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At least 1,675 records · Page 93

Provisional Conceptual Model of the Camas Prairie (ID) Geothermal System from Play Fairway Analysis

Camas Prairie, Idaho, is an EW-trending structural graben that lies north of the Snake River Plain hotspot track. It is bounded on the north by the Idaho Batholith, and on the south by the Mount Bennett Hills. This region was investigated by the SRP Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis team, which included focused geologic, geochemical, and geophysical studies. The Camas Prairie geothermal system resource is indicated by warm springs and wells, geophysical analysis of buried faults and basins, mapped faults, structural analysis of all faults and lineaments, high 3He/4He, cation and multicomponent geothermometry, and the occurrence of young basalt vents and lava flows along the range front. Our provisional conceptual model includes the following components: (1) High permeability is indicated by the confluence of intersecting faults, including the major range front system and The Pothole fault system, with releasing bends as deduced from detailed field studies, and the presence of springs along mapped structural features; (2) High heat is inferred to result from mid- to shallow crustal sills, as evidenced by the location of vents along the range front; the youngest dated vent is 692 ka, but 2 ka vents lie to NW; (3) an effective seal is indicated by magnetotelluric studies, which suggest a clay seal over the prospective target area that is likely a result of hydrothermal alteration. This model is similar to that proposed for the western SRP but is less energetic due to the smaller volume of magma inferred. It is also similar to Basin-and-Range geothermal systems, but differs by including a distinct magmatic heat component.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Observed Holiday Aerosol Reduction and Temperature Cooling over East Asia

The Spring Festival air pollution in China was investigated using the long-term observations from 2001-2012 over 323 stations. During the Spring Festival with nearly half of urban population leaving the cities for holidays, the particulate matter (PM10) concentration is about 24.5μgm-3 (23%) lower than normal days. Associated with the national-wide burning of firework, the PM10 concentration sharply increases to 123.8μgm-3 at Chinese New Year Day (increment of 35%). Similar to PM10, the SO2 and NO2 decrease from high values in normal days to a holiday minimum with reduction of 23.3% and 30.6%, respectively. The NO2 has no peak in New Year Day because of the different emission source. The night mean and minimum temperature co-vary with PM10. Both nighttime mean and minimum temperature decrease by about 2.1°C during the holidays. And in association with the pollution jump at New Year Day the night temperature simultaneously increase by about 0.89°C. The in-phase co-variations between PM10 and night temperature suggest an overall warming effect of holiday aerosol during winter in China.

Gong, Daoyi↗

The diurnal cycle of clouds and precipitation at the ARM SGP site: Cloud radar observations and simulations from the multiscale modeling framework

Millimeter Wavelength Cloud Radar (MMCR) data from December 1996 to December 2010, collected at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program Southern Great Plains (SGP) site, are used to examine the diurnal cycle of hydrometeor occurrence. These data are categorized into clouds (-40 dBZ e ≤ reflectivity < -10 dBZ e ), drizzle and light precipitation (-10 dBZ e ≤ reflectivity < 10 dBZ e ), and heavy precipitation (reflectivity ≥ 10 dBZ e ). The same criteria are implemented for the observation-equivalent reflectivity calculated by feeding outputs from a Multiscale Modeling Framework (MMF) climate model into a radar simulator. The MMF model consists of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model with conventional cloud parameterizations replaced by a cloud-resolving model. We find that a radar simulator combined with the simple reflectivity categories can be an effective approach for evaluating diurnal variations in model hydrometeor occurrence. It is shown that the MMF only marginally captures observed increases in the occurrence of boundary layer clouds after sunrise in spring and autumn and does not capture diurnal changes in boundary layer clouds during the summer. Above the boundary layer, the MMF captures reasonably well diurnal variations in the vertical structure of clouds and light and heavy precipitation in the summer but not in the spring.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The Influence of Episodic Shallow Magma Degassing on Heat and Chemical Transport in Volcanic Hydrothermal Systems

