Effects of extreme climate events on the macrobenthic communities' structure and functioning of a temperate estuary

The Mondego estuary (Portugal) experienced profound structural and functional modifications due to eutrophication, which was exacerbated by consecutive weather extremes that compromised a previous restoration project. This work explores multiple climate impacts on macrobenthic communities’ structure and functioning and its implications on ecosystem’s recovery. Floods and heat waves had a stronger negative effect on macrobenthic assemblages than the droughts, imposing a total abundance decline. Contrarily, biomass was not so affected by climate events, being stable and even increased in a mudflat area, where seagrass is re-colonizing. Bivalves and oligochaetes decreased with the flooding episodes, likewise subsurface-deposit feeders and suspension feeders, while crustaceans were particularly sensitive to heat waves. Species richness declined with the floods and heat waves, whilst evenness increased in sandflat area, constituting a positive sign towards recovery. Succession of different climate extremes affected ecosystem structure and functioning, delaying its recovery with possible consequent effects at higher trophic levels.     

Eutrophication and retention time affecting spatial heterogeneity in a tropical reservoir

Longitudinal heterogeneity in reservoirs is especially related to increase in sedimentation and water transparency along the river/dam axis. Consequently, primary production tends to reach higher values in intermediate regions where there is a balance between the availability of the main resources (light and nutrients) suitable for phytoplankton growth. Many factors such as reservoir morphometry, retention time, thermal stratification and geographical location can affect the boundaries between these regions. The tropical Funil Reservoir (Brazil), despite a low retention time, has experienced severe eutrophication in recent decades, with persistent cyanobacteria blooms. During the course of 1 year, samples were collected at four stations along the reservoir (fluvial, intermediate and lentic compartments) to evaluate if spatial heterogeneity could affect the occurrence and distribution of these blooms along the reservoir. Although the reservoir has a short annual retention time (mean 41.5 days), the typical zonation pattern was observed for the main abiotic variables and phytoplankton abundance. However, higher biomass occurred in the lentic compartment rather than in the intermediate zone. Despite the peculiar heterogeneity in total biomass, the phytoplankton composition and seasonal variability were very similar along the entire reservoir, with a few marked differences only in the fluvial zone. Phytoplankton total biomass in Funil Reservoir was high, even in periods of lower seasonal retention time (around 15 days), and was especially related to high input of nutrients. Moreover, retention time directly affects the spatial heterogeneity of phytoplankton biomass, since strong variability was only observed during the cold-dry season, corresponding to periods of longer retention time (around 80 days). While high availability of nutrients promoted high cyanobacterial biomass in the entire system, the few periods of heterogeneous spatiality seemed to be related to changes in retention time.     

Implications of nutrient decline in the seagrass ecosystem success

The Mondego estuary (Portugal) suffered major changes in environmental quality due to eutrophication, however, in the late 1990s a restoration project was implemented in order to return the system to its original condition. The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the ecosystem response to the restoration measures applied at three different levels: water quality, primary producers and primary consumers.In post-restoration period a clear decline was observed in dissolved inorganic nitrogen which was reflected in the gradual recovery of Zostera noltii and a concomitant decline in green macroalgae.Macrobenthic assemblages responded variably to the recovery process. In the seagrass bed and intermediate area, there was a large increase in total biomass, but in the eutrophic area species diversity increased. Despite improvement in the ecological status of the system, full recovery has not been achieved yet, possible due to hysteresis in the dynamics of this system.     

一个创新研究——大气数值模式变量的物理分解及其在极端事件预报中的应用

大气温度、湿度、位势高度和风等数值模式变量可以物理分解为纬圈-时间平均的对称部分和时间平均的非对称部分,以及行星尺度瞬变扰动和天气尺度瞬变扰动等四个部分.区域持续性干旱、暴雨、热浪、低温和雨雪冰冻等极端天气事件与前期及同期数值模式中的行星尺度和天气尺度大气扰动系统之间呈现出密切的关系.瞬变扰动天气图可成为预报极端天气事件的新工具.本文在归纳本期9篇原创性文章的基础上,探讨大气变量物理分解后需要进一步研究的理论问题和应用前景.     

