The impact of submersed aquatic vegetation on the development of river mouth bars     

Sara Lera  William Nardin  Lawrence Sanford  Cindy Palinkas  Roberto Guercio 《地球表面变化过程与地形》2019,44(7):1494-1506

This work is inspired by the sudden resurgence of the submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) bed in the Chesapeake Bay (USA). Because the SAV bed occurs at the mouth of the Bay's main tributary (Susquehanna River), it plays a significant role in modulating sediment and nutrient inputs from the Susquehanna to the Bay. Previous model studies on the impact of submersed aquatic vegetation on the development of river mouth bars lacked a complete mechanistic understanding. This study takes advantage of new advances in 3D computational models that include explicit physical-sedimentological feedbacks to obtain this understanding. Specifically, we used Delft3D, a state-of-the-art hydrodynamic model that provides fine-scale computations of three-dimensional flow velocity and bed shear stress, which can be linked to sediment deposition and erosion. Vegetation is modeled using a parameterization of hydraulic roughness that depends on vegetation height, stem density, diameter, and drag coefficient. We evaluate the hydrodynamics, bed shear stresses, and sediment dynamics for different vegetation scenarios under conditions of low and high river discharge. Model runs vary the vegetation height, density, river discharge, and suspended-sediment concentration. Numerical results from the idealized model show that dense SAV on river mouth bars substantially diverts river discharge into adjacent channels and promotes sediment deposition at ridge margins, as well as upstream bar migration. Increasing vegetation height and density forms sandier bars closer to the river mouth and alteration of the bar shape. Thus, this study highlights the important role of SAV in shaping estuarine geomorphology, which is especially relevant for coastal management. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Mapping of groundwater prospective zones integrating remote sensing,geographic information systems and geophysical techniques in El-Qaà Plain area,Egypt     

Sara M. Abuzied  Hamed A. Alrefaee 《Hydrogeology Journal》2017,25(7):2067-2088

The geospatial mapping of groundwater prospective zones is essential to support the needs of local inhabitants and agricultural activities in arid regions such as El-Qaà area, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. The study aims to locate new wells that can serve to cope with water scarcity. The integration of remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) and geophysical techniques is a breakthrough for groundwater prospecting. Based on these techniques, several factors contributing to groundwater potential in El-Qaà Plain were determined. Geophysical data were supported by information derived from a digital elevation model, and from geologic, geomorphologic and hydrologic data, to reveal the promising sites. All the spatial data that represent the contributing factors were integrated and analyzed in a GIS framework to develop a groundwater prospective model. An appropriate weightage was specified to each factor based on its relative contribution towards groundwater potential, and the resulting map delineates the study area into five classes, from very poor to very good potential. The very good potential zones are located in the Quaternary deposits, with flat to gentle topography, dense lineaments and structurally controlled drainage channels. The groundwater potential map was tested against the distribution of groundwater wells and cultivated land. The integrated methodology provides a powerful tool to design a suitable groundwater management plan in arid regions.  相似文献   

GGR Biennial Critical Review: Analytical Developments Since 2014          下载免费PDF全文

Kathryn L. Linge  L. Paul Bédard  Roxana Bugoi  Jacinta Enzweiler  Klaus Peter Jochum  Rüdiger Kilian  Jingao Liu  Johanna Marin‐Carbonne  Silke Merchel  Frans Munnik  Luiz F.G. Morales  Claire Rollion‐Bard  A. Kate Souders  Paul J. Sylvester  Ulrike Weis 《Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research》2017,41(4):493-562

This GGR biennial critical review covers developments and innovations in key analytical methods published since January 2014, relevant to the chemical, isotopic and crystallographic characterisation of geological and environmental materials. In nine selected analytical fields, publications considered to be of wide significance are summarised, background information is provided and their importance evaluated. In addition to instrumental technologies, this review also presents a summary of new developments in the preparation and characterisation of rock, microanalytical and isotopic reference materials, including a précis of recent changes and revisions to ISO guidelines for reference material characterisation and reporting. Selected reports are provided of isotope ratio determinations by both solution nebulisation MC‐ICP‐MS and laser ablation‐ICP‐MS, as well as of radioactive isotope geochronology by LA‐ICP‐MS. Most of the analytical techniques elaborated continue to provide new applications for geochemical analysis; however, it is noted that instrumental neutron activation analysis has become less popular in recent years, mostly due to the reduced availability of nuclear reactors to act as a neutron source. Many of the newer applications reported here provide analysis at increasingly finer resolution. Examples include atom probe tomography, a very sensitive method providing atomic scale information, nanoscale SIMS, for isotopic imaging of geological and biological samples, and micro‐XRF, which has a spatial resolution many orders of magnitude smaller than conventional XRF.  相似文献   

Response surface-based robust geotechnical design of supported excavation – spreadsheet-based solution     

