Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria del Pilar Alvarez, Eleonora Carol, Ines Eymard, Andres Bilmes, Daniel Ariztegui
Summary: This study examines the hydrochemical processes in two shallow saline lakes in Patagonia and identifies the influence of groundwater flow on the salinity and evolution of salt crusts in these lakes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Giulia Battista, Fritz Schlunegger, Paolo Burlando, Peter Molnar
Summary: This paper introduces a variable landslide sediment supply in relation to topography, hydrology, and hillslope activity. The study uses a model to analyze the dynamics of sediment storage in a mesoscale pre-Alpine basin, simulating various transport- and supply-limited conditions to quantify the variability of sediment concentrations and load. The results show that supply limitation reduces the natural variability of hydrological and sediment transport processes, and the alternation of low and high sediment availability favors sediment load variability at the outlet.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Diana Marcela Ruiz Ordonez, Yineth Viviana Camacho De Angulo, Edgar Leonairo Pencue Fierro, Apolinar Figueroa Casas
Summary: This study evaluates the water ecosystem services (WES) in an Andean supply basin in Colombia, considering the impact of socio-ecological dynamics on the ecosystem services supply and the generation of effective water management strategies. The results indicate that the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modeling can be used to assess the capacity of the basin for water supply and plan for appropriate water resource utilization by incorporating biophysical and sociocultural components.
Article
Geography, Physical
Luis R. Horta, Juan Bautista Belardi, Sergio M. Georgieff, Flavia Carballo Marina
Summary: This study investigates the paleogeographic evolution of Viedma Lake through the analysis of sedimentary sequences. The research reveals the fluctuations in lake level between 27 ka and 2.4 ka, which have an impact on human activities along the coast.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Hongyan Xu, Jiawei Fan, Hanchao Jiang, Xiaotong Wei, Yanming Yang, Wei Shi, Qiaoqiao Guo, Siqi Zhang
Summary: This study reconstructed the climate and landscape changes in the southern Altai Mountains over the past 3500 years using radiocarbon dating and pollen analysis. The findings show that the region experienced a humid climate, supporting the growth of taiga and steppe vegetation, during 1550 BCE-720 BCE. From 720 BCE-390 CE, the climate was warm and human activities increased. Desert-steppe developed in response to increased aridity and/or human activities during 390 CE-1560 CE. After 1560 CE, the taiga and steppe recovered due to a return to humid conditions. Human activities have been the key factor affecting vegetation in the past 2000 years.
Article
Forestry
Lucas O. Bianchi, Ricardo Villalba, Facundo J. Oddi, Ignacio A. Mundo, Marcos Radins, Mariano M. Amoroso, Ana Marina Srur, Anabela Bonada
Summary: The study aims to evaluate the influence of climate variability, landscape variations, and human activities on fire occurrence and size at a basin scale. Dendrochronological techniques were used to update the fire history, and maximum entropy models, general linear models, and superposed epoch analysis were employed to assess the influence of climate, landscape, and humans on fire occurrence and size. The results showed that fire occurrence increased with the arrival of settlers in the early 20th century and decreased in the early 21st century due to a shift in recognition of the ecosystem services provided by forests. Furthermore, fire intervals, the number of fires during drier years, and fire size increased along a northwest-southeast gradient of decreasing precipitation. The study highlights the importance of human activities, climate, and landscape characteristics in shaping fire regimes and contributes to a better understanding at larger spatial scales.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
N. Fagel, P. Pedreros, D. Alvarez, W. Tylmann, O. Namur, A. C. Da Silva, P. Jana, A. Araneda, I Billy, S. Schmidt, R. Urrutia
Summary: Paleoclimate studies in Patagonia show high Holocene climate variability, mainly controlled by the Southern Westerly Winds. This study reconstructed environmental and climate variability in North East Patagonia over the last centuries, highlighting the influence of the Southern Westerly Winds on sediment thickness and geochemical data.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
W. Geoffrey Spaulding, Douglas B. Sims, Korey T. Harvey
Summary: This study investigates the existence of paleolakes in the isolated watersheds of the Mojave Desert, confirming their presence and the active nature of basin margins. The research shows that evidence of past high-lake stands is often buried but preserved by geomorphic processes, and suggests that the basin margin is where evidence of pluvial lakes should be sought. Some Holocene paleolakes in the Ivanpah basin seem to have persisted for decades to centuries.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Mauricio Gonzalez Guillot, Juan Federico Ponce
Summary: The basalt cycles in extra-Andean Patagonia were formed in a main-plateau and a post-plateau stage. Field evidence suggests that lava shields were formed during or soon after deglaciation, while scoria cones formed before ice retreat or at interglacial stages. The petrogenesis of lava shield basalts involved low degree partial melting of a garnet lherzolite source at the waning of the post-plateau stage, followed by high pressure fractionation.
BULLETIN OF VOLCANOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuanxin Cao, Chunye Lin, Xuan Zhang
Summary: The study found that arsenic concentration in Lake Qinghai was higher than in the river water, and also higher in the soil than in the lake water, indicating the transfer of arsenic from dissolved phase to solid phase. Additionally, more calcium than arsenic precipitated in the lake water.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Brody Granger, Bernard Laval, Svein Vagle, Ellen L. Petticrew, Philip N. Owens, Susan A. Baldwin
Summary: In 2014, a tailings dam failure at Mount Polley Mine caused a large amount of mine waste to enter Quesnel Lake. The study found that suspended sediment concentrations remained elevated for several seasons postspill but gradually decreased, and it is predicted to return to pre-spill levels after approximately 7 years.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jialu Li, Qiting Zuo, Feng Feng, Hongtao Jia
Summary: Wuliangsuhai Lake, one of the largest freshwater lakes in China, plays a crucial role in protecting the ecological security of the Yellow River Basin. This study assessed the pollution of heavy metals in the lake and found that the surface sediments are heavily polluted with cadmium and mercury being the main pollutants. Furthermore, the study revealed that the pollution level of sediments decreases with depth.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Guy J. G. Paxman, Jacqueline Austermann, Kirsty J. Tinto
Summary: Research has discovered a paleo-lake basin beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet, containing a network of ancient river channels that record landscape evolution during past glacial and interglacial periods. This basin may hold valuable information about past environmental conditions in northwest Greenland and could be a promising target for future geological exploration.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Anna Kudriavtseva, Edward R. Sobel, Alexandru T. Codilean, Maud J. M. Meijers, Andreas Mulch, Gregory D. Hoke, David Fink, Alexander Mikolaichuk, Reka-H. Fulop, Klaus M. Wilcken, T. Gabriel Enge
Summary: This study shows that the uplift of the Tian Shan range altered the regional climate in Central Asia during Cenozoic aridification. The growth of the mountain range changed the wind patterns and led to increased aridity in the Issyk-Kul basin, resulting in the formation of lakes. Changes in the river systems and tectonic activities also played a role in the formation of lakes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jinghui Li
Summary: A comprehensive understanding of the multiple factors affecting ecosystem services supply and demand balance is essential for effective ecosystem management and policy making. In this study, the supply-demand balance of four types of ecosystem services in Taihu Lake Basin, China was analyzed using models and mapping techniques. The results showed spatial heterogeneity and imbalance in the supply and demand of ecosystem services, with the greatest imbalances in urban areas. Multiple factors, such as vegetation index, elevation, precipitation, and human disturbance, were found to influence ecosystem service balance. Recommendations were made for watershed management, including increasing the number of small-scale community parks in urban centers and expanding green spaces in suburban areas.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)