Springs at La Soufrière of Guadeloupe have been monitored for nearly four decades since the phreatic eruption and associated seismic activity in 1976. We conceptualize degassing vapor/gas mixtures as square-wave sources of chloride and heat and apply a new semianalytic solution to demonstrate that chloride and heat pulses with the same timing and duration result in good matches between measured and simulated spring temperatures and concentrations. While the concentration of chloride pulses is variable, the local boiling temperature of 96°C was assigned to all thermal pulses. Because chloride is a conservative tracer, chloride breakthrough is only affected by one-dimensional advection and dispersion. The thermal tracer is damped and lagged relative to chloride due to conductive heat exchange with the overlying and underlying strata. Joint analysis of temperature and chloride allows estimation of the onset and duration of degassing pulses, refining the chronology of recent magmatic intrusion.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

The influence of land cover on surface energy partitioning and evaporative fraction regimes in the U.S. Southern Great Plains

Land-atmosphere interactions are important to climate prediction, but the underlying effects of surface forcing of the atmosphere are not well understood. In the U.S. Southern Great Plains, grassland/pasture and winter wheat are the dominant land covers but have distinct growing periods that may differently influence land-atmosphere coupling during spring and summer. Variables that influence surface flux partitioning can change seasonally, depending on the state of local vegetation. We use surface observations from multiple sites in the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains Climate Research Facility and statistical modeling at a paired grassland/agricultural site within this facility to quantify land cover influence on surface energy balance and variables controlling evaporative fraction (latent heat flux normalized by the sum of sensible and latent heat fluxes). We demonstrate that the radiative balance and evaporative fraction are closely related to green leaf area at both winter wheat and grassland/pasture sites and that the early summer harvest of winter wheat abruptly shifts the relationship between evaporative fraction and surface state variables. Prior to harvest, evaporative fraction of winter wheat is strongly influenced by leaf area and soil-atmosphere temperature differences. After harvest, variations in soil moisture have a stronger effect on evaporative fraction. Finally, this is in contrast with grassland/pasture sites, where variation in green leaf area has a large influence on evaporative fraction throughout spring and summer, and changes in soil-atmosphere temperature difference and soil moisture are of relatively minor importance.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Seven years of aerosol scattering hygroscopic growth measurements from SGP: Factors influencing water uptake: Aerosol Scattering Hygroscopic Growth

Long-term measurements of changes in the aerosol scattering coefficient hygroscopic growth at the U.S. Department of Energy Southern Great Plains site provide information on the seasonal as well as size and chemical dependence of aerosol hygroscopic growth. Annual average sub 10 um fRH values (the ratio of aerosol scattering at 85%/40% RH) were 1.75 and 1.87 for the gamma and kappa fit algorithms, respectively. The study found higher growth rates in the winter and spring seasons that correlated with high aerosol nitrate mass fraction. FRH, exhibited strong, but differing correlations with the scattering Ångström exponent and backscatter fraction, two optical size-dependent parameters. The aerosol organic fraction had a strong influence, with fRH decreasing with increases in the organic mass fraction and absorption Ångström exponent and increasing with the aerosol single scatter albedo. Uncertainty analysis if the fit algorithms revealed high uncertainty at low scattering coefficients and slight increases in uncertainty at high RH and fit parameters values.

Jefferson, A.↗

Twentieth-Century Hydrometeorological Reconstructions to Study the Multidecadal Variations of the Water Cycle Over France

Characterizing and understanding the multidecadal variations of the continental hydrological cycle is a challenging issue given the limitation of observed data sets. In this paper, a new approach to derive twentieth century hydrological reconstructions over France with an hydrological model is presented. The method combines the results of long-term atmospheric reanalyses downscaled with a stochastic statistical method and homogenized station observations to derive the meteorological forcing needed for hydrological modeling. Different methodological choices are tested and evaluated. We show that using homogenized observations to constrain the results of statistical downscaling help to improve the reproduction of precipitation, temperature, and river flows variability. In particular, it corrects some unrealistic long-term trends associated with the atmospheric reanalyses. Observationally constrained reconstructions therefore constitute a valuable data set to study the multidecadal hydrological variations over France. Thanks to these reconstructions, we confirm that the multidecadal variations previously noted in French river flows have mainly a climatic origin. Moreover, we show that multidecadal variations exist in other hydrological variables (evapotranspiration, snow cover, and soil moisture). Depending on the region, the persistence from spring to summer of soil moisture or snow anomalies generated during spring by temperature and precipitation variations may explain river flows variations in summer, when no concomitant climate variations exist.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Observation of Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect and Exchange Interaction in Topological Insulator/Antiferromagnet Heterostructure