Sara Khoshnevisan  Lei Wang  C. Hsein Juang 《Georisk: Assessment and Management of Risk for Engineered Systems and Geohazards》2017,11(1):90-102

ABSTRACT

The robust geotechnical design (RGD) approach which involves optimization to obtain a design that is safe, cost-efficient, and robust in the face of uncertainties, can be computationally challenging for complex geotechnical structures. In this study, the RGD approach has become practical by introducing a response surface as a surrogate to finite element- or finite difference-based computer code that is used for analyzing the system, and developing a fast algorithm for the optimization process. For demonstration purposes, a real-world supported excavation project is designed using this modified RGD approach and it is compared with the one designed by a local expert.  相似文献   

Glacial and post-glacial sedimentary processes in the Irish Rockall Trough from an integrated acoustic analysis of near-seabed sediments     

Fabio Sacchetti  Sara Benetti  Rory Quinn  Colm Ó Cofaigh 《Geo-Marine Letters》2013,33(1):49-66

Near-seabed (<50 m) sediments were studied throughout the Irish sector of the Rockall Trough (ca. 123,000 km²) based on a combined analysis of shallow seismic (3.5 kHz) and multibeam swath data acquired by the Irish National Seabed Survey and reprocessed here at higher resolution. The detailed identification of seven acoustic facies served to classify the Rockall Trough into six main sedimentary provinces, incorporating the well-known Feni Drift, Donegal-Barra Fan and Rockall Bank mass flow. In the northern part of the study area, extensive mass transport deposits from both flanks of the trough are the dominant depositional features. Debris flow deposits formed by ice streaming of the British-Irish ice sheet characterise most of the Donegal-Barra Fan, whereas turbidite deposition occurs towards the toe of the fan. On the western margin of the trough, the post-glacial Rockall Bank mass flow deposit displays a rough topography with no acoustic penetration. Several failure scarps are visible on the flank of the bank where the mass flow originated, and pass downslope into large sediment lobes and smaller debris flow deposits. Smaller-scale mass transport deposits were also discovered close to some canyons indenting the eastern slope. High seismic penetration characterises the Feni contourite drift deposit, and precise mapping of its geographical extent shows that it is considerably wider than previously reported. The sediment waves that drape this drift are interpreted as predominantly relict features, and their varied geometry suggests a complex oceanographic regime. In the deeper part of the trough, the data reveal novel evidence of the widespread occurrence (about 12,000 km²) of distinct seismic and backscatter signatures indicating the possible presence of fluid escape structures within fine-grained sediments of mixed contouritic, hemipelagic and turbiditic origin. Sediment overloading and increased pore pressure resulting from extensive mass wasting to the north of the area is a likely cause of dewatering-rooted fluid migration towards the seabed, but further investigations are required to confirm the nature and origin of such fluids in the Rockall Trough.  相似文献   

Species loss in the brown world: are heterotrophic systems inherently stable?     

Michael J. Rubbo  Lisa K. Belden  Sara I. Storrs-Mendez  Jonathan J. Cole  Joseph M. Kiesecker 《Aquatic Sciences - Research Across Boundaries》2012,74(3):397-404

Determining the effects of species loss on ecosystems has received considerable attention given the current threats many ecosystems are facing. A significant body of research has yielded many insights to this question, but this work has been limited by a focus on ecosystems where primary production plays a significant role in energy transfer. As many ecosystems rely on energy sources that are not derived from in situ production, there is a need to better understand how species loss will affect ecosystems of varying trophic states. To examine the effects of species loss on an ecosystem that is not reliant on in situ primary production, we manipulated the larval amphibian community of temporary forest ponds. These ponds are heterotrophic systems that rely on allochthonous inputs of detritus as a basal energy source. The larvae of two amphibian species that are prone to local extinction, wood frogs (Lithobates sylvatica) and spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), were removed from ponds and net ecosystem production was monitored. We found no effects of the removal of these top consumers on ecosystem functioning or on lower trophic groups (i.e., zooplankton, algae, bacteria). While amphibians can influence food web dynamics in other systems, their influence on system processes in temporary forest ponds appears to be limited. We hypothesize that the lack of any effects is due to the microbial degradation of detritus ??swamping?? the system, providing more than enough energy to maintain the food web, and/or due to omnivory dampening species interactions. These data indicate that the functioning of heterotrophic systems may be inherently stable due to internal dynamics that minimize interaction strengths among trophic groups.  相似文献   

Tracing seafloor methane emissions with benthic foraminifera: Results from the Ana submarine landslide (Eivissa Channel,Western Mediterranean Sea)     

Giuliana Panieri  Angelo Camerlenghi  Isabel Cacho  Cristina Sanchez Cervera  Miquel Canals  Sara Lafuerza  Gemma Herrera 《Marine Geology》2012

