Lagrangian modeling of bedload movement via the impulse entrainment method

At low shear stresses merely above incipient conditions, the characteristic travel patterns of bedload particles remain difficult to predict due to intermittent movement. At these conditions, particles rest, are entrained into the flow when sufficient momentum transfer from near-bed turbulence occurs, and then come to rest again. The overarching goal of this research is to close the critical gaps related to intermittent movement in order to allow for Lagrangian modeling of bedload at near incipient conditions. Thereby, the specific objectives of the present work are to predict the statistics of (1) the particle resting time, tR, and (2) the magnitude of hydrodynamic momentum transfer (or impulse) during entrainment, Ient. To predict these statistics, we employed the conceptual framework of the impulse entrainment method and predicted impulse statistics by simulating turbulent time series realizations with a generic, regime-based streamwise velocity spectrum. Model validation was carried out by directly comparing simulation results with published experimental impulse and particle entrainment statistics. Model predictions showed that an increase in stress was correlated with a sharp decrease in the average tR and an increase in Ient

Critical transition in critical zone of intensively managed landscapes

Expansion and intensification of managed landscapes for agriculture have resulted in severe unintended global impacts, including degradation of arable land and eutrophication of receiving water bodies. Modern agricultural practices rely on significant direct and indirect human energy inputs through farm machinery and chemical use, respectively, which have created imbalances between increased rates of biogeochemical processes related to production and background rates of natural processes. We articulate how these imbalances have cascaded through the deep inter-dependencies between carbon, soil, water, nutrient and ecological processes, resulting in a critical transition of the critical zone and creating emergent inter-dependencies and co-evolutionary trajectories. Understanding of these novel organizations and function of the critical zone is vital for developing sustainable agricultural practices and environmental stewardship