Nine thousand years of upper montane soil/vegetation dynamics from the summit of Caratuva Peak,Southern Brazil     

《Journal of South American Earth Sciences》2014

Biodiversity loss, climate change, and increased freshwater consumption are some of the main environmental problems on Earth. Mountain ecosystems can reduce these threats by providing several positive influences, such as the maintenance of biodiversity, water regulation, and carbon storage, amongst others. The knowledge of the history of these environments and their response to climate change is very important for management, conservation, and environmental monitoring programs. The genesis of the soil organic matter of the current upper montane vegetation remains unclear and seems to be quite variable depending on location. Some upper montane sites in the very extensive coastal Sea Mountain Range present considerable organic matter from the late Pleistocene and other from only the Holocene. Our study was carried out on three soil profiles (two cores in grassland and one in forest) on the Caratuva Peak of the Serra do Ibitiraquire (a sub-range of Sea Mountain Range – Serra do Mar) in Southern Brazil. The δ¹³C isotopic analyses of organic matter in soil horizons were conducted to detect whether C₃ or C₄ plants dominated the past communities. Complementarily, we performed a pollen analysis and ¹⁴C dating of the humin fraction to obtain the age of the studied horizons. Except for a short and probably drier period (between 6000 and 4500 cal yr BP), C₃ plants, including ombrophilous grasses and trees, have dominated the highlands of the Caratuva Peak (Pico Caratuva), as well as the other uppermost summits of the Serra do Ibitiraquire, since around 9000 cal yr BP. The Caratuva region represents a landscape of high altitude grasslands (campos de altitude altomontanos or campos altomontanos) and upper montane rain/cloud forests with soils that most likely contain some organic matter from the late Pleistocene, as has been reported in Southern and Southeastern Brazil for other sites. However, our results indicate that the studied deposits (near the summit) are from the early to late Holocene, when somewhat wetter and warmer conditions (since around 9000 cal yr BP) enabled a stronger colonization of the ridge of Pico Caratuva by mainly C₃ plants, especially grassland species. However, at the same time, even near the summit, the soil core from the forest site already presented the current physiognomy (or a shrubby/elfin or successional forest), indicating that the colonization of the neighboring uppermost saddles and valleys were probably populated mainly by upper montane forest species.  相似文献   

Uncertainty analysis of soil-pile interactions of monopile offshore wind turbine support structures     

《Applied Ocean Research》2019

The objective of this work is to study the uncertainties involved in the modelling of the soil-pile interaction concerning their influence on the prediction of the dynamic structural response of monopile offshore wind turbine support structures. Two main issues are identified and addressed: the adequacy of the method used to deal with the soil-pile interactions and the adequacy of the soil properties reflecting the behaviour of the soil. The present study develops an approach that defines the penetrated pile length depending on the soil profile. Also, a parameter is defined to avoid the excessive usage of steel for the penetrated pile structure. The uncertainties are included in the probabilistic free vibration analysis and the contribution of each random variable to the scatter of the response is estimated by performing a sensitivity analysis. The results indicate that the uncertainty involved in the modelling of the soil profile has a significant effect on the coefficient of variance of the natural frequency, which is a serious issue to be considered in the fatigue life assessment of offshore wind turbine support structures.  相似文献   

Alteration of hydrological processes and streamflow with juniper (Juniperus virginiana) encroachment in a mesic grassland catchment          下载免费PDF全文

Chris B. Zou  Donald J. Turton  Rodney E. Will  David M. Engle  Sam D. Fuhlendorf 《水文研究》2014,28(26):6173-6182

To understand the effect of woody plant encroachment on hydrological processes of mesic grasslands, we quantified infiltration capacity in situ, the temporal changes in soil water storage, and streamflow of a grassland catchment and a catchment heavily encroached by juniper (Juniperus virginiana, eastern redcedar) in previously cultivated, non‐karst substrate grasslands in north‐central Oklahoma for 3 years. The initial and steady‐state infiltration rates under the juniper canopy were nearly triple to that of the grassland catchment and were intermediate in the intercanopy spaces within the encroached catchment. Soil water content and soil water storage on the encroached catchment were generally lower than on the grassland catchment, especially when preceding the seasons of peak rainfall in spring and fall. Frequency and magnitude of streamflow events were reduced in the encroached catchment. Annual runoff coefficients for the encroached catchment averaged 2.1%, in contrast to 10.6% for the grassland catchment. Annual streamflow duration ranged from 80 to 250 h for the encroached catchment compared with 600 to 800 h for the grassland catchment. Our results showed that the encroachment of juniper into previously cultivated mesic grasslands fundamentally alters catchment hydrological function. Rapid transformation of mesic grassland to a woodland state with juniper encroachment, if not confined, has the potential to drastically reduce soil water, streamflow and flow duration of ephemeral streams in the Southern Great Plains. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Revised runoff curve number for runoff prediction in the Loess Plateau of China     

