Mapping groundwater discharge to a coastal lagoon using combined spatial airborne thermal imaging,radon (222Rn) and multiple physicochemical variables

Coastal lagoons are significant wetland environments found on coastlines throughout the world. Groundwater seepage may be a key component of lagoon water balances, though only a few studies have investigated large (>100 km²) coastal lagoons. In this study, we combined airborne thermal infrared imagery with continuous measurements of radon (²²²Rn—a natural groundwater tracer), conductivity, water temperature and dissolved oxygen to map groundwater seepage to a large coastal lagoon in New Zealand. We found evidence of seepage along the margins of the lagoon but not away from the margins. Our findings confirmed previously known seepage zones and identified new potential locations of groundwater inflow. Both point source and diffuse seepage occurred on the western and northwestern margins of the lagoon and parallel to the barrier between the lagoon and sea. These observations imply geologic controls on seepage. The combination of remote sensing and in-situ radon measurements allowed us to effectively map groundwater discharge areas across the entire lagoon. Combined, broad-scale qualitative methods built confidence in our interpretation of groundwater discharge locations in a large, dynamic coastal lagoon.     

Air--sea gaseous exchange of PCB at the Venice lagoon (Italy)

Water bodies are important storage media for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and this function is increased in coastal regions because their inputs are higher than those to the open sea. The air-water interface is extensively involved with the global cycling of PCBs because it is the place where they accumulate due to depositional processes and where they may be emitted by gaseous exchange. In this work the parallel collection of air, microlayer and sub-superficial water samples was performed in July 2005 at a site in the Venice lagoon to evaluate the summer gaseous flux of PCBs. The total concentration of PCBs (sum of 118 congeners) in air varies from 87 to 273 pg m(-3), whereas in the operationally defined dissolved phase of microlayer and sub-superficial water samples it varies from 159 to 391 pg L(-1). No significant enrichment of dissolved PCB into the microlayer has been observed, although a preferential accumulation of most hydrophobic congeners occurs. Due to this behaviour, we believe that the modified two-layer model was the most suitable approach for the evaluation of the flux at the air-sea interface, because it takes into account the influence of the microlayer. From its application it appears that PCB volatilize from the lagoon waters with a net flux varying from 58 to 195 ng m(-2)d(-1) (uncertainty: +/-50-64%) due to the strong influence of wind speed. This flux is greater than those reported in the literature for the atmospheric deposition and rivers input and reveals that PCB are actively emitted from the Venice lagoon in summer months.     

The use of statistical methods to separate natural background and anthropogenic concentrations of trace elements in radio-chronologically selected surface sediments of the Venice Lagoon

A new method has been developed that predicts the natural background concentrations of microelements of interest in sediments using the concentrations of various components present in the sample. This is done by developing multiple linear regressions using a dataset which has been selected, using radiochronological dating and statistical methods, to reflect the concentration distributions of natural levels of a large number of sediment constituents. This method is demonstrated in Venice Lagoon, using data generated in a lagoon-wide sampling effort. A quantitative assessment is carried out of the variability of natural background levels at the lagoon scale for the main inorganic microelements, and distribution maps of the background and anthropogenic concentrations of a selected metal (Ni) in sediments at the lagoon scale are presented. With sufficient data, this method can be applied in other areas, allowing for a site-specific separation of natural background and anthropogenic levels of microconstituents in sediments, providing insights into regional geochemistry and aiding in the risk-based management of coastal sediments.     

