Freshwater reservoirs are essential owing because of their ecological, economic, and social importance. They are particularly vulnerable to contamination, as of metal and metalloids, derived from anthropogenic activities like mining. The temporal variations in trace element concentrations (arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)), enrichment, fluxes, and possible sources were evaluated by studying two sediment cores from the La Angostura (ANG) Reservoir (northwest Mexico), using 210Pb geochronology. The enrichment factors showed from null to minor enrichment for most elements, but moderate to severe enrichment of mercury (Hg). Most trace element concentrations had a detrital origin, and notable Hg concentration increases since the past decade were associated with severe drought periods, likely resulting from wildfires. The observed sediment concentrations of As and Hg can cause adverse effects on biota in the ecosystem since they are above the probable effect level (PEL). Development of strategies for metal attenuation in this reservoir is recommended and metals should be controlled until specific ecotoxicological studies are performed.

The gravitational settling of a flexible, permeable circular and planktonic particle drenched in a fluid which is assumed to be Newtonian and incompressible along with being viscous was studied. A mathematical formulation and numerical simulations of the studied problem were done by applying the Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) in a two-dimensional fluid domain. Parametric studies were done for analyzing the impact of varying flexibilities and permeabilities with reference to settling velocity (terminal velocity) and shape deformation of the particle. The terminal velocity and permeability of the particle are directly proportional. It was observed that for fixed permeability, the terminal velocity increases when increasing the flexibility of the particle.

Numerical modeling is a well-recognized method for studying the hydrodynamic processes in river networks. Multi-source measurements also offer abundant information on the patterns and mechanisms within the processes. Therefore, improving hydrodynamic modeling of river networks through the use of data assimilation techniques has become a hot research topic in recent years. The particle filter (PF) is a commonly used data assimilation method and has been proven to be applicable to various nonlinear and non-Gaussian models. In the current study, an improved numerical hydrodynamic model for large-scale river networks is established by incorporating the advanced PF algorithm. Furthermore, the PF method based on the Gaussian likelihood function (GLF) and the method based on the Cauchy likelihood function (CLF) are compared for a complex river network scenario. The feasibility of the PF-based methods was evaluated through application to the Yangtze-Dongting River-lake Network (YDRN) by assimilating water stage data collected at six hydrometric stations during the entire hydrodynamic process in 2003. Additionally, the parameters used in the likelihood function, which affect the assimilation performance, also were explored in the current study. The study results found that the accuracy of the model-derived water stage data was improved when the PF-based methods are utilized, with improvement not only at the data assimilation (calibration) sites but also at three hydrometric stations not used in the data assimilation (i.e., verification sites). The highest average Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency result for the six assimilation sites were 0.98 while the lowest summed root-mean-square-error result was 1.801 m. The comparison results also indicated that the CLF-based PF outperformed the GLF-based PF when high-accuracy observed data are available. Specifically, the CLF can effectively resolve the filtering failure problem and the dispersion problem of PFs, and further improve the accuracy of the filtering results for a river network scenario. In summary, the CLF-based PF method along with high-accuracy observation data shows promise to provide reliable reference and technical support for hydrodynamic modeling of large-scale river networks.

The evaluation of the trend of flood stage changes in alluvial rivers downstream of dams is important for flood management. However, the flood stage associated with a given discharge generally is nonstationary in river reaches with multiple tributaries. This is not only because of the dam-induced shifting in the cross-sectional area and/or channel roughness but also because of the backwater induced by high flows from the tributaries. To determine the total trend of the flood stage and quantify the separate contributions of hydrological and geomorphic effects, the current study proposed a framework approach consisting of hydrological analysis and multiscenario numerical modeling. By this means, the trend in the flood stage could be distinguished from the stage oscillation driven by varying factors, including extreme hydrologic events. The effects of chronic changes, including channel incision and flow resistance increase, also were quantitatively separated. This framework was applied to the Chenglingji–Datong (CD) reach downstream of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) in the Yangtze River, China. The results indicated that the effect of the roughness increase counterbalanced the effect of channel incision when the flow discharge was beyond the bankfull level. The backwater effect induced by tributary inflow was the major cause of the flood stage rise in recent years. The method presented in the current study provides a useful tool for managers and engineers to obtain better insight into the driving mechanisms of flood stage changes in river reaches that are downstream of dams. These findings indicate that the flood stage may not decline or may even occasionally increase, although the cross-sectional area was enlarged by channel incision. Special attention should be given to the flood risk situation in the study reach after the TGD began operation.

