Lichen-dominated soil crusts as arthropod habitat in warm deserts

Soil crust lichens can be the dominant vegetation in arid lands, yet their importance as habitat to secondary producers is relatively unknown. This study examines the distribution of arthropod communities in the northern Namib Desert to evaluate whether a lichen-rich area is more or less productive than adjacent habitats in terms of the consumers each supports. Arthropods are diverse and highly endemic in the Namib Desert and lichens dominate this desert's extensive gravel plains. We sampled lichen-rich, dwarf shrub, and unvegetated sites and found distinct arthropod assemblages in the lichen-dominated sites, including species unique to lichen sites. Arthropod assemblages in two of the lichen sites were similar to those found in the dwarf shrub site. In a canonical correspondence analysis, crustose lichens and overall lichen cover were key in driving the variance in arthropod assemblages within the lichen sites. Furthermore, lichen morphotypes, overall lichen cover and species richness, were significantly correlated with the representation of arthropod subgroups and arthropod species richness. These findings provide evidence that lichen-dominated soil crusts in the Namib Desert are important supporters of secondary production, warranting more in-depth studies into the ecology and conservation of this lichen-rich habitat in warm deserts.     

Monitoring of rapid salt weathering in the central Namib Desert using limestone blocks

Pre-weighed blocks of a Jurassic Limestone were exposed on the ground surface in the coastal Namib Desert for a period of 2 years. The environment is both salty and foggy. Some of the blocks suffered extensive disintegration, and laboratory analyses (including geochemistry, XRD and SEM) indicate that the weathered samples have a high halite (sodium chloride) content. Cycles of wetting and drying associated with the frequent fog events of the area cause cycles of halite crystallization. Rocks exposed at the surface absorb salts from the surrounding desert surface and then disintegrate, contributing to planation of the landscape.     

Can 234U–230Th dating be used to date large semi‐arid tufas? Challenges from a study in the Naukluft Mountains,Namibia

The large, extensive tufa deposits of the semi‐arid Naukluft Mountains, Namibia are potentially important palaeoenvironmental indicators in an area with few proxy records. Tufas are reliable indicators of increased moisture availability, and have been shown to be amenable to ²³⁴U–²³⁰Th dating, although two challenges are detrital contamination and open‐system behaviour. Densely cemented tufa facies are good candidates for dating, minimising these problems. We report attempts to date five densely‐cemented units, which are only found rarely within the Naukluft deposits. We applied a detailed methodology using multiple subsample analysis, measurement of insoluble residues, application of ‘isochron’ mixing lines, and attempted open‐systems modelling, alongside observations of micromorphology and cathodoluminescence in order to assess the validity of any obtained dates. Surprisingly, densely cemented tufas were found not always to be suitable for dating. Two units contained detrital contamination, which could not be corrected for using a single leachate correction or ‘isochron’ methods. Two units contained ‘excess ²³⁰Th’. This could result under a closed‐system if initial (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) was sufficiently high. Alternatively this may be the result of open‐system behaviour, and loss of uranium, or incorporation of initial unsupported ²³⁰Th, which render samples unsuitable for ²³⁴U–²³⁰Th dating. Micromorphological appearance and cathodoluminescence behaviour are used to explore these possibilities. This study exemplifies the need for careful sample selection, and highlights the importance of analysing multiple subsamples from any tufa sample. The detailed methodology applied proves to be a powerful tool for identifying the range of problems that can be encountered when selecting suitable candidate samples for successful dating. It also shows that semi‐arid tufa sequences may contain very little material suitable for dating. A reliable age of c 80 ka was obtained for a banded unit within a large fluvial barrage, with less reliable dates suggesting tufa deposition during times since >350 ka through to the late Holocene. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ecological perspectives on rock surface weathering: Towards a conceptual model

A wide range of information is now available on the ecology of rock surface microorganisms (including bacteria, fungi and algae) and lichens and their role in weathering in particular locations. External environmental conditions as well as rock characteristics determine the type of rock surface community, and thus the style of biological weathering. A simple, preliminary conceptual model can be drawn, which relates biological weathering activity to an environmental stress gradient and which is applicable at a range of scales. Further research needs carrying out to test and extend this model in order to make some progress towards the important goal of assessing the overall importance of biological weathering to geomorphology.     