The tidal and wind induced hydrodynamics of the composite system Adriatic Sea/Lagoon of Venice

A shallow water hydrostatic 2D hydrodynamic numerical model, based on the boundary conforming coordinate system, was used to simulate aspects of both general and small scale oceanic features occurring in the composite system constituted by the Adriatic Sea and the Lagoon of Venice (Italy), under the influence of tide and realistic atmospheric forcing. Due to a specific technique for the treatment of movable lateral boundaries, the model is able to simulate efficiently dry up and flooding processes within the lagoon. Firstly, a model calibration was performed by comparing the results of the model, forced using tides and ECMWF atmospheric pressure and wind fields, with observations collected for a set of 33 mareographic stations uniformly distributed in the Adriatic Sea and in the Lagoon of Venice. A second numerical experiment was then carried out by considering only the tidal forcing. Through a comparison between the results obtained in the two experiments it was possible to assess the reliability of the estimated parameter through the composite forcing. Model results were then verified by comparing simulated amplitude and phase of each tidal constituent as well as tidal velocities simulated at the inlets of the lagoon and in the Northern Adriatic Sea with the corresponding observed values. The model accurately reproduces the observed harmonics: mean amplitude differences rarely exceed 1 cm, while phase errors are commonly confined below 15°. Semidiurnal and diurnal currents were correctly reproduced in the northern basin and a good agreement was obtained with measurements carried out at the lagoon inlets. On this basis, the outcomes of the hydrodynamic model were analyzed in order to investigate: (i) small-scale coastal circulation features observed at the interface between the adjoining basins, which consist often of vortical dipoles connected with the tidal flow of Adriatic water entering and leaving the Lagoon of Venice and with along-shore current fields connected with specific wind patterns; (ii) residual oscillations, which are often connected to meteorological forcing over the basin. In particular, it emerges that small-scale vortical features generated near the lagoon inlet can be efficiently transported toward the open sea, thus contributing to the water exchange between the two marine regions, and a realistic representation of observed residual oscillations in the area would require a very detailed knowledge of atmospheric as well as remote oceanic forcing.     

Anatomy of the Holocene succession of the southern Venice lagoon revealed by very high-resolution seismic data

The southern portion of the Venice lagoon contains a relatively thick (up to 20 m) Holocene sedimentary body that represents a detailed record of the formation and evolution of the lagoon. New very high-resolution (VHR) seismic profiles provided a detailed investigation on depositional geometries, internal bounding surfaces and stratal relationships. These informations, combined with core analysis, allowed the identification of large- to medium-scale sedimentary structures (e.g. dunes, point bars), the corresponding sedimentary environment, and of retrogradational and progradational trends. In addition, the availability of dense seismic network produced a 3D reconstruction of the southern lagoon and the recognition of the along-strike and dip variability of the stratal architecture.     

The paleoseismogenic activation of the Great Lakes segment of the Erzin-Agar-Dag fault

Seismogeological investigations conducted in the Erzin-Agar-Dag fault zone (the Great Lakes segment) revealed traces of paleoseismogenic deformation. A detailed on-land investigation of the Tatur-Tolga and the Hairakan paleoseismic dislocations (PSD) found a dominant left lateral type of movement. The amplitudes of one-act displacements on the faults vary between 2–3 and 6–7 m (horizontal) and within 1.5–2 m (vertical). Along with the parameters of one-act horizontal movements of a few meters, we found an accumulated amplitude of strike-slip movement of a few tens to hundreds of meters. Based on the parameters of seismotectonic deformations, the magnitudes of the respective paleoearthquakes are inferred to have been 6.6 to 7.9.     

Modeling the water exchanges between the Venice Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea

A hydrodynamic model of the Venice Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea has been developed in order to study the exchanges at the inlets of the Venice Lagoon, a complex morphological area connecting the sea and the lagoon. The model solves the shallow water equations on a spatial domain discretized by a staggered finite element grid. The grid represents the Adriatic Sea and the Venice Lagoon with different spatial resolutions varying from 30 m for the smallest channels of the lagoon to 30  km for the inner areas of the central Adriatic Sea. Data from more than ten tide gauges displaced in the Adriatic Sea have been used in the calibration of the simulated water levels. After the calibration, the tidal wave propagation in the North Adriatic and in the Venice Lagoon is well reproduced by the model. To validate the model results, empirical flux data measured by acoustic Doppler current profiler probes installed inside the inlets of Lido and Malamocco have been used and the exchanges through the three inlets of the Venice Lagoon have been analyzed. The comparison between modeled and measured fluxes at the inlets outlines the efficiency of the model to reproduce both tide- and wind-induced water exchanges between the sea and the lagoon. Even in complex areas, where highly varying resolution is needed, the model is suitable for the simulation of the dominating physical processes.     

