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USGS2020

Geological and thermal control of the hydrothermal system in northern Yellowstone Lake: Inferences from high resolution magnetic surveys

A multiscale magnetic survey of the northern basin of Yellowstone Lake was undertaken in 2016 as part of the Hydrothermal Dynamics of Yellowstone Lake Project (HD‐YLAKE)—a broad research effort to characterize the cause‐and‐effect relationships between geologic and environmental processes and hydrothermal activity on the lake floor. The magnetic survey includes lake surface, regional aeromagnetic, and near‐bottom autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) data. The study reveals a strong contrast between the northeastern lake basin, characterized by a regional magnetic low punctuated by stronger local magnetic lows, many of which host hydrothermal vent activity, and the northwestern lake basin with higher‐amplitude magnetic anomalies and no obvious hydrothermal activity or punctuated magnetic lows. The boundary between these two regions is marked by a steep gradient in heat flow and magnetic values, likely reflecting a significant structure within the currently active ~20‐km‐long Eagle Bay‐Lake Hotel fault zone that may be related to the ~2.08‐Ma Huckleberry Ridge caldera rim. Modeling suggests that the broad northeastern magnetic low reflects both a shallower Curie isotherm and widespread hydrothermal activity that has demagnetized the rock. Along the western lake shoreline are sinuous‐shaped, high‐amplitude magnetic anomaly highs, interpreted as lava flow fronts of upper units of the West Thumb rhyolite. The AUV magnetic survey shows decreased magnetization at the periphery of the active Deep Hole hydrothermal vent. We postulate that lower magnetization in the outer zone results from enhanced hydrothermal alteration of rhyolite by hydrothermal condensates while the vapor‐dominated center of the vent is less altered.

Wyoming↗

USGS2020

Sediment connectivity: A framework for analyzing coastal sediment transport pathways

Connectivity provides a framework for analyzing coastal sediment transport pathways, building on conceptual advances in graph theory from other scientific disciplines. Connectivity schematizes sediment pathways as a directed graph (i.e., a set of nodes and links). This study presents a novel application of graph theory and connectivity metrics like modularity and centrality to coastal sediment dynamics, exemplified here using Ameland Inlet in the Netherlands. We divide the study site into geomorphic cells (i.e., nodes) and then quantify sediment transport between these cells (i.e., links) using a numerical model. The system of cells and fluxes between them is then schematized in a network described by an adjacency matrix. Network metrics like link density, asymmetry, and modularity quantify system‐wide connectivity. The degree, strength, and centrality of individual nodes identify key locations and pathways throughout the system. For instance, these metrics indicate that under strictly tidal forcing, sand originating near shore predominantly bypasses Ameland Inlet via the inlet channels, whereas sand on the deeper foreshore mainly bypasses the inlet via the outer delta shoals. Connectivity analysis can also inform practical management decisions about where to place sand nourishments, the fate of nourishment sand, or how to monitor locations vulnerable to perturbations. There are still open challenges associated with quantifying connectivity at varying space and time scales and the development of connectivity metrics specific to coastal systems. Nonetheless, connectivity provides a promising technique for predicting the response of our coasts to climate change and the human adaptations it provokes.

Ameland Inlet↗

USGS2015

Dynamics of an open basaltic magma system: The 2008 activity of the Halema‘uma‘u Overlook vent, Kīlauea Caldera

