Alluvial Floodplain Research Articles

Stratigraphic framework and microfacies of the Triassic Lower Karamay Formation in districts I, III, NW Junggar, China

The Triassic Lower Karamay Formation (T2k1) is one of the main oil-bearing stratigraphic units in the northwestern margin of Junggar Basin (NW Junggar), China. Based on an integrated investigation of outcrops, well logs and seismic data of NW Junggar, the Lower Karamay Formation is subdivided into 2 sets, 6 beds and 13 layers. Also, it is considered that the alluvial fan, the braided river, the meandering river and the shore-shallow lacustrine were developed during the early period of Middle Triassic in Karamay districts I, III. The Lower Karamay Formation deposits the following 9 sedimentary subfacies: the lower fan, the middle fan, the upper fan, the braided channel, the overflow bank, the river flood of braided river, the meandering channel, the river flood of meandering river, the shore-shallow lacustrine. Seventeen microfacies such as the braided stream channel, the alluvial sand floodplain, the alluvial glutenite floodplain, the water channel, the channel bar etc. have been identified in subfacies as well. The thickness of strata is firstly up-thinning and then thickening upward to the top, it is a process from large-scale lacustrine transgression to partly lacustrine regression. Furthermore, the microfacies planar distributing law proves that the remaining oil may enrich along the margin of microfacies because of the planar microfacies changes. Therefore, this research is beneficial for searching remaining oil in NW Junggar and providing information to the project “The Secondary Exploration” of PetroChina.

Reconstruction of the Late Holocene river channel shifts in the North-Eastern part of the Lower Danube Plain based on historical data

Several periods of increased fluvial activity and accelerated runoff / deposition have been identified during the Holocene in different regions of Europe (Macklin et al, 2006). According to Starkel (2002) the older phases were characterized by an incision of deeper and wider tracks and, since Roman period, especially during the past millennium, tendency had changed to aggradation, braiding and river avulsions. The turn to a more stable fluvial regime caused further incisions and the development of narrow and smaller meanders. All these fluvial responses can be mainly correlated with the climatic fluctuations (cooler and wetter phases alternating with drier and warmer ones), socio-economic changes (increased anthropic pressure) or both. The last major period of concentration of extreme meteorological and hydrological events is the Little Ice Age (LIA), which conventionally took place between the 16th and mid 19th century (Lamb, 1984). However in Romania the study of LIA and the associate fluvial effects is rather poor. The data regarding hydro-climatological events (weather conditions, floods) in the medieval period (mostly collected by Topor, 1960) is scarce and based on the few local chronicles and diaries of the foreign travelers. However these confirm the increased frequency and magnitude of the rainfalls in the summer (with several important peaks in the 1590 – 1690 interval) as well as the hard winters well documented for the rest of the continent. Changes in the configuration of the stream network, due to avulsions, can be evaluated based on historical maps only with the first half of the 17th century and the dating of the fluvial records is still missing. The North-Eastern part of the Lower Danube Plain (Fig. 1) is a large alluvial floodplain where Siret River collects several major tributary streams draining SE Carpathians (Putna, Râmnicu Sărat, Buzău) or the Moldavian Tableland (Bârlad), before joining Danube, near Galaţi. Surprisingly Siret’s floodplain (until the confluence with Buzău) it is larger by a couple of kilometers than Danube’s, despite the anastomosed character of the last one. This can indicate a progressive Holocene shift of the Siret’s river course from the Carpathians to the eastern edge of the floodplain or a transformation from a multi-channel to a single channel pattern. The instability was also specific to main tributaries, as is confirmed by the presence of multiple abandoned sinuous courses and relict meander belts in the area. An important shift of the Siret River’s lower course to a more eastern position during medieval times was briefly discussed, for the first time, by Antonovici (1929) based on couple of historical documents. The few questions we will try to answer to in this study are: When was formed the actual configuration of the river network in the study region? What was the impact of the LIA? How relevant can be the analysis of the historical data in the assessment of the river channel shifts?