Comparison between predictions using different simplified Newmarks' block-on-plane models and field values of earthquake induced displacements

The study is concerned with the assessment of simplified Newmarks' block-on-plane models available in the literature for evaluating the permanent earthquake induced displacements of cut slopes and embankments, and the recommendation of a well-verified model/procedure. For this purpose, incidents of earthquake induced displacements of geotechnical structures, were collected from worldwide literatures and used in the study. Actual values of displacements were compared with predictions using different models.Based on the analyses, interpretations and discussions in this study, it was concluded that the Nadim and Whitman method (Nadim F, Whitman RV. Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division, ASCE 1983;109(GT7):915–931) is the most accurate method for obtaining the earthquake induced displacement. The correlation coefficient between predicted values using the Nadim and Whitman method and the actual recorded ones for geotechnical structures was 0.770; the highest among correlation coefficients for other methods.     

Small faults formed as deformation bands in sandstone

Small faults with displacements of a few millimeters or centimeters are abundant in the Entrada and Navajo Sandstones, in the San Rafael Desert, Utah, where they are important primary structures, preceding the development of large faults with displacements of several meters or tens of meters. The small faults contain no surfaces of discontinuity, rather they occur asdeformation bands about one millimeter and tens or hundreds of meters long, and across which the displacements are distributed. Two zones with different modes of deformation can be distinguished within a deformation band: an outer zone where the matrix, including pores and matrix material, deforms; and an inner zone, about 0.5 mm thick, where the sand grains fracture and further consolidation takes place. Fracturing of the grains is controlled by contact geometry; the grains tend to split into subgrains along lines connecting contact points between the grains. Then the angular subgrains, which are readily fractured, are further granulated and mixed with the matrix. The final product is the deformation band, with much smaller grain size, poorer sorting, and lower porosity than the original parent sandstone. The sandstone on either side of a deformation band is almost undisturbed-fractures are rare there — so that deformation is highly localized within the band. The material within a deformation band apparently strain hardens as a result of the deformation; perhaps this is why the shear displacement across a deformation band is at most a few centimeters.     

Organotins (TBT and DBT) in water, sediments, and gastropods of the southern Venice lagoon (Italy)

The release of tributyltin (TBT) from maritime traffic represents one of the main problems of direct, diffuse, and continued contamination of the marine environment. In the present survey, the concentrations of TBT and dibultytin (DBT) in brackish waters, sediments, and the gastropods Nassarius nitidus were evaluated in order to estimate the contamination of the southern part of the Venice lagoon. TBT and DBT were determined by GC-MS/MS. Recent contamination of TBT was found in brackish waters near marinas, whereas the highest concentrations of TBT and DBT were observed in surface sediments at dockyards and harbours. High content of organotin in the gastropods sampled near the dockyards, harbours, and marinas showed a mobilisation from the sediments through the food web. The present study allowed assessment of whether, despite the ban on the use of TBT paints, waters, sediments, and biota were still being contaminated by organotin compounds in the southern Venice lagoon.     

Modelling the impact of a La Niña event on a South West Pacific Lagoon

In view of increasing environmental awareness and biodiversity conservation, understanding the main forcing mechanism driving biogeochemical cycles in coral reefs and lagoon coastal areas is a priority. La Ni?a events cause unbalanced situations in the Equatorial Pacific and result in enhanced precipitation in South West Pacific coastal areas. We investigated the impact of heavy rainfalls during the 2008 La Ni?a event on the New Caledonia lagoon using a 3D coupled on-line hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model. Simulations and data showed that the whole lagoon was impacted by river inputs and stronger hydrodynamics, enhancing chlorophyll-a concentration by a factor between 1.7 and 1.9. The coupled model provided new insights into plume transport, highlighting that eastern plumes can be advected northwards or can reach the South West Lagoon, depending on the balance between regional, tide-induced, and wind-induced surface currents. It also provided a synoptic view of lagoon biogeochemical-hydrodynamic response, when remote sensing data are not available due to cloud coverage.     

