High-frequency monitoring of hydrological and biogeochemical fluxes in forested catchments of southern Chile

The variability of rainfall-dependent streamflow at catchment scale modulates many ecosystem processes in wet temperate forests. Runoff in small mountain catchments is characterized by a quick response to rainfall pulses which affects biogeochemical fluxes to all downstream systems. In wet-temperate climates, water erosion is the most important natural factor driving downstream soil and nutrient losses from upland ecosystems. Most hydrochemical studies have focused on water flux measurements at hourly scales, along with weekly or monthly samples for water chemistry. Here, we assessed how water and element flows from broad-leaved, evergreen forested catchments in southwestern South America, are influenced by different successional stages, quantifying runoff, sediment transport and nutrient fluxes during hourly rainfall events of different intensities. Hydrograph comparisons among different successional stages indicated that forested catchments differed in their responses to high intensity rainfall, with greater runoff in areas covered by secondary forests (SF), compared to old-growth forest cover (OG) and dense scrub vegetation (CH). Further, throughfall water was greatly nutrient enriched for all forest types. Suspended sediment loads varied between successional stages. SF catchments exported 455 kg of sediments per ha, followed by OG with 91 kg/ha and CH with 14 kg/ha, corresponding to 11 rainfall events measured from December 2013 to April 2014. Total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) concentrations in stream water also varied with rainfall intensity. In seven rainfall events sampled during the study period, CH catchments exported less nutrients (46 kg/ha TN and 7 kg/ha TP) than SF catchments (718 kg/ha TN and 107 kg/ha TP), while OG catchments exported intermediate sediment loads (201 kg/ha TN and 23 kg/ha TP). Further, we found significant effects of successional stage attributes (vegetation structure and soil physical properties) and catchment morphometry on runoff and sediment concentrations, and greater nutrients retention in OG and CH catchments. We conclude that in these southern hemisphere, broad-leaved evergreen temperate forests, hydrological processes are driven by multiple interacting phenomena, including climate, vegetation, soils, topography, and disturbance history.     

用素土桩挤密法处理陇东湿陷性黄土地基

素土桩挤密地基由桩间挤密土和回填素土夯实的桩体组成，它是一种人工“复合地基”。其作用是通过素土桩挤密法提高地基土的密实度，从而对湿陷性黄土达到消除浅部或深部的部分或全部湿陷性的作用，并改善地基承载能力，减少地基变形。本文通过现场单桩、群桩单元体轻便触探、小环刀深层取样、开剖取样等方法对场地地基土挤密前、后干重度和压实系数进行了对比分析，判定用素土桩挤密法处理陇东湿陷性黄土地基的可行性。     

Luminescence dating of sand–loess sequences and response of Mu Us and Otindag sand fields (north China) to climatic changes

The sand–loess transition zone in north China is sensitive to climate change, and is an ideal place to investigate past environmental changes. However, past climate change at millennial–centennial timescales in this region has not been well reconstructed because of limited numerical dating. Alternations of sandy loam soils with aeolian sand layers in the Mu Us and Otindag sand fields, which lie along the sand–loess transition zone, indicate multiple intervals of dune activity and stability. This change is probably a response to variations of the East Asian monsoon climate during the late Quaternary. The single aliquot regeneration (SAR) optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating protocol, which has been successfully applied to aeolian deposits worldwide, is applied to these two sand fields in this study. The OSL ages provide reliable constraints for reconstruction of past climate changes at suborbital timescale. Sections in both sand fields contain aeolian sand beds recording millennial‐scale episodes of dry climate and widespread dune activation, including episodes at about the same time as Heinrich Event 5 and the Younger Dryas in the North Atlantic region. These results demonstrate the potential of aeolian sediments in semi‐arid north China to record millennial‐scale climatic events, and also suggest that dry–wet climate variation at the desert margin in China may be linked to climatic change elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, through atmospheric circulation. This article was published online on 27 November 2008. An error was subsequently identified. This notice is included in the online and print versions to indicate that both have been corrected (16 December 2008). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Upper Pleistocene to Holocene sediments on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa (Italy)