Integration of a quantum anomalous Hall insulator with a magnetically ordered material provides an additional degree of freedom through which the resulting exotic quantum states can be controlled. Here, an experimental observation is reported of the quantum anomalous Hall e?ect in a magnet-ically-doped topological insulator grown on the antiferromagnetic insulator Cr?O?. The exchange coupling between the two materials is investigated using ?eld-cooling-dependent magnetometry and polarized neutron re?ec-tometry. Both techniques reveal strong interfacial interaction between the antiferromagnetic order of the Cr?O? and the magnetic topological insulator, manifested as an exchange bias when the sample is ?eld-cooled under an out-of-plane magnetic ?eld, and an exchange spring-like magnetic depth pro?le when the system is magnetized within the ?lm plane. These results identify antiferromagnetic insulators as suitable candidates for the manipula-tion of magnetic and topological order in topological insulator ?lms.

Pan, Lei↗

Exchange‐Interaction‐Like Behavior in Ferroelectric Bilayers

Abstract Interlayer coupling in materials, such as exchange interactions at the interface between an antiferromagnet and a ferromagnet, can produce exotic phenomena not present in the parent materials. While such interfacial coupling in magnetic systems is widely studied, there is considerably less work on analogous electric counterparts (i.e., akin to electric “exchange‐bias‐like” or “exchange‐spring‐like” interactions between two polar materials) despite the likelihood that such effects can also engender new features associated with anisotropic electric dipole alignment. Here, electric analogs of such exchange interactions are reported, and their physical origins are explained for bilayers of in‐plane polarized Pb 1−x Sr x TiO 3 ferroelectrics. Variation of the strontium content and thickness of the layers provides for deterministic control over the switching properties of the bilayer system resulting in phenomena analogous to an exchange‐spring interaction and, leveraging added control of these interactions with an electric field, the ability to realize multistate‐memory function. Such observations not only hold technological promise for ferroelectrics and multiferroics but also extend the similarities between ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials to include the manifestation of exchange‐interaction‐like phenomena.

Kavle, Pravin↗

Experimental warming advances phenology of groundlayer plants at the boreal‐temperate forest ecotone

Premise of the Study Changes to plant phenology have been linked to warmer temperatures caused by climate change. Despite the importance of the groundlayer to community and forest dynamics, few warming experiments have focused on herbaceous plant and shrub phenology. Methods Using a field study in Minnesota, United States, we investigated phenological responses of 16 species to warming over five growing seasons (2009–2013) at two sites, under two canopy covers, and in three levels of simultaneous above‐ and belowground warming: ambient temperature, ambient +1.7°C and ambient +3.4°C. We tested whether warming led to earlier phenology throughout the growing season and whether responses varied among species and years and depended on canopy cover. Key Results Warming extended the growing season between 11–30 days, primarily through earlier leaf unfolding. Leaf senescence was delayed for about half of the species. Warming advanced flowering across species, especially those flowering in August, with modest impacts on fruit maturation for two species. Importantly, warming caused more than half of the species to either converge or diverge phenologically in relation to each other, suggesting that future warmed climate conditions will alter phenological relationships of the groundlayer. Warm springs elicited a stronger advance of leaf unfolding compared to cool spring years. Several species advanced leaf unfolding (in response to warming) more in the closed canopy compared to the open. Conclusions Climate warming will extend the growing season of groundlayer species in the boreal‐temperate forest ecotone and alter the synchrony of their phenology.