On March 19, 2008 a small explosive event accompanied the opening of a 35-m-wide vent (Overlook vent) on the southeast wall of Halema‘uma‘u Crater in Kīlauea Caldera, initiating an eruptive period that extends to the time of writing. The peak of activity, in 2008, consisted of alternating background open-system outgassing and spattering punctuated by sudden, short-lived weak explosions, triggered by collapses of the walls of the vent and conduit. Near-daily sampling of the tephra from this open system, along with exceptionally detailed observations, allow us to study the dynamics of the activity during two eruptive sequences in late 2008. Each sequence includes background activity preceding and following one or more explosions in September and October 2008 respectively. Componentry analyses were performed for daily samples to characterise the diversity of the ejecta. Nine categories of pyroclasts were identified in all the samples, including wall-rock fragments. The six categories of juvenile clasts can be grouped in three classes based on vesicularity: (1) poorly, (2) uniformly highly to extremely, and (3) heterogeneously highly vesicular. The wall-rock and juvenile clasts show dissimilar grainsize distributions, reflecting different fragmentation mechanisms. The wall-rock particles formed by failure of the vent and conduit walls above the magma free surface and were then passively entrained in the eruptive plume. The juvenile componentry reveals consistent contrasts in degassing and fragmentation processes before, during and after the explosive events. We infer a crude ‘layering’ developed in the shallow melt, in terms of both rheology and bubble and volatile contents, beneath a convecting free surface during background activity. A tens-of-centimetres thick viscoelastic surface layer was effectively outgassed and relatively cool, while at depths of less than 100 m, the melt remained slightly supersaturated in volatiles and actively vesiculating. Decoupled metre-sized bubbles rising through the column burst through the free surface frequently, ejecting fragments of the outgassed upper layer. When the surface was abruptly perturbed by the rock-falls, existing mm-sized bubbles expanded, leading to the acceleration of adjacent melt upward and consecutive explosions, while renewed nucleation created a minor population of 10-micron-sized bubbles. After each explosive event in September–October 2008, this layering was re-established but with decreasing vigour, suggesting that the magma batch as a whole was becoming progressively depleted in dissolved volatiles.

Hawai'i↗

USGS2021

An eddy-resolving numerical model to study turbulent flow, sediment and bed evolution using detached eddy simulation in a lateral separation zone at the field-scale

Turbulence-resolving simulations elucidate key elements of fluid dynamics and sediment transport in fluvial environments. This research presents a feasible strategy for applying state-of-the-art computational fluid mechanics to the study of sediment transport and morphodynamic processes in lateral separation zones, which are common features in canyon rivers where massive lateral flow separation causes large-scale turbulence that controls sediment erosion and deposition. An eddy-resolving model was developed and tested at the field-scale, coupling a viscous flow and sediment transport solver using Detached Eddy Simulation techniques. A morphodynamic model was applied to the viscous flow/sediment solver to calculate erosion and deposition. A simulation of turbulence was performed at the grid resolution for a straight channel to determine the relative contributions of modeled and resolved diffusivity. The time-dependent, energetically important, correlative, non-stationary signals of the simulated quantities were captured at the lateral separation zone. Strong periodic signals featured by high amplitude were found at the separation zone, while low frequency pulsations were observed at the reattachment zone of the lateral separation zone. Interactions between the eddies and the loose bed boundaries resulted in erosion of sediment at the main channel followed by deposition at the primary eddy and eddy bars. tions elucidate key elements of fluid dynamics and sediment transport in fluvial environments. This research presents a feasible strategy for applying state-of-the-art computational fluid mechanics to the study of sediment transport and morphodynamic processes in lateral separation zones, which are common features in canyon rivers where massive lateral flow separation causes large-scale turbulence that controls sediment erosion and deposition. An eddy-resolving model was developed and tested at the field scale, coupling viscous flow and sediment transport solver using Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) techniques. A morphodynamic model was applied to the viscous flow/sediment solver to calculate erosion and deposition. A simulation of turbulence was performed at the grid resolution for a straight channel to determine the relative contributions of modeled and resolved diffusivity. The time-dependent, energetically important, correlative non-stationary signals of the simulated quantities were captured at the lateral separation zone. Strong periodic signals featured by high amplitude were found at the separation zone, while low frequency pulsations were observed at the reattachment zone of the lateral separation zone. Interactions between the eddies and the loose bed boundaries resulted in massive erosion of sediment at the main channel followed by deposition at the primary eddy and eddy bars.