The island of Lampedusa lies on the northern edge of the African continental shelf, but during some Quaternary marine lowstands it was joined to the African continent. The study and dating of the aeolian, alluvial, detrital sediments, calcareous crusts and speleothems have established that the climatic–environmental variations recorded on the island can be related chronologically to those known for northern Libya, Tunisia and the Italian peninsula. During the Last Glacial Maximum, phases of Saharan dust accumulation on Lampedusa occurred, and were coeval with dust accumulation in crater lakes and on high mountains in central‐southern Italy, and with phases of glacial advance in the Apennines and in the Alps. During the late Holocene, accumulation of Saharan dust on Lampedusa occurred but there was little accumulation of dust on the northern side of the Mediterranean Sea. With the new data from Lampedusa, it is possible to envisage two different scenarios of atmospheric circulation relating to the Last Glacial Maximum and to the late Holocene. During the Last Glacial Maximum, southerly atmospheric circulation brought rainfall to the southern slopes of the Alps and to the Apennines. During the late Holocene, a prevalent westerly atmospheric circulation became established in the northern Mediterranean. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermohaline Anomalies in the Spring and Early Summer of 2000 in the Gulf of Trieste

Abstract. In the framework of the Interreg II Project (July 1998 - June 2001), hydro-logical, chemical and biological data were collected in the Gulf of Trieste.
During spring and summer 2000, some particular thermohaline anomalies were observed in the Gulf of Trieste. Especially in May and June the water body showed: a very strong thermohaline stratification, an increase of advective salt water coming from the south and the presence of sharp pycnoclines. In July the temperature was higher than usual in the whole water column. Moreover, in late May and in June, massive mucilaginous aggregates were observed along the water column and at the surface.
In order to highlight these particular thermohaline features the hydrological data of 16 stations were analysed (Fig. 1). Two stations, in particular, were considered: one offshore (St. AA1, average depth 20 m) and one close to the coast (St. C1, average depth 17 m). For these two stations a best-fit analysis, computed over 11 and 7 years, respectively, was performed on temperature, salinity and density excess data.
Moreover, the hydrological features were compared with the rainfall, air temperature, wind speed data (Istituto Sperimentale Talassografico di Trieste - ISTT) and the Isonzo River's flow rate (Direzione Regionale dell'Ambiente - Regione F. V. G.) collected from January 1998 to December 2000.     

Seasonal Variation in the Biomass of Marine Macrophyta from Greek Coasts

Abstract. The marine plant communities of the littoral zone in different biotopes of the Greek coasts were investigated in 1980-81. Seasonal distribution and variation of marine plant biomass were assessed. The communities of Cystoseira crinita and C. compressa were outstanding with maximum biomass during the summer months. Corallina officinalis and Pterocladia capillacea + Viva rigida communities predominated with maximum biomass in autumn and exhibited a decrease in winter, except in stressed biotopes. The species diversity and productivity of seaweeds along the Greek coasts are interpreted in relation to a number of environmental parameters.     

青岛近海地区SO2和SO42-干沉降速率的季节变化

用小麦岛和团岛观测站提供的青岛近海气象和水温资料,以适于SO2气体和硫酸盐(SO42-)气溶胶的干沉降模型研究了模型中的输送阻尼对两种污染物质干沉降速率的贡献,并计算了2003年青岛近海地区两种污染物质干沉降速率的季节变化。结果表明:对SO2而言,粘性副层传输系数对沉降速率的贡献大于空气动力学传输系数;对于SO42-,空气动力学传输系数对沉降速率的贡献要大于表面传输系数。SO2和SO42-的干沉降速率变化范围分别为0.187~0.868cm/s和0.188~0.532cm/s。两种污染物质干沉降速率的四季变化有相似的规律,即冬季>秋季>春季>夏季。