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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
USGS2013

Photometric properties of Mars soils analogs

We have measured the bidirectional reflectance of analogs of dry, wet, and frozen Martian soils over a wide range of phase angles in the visible spectral range. All samples were produced from two geologic samples: the standard JSC Mars-1 soil simulant and Hawaiian basaltic sand. In a first step, experiments were conducted with the dry samples to investigate the effects of surface texture. Comparisons with results independently obtained by different teams with similar samples showed a satisfying reproducibility of the photometric measurements as well as a noticeable influence of surface textures resulting from different sample preparation procedures. In a second step, water was introduced to produce wet and frozen samples and their photometry investigated. Optical microscope images of the samples provided information about their microtexture. Liquid water, even in relatively low amount, resulted in the disappearance of the backscattering peak and the appearance of a forward-scattering peak whose intensity increases with the amount of water. Specular reflections only appeared when water was present in an amount large enough to allow water to form a film at the surface of the sample. Icy samples showed a wide variability of photometric properties depending on the physical properties of the water ice. We discuss the implications of these measurements in terms of the expected photometric behavior of the Martian surface, from equatorial to circum-polar regions. In particular, we propose some simple photometric criteria to improve the identification of wet and/or icy soils from multiple observations under different geometries.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2008

Reconstructed historical land cover and biophysical parameters for studies of land-atmosphere interactions within the eastern United States

Over the past 350 years, the eastern half of the United States experienced extensive land cover changes. These began with land clearing in the 1600s, continued with widespread deforestation, wetland drainage, and intensive land use by 1920, and then evolved to the present-day landscape of forest regrowth, intensive agriculture, urban expansion, and landscape fragmentation. Such changes alter biophysical properties that are key determinants of land-atmosphere interactions (water, energy, and carbon exchanges). To understand the potential implications of these land use transformations, we developed and analyzed 20-km land cover and biophysical parameter data sets for the eastern United States at 1650, 1850, 1920, and 1992 time slices. Our approach combined potential vegetation, county-level census data, soils data, resource statistics, a Landsat-derived land cover classification, and published historical information on land cover and land use. We reconstructed land use intensity maps for each time slice and characterized the land cover condition. We combined these land use data with a mutually consistent set of biophysical parameter classes, to characterize the historical diversity and distribution of land surface properties. Time series maps of land surface albedo, leaf area index, a deciduousness index, canopy height, surface roughness, and potential saturated soils in 1650, 1850, 1920, and 1992 illustrate the profound effects of land use change on biophysical properties of the land surface. Although much of the eastern forest has returned, the average biophysical parameters for recent landscapes remain markedly different from those of earlier periods. Understanding the consequences of these historical changes will require land-atmosphere interactions modeling experiments.

Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres↗
USGS2009

Interactions between soil thermal and hydrological dynamics in the response of Alaska ecosystems to fire disturbance

Soil temperature and moisture are important factors that control many ecosystem processes. However, interactions between soil thermal and hydrological processes are not adequately understood in cold regions, where the frozen soil, fire disturbance, and soil drainage play important roles in controlling interactions among these processes. These interactions were investigated with a new ecosystem model framework, the dynamic organic soil version of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Model, that incorporates an efficient and stable numerical scheme for simulating soil thermal and hydrological dynamics within soil profiles that contain a live moss horizon, fibrous and amorphous organic horizons, and mineral soil horizons. The performance of the model was evaluated for a tundra burn site that had both preburn and postburn measurements, two black spruce fire chronosequences (representing space-for-time substitutions in well and intermediately drained conditions), and a poorly drained black spruce site. Although space-for-time substitutions present challenges in model-data comparison, the model demonstrates substantial ability in simulating the dynamics of evapotranspiration, soil temperature, active layer depth, soil moisture, and water table depth in response to both climate variability and fire disturbance. Several differences between model simulations and field measurements identified key challenges for evaluating/improving model performance that include (1) proper representation of discrepancies between air temperature and ground surface temperature; (2) minimization of precipitation biases in the driving data sets; (3) improvement of the measurement accuracy of soil moisture in surface organic horizons; and (4) proper specification of organic horizon depth/properties, and soil thermal conductivity.