Arizona↗

USGS2010

Iceberg calving as a primary source of regional‐scale glacier‐generated seismicity in the St. Elias Mountains, Alaska

Since the installation of the Alaska Regional Seismic Network in the 1970s, data analysts have noted nontectonic seismic events thought to be related to glacier dynamics. While loose associations with the glaciers of the St. Elias Mountains have been made, no detailed study of the source locations has been undertaken. We performed a two-step investigation surrounding these events, beginning with manual locations that guided an automated detection and event sifting routine. Results from the manual investigation highlight characteristics of the seismic waveforms including single-peaked (narrowband) spectra, emergent onsets, lack of distinct phase arrivals, and a predominant cluster of locations near the calving termini of several neighboring tidewater glaciers. Through these locations, comparison with previous work, analyses of waveform characteristics, frequency-magnitude statistics and temporal patterns in seismicity, we suggest calving as a source for the seismicity. Statistical properties and time series analysis of the event catalog suggest a scale-invariant process that has no single or simple forcing. These results support the idea that calving is often a response to short-lived or localized stress perturbations. Our results demonstrate the utility of passive seismic instrumentation to monitor relative changes in the rate and magnitude of iceberg calving at tidewater glaciers that may be volatile or susceptible to ensuing rapid retreat, especially when existing seismic infrastructure can be used.

Alaska↗

USGS2005

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar study of Okmok volcano, Alaska, 1992-2003: Magma supply dynamics and postemplacement lava flow deformation

Okmok volcano, located in the central Aleutian arc, Alaska, is a dominantly basaltic complex topped with a 10-km-wide caldera that formed circa 2.05 ka. Okmok erupted several times during the 20th century, most recently in 1997; eruptions in 1945, 1958, and 1997 produced lava flows within the caldera. We used 80 interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) images (interferograms) to study transient deformation of the volcano before, during, and after the 1997 eruption. Point source models suggest that a magma reservoir at a depth of 3.2 km below sea level, located beneath the center of the caldera and about 5 km northeast of the 1997 vent, is responsible for observed volcano-wide deformation. The preeruption uplift rate decreased from about 10 cm yr −1 during 1992–1993 to 2 ∼ 3 cm yr −1 during 1993–1995 and then to about −1 ∼ −2 cm yr −1 during 1995–1996. The posteruption inflation rate generally decreased with time during 1997–2001, but increased significantly during 2001–2003. By the summer of 2003, 30 ∼ 60% of the magma volume lost from the reservoir in the 1997 eruption had been replenished. Interferograms for periods before the 1997 eruption indicate consistent subsidence of the surface of the 1958 lava flows, most likely due to thermal contraction. Interferograms for periods after the eruption suggest at least four distinct deformation processes: (1) volcano-wide inflation due to replenishment of the shallow magma reservoir, (2) subsidence of the 1997 lava flows, most likely due to thermal contraction, (3) deformation of the 1958 lava flows due to loading by the 1997 flows, and (4) continuing subsidence of 1958 lava flows buried beneath 1997 flows. Our results provide insights into the postemplacement behavior of lava flows and have cautionary implications for the interpretation of inflation patterns at active volcanoes.

Alaska↗

USGS2024

Predicting characteristic length scales of barrier island segmentation in microtidal environments

Segmented barrier islands can be found in regions with small tidal ranges. In contrast to tidally dominated barriers, where inlet dynamics are thought to control island length scales, the controls on barrier island length scales in wave-dominated environments have not been quantified. These microtidal barriers typically have a curved shoreline, suggesting the influence of wave-driven alongshore sediment transport. Microtidal barriers are also typically hydrodynamically isolated from one another, as weak tidal flows limit interactions between adjoining barriers. To better understand the controls on and scales of barrier segmentation in the relative absence of tides, here we develop a theoretical framework to estimate the alongshore length scales at which a barrier will either breach or heal following a disturbance in the barrier morphology. The non-dimensional framework compares the timescales of overwash (advective) and alongshore sediment transport (diffusive) processes along barrier island chains. We then apply this framework to modern barrier islands in the microtidal Gulf of Mexico using wave hindcast data and the lengths, widths, heights, and lagoon depths measured from remotely sensed geospatial data and topobathymetric data. We find that most of these barriers are currently longer than their critical length scale, often as a result of coastal restoration efforts. Our critical length scale analysis suggests that most of the Gulf of Mexico barriers are vulnerable to segmentation despite coastal restoration efforts intended to protect fisheries and the mainland coasts.

Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi↗

USGS2006

Distribution of stress drop, stiffness, and fracture energy over earthquake rupture zones

Using information provided by slip models and the methodology of McGarr and Fletcher (2002), we map static stress drop, stiffness (k = ????/u, where ???? is static stress drop and u is slip), and fracture energy over the slip surface to investigate the earthquake rupture process and energy budget. For the 1994 M6.7 Northridge, 1992 M7.3 Landers, and 1995 M6.9 Kobe earthquakes, the distributions of static stress drop show strong heterogeneity, emphasizing the importance of asperities in the rupture process. Average values of static stress drop are 17, 11, and 4 Mpa for Northridge, Landers, and Kobe, respectively. These values are substantially higher than estimates based on simple crack models, suggesting that the failure process involves the rupture of asperities within the larger fault zone. Stress drop as a function of depth for the Northridge and Landers earthquakes suggests that stress drops are limited by crustal strength. For these two earthquakes, regions of high slip are surrounded by high values of stiffness. Particularly for the Northridge earthquake, the prominent patch of high slip in the central part of the fault is bordered by a ring of high stiffness and is consistent with expectations based on the failure of an asperity loaded at its edge due to exterior slip. Stiffness within an asperity is inversely related to its dimensions. Estimates of fracture energy, based on static stress drop, slip, and rupture speed, were used to investigate the nature of slip weakening at four locations near the hypocenter of the Kobe earthquake for comparison with independent results based on a dynamic model of this earthquake. One subfault updip and to the NE of the hypocenter has a fracture energy of 1.1 MJ/m2 and a slip-weakening distance, Dc, of 0.66 m. Right triangles, whose base and height are Dc and the dynamic stress drop, respectively, approximately overlie the slip-dependent stress given by Ide and Takeo (1997) for the same locations near the hypocenter. The total fracture energy for the Kobe earthquake, 3.7 ?? 1014 J, is about the same as the seismic energy (Ea = 3.2 ?? 1014 J.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗

USGS2008

Modeling the evolution of channel shape: Balancing computational efficiency with hydraulic fidelity

The cross-sectional shape of a natural river channel controls the capacity of the system to carry water off a landscape, to convey sediment derived from hillslopes, and to erode its bed and banks. Numerical models that describe the response of a landscape to changes in climate or tectonics therefore require formulations that can accommodate evolution of channel cross-sectional geometry. However, fully two-dimensional (2-D) flow models are too computationally expensive to implement in large-scale landscape evolution models, while available simple empirical relationships between width and discharge do not adequately capture the dynamics of channel adjustment. We have developed a simplified 2-D numerical model of channel evolution in a cohesive, detachment-limited substrate subject to steady, unidirectional flow. Erosion is assumed to be proportional to boundary shear stress, which is calculated using an approximation of the flow field in which log-velocity profiles are assumed to apply along vectors that are perpendicular to the local channel bed. Model predictions of the velocity structure, peak boundary shear stress, and equilibrium channel shape compare well with predictions of a more sophisticated but more computationally demanding ray-isovel model. For example, the mean velocities computed by the two models are consistent to within ???3%, and the predicted peak shear stress is consistent to within ???7%. Furthermore, the shear stress distributions predicted by our model compare favorably with available laboratory measurements for prescribed channel shapes. A modification to our simplified code in which the flow includes a high-velocity core allows the model to be extended to estimate shear stress distributions in channels with large width-to-depth ratios. Our model is efficient enough to incorporate into large-scale landscape evolution codes and can be used to examine how channels adjust both cross-sectional shape and slope in response to tectonic and climatic forcing. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface↗

USGS2017

Geomorphic process from topographic form: automating the interpretation of repeat survey data in river valleys

