Integrated GIS and remote sensing analysis for landfill sitting in Western Crete,Greece

The assessment of the optimum landfill sitting requires multiple environmental data organized in a proper and efficient way to be effectively processed. Geographical information systems define an ideal tool for handling vast amounts of such kind of information combining multiple heterogeneous spatiotemporal data. Additionally, archive satellite remote sensing images set an ancillary approach to effective environmental monitoring of land surface within the areas of already established landfills and their surroundings (e.g. for calculation of crucial parameters such as vegetation indices). In this study, 17 environmental and anthropogenic factors were used to identify the most suitable sites for optimum landfill sitting in the western part of the island of Crete-Greece. The method used for the evaluation of all different factors is the analytical hierarchy process enhanced with fuzzy logic techniques. The results were compared with the already established landfills (legal/controlled and illegal/non-controlled) in the area of Chania prefecture and the results demonstrated that 75 % of the already (legal or illegal) established landfills of the prefecture are situated in extremely inappropriate areas from environmental point of view.     

Seasonal abundance of non-commercial demersal fish in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in relation to hydrographic and sediment characteristics

Fish-habitat associations were investigated for twenty-five non-commercial demersal species in the Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean) using Generalized Additive Modeling techniques. Fishery related abundance indices, derived from experimental bottom trawl surveys, were linked to various habitat variables: substrate characteristics, area, season, depth, temperature and salinity. Depth was the most important factor for all species. Eleven species showed decreasing abundance with depth, while the remaining species were more abundant in specific depth zones either on the continental shelf or in the upper continental slope. Most species were associated with specific substratum characteristics such as the dry weight percentage of sand-gravel and the carbonate content. The dry weight percentage of sand-gravel in the sediments was selected as a predictor of the relative abundance of most (twenty three) species. Seasonal patterns in the relative abundance of species were observed, related in most cases to the seasonal differentiation of temperature. The effect of temperature was more pronounced in summer and autumn, when a marked thermocline is observed, while it was much less intense in winter. For most of the species, the preferable habitat was identified, that contributes valuable information for the successful implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.     

U–Pb LA-SF-ICP-MS zircon geochronology of the Serbo-Macedonian Massif, Greece: palaeotectonic constraints for Gondwana-derived terranes in the Eastern Mediterranean

The Pirgadikia Terrane in northern Greece forms tectonic inliers within the Vardar suture zone bordering the Serbo-Macedonian Massif to the southwest. It comprises Cadomian basement rocks of volcanic-arc origin and very mature quartz-rich metasedimentary rocks. U–Pb laser ablation sector-field inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry analyses of detrital zircons from the latter reveal a marked input from a Cadomian–Pan-African source with minor contribution from Mesoproterozoic, Palaeoproterozoic and Archaean sources. The metasedimentary rocks are correlated with Ordovician overlap sequences at the northern margin of Gondwana on the basis of their maturity and zircon age spectra. The Pirgadikia Terrane can be best interpreted as a peri-Gondwana terrane of Avalonian origin, which was situated close to the Cadomian terranes in the Late Neoproterozoic–Early Palaeozoic, very much like the Istanbul Terrane. The second unit investigated is the Vertiskos Terrane, which constitutes the major part of the Serbo-Macedonian Massif in Greece. It comprises predominantly igneous rocks of Silurian age and minor metasedimentary rocks of unknown age and provenance. U–Pb analyses of detrital zircons from a garnetiferous mica schist of the Vertiskos Terrane indicate derivation from 550 to 1,150 Ma-old source rocks with a major Cadomian peak. This, combined with minor input of >1,950 Ma-old zircons and the absence of ages between ca. 1.2 and 1.7 Ga suggests a NW Africa source. The protolith age of the garnetiferous mica schist is presumably Early Ordovician. One sample of garnet-bearing biotite gneiss, interpreted as meta-igneous rock, comprises predominantly subhedral zircons of igneous origin with late Middle Ordovician to Silurian ages. We suggest that the rock association of the Vertiskos Terrane is part of an ancient active-margin succession of the Hun superterrane, comparable to successions of the Austro- and Intra-Alpine Terranes. The new data of this study provide evidence of occurrences of Avalonia- and Armorica-derived terranes in the Eastern Mediterranean and moreover help to clarify palaeogeographic reconstructions for the peri-Gondwana realm in the Early Palaeozoic.     

A two‐step process for the reflooding of the Mediterranean after the Messinian Salinity Crisis

The Messinian Salinity Crisis is well known to have resulted from a significant drop of the Mediterranean sea level. Considering both onshore and offshore observations, the subsequent reflooding is generally thought to have been very sudden. We present here offshore seismic evidence from the Gulf of Lions and re‐visited onshore data from Italy and Turkey that lead to a new concept of a two‐step reflooding of the Mediterranean Basin after the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The refilling was first moderate and relatively slow accompanied by transgressive ravinement, and later on very rapid, preserving the subaerial Messinian Erosional Surface. The amplitude of these two successive rises of sea level has been estimated at ≤500 m for the first rise and 600–900 m for the second rise. Evaporites from the central Mediterranean basins appear to have been deposited principally at the beginning of the first step of reflooding. After the second step, which preceeded the Zanclean Global Stratotype Section and Point, successive connections with the Paratethyan Dacic Basin, then the Adriatic foredeep, and finally the Euxinian Basin occurred, as a consequence of the continued global rise in sea level. A complex morphology with sills and sub‐basins led to diachronous events such as the so‐called ‘Lago Mare’.This study helps to distinguish events that were synchronous over the entire Mediterranean realm, such as the two‐step reflooding, from those that were more local and diachronous. In addition, the shoreline that marks the transition between these two steps of reflooding in the Provence Basin provides a remarkable palaeogeographical marker for subsidence studies.     