Alaska↗
USGS1999

The color of the Martian sky and its influence on the illumination of the Martian surface

The dust in the atmosphere above the Mars Pathfinder landing site produced a bright, red sky that increases in redness toward the horizon at midday. There is also evidence for an absorption band in the scattered light from the sky at 860 nm. A model of the sky brightness has been developed [ Markiewicz et al. , this issue] and tested against Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) observations of calibration targets on the lander. The resulting model has been used to quantify the total diffuse flux onto a surface parallel to the local level for several solar elevation angles and optical depths. The model shows that the diffuse illumination in shadowed areas is strongly reddened while areas illuminated directly by the Sun (and the blue forward scattering peak) see a more solar-type spectrum, in agreement with Viking and IMP observations. Quantitative corrections for the reddening in shadowed areas are demonstrated. It is shown quantitatively that the unusual appearance of the rock Yogi (the east face of which appeared relatively blue in images taken during the morning but relatively red during the afternoon) can be explained purely by the changing illumination geometry. We conclude that any spectrophotometric analysis of surfaces on Mars must take into account the diffuse flux. Specifically, the reflectances of surfaces viewed under different illumination geometries cannot be investigated for spectral diversity unless a correction has been applied which removes the influence of the reddened diffuse flux.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2012

H2O grain size and the amount of dust in Mars' residual North polar cap

In Mars' north polar cap the probable composition of material residual from the annual condensation cycle is a mixture of fine dust and H 2 O grains of comparable size and abundance. However, metamorphism of such material will gradually lower its albedo by increasing the size of the H 2 O grains only. If the cap is undergoing net annual sublimation (as inferred from water vapor observations), late summer observations should be of old ice with H 2 O grain sizes of 100 μm or more. Ice of this granularity containing 30% fine dust has a reflectivity similar to that of dust alone; the observed albedo and computed ice grain size imply dust concentrations of 1 part per 1000 or less. The brightness of the icy areas conflicts with what would be expected for a residual cap deposited by an annual cycle similar to that observed by Viking and aged for thousands of years. The residual cap surface cannot be “old dirty” ice. It could be old, coarse, and clean; or it could be young, fine, and dirty. This brings into question both the source of the late summer water vapor and the formation rate of laminated terrain.

Journal of Geophysical Research↗
USGS2007

Surface temperature patterns in complex terrain: Daily variations and long-term change in the central Sierra Nevada, California

A realistic description of how temperatures vary with elevation is crucial for ecosystem studies and for models of basin-scale snowmelt and spring streamflow. This paper explores surface temperature variability using temperature data from an array of 37 sensors, called the Yosemite network, which traverses both slopes of the Sierra Nevada in the vicinity of Yosemite National Park, California. These data indicate that a simple lapse rate is often a poor description of the spatial temperature structure. Rather, the spatial pattern of temperature over the Yosemite network varies considerably with synoptic conditions. Empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) were used to identify the dominant spatial temperature patterns and how they vary in time. Temporal variations of these surface temperature patterns were correlated with large-scale weather conditions, as described by National Centers for Environmental Prediction-National Center for Atmospheric Research Reanalysis data. Regression equations were used to downscale larger-scale weather parameters, such as Reanalysis winds and pressure, to the surface temperature structure over the Yosemite network. These relationships demonstrate that strong westerly winds are associated with relatively warmer temperatures on the east slope and cooler temperatures on the west slope of the Sierra, and weaker westerly winds are associated with the opposite pattern. Reanalysis data from 1948 to 2005 indicate weakening westerlies over this time period, a trend leading to relatively cooler temperatures on the east slope over decadal timescale's. This trend also appears in long-term observations and demonstrates the need to consider topographic effects when examining long-term changes in mountain regions. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres↗
USGS2003

GCIP water and energy budget synthesis (WEBS)