The ability to quantify the processes driving geomorphic change in river valley margins is vital to geomorphologists seeking to understand the relative role of transport mechanisms (e.g. fluvial, aeolian, and hillslope processes) in landscape dynamics. High-resolution, repeat topographic data are becoming readily available to geomorphologists. By contrasting digital elevation models derived from repeat surveys, the transport processes driving topographic changes can be inferred, a method termed ‘mechanistic segregation.’ Unfortunately, mechanistic segregation largely relies on subjective and time consuming manual classification, which has implications both for its reproducibility and the practical scale of its application. Here we present a novel computational workflow for the mechanistic segregation of geomorphic transport processes in geospatial datasets. We apply the workflow to seven sites along the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, where geomorphic transport is driven by a diverse suite of mechanisms. The workflow performs well when compared to field observations, with an overall predictive accuracy of 84% across 113 validation points. The approach most accurately predicts changes due to fluvial processes (100% accuracy) and aeolian processes (96%), with reduced accuracy in predictions of alluvial and colluvial processes (64% and 73%, respectively). Our workflow is designed to be applicable to a diversity of river systems and will likely provide a rapid and objective understanding of the processes driving geomorphic change at the reach and network scales. We anticipate that such an understanding will allow insight into the response of geomorphic transport processes to external forcings, such as shifts in climate, land use, or river regulation, with implications for process-based river management and restoration.

Arizona, Colorado↗

USGS2018

Unraveling the dynamics of magmatic CO2 degassing at Mammoth Mountain, California

The accumulation of magmatic CO 2 beneath low-permeability barriers may lead to the formation of CO 2 -rich gas reservoirs within volcanic systems. Such accumulation is often evidenced by high surface CO 2 emissions that fluctuate over time. The temporal variability in surface degassing is believed in part to reflect a complex interplay between deep magmatic degassing and the permeability of degassing pathways. A better understanding of the dynamics of CO 2 degassing is required to improve monitoring and hazards mitigation in these systems. Owing to the availability of long-term records of CO 2 emissions rates and seismicity, Mammoth Mountain in California constitutes an ideal site towards such predictive understanding. Mammoth Mountain is characterized by intense soil CO 2 degassing (up to ∼1000 t d −1 ) and tree kill areas that resulted from leakage of CO 2 from a CO 2 -rich gas reservoir located in the upper ∼4 km. The release of CO 2 -rich fluids from deeper basaltic intrusions towards the reservoir induces seismicity and potentially reactivates faults connecting the reservoir to the surface. While this conceptual model is well-accepted, there is still a debate whether temporally variable surface CO 2 fluxes directly reflect degassing of intrusions or variations in fault permeability. Here, we report the first large-scale numerical model of fluid and heat transport for Mammoth Mountain. We discuss processes (i) leading to the initial formation of the CO 2 -rich gas reservoir prior to the occurrence of high surface CO 2 degassing rates and (ii) controlling current CO 2 degassing at the surface. Although the modeling settings are site-specific, the key mechanisms discussed in this study are likely at play at other volcanic systems hosting CO 2 -rich gas reservoirs. In particular, our model results illustrate the role of convection in stripping a CO 2 -rich gas phase from a rising hydrothermal fluid and leading to an accumulation of a large mass of CO 2 (∼10 7 –10 8 t) in a shallow gas reservoir. Moreover, we show that both, short-lived (months to years) and long-lived (hundreds of years) events of magmatic fluid injection can lead to critical pressures within the reservoir and potentially trigger fault reactivation. Our sensitivity analysis suggests that observed temporal fluctuations in surface degassing are only indirectly controlled by variations in magmatic degassing and are mainly the result of temporally variable fault permeability. Finally, we suggest that long-term CO 2 emission monitoring, seismic tomography and coupled thermal–hydraulic–mechanical modeling are important for CO 2 -related hazard mitigation.

