to examine the uncertain role of armouring and boulder flux on incision. The field study was combined with digital elevation models (DEMs) that were extracted from pairs of overlapping aerial photos. Maps of erosion and deposition were prepared using a change detection algorithm. The longitudinal profile of the entrenched channel was found to be steep and linear. The outlet temporarily ‘hangs’ elevated and ungraded above the retreating lake level, indicating years without incision flow events, which cause lags in response to the rapid lake level drop. In spite of the large boulders, the small drainage basin and precipitation volume over the basin of the Qedem, the recorded vertical incision rates in the unconsolidated sediments are as high as 0·8 m yr^?1, i.e. similar to those of the largest wadis draining to the Dead Sea. The steep front of the fan‐delta is suggested to be a main factor controlling the efficient incision. A unique transport mechanism of rolling boulders, following undercutting, contributed to the entrenchment efficiency. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multitemporal ALSM change detection,sediment delivery,and process mapping at an active earthflow

Remote mapping and measurement of surface processes at high spatial resolution is among the frontiers in Earth surface process research. Remote measurements that allow meter‐scale mapping of landforms and quantification of landscape change can revolutionize the study of landscape evolution on human timescales. At Mill Gulch in northern California, USA, an active earthflow was surveyed in 2003 and 2007 by airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM), enabling meter‐scale quantification of landscape change. We calculate four‐year volumetric flux from the earthflow and compare it to long‐term catchment average erosion rates from cosmogenic radionuclide inventories from adjacent watersheds. We also present detailed maps of changing features on the earthflow, from which we can derive velocity estimates and infer dominant process. These measurements rely on proper digital elevation model (DEM) generation and a simple surface‐matching technique to align the multitemporal data in a manner that eliminates systematic error in either dataset. The mean surface elevation of the earthflow and an opposite slope that was directly influenced by the earthflow decreased 14 ± 1 mm/yr from 2003 to 2007. By making the conservative assumption that these features were the dominant contributor of sediment flux from the entire Mill Gulch drainage basin during this time interval, we calculate a minimum catchment‐averaged erosion rate of 0·30 ± 0·02 mm/yr. Analysis of beryllium‐10 (¹⁰Be) concentrations in fluvial sand from nearby Russian Gulch and the South Fork Gualala River provide catchment averaged erosion rates of 0·21 ± 0·04 and 0·23 ± 0·03 mm/yr respectively. From translated landscape features, we can infer surface velocities ranging from 0·5 m/yr in the wide upper ‘source’ portion of the flow to 5 m/yr in the narrow middle ‘transport’ portion of the flow. This study re‐affirms the importance of mass wasting processes in the sediment budgets of uplifting weak lithologies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow recession as a driver of the morpho‐texture of braided streams

Braiding has been widely studied in humid‐temperate climates though rarely in arid environments. Morpho‐texture of braided streams refers to the morphological‐textural organization in a braid‐cell (stream section including bars, anabranches and chutes) that may strongly relate to different processes and hydrological regimes. The objective of this study is to compare the morpho‐texture of braided streams governed by diverse flow recessions in different climates. Measurements were conducted in the wadis Ze'elim and Rahaf, southeast hyper‐arid Israel, in the Mediterranean Barranca‐de‐los‐Pinos, central Spain and in humid‐temperate braided systems, the La‐Bléone River, Haute‐Provence, France and in the Saisera and Cimoliana torrents, northeast Italy. Terrestrial laser scanning was used to produce point clouds and high resolution digital elevation models of the braid‐cells. Wet braid‐cells in humid‐temperate environments were surveyed by a Total Station. Roughness and the upper tail of grain size distributions were derived from the scanned point clouds or from Wolman sampling. We found that anabranches are commonly finer‐grained than the bars in dryland systems and in semi‐arid sandy braided systems, contrary to the humid‐temperate braided systems. In both climates, chutes are similar or coarser‐grained than the bars which they dissect, in accordance with their steeper gradients due to the considerable bar‐anabranch relief. The Saisera's morpho‐texture is similar to that of the dryland braided channels, despite the very humid‐temperate environment in which it is located, due to its short‐lived, ephemeral type hydrograph. Hydrograph shape, specifically the duration of flow recession, typical of a climate but not confined to it, determines the morpho‐texture of braided streams and the textural differentiation between a depositional bar and the adjacent anabranches. The morpho‐texture of chutes and bars results also from local erosional processes affected by local topography, i.e. ungraded longitudinal profiles, and is not solely determined by flow recession. This new morpho‐textural model enables identifying primary depositional and erosional braiding processes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The morpho‐textural signature of large bedforms in ephemeral gravel‐bed channels of various planforms