Surficial Geologic Mapping and Associated GIS Databases for Identification of Alluvial Fans

The California Geological Survey (CGS) has completed a geographic information system (GIS)–based compilation of geologic maps of Quaternary age and older deposits in southern California. The compilation provides a consistent classification of surficial deposits within a 10 county area of interest to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the governor9s Alluvial Fan Task Force (AFTF). During the past two decades, rapid population growth in southern California has resulted in increased pressure for residential development on alluvial fans. Due to unique flood hazards associated with alluvial fans, the AFTF reviewed the state of knowledge regarding alluvial fan floodplains and developed recommendations specific to floodplain management. The CGS compilation was designed as a regional-scale planning tool to assist DWR, the AFTF, and local communities in evaluating hazards and locating future development on alluvial fans. The goal of the compilation was to represent southern California9s complex geology in a consistent user-friendly format that depicts areas of most recent alluvial fan deposition on a regional scale. The Derivative GIS Database merges new mapping and existing digital geologic data into a common seamless format that differentiates alluvial fan deposits, related Quaternary deposits, and various older deposits into 40 derivative units at a scale of 1: 100,000 for the entire mapped area. Original source data compiled at various scales and detail are retained in the Source GIS Database.

Asociaciones de Ostrácodos del Mioceno Temprano—Medio de Loma Negra (Bardenas Reales de Navarra, Cuenca del Ebro): Evolución Paleoambiental de un Medio Lacustre

LOWER—MIDDLE MIOCENE OSTRACOD ASSEMBLAGES OF LOMA NEGRA (BARDENAS REALES DE NAVARRA, EBRO BASIN): PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL EVOLUTION OF A LACUSTRINE SYSTEM. The palaeoenvironmental evolution of the Loma Negra section (Bardenas Reales de Navarra, Ebro Basin) during the lower—middle Miocene, is studied for the first time. The paleoenvironmental interpretation is based on the recovered ostracod assemblages and the sedimentology. The lower part of this section is composed by red, yellow and grey mudstones, and with Paralimnocythere sp. as the most abundant ostracod taxon. The lithological features and the faunistic assemblage allows the interpretation of a paleoenvironment with the development of shallow water bodies with stagnant, warm and fresh to oligohaline waters in distal alluvial flood plains for this section. The presence of some sandstone levels where the most abundant ostracod species is Cyclocypris laevis (Müller) marks punctual higher energy events inside this alluvial system and the presence of more saline waters. The upper part of the section is formed by grey limestones with interbedded fine grey mudstones. In this interval, Pseudocandona parallela Müller is the most abundant ostracod species, indicating the development of a stable lacustrine system with water currents, and temperate to cold and oligohaline to mesohaline waters. The transition between the alluvial and the lacustrine systems shows a gradual evolution.

Phytoplankton alpha diversity as an indicator of environmental changes in a neotropical floodplain

Habitat fragmentation, overexploitation of natural resources, the introduction of alien species and environmental degradation in aquatic environments are the main causes of reductions in aquatic biota diversity. Phytoplankton represent good ecological indicators because they are highly diverse and rapidly respond to a wide array of environmental disturbances. We investigated the interannual variation in alpha diversity of the phytoplankton community in lakes of an alluvial floodplain. We predicted that the phytoplankton diversity decreases over time in lakes and rivers subjected to human activities, whereas those biotopes in areas under pristine environmental conditions do not show a reduction in alpha diversity. Phytoplankton samples were taken quarterly over a period of eleven years (2000–2010), from ten localities associated with three large rivers, which showed different uses of the watershed. The time series of alpha diversity was analysed, to assess the temporal trend, in addition to their relationships with environmental factors. Phytoplankton alpha diversity in the Upper Paraná River floodplain ranged between 4 and 87 species and showed a mean of 30 (±16.5). Sites associated with the Paraná River showed a decline in diversity, which was associated with transparency, nitrogen and phosphorus forms. These results reflect a combination of seston retention by damming and an increase in the N:P ratio, which appears to negatively affect phytoplankton diversity. If temporal trends in environmental variation and the phytoplankton community remain, the future consequences for phytoplanktonic diversity in the Paraná subsystem will be severe, which might cause changes in the trophic structure and dynamics, and therefore in the functioning of environments, since this community is one of the main sources of energy for other trophic levels.

