Report on the Diatoms and Dinoflagellates Distribution along the Algerian Coasts: Inter-Region Comparison

The phytoplankton group’s composition is an excellent indicator of the state of coastal waters. The aim of this study is to explore spatial variability of phytoplankton in shallow coastal areas from different regions (East, Center and West) of the Algerian coast. The quantitative and qualitative study of the phytoplankton population was conducted on samples taken during the 2012-2013 period by the research vessel GRINE BELKACEM. The qualitative results show a significant diversity of diatoms and dinoflagellates, which rank first and second in the total flora (Fr > 50%). This finding is also confirmed quantitatively by the abundance values in both 2013 and 2012 samples which largely exceeds the average value in most other areas of the western region (56%) and slightly exceeding 52% in all central areas which represent an equi-distribution between diatoms and dinoflagellates. The Dinoflagellates contribute significantly to the quantitative richness in the eastern region (>60%). The minimum value of Dia/Dino index, recorded in the eastern region confirms the dominance of the dinoflagellates especially in Skikda (0.31) (Skikda).However, our results reveal the presence, in smaller proportion, of other groups such as the cocolithophoridae and euglenophyceae.     

Stacking Ensemble Machine Learning-Based Shear Strength Model for Rock Discontinuity

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - Accurate estimation of shear strength (SS) of rock discontinuities is crucial in rock engineering applications such as slope stability. This study proposes...     

Application of Leeb Hardness Test in Prediction of Dynamic Elastic Constants of Sedimentary and Igneous Rocks

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - The Leeb hardness test is a non-destructive and portable technique that can be used both in the laboratory and in-field applications. The main purpose of...     

The effects of agricultural practice and land-use on the distribution and origin of some potentially toxic metals in the soils of Golestan province, Iran

Soil samples were collected from the agricultural lands of Golestan province, north of Iran and analyzed for 24 elements including eight toxic metals of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Se and Zn. Electrical conductivity, pH, organic matter, soil texture, calcium carbonate content as well as soil cation exchange capacity were also determined. The possible sources of metals are identified with multivariate analysis such as correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis. In addition, enrichment factors were used to quantitatively evaluate the influences of agricultural practice on metal loads to the surface soils. The PCA and cluster analysis studies revealed that natural geochemical background are the main source of most elements including Al, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Ni, Pb, V and Zn in the arable soils of the province (more than 90 %), however, those soils which have been developed on the mafic and metamorphic rocks were considerably contributed on metal concentration (43 %). Calcium and Sr were constituents of calcareous rocks and Na and S were mainly controlled by saline soils in the north of the province. Loess deposits was also accounting for high levels of selenium concentration. Phosphorous was mostly related to application of P-fertilizers and organophosphate pesticides. The comparison of metal load and enrichment factor for dry and irrigated farmlands showed that Cd, Co, Pb, Se and Zn had higher concentrations in the irrigated lands where considerable amounts of agrochemicals had been applied. However, it also found that proximity of arable lands to urban and industrial areas resulted in higher Pb and Cd values in the irrigated agricultural sources relative to dry ones.     

Viscous Behaviour of Soft Clay and Inducing Factors

As a result of the scarcity of land for construction, a number of projects to construct man-made islands or to expand lands over soft grounds keeps increasing. Creep behaviour of soft ground has been considered as a challenging issue for engineers and researchers for many years. A number of studies have focused on the method to predict the creep deformation of the ground under a construction site. However, there is no unified theory to clearly explain the mechanism of soil creep deformation of soils. Results of the critical review in this paper indicate that the causes of soil creep can be categorised into five main groups, namely (a) the breakdown of the inter-particle bonds, (b) sliding between the soil particles, (c) water flow from micro-pores to macro-pores (d) the deformation due to the structural viscosity and (e) the deformation due to the jumping of bonds. This paper presents these mechanisms in details with an effort to recommend an enhanced explanation for the creep compression mechanisms of clays.     

Trend analysis of water discharge and sediment load during the past three decades of development in the Langat basin,Malaysia

Abstract

In this study, the trends of water discharge and sediment load from three hydrometric stations over the past 25 years of development in the state of Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia, were analysed using the Mann-Kendall and Pettitt tests. Landscape metrics for establishing the relationship between land-use changes and trends of hydrological time series were calculated. The hydrological trends were also studied in terms of rainfall variations and manmade features. The results indicate upward trends in water discharge in the Hulu Langat sub-basin and in sediment load in the Semenyih sub-basin. These increasing trends were mainly caused by rapid changes in land use. Upward trends of hydrological series in the Hulu Langat sub-basin matched its rainfall pattern. In the Lui sub-basin, however, trends of hydrological series, and variations in rainfall and land use were not statistically significant.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor K. Hamed

Citation Memarian, H., Balasundram, S.K., Talib, J.B., Sood, A.M., and Abbaspour, K.C., 2012. Trend analysis of water discharge and sediment load during the past three decades of development in the Langat basin, Malaysia. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (6), 1207–1222.     

Trends in hydrological and climatic variables affected by four variations of the Mann-Kendall approach in Urmia Lake basin,Iran

ABSTRACT

The trends in hydrological and climatic time series data of Urmia Lake basin in Iran were examined using the four different versions of the Mann-Kendall (MK) approach: (i) the original MK test; (ii) the MK test considering the effect of lag-1 autocorrelation; (iii) the MK test considering the effect of all autocorrelation or sample size; and (iv) the MK test considering the Hurst coefficient. Identification of hydrological and climatic data trends was carried out at monthly and annual time scales for 25 temperature, 35 precipitation and 35 streamflow gauging stations selected from the Urmia Lake basin. Mann-Kendall and Pearson tests were also applied to explore the relationships between temperature, precipitation and streamflow trends. The results show statistically significant upward and downward trends in the annual and monthly hydrological and climatic variables. The upward trends in temperature, unlike streamflow, are much more pronounced than the downward trends, but for precipitation the behaviour of trend is different on monthly and annual time scales. Furthermore, the trend results were affected by the different approaches. Specifically, the number of stations showing trends in hydrological and climatic variables decreased significantly (up to 50%) when the fourth test was considered instead of the first and the absolute value of the Z statistic for most of the time series was reduced. The results of correlations between streamflow and climatic variables showed that the streamflow in Urmia Lake basin is more sensitive to changes in temperature than those of precipitation. The observed decreases in streamflow and increases in temperature in the Urmia Lake basin in recent decades may thus have serious implications for water resources management under the warming climate with the expected population growth and increased freshwater consumption in this region.

Editor Z. W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor Q. Zhang