As part of the World Climate Research Program's (WCRPs) Global Energy and Water-Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Continental-scale International Project (GCIP), a preliminary water and energy budget synthesis (WEBS) was developed for the period 1996-1999 fromthe "best available" observations and models. Besides this summary paper, a companion CD-ROM with more extensive discussion, figures, tables, and raw data is available to the interested researcher from the GEWEX project office, the GAPP project office, or the first author. An updated online version of the CD-ROM is also available at http://ecpc.ucsd.edu/gcip/webs.htm/. Observations cannot adequately characterize or "close" budgets since too many fundamental processes are missing. Models that properly represent the many complicated atmospheric and near-surface interactions are also required. This preliminary synthesis therefore included a representative global general circulation model, regional climate model, and a macroscale hydrologic model as well as a global reanalysis and a regional analysis. By the qualitative agreement among the models and available observations, it did appear that we now qualitatively understand water and energy budgets of the Mississippi River Basin. However, there is still much quantitative uncertainty. In that regard, there did appear to be a clear advantage to using a regional analysis over a global analysis or a regional simulation over a global simulation to describe the Mississippi River Basin water and energy budgets. There also appeared to be some advantage to using a macroscale hydrologic model for at least the surface water budgets. Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres↗
USGS2016

Influence of land-atmosphere feedbacks on temperature and precipitation extremes in the GLACE-CMIP5 ensemble

We examine how soil moisture variability and trends affect the simulation of temperature and precipitation extremes in six global climate models using the experimental protocol of the Global Land-Atmosphere Coupling Experiment of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Phase 5 (GLACE-CMIP5). This protocol enables separate examinations of the influences of soil moisture variability and trends on the intensity, frequency, and duration of climate extremes by the end of the 21st century under a business-as-usual (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5) emission scenario. Removing soil moisture variability significantly reduces temperature extremes over most continental surfaces, while wet precipitation extremes are enhanced in the tropics. Projected drying trends in soil moisture lead to increases in intensity, frequency, and duration of temperature extremes by the end of the 21st century. Wet precipitation extremes are decreased in the tropics with soil moisture trends in the simulations, while dry extremes are enhanced in some regions, in particular the Mediterranean and Australia. However, the ensemble results mask considerable differences in the soil moisture trends simulated by the six climate models. We find that the large differences between the models in soil moisture trends, which are related to an unknown combination of differences in atmospheric forcing (precipitation, net radiation), flux partitioning at the land surface, and how soil moisture is parameterized, imply considerable uncertainty in future changes in climate extremes.

Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres↗
USGS1986

Field observations of bed shear stress and sediment resuspension on continental shelves, Alaska and California

Bed shear stress was estimated using wave and current measurements obtained with the GEOPROBE bottom-tripod system during resuspension events in Norton Sound, Alaska, and on the northern California shelf. The boundary-layer model of Grant and Madsen (1979, Journal of Geophysical Research, 84, 1797-1808) was used to compute the bed shear stress under combined wave-generated and quasi-steady currents. Resuspension events were identified by sudden, large increases in light scattering at 1.9 m above the sea floor. The shear-stress values were used to compute the Shields parameter (??). The results for Norton Sound are in excellent agreement with the Shields threshold criterion; the data for the California shelf plot somewhat above the Shields threshold curve, though generally within the scatter envelope. Although the surface sediments in each area contain substantial fine-grained fractions (mean diameters were 0.007 cm in Norton Sound and 0.002 cm on the California shelf), the results do not indicate significant cohesion, because the sediment was entrained at bed shear-stress values close to those predicted by the modified Shields curve for cohesionless fine-grained particles. We suspect that frequent wave stirring and observed plowing of the surface sediment by benthonic animals maintain a high water content and contribute to the ease with which these materials are resuspended.

Alaska, California↗
USGS2014

Radiocarbon age-offsets in an arctic lake reveal the long-term response of permafrost carbon to climate change

Continued warming of the Arctic may cause permafrost to thaw and speed the decomposition of large stores of soil organic carbon (OC), thereby accentuating global warming. However, it is unclear if recent warming has raised the current rates of permafrost OC release to anomalous levels or to what extent soil carbon release is sensitive to climate forcing. Here we use a time series of radiocarbon age-offsets ( 14 C) between the bulk lake sediment and plant macrofossils deposited in an arctic lake as an archive for soil and permafrost OC release over the last 14,500 years. The lake traps and archives OC imported from the watershed and allows us to test whether prior warming events stimulated old carbon release and heightened age-offsets. Today, the age-offset (2 ka; thousand of calibrated years before A.D. 1950) and the depositional rate of ancient OC from the watershed into the lake are relatively low and similar to those during the Younger Dryas cold interval (occurring 12.9–11.7 ka). In contrast, age-offsets were higher (3.0–5.0 ka) when summer air temperatures were warmer than present during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (11.7–9.0 ka) and Bølling-Allerød periods (14.5–12.9 ka). During these warm times, permafrost thaw contributed to ancient OC depositional rates that were ~10 times greater than today. Although permafrost OC was vulnerable to climate warming in the past, we suggest surface soil organic horizons and peat are presently limiting summer thaw and carbon release. As a result, the temperature threshold to trigger widespread permafrost OC release is higher than during previous warming events.

