Effect of low salinity on the survival of recently hatched veliger of Nassarius reticulatus (L.) in estuarine habitats: A case study of Ria de Aveiro

The effect of low salinity on the survival of recently hatched veliger of the gastropod Nassarius reticulatus (L.) was studied under laboratory conditions at 17 °C ± 1 °C. Significant mortality occurred for salinities ≤ 17 psu and the LS₅₀ (salinity that causes 50% mortality) varied from 14.5 psu to 17.2 psu for exposures between 1 h and 48 h, respectively. The results were included in a mathematical model in order to estimate the mortality of N. reticulatus veliger in Ria de Aveiro under different salinity scenarios determined by numerical simulation. The model predicts a massive mortality of veliger immediately after their eclosion (1 h) in Ria de Aveiro during spring tide when the river input reaches its expected maximum — a situation that has been observed occasionally and may overlap a massive eclosion of veliger in the water. Except in this extreme situation, the mortality in Ria de Aveiro is generally restricted to the upstream limits of the channels. The results indicate that N. reticulatus recruitment in estuaries may strongly depend on the prevailing salinity regime.     

Productivity and nutrient cycling in salt marshes: Contribution to ecosystem health

This study aimed to assess the contribution of different salt marsh halophytes (Spartina maritima, Scirpus maritimus, Halimione portulacoides, Sarcocornia fruticosa, and Sarcocornia perennis) to nutrient cycling and sequestration in warm-temperate salt marshes. Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus concentration in plant organs and rhizosediment, as well as plant biomass were monitored every two months during one year. Results show that the C retained in the rhizosediment does not seem to be species or site specific. However, some halophytes seem to have a higher contribution to retain C from external sources, namely S. perennis and S. maritima. Regarding N, halophytes colonizing the upper and middle marsh areas had the highest NBPP (net belowground primary production) as well as the retention of N in the rhizosediment. Yet, excluding S. maritimus, all halophytes seem to contribute to the retention of N from external sources. The P retained in the rhizosediment does not seem to be species or site specific. Still, only S. maritima colonizing the lower marsh areas, which also had comparatively lower NBPP, seem to have a higher contribution to retain P from external sources. Additionally, it seems that there is no relation between plants sequestration capacity for nutrients and plant photosynthetic pathway. This work shows that nutrient cycling and accumulation processes by salt marsh halophytes contribute to reduce eutrophication (N and P retention) and also to reduce atmospheric CO₂ (C retention), highlighting salt marsh ecosystems services and the crucial role of halophytes in maintaining ecosystem functions and health.     

Purplish-red almandine garnets with alexandrite-like effect: causes of colors and color-enhancing treatments

Fine gem-quality, purplish-red garnets from the Tocantins State, Brazil, were investigated for their crystal chemistry and optical properties by several spectroscopic techniques, including electron microprobe analysis, Mössbauer, Raman spectroscopy and optical absorption. Although most garnets are purplish-red, some specimens show color zoning, with deep red color in the core and purple in the outer parts. Electron microprobe analysis showed that these garnets are principally almandine–pyrope solid solution at the rim. However, at the red core, they contain also up to 7 % of spessartine. Mössbauer spectroscopy reveals that the iron content is predominantly Fe²⁺ (>99 %) in the natural garnets. The optical absorption spectra are dominated by spin-allowed and unusual high-intense spin-forbidden transitions from eightfold coordinated Fe(II) in the near infrared and visible spectral region, respectively. For the red core, in addition, three sharp bands centered in the blue part of the visible spectral range and a broad charge transfer band in the near-UV region are observed. All garnets with purplish colors show also a remarkable color-changing effect from purple in daylight light to red in incandescent light called alexandrite-like effect. Heat treatments in the 700–900 °C temperature range in oxidizing and reducing atmospheres lead to reversible and irreversible color changes which are discussed based on the microscopic changes in the Fe ion coordination and valence states.     

Monthly streamflow forecasting using neuro-wavelet techniques and input analysis

ABSTRACT

Combinations of low-frequency components (also known as approximations) resulting from the wavelet decomposition are tested as inputs to an artificial neural network (ANN) in a hybrid approach, and compared to classical ANN models for flow forecasting for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months ahead. In addition, the inputs are rewritten in terms of the flow, revealing what type of information was being provided to the network, in order to understand the effect of the approximations on the forecasting performance. The results show that the hybrid approach improved the accuracy of all tested models, especially for 1, 3 and 6 months ahead. The input analyses show that high-frequency components are more important for shorter forecast horizons, while for longer horizons, they may worsen the model accuracy.     

Education: Can a bottom-up strategy help for earthquake disaster prevention?

To comply with the need to spread the culture of earthquake disaster reduction, we rely on strategies that involve education. Risk education is a long-term process that passes from knowledge, through understanding, to choices and actions thrusting preparedness and prevention, over recovery. We set up strategies for prevention that encompass child and adult education, as a bottom-up approach, from raising awareness to reducing potential effects of disruption of society. Analysis of compulsory school education in three European countries at high seismic risk, namely Portugal, Iceland and Italy, reveals that generally there are a few State-backed plans. The crucial aspects of risk education concerning natural hazards are starting age, incompleteness of textbooks, and lack of in-depth studies of the pupils upon completion of their compulsory education cycle. Hands-on tools, immersive environments, and learn-by-playing approaches are the most effective ways to raise interest in children, to provide memory imprint as a message towards a culture of safety. A video game, Treme–treme, was prepared to motivate, educate, train and communicate earthquake risk to players/pupils. The game focuses on do’s and don’ts for earthquake shaking, and allows children to think about what might be useful in the case of evacuation. Education of the general public was addressed using audio-visual products strongly linked to the social, historical and cultural background of each country. Five videos tackled rising of awareness of seismic hazards in Lisbon, the area surrounding Reykjavik, Naples, and Catania, four urban areas prone to earthquake disasters.     

On the treatment of uncertainties in the development of fragility functions for earthquake loss estimation of building portfolios

State‐of‐the‐art methods for the assessment of building fragility consider the structural capacity and seismic demand variability in the estimation of the probability of exceeding different damage states. However, questions remain regarding the appropriate treatment of such sources of uncertainty from a statistical significance perspective. In this study, material, geometrical and mechanical properties of a number of building classes are simulated by means of a Monte Carlo sampling process in which the statistical distribution of the aforementioned parameters is taken into consideration. Record selection is performed in accordance with hazard‐consistent distributions of a comprehensive set of intensity measures, and issues related with sufficiency, efficiency, predictability and scaling robustness are addressed. Based on the appraised minimum number of ground motion records required to achieve statistically meaningful estimates of response variability conditioned on different levels of seismic intensity, the concept of conditional fragility functions is presented. These functions translate the probability of exceeding a set of damage states as a function of a secondary sufficient intensity measure, when records are selected and scaled for a particular level of primary seismic intensity parameter. It is demonstrated that this process allows a hazard‐consistent and statistically meaningful representation of uncertainty and correlation in the estimation of intensity‐dependent damage exceedance probabilities. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Secular variation of seismo-volcanic phenomena in the azores

By studying the past behaviour of Azorean volcanoes, sunspot and Earth tide correlations have been discovered, and may certainly help in prediction. Some evidence has also been found that buckling of the thin roof of magma chambers may be the mechanism responsible for the eruptions, including the accompanying seismic swarms. If this is the case, geodetic control of the adjacent regions will probably be decisive in forecasting future activity.