Search results for "feature"
showing 10 items of 4091 documents
Carbon isotope exchange between gaseous CO2 and thin solution films: Artificial cave experiments and a complete diffusion-reaction model
2017
Abstract Speleothem stable carbon isotope (δ 13 C) records provide important paleoclimate and paleo-environmental information. However, the interpretation of these records in terms of past climate or environmental change remains challenging because of various processes affecting the δ 13 C signals. A process that has only been sparsely discussed so far is carbon isotope exchange between the gaseous CO 2 of the cave atmosphere and the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) contained in the thin solution film on the speleothem, which may be particularly important for strongly ventilated caves. Here we present a novel, complete reaction diffusion model describing carbon isotope exchange between gase…
Sensitivity of Bunker Cave to climatic forcings highlighted through multi-annual monitoring of rain-, soil-, and dripwaters
2017
The last two decades have seen a considerable increase in studies using speleothems as archives of past climate variability. Caves under study are now monitored for a wide range of environmental parameters and results placed in contextwith speleothemdata. The present study investigates trends froma seven year longmonitoring of Bunker Cave, northwestern Germany, in order to assess the hydraulic response and transfer time of meteoric water fromthe surface to the cave. Rain-, soil-, and dripwaterwere collected fromAugust 2006 to August 2013 at a monthly to bimonthly resolution and their oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition wasmeasured. Furthermore, drip rates were quantified. Due to differe…
Vegetation effects on cross-sectional flow in a large amplitude meandering bend
2017
ABSTRACTCross-stream circulation, which develops in meandering bends, exerts an important role in velocity redistribution. This paper investigates how the presence of vegetation could affect the evolution pattern of cross-stream flow along a high-curvature meandering bend. The analysis is conducted with the aid of data collected in a meandering laboratory flume over non-vegetated and vegetated beds. The experiments reveal that, once the vegetation is introduced, the flow pattern determined by the channel’s curvature is interrupted. In the presence of vegetation, the central-region circulation cell seems to be divided into thin circulation cells developing at the top of the vegetated layer a…
Changes in Latvian river discharge regime at the turn of the century
2012
The study deals with turn-of-the-century changes in the total annual river runoff distribution and high and low flows in Latvia, covering river basins within four hydrological districts which vary according to size and physiographical conditions. Mathematical statistical methods were applied in the analysis of river discharge data series for two study periods of 1951–2009 and 1881–2009. The present results confirm the basic statement concerning the Baltic countries that major significant changes in river runoff during the last two decades have occurred between spring (decrease) and winter (increase) seasons. Mostly insignificant changes in summer runoff and significant/insignificant changes…
Analysis of soil surface component patterns affecting runoff generation. An example of methods applied to Mediterranean hillslopes in Alicante (Spain)
2008
Spatial patterns of soil surface components (vegetation, rock fragments, crusts, bedrock outcrops, etc.) are a key factor determining hydrological functioning of hillslopes. A methodological approach to analyse the patterns of soil surface components at a detailed scale is proposed in this paper. The methods proposed are applied to two contrasting semi-arid Mediterranean hillslopes, and the influence of soil surface component patterns on the runoff response of the slopes was analysed. A soil surface components map was derived from a high resolution photo-mosaic obtained in the field by means of a digital camera. Rainfall simulation experimental data were used to characterise the hydrologica…
Distribution of soil organic carbon in Wadi Al-Thulaima, Saudi Arabia: A hyper-arid habitat altered by wastewater reuse
2018
The carbon cycle is being altered as a result of human-induced changes in the Earth's system. Therefore, ecosystems such as wetlands, authentic CO2 sinks, are becoming especially important. Little information exits on the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock for the middle east-countries man-made wetlands making wadis permanent with the outflow of wastewater treatment plants. This paper presents the vertical distribution of SOC content, soil bulk density (SBD) and SOC density in soil of vegetated and bare sites in Wadi Al-Thulaima, one of the artificial wetlands in central Saudi Arabia. The mean distribution of SBD in the vegetated and bare sites increased significantly with depth. Inversely, th…
Modeling Rill Erosion at the Sparacia Experimental Area
2015
In this paper the contributions of rill and interrill components to total soil erosion monitored at event scale at the Sparacia experimental area, Southern Italy, were firstly compared and the dominance of the rill component was detected. Then, the reliability of two empirical relationships between the rill length and its eroded volume and among the morphological variables (length, width, depth and volume) describing the channelized process was tested using both direct measurements of rills, carried out for the October 3, 2011 event, and those of ephemeral gullies surveyed on February 2010 at Sparacia. The measurements of rills detected by the direct field relief were compared with those ob…
Framework for assessing lateral flows and fluxes during floods in a conduit-flow dominated karst system using an inverse diffusive model
2016
Abstract. The aim of this study is to present a framework giving new keys to characterize the spatio-temporal variability of lateral exchanges for flows and fluxes in a karst conduit network during flood events. An inverse model using an analytical solution of the diffusive wave model is applied on data from two successive gauging stations to simulate exchange dynamics after recharge. The study site is the karst conduit network of the Fourbanne aquifer in the French Jura Mountains, which includes two reaches of 5–10 km characterizing the network from sinkhole to cave stream, and to the spring. The model is applied after separation of the base and the flood components on discharge and total …
Trends in nutrient concentrations in Latvian rivers and the response to the dramatic change in agriculture
2003
In recent years, the use of fertilisers in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) has decreased at an unprecedented rate. The import of mineral fertilisers and feed stuff became almost non-existent, and extensive slaughtering of livestock reduced the amount of manure. In Latvia, the purchase of mineral fertilisers decreased by a factor of 15 between 1987 and 1996 and the number of livestock decreased with a factor of almost 4 during the same time period. Such abrupt and comprehensive changes in land use have never before occurred in the history of modern European agriculture. Here, the impact that this dramatic reduction has had on concentrations of nutrients in Latvian river…
Element Inputs by Litterfall to the Soil in Pine Forest Ecosystems
2006
Within the framework of the litterfall chemistry subprogram of the integrated monitoring program, litterfall was collected, and the concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, Pb, and Zn were measured during 1999–2003 at the Taurene and Rucava monitoring stations in Latvia. The results showed that at Rucava there was higher production of litterfall than at Taurene due to a higher tree density. The mean annual litterfall was 3630.42 kg/ha−1 in Rucava and 3022.11 kg/ha−1 in Taurene, with maximum production in autumn at both sites. The litterfall production among the catchments varied seasonally because length of growing period, composition of tree species, and density of snow cover. The higher Ca, Mg, and K…