Alaska↗
USGS2021

Spatiotemporal dynamics of CO2 gas exchange from headwater mountain streams

Mountain streams play an important role in the global carbon cycle by transporting, metabolizing, and exchanging carbon they receive from the terrestrial environment. The rates at which these processes occur remain highly uncertain because of a paucity of observations and the difficulty of measuring gas exchange rates in steep, turbulent mountain streams. This uncertainty is compounded by large temporal and spatial variability in stream carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations in mountain environments. In this study, we measured diel, seasonal, and annual variations in CO 2 partial pressure ( p CO 2 ) in seven headwater streams and a groundwater spring in the Colorado Rocky Mountains to determine how CO 2 exchange fluxes ( ) vary with time, annual precipitation, and landscape characteristics. Our results show that temporal variability in p CO 2 and in mountain streams is large and is strongly influenced by solar radiation, the accumulation and melting of seasonal snowpacks, and interannual variations in precipitation. Spatial variations in p CO 2 and were related to landscape characteristics, with soil organic matter, wetlands, and likely groundwater discharge zones having a positive influence. Periglacial features, such as ice and rock glaciers, had a negative influence on stream p CO 2 and . Estimated from streams in an alpine/subalpine region of Colorado was 3.4 kg C m −2 yr −1 normalized to stream surface area (95% CI: 2.1–5.0 kg C m −2 yr −1 ), consistent with recent work on CO 2 exchange from mountain streams in the Swiss Alps. Our results highlight the importance of mountain streams as substantial contributors in the global carbon cycle.

Colorado↗
USGS1999

Preliminary results on photometric properties of materials at the Sagan Memorial Station, Mars

Reflectance measurements of selected rocks and soils over a wide range of illumination geometries obtained by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) camera provide constraints on interpretations of the physical and mineralogical nature of geologic materials at the landing site. The data sets consist of (1) three small “photometric spot” subframed scenes, covering phase angles from 20° to 150°; (2) two image strips composed of three subframed images each, located along the antisunrise and antisunset lines (photometric equator), covering phase angles from ∼0° to 155°; and (3) full‐image scenes of the rock “Yogi,” covering phase angles from 48° to 100°. Phase functions extracted from calibrated data exhibit a dominantly backscattering photometric function, consistent with the results from the Viking lander cameras. However, forward scattering behavior does appear at phase angles >140°, particularly for the darker gray rock surfaces. Preliminary efforts using a Hapke scattering model are useful in comparing surface properties of different rock and soil types but are not well constrained, possibly due to the incomplete phase angle availability, uncertainties related to the photometric function of the calibration targets, and/or the competing effects of diffuse and direct lighting. Preliminary interpretations of the derived Hapke parameters suggest that (1) red rocks can be modeled as a mixture of gray rocks with a coating of bright and dark soil or dust, and (2) gray rocks have macroscopically smoother surfaces composed of microscopically homogeneous, clear materials with little internal scattering, which may imply a glass‐like or varnished surface.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2006

Constraints on the mechanism of long-term, steady subsidence at Medicine Lake volcano, northern California, from GPS, leveling, and InSAR

