Geology topics

E.E. Small

Publications and source records attributed to E.E. Small.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2008

Spatial patterns of ecohydrologic properties on a hillslope-alluvial fan transect, central New Mexico

Spatial patterns of soil properties are linked to patchy vegetation in arid and semi-arid landscapes. The patterns of soil properties are generally assumed to be linked to the ecohydrological functioning of patchy dryland vegetation ecosystems. We studied the effects of vegetation canopy, its spatial pattern, and landforms on soil properties affecting overland flow and infiltration in shrublands at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge/LTER in central New Mexico, USA. We studied the patterns of microtopography and saturated conductivity (Ksat), and generally found it to be affected by vegetation canopy and pattern, as well as landform type. On gently sloping alluvial fans, both microtopography and Ksat are high under vegetation canopy and decay with distance from plant center. On steeper hillslope landforms, only microtopography was significantly higher under vegetation canopy, while there was no significant difference in Ksat between vegetation and interspaces. Using geostatistics, we found that the spatial pattern of soil properties was determined by the spatial pattern of vegetation. Most importantly, the effects of vegetation were present in the unvegetated interspaces 2-4 times the extent of vegetation canopy, on the order of 2-3??m. Our results have implications for the understanding the ecohydrologic function of semi-arid ecosystems as well as the parameterization of hydrologic models. ?? 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Catena↗

USGS2000

Simulated influences of Lake Agassiz on the climate of central North America 11,000 years ago

Eleven thousand years ago, large lakes existed in central and eastern North America along the margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The large-scale North American climate at this time has been simulated with atmospheric general circulation models, but these relatively coarse global models do not resolve potentially important features of the mesoscale circulation that arise from interactions among the atmosphere, ice sheet, and proglacial lakes. Here we present simulations of the climate of central and eastern North America 11,000 years ago with a high-resolution, regional climate model nested within a general circulation model. The simulated climate is in general agreement with that inferred from palaeoecological evidence. Our experiments indicate that through mesoscale atmospheric feedbacks, the annual delivery of moisture to the Laurentide Ice Sheet was diminished at times of a large, cold Lake Agassiz relative to periods of lower lake stands. The resulting changes in the mass balance of the ice sheet may have contributed to fluctuations of the ice margin, thus affecting the routing of fresh water to the North Atlantic Ocean. A retreating ice margin during periods of high lake level may have opened an outlet for discharge of Lake Agassiz into the North Atlantic. A subsequent advance of the ice margin due to greater moisture delivery associated with a low lake level could have dammed the outlet, thereby reducing discharge to the North Atlantic. These variations may have been decisive in causing the Younger Dryas cold even.

Nature↗

USGS1999

Simulating the water balance of the Aral Sea with a coupled regional climate-lake model

Before coupled atmosphere-lake models can be used to study the response of large lake systems to climatic forcings, we must first evaluate how well they simulate the water balance and associated lake atmosphere interactions under present-day conditions. We evaluate the hydrology simulated by a lake model coupled to NCAR's regional climate model (RegCM2) in a study of the Aral Sea. The meteorological variables that are input to the lake model are simulated well by RegCM2. Simulated surface air temperatures closely match observed values, except during spring and fall when the simulated temperatures are too cold. The magnitude of precipitation is too high in the region surrounding the Aral Sea during summer and fall. On a yearly basis, RegCM2 produces a reasonable amount of runoff throughout the drainage basin. The lake model coupled to RegCM2 accurately simulates Aral Sea surface temperatures (SSTs). The lake model also simulates observed mid-winter ice fraction well, although the onset of ice growth occurs too late in the year and the ice melts too rapidly in the spring. The simulated annual evaporation from the Aral Sea is consistent with observed estimates; however, the simulated evaporation is greater than observed during summer and less than observed during winter. In a “stand-alone” lake model simulation, the simulated Aral Sea hydrology does not match observations as closely as in the coupled model experiment. These results suggest that a stand-alone lake model would not accurately simulate the hydrologic response of the Aral Sea to various forcings.

Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres↗

USGS1999

Response of North American freshwater lakes to simulated future climates

We apply a physically based lake model to assess the response of North American lakes to future climate conditions as portrayed by the transient trace-gas simulations conducted with the Max Planck Institute (ECHAM4) and the Canadian Climate Center (CGCM1) atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (A/OGCMs). To quantify spatial patterns of lake responses (temperature, mixing, ice cover, evaporation) we ran the lake model for theoretical lakes of specified area, depth, and transparency over a uniformly spaced (50 km) grid. The simulations were conducted for two 10-year periods that represent present climatic conditions and those around the time of CO2 doubling. Although the climate model output produces simulated lake responses that differ in specific regional details, there is broad agreement with regard to the direction and area of change. In particular, lake temperatures are generally warmer in the future as a result of warmer climatic conditions and a substantial loss (> 100 days/yr) of winter ice cover. Simulated summer lake temperatures are higher than 30??C ever the Midwest and south, suggesting the potential for future disturbance of existing aquatic ecosystems. Overall increases in lake evaporation combine with disparate changes in A/OGCM precipitation to produce future changes in net moisture (precipitation minus evaporation) that are of less fidelity than those of lake temperature.

Conference Paper↗