This study adopts a fresh approach to find the similarities between river planforms in contrast to many previous studies that have presented distinguishing characteristics and thresholds. This new approach links textural and morphological attributes of bedforms, termed morpho‐texture, with process and hydrological regime thereby indicated. The study was carried out in depositional features of ephemeral rivers having a range of planforms and located in the Judean Desert. High‐resolution terrestrial laser scanning was undertaken to extract morphological and textural (roughness) characteristics. Results strongly indicate that bars are statistically coarser grained than the adjacent thalweg or anabranches where depositional processes occur. This suggests universal processes within ephemeral rivers regardless of their planform, where rapid flow recession causes the coarse tail of the bedload to be deposited as bars whereas the finer fractions deposit in the thalweg and thereby prevent the development of bed armour.     

Rise and Fall of an Egyptian Oasis: Artesian Flow,Irrigation Soils,and Historical Agricultural Development in El‐Deir,Kharga Depression,Western Desert of Egypt

The present study examines the geoarchaeological history of an oasis in Kharga Depression in central Egypt. El‐Deir is renowned for its Ptolemaic temple and Roman fortress on the road from former Hibis (Kharga) to the Nile Valley. During the survey, spring mounds and irrigation soils belonging to an ancient agricultural zone were discovered, and further documented by ceramics found on the site. Our methodology combines the geomorphological interpretation of landforms (especially yardangs) with ceramics and ¹⁴C‐dated charcoal to distinguish and date former agricultural areas in El‐Deir. The results show that the oasis experienced several phases of soil accretion and destruction through time. Playa sediments were deposited in the humid early Holocene and severely eroded by deflation before the onset of irrigated agriculture between Pharaonic and Persian times. Very fast vertical soil accretion occurred in the Ptolemaic period, but irrigation soils were later destroyed during the Roman period by a combination of wind deflation and flash floods (second to fourth century A.D.), suggesting a period of climate instability. The case of El‐Deir invites reevaluation of constructive agencies for the development of irrigated land and destructive agencies as limiting factors for the sustainability of agricultural practices in late antiquity.     

Fate of Pesticides and Their Transformation Products: First Flush Effects in a Semi‐Arid Catchment

Although it is known for many years, that transformation products (TPs) of pesticides are often more persistent, mobile, and sometimes more toxic than the parent compound, former catchment scale studies of substance release and flushing effects focused only on the parent compound. In this study, four river points were sampled in the Hula Valley, Israel, and samples were analyzed in the lab for chlorpyrifos (CP) and endosulfan residues (including transformation products; TPs). Sampling results of the first rainfall in autumn 2009 identified a strong release of most substances to the rivers. First flush effects of these substances were assessed regarding the risk for drinking water supply and ecology, like fresh water invertebrates and fish. Although, these substances were found in Jordan River water during the first significant rainfall the observed levels are below international drinking water guideline values with no adverse effects on human health in the region. However, the observed CP and chlorpyrifos oxon (CPO) levels are above the acute toxicity for fresh water invertebrates and fish. The study shows that the Hula Valley was an important source of pesticides and TPs at the Upper Jordan River basin and that substance flushing is extremely important for pesticides‐monitoring campaigns.     