Susceptibility to oxidative stress of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) in the Venice Lagoon (Italy)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the susceptibility to pollutant mediated oxidative stress of the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in the Venice lagoon (Italy).

In June 2003, mussels from a farm were transplanted to eight sites in the lagoon for five weeks. Oxidative stress responses were measured by: (i) total oxyradical scavenging capacity (TOSC) assay, for an overall evaluation of the oxidative stress response capability; (ii) catalase (CAT), as a key enzyme involved in the antioxidant defence system; (iii) malondialdehyde (MDA), as an indicator of lipid peroxidation, to evaluate an oxidative damage; (iv) metallothioneins (MTs), as they play a role in the antioxidant defence.

The TOSC analysis revealed a reduced capability to eliminate: (i) peroxyl radical in mussels transplanted at Palude della Rosa, Valle Millecampi and Chioggia; (ii) hydroxyl radical at Campalto and Valle Millecampi; (iii) peroxynitrite at Valle Millecampi.

Inhibition in CAT activity, observed in all the monitored sites, confirms the presence of an oxidative pressure in transplanted mussels.

In addition, Pearson correlation analysis was performed in order to observe possible links between the various parameters. The PCA was a powerful tool to discriminate impacted sites, suggesting that the mussels transplanted throughout the Venice lagoon were subjected to different levels of oxidative pressure. Furthermore, it provided an easy and useful tool to summarize the obtained results.     

Determination of polychlorobiphenyl congeners (PCBs) in the surface water of the Venice lagoon

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of PCB contamination of Venice lagoon water. The PCB determination was made on the filtrate ("dissolved PCBs") and on the particulate collected on the filters ("particulate PCBs") by continuous liquid-liquid extraction and sonication, respectively, and by HRGC-LRMS analysis. An estimation of the procedural and "working" blanks was also made. Water samples were collected at six sites, selected to represent all the pollution situations present in the lagoon, and at a site in the Adriatic Sea. The range of the total sum ("dissolved plus particulate") of 49 congener concentrations falls between 355 and 1868 pgl(-1); the "dissolved" fraction concentrations (250-792 pgl(-1)) are greater at six sites than that of the "particulate" fraction (105-1273 pgl(-1)). Chemometric analyses suggest that the PCB congener pattern in the Venice Lagoon is different from that in the Adriatic Sea.     

Strong motion displacement waveforms using 10‐Hz precise point positioning GPS: an assessment based on free oscillation experiments

The recently developed precise point positioning (PPP) technique permits to compute instantaneous coordinates of a GPS station relatively to distant reference stations and waveforms of ground displacements during strong motions at the 1 Hz level. This is another application of GPS, different from the computation of static coseismic movements or of accurate monitoring of dynamic displacements of structures using a static receiver and a nearby moving receiver (DGPS). Recently, earthquake ground displacement waveforms using 10‐Hz GPS data have also been calculated, but no independent evidence to assess their quality exists. To overcome this problem, we evaluated the output of 10‐Hz PPP results on the basis of supervised learning experiments. Semistatic and dynamic displacements (damped harmonic oscillations) of known characteristics of the order of a few centimeter were produced and were recorded by GPS, an accelerometer, and a robotic total station. Time series of instantaneous displacements were analyzed using different PPP techniques and were compared with reference (true) values derived from DGPS and the other sensors. Our analysis revealed that the PPP‐derived coordinates are contaminated by long‐period noise but they can display the details of semistatic displacements, while their short‐period component describes well the pattern of waveforms and spectra (at least up to 4 Hz) of dynamic displacements, with up to 20 mm accuracy for isolated points. These results indicate that 10‐Hz PPP‐GPS is useful for earthquake engineering and can safely be used to reconstruct waveforms of deflections of the ground and of various points on structures during strong motions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Total oxyradical scavenging capacity responses in Mytilus galloprovincialis transplanted into the Venice lagoon (Italy) to measure the biological impact of anthropogenic activities