Wenhai Shi  Ni Wang  Miaomiao Wang  Donghao Li 《水文研究》2021,35(10):e14390

The soil conservation service (now Natural Resources Conservation Service) Curve Number (SCS-CN), one of the most commonly used methods for surface runoff prediction. The runoff calculated by this method was very sensitive to CN values. In this study, CN values were calculated by both arithmetic mean (CN_C) and least square fit method (CN_F) using observed rainfall-runoff data from 43 sites in the Loess Plateau region, which are considerably different from the CN₂ values obtained from the USDA-SCS handbook table (CN_T). The results showed that using CN_C instead of CN_T for each watershed produce little improvement, while replacing CN_T with CN_F improves the performance of the original SCS-CN method, but still performs poorly in most study sites. This is mainly due to the SCS-CN method using a constant CN value and discounting of the temporal variation in rainfall-runoff process. Therefore, three factors—soil moisture, rainfall depth and intensity—affecting the surface runoff variability are considered to reflect the variation of CN in each watershed, and a new CN value was developed. The reliability of the proposed method was tested with data from 38 watersheds, and then applied to the remaining five typical watersheds using the optimized parameters. The results indicated that the proposed method, which boosted the model efficiencies to 81.83% and 74.23% during calibration and validation cases, respectively, performed better than the original SCS-CN and the Shi and Wang (2020b) method, a modified SCS-CN method based on tabulated CN value. Thus, the proposed method incorporating the influence of the temporal variability of soil moisture, rainfall depth, and intensity factors suggests an accurate runoff prediction for general applications under different hydrological and climatic conditions on the Loess Plateau region.  相似文献   

Impact of gneissic layering and localized incipient melting upon melt flow during experimental deformation of migmatites     

《Journal of Structural Geology》2016

In this study, we test experimentally the role of compositional layering as a key parameter for controlling melt flow in a natural migmatite during coaxial deformation. We performed in – situ pure-shear experiments on two natural gneisses. The first gneiss is weakly foliated with minerals homogenously distributed. The second gneiss shows a pronounced compositional layering of alternating quartz – feldspar – rich and biotite – muscovite – rich layers. Experimental conditions were selected to obtain homogeneous melt distribution in the homogeneous gneiss and heterogeneous melt distribution in the layered gneiss. Initial melt distribution is not modified by deformation in experiments on the homogeneous gneiss, implying that melting products did not migrate from their initiation sites. In contrast, melt flowed in shear zones or in inter-boudin positions during experimental deformation of the heterogeneous gneiss. These experiments attest to the strong influence of initial gneissic layering on melting pattern, melt segregation and flow during deformation of partially molten rocks.  相似文献   

Mesh-free analysis applied in reinforced soil slopes     

《Computers and Geotechnics》2016

One of the most applicable geotechnical structures whose analysis is carried out through iterative procedures is the reinforced soil slope. In this regard, the most successful method for the reinforced slope analysis through numerical methods is the finite element method whose updating mesh may result in some difficulties. In this study, the Natural Element Method (NEM), which is a mesh-free method, in conjunction with conventional limit equilibrium is implemented to find the slip surface in the reinforced slopes. Results demonstrate the convergence and preciseness of the present method in comparison with the other numerical methods and conventional limit equilibrium method.  相似文献   

Selenium attenuation via reductive precipitation in unsaturated waste rock as a control on groundwater impacts in the Idaho phosphate patch     

《Applied Geochemistry》2016

Phosphate mining in southeastern Idaho has historically resulted in the release of dissolved metals and inorganics to groundwater and surface water, primarily due to leachate from waste rock in backfilled pits and overburden storage piles. Selenium (Se) is of particular concern due to its high concentration in leachate and its limited attenuation downgradient of source zones under oxic conditions. Assessments of potential groundwater/surface water impacts from waste rock typically involve laboratory characterization using saturated and unsaturated flow columns packed with waste rock. In this study, we compare the results of saturated and unsaturated column tests with groundwater quality data from the Mountain Fuel, Champ, South and Central Rasmussen Ridge Area (SCRRA), Smoky Canyon, Ballard, Henry, and Enoch Valley Mines, to understand the release and attenuation of Se in different geochemical environments. Column studies and field results demonstrate that the ratio of aqueous Se to aqueous sulfate (Se:SO₄ ratio) is a useful metric for understanding Se release and attenuation, where the extent of sulfate reduction is much less than Se reduction. Comparison of dissolved Se and sulfate results suggests that the net leachability of Se from unsaturated waste rock is variable. Overall, Se concentrations in groundwater directly beneath waste rock dumps is not as high as would be predicted from unsaturated columns. Lower Se:SO₄ ratios are observed immediately beneath waste rock dumps and backfilled pits relative to areas receiving shallow waste rock runoff. It is hypothesized that Se released in the oxic upper portions of the waste rock is subsequently attenuated via reductive precipitation at depth in unsaturated, low-oxygen portions of the waste rock. This highlights an important mechanism by which Se may be naturally attenuated within waste rock piles prior to discharge to groundwater and surface water. These results have important implications for mining practices in the region. A better understanding of Se dynamics can help drive waste rock management during active mining and capping/water management options during post-mining reclamation.  相似文献   