Significant variations in the productivity of green macroalgae in a mesotidal estuary: implications to the nutrient loading of the system and the adjacent coastal area

A spatially dynamic model for the productivity of spores and adults of green macroalgae (Enteromorpha sp.) was developed for a mesotidal estuary (Mondego estuary, Portugal). Many of the algal processes and parameters included in the model were experimentally obtained. Model predictions were compared to a real time series (1993-1997) of macroalgal biomass variation and the two sets show a good agreement (ANOVA, P<0.001). Results suggest that algal growth is highly sensitive to small changes in depth and exhibits different patterns of variation in different seasons. On a yearly basis, global calculations for the south channel of the estuary (137 ha) suggest that during bloom years, macroalgal biomass may reach about 21,205 ton DW compared to 240 ton DW in regular years. On a seasonal basis, the difference may be even more significant. The consequences of such variations on the nitrogen and phosphorus loading of the system and the adjacent coastal area are discussed.     

Individual and population indicators of Zostera japonica respond quickly to experimental addition of sediment-nutrient and organic matter

A manipulative field experiment was designed to investigate the effects of sediment-nutrients and sediment-organic matters on seagrasses, Zostera japonica, using individual and population indicators. The results showed that seagrasses quickly responded to sediment-nutrient and organic matter loading. That is, sediment-nutrients positively impacted on seagrasses by increasing N content of leaves and roots, leaf length and belowground biomass. Sediment-organic matter loading lowered N content of seagrass leaves and belowground biomass. Negative effects of organic matter loading were aggravated during nutrient loading, by decreasing N content of leaves, P content of roots, leaf width, shoot number in the middle period of the experiment, increasing C/N ratio of leaves, C/P and N/P ratio of roots and above to belowground biomass ratio of seagrasses. Consequently, Z. japonica could be considered as a fast indicator to monitor seagrass ecosystem status in the eutrophic areas and facilitate to interpreting the response of seagrasses to multiple stressors.     

Is the cutting of oil contaminated marshes an efficient clean-up technique in a subtropical estuary?

Cutting and removal of oil-impacted marsh plants are still used worldwide as a clean-up and recovery technique. To experimentally test the efficacy of cutting and removing marsh plants under subtropical conditions, we simulated an oil spill (Bunker MF-180) in Spartina alterniflora marshes and compared the responses of plant height, biomass, density of culms and number of flowering plants in high and low energy areas in Paranaguá Bay (S Brazil) for about 9 months. Cutting and removal were inefficient in promoting or accelerating the recovery of the impacted areas. Cut or uncut impacted marshes fully recovered within 6 months, both in low and high energy areas. Plant cutting should be practiced only when there is an effective risk of contamination of groundwater near urban areas, when obvious aesthetical issues are involved in areas of touristic interest or when there are real short-term conservation risks to threatened species.     

Influence of multiple stressors on the auto-remediation processes occurring in salt marshes

Due to increasing global population, salt marshes have been subjected to multiple stressors such as increasing nutrient loadings and historical contamination. In order to better understand how does the salt marsh plants auto-remediation capacity (phytoaccumulation of metals) is affected by cultural eutrophication, an experiment was performed under controlled conditions. Plants were exposure to equal metal concentrations (Zn, Cu, and Ni - micronutrients, and Cd - class B metal) simulating historical contamination and three different concentrations of nitrogen (nitrate) simulating steps of cultural eutrophication. According to our study, under the tested concentrations, cultural eutrophication does not seem to affect Zn, Cu and Ni phytoremediation of H. portulacoides, but the ecosystem service of Cd phytoremediation seems to be promoted. Nevertheless, Cd high toxicity and bioaccumulation should be taken into account, as well as the vulnerability of salt marsh ecosystems, whose reduction will have drastic consequences to the ecosystem health.     