Leveling surveys across Medicine Lake volcano (MLV) have documented subsidence that is centered on the summit caldera and decays symmetrically on the flanks of the edifice. Possible mechanisms for this deformation include fluid withdrawal from a subsurface reservoir, cooling/crystallization of subsurface magma, loading by the volcano and dense intrusions, and crustal thinning due to tectonic extension (Dzurisin et al., 1991 [Dzurisin, D., Donnelly-Nolan, J.M., Evans, J.R., Walter, S.R., 1991. Crustal subsidence, seismicity, and structure near Medicine Lake Volcano, California. Journal of Geophysical Research 96, 16, 319-16, 333.]; Dzurisin et al., 2002 [Dzurisin, D., Poland, M.P., Bürgmann, R., 2002. Steady subsidence of Medicine Lake Volcano, Northern California, revealed by repeated leveling surveys. Journal of Geophysical Research 107, 2372, doi:10.1029/2001JB000893.]). InSAR data that approximate vertical displacements are similar to the leveling results; however, vertical deformation data alone are not sufficient to distinguish between source mechanisms. Horizontal displacements from GPS were collected in the Mt. Shasta/MLV region in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2004. These results suggest that the region is part of the western Oregon block that is rotating about an Euler pole in eastern Oregon. With this rotation removed, most sites in the network have negligible velocities except for those near MLV caldera. There, measured horizontal velocities are less than predicted from ∼10 km deep point and dislocation sources of volume loss based on the leveling data; therefore volumetric losses simulated by these sources are probably not causing the observed subsidence at MLV. This result demonstrates that elastic models of subsurface volume change can provide misleading results where additional geophysical and geological constraints are unavailable, or if only vertical deformation is known. The deformation source must be capable of causing broad vertical deformation with comparatively smaller horizontal displacements. Thermoelastic contraction of a column of hot rock beneath the volcano cannot reproduce the observed ratio of vertical to horizontal surface displacements. Models that determine deformation due to loading by the volcano and dense intrusions can be made to fit the pattern of vertical displacements by assuming a weak upper crust beneath MLV, though the subsidence rates due to surface loading must be lower than the observed displacements. Tectonic extension is almost certainly occurring based on fault orientations and focal mechanisms, but does not appear to be a major contributor to the observed deformation. We favor a model that includes a combination of sources, including extension and loading of a hot weak crust with thermal contraction of a cooling mass of rock beneath MLV, which are processes that are probably occurring at MLV. Future microgravity surveys and the planned deployment of an array of continuous GPS stations as part of a Plate Boundary Observatory volcano cluster will help to refine this model.

California↗
USGS2006

Remote sensing studies of the Dionysius region of the Moon

The Dionysius region is located near the western edge of Mare Tranquillitatis and is centered on Dionysius crater, which exhibits a well-developed dark ray system. Proposed origins for these dark rays included impact melt deposits and dark primary ejecta. The region also contains extensive deposits of Cayley-type light plains. Clementine multispectral images and a variety of spacecraft photography were utilized to investigate the composition and origin of geologic units in the Dionysius region. The portions of the dark rays for which spectral and chemical data were obtained are composed of mare debris contaminated with minor amounts of highland material. Both five-point spectra and values of the optical maturity (OMAT) parameter indicate that the dark rays are dominated by mare basalts, not glassy impact melts. The high-albedo rays associated with Dionysius exhibit FeO and TiO2 values that are lower than those of the adjacent dark ray surfaces and OMAT values that indicate that bright ray surfaces are not fully mature. The high-albedo rays are bright largely because of the contrast in albedo between ray material containing highlands-rich ejecta and the adjacent mare-rich surfaces. The mafic debris ejected by Dionysius was derived from a dark, iron-rich unit exposed high on the inner wall of the crater. This layer probably represents a mare deposit that was present at the surface of the preimpact target site. With one possible exception, there is no evidence for buried mare basalts associated with Cayley plains in the region.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2008

Evaluating the effects of historical land cover change on summertime weather and climate in New Jersey: Land cover and surface energy budget changes

The 19th-century agrarian landscape of New Jersey (NJ) and the surrounding region has been extensively transformed to the present-day land cover by urbanization, reforestation, and localized areas of deforestation. This study used a mesoscale atmospheric numerical model to investigate the sensitivity of the warm season climate of NJ to these land cover changes. Reconstructed 1880s-era and present-day land cover data sets were used as surface boundary conditions for a set of simulations performed with the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). Three-member ensembles with historical and present-day land cover were compared to examine the sensitivity of surface air and dew point temperatures, rainfall, and the individual components of the surface energy budget to these land cover changes. Mean temperatures for the present-day landscape were 0.3-0.6??C warmer than for the historical landscape over a considerable portion of NJ and the surrounding region, with daily maximum temperatures at least 1.0??C warmer over some of the highly urbanized locations. Reforested regions, however, were slightly cooler. Dew point temperatures decreased by 0.3-0.6??C, suggesting drier, less humid near-surface air for the present-day landscape. Surface warming was generally associated with repartitioning of net radiation from latent to sensible heat flux, and conversely for cooling. While urbanization was accompanied by strong surface albedo decreases and increases in net shortwave radiation, reforestation and potential changes in forest composition have generally increased albedos and also enhanced landscape heterogeneity. The increased deciduousness of forests may have further reduced net downward longwave radiation. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