The hypothesis that benthic foraminifera are useful proxies of local methane emissions from the seafloor has been verified on sediment core KS16 from the headwall of the Ana submarine landslide in the Eivissa Channel, Western Mediterranean Sea. The core MS312 from a nearby location with no known methane emissions is utilised as control. The core was analysed for biostratigraphy, benthic foraminiferal assemblages, Hyalinea balthica and Uvigerina peregrina carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition, and sedimentary structures. The upper part of the core records post-landslide deglacial and Holocene normal marine hemipelagic sediments with highly abundant benthic foraminifera species that are typical of outer neritic to upper bathyal environment. In this interval, the δ¹³C composition of benthic foraminifera indicates normal marine environment analogous to those found in the control core. Below the sedimentary hiatus caused by the emplacement of the slide, the foraminiferal assemblages are characterised by lower density and higher Shannon Index. Markedly negative δ¹³C shifts in benthic foraminifera are attributed to the release of methane through the seabed. The mean values of the ¹³C anomaly in U. peregrina are ? 0.951 ± 0.208 in the pre-landslide sediments, and ? 0.269 ± 0.152 in post-slide reworked sediments deposited immediately above the hiatus. The δ¹³C anomaly in Hyalinea balthica is ? 2.497 ± 0.080 and ? 2.153 ± 0.087, respectively. To discard the diagenetic effects on the δ¹³C anomaly, which could have been induced by Ca–Mg replacement and authigenic carbonate overgrowth on foraminifera tests, a benthic foraminifera subsample has been treated following an oxidative and reductive cleaning protocol. The cleaning has resulted, only in some cases, in a slight reduction of the anomaly by 0.95% for δ¹³C and < 0.80% for δ¹⁸O. Therefore, the first conclusion is that the diagenetic alteration is minor and it does not alter significantly the overall carbon isotopic anomaly in the core. Consequently, the pre-landslide sediments have been subject to pervasive methane emissions during a time interval of several thousand years. Methane emissions continued during and immediately after the occurrence of Ana Slide at about 61.5 ka. Subsequently, methane emissions decreased and definitely ceased during the last deglaciation and the Holocene.  相似文献   

Analysis of patterns of vertical and temporal distribution of phytoplankton using multifactorial analysis: Acidic Lake Caviahue, Patagonia, Argentina     

Sara G. Beamud  Mónica M. Diaz  Nora B. Baccalá 《Limnologica》2010,40(2):140-147

Most existing studies on the algal communities of acid lakes are based on environments that have been caused by anthropogenic disturbances. Such lakes have a different origin compared to the natural acidic lakes and could be expected to differ also in the mechanisms controlling phytoplankton and trophic status. Planktonic community in Lake Caviahue is somewhat diverse in spite of the low pH of the water. Algae have a distinctive vertical distribution: the values of phytoplankton biomass remain constant throughout the water column and at times were highest in the upper end of the hypolimnion, forming a maximum or a layer of chlorophyll a at depth. The goal of this work was to investigate the factors influencing the seasonal and vertical distribution of phytoplankton. The lake was sampled between the years 2004 and 2006. Physical, chemical and biological parameters at different depths throughout the water column were determined. The interrelationships between environmental variables at different sampling dates were analyzed using an integration of multivariate matrices, multiple factor analysis, to analyze any joint partnerships in the samples. We found that phytoplankton biomass is dominated by Keratococcus rhaphidioides. With regard to zooplankton, we found a single species of rotifers (Philodina sp.). The two arms of the lake and the depths have different behaviours showing differences in the arms' conductivity, dissolved oxygen and pH. The more superficial layers were characterized by high values of phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass, organic and inorganic carbon, dissolved oxygen and pH. The deeper layers showed high values of chlorophyll a, ammonium and phosphorus (dissolved and particulate). From the multivariate analysis the relationships of the each algal species with pH, as a possible indicator of the degree of “acidophilia”, could be extracted.  相似文献   

Key concepts in development geography by Rob Potter,Dennis Conway,Ruth Evans and Sally Lloyd‐Evans,Sage Publications Ltd., London. 2012. 278 pp. ISBN 978‐0‐85702‐585‐2.     

Sara Kindon 《New Zealand geographer》2013,69(2):168-169

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Ornamental plants and the production of nature(s) in the Spanish real estate boom and bust: the case of Alicante     

María Hernandez  Alfredo Morales 《Urban geography》2013,34(1):71-85

The Spanish real estate boom and bust of the 2000s caused immense economic, social, and environmental changes across the country. Massive urbanization, however, does not necessarily entail the end of nature and natural processes, instead marking a radical transformation of environments and societies. Through a political ecology approach, we analyze how ornamental species have become a fundamental part of new natures induced by urbanization in the Spanish province of Alicante. We connect the economic and ecological characteristics of ornamental plants like the palm tree to urbanization and real estate trends in Alicante. Our evidence indicates that, in Alicante, economic recession and environmental crises (manifested in the pests affecting palm trees) have mutually reinforced one other, creating a new geography of ecological desolation in many areas.  相似文献