Comet Machholz (C/2004 Q2): morphological structures in the inner coma and rotation parameters

Extensive observations of comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) were carried out between August 2004 and May 2005. The images obtained were used to investigate the comet’s inner coma features at resolutions between 350 and 1500 km/pixel.     

Rapid characterisation of the extremely large landslide threatening the Rules Reservoir (Southern Spain)

Landslides - When an active landslide is first identified in an artificial reservoir, a comprehensive study has to be quickly conducted to analyse the possible hazard that it may represent to such...     

A new framework to determine general multimodal soil water characteristic curves

Acta Geotechnica - A soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) model named as discrete-continuous multimodal van Genuchten model with a convenient parameter calibration method is developed to describe...     

Iron release in aqueous environment by fresh volcanic ash from Mount Etna (Italy) and Popocatépetl (Mexico) volcanoes

In this study, we performed leaching experiments for timescales of hours-to-months in deionized water on fresh volcanic ash from Mt. Etna (Italy) and Popocatépetl (Mexico) volcanos to monitor Fe release as a function of ash mineral chemistry and size, with the aim of clarifying Fe release mechanisms and eventually evaluating the impact of volcanic ash on marine and lacustrine environments. To define sample mineralogy and Fe speciation, inclusive characterization was obtained by means of XRF, SEM, XRPD, EELS and Mössbauer spectroscopies. For Etna and Popocatépetl samples, glass proportions were quantified at 73 and 40%, Fe₂O₃ total contents at 11.6–13.2 and 5.8 wt%, and Fe³⁺/Fe_Tot ratios at 0.33 and 0.23, respectively. Leaching experiments showed that significant amounts of iron, ~?30 to 150 and ~?750 nmol g^?1 l^?1 for pristine Etna and Popocatépetl samples, respectively, are released within the first 30 min as a function of decreasing particle size (from 1 to 0.125 mm). The Popocatépetl sample showed a very sustained Fe release (up to 10 times Etna samples) all along the first week, with lowest values never below 400 nmol g^?1 l^?1 and a maximum of 1672 nmol g^?1 l^?1 recorded after 5 days. This sample, being composed of very small particles (average particle size 0.125 mm) with large surface area, likely accumulated large quantities of Fe-bearing sublimates that quickly dissolved during leaching tests, determining high Fe release and local pH decrease (that contributed to release more Fe from the glass) at short timescale (hours-to-days). The fractional Fe solubility (Fe_S) was 0.004–0.011 and 0.23% for Etna and Popocatépetl samples, respectively, but no correlation was found between Fe released in solution and either ash Fe content, glass/mineral ratio or mineral assemblage. Results obtained suggest that volcanic ash chemistry, mineralogy and particle size assume a relevant role on Fe release mostly in the medium-to-long timescale, while Fe release in the short timescale is dominated by dissolution of surface sublimates (formed by physicochemical processes occurring within the eruption plume and volcanic cloud) and the effects of such a dissolution on the local pH conditions. For all samples, a moderate to sustained Fe release occurred for leaching times comparable with their residence time within the euphotic zone of marine and lacustrine environments (variable from few minutes to few hours), revealing their possible contribution to increase Fe bioavailability.     

Planktonic diatom communities in temperate South-Central Chilean lakes with a focus on Asterionella formosa and the genus Aulacoseira

Journal of Paleolimnology - Paleolimnological records from temperate South-Central Chilean lakes revealed a recent and marked increase in the relative abundances of the key-planktonic diatom...     

UVB solar radiation climatology for Mexico

The measurement of solar B band Ultraviolet radiation (UVB) should be considered a priority in Mexico due to implications on public health throughout the country (total population, 108 million), but this is not carried out at present. Installed sensors cover only 0.12% of the country. However, there are alternative methods for estimating UVB radiation to overcome the lack of surface data. The most successful of these are based on the use of satellites for environmental monitoring. In the present work, UVB maps are constructed for the entire country using a single, daily satellite measurement of UVB at solar noon from 1978-2003. Satellite-derived values are compared with the ground measurements by a surface station located in Mexico City in order to validate the former. Wavelet spectrum analysis is employed to this end. A close correlation is observed between the two sets of data. Moreover, there is qualitative correspondence between the spatial distribution of the satellite-derived data and the surface topography. The difference resulting throughout the period mentioned is <2% of the average annual cumulative energy.     