Climate-change driven increased flood magnitudes and frequency in the British uplands: Geomorphologically informed scientific underpinning for upland flood-risk management

Upland river systems in the UK are predicted to be prone to the effects of increased flood magnitudes and frequency, driven by climate change. It is clear from recent events that some headwater catchments can be very sensitive to large floods, activating the full sediment system, with implications for flood risk management further down the catchment. We provide a 15-year record of detailed morphological change on a 500-m reach of upland gravel-bed river, focusing upon the geomorphic response to an extreme event in 2007, and the recovery in the decade following. Through novel application of two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic modelling we evaluate the different energy states of pre- and post-flood morphologies of the river reach, exploring how energy state adjusts with recovery following the event. Following the 2007 flood, morphological adjustments resulted in changes to the shear stress population over the reach, resulting in higher shear stresses. Although the proportion of shear stresses in excess of those experienced using the pre-flood digital elevation model (DEM) varied over the recovery period, they remained substantially in excess of those experienced pre-2007, suggesting that there is still potential for enhanced bedload transport and morphological adjustment within the reach. Although volumetric change calculated from DEM differencing does indicate a reduction in erosion and deposition volumes in the decade following the flood, we argue that the system still has not fully recovered to the pre-flood state. We further argue that Thinhope Burn, and other similarly impacted catchments in upland environments, may not recover under the wet climatic phase currently being experienced. Hence systems like Thinhope Burn will continue to deliver large volumes of sediment further down river catchments, providing new challenges for flood risk management into the future.     

Zooplankton response to the lake restoration in the drinking-water source in Meiliang Bay of subtropical eutrophic Lake Taihu, China

A 3-year ecological engineering project was carried out from 2003 to 2005 in the drinking water source in Meiliang Bay, Lake Taihu, China. The project area was divided into three zones: Zone C (outside the area), Zone B (pelagic part within the area) and Zone A (littoral part within the area). The community composition, density and biomass of zooplankton were studied as a part in the lake restoration study. Also, the abundance, biomass and composition of fish in the engineering area were annually analyzed in the littoral zone (Zone A). The average density of cladocerans decreased from the outer part to the inner part of the lake, i.e., from Zone C to Zone A, while the average density of copepod did not significantly vary among the 3 zones. The average densities of rotifer and ciliate increased from Zone C to Zone A. RDA analysis indicated that Microcystis biomass more impacted the zooplankton compositions after temperature. In Zone A, many planktivorous fishes, e.g., Coilia nasus, Hemiculter leucisculus, Pseudorasbora parva, dominated the fish community, which caused a marked decrease in the abundance of cladocerans, especially large-sized cladoceran Daphnia galeata and Daphnia obtusa. Our results suggested that both fish predation and other environmental factors such as the Microcystis bloom greatly affected the zooplankton community during the restoration of subtropical eutrophic lakes.     

Impact of the Phaeocystis globosa spring bloom on the intertidal benthic compartment in the eastern English Channel: a synthesis

From 1999 to 2005, studies carried out in the frame of regional and national French programs aimed to determine whether the Phaeocystisglobosa bloom affected the intertidal benthic communities of the French coast of the eastern English Channel in terms of composition and/or functioning. Study sites were chosen to cover most of the typical shore types encountered on this coast (a rocky shore, an exposed sandy beach and a small estuary). Both the presence of active Phaeocystis cells and their degradation product (foam) did have a significant impact on the studied shores. The primary production and growth rates of the kelp Saccharina latissima decreased during the bloom because of a shortage of light and nutrient for the macroalgae. On sandy sediments, the benthic metabolism (community respiration and community primary production), as well as the nitrification rate, were enhanced during foam deposits, in relation with the presence of bacteria and active pelagic cells within the decaying colonies. In estuarine sediments, the most impressive impact was the formation of a crust at the sediment surface due to drying foam. This led to anoxic conditions in the surface sediment and resulted in a high mortality among the benthic community. Some organisms also tended to migrate upward and were then directly accessible to the higher trophic level represented by birds. Phaeocystis then created a shortcut in the estuarine trophic network. Most of these modifications lasted shortly and all the systems considered came back to their regular properties and activities a few weeks after the end of the bloom, except for the most impacted estuarine area.     