Oxidative stress related investigations to monitor the impact of the pollutant discharges into the Venice lagoon (Italy) originating from anthropogenic activities (raw sewage water, agricultural and industrial effluents, oil tanker traffic), on marine organisms have classically been carried out by analyzing specific, single antioxidants (i.e. catalase, superoxide dismutase). In this paper, two studies are reported where the total oxyradical scavenging capacity assay (TOSC) was selected and measured toward peroxyl, and hydroxyl free radicals, and peroxynitrite in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) transplanted into the Venice city and throughout the lagoon to measure the biological effects of anthropogenic activities. In the first experiment, mussels from a clean site (farm) were transplanted to the urban area of Venice for 0, 1, 2 and 4 weeks; cytosolic TOSC toward peroxyl and hydroxyl free radicals, and peroxynitrite revealed that the transplantation process caused a stress (handling stress, anoxia, oxidative burst) resulting in a reduction of TOSC in both control and urban sites, therefore, preventing clear interpretation of the data after one week. At week 2, a significant TOSC reduction (P < 0.05) toward peroxyl and hydroxyl radicals in the urban site revealed that mussels experienced oxidative pressure exerted by pollutants. Most TOSC values returned to initial levels at week 4; however, TOSC induction was noticed in the control group toward peroxyl and hydroxyl radicals while in the exposed group it was not indicating an inhibition of the oxidative metabolism. In the second experiment, mussels were deployed at seven different sites throughout the lagoon. After five weeks of exposure, significant TOSC reduction was measured (P < 0.05) toward peroxyl for Palude della Rosa, Chioggia and Valle Millecampi, toward hydroxyl radicals for Valle Millecampi and Campalto and toward peroxynitrite for Valle Millecampi. Although these data indicate a depletion of the low molecular weight scavengers, additional biomarkers are needed to draw a conclusion on the health of the mussels. TOSC was proved to be an interesting health index parameter to measure pollution impact in a transplantation study provided that the mussels are exposed for two weeks and a control is run in parallel.     

Groundwater connections under a barrier beach: A case study in the Venice Lagoon

The flow of groundwater beneath barrier islands has been cited as a possible pathway for salt water and chemical exchange between a protected embayment and the open sea. Evidence is presented that identifies an exchange of groundwater through a highly permeable paleoinlet along the barrier beach of Cavallino, which separates the northern Venice Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. We utilized both point measurements of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and a geophysical investigation of the subsurface resistivity to analyze the movement of saline groundwater. Discharge of groundwater and associated nutrients, was higher at the site of a former inlet than at a similar site along the barrier and modulated by the difference in tidal water level between the lagoon and Adriatic Sea. If the measured conditions are typical, storm surge barriers could potentially result in a saline groundwater flow of up to 1.5×10⁶ m³ d⁻¹ into the lagoon.     

Benthic foraminifera and trace element distribution: A case-study from the heavily polluted lagoon of Venice (Italy)

Living benthic foraminiferal assemblages were studied in surface samples collected from the lagoon of Venice (Italy) in order to investigate the relationship between these sensitive microorganisms and trace element pollution. Geochemical analysis of sediments shows that the lagoon is affected by trace element pollution (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Hg) with the highest concentrations in its inner part, which corresponds to the Porto Marghera industrial area. The biocenosis are largely dominated by Ammonia tepida, Haynesina germanica and Cribroelphidium oceanensis and, subordinately, by Aubignyna perlucida, Ammonia parkinsoniana and Bolivina striatula. Biotic and abiotic factors were statistically analyzed with multivariate technique of cluster analysis and principal component analysis. The statistical analysis reveals a strong relationship between trace elements (in particular Mn, Pb and Hg) and the occurrence of abnormalities in foraminiferal tests. Remarkably, greater proportions of abnormal specimens are usually found at stations located close to the heaviest polluted industrial zone of Porto Marghera. This paper shows that benthic foraminifera can be used as useful and relatively speedy and inexpensive bio-indicators in monitoring the health quality of the lagoon of Venice. It also provides a basis for future investigations aimed at unraveling the benthic foraminiferal response to human-induced pollution in marine and transitional marine environments.     