Evaluating digital terrain indices for soil wetness mapping – a Swedish case study

Abstract. Trafficking wet soils within and near stream and lake buffers can cause soil disturbances, i.e. rutting and compaction. This – in turn – can lead to increased surface flow, thereby facilitating the leaking of unwanted substances into downstream environments. Wet soils in mires, near streams and lakes have particularly low bearing capacity and are therefore more susceptible to rutting. It is therefore important to model and map the extent of these areas and associated wetness variations. This can now be done with adequate reliability using a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM). In this article, we report on several digital terrain indices to predict soil wetness by wet-area locations. We varied the resolution of these indices to test what scale produces the best possible wet-areas mapping conformance. We found that topographic wetness index (TWI) and the newly developed cartographic depth-to-water index (DTW) were the best soil wetness predictors. While the TWI derivations were sensitive to scale, the DTW derivations were not and were therefore numerically robust. Since the DTW derivations vary by the area threshold for setting stream flow initiation, we found that the optimal threshold values for permanently wet areas varied by landform within the Krycklan watershed, e.g. 1–2 ha for till-derived landforms versus 8–16 ha for a coarse-textured alluvial floodplain.

Flooding and Surface Connectivity of Taxodium‐Nyssa Stands in a Southern Floodplain Forest Ecosystem

AbstractAn understanding of the factors controlling the permanent and episodic links between the main stem of a river and the ecosystems of its alluvial floodplain is necessary for evaluating the influence of modern river processes on floodplain ecology and habitat diversity and for the successful implementation of flow regimes that meet human needs for water in a manner that sustains the ecological integrity of affected systems. In this study, we examined relationships between river hydrology and lateral hydrological connectivity, which is crucial to directing fluxes of water, material, and organisms into and across a floodplain. We did so by translating measures of river discharge for the Congaree River into high resolution maps of flood conditions for the floodplain at Congaree National Park using a 2D flood inundation model. Utilizing a graph network approach, we then analyzed the connectivity of a key wetland ecosystem, Taxodium‐Nyssa forested swamps, to the main stem river and to each other under different flows. Our results underscore that floodplain connectivity is initiated at sub‐bankfull discharges and does not depend on levee overtopping, while also clarifying that various sources of connectivity are triggered at different flow levels in specific reaches. Further, our findings demonstrate the sensitive and non‐linear response of floodplain connectivity to river flows and provide useful information to facilitate the management of flood processes in the Congaree River watershed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Monitoring of nitrate leaching during flush flooding events in a coarse-textured floodplain soil

The demand for foods in central Chile is increasing and arable land is expanding rapidly onto floodplain soils, which are being cleared for maize cultivation. After harvest, a significant amount of residual nitrogen (N) may be still present in the soil in autumn–winter, when a high risk of nitrate leaching (NL) is expected due to occasional flooding events. Determining nitrate (NO3−) movement through the vadose zone is essential for studying the impact of agricultural practices on surface water quality. This study focused on understanding the processes of NO3− leaching in a floodplain environment and compared the effectiveness of four different methods: soil coring (T0), an observation well (T1), ceramic suction cup lysimeters (T2) and a capillary lysimeter (FullStop™ wetting front detector) (T3) for monitoring NL using an infiltration cylinder to simulate the conditions generated during flush flooding events during autumn–winter season in a typical coarse-textured alluvial floodplain soil. The comparison showed that T0 and T3 can be used for monitoring NL during flush flooding events during autumn–winter season in stratified coarse-textured floodplain soils, whereas T1 and T2 are not appropriate for these site conditions. A correlation was found between NO3 and soluble salt (Cl− concentration and EC) only in the first measurements after the dry summer period. The results of this study suggest that most of the surplus N could be leached by excessive irrigation during the crop growing season (spring–summer), while a lower amount of residual N may still be present in the soil in autumn–winter available to be lost by NL during flush flooding events. Overall the two monitored flushing events could have leached around 6% of the total NO3–N load. There was no significant effect of sampler devices on saturated hydraulic conductivity.

