Measuring the accessibility of critical facilities in the presence of hurricane-related roadway closures and an approach for predicting future roadway disruptions

Natural Hazards - Roadway closures magnify the adverse effects of disasters on people since any type of such disruption increases the emergency response travel time (ERTT), which is of central...     

High-latitude dust deposition in snow on the glaciers of James Ross Island,Antarctica

High-latitude dust (HLD) depositions on four glaciers of James Ross Island (the Ulu Peninsula) were analysed. The deposition rate on the selected glaciers varies from 11.8 to 64.0 g m⁻², which is one order of magnitude higher compared to the glaciers in Antarctica or elsewhere in the world. A strong negative relationship between the sediment amount and altitude of a sampling site was found. This is most likely caused by the higher availability of aeolian material in the atmospheric boundary layer. General southerly and south-westerly wind directions over the Ulu Peninsula – with exceptions based on local terrain configuration – help to explain the significantly lower level of sediment deposition on San Jose Glacier and the high level on Triangular Glacier. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrophotometry was used to estimate the relative proportions of the main and trace (lithophile) elements in the sediment samples. Both the sediment amount and the XRF results are analysed in a depth profile at each locality and compared among the glaciers, suggesting long-range transport of fine mineral material from outside James Ross Island. The distribution of aeolian sediment among the glaciers corresponds well with the prevailing wind direction on the Ulu Peninsula. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geochemical Atlas of the Slovak Republic at a scale of 1:1,000,000

The Geochemical Atlas of Slovak Republic (49,036 km²) at a scale of 1 : 1,000,000 was compiled during 1991–1995 together with maps of associated geochemical and ecological features at a scale of 1 :200,000. Investigations were aimed at the evaluation of concentrations and distributions of Al, As, Ba, Be, Ca, Ce, Co, Cd, Cs, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hg, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Sb, Se, Sn, Sr, Th, U, V, W, Y, Zn, Zr in groundwater (16,359 samples), stream sediments (24,422 samples), rocks (3839 samples), soils (9892 samples from 4946 profiles; A and C horizons of each profile were sampled) and forest biomass (the foliage of the forest tree species from 3063 plots was sampled). In groundwater field measurements of temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved O₂, acidity, alkalinity were done. The evaluation was oriented to the natural radioactivity of the Slovak territory as follows: rocks (K, U, Th, U_tot and dose rate, 15,573 reference spectrometric points), radon risk and water (U_nat, ²²⁶Ra, ²²²Rn; 5271 samples). The main objective of the Geochemical Atlas was to construct single-component maps showing concentrations of chemical elements, compounds and measured parameters in the researched media of Slovakia at a scale of 1 : 1,000.000 and to create interactive databases of chemical composition and/or measured parameters of groundwater, biomass, rocks, soils, stream sediments and natural radioactivity, for the entire territory of the Slovak Republic. The single-component maps are not constructed in the part ‘Rocks’, where all the main rocks types of Slovakia are presented in the ‘Map of lithogeochemical rock types of Slovakia at a scale of 1: 500,000’. The edition of six atlases has been planned. In 1997 the first three atlases will appear (Groundwater, Biomass, Natural Radioactivity). Publishing of last three atlases (Rocks, Soils, Stream Sediments) is planned for 1998. Since the analytical works on stream sediments were finished during 1997, it was not possible to present here the results of that part of the Geochemical Atlas.     

Characterization of spatial patterns in river water quality using chemometric pattern recognition techniques

This study employed three chemometric data mining techniques (factor analysis (FA), cluster analysis (CA), and discriminant analysis (DA)) to identify the latent structure of a water quality (WQ) dataset pertaining to Kinta River (Malaysia) and to classify eight WQ monitoring stations along the river into groups of similar WQ characteristics. FA identified the WQ parameters responsible for variations in Kinta River's WQ and accentuated the roles of weathering and surface runoff in determining the river's WQ. CA grouped the monitoring locations into a cluster of low levels of water pollution (the two uppermost monitoring stations) and another of relatively high levels of river pollution (the mid-, and down-stream stations). DA confirmed these clusters and produced a discriminant function which can predict the cluster membership of new and/or unknown samples. These chemometric techniques highlight the potential for reasonably reducing the number of WQVs and monitoring stations for long-term monitoring purposes.     