Extracting earthquake induced Lagrangian ground displacements and their implication for source inversion analysis

Seismographs are crucial for understanding a variety of aspects of earthquake-inflicted property damage and human suffering. However, strong ground motion records are often missing or very sparsely available especially in the developing countries, discouraging all attempts for rational rehabilitations. Something that should not be forgotten in talking about rehabilitations is that a large earthquake often causes long lasting geotechnical problems, in which terrain changes are to be thoroughly studied. A method is presented here to extract Lagrangian ground displacements from an available set of aerial/satellite data capturing sub-aerial topography. Its application to the Mid-Niigata Prefecture Earthquake, a well recorded and documented seismic event, has shown good correlation with the field measurements and/or observations. An inversion analysis is carried out with the predetermined static ground surface displacements to determine the spatial distribution of slips on fault rupture planes for known fault geometry.     

The main structure and tectonic features of the Chernorud-Mukhor site on the western shore of Lake Baikal from TEM and SP measurements

Transient electromagnetic (TEM), self-potential (SP) and geoelectrical mapping measurements were carried out at the Chernorud-Mukhor site in the Priolkhonje area on the western shore of the Lake Baikal. All measurements were made along several profiles across the main strike of the regional Primorsky fault. TEM measurements were carried out in a time range from a few tens of microseconds to several tens of milliseconds. The most important result of the 1D modelling of TEM soundings is the discovery of nearly horizontal boundaries that divide high resistive overlying and well conducting underlying rocks. The resistivity of the former is in the range from 100 Ωm to 1000 Ωm, while the resistivity of the latter varies from less than 1 Ωm to several tens of Ωm. This good conductive zone could also be verified by geoelectrical mapping using Schlumberger array (AB/2=100 m). Due to high conductivity of the underlying rocks only the upper boundary of the conductive layer could be determined by TEM soundings. A regional SP anomaly with amplitude of about −450 mV has also been observed above the low resistivity zone indicating the electron nature of its conductance. Geologically, the conductive zone is represented by a graphite-bearing layer within the region of archean rocks. Since that layer extends over a large area, it may be used as a key in studying structures and tectonics of the Priolkhonje area. A 1D TEM geoelectric section shows a wide, gently sloping syncline as a probable base structure of the Chernorud-Mukhor site. Neotectonic faults divide the syncline into vertically displaced blocks that form a wide complicated graben with a total amplitude of about 250 m.     

Deformation caused by the 2011 eastern Japan great earthquake monitored using the GPS single-epoch precise point positioning technique

Crustal deformation can provide constraints for studying earthquake rupture and shock wave transmission for the Mw9.0 eastern Japan great earthquake. Using the single-epoch precise point positioning (PPP) method and the appropriate positioning flow, we process GPS data from six IGS (International GNSS Service) sites (e.g., MIZU, TSK2, USUD, MTKA, AIRA and KSMV) located in Japan and obtain the positioning results with centimeter scale precision. The displacement time series of the six sites are analyzed using the least squares spectral analysis method to estimate deformations caused by the Mw9.0 mainshock and the Mw7.9 aftershock, and the cumulative displacements after 1 day. Mainshock displacements at station MIZU, the nearest site to the mainshock in the North (N), East (E), and Up (U) directions, are ?1.202 m, 2.180 m and ?0.104 m, respectively, and the cumulative deformations after 1 day are ?1.117 m, 2.071 m and ?0.072 m, respectively. The displacements at station KSMV, the nearest site to the Mw7.9 aftershock in the N, E and U directions, are ?0.032 m, 0.742 m and ?0.345 m, respectively. The other sites obviously experienced eastern movements and subsidence. The deformation vectors indicate that the horizontal displacements caused by the earthquake point to the epicenter and rupture. Elastic bounds evidently took place at all sites. The results indicate that the crustal movements and earthquake were part of a megathrust caused by the Pacific Plate sinking under the North American Plate to the northeast of Japan island arc.