Remeasurement of weathering rates,St. Paul's Cathedral,London

Remeasurements of weathering rates at six sites on the base of the balustrade of St. Paul's Cathedral gave substantially lower mean results (0.06 mm a^?1, 1980–1985) than for earlier results (0.14 mm a^?1, 1980–1981). Statistical analysis of the data showed that for five of the sites there were no significant differences between the measurement periods. The only significant spatial difference was for the southwest (exposed) site which was greater than the other sites for 1980–1981, but not at later times. This site also showed the only significant decrease over time. If this site is included in the statistical analysis, the whole set shows a significant decrease over time; omitting this site from the data removes any significant differences over time. The results for this one site for 1980–1981 thus have significant bias on the data body as a whole. Methodological problems, such as rock erosion by the probe and temperature effects, are thought to have minimal effect on the interpretation of the data. Calibrations showed that measurements were accurate to ±0.006 mm and that only results of a change ≥ 0.02 mm were reliably interpretable as different. Remeasurements of the Lead Plug Index (LPI) for the top of the balustrade in 1987 gave a mean rate for 1718–1985 of 0.081 mm a^?1. This is not significantly different from the 1718–1980 mean rate of 0.078 mm a^?1 but the data are not directly comparable, the 1987 sample being smaller than the 1980 set. For the 1987 data, the only statistically significant differences are for the southeast rate ≧ northeast and for a rise in rate in the northeast quadrant. The LPI data are comparable to most of the 1980–1985 MEM data. The conclusion is that most erosion rates have neither increased nor decreased significantly in the measurement time, except for a significant decrease at one (southwest) site from 1980–1981 to 1981–1982. Such a sustained level of erosion gives cause for concern in the context of stone conservation. Causative factors of air quality are discussed and while SO₂ levels have decreased, NO₂ and smoke levels show increases. An overall decrease in stone decay in association with the decrease in SO₂ levels is thus not in evidence.     

Simulation of the dissolution of weathered versus unweathered limestone in carbonic acid solutions of varying strength

A simulation was undertaken within a climatic chamber to investigate limestone dissolution under varied carbonic acid (H₂CO₃) strengths as a possible analogue for future increases in atmospheric CO₂ arising from global warming. Twenty‐eight samples cut from a block of Bath (Box Hill) limestone from Somerville College, Oxford, which had been removed during restoration after 150 years in an urban environment, were weighed and placed in closed bottles of thin plastic containing varying concentrations of H₂CO₃. Half of the stone samples were derived from exposed surfaces of the stone block (weathered) while the others were obtained from the centre of the block on unexposed surfaces (unweathered). The purpose of this was to compare dissolution of previously weathered versus unweathered surfaces in strong (pH 4·73) versus weak (pH 6·43) solutions of H₂CO₃. A temperature of c. 19 °C was maintained within the chamber representing a plausible future temperature in Oxford for the year 2200 given current warming scenarios. The simulation lasted 25 days with a few stone samples being removed midway. Stone samples show reduced weight in all cases but one. There was greater dissolution of stone samples in a strong H₂CO₃ solution as conveyed by higher concentrations of total hardness and Ca²⁺ in the water samples as well as enhanced microscopic dissolution features identified using SEM. The simulation confirms that enhanced atmospheric CO₂ under global warming, given adequate moisture, will accelerate dissolution rates particularly of newly replaced limestone building stones. However, previously weathered surfaces, such as those on historical stone exposed for a century or more, appear to be less susceptible to the effects of such increased rainfall acidity. Conservation techniques which remove weathered surfaces, such as stone cleaning, may accelerate future decay of historical limestone structures by increasing their susceptibility to dissolution. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A simulation study of capillary transport,preferential retention and distribution of salts in historic sandstone buildings