Late persistence of the Acheulian in southern Britain in an MIS 8 interstadial: evidence from Harnham, Wiltshire

This paper presents evidence of the discovery of a new Middle Pleistocene site in central southern England, with undisturbed evidence of hominin occupation well-dated to an interstadial towards the end of Marine Isotope Stage 8, c. 250,000 BP. The site consists of a preserved remnant of a river terrace and its alluvial floodplain overlain by chalk-rich bankside deposits, all abutting a Chalk bedrock riverbank. It preserves an area of occupation with activity focused on the riverbank, complemented by occasional activity on a palaeo-landsurface developed on the surface of the alluvial floodplain. Lithic technology at the site consists almost entirely of handaxe manufacture, allowing attribution to an Acheulian industrial tradition. Mammalian and other palaeo-environmental remains are present and associated with the occupation horizons, including large mammal bones showing signs of hominin interference. Dating was based on OSL determinations on the sediments and amino acid racemisation of molluscan remains, supported by biostratigraphic indications. Besides being a rare instance of an undisturbed Palaeolithic palaeo-landscape covering several hectares, the site contributes to wider Quaternary research concerns over the ability of Middle Pleistocene hominins to tolerate colder climatic episodes in higher latitudes, and over settlement history and changing lithic industrial traditions of northwest Europe in relation to climate change and British peninsularity. It is suggested that the Harnham evidence may represent an insular population that had persisted in southern Britain since MIS 10/9, which became locally extinct during the glacial maximum 8.2 marking the end of MIS 8.

Floodplain biogeochemical mosaics: A multidimensional view of alluvial soils

The alluvial floodplains of large rivers are exceptionally productive and dynamic ecosystems, characterized by a complex mosaic of vegetation at different successional stages overlying soils sorted by historic floods. Natural floodplains are widely credited with efficiently removing nitrogen from surface waters and accumulating carbon in biomass, yet very little floodplain research has examined carbon and nitrogen cycling below surficial soils. We evaluated the extent to which vegetation cover could be used to predict subsurface carbon and nitrogen dynamics and to estimate whole-floodplain carbon storage and denitrification rates. We dug soil pits under three dominant vegetation communities on a gravel-bedded floodplain in northwest Montana to the depth of the permanent water table (1–3 m). We compared depth profiles of total and dissolved carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), denitrification potentials (DEAs), organic particulates, moisture, and pH across vegetation types. Near-surface soils (0–10 cm) of forests had larger C and N pools and DEAs than grasslands or gravel bars, but such vegetation effects dissipated within the upper ~50 cm of soil. At depth, spatial heterogeneity in carbon and nitrogen pools and fluxes depended instead on soil texture, and relatively high rates of DEA and carbon storage were measured in zones of buried organic debris. Although C storage and denitrification potential are generally low in subsurface soils, these deep soils might nonetheless contribute substantially to whole-floodplain C storage and denitrification because of their large volume, high hydrologic connectivity, and heterogeneous biogeochemistry.

Charcoal in alluvium of mountain streams in the Bieszczady Mountains (Polish Carpathians) as a carrier of information on the local palaeoenvironment

Abstract Fragments of charcoal are present in floodplain alluvium of the San and Strwiąż rivers in the Polish part of the Bieszczady Mountains, Polish East Carpathians. They occur as single clasts or in lenses in the basal part of fine-grained alluvium, together with unburnt wood debris, or in the middle part of the vertical sequence of the floodplain alluvium. 14 samples of charcoal from the upper courses of the San (ca. 50 km) and the Strwiąż (ca. 10 km) were dated with radiocarbon. The obtained dates fall mainly in the 15th through 19th century interval; only one sample is markedly older (9th–10th century). Taxonomic composition of the charcoal source wood was also studied and compared with that of coeval forests. Correlation of the charcoal age with the history of economic development of the studied region indicates that charcoal is of anthropogenic origin: older charcoal from intense slash-and-burn deforestation, while younger charcoal was produced by local industries.