Rice, Karen E.↗

Shallow snowpack inhibits soil respiration in sagebrush steppe through multiple biotic and abiotic mechanisms

Abstract In sagebrush steppe, snowpack may govern soil respiration through its effect on multiple abiotic and biotic factors. Across the Intermountain West of the United States, snowpack has been declining for decades and is projected to decline further over the next century, making the response of soil respiration to snowpack a potentially important factor in the ecosystem carbon cycle. In this study, we evaluated the direct and indirect roles of the snowpack in driving soil respiration in sagebrush steppe ecosystems by taking advantage of highway snowfences in Wyoming to manipulate snowpack. An important contribution of this study is the use of Bayesian modeling to quantify the effects of soil moisture and temperature on soil respiration across a wide range of conditions from frozen to hot and dry, while simultaneously accounting for biotic factors (e.g., vegetation cover, root density, and microbial biomass and substrate‐use diversity) affected by snowpack. Elevated snow depth increased soil temperature (in the winter) and moisture (winter and spring), and was associated with reduced vegetation cover and microbial biomass carbon. Soil respiration showed an exponential increase with temperature, with a temperature sensitivity that decreased with increasing seasonal temperature ( Q 10 = 4.3 [winter], 2.3 [spring], and 1.7 [summer]); frozen soils were associated with unrealistic Q 10 ≈ 7989 due to the liquid‐to‐ice transition of soil water. Soil respiration was sensitive to soil water content; predicted respiration under very dry conditions was less than 10% of respiration under moist conditions. While higher vegetation cover increased soil respiration, this was not due to increased root density, and may reflect differences in litter inputs. Microbial substrate‐use diversity was negatively related to reference respiration (i.e., respiration rate at a reference temperature and optimal soil moisture), although the mechanism remains unclear. This study indicates that soil respiration is inhibited by shallow snowpack through multiple mechanisms; thus, future decreases in snowpack across the sagebrush steppe have the potential to reduce losses of soil C, potentially affecting regional carbon balance.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Scavenging along an ecological interface: utilization of amphibian and reptile carcasses around isolated wetlands

Abstract Scavenging is an influential ecosystem process, providing many weak, but stabilizing food web links. Amphibians and reptiles (i.e., herpetofauna) utilize land/water interfaces and can have large biomasses concentrated here, making them important vectors of nutrients between aquatic and terrestrial systems and a valuable resource to scavengers. There are limited data on the fate of herpetofauna carrion, and thus, it is unknown how such carcasses are incorporated into food webs or how habitat and carcass characteristics influence which scavengers acquire these resources. We used camera traps to determine the proportion of experimental amphibian and reptile carcasses (lizards, salamanders, frogs, and toads) scavenged by vertebrates and invertebrates in two different habitats (wetland and upland) during the spring in the southeastern USA . Vertebrates removed 19.8% of all herpetofauna carcasses in both habitats, with the remaining carcasses removed by invertebrates (80.2%). We used log‐linear models to evaluate the impact of habitat and carcass type on scavenging. We determined that habitat, but not carcass type, was influential in determining whether a vertebrate or invertebrate scavenged a carcass, with vertebrates able to scavenge more carcasses in wetland than in upland areas. In less than two days, 86.2% of all carcasses in both habitat types were completely scavenged, and carcasses in wetlands were removed more quickly, suggesting intense competition between vertebrates and invertebrates. Additionally, we observed low vertebrate scavenger richness, which we attribute to high invertebrate activity in the spring and the small size of the herpetofauna carcasses (<100 g). We identified the scavenging pathways along which herpetofauna are incorporated into the food web and the factors that influence those pathways, suggesting the large extent and spatial scale of this resource's influence on food web connections and consequently food web and ecosystem stability.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Riverscape heterogeneity in estimated Chinook Salmon emergence phenology and implications for size and growth