California↗

USGS2020

SPEAR: The next generation GFDL modeling system for seasonal to multidecadal prediction and projection

We document the development and simulation characteristics of the next generation modeling system for seasonal to decadal prediction and projection at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). SPEAR ( S eamless System for P rediction and EA rth System R esearch) is built from component models recently developed at GFDL—the AM4 atmosphere model, MOM6 ocean code, LM4 land model, and SIS2 sea ice model. The SPEAR models are specifically designed with attributes needed for a prediction model for seasonal to decadal time scales, including the ability to run large ensembles of simulations with available computational resources. For computational speed SPEAR uses a coarse ocean resolution of approximately 1.0° (with tropical refinement). SPEAR can use differing atmospheric horizontal resolutions ranging from 1° to 0.25°. The higher atmospheric resolution facilitates improved simulation of regional climate and extremes. SPEAR is built from the same components as the GFDL CM4 and ESM4 models but with design choices geared toward seasonal to multidecadal physical climate prediction and projection. We document simulation characteristics for the time mean climate, aspects of internal variability, and the response to both idealized and realistic radiative forcing change. We describe in greater detail one focus of the model development process that was motivated by the importance of the Southern Ocean to the global climate system. We present sensitivity tests that document the influence of the Antarctic surface heat budget on Southern Ocean ventilation and deep global ocean circulation. These findings were also useful in the development processes for the GFDL CM4 and ESM4 models.

Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems↗

USGS2006

Acoustic bed velocity and bed load dynamics in a large sand bed river

Development of a practical technology for rapid quantification of bed load transport in large rivers would represent a revolutionary advance for sediment monitoring and the investigation of fluvial dynamics. Measurement of bed load motion with acoustic Doppler current profiles (ADCPs) has emerged as a promising approach for evaluating bed load transport. However, a better understanding of how ADCP data relate to conditions near the stream bed is necessary to make the method practical for quantitative applications. In this paper, we discuss the response of ADCP bed velocity measurements, defined as the near-bed sediment velocity detected by the instrument's bottom-tracking feature, to changing sediment-transporting conditions in the lower Missouri River. Bed velocity represents a weighted average of backscatter from moving bed load particles and spectral reflections from the immobile bed. The ratio of bed velocity to mean bed load particle velocity depends on the concentration of the particles moving in the bed load layer, the bed load layer thickness, and the backscatter strength from a unit area of moving particles relative to the echo strength from a unit area of unobstructed bed. A model based on existing bed load transport theory predicted measured bed velocities from hydraulic and grain size measurements with reasonable success. Bed velocities become more variable and increase more rapidly with shear stress when the transport stage, defined as the ratio of skin friction to the critical shear stress for particle entrainment, exceeds a threshold of about 17. This transition in bed velocity response appears to be associated with the appearance of longer, flatter bed forms at high transport stages.

Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface↗

USGS2016

Ca, Sr and Ba stable isotopes reveal the fate of soil nutrients along a tropical climosequence

Nutrient biolifting is an important pedogenic process in which plant roots obtain inorganic nutrients such as phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) from minerals at depth and concentrate those nutrients at the surface. Here we use soil chemistry and stable isotopes of the alkaline earth elements Ca, strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba) to test the hypothesis that biolifting of P has been an important pedogenic process across a soil climosequence developed on volcanic deposits at Kohala Mountain, Hawaii. The geochemical linkage between these elements is revealed as generally positive site-specific relationships in soil mass gains and losses, particularly for P, Ba and Ca, using the ratio of immobile elements titanium and niobium (Ti/Nb) to link individual soil samples to a restricted compositional range of the chemically and isotopically diverse volcanic parent materials. At sites where P is enriched in surface soils relative to abundances in deeper soils, the isotope compositions of exchangeable Ca, Sr and Ba in the shallowest soil horizons (< 10 cm depth) are lighter than those of the volcanic parent materials and trend toward those of plants growing on fresh volcanic deposits. In contrast the isotope composition of exchangeable Ba in deeper soil horizons (> 10 cm depth) at those sites is consistently heavier than the volcanic parent materials. The isotope compositions of exchangeable Ca and Sr trend toward heavier compositions with depth more gradually, reflecting increasing leakiness from these soils in the order Ba < Sr < Ca and downward transfer of light biocycled Ca and Sr to deeper exchange sites. Given the long-term stability of ecosystem properties at the sites where P is enriched in surface soils, a simple box model demonstrates that persistence of isotopically light exchangeable Ca, Sr and Ba in the shallowest soil horizons requires that the uptake flux to plants from those near-surface layers is less than the recycling flux returned to the surface as litterfall. This observation implicates an uptake flux from an additional source which we attribute to biolifting. We view the heavy exchangeable Ba relative to soil parent values in deeper soils at sites where P is enriched in surface soils, and indeed at all but the wettest site across the climosequence, to represent the complement of an isotopically light Ba fraction removed from these soils by plant roots consistent with the biolifting hypothesis. We further suggest that decreasing heaviness of depth-integrated exchangeable Ba in deeper soils with increasing median annual precipitation across the climosequence reflects greater reliance on shallow nutrient sources as site water balance increases. While the Ca, Sr and Ba isotopes considered together were useful in confirming an important role for nutrient biolifting across the climosequence, the Ba isotopes provided the most robust tracer of biolifting and have the greatest potential to find application as an isotopic proxy for P dynamics in soils.