Preliminary ethnoarchaeological research on modern animal husbandry in Bestansur, Iraqi Kurdistan: Integrating animal, plant and environmental data

This paper presents preliminary results from an ethnoarchaeological study of animal husbandry in the modern village of Bestansur, situated in the lower Zagros Mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. This research explores how modern families use and manage their livestock within the local landscape and identifies traces of this use. The aim is to provide the groundwork for future archaeological investigations focusing on the nearby Neolithic site of Bestansur. This is based on the premise that modern behaviours can suggest testable patterns for past practices within the same functional and ecological domains. Semi-structured interviews conducted with villagers from several households provided large amounts of information on modern behaviours that helped direct data collection, and which also illustrate notable shifts in practices and use of the local landscape over time. Strontium isotope analysis of modern plant material demonstrates that a measurable variation exists between the alluvial floodplain and the lower foothills, while analysis of modern dung samples shows clear variation between sheep/goat and cow dung, in terms of numbers of faecal spherulites. These results are specific to the local environment of Bestansur and can be used for evaluating and contextualising archaeological evidence as well as providing modern reference material for comparative purposes.

The hydraulic conductivity structure of gravel-dominated vadose zones within alluvial floodplains

The floodplains of many gravel-bed streams have a general stratigraphy that consists of a layer of topsoil covering gravel-dominated subsoil. Previous research has demonstrated that this stratigraphy can facilitate preferential groundwater flow through focused linear features, such as paleochannels, or gravelly regions within the vadose zone. These areas within the floodplain vadose zone may provide a route for interactions between the floodplain surface and alluvial groundwater, effectively extending the hyporheic zone across the floodplain during high stream stage. The objective of this research was to assess the structure and scale of texture heterogeneity within the vadose zone within the gravel subsoils of alluvial floodplains using resistivity data combined with hydraulic testing and sediment sampling of the vadose zone. Point-scale and broad-scale methodologies in combination can help us understand spatial heterogeneity in hydraulic conductivity without the need for a large number of invasive hydraulic tests. The evaluated sites in the Ozark region of the United States were selected due to previous investigations indicating that significant high conductivity flow zones existed in a matrix which include almost no clay content. Data indicated that resistivity corresponded with the fine content in the vadose zone and subsequently corresponds to the saturated hydraulic conductivity. Statistical analysis of resistivity data, and supported by data from the soil sampling and permeameter hydraulic testing, identified isolated high flow regions and zones that can be characterized as broad-scale high hydraulic conductivity features with potentially significant consequences for the migration of water and solutes and therefore are of biogeochemical and ecological significance.

Morphological and sedimentary evolution of an alluvial floodplain in an urban area: geoarchaeological approaches and applications (Tours, France)

Urban zones on alluvial plains offer considerable geoarchaeological potential for understanding river dynamics over large time spans and their relationship with land use, because of the extensive subsoil data that is available. In the alluvial plain of Tours, lying between the Loire and the Cher, multidisciplinary studies of the relationships between societies and environment have been conducted as part of an archaeological research programme launched in the 1960s. A sedimentary database containing data for 1309 surveys has been compiled and assembled in a geographic information system to produce geostatistical models of valley bottom geomorphology. The stratigraphy and chronology of alluvial filling have also been studied with information and C14 and OSL dating obtained during archaeological operations. Taken together, the results offer a new interpretation of the morphological evolution of the alluvial plain of Tours from the Weichselian to the present day, by providing new information that either validates or invalidates previous hypotheses: bedrock incision prior to the end of the Weichselian Upper Pleniglacial, coarse sedimentation during the Lateglacial, relative morphological stability up to the late Holocene. The morphological context of the first human settlements, which are not concentrated on the low alluvial reliefs, and the role of urbanization conditions on the present morphology of the valley floor are also presented. This applied study shows the relevance of combining different methodological approaches.

Historical fluvial palaeodynamics and multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental analyses of a palaeochannel, Allier River, France

A palaeoenvironmental study of a palaeochannel within the lower alluvial floodplain of the Allier River, France, has been carried out at a high temporal resolution. Research was based upon a multi-proxy approach using different sedimentological (magnetic susceptibility, sediment texture and loss on ignition) and palaeoecological (pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs), diatoms – indicators). The palaeochannel was dated from six radiocarbon dates and spans from the second to the eleventh century AD. The cultural landscape history of this floodplain and the progressive hydrological disconnection of the palaeochannel between the Antiquity and the early Middle Ages could be reconstructed according to several characteristic environmental phases. Co-inertia analysis linking pollen, NPPs and diatom corroborated the significant co-structure of these proxies and allowed to distinguish functional palaeoecological groups in terms of landscape openness, on-site aquatic and hygrophilous vegetation, riparian woodland, soil moisture and grazing pressure. Results obtained underpin the importance of grazing as a major agent of landscape change in floodplains, especially since the ninth century AD, when the clearance of the riparian woodland is attested. Gallo-Roman and Late-Antiquity land-use systems, on the contrary, allowed for the preservation of riparian fluvial landscapes.