Assessment of Urban Source Metal Levels in Influent,Effluent, and Sludge of Two Municipal Biological Nutrient Removal Wastewater Treatment Plants of Bursa,an Industrial City in Turkey

Removal of Al, As, Cd, total Cr (Tot. Cr), Cu, Total Fe (Tot. Fe), Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, and Zn from urban effluent by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) operated under five‐stage Bardenpho® process were investigated and water soluble metals in the dewatered sludge were quantified. Samples were collected from two WWTPs on a weekly basis over an approximately 2.5‐year time span. Tot. Fe and Al were the most abundant, As, Pb, Ni, Cu, and Cd were the least abundant metals in the influents of both WWTPs. Removal efficiencies above 75% were achieved for Tot. Cr, Tot. Fe, Al, and Cu, whereas, no significant removal was observed for As, Cd, Pb, Sb, and Sn. Removal of Tot. Cr, Cu, Tot. Fe, Zn, Al, Mn, and Ni were influenced by influent suspended solids concentrations, and of Tot. Cr, Zn, and Cd were influenced by their initial content in the influent. Zn removal efficiency of biological nutrient removal (BNR) system in this study was higher and Cd removal efficiency was lower than that of conventional activated sludge reported in the literature. No remarkable difference for metals such as Cu, Mn, Ni, and Pb was observed between the removal efficiencies of conventional system and BNR system.     

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the Early to Middle Miocene Central Paratethys using stable isotopes from bryozoan skeletons

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope values from single bryozoan colonies were used to reconstruct the paleoenvironments of the Early to Middle Miocene (Ottnangian to Badenian) sediments of the Central Paratethys. This approach utilizes a locally abundant allochem while avoiding matrix and multiple allochem contamination from bulk rock samples. Bryozoan colonies (and a few foraminifera and rock matrix samples) from 14 localities yielded 399 carbon and oxygen isotope values. Data from six of the localities (15 % of the total number of samples) were interpreted as having been diagenetically altered and were rejected. The remaining data indicate a primarily localized upwelling signal with lesser variation caused by global climatic and regional tectonic forcing of sea level, salinity, and temperature. Paleotemperatures were calculated to range from 12 to 21 °C. Despite potential taxonomic and diagenetic problems, bryozoan colonies are a powerful, underutilized source of paleoenvironmental carbon and oxygen isotope data.     

Comparison of three artificial neural network approaches for estimating of slake durability index

Slake durability index (I _d2) is an important engineering parameter to assess the resistance of clay-bearing and weak rocks to erosion and degradation. Standard test sample preparation for slake durability test is difficult for some rock types and the test is time-consuming. The paper reports an attempt to define I _d2 using other parameters that are simpler to obtain. In this study, three different artificial neural network approaches, namely feed-forward back propagation (FFBP), radial basis function based neural network (RBNN), and generalized regression neural networks (GRNN) were used for estimating I _d2. The determination coefficient (R ²), root mean square error and mean absolute relative error statistics were used as evaluation criteria of the FFBP, RBNN, and GRNN models. The experimental results were compared with these models. The comparison results indicate that the GRNN models are superior to the FFBP and RBNN models in modeling of the slake durability index (I _d2).     

Neogene basin development around Söke-Kuşadası (western Anatolia) and its bearing on tectonic development of the Aegean region

The AMS study has been performed on various types of the basement – Variscan granitic and surrounding – Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the Velká Fatra Mountains, Tatric Superunit of the Central Western Carpathians. The Velká Fatra Mts. provides good opportunity for AMS study because of composite S-type and I-type granite character of pluton and clear relations to Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the cover and nappe positions. The granitic massif consists of the three types of weakly magnetic peraluminous granites (350 – 340 Ma in age), ranging from two-mica granites to biotite granodiorites in composition and carrying accessory monazite and ilmenite; whereby they resemble common S-type and/or Ilmenite Series granite. This pre-existing granitic body was intruded by relatively young (304 Ma old) metaluminous to subaluminous, strongly magnetic (due to magnetite) tonalitic intrusion of the I-type and/or Magnetite Series granite. In all S-types investigated as well as in the I-type tonalite body, the magnetic fabrics are not uniform, but slightly variable within a body and differing from body to body. The magnetic fabrics in all granitic rocks can be classified as mostly magmatic in origin, only subordinately affected by ductile deformation. The Alpine overprint of the magnetic fabric of the Variscan granite frequent in the central areas of the Central Western Carpathians was only weak in the Velká Fatra Mts. and the magnetic fabrics of these granites thus mostly comprise the original Variscan magmatic fabrics. On the other hand, in the marginal parts of the Velká Fatra Mts. the magnetic fabrics in granites are locally conformable to the deformational magnetic fabrics in surrounding sedimentary rocks (Mesozoic in age) thus indicating at least local effects of the Alpine deformation. The magnetic fabrics in Mesozoic sedimentary rocks covering the crystalline basement are partially (Cover Formation) to entirely (Nappe Units) deformational in origin.     

Bryozoan event from Middle Miocene (Early Badenian) lower neritic sediments from the locality Kralice nad Oslavou (Central Paratethys,Moravian part of the Carpathian Foredeep)

Fossil Bryozoa occurs usually in shallow-water environments. One of the rare deep-water associations of Bryozoa has been studied in a profile at Kralice nad Oslavou. According to studies of foraminifera, the paleodepth was more than 150 m and less than 500 m. The bryozoan assemblages are poor, consisting of four species only, dominated by Tervia irregularis (Cyclostomatida) and Reteporella kralicensis sp.n. (Cheilostomatida), a new species being described in detail.