Interactive comment on “ Organic matter dynamics and stable isotopes for tracing sources of suspended sediment ” by Y . Schindler Wildhaber
The paper by Schindler Wildhaber et al. uses stable isotopes and other measures of organic components to determine sources of suspended sediment in a small watershed. The questions are of interest, the background laid out and the literature well represented and integrated. The use of the un-mixing model of Phillips and Gregg is not new for characterizing stream suspended sediment, but is a useful way of differentiating sources. The paper goes on to attempt to link the observed changes with the variations in flow regimes which is of interest hydrologically. However, there are a number of problems with the use of statistics in this paper and while I think there may be many significant findings in the data set presented I think the rationale and justification for the use of many of the statistical tests, including the validation of the tests assump-
Export mechanisms for dissolved organic carbon and nitrate during summer storm events in a glaciated forested catchment in New York, USA
Nitrate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations during a summer storm for a forested catchment in the Adirondack Mountains displayed a clear separation in trajectories and timing of maximum values. Nitrate concentrations peaked early on the rising limb of the hydrograph, whereas DOC concentrations gradually increased through the rising limb with maximum concentrations following the discharge peak. Solute data from precipitation, throughfall, soilwater, and ground/till water indicated till water and near‐surface soil waters as the controlling end members for stream NO3− and DOC concentrations respectively. Streamflow concentrations of major base cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+), which were assumed to represent water originating from deep flow paths, matched the NO3− trajectory. These data suggest that streamflow NO3− concentrations are derived from till groundwater and that DOC is derived from near‐surface soil waters. We attributed the early expression of NO3− to the displacement of till waters by infiltrating precipitation. In contrast, we hypothesized that the delayed DOC concentrations occurred with surface and near‐surface runoff from near‐stream wetlands/peatlands and isolated saturated areas that became connected only under conditions of maximum water content in the catchment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A technique for large-field, superficial electron therapy.
The application of electron beams to radiation therapy has received increased attention in recent years. This interest stems largely from the special characteristics of the electron depth-dose distribution; the fall-off in depth dose near the end of the range of the electrons is particularly rapid for electron beams having energies less than about 10 Mev. Such an electron beam is suitable for the treatment of widespread, superficial lesions, where it is desirable to minimize the dose to deep tissues. All the common sources of super-voltage x-rays, apart from radioactive substances, are inherently capable of producing an external beam of electrons, though with varying degrees of complexity. Electrons of about the energy suitable for superficial therapy (several Mev) may be used to produce an x-ray beam which is sufficiently penetrating for the treatment of even the deepest lesions. The Stanford medical linear accelerator was designed to provide both x-rays and electron beams. The accelerator and its applic...