Brackish karstic springs model: application to Almiros spring in Crete

A mathematical model is proposed to simulate brackish karstic springs. Rainfall data constitutes model input information while output information is the discharge and the chloride concentration of the water versus time. The model was constructed by considering the mass and mechanical energy balance on the hydrodynamic analog, which includes three reservoirs outflowing in a tube that lies adjacent to the spring. Two reservoirs emulate the karstic system, and the third one emulates the sea. The discharge of the spring is given by the sum of the discharge of the reservoirs, and the chloride concentration by the solution of the mixing problem between the fresh and the salty water, which exists in the tube leading to the spring. The model is applied to the spring of Almiros at Heraklion, Crete, Greece. The agreement between model values and field measurements is very good for depletion periods and satisfactory for recharge periods.     

Stress analysis of buried steel pipelines at strike-slip fault crossings

Existing analytical methods for the stress analysis of buried steel pipelines at crossings with active strike-slip faults depend on a number of simplifications, which limit their applicability and may even lead to non-conservative results. The analytical methodology presented herein maintains the well-established assumptions of existing methodologies, but also introduces a number of refinements in order to achieve a more wide range of application without any major simplicity sacrifice. More specifically, it employs equations of equilibrium and compatibility of displacements to derive the axial force applied on the pipeline and adopts a combination of beam-on-elastic-foundation and elastic-beam theory to calculate the developing bending moment. Although indirectly, material and large-displacement non-linearities are also taken into account, while the actual distribution of stresses on the pipeline cross-section is considered for the calculation of the maximum design strain. The proposed methodology is evaluated against the results of a series of benchmark 3D non-linear analyses with the finite element method. It is shown that fairly accurate predictions of pipeline strains may be obtained for a wide range of crossing angles and fault movement magnitudes encountered in practice.     

North Atlantic Oscillation – Concepts And Studies

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of previous studies and concepts concerning the North Atlantic Oscillation. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and its recent homologue, the Arctic Oscillation/Northern Hemisphere annular mode (AO/NAM), are the most prominent modes of variability in the Northern Hemisphere winter climate. The NAO teleconnection is characterised by a meridional displacement of atmospheric mass over the North Atlantic area. Its state is usually expressed by the standardised air pressure difference between the Azores High and the Iceland Low. ThisNAO index is a measure of the strength of the westerly flow (positive with strong westerlies, and vice versa). Together with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, the NAO is a major source of seasonal to interdecadal variability in the global atmosphere. On interannual and shorter time scales, the NAO dynamics can be explained as a purely internal mode of variability of the atmospheric circulation. Interdecadal variability maybe influenced, however, by ocean and sea-ice processes.     

The record of magma chamber processes in plagioclase phenocrysts at Thera Volcano,Aegean Volcanic Arc,Greece

Lavas and pyroclastic rocks throughout the volcanic stratigraphy of the Tertiary-Quaternary volcanic complex of Thera in the Aegean island arc display inhomogenous plagioclase populations and phenocryst resorption textures, interpreted as indicative of magma mixing. Plagioclase zoning characteristics studied by Nomarski and laser interferometry techniques establish three main categories of plagioclase: (i) inherited plagioclase (nucleated in endmember prior to initial mixing event) (ii) in situ plagioclase (nucleated in mixed or hybrid magma) and (iii) xenocrystic plagioclase. Nomarski contrast images and linearized compositional zoning profiles reveal striking differences between calcic and sodic plagioclases, depending on the composition of the lava in which they are hosted. These differences reflect the contrasting effects of changes in physical-chemical parameters in basic vis-a-vis more acidic melts during magma mixing and/or influx of new magma into the subvolcanic magma chamber, as well as the influence of magma chamber dynamics on plagioclase equilibration. Variations in bulk major and trace element abundances of Thera volcanic products reflect the dominant overprint of crystal fractionation, but decoupling between major and trace element fractionation models and variations in incompatible trace element distributions are all indicative of magma mixing processes, consistent with compositional and textural zoning in plagioclases.     

A new method of quantitative interpretation of SP anomalies produced by a polarized inclined sheet1

A new method is proposed for the quantitative interpretation of SP field data produced by a polarized ore body and simulated by an inclined sheet. The theoretical concept is based on the study of the amplitude Spectrum. It is shown that the SP amplitude Spectrum is not continuous at zero frequency; this leads to the dip angle determination of the inclined sheet. It is also shown that the SP amplitude spectrum is practically nullified at a characteristic amortization frequency that depends on the depth of the polarized body. The maximum amplitude Spectrum value of the SP gradient is used to estimate the depth to the bottom of the polarized body. Thus, the geometrical parameters h and H, the depths to the top and bottom, respectively, as well as the dip angle of the inclined sheet, can be satisfactorily determined. Some problems may arise in the determination of these parameters, affecting their accuracy, whenever unwanted frequency noise is present.     

Residual Terrain Modelling: The Harmonic Correction for Geoid Heights

Surveys in Geophysics - The harmonic correction (HC) is one of the key quantities when using residual terrain modelling (RTM) for high-frequency gravity field modelling. In the RTM technique,...