New Jersey↗
USGS2008

Hydrothermal processes at Gusev Crater: An evaluation of Paso Robles class soils

The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit analyzed multiple occurrences of sulfur-rich, light-toned soils along its traverse within Gusev Crater. These hydrated deposits are not readily apparent in images of undisturbed soil but are present at shallow depths and were exposed by the actions of the rover wheels. Referred to as 'Paso Robles' class soils, they are dominated by ferric iron sulfates, silica, and Mg-sulfates. Ca-sulfates, Ca-phosphates, and other minor phases are also indicated in certain specific samples. The chemical compositions are highly variable over both centimeter-scale distances and between the widely separated exposures, but they clearly reflect the elemental signatures of nearby rocks. The quantity of typical basaltic soil mixed into the light-toned materials prior to excavation by the rover wheels is minimal, suggesting negligible reworking of the deposits after their initial formation. The mineralogy, geochemistry, variability, association with local compositions, and geologic setting of the deposits suggest that Paso Robles class soils likely formed as hydrothermal and famarolic condensates derived from magma degassing and/ or oxidative alteration of crustal iron sulfide deposits. Their occurrence as unconsolidated, near-surface soils permits, though does not require, an age that is significantly younger than that of the surrounding rocks. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2008

Relative age of interior layered deposits in southwest Candor Chasma based on high-resolution structural mapping

High‐resolution topography generated from stereo HiRISE (High‐Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) imagery reveals the meter‐scale structure of interior layered deposits (ILD) in southwest Candor Chasma. This study seeks to determine the age of the local ILD relative to any normal faults that can be attributed to chasma formation. The study area is located near the contact of these ILD and the wall rock and is in an area where chasma‐forming normal faults have been proposed. We find that while normal faults are found in the study area, these faults are not sufficiently large nor appropriately located or oriented to accommodate the roughly northeast‐southwest extension that is required for normal faults that can be attributed to chasma formation. Additionally, bedding exposed in the local ILD generally dips toward the center of Candor Chasma, consistent with sediment deposition in a preexisting basin. Further, pit craters of Tithonia Catena, presumed to predate or be contemporaneous with the formation of west Candor Chasma, do not cut into the ILD within the study area. These independent lines of evidence support a postchasma age for the ILD exposed within the study area. Chasma‐related normal faults may exist within these ILD at depth but are not exposed at the surface. Approximately 2 km of conformable stratigraphy is exposed in the study area, and therefore at least several kilometers of the local ILD were deposited subsequent to any chasma‐related normal faulting that may have occurred in this part of Candor Chasma.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗
USGS2012

Currents, drag, and sediment transport induced by a tsunami

We report observations of water surface elevation, currents, and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) from a 10-m deep site on the inner shelf in northern Monterey Bay during the arrival of the 2010 Chile tsunami. Velocity profiles were measured from 3.5 m above the bed (mab) to the surface at 2 min intervals, and from 0.1 to 0.7 mab at 1 Hz. SSC was determined from the acoustic backscatter of the near-bed profiler. The initial tsunami waves were directed cross shore and had a period of approximately 16 min. Maximum wave height was 1.1 m, and maximum current speed was 0.36 m/s. During the strongest onrush, near-bed velocities were clearly influenced by friction and a logarithmic boundary layer developed, extending more than 0.3 mab. We estimated friction velocity and bed shear stress from the logarithmic profiles. The logarithmic structure indicates that the flow can be characterized as quasi-steady at these times. At other phases of the tsunami waves, the magnitude of the acceleration term was significant in the near-bed momentum equation, indicating unsteady flow. The maximum tsunami-induced bed shear stress (0.4 N/m 2 ) exceeded the critical shear stress for the medium-grained sand on the seafloor. Cross-shore sediment flux was enhanced by the tsunami. Oscillations of water surface elevation and currents continued for several days. The oscillations were dominated by resonant frequencies, the most energetic of which was the fundamental longitudinal frequency of Monterey Bay. The maximum current speed (hourly-timescale) in 18 months of observations occurred four hours after the tsunami arrived.

California↗