Hawaii↗

USGS2025

Modeling the influence of upper and lower shoreface dynamics on barrier island evolution

Barrier island resilience to climate impacts depends on sediment redistribution between the subaqueous shoreface and subaerial barrier during sea-level rise and storms. However, autogenic interactions between the upper and lower shoreface and their influence on the subaerial barrier are poorly characterized. Here, we explore the influences of various shoreface components on barrier morphology using a model of barrier and shoreface evolution under sea-level rise, the Articulated Barrier Shoreface (ABSF) Model. This reduced-complexity model divides the shoreface into upper and lower shoreface panels that respond independently to sea-level rise and deviations from the equilibrium slope. We couple the ABSF with the Lorenzo-Trueba & Ashton, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013jf002941 model (LTA), a barrier island evolution model driven by overwash and sea-level rise. Through this coupled framework, we examine the influences of upper and lower shoreface slopes, their respective depths, and sensitivity to wave climate on long-term barrier evolution. Results show that the relative depths of the upper and lower shoreface toes influence barrier response to rising seas, alongside overwash flux and closure depth. Notably, the lower shoreface response to sea-level change lags that of the upper shoreface over decades, diminishing the resilience of the barrier over centennial timescales by slowing the overall barrier response. In fact, the ABSF model predicts barriers will drown faster and more than predicted with a linear shoreface. Results highlight the shoreface as an important sediment reservoir for barrier islands and that differences in upper and lower shoreface responses can reduce barrier resilience to sea-level rise due to limited lower shoreface sediment accessibility.

JGR Earth Surface↗

USGS2019

Holocene thermokarst lake dynamics in northern Interior Alaska: The interplay of climate, fire, and subsurface hydrology

The current state of permafrost in Alaska and meaningful expectations for its future evolution are informed by long-term perspectives of previous permafrost degradation. Thermokarst processes in permafrost landscapes often lead to widespread lake formation and the spatial and temporal evolution of thermokarst lake landscapes reflects the combined effects of climate, ground conditions, vegetation, and fire. This study provides detailed analyses of thermokarst lake sediments of Holocene age from the southern loess uplands of the Yukon Flats; including bathymetry and sediment core analyses across a water depth transect. The sediment core results, dated by radiocarbon and 210Pb, indicate the onset of finely laminated lacustrine sedimentation between ~10,000 and 9,000 cal yr BP following basin development through inferred thermokarst processes. Thermokarst expansion to modern shoreline configurations continued until ~5000 cal yr BP, which may have been influenced by increased fire. Between ~5000 and 2000 cal yr BP, the preservation of fine laminations at intermediate and deep-water depths indicate higher lake levels than present. At that time, the lake likely overflowed into an over-deepened gully system that is no longer occupied by perennial streams. By ~2000 cal yr BP, massive sedimentation at intermediate water depths indicates that lake levels lowered, which is interpreted to reflect a response to drier conditions based on correspondence with Yukon Flats regional fire and local paleoclimate reconstructions. Consideration of additional contributing mechanisms include the possible influence of catastrophic lake drainages on downgradient base flow levels that may have enhanced subsurface water loss, although this mechanism is untested. The overall consistency between the millennial lake level trends documented here with regional paleoclimate trends indicates that after lakes formed, their size and depth has likely been affected directly by North Pacific atmospheric circulation changes and indirectly through evolution of permafrost, ground ice and sub-surface hydrology. As the first detailed study of Holocene thermokarst basin expansion, stabilization and subsequent climate-driven lake level variations in a loess upland, results provide a framework for future investigations of paleoclimatic signals from similar lake systems that characterize large regions of Alaska and Siberia.

