Peatlands provide a setting that is well suited for cranberry agriculture in the Northeastern United States. However, misconceptions exist about the amounts and forms of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) export from cranberry farms. In this study, we report inorganic and organic forms of N and P export from five peatlands cultivated for cranberry production in southeastern, Massachusetts, United States. We then compare N loading rates among cranberry farms in southeastern Massachusetts, row crop farms in the Midwestern United States, and uncultivated peatlands in the United States and United Kingdom. Based on a fluvial mass balance analysis, we find that nonriparian cranberry farms export 2.56 kg of P ha−1 year−1of total P and 12.1 kg of N ha−1 year−1of total N. Total N export from riparian or “flow through” farms is two times higher than nonriparian farms due to less retention of N fertilizer in the vadose zone of riparian farms. Gross total N export from riparian and nonriparian cranberry farms consists of 35% particulate organic N, 26% dissolved organic N, 31% ammonium (NH4+), and 8% nitrate (NO3−). The low proportions of NO3− export (13% of total dissolved N [TDN]) for cranberry farms differ from NO3− export for row crop farms (75% of TDN; p < .001) but not for uncultivated peatlands (17% of TDN; p = .61). Despite being highly modified by fertilizers and artificial drainage, low NO3− export (2.2 kg of N ha−1 year−1) from cranberry farms is consistent with field measurements of rapid N turnover in uncultivated peatlands. This finding suggests that state-funded wetland restoration efforts to restore denitrification in retired cranberry farms may be limited by NO3− rather than soil moisture or organic matter. 相似文献
On July 12, 2008, two convective cells about 155 km apart produced a brief period of intense rainfall triggering large debris
flows in the southern Sierra Nevada. The northernmost cell was centered over Oak Creek Canyon, an east-flowing drainage, and
its tributaries near Independence, CA, USA. About 5:00 p.m., debris flows passed down the South Fork and North Fork of Oak Creek to merge into a large single feature whose passage affected
the historic Mt. Whitney Fish hatchery and blocked California State Highway 395. At about the same time, the southernmost
cell was largely centered over Erskine Creek, a main tributary of the west-flowing Kern River. Debris flows issued from several
branches to coalesce into a large debris flow that passed along Erskine Creek, through the town of Lake Isabella, CA, USA
and into the Kern River. It was observed reaching Lake Isabella about 6:30 p.m. Both debris flows caused significant disruption and damage to local communities. 相似文献
The Canadian design for the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope includes a large multi-tethered aerostat to support the telescope’s receiver. To validate this design concept, two parallel tracks have been undertaken: a numerical simulation of the multi-tethered aerostat system has been assembled, and a one-third scale prototype of the system has been constructed. This paper describes the experimental facility, presents results from initial tests of the uncontrolled system and compares these results to the predictions of the computer model of the system. Generally, the results compare very favourably. Using the simulation, we arrive at two important design philosophies to be used in the design of the full-scale system: (a) perturbations on the confluence point should be minimized, and (b) the system stiffness should be maximized to ensure minimum response to disturbances. 相似文献
There is a scarcity of long-term groundwater hydrographs from sub-Saharan Africa to investigate groundwater sustainability, processes and controls. This paper presents an analysis of 21 hydrographs from semi-arid South Africa. Hydrographs from 1980 to 2000 were converted to standardised groundwater level indices and rationalised into four types (C1–C4) using hierarchical cluster analysis. Mean hydrographs for each type were cross-correlated with standardised precipitation and streamflow indices. Relationships with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) were also investigated. The four hydrograph types show a transition of autocorrelation over increasing timescales and increasingly subdued responses to rainfall. Type C1 strongly relates to rainfall, responding in most years, whereas C4 notably responds to only a single extreme event in 2000 and has limited relationship with rainfall. Types C2, C3 and C4 have stronger statistical relationships with standardised streamflow than standardised rainfall. C3 and C4 changes are significantly (p <?0.05) correlated to the mean wet season ENSO anomaly, indicating a tendency for substantial or minimal recharge to occur during extreme negative and positive ENSO years, respectively. The range of different hydrograph types, sometimes within only a few kilometres of each other, appears to be a result of abstraction interference and cannot be confidently attributed to variations in climate or hydrogeological setting. It is possible that high groundwater abstraction near C3/C4 sites masks frequent small-scale recharge events observed at C1/C2 sites, resulting in extreme events associated with negative ENSO years being more visible in the time series.