Origin of natural sulfur-metal chimney in the Tangyin hydrothermal field,Okinawa Trough: constraints from rare earth element and sulfur isotopic compositions     

《China Geology》2018,1(2):225-235

For the first time, we present the rare earth element (REE) and sulfur isotopic composition of hydrothermal precipitates recovered from the Tangyin hydrothermal field (THF), Okinawa Trough at a water depth of 1206 m. The natural sulfur samples exhibit the lowest ΣREE concentrations (ΣREE= 0.65×10^–6–4.580×10^–6) followed by metal sulfides (ΣREE=1.71×10^–6–11.63×10^–6). By contrast, the natural sulfur-sediment samples have maximum ΣREE concentrations (ΣREE=11.54×10^–6–33.06×10^–6), significantly lower than those of the volcanic and sediment samples. Nevertheless, the δEu, δCe, (La/Yb)_N, La/Sm, (Gd/Yb)_N and normalized patterns of the natural sulfur and metal sulfide show the most similarity to the sediment. Most hydrothermal precipitate samples are characterized by enrichments of LREE (LREE/HREE=10.09–24.53) and slightly negative Eu anomalies or no anomaly (δEu=0.48–0.99), which are different from the hydrothermal fluid from sediment-free mid-oceanic ridges and back-arc basins, but identical to the sulfides from the Jade hydrothermal field. The lower temperature and more oxidizing conditions produced by the mixing between seawater and hydrothermal fluids further attenuate the leaching ability of hydrothermal fluid, inducing lower REE concentrations for natural sulfur compared with metal sulfide; meanwhile, the negative Eu anomaly is also weakened or almost absent. The sulfur isotopic compositions of the natural sulfur (δ³⁴S=3.20‰–5.01‰, mean 4.23‰) and metal sulfide samples (δ³⁴S=0.82‰–0.89‰, mean 0.85‰) reveal that the sulfur of the chimney is sourced from magmatic degassing.  相似文献   

The terrestrial fauna of the Late Triassic Pant-y-ffynnon Quarry fissures,South Wales,UK and a new species of Clevosaurus (Lepidosauria: Rhynchocephalia)     

Emily Keeble  David I. Whiteside  Michael J. Benton 《Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. Geologists' Association》2018,129(2):99-119

Pant-y-ffynnon Quarry in South Wales yielded a rich cache of fossils in the early 1950s, including articulated specimens of new species (the small sauropodomorph dinosaur Pantydraco caducus and the crocodylomorph Terrestrisuchus gracilis), but no substantial study of the wider fauna of the Pant-y-ffynnon fissure systems has been published. Here, our overview of existing specimens, a few described but mostly undescribed, as well as freshly processed material, provides a comprehensive picture of the Pant-y-ffynnon palaeo-island of the Late Triassic. This was an island with a relatively impoverished fauna dominated by small clevosaurs (rhynchocephalians), including a new species, Clevosaurus cambrica, described here from a partially articulated specimen and isolated bones. The new species has a dental morphology that is intermediate between the Late Triassic Clevosaurus hudsoni, from Cromhall Quarry to the east, and the younger C. convallis from Pant Quarry to the west, suggesting adaptive radiation of clevosaurs in the palaeo-archipelago. The larger reptiles on the palaeo-island do not exceed 1.5?m in length, including a small carnivorous crocodylomorph, Terrestrisuchus, and a possible example of insular dwarfism in the basal dinosaur Pantydraco.  相似文献   

黄土丘陵沟壑区坡面尺度撂荒草地入渗特征影响因素试验研究          下载免费PDF全文

肖婧  王兵 《水科学进展》2021,31(6):820-831

为研究黄土丘陵沟壑区多种因素对撂荒草地入渗特征的影响,采用野外自然降雨观测法,研究不同降雨特征（降雨量、平均雨强、降雨历时和最大30 min雨强（I₃₀））、土壤前期含水量、坡长（10 m、20 m、30 m、40 m和50 m）和植被盖度条件下土壤入渗特征差异,通过灰色关联度法判断影响撂荒草地入渗特征的主导因子。结果表明：①入渗量随降雨量、降雨历时和I₃₀增加而增大（R²>0.55,P<0.01）;入渗补给系数随降雨量、I₃₀和平均雨强增大而减小（R²>0.12,P<0.05）;平均入渗率随降雨强度、I₃₀增加而递增（R²>0.53,P<0.01）。②入渗量和平均入渗率随前期含水量增加而减少,入渗补给系数随之增加而增大（R²>0.13,P<0.05）。③入渗量、入渗补给系数和平均入渗率总体随坡长增加而增大（R²>0.56,P<0.01）,但在坡长30 m和40 m之间存在临界坡长。④在入渗效率较高的情况下,植被对土壤入渗的影响并不显著,降雨特征和坡长成为主导因子。  相似文献