Intra-annual variability of urban effects on streamflow

While considerable research has established the impacts of urbanization on streamflow, there has been little emphasis on how intra-annual variations in streamflow can deepen the understanding of hydrological processes in urban watersheds. This study fills this critical research gap by examining, at the monthly scale, correlations between land-cover and streamflow, differences in streamflow metrics between urban and rural watersheds, and the potential for the inflow and infiltration (I&I) of extraneous water into sewers to reduce streamflow. We use data from 90 watersheds in the Atlanta, GA region over the 2013–2019 period to accomplish our objectives. Similar to other urban areas in temperate climates, Atlanta has a soil-water surplus in winter and a soil-water deficit in summer. Our results show urban watersheds have less streamflow seasonality than do rural watersheds. Compared to rural watersheds, urban watersheds have a much larger frequency of high-flow days during July–October. This is caused by increased impervious cover decreasing the importance of antecedent soil moisture in producing runoff. Urban watersheds have lower baseflows than rural watersheds during December–April but have baseflows equal to or larger than baseflows in rural watersheds during July–October. Intra-annual variations in effluent data from wastewater treatment plants provide evidence that I&I is a major cause of the relatively low baseflows during December–April. The relatively high baseflows in urban watersheds during July–October are likely caused by reduced evapotranspiration and the inflow of municipal water. The above seasonal aspects of urban effects on streamflow should be applicable to most urban watersheds with temperate climates.     

Flocculation and sedimentation in the ACE Basin, South Carolina

Extremely rapid deposition of fine-grained sediment has been observed near an artificially created channel between the Edisto and Ashepoo Rivers in South Carolina. Accumulation rates on the order of 0.05 m mo⁻¹ formed a region of fluid mud known as the Mud Reach that was present during a study carried out in May 1998. Subsequent surveys in March and May 1999 found no evidence of fluid mud in this area. Image analysis of photographs of the suspended sediment from 1998 showed that the water column was populated by flocs with a median diameter on the order of 0.3 mm which tended to remain in suspension over the tidal cycle, and flocs on the order of 0.8 mm which remained in the near bottom region except at maximum current speeds. In 1999, both the size and concentration of flocs at the surface remained the same, but the size and abundance of flocs near the bottom was reduced. Disaggregated inorganic grain size analysis of the suspension and samples from a core collected in the Mud Reach indicated that in 1998 the accumulation of material on the bottom was the result of floc settling and that in spite of highu _s values, little sorting of this material was occurring. Grain size analysis of samples deeper in the core showed that the rapidly floc-deposited mud was underlain by coarser, well-sorted sediment, confirming that the Mud Reach was a transient feature. The observed flocculation processes may play a significant role in the trapping of fine-grained sediment throughout this region.     

An assessment model for the fate and environmental effects of offshore drilling mud discharges

The benthic boundary layer transport (bblt) model was developed to assess potential impact zones from drilling mud discharges from offshore oil and gas drilling. The model focuses on the drift, dispersion and concentration levels of the suspended fraction of the drilling mud fines in the benthic boundary layer with the assumption of a spatially homogeneous environment. The current version of the model includes a wave boundary layer, a breakup module for drilling mud flocs, a dose–response module for scallops, and a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI was written in Java which makes the code largely platform independent. Simulations of suspended barite concentration near Sable Island on the Scotian Shelf during drilling in the fall of 1999 reproduce the very low concentrations (generally less than 1 μg L⁻¹) observed during the Environmental Effects Monitoring program. However, the simulations also exhibited concentrations in excess of the no-effects concentration for scallops (100 μg L⁻¹) prior to the sampling program. The model estimates that the potential impact on scallops in the vicinity of the drilling is a few days of lost growth over scales of a few kilometers.     

Emission lines of Fe xv in spectra obtained with the Solar Extreme-Ultraviolet Research Telescope and Spectrograph

Recent R-matrix calculations of electron impact excitation rates in Mg-like Fe  xv are used to derive theoretical emission-line ratios involving transitions in the 243–418 Å  wavelength range. A comparison of these with a data set of solar active region, subflare and off-limb spectra, obtained during rocket flights by the Solar Extreme-Ultraviolet Research Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS), reveals generally very good agreement between theory and observation, indicating that most of the Fe  xv emission lines may be employed with confidence as electron density diagnostics. In particular, the 312.55-Å  line of Fe  xv is not significantly blended with a Co  xvii transition in active region spectra, as suggested previously, although the latter does make a major contribution in the subflare observations. Most of the Fe  xv transitions which are blended have had the species responsible clearly identified, although there remain a few instances where this has not been possible. We briefly address the long-standing discrepancy between theory and experiment for the intensity ratio of the  3s^2 1S–3s3p ³P₁  intercombination line at 417.25 Å  to the  3s^2 1S–3s3p ¹P  resonance transition at 284.16 Å.     