Salt crystallisation is a major problem of deterioration in historic stone buildings, monuments and sculptures. The capillary rise of soil water is one of the primary sources of salts in stone structures, which evaporates leaving the salts behind. It has been noted that the spatial distribution profile of different species of salts crystallised in historic stone buildings is not homogeneous, i.e. different salts crystallise at different locations. The capillary transport and inhomogeneous spatial distribution of different salts in the porous building materials has been considered to be a result of solubility-dependent crystallisation; however, the factors responsible for this phenomenon are not clearly known. This paper aims to investigate the factors influencing the differential distribution of salts during capillary rise of soil water. In this study, the capillary transport of salts was simulated on two different sandstones—Locharbriggs, a Permo–Triassic, red sandstone and Stoke Hall, a Carboniferous, buff sandstone. The experiments were carried out under controlled environmental conditions to eliminate the possibility of evaporation-driven crystallisation of salts depending on their solubilities. The results indicate that fractionation or differential distribution of salts takes place even in the absence of evaporation and crystallisation. The sandstones exhibit properties like an ion exchange column, and ionic species present in the salt solution show differential distribution within the porous network of sandstone.     

Exploring the influence of biofilm on short‐term expansion and contraction of supratidal rock: an example from the Mediterranean

Previous geomorphological investigations using the traversing micro‐erosion meter (TMEM) have identified daily and hourly contractions and expansions of littoral rock on a range of lithologies. While organic influences on these patterns have been inferred, this has rarely been tested in a controlled way. Here, a TMEM was used to measure micro‐scale (<mm) topographic changes on supratidal limestone of the Massif des Calanques, southern France. Four TMEM monitoring sites (each 64 cm²) were set up in total, two in the Calanque de Morgiou and two in the Presqu'ile de Cassis. On both shores one TMEM bolt site was positioned on bare rock and the other on colonized rock. TMEM data were collected and the surface micro‐topography mapped for each site at two‐hourly intervals from early morning to late evening across one day in mid‐summer. Significant relative expansion and contraction was observed between measurement periods at all four sites, regardless of biofilm colonization (P < 0.001 in all instances), and sometimes between adjacent zones on the rock surface (at a scale of centimetres). Rock with and without biofilm behaved broadly similarly, but the magnitude of topographic change varied: average movement from one interval to the next was 0.03 mm on bare sites and 0.06 mm on biofilm‐colonized sites. As expected, patterns of surface change related largely to insolation, with greatest movement occurring in the morning and evening when thermal gradients were steepest. Interestingly, the presence of a biofilm intensified rock expansion, but delayed surface response to microclimatic variability. We largely attribute this effect to biofilm influences on surface albedo, and hypothesize that episodes of contraction and expansion are superimposed onto longer (annual to decadal) episodes of surface movement and downwearing. Short‐term TMEM studies therefore need to be coupled with longer‐term seasonal and annual measurements to improve understanding of rock surface dynamics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photographic monitoring of soiling and decay of roadside walls in central Oxford, England

As part of the Environmental Monitoring of Integrated Transport Strategies (EMITS) project, which examined the impact of the Oxford Transport Strategy (OTS) on the soiling and decay of buildings and structures in central Oxford, England, a simple photographic survey of a sample of roadside walls was carried out in 1997, with re-surveys in 1999 and 2003. Thirty photographs were taken each time, covering an area of stonework approximately 30 × 30 cm in dimensions at 1–1.3 m above pavement level. The resulting images have been used to investigate, both qualitatively as well as quantitatively, the progression of soiling and decay. Comparison of images by eye reveals a number of minor changes in soiling and decay patterns, but generally indicates stability except at one site where dramatic, superficial damage occurred over 2 years. Quantitative analysis of decay features (concavities resulting from surface blistering, flaking, and scaling), using simple techniques in Adobe Photoshop, shows variable pixel-based size proportions of concavities across 6 years of survey. Colour images (in Lab Color) generally have a reduced proportion of pixels, representing decay features in comparison to black and white (Grayscale) images. The study conveys that colour images provide more information both for general observations of soiling and decay patterns and for segmentation of decay-produced concavities. The study indicates that simple repeat photography can reveal useful information about changing patterns of both soiling and decay, although unavoidable variation in external lighting conditions between re-surveys is a factor limiting the accuracy of change detection.