Does the Port 2000 harbour construction have an effect on the Seine estuary suprabenthic community?

Using a Before/During/After protocol, the effects of Port 2000 (the Le Havre harbour extension) on the suprabenthic communities in the Northern Channel of the Seine estuary (English Channel) were examined from March 2001 to March 2009. Since the beginning of Port 2000 construction in 2002, there have been several changes in the hydrological and sedimentary characteristics in the North Channel, including changes in current velocity, bottoms salinity and sand accumulation, as well as in the benthic communities themselves, moving from mud to medium and coarse sand communities. For the suprabenthos, changes were moderate, corresponding to an increase in species richness in the upper-part of the North Channel and a decrease in species density in the dominant mysids species (i.e., mainly Mesopodospsis slabberi) over time. Due to hydrological changes since the beginning of the Port 2000 project (several years of low freshwater input) it has been difficult to attribute the biological changes to Port 2000 construction only. In the future, the results obtained for the suprabenthos will have to be compared to those obtained for the macrobenthos. Similarly, since the suprabenthos is known to play an important role in the estuarine trophic chain, it will also be essential to estimate the fish distribution in the North Channel and to examine their stomach contents to evaluate the probable changes since the Port 2000 project began.     

Modelling the impacts of subsurface drainage on surface runoff and sediment yield in the Le Sueur Watershed,Minnesota, USA

Abstract

Tile drainage influences infiltration and surface runoff and is thus an important factor in the erosion process. Tile drainage reduces surface runoff, but questions abound on its influence on sediment transport through its dense network and into the stream network. The impact of subsurface tiling on upland erosion rates in the Le Sueur River watershed, USA, was assessed using the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model. Six different scenarios of tile drainage with varying drainage coefficient and management type (no till and autumn mulch-till) were evaluated. The mean annual surface runoff depth, soil loss rate and sediment delivery ratio (SDR) for croplands, based on a 30-year simulation for the watershed with untiled autumn mulch-till (Scenario 1), were estimated to be 83.5 mm, 0.27 kg/m² and 86.7%, respectively; on no-till management systems (Scenario 4), the respective results were 72.3 mm, 0.06 kg/m² and 88.2%. Tile drains reduced surface runoff, soil loss and SDR estimates for Scenario 1 by, on average, 14.5, 8.1 and 7.9%, respectively; and for Scenario 4 by an estimated 31.5, 22.1 and 20.2%, respectively. The impact of tile drains on surface runoff, soil loss and SDR was greater under the no-till management system than under the autumn mulch-till management system. Comparison of WEPP outputs with those of the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) showed differences between the two methods.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz

Citation Maalim, F.K. and Melesse. A.M., 2013. Modelling impacts of subsurface drainage on surface runoff and sediment yield in the Le Sueur Watershed in Minnesota, USA. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (3), 570–586.     

A small-scale field check on the Fisher–Lehmann and Bakker–Le Heux cliff degradation models

The paper considers the development of initially straight, steep rock cliffs, bounded above and below by horizontal surfaces, in which basal debris removal is zero and degradation occurs by the weathering away of fine debris from the cliff face to form a scree at its foot. Of the slope degradation models available, the two earliest and simplest, namely the Fisher–Lehmann and the Bakker–Le Heux models, are regarded as most relevant and are briefly summarized. The main purpose of the paper is to check the predictions of these models, particularly with regard to the shape of the rock surface buried beneath the scree, against field data. Such data are sparse. It is concluded that the best field case currently available, despite its small scale, is that provided by the 1·75 m deep ditch which forms part of the experimental earthwork in the chalk on Overton Down, Wiltshire. The predictions of the two models are checked against field measurements made of the stage of degradation reached on each face of the ditch by July 1968, eight years after its excavation. These stages were influenced to different degrees by the presence of a surface turf layer. For the NE face, where this influence was least, the agreement of the predictions of the Fisher–Lehmann model with the actual rock profile is excellent and that of the Bakker–Le Heux model only marginally less so. For the SW face, as expected, the agreements are somewhat less close. These results may be to some extent fortuitous because of the influence of the turves and because the scree slopes tend to be concave rather than rectilinear, as assumed. Also, the free faces decline with time in a manner intermediate between those assumed in the two models. Larger scale field checks are clearly desirable before firm general conclusions can be drawn. Rates of crest recession for the Overton Down ditch are logarithmic with time after a very rapid initial phase. Extrapolation from the early phase of this logarithmic behaviour leads to a close estimate of the time needed for the slope to develop fully. The associated ultimate crest recession is also closely predicted by equations derived from both models. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Catchment storm runoff modelling using the geomorphologic instantaneous unit hydrograph