Towards flash-flood prediction in the dry Dead Sea region utilizing radar rainfall information

Flash-flood warning models can save lives and protect various kinds of infrastructure. In dry climate regions, rainfall is highly variable and can be of high-intensity. Since rain gauge networks in such areas are sparse, rainfall information derived from weather radar systems can provide useful input for flash-flood models. This paper presents a flash-flood warning model which utilizes radar rainfall data and applies it to two catchments that drain into the dry Dead Sea region. Radar-based quantitative precipitation estimates (QPEs) were derived using a rain gauge adjustment approach, either on a daily basis (allowing the adjustment factor to change over time, assuming available real-time gauge data) or using a constant factor value (derived from rain gauge data) over the entire period of the analysis. The QPEs served as input for a continuous hydrological model that represents the main hydrological processes in the region, namely infiltration, flow routing and transmission losses. The infiltration function is applied in a distributed mode while the routing and transmission loss functions are applied in a lumped mode. Model parameters were found by calibration based on the 5 years of data for one of the catchments. Validation was performed for a subsequent 5-year period for the same catchment and then for an entire 10-year record for the second catchment. The probability of detection and false alarm rates for the validation cases were reasonable. Probabilistic flash-flood prediction is presented applying Monte Carlo simulations with an uncertainty range for the QPEs and model parameters. With low probability thresholds, one can maintain more than 70% detection with no more than 30% false alarms. The study demonstrates that a flash-flood warning model is feasible for catchments in the area studied.     

Formation of lacustrine dolomite in the late Miocene marginal lakes of the East Mediterranean (Northern Israel)

The study focuses on the formation of lacustrine dolomite in late Miocene lakes, located at the East Mediterranean margins (Northern Israel). These lakes deposited the sediments of the Bira (Tortonian) and Gesher (Messinian) formations that comprise sequences of dolostone and limestone. Dolostones are bedded, consist of small‐sized (<7 μm), Ca‐rich (52 to 56 mol %) crystals with relatively low ordering degrees, and present evidence for replacement of CaCO₃ components. Limestones are comprised of a wackestone to mudstone matrix, freshwater macrofossils and intraclasts (mainly in the Bira Formation). Sodium concentrations and isotope compositions differ between limestones and dolostones: Na = ~100 to 150 ppm; ~1000 to 2000 ppm; δ¹⁸O = ?3·8 to ?1·6‰; ?2·0 to +4·3‰; δ¹³C = ?9·0 to ?3·4‰; ?7·8 to 0‰ (VPDB), respectively. These results indicate a climate‐related sedimentation during the Tortonian and early Messinian. Wet conditions and positive freshwater inflow into the carbonate lake led to calcite precipitation due to intense phytoplankton blooms (limestone formation). Dry conditions and enhanced evaporation led to precipitation of evaporitic CaCO₃ in a terminal lake, which caused an increased Mg/Ca ratio in the residual waters and penecontemporaneous dolomitization (dolostone formation). The alternating lithofacies pattern reveals eleven short‐term wet–dry climate‐cycles during the Tortonian and early Messinian. A shift in the environmental conditions under which dolomite formed is indicated by a temporal decrease in δ¹⁸O of dolostones and Na content of dolomite crystals. These variations point to decreasing evaporation degrees and/or an increased mixing with meteoric waters towards the late Messinian. A temporal decrease in δ¹³C of dolostones and limestones and appearance of microbial structures in close association with dolomite suggest that microbial activity had an important role in allowing dolomite formation during the Messinian. Microbial mediation was apparently the main process that enabled local growth of dolomite under wet conditions during the latest Messinian.     

A quasi 3-D model of an outburst pattern that explains the behavior of Comet 17P/Holmes

Upon discovery, in November of 1892, Comet 17P/Holmes was experiencing a very strong explosion, which repeated itself on an even greater scale in October of 2007. Using a numerical scheme, based on mass and energy conservation laws, a model is presented simulating the outbursting nature of Comet 17P/Holmes by regarding the comet as a stratified sphere. The model, adopting input parameters for physical and chemical characteristics, produces output for volatile, water and dust production rates and temperature distribution. Providing the model with known properties of Comet 17P/Holmes, and then filling in the blanks based on properties of other short period comets, allowed the derivation of a specific chemical composition and thermal conductivity that produced a recurring outburst pattern every ～30 years, while within these there is a near-perihelion outburst every ～10² years. The specific composition that generated the desired results, consists of an ice-dust ratio of 0.6/0.4, and mass fractions of 0.015, 0.002 and 0.0005 for CO, CO₂ and NH₃ accordingly. The effective dust conductivity accompanying this composition is K_d = 0.7 W/(m K). The results are consistent with observations on multiple levels, including the various production rates during outbursts and the time span between near perihelion outbursts.