The chronology and the hydrometeorology of catastrophic floods on Dartmoor,South West England

Extreme floods are the most widespread and often the most fatal type of natural hazard experienced in Europe, particularly in upland and mountainous areas. These ‘flash flood’ type events are particularly dangerous because extreme rainfall totals in a short space of time can lead to very high flow velocities and little or no time for flood warning. Given the danger posed by extreme floods, there are concerns that catastrophic hydrometeorological events could become more frequent in a warming world. However, analysis of longer term flood frequency is often limited by the use of short instrumental flow records (last 30–40 years) that do not adequately cover alternating flood‐rich and flood‐poor periods over the last 2 to 3 centuries. In contrast, this research extends the upland flood series of South West England (Dartmoor) back to ca AD 1800 using lichenometry. Results show that the period 1820 to mid‐1940s was characterized by widespread flooding, with particularly large and frequent events in the mid‐to‐late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since ca 1850 to 1900, there has been a general decline in flood magnitude that was particularly marked after the 1930s/mid‐1940s. Local meteorological records show that: (1) historical flood‐rich periods on Dartmoor were associated with high annual, seasonal and daily rainfall totals in the last quarter of the 19th century and between 1910 and 1946, related to sub‐decadal variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation and receipt of cyclonic and southerly weather types over the southwest peninsula; and (2) the incidence of heavy daily rainfall declined notably after 1946, similar to sedimentary archives of flooding. The peak period of flooding on Dartmoor predates the beginning of gauged flow records, which has practical implications for understanding and managing flood risk on rivers that drain Dartmoor. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of urban growth,climate change,and their interplay in altering runoff extremes

Changes in climate and urban growth are the most influential factors affecting hydrological characteristics in urban and extra‐urban contexts. The assessment of the impacts of these changes on the extreme rainfall–runoff events may have important implications on urban and extra‐urban management policies against severe events, such as floods, and on the design of hydraulic infrastructures. Understanding the effects of the interaction between climate change and urban growth on the generation of runoff extremes is the main aim of this paper. We carried out a synthetic experiment on a river catchment of 64 km² to generate hourly runoff time series under different hypothetical scenarios. We imposed a growth of the percentage of urban coverage within the basin (from 1.5% to 25%), a rise in mean temperature of 2.6 °C, and an alternatively increase/decrease in mean annual precipitation of 25%; changes in mean annual precipitation were imposed following different schemes, either changing rainstorm frequency or rainstorm intensity. The modelling framework consists of a physically based distributed hydrological model, which simulates fast and slow mechanisms of runoff generation directly connected with the impervious areas, a land‐use change model, and a weather generator. The results indicate that the peaks over threshold and the hourly annual peaks, used as hydrological indicators, are very sensitive to the rainstorm intensity. Moreover, the effects of climate changes dominate on those of urban growth determining an exacerbation of the fast runoff component in extreme events and a reduction of the slow and deep runoff component, thus limiting changes in the overall runoff.     