Alaska↗

USGS2012

Developing a new stream metric for comparing stream function using a bank-floodplain sediment budget: a case study of three Piedmont streams

A bank and floodplain sediment budget was created for three Piedmont streams tributary to the Chesapeake Bay. The watersheds of each stream varied in land use from urban (Difficult Run) to urbanizing (Little Conestoga Creek) to agricultural (Linganore Creek). The purpose of the study was to determine the relation between geomorphic parameters and sediment dynamics and to develop a floodplain trapping metric for comparing streams with variable characteristics. Net site sediment budgets were best explained by gradient at Difficult Run, floodplain width at Little Conestoga Creek, and the relation of channel cross-sectional area to floodplain width at Linganore Creek. A correlation for all streams indicated that net site sediment budget was best explained by relative floodplain width (ratio of channel width to floodplain width). A new geomorphic metric, the floodplain trapping factor, was used to compare sediment budgets between streams with differing suspended sediment yields. Site sediment budgets were normalized by floodplain area and divided by the stream's sediment yield to provide a unitless measure of floodplain sediment trapping. A floodplain trapping factor represents the amount of upland sediment that a particular floodplain site can trap (e.g. a factor of 5 would indicate that a particular floodplain site traps the equivalent of 5 times that area in upland erosional source area). Using this factor we determined that Linganore Creek had the highest gross and net (floodplain deposition minus bank erosion) floodplain trapping factor (107 and 46, respectively) that Difficult Run the lowest gross floodplain trapping factor (29) and Little Conestoga Creek had the lowest net floodplain trapping factor (–14, indicating that study sites were net contributors to the suspended sediment load). The trapping factor is a robust metric for comparing three streams of varied watershed and geomorphic character, it promises to be a useful tool for future stream assessments.

Piedmont;Difficult Run;Little Conestoga Creek;Ling↗

USGS2025

Improving hydroacoustic methods for monitoring suspended-sand flux and grain size in sediment-laden rivers

Suspended-sand concentration and grain-size data in rivers provide valuable information on the catchment's dynamics for scientists and river managers. Producing continuous measurements of suspended-sand concentrations remains a scientific challenge due to their high spatial and temporal variability. Traditional methods such as sediment-rating curves may be highly uncertain, and optical turbidity is insensitive to coarse particles when there are many fine particles. Surrogate hydroacoustic methods aim to improve sand concentration measurements. These single- or dual-frequency acoustic methods use acoustic attenuation and/or backscatter to estimate fine-sediment (i.e., silt and clay) and/or sand concentration and possibly grain size. New methods have recently been developed and applied in rivers exhibiting a wide range of sediment conditions in North America but not independently tested elsewhere by other researchers. In this article, we apply, adapt and evaluate hydroacoustic methods to continuously estimate suspended-sand concentration and grain size in an Alpine river with high suspended-sediment concentrations. From the example of the River Isère at Grenoble Campus, France, we show that the hydroacoustic methods adapted to local conditions may yield valuable sand concentration estimates consistent with traditional measurements. Compared with prior knowledge, limited additional information on the grain size can be obtained due to high uncertainties. Hydroacoustic concentration estimates are more sensitive to real changes in concentration at the event scale than traditional rating-curve methods that relate concentration to discharge only. These findings open the perspective for facilitated sand concentration monitoring at a higher temporal resolution with decreased field work.

Grenoble Campus↗