Abstract Many salmonid‐bearing rivers exhibit thermal and hydrologic heterogeneity at multiple spatial and temporal scales, but how this translates into spatiotemporal patterns of fry emergence is poorly understood. Understanding this variability is important because emergence timing determines the biophysical conditions fish first experience (e.g., temperature, flow, and food supply), thereby influencing growth opportunities and survival during this critical life stage. We predicted spring Chinook Salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) emergence phenology across four northeastern Oregon subbasins over 5–9 years using empirical spawning and temperature data. We then related interannual emergence timing estimates to juvenile salmon size and growth rates at consistent sampling locations. There were clear longitudinal patterns of predicted emergence timing in each subbasin: The shape of these patterns was consistent among years, but not among subbasins. In two subbasins, emergence occurred progressively later with distance upstream, whereas in the other two subbasins emergence was earliest at upstream sites. Within each year, median emergence dates among sites within each subbasin ranged between 44 and 58 days. This spatial variation was comparable to interannual variation, with median emergence dates for a given location in each subbasin ranging between 47 and 74 days among years. Contrary to our expectations, juvenile salmon were not larger in years with earlier emergence, owing to slower estimated spring and summer growth rates compared to years with later emergence. Despite large interannual variation in estimated emergence dates, these results suggest that other factors (e.g., stream flow, temperature, and density‐dependence) were more important than growth duration in determining juvenile salmon growth rates and size among years. We demonstrated considerable spatial and interannual variation in emergence phenology within these subbasins. Understanding how this variation translates to spatiotemporal patterns of juvenile salmon habitat use, growth, and survival has important implications for guiding restoration efforts and understanding how climate change may impact these populations.

Kaylor, Matthew J.↗

Ecosystem Controls on Methylmercury Production by Periphyton Biofilms in a Contaminated Stream: Implications for Predictive Modeling

Periphyton biofilms produce a substantial fraction of the overall monomethylmercury (MMHg) flux in East Fork Poplar Creek, an industrially contaminated, freshwater creek in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. We examined periphyton MMHg production across seasons, locations, and light conditions using mercury stable isotopes. Methylation and demethylation rate potentials (km, trans av and kd, trans av, respectively) were calculated using a transient availability kinetic model. Light exposure and season were significant predictors of km, trans av, with greater values in full light exposure and in the summer. Season, light exposure, and location were significant predictors of kd, trans av, which was highest in dark conditions, in the spring, and at the upstream location. Light exposure was the controlling factor for net MMHg production, with positive production for periphyton grown under full light exposure and net demethylation for periphyton grown in the dark. Ambient MMHg and km, trans av were significantly correlated. Transient availability rate potentials were 15 times higher for km and 9 times higher for kd compared to full availability rate potentials (km, full av and kd, full av) calculated at 1 d. No significant model for the prediction of km, full av or kd, full av could be constructed using light, season, and location. In addition, there were no significant differences among treatments for the full availability km, full av, kd, full av, or net MMHg calculated using the full availability rate potentials. km, full av was not correlated with ambient MMHg concentrations. The present results underscore the importance of applying transient availability kinetics to MMHg production data when estimating MMHg production potential and flux.

Schwartz, Grace E.↗

Projected precipitation changes within the Great Lakes and Western Lake Erie Basin: a multi‐model analysis of intensity and seasonality

ABSTRACT The Great Lakes region encompasses the largest freshwater lake network in the world and supports a diverse network of agriculture, transportation, and tourism. Recently, Lake Erie has experienced increased hypoxia events, which have been attributed to agricultural practices and changes in run‐off. Here we examine the projected changes in extreme precipitation events to address concerns regarding regional agriculture, surface run‐off, and subsequent water quality. Precipitation projections within the overall Great Lakes Basin and the Western Lake Erie Basin subregion are examined using climate model simulations of varying spatial resolutions to understand historical precipitation and projected future precipitation. We develop three model ensembles for the historical period (1980–1999) and the mid‐century (2041–2060) that cover a range of spatial resolutions and future emissions scenarios, including: (1) 12 global model members from the fifth Climate Model Intercomparison Project ( CMIP5 ) using Representative Concentration Pathway ( RCP ) 8.5, (2) ten regional climate model ( RCM ) members from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program driven by CMIP3 global models using the A2 emissions scenario, and (3) two high resolution RCM simulations ( RCM4 ) driven by CMIP5 global models using the RCP 8.5 scenario. For the historical period, all model ensembles overestimate winter and spring precipitation, and many of the models simulate a summer drying that is not observed. At mid‐century, most of the models predict a 10–20% increase in precipitation depending on the time of year. Daily probability distribution functions from three model ensembles reveal spring seasonal increases in high precipitation event probabilities when compared to the historical period, suggesting an increase in the frequency of high intensity precipitation at mid‐century. Overall, the presence of lakes or higher spatial resolution does not ensure improved representation of historical processes, and more complex interactions between large‐scale dynamics, local feedbacks, and physical parameterizations drive the model spread.