Relative scales of time and effectiveness of climate in watershed geomorphology

Peak rainfalls and peak runoff rates per unit area are comparable over a worldwide spectrum of climates. However, while the magnitude of the external contribution of energy or force in diverse regions is similar, the impact on the landscape varies markedly between regions. Absolute magnitudes of climatic events and absolute time intervals between such events do not provide satisfactory measures of the geomorphic effectiveness of events of different magnitudes and recurrence intervals. Although geomorphic processes are driven by complex sets of interrelated climatic, topographic, lithologic, and biologic factors, the work done by individual extreme events can be scaled as a ratio to mean annual erosion and the effectiveness of such events in forming landscape features can be related to the rate of recovery of channel form or mass wasting scars following alteration by the extreme event. Thus, a time scale for effectiveness may relate the recurrence interval of an event to the time required for a landform to recover the form existing prior to the event. River channels in temperate regions widened by floods of recurrence intervals from 50 to more than 200 years may regain their original width in matters of months or years. In semi-arid regions, recovery of channel form depends not only upon flows but upon climatic determinants of the growth of bottomland vegetation resulting in variable rates of recovery, on the order of decades, depending upon coincidence of average flows and strengthened vegetation. In truly arid regions the absence of vegetation and flow precludes recovery and the width of channels increases in drainage areas up to 100 km² but remains relatively constant at larger drainage areas. Area as well as time controls the effectiveness of specific events inasmuch as the likelihood of simultaneous peak discharges or rainfalls and large areas is less, particularly in arid regions where events spanning areas of more than several thousand km² are extremely rare if experienced at all. To some extent a decrease in area in a humid region is comparable with a regional change from humid toward more arid climate reflected in the increase in importance of episodic as contrasted with more continuous processes. Exceedingly rare floods of extreme magnitudes, estimated recurrence intervals of 500 years or longer, may exceed thresholds of competence otherwise unattainable in the ‘normal’ record resulting in ‘irreparable’ transformations of valley landforms. Denudation of hillslopes by mass wasting during relatively rare events can also be related to mean rates of denudation and to recovery of hillslope surfaces after scarring by different kinds of landslides. Measured recovery times described in the literature vary from less than a decade for some tropical regions to decades or more in temperate regions. Recurrence intervals of high magnitude storms which trigger mass wasting range from 1 to 2 years in some tropical areas, to 3 or 4 per hundred years in some areas of seasonal rainfall and to 100 or more years in some temperate regions. The effectiveness of climatic events on both hillslopes and rivers is not separable from gradient, lithology or other variables which control both thresholds of activity and recovery rate.     

Sediment-charged flash floods on Montserrat: The influence of synchronous tephra fall and varying extent of vegetation damage

On 20th May 2006 the Soufrière Hills Volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat experienced a large dome collapse and intense rainfall generated flash floods. The floods had very high loads of volcanic debris derived both from this and previous eruptions and can thus be classified as lahars. The floods reached unusually high water levels and caused substantial geomorphic change in the Belham Valley. Detailed rainfall and geomorphological data, coupled with the precise timing of events and yewitness accounts have facilitated an assessment of the relative importance of rainfall volume and intensity, older volcanic debris, pre- and syn-flood tephra fall and the extent of pre-flood vegetation damage for the behavior of this and subsequent sediment-laden floods in this setting. The change in runoff behavior was controlled by preexisting vegetation damage and synchronous tephra fall and this was critically important in controlling the impact of these flash floods. Although rainfall intensity and volume have some control on flood occurrence they are not the critical control on flash flood impact on the geomorphology in the Belham Valley. A significant conclusion of this study is that the extreme nature of the flash floods was not caused by extreme rainfall (as is commonly believed to be the primary cause of flash floods) but rather it was the result of changed runoff behaviour caused by the widespread syn-flood tephra deposition and importantly the widespread vegetation damage by volcanic-associated acid rain in the preceding weeks.     

Hydrological analysis of extreme rainfall events and severe rainstorms over Uttarakhand,India

ABSTRACT

Following the June 2013 disaster in the Uttarakhand Himalayas, many discussions are ongoing with regard to how climate change is seeking revenge on mankind by endowing us with disasters! The event was mostly linked with the occurrence of an extreme event due to climate change. In view of this, an attempt has been made in this paper to analyse the extreme rainfall events experienced by the Uttarakhand during 1901–2013 using more than 100 stations’ daily rainfall data. The study revealed that during the 113-year period, the highest numbers of extreme events were recorded during the decade 1961–1970, and to some extent in the decade 1981–1990. Thereafter, there is a decrease in extreme rainfall events. The comparative study of extreme events prior to 1901 showed that on 17–18 September 1880, a rainstorm which occurred in close vicinity to Uttarakhand caused serious floods and damage to lives and properties. The extreme rainfall recorded by some stations during this unprecedented rainstorm has not been surpassed to date.     