A lumped empirical model, the Geomorphologic Instantaneous Unit Hydrograph (GIUH) rainfall-runoff model, is developed for the Can Le catchment in the upstream region of the Sai Gon river Basin (Vietnam). This model can serve to simulate catchment runoff into the Dau Tieng Reservoir and can be used as a flood forecasting tool for the ungauged Can Le catchment. The GIUH couples geomorphology and hydrology quantitatively. The obtained Unit Hydrograph is based on Horton's morphometric parameters; bifurcation, length and area ratios. A new functionality within the ILWIS GIS-RS package, namely ‘DEM-hydro processing’, is applied to effectively process a Digital Elevation Model to extract these ratios from the drainage network. To supplement the limited field data available, various satellites images have been used such as ASTER, SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) and METEOSAT 5. A short field campaign to collect missing ground data was executed between September and October 2005. The data collected included discharge (and stage – discharge curve), meteorological data, soil, land use information that are used for paramerisation, calibration and validation of the GIUH. The model was successfully applied for the Can Le catchment. Using the Horton's morphometric parameters derived from the DEM with estimated overland and stream flow velocities, the model is easy-to-use.     

Argiles et zéolites dans l'altération d'un volcan bouclier en milieu tropical (Le Piton des Neiges,La Réunion)

The drilling of a gallery through the Roche-Écrite massif (Reunion Island) allowed to sample the old formations of the ‘Piton des Neiges’ volcano. The mineralogical study of the alteration products of the formations showed significant variations of the zeolites/clay minerals ratio depending on the location of the rocks in the volcano. The abundance of zeolites in the formation near the surface hydrographic network or the underground water drainage system seems to be due to the physicochemical processes favouring zeolites in more open systems in their competition with secondary clays. To cite this article: L. Bret et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

The new potential invader Linopherus canariensis (Polychaeta: Amphinomidae) in a Mediterranean coastal lake: colonization dynamics and morphological remarks

The newly introduced polychaete Linopherus canariensis Langerhans, 1881 was found in the Lake of Faro (NE Sicily), during a study comparing the macrobenthos in artificial modules with a neighboring sandy bottom assemblage. Of a total of 4465 specimens, almost 6% showed morphological variation related to branchial turfs and mean body size. The sandy bottom exhibited an average density of 41.86 ind L⁻¹ and a wet biomass of 30.35 mg L⁻¹, whereas the artificial substratum reached levels of 205.29 ind L⁻¹ and 318.44 mg L⁻¹. The highest estimated immigration rate was 3.7 ind L⁻¹ d⁻¹ (5.8 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹). In the artificial microhabitat, 0.4% of the population showed mid-anterior fragmentation, with anterior- (2%), mid- (<1%) and posterior- (1%) regenerating lineages, which contributed significantly to the dispersion ability of this species. L. canariensis was a selective micro-deposit feeder, even under conditions of reduced sediments. Linopherus was found to be a new potential invader of stressed environments that is probably tied to the import of oysters.     

江西乐安江流域稻田土重金属累积变化与德兴矿集区关系

对乐安江流域稻田表层土壤中Pb、Cd、Cu、Zn的分布特征进行分析,按照单因子污染指数法和内梅罗综合污染指数法,依据土壤环境背景值标准和国家土壤环境质量标准对乐安江流域稻田土壤的重金属进行评价。结果表明,矿集区上游水稻田土壤重金属综合污染指数等级尚在安全范围内,矿集区周边Cd和Cu的单项污染指数大于1,综合污染指数达到7.82,属于重污染;矿集区下游接近警戒值。研究表明,矿集区矿业开发释放的重金属元素对乐安江中下游流域水稻田土壤的重金属累积具有重要影响。     

Recording architecture at the archaeological site of Uxmal, Mexico: A historical and contemporary view

Architecture at the Maya archaeological site of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico has been documented since the 17th century by historians, archaeologists, illustrators, photographers, and most recently photogrammetrists. This paper reviews the work of the major contributors to recording of architecture at Uxmal with a particular focus on the 19th century stereophotography of Alice and Augustus Le Plongeon who worked to record all the standing architecture at Uxmal, and the close range stereophotogrammetric projects that recorded the Adivino Pyramid during the late 20th century.     

水环境容量与总量控制及其在乐安河的研究应用

本文介绍了水环境容量、总量控制在国内外的研究发展状况及研究中存在的问题,并针对乐安河流域水环境容量及总量控制的研究进行了阐述。     

长乐市地震地质构造背景与地震活动关系的研究

本文根据近年来福建沿海以及福州市地震地质勘探调研的最新成果 ,分析了长乐市地质构造背景与地震活动的关系 ;为跨断层土壤氡气 ,二氧化碳观测等手段的监测资料分析 ,以及地震预报提供依据。