Unraveling Hydrocarbon Microseepages in Onshore Basins Using Spectral–Spatial Processing of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Data

This study focuses on the spectral characterization of superficial effects caused by natural gaseous hydrocarbon (HC) escapes (microseepages) on onshore basins and means to detect the phenomena using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) imagery. The Northern Tucano basin (NTB) (Brazil) displays archetypal onshore microseepages, and it is used here as a case study area. Regional HC geochemical data yielded from NTB soil samples helped to outline the strategies for imagery processing and assessment of results. We firstly devised a generic detection model for onshore basins in which microseepages indicated by HC geochemistry should spatially match a number of surface expressions with key remote sensing signatures, such as bleached soil and rocks (i.e., reduction in Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺), concentration of specific clays (kaolinite), and carbonates (siderite) and geobotanical markers. These evidences guided the use of remote sensing data and information extraction techniques to find more sites favorable to host HC microseepages in the NTB. ASTER data processed through spectral mixing analysis and supervised and unsupervised neural network systems highlighted sites where features predicted in the detection model concurred seamlessly with geochemical anomalies. The approach also revealed other sites with similar characteristics, but for which no geochemical data exist. These sites are taken as new potential targets for the presence of microseepages and possibly HC reservoirs. The research demonstrated the potential of remote sensing data and spectral–spatial methodologies for economical, onshore detection of HCs for exploration purposes. Potential ramifications of the study include indirect detection of gaseous HC reservoirs in terrestrial planets (fostering the search for signs of life) and depiction of non-negligible, replenishable continental sources of HC emissions on Earth that may contribute to global warming.     

Spatio-temporal trends of precipitation,its aggressiveness and concentration,along the Pacific coast of South America (36–49°S)

ABSTRACT

Precipitation is the most critical climatic element that directly affects the availability of water resources. The objective of this study was to describe and discuss spatio-temporal patterns of annual precipitation, its aggressiveness, and its concentration along the southwest coast of South America (36°–49°S) from 1930 to 2006. An annual and multi-decadal analysis was applied to 107 sampling stations distributed throughout this region, using the Mann-Kendall test (MK), and the Sampling Uncertainty Analysis (SUA) coupled with Gumbel probability density function (SUA-Gumbel). The analysis revealed positive but not significant trends in annual precipitation and aggressiveness for the region between 36° and 44°S, at least during the last 50 years of the analysed period. However, a significant decrease in annual precipitation and aggressiveness was observed between 44° and 49°S during the same period. The annual concentration of precipitation became slightly more seasonal in the last 50 years within the entire study area.     

The Paleoenvironment and Lithic Taphonomy of Shi’Bat Dihya 1, a Middle Paleolithic Site in Wadi Surdud,Yemen

The Shi'bat Dihya 1 site in western Yemen, dated by optically stimulated luminescence to 55 ka, provides insight into the Middle Paleolithic peopling of the Arabian Peninsula. The archaeological layer is interstratified within thick, sandy silt floodplain deposits filling a piedmont basin. Luminescence dates, lack of soil development, and gypsum precipitation indicate a high accretion rate of the floodplain during Marine Isotope Stage 3, in connection with a (semi)‐arid environment. Rapid overbank sedimentation was likely a result of the remobilization of loess material deposited on the Yemeni Great Escarpment at the periphery of the adjacent Tihama coastal sand desert or of other sources. Fabric and size analyses of the lithic artifacts, together with spatial projections, indicate site modifications by floods. Primary modifications include (1) selective accumulation of medium‐sized lithic pieces as a result of hydraulic sorting, (2) bimodal orientation of artifacts, and (3) ripple‐like arrangement of lithics and bone/tooth fragments. The overrepresentation of teeth may also be a consequence of sorting. Although floods have distorted the original site patterning, long‐distance transport of artifacts by water can be excluded, as indicated by relatively high refitting rate, close proximity of artifacts derived from the same block of raw material, and lack of abrasion of the pieces. Therefore, the site is considered “geologically” in situ because its remobilization by water occurred shortly after human abandonment. This study also stresses that the effective preservation of a site cannot be assessed without careful taphonomic study, even in a potentially favorable depositional context such as silty alluvium.     

Shallow landslides triggered by rainfalls: modeling of some case histories in the Reggiano Apennine (Emilia Romagna Region, Northern Italy)

On April 10–11, 2005, the Emilia Romagna Apennine was affected by an intense rainfall event that triggered dozens of soil slips in the Province of Reggio Emilia. These shallow landslides occurred mainly on slopes of cultivated lands, often blocking roads, causing damages to crops and economic loss. Based on the analysis of an inventory of aerial photographs, it was possible to locate 45 sites where soil slips have occurred. In this paper, the area of study is described from a geological and climatic point of view. The authors analyze both the predisposing factors, related to the morphology of the territory, and the phenomena triggering factors, related to the rain trend. Once the geometrical features and characteristics of the soil slopes were available, a physically based triggering model, recently developed by the authors, was locally applied at each site. The model, which is based on the limit equilibrium method and on the hypothesis of infinite slope, is briefly described. It assumes a partial saturation condition of the soil and provides the safety factor of each slope as a function of time-variable rainfall intensity. The choice of the input parameters of the model is explained in detail. It is underlined, in particular, how the only parameter that has been determined through a procedure of back analysis, i.e., the discharge capability, is comparable to the typical permeability values obtained through field measurements by other authors, for similar kinds of soils and conditions. In this article, the results of the application of our model to the study areas, within a three-year time frame, are presented. Furthermore, on the basis of the analysis carried out, some observations on the operating mode of the model are carried out and its ability to predict a phenomenon triggering is evaluated.