Correction to: Observation of a Flare and Filament Eruption in Lyman- α $\alpha $ on 8 September 2011 by the PRoject for OnBoard Autonomy/Large Yield Radiometer (PROBA2/LYRA)

In most of the solar cycles, activity in the northern and southern hemispheres peaks at different times. One hemisphere peaks well before the other, and at least one of the hemispheric maxima frequently does not coincide with the whole sphere maximum. Prediction of the maximum of a hemisphere and the corresponding north–south asymmetry of a solar cycle may help to understand the mechanisms of the solar cycle, the solar-terrestrial relationship, and solar-activity influences on space weather. Here we analysed the sunspot-group data from the Greenwich Photoheliographic Results (GPR) during 1874?–?1976 and Debrecen Photoheliographic Data (DPD) during 1977?–?2017 and studied the cycle-to-cycle variations in the values of 13-month smoothed monthly mean sunspot-group area in the whole sphere (WSGA), northern hemisphere (NSGA), and southern hemisphere (SSGA) at the epochs of maxima of Sunspot Cycles 12?–?24 and at the epochs of maxima of WSGA, NSGA, and SSGA Cycles 12?–?24 (note that solar-cycle variation of a parameter is expressed as a cycle of that parameter). The cosine fits to the values of WSGA, NSGA, and SSGA at the maxima of sunspot, WSGA, NSGA, and SSGA Cycles 12?–?24, and to the values of the corresponding north–south asymmetry, suggest the existence of a ≈132-year periodicity in the activity of the northern hemisphere, a 54?–?66-year periodicity in the activity of the southern hemisphere, and a 50?–?66 year periodicity in the north–south asymmetry in activity at all the aforementioned epochs. By extrapolating the best-fit cosine curves we predicted the amplitudes and the corresponding north–south asymmetry of the 25th WSGA, NSGA, and SSGA cycles. We find that on average Solar Cycle 25 in sunspot-group area would be to some extent smaller than Solar Cycle 24 in sunspot-group area. However, by inputting the predicted amplitudes of the 25th WSGA, NSGA, and SSGA cycles relationship between sunspot-group area and sunspot number we find that the amplitude (\(130\pm 12\)) of Sunspot Cycle 25 would be slightly larger than that of reasonably small Sunspot Cycle 24. Still it confirms that the beginning of the upcoming Gleissberg cycle would take place around Solar Cycle 25. We also find that except at the maximum of NSGA Cycle 25 where the strength of activity in the northern hemisphere would be dominant, the strength of activity in the southern hemisphere would be dominant at the maximum epochs of the 25th sunspot, WSGA, and SSGA cycles.

     

Placing narrative correspondence in the geographer's toolbox: Insights from care research in New Zealand

Abstract:  To date, narrative correspondence has been relatively neglected as a geographical research method. This is particularly true within the subdiscipline of health geography. Drawing on the literature on narrative approaches, as well as a qualitative study of informal carers' experiences of transitions in the place of care for older people in New Zealand, this paper highlights the valuable insights this approach can offer into the interrelationship between people, place and care. More specifically, it explores how caring identities and care related behaviour are constructed and reconstructed over time and space.     

Analysis of bacterial diversity and metals in produced water, seawater and sediments from an offshore oil and gas production platform

Produced water is one of the largest waste products routinely discharged into the ocean from offshore oil and gas platforms. This study analyzed bacterial communities and metals in the produced water, surrounding seawater, and sediment around the Thebaud platform. The bacterial community within the produced water was different from the seawater (SAB = 13.3), but the discharge had no detectable effect on the bacterial communities in the seawater (SAB > 97). In contrast, genomic analysis of sediments revealed that the bacterial community from 250 m was different (SAB = 70) from other locations further from the discharge, suggesting that the produced water had a detectable effect on the bacterial community in the sediment closest to the discharge. These near-field sediments contained elevated concentrations of manganese and iron that are associated with the produced water effluent. The results suggested that the discharge of produced water has influenced the bacterial community structure of sediments adjacent to the platform.