Petrography of alluvial sands as a past and present environmental indicator: Case of the Loire River (France)

Four sample sets of the Upper and Middle Loire river sands were analyzed in order to study the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on their petrographic composition in space (on an 800 km stretch) and time. Composition was determined by modal analysis of three sand-size fractions using a polarizing optical microscope and calculated for each sample (“standard sand” = Sst). The watershed is composed mainly of endogenic (Massif Central) and sedimentary (southern Parisian Basin) rocks. B-set sands collected in channels for different water flows in 1996 show that Sst compositions vary by only 5 %. Present-day sands in the Upper Loire and Middle Loire have very high petrographic immaturity comparing to others worldwide fluvial sands, although bio-climatic conditions favor sand maturation by source-rock weathering in the watershed. This shows the strong impact of the Massif Central on sediment yield due to relief rejuvenation as a consequence of the formation of the Alps during the Quaternary. Fluvial sands stored during the Weichselian and the Holocene in the Middle Loire floodplain, although partly weathered since their deposition, show higher inputs from the endogenic rocks of the Massif Central than present-day deposits. This can be explained by Weichselian periglacial conditions and the development of crop farming since the Neolithic, which favored mechanical erosion, particularly in the Massif Central which is characterized by a cold, humid climate and steep slopes. The upstream-downstream change in the composition of presently deposited sand is low in the diked area. It shows however that basalt and some heavy mineral grains are vulnerable to abrasion during transport and indicates a marked sediment yield from ancient sediment stored in the floodplain. This is in line with the high incision of the river bed over the last 150 years partly due to dam construction and aggregate mining.     

Distinguishing the Regional Atmospheric Controls on Precipitation Isotopic Variability in the Central-Southeast Portion of Brazil

Precipitation isotope ratios (O and H) record the history of water phase transitions and fractionation processes during moisture transport and rainfall formation. Here, we evaluated the isotopic composition of precipitation over the central-southeastern region of Brazil at different timescales. Monthly isotopic compositions were associated with classical effects (rainfall amount, seasonality, and continentality), demonstrating the importance of vapor recirculation processes and different regional atmospheric systems (South American Convergence Zone-SACZ and Cold Fronts-CF). While moisture recycling and regional atmospheric processes may also be observed on a daily timescale, classical effects such as the amount effect were not strongly correlated (δ¹⁸O-precipitation rate r ≤ –0.37). Daily variability revealed specific climatic features, such as δ¹⁸O depleted values (~ –6‰ to –8‰) during the wet season were associated with strong convective activity and large moisture availability. Daily isotopic analysis revealed the role of different moisture sources and transport effects. Isotope ratios combined with d-excess explain how atmospheric recirculation processes interact with convective activity during rainfall formation processes. Our findings provide a new understanding of rainfall sampling timescales and highlight the importance of water isotopes to decipher key hydrometeorological processes in a complex spatial and temporal context in central-southeastern Brazil.     

In-channel woody vegetation controls on sedimentary processes and the sedimentary record within alluvial environments: a modern example of an anabranch of the River Loire, France

A multidisciplinary approach was used to analyse the role of pioneer trees (Populus nigra) on bar formation in the modern fluvial system of the River Loire (France). Data were collected on seven plots located on a secondary channel, chosen for their vegetation cover and their sedimentary context. Physical features of vegetation, topographical evolution, sediment grain size and flow velocity were investigated during and after floods between 2001 and 2003. Woody vegetation responds morphologically to fast‐flowing waters and sediment deposition. These adaptations influence the role played by trees on local sedimentary processes. Some morphological types of trees exert a strong influence during flood events by deflecting, reducing or increasing the flow energy. As a consequence, the evolution of bedforms, distribution of sediment grain size and slopes are controlled by the flood type, the morphological context (i.e. high‐ or low‐energy zones), the morphology of the vegetated bar and the characteristics of vegetation. Conceptual models are proposed to account for local processes and evolution of tree groves. The first model, which describes the behaviour of groves during a single flood, underlines the sediment deposition downstream of the trees and the trapping of bedload sediments. During the falling stage of the flood, the reorientation of current streams, constrained by both local bed topography and woody vegetation, induces transverse sediment fluxes. For these water levels, the control exerted by trees on small‐scale sedimentary processes becomes significant. The second model shows the evolution of vegetation bands over several flood events. In particular, it describes the influence of vegetation on the fixing and reworking of bedload sediments during the falling limb of the hydrograph. The coalescence of vegetation‐induced bedforms and the resulting morphological changes increase the deflection power of the vegetated bar, inducing the deposition of finer sediments.     

Use of satellite communication of hydrometric data for the whole of Brazil

Abstract

The difficulties of exploiting the huge Brazilian hydrometeorological network led hydrologists of the Departamento Nacional de Águas e Energie Elétrica (DNAEE—Brazilian Department of Water and Electric Power) to use real time satellite telecommunications to improve network management. Data-gathering satellites, which are perfectly adapted to this network, were first used in 1975 and have interested DNAEE since 1980. Collaboration with ORSTOM permitted an initial evaluation of the technique in 1982. In 1984 DNAEE, together with ORSTOM, was able to set up a 20-station network in the Amazon. The results have been so encouraging that a scheme for 200 stations equipped with telecommunications facilities which use the Brazilian Satélite de Colecta de Dados number 1 (SCD1) satellite is in the final stages. This network will cover the entire country.     

古翼手龙类的德国翼手龙新标本

The pterodactyloid genus Germanodactylus is relatively poorly known. Two species have been described, although it has been recently suggested (Wang et al., 2008) that they might pertain to different genera.