Dynamik der Schilfröhrichte am Bodensee unter dem Einfluss von Wasserstandsvariationen

On the basis of different sets of aerial photos the dynamics of the reed bed areas of Lake Constance were investigated in relation to the dynamics of the water levels. The objectives of the study were to quantify the changes of reed areas due to different flood events in the last decades and their recovery in the time periods between these events. The results should given information of the relevance of water level variations on reed bed dynamics and the regeneration times of reed beds after extreme disturbance events.Following the extreme flood at Lake Constance in 1999 the reed belts of Lake Constance lost approximately 30 ha (24%) of the lakeside reed beds. The loss is comparable to the situation in the late 1960s, when approximately 40 ha died back due to the extreme flood in 1965 and the high spring water levels in the subsequent years. In the time period between the extreme floods of 1965 and 1999, the reed areas expanded to nearly 85% of the area before 1965. The expansion rates increased with increasing distance to the flood event of 1965. Especially in periods with series of years of low spring water level the expansion rates were high.The damage degrees of the reed areas in the years 2000 and 2002 showed a clear relation to the elevation (i.e. average water level) of the stands. The damage degree increased with decreasing elevation. Furthermore the regeneration process of severely damaged stands was related to the elevation level of the stands. Whereas stands at high elevation regenerate fast, those at low elevation died off completely in the years after the extreme flood. This supports the hypothesis that the water level flutuations play a major role in the reed dynamics of Lake Constance.As a consequence of the climate change an increase in the frequency of high spring water levels is expected. Thus, it seems unlikely that reed stands will ever expand again to the same area as before 1965.     

天气尺度瞬变扰动的物理分解原理

大气变量可以在时空域内物理分解成四个部分.前两个是纬圈-时间平均的对称部分和时间平均的非对称部分,分别由太阳辐射和海陆分布热力调节的季节变化引起,并形成规则的逐日气候.第三部分是由年际和季节内的热带海洋或极地热力强迫引起的纬圈平均瞬变对称扰动,可形成大气变量的行星尺度指数循环.第四部分是一些复杂的天气尺度瞬变非对称扰动.大气变量中的逐日天气尺度瞬变扰动,可以用于指示区域持续性的干旱、暴雨、低温和热浪等极端天气事件.天气尺度瞬变扰动天气图能在极端天气事件的预报中发挥应有的作用.     

Assessment of faecal contamination and the relationship between pathogens and faecal bacterial indicators in an estuarine environment (Seine, France)

The Seine estuary, one of the largest estuaries of the European northwest continental shelf, is subjected to numerous anthropogenic influences. Here we present an assessment of the microbial faecal contamination of the estuary water. The most vulnerable areas were defined on the basis of the fluxes of indicator organisms and the occurrence of Salmonella and Cryptosporidium sp. and Giardia sp. (oo)cysts. The microbial quality of the water changes from upstream to downstream: in the upstream area, contamination by faecal-indicator bacteria and Salmonella occurs during periods of high flow; in the urbanized area, mid-way between the uppermost areas of the estuary and its mouth, discharge from a wastewater treatment plant and a tributary degrade water quality; at the estuary mouth, the accumulation of microorganisms attached to particles in the maximum turbidity zone, particularly Clostridium perfringens spores and oocysts of Cryptosporidium, is accompanied by inputs of ThC and Escherichia coli from tributaries. In some areas, significant strong relations are observed between Salmonella, (oo)cysts of protozoan, and levels of faecal indicators.