Pleistocene–Holocene transition in the central Mississippi River valley

Within the northern Mississippi embayment the ancestral Mississippi River flowed south through the Western Lowlands and the ancestral Ohio River flowed through the Eastern Lowlands for most of the Pleistocene. Previous investigators have mapped and dated the terraces of their respective braid belts. This current research investigates the three-dimensional aspect of the Quaternary alluvium north of Memphis, Tennessee, through the interpretation of 3374 geologic well logs that are 91.4m (300ft) deep. The braid belts are capped by a thin silt/clay horizon (Pleistocene loess) that overlies gravelly sand, which in turn overlies sandy gravel. The base of the Pleistocene alluvium beneath the Ash Hill (27.3–24.6ka), Melville Ridge (41.6–34.5ka), and Dudley (63.5–50.1ka) terraces of the Western Lowland slope southerly by 0.275m/km and all have an average basal elevation of 38m. Near Beedeville, Arkansas, the bases of these terraces descend 20m across a northeast-striking down-to-the-southeast fault that coincides with the western margin of the Cambrian Reelfoot rift.The maximum depth of flow (lowest elevation of base of alluvium) occurred in the Eastern Lowlands and appears to have been the downstream continuation of the ancestral Ohio River Cache valley course in southern Illinois. In traversing from west to east in the Eastern Lowlands, the Sikeston braid belt (19.7–17.8ka) has a basal elevation averaging 7m, the Kennett braid belt (16.1–14.4ka) averages 13m, the Morehouse (12ka) braid belt averages 24m, and the Holocene (≤10ka) Mississippi River floodplain has the highest average basal elevation at 37m. Along this easterly traverse the base of the Quaternary alluvium rises and the age of alluvium decreases. The eastward thinning of the floodplain alluvium in the Eastern Lowlands appears to be caused by decreasing Mississippi River discharge as it transitioned from the Wisconsinan glacial maximum to the Holocene.The base of the Holocene Mississippi River floodplain averages 23m higher in elevation than the Pleistocene floodplain bases in the Eastern Lowlands. This high suballuvial surface (platform) is bound by the tectonically uplifted Joiner ridge, Blytheville arch, Charleston uplift, and Bluff Line fault. The spatial relationship and similar histories of the platform and bounding structures suggest that Quaternary erosion and tectonics are related.

Influence ofGuadua paraguayanaDöll on the structure and regeneration of a remaining forest at the high lands of Tibagi River, Paraná state

Tão logo detectada a invasão do bambu Guadua paraguayana na planície aluvial do rio Tibagi, Ponta Grossa-PR, buscou-se avaliar, por meio de levantamento fitossociológico e indicadores associados à estrutura e funcionamento de formações florestais, a agressividade e influência da espécie sobre a estrutura e regeneração de um remanescente de Floresta Ombrófila Mista Aluvial. O estudo fitossociológico consistiu na instalação de dezesseis parcelas (50 m²) para inventário dos indivíduos arbóreos com CAP ≥ 15 cm e dezesseis parcelas (4 m²) para estudo da regeneração natural. Os resultados atestam que a presença de G. paraguayan a na riqueza de espécies da floresta, mortalidade, número de indivíduos arbóreos, vitalidade dos indivíduos remanescentes, profusão de epífitos vasculares e avasculares, na regeneração natural e incidência de radiação no interior das parcelas, é significativa. Mas, apesar de as alterações provocadas por este bambu comprometerem a dinâmica de regeneração no remanescente, a espécie é apenas um agravante, não a causa da degradação ambiental. Abstract As soon as the bamboo’s invasion was diagnosed in the alluvial floodplain of Tibagi’s river, Ponta Grossa-PR, the study started evaluating, through phytosociological study and indicators associated with the structure and functioning of the forest, the aggression and influence of the bamboo species on the structure and regeneration of a subtropical ombrophilous alluvial forest remnant. The phytosociological study was developed by an installation of sixteen plots (50m²) to inventory all the trees with CBH ≥ 15 cm and sixteen other plots (4m²) for studying the regeneration: individuals with up to 1.30 m high. The results show that the effect of G. paraguayana in species richness, mortality and number of trees, vitality of the remaining trees, abundance of vascular and nonvascular epiphytes, regeneration and in the incidence of radiation inside the plots, is very significant. But even though the changes caused by this bamboo compromise the regeneration dynamics of alluvial formations in the high Tibagi’s areas, the species is only an aggravating and not the cause of environmental degradation.