Soil erosion is a significant threat in the Rif region in northern Morocco. Hence, accurate cartography of the phenomenon, magnitude, and extent of erosion in the area needs a simple, rapid, and economical method such as magnetic susceptibility (MS). The current study aims to: (i) determine the factors influencing the variation of soil MS, (ii) exploit MS to estimate soil loss using two approaches in different homogenous units characterized by the same climatic conditions with different edaphic characteristics (land use, slope, and lithology), and (iii) highlight the potential for using MS as a cheap and rapid tracer of a long term erosion and deposition processes. Mass-specific magnetic susceptibility at low (χlf) and high frequency (χhf) were measured for 182 soil samples collected in the study area. A tillage homogenization (T-H) model and a simple proportional model (SPM) were applied on an undisturbed soil profile to predict the eroded soil depths for given cores. The results confirm that χlf is influenced by land use, slope, and soil type. Pedogenesis is the main factor affecting soil MS enhancement, indicated by homogenous magnetic mineralogy with a dominance of super-paramagnetic (SP) and stable single domain (SSD) magnetic grains. The study results show that higher soil losses have occurred in almost all the soil samples when applying the T-H model compared to application of the SPM. The SPM underestimates erosion due to its ignorance of the MS of the plow layers after erosion. The current study implies the high efficacy of magnetic susceptibility as the quick, easily measurable, simple, and cost-effective approach that can be used as an alternative technique for evaluating soil redistribution.

It is important to understand the effects of ice cover on sediment transport in cold climates, where sub-freezing temperatures affect water bodies for a significant part of the year. The literature contains many studies on sediment transport in open channel flow, and several studies on sediment transport in completely ice-covered flow. There has been little or no research on sediment transport in partially ice-covered channels. In the current study, laboratory experiments were done in a rectangular flume to quantify the impact of border ice presence on the sediment transport rate. The effects of ice cover extent and changing flow strengths on sediment transport distribution also were investigated, and the results were compared to those for fully ice-covered and open channel flow. The ice coverage ratios considered were 0 (representing the open water condition), 0.25, 0.50, 0.67, and 1 (representing fully ice-covered flow). The partial ice cover was found to impact the sediment transport distribution within the channel. The effect of ice coverage extent on sediment transport distribution was more significant at lower flow strengths and became negligible at higher flow strengths. The conventional equations for sediment transport in open channel flow and fully ice-covered flow that relate the dimensionless bedload transport rate to the flow strength were found to be applicable to estimate the total cross-section-averaged bedload transport for partially ice-covered flow when modified appropriately. Empirical coefficients for these equations were determined using the experimental data.

The current study utilizes a range of diagenetic fingerprints to differentiate between sandstone facies deposited in the Nile Delta before and during the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC), which is normally a challenging task considering the complex bio- and lithostratigraphic subdivisions of Messinian rock units. Subaerial exposure of the pre-MSC (Qawasim deltaic sandstone), during drawdown of the Mediterranean Sea at the time of the MSC, triggered pervasive dissolution of unstable rock fragments, kaolinization of feldspar, and meteoric dolomitization of carbonate. This was followed by mesogenetic calcite cementation and kaolinite transformation into dickite in deeply buried Qawasim sandstone. Comparatively, the Abu Madi estuarine facies, deposited during transgression after drawdown related to the MSC, is characterized by eogenetic iron (Fe)-calcite, glauconite, and pyrite (averages of 14.5%, 6%, and 2%, respectively). This facies transition is marked by abundance of mature glauconite (with potassium oxide (K2O) at about 8%) whose content abates upward from the transgression surface. Moreover, the compositional variability of the Abu Madi sandstone gave rise to multiple diagenetic trajectories that resulted in chlorite formation presumably following smectite and kaolinite. Listed diagenetic variations in the studied Messinian sandstone resulted from a complex interplay between rocks’ compositional, depositional, and burial attributes, ultimately serving as a basis for high-resolution stratigraphic correlation in continental and marginal marine settings with poor biostratigraphic controls.