Basile, Samantha J.↗

Winter-Rearing Temperature Affects Growth Profiles, Age of Maturation, and Smolt-to-Adult Returns for Yearling Summer Chinook Salmon in the Upper Columbia River Basin

Abstract We assessed the effects of rearing conditions in four hatchery programs from the upper Columbia River basin on the survival and demographics of yearling summer Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha over four release years. Juveniles from each hatchery program were initially reared at Eastbank Hatchery near Wenatchee, Washington, (which uses groundwater for fish rearing) and experienced similar rearing temperatures until their first autumn in culture. Fish that were to be used for two of the programs were subsequently transferred to surface water acclimation sites, where they were reared until release the following spring (surface water winter rearing). Fish to be used for the other two programs were overwintered at the Eastbank Hatchery and then transferred to their acclimation and release sites 1 to 2 months before spring release (groundwater winter rearing). Fish from the two rearing strategies experienced contrasting temperature profiles, which in turn affected winter growth, age at maturation, and smolt-to-adult survival (SAS). Overall, the two release groups that were overwintered in colder surface water experienced reduced winter growth, reduced minijack rate, and smaller size at release, but achieved a two- to threefold higher SAS than did the two release groups overwintered in warmer groundwater at Eastbank Hatchery. In addition, based on migration data compiled from fish tagged with PIT tags, smaller juveniles tended to mature at older age-classes than did larger smolts. We concluded that rearing yearling hatchery summer Chinook Salmon under more natural thermal regimes (surface water) may result in the return of larger, older adults that have a higher survival rate than would fish reared under constant or less natural thermal regimes (ground water). These results highlight the importance of the hatchery-rearing environment in shaping the survival and life history of summer Chinook Salmon juveniles released into the Columbia River basin.

Harstad, Deborah L.↗

Passage Route and Upstream Migration Success: A Case Study of Snake River Salmonids Ascending Lower Granite Dam

Abstract Lower Granite Dam is the last dam that federally protected Snake River salmonids Oncorhynchus spp. must ascend during their spawning migration. The dam has an adult fish ladder equipped with a trapping system to facilitate fisheries research and hatchery broodstock collection. There are three possible passage routes through the adult ladder: trapped, shunted, and free passage. During the adult trapping season, all fish must swim through 0.305-m shunt pipes outfitted with PIT tag arrays that allow the selection of fish for trapping. Selected fish use the “trapped” route and are kept in a holding area for up to 20 h before being sampled and returned to the ladder. Unselected fish use the “shunted” route and immediately resume upstream migration after swimming through the pipes. When the trap is not in operation, the shunted route is inaccessible, and all fish use the “free passage” route to ascend the ladder without additional impediment. In 2016, a temporary change in ladder operations permitted free passage for a portion of the trapping season. Our study used this rare opportunity to evaluate how different passage routes affect in-ladder transit time and upstream homing success for five salmonid stocks: Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka; steelhead O. mykiss; and spring-, summer-, and fall-run Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha. In 2016, only Sockeye Salmon and spring- and summer-run Chinook Salmon were given access to free passage, and we found evidence that free passage increased subsequent detection at natal sites upstream. An expanded analysis of shunted versus trapped fish during the years 2012–2016 found no difference in rates of detection to home tributaries by route of passage for any of the five fish stocks examined.

Morrisett, Christina N.↗