Late Pleistocene coastal loess deposits of the central west coast of North America: Terrestrial facies indicators for marine low-stand intervals

Abstract Coastal loess deposits measured in sea cliffs, bay cliffs, road cuts and boreholes (62 sites) are compiled for the states of Washington, Oregon, and California in the central west coast of North America (1700 km in length). The loess-enriched deposits are recognized by (1) substantial abundances of silt (30–90% by weight) and (2) depositional settings in uplifted marine terraces or dune fields that are situated well above alluvial floodplains at the coast. Total loess thickness above the MIS5a marine terrace, or 80 ± 20 ka basal TL age, ranges from 0.1 to 8.0 m in 46 dated sites. Loess deposits reach maximum thickness (5–8 m) in the vicinities of glacial outwash plains in the highest latitudes. Loess thickness in the middle and lower latitudes increases with proximity to 1) large river mouths (>3 × 106 mt yr−1 modern suspended sediment discharge) and 2) broad shelf widths (>10 km distance from 0 to −100 m depth). Coastal loess deposits dated by TL or radiocarbon (37 samples) range from ∼250 to 11 ka in age, but generally fall into the MIS4-2 marine low-stand intervals (32 dates between 77–15 ka). The coastal loess facies represent marine low-stand intervals in coastal Quaternary sequences from the central west coast of North America.

Nutrient Biogeochemistry During the Early Stages of Delta Development in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain

Nutrient biogeochemistry associated with the early stages of soil development in deltaic floodplains has not been well defined. Such a model should follow classic patterns of soil nutrient pools described for alluvial ecosystems that are dominated by mineral matter high in phosphorus and low in carbon and nitrogen. A contrast with classic models of soil development is the anthropogenically enriched high nitrate conditions due to agricultural fertilization in upstream watersheds. Here we determine if short-term patterns of soil chemistry and dissolved inorganic nutrient fluxes along the emerging Wax Lake delta (WLD) chronosequence are consistent with conceptual models of long-term nutrient availability described for other ecosystems. We add a low nitrate treatment more typical of historic delta development to evaluate the role of nitrate enrichment in determining the net dinitrogen (N2) flux. Throughout the 35-year chronosequence, soil nitrogen and organic matter content significantly increased by an order of magnitude, whereas phosphorus exhibited a less pronounced increase. Under ambient nitrate concentrations (>60 μM), mean net N2 fluxes (157.5 μmol N m−2 h−1) indicated greater rates of gross denitrification than gross nitrogen fixation; however, under low nitrate concentrations (<2 μM), soils switched from net denitrification to net nitrogen fixation (−74.5 μmol N m−2 h−1). As soils in the WLD aged, the subsequent increase in organic matter stimulated net N2, oxygen, nitrate, and nitrite fluxes producing greater fluxes in more mature soils. In conclusion, soil nitrogen and carbon accumulation along an emerging delta chronosequence largely coincide with classic patterns of soil development described for alluvial floodplains, and substrate age together with ambient nitrogen availability can be used to predict net N2 fluxes during early delta evolution.

Оцінка фізичного стану алювіальних ґрунтів заплави Нижнього Дністра

The results of studies of physical condition of alluvial floodplain soils of Lower Dniester River and its component Turunchuk Island are given. Key words: alluvial soils, grain size, microagregative composition, density, structure, water-physical properties.