Evaluation of sediment contamination in the Red Sea coastal area combining multiple pollution indices and multivariate statistical techniques

In the recent years,the Red Sea coast of Yemen has been severely affected by intensive anthropogenic activities.The current study constitutes a thorough inquiry to evaluate the extent of heavy metals pollution in Yemen's Red Sea coast sediment and identifies the possible sources of pollution.The concentrations of five metals(copper(Cu),zinc(Zn),cadmium(Cd),lead(Pb),and nickel(Ni))collected from nine sites along the Red Sea coast of Yemen were assessed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer(ASS).Sediment quality indices,such as the sediment quality guidelines(SQGs),potential ecological risk(RI),contamination factor(CF),pollution load index(PLI),geoaccumulation index(Igeo),and modified degree of contamination(mCd)were computed.In addition,multivariate statistical techniques(principal component analysis(PCA),hierarchical cluster analysis,and Pearson's correlation analysis)were applied to identify the potential sources of metals.The mean concentrations of Cu,Zn,Cd,Pb,and Ni were 51.3,61.9,4.02,9.9,and 33.4 mg/kg dry wt,respectively.The spatial distribution revealed that the metals concentrations were high at the middle zone and low southward of Hodeida city.According to the SQGs,the adverse biological effects of metals were occasionally associated with Cu and Cd,frequently associated with Ni,and not expected to occur with Zn and Pb.The RI indicated that the sediment of the studied sites pose low(RI<50)to considerable(100≤RI<200)ecological risk.The mean effect range-median quotient(M-ERM-Q)indicated that the combination of the studied metals had the toxicity probability of 21%at all studied sites.Igeo and CF indicated that the metals concentrations were in the descending order of:Zn>Ni>Pb>Cd>Cu,whereas the PLI and mCd indicated that Ras Isa(Site 5)and Urj village(Site 6)were the most polluted sites.PCA,cluster analysis,and correlation analysis found that Cd,Pb,and Ni mostly originated from anthropogenic sources while Cu and Zn were mainly derived from natural sources.Thus,it is evident that the intensive anthropogenic activities had negative influence on metals accumulation in the sediment of the Red Sea coast of Yemen leading to detrimental effects to the whole ecosystem.These comprehensive findings provide valuable information and data for future monitoring studies regarding heavy metals pollution and sediment quality at the Red Sea coast of Yemen.     

An analysis of the optical light curve of the X-ray binary 3U 1653+35

The purpose of this paper is to provide an estimate of several parameters of X-ray binary system 3U 1653+35, based a study of the optical light curve of the companion of HZ Her.The introductory section gives a general outline of the problem and deals with the general method of estimation of the parameters. In Section 2, the reflection effect in close binary systems is demonstrated in the end of this section we first introduce a new method of evaluation of reflection effect in close binary systems. Section 3 gives an analysis of the optical curve of the X-ray binary system 3U 1653+35, and general discussion.     

Optical and physical characterization of ��Iraqi freedom�� dust storm, a case study

Kuwait was exposed to a severe dust storm on 19 March 2003, the eve of operation ??Iraqi Freedom??. Three days of dust events (19, 26, 27 March) were analyzed for their aerosol optical and physical properties using ground-based and satellite-retrieved measurements. Ground-based measurements of aerosol optical depth (or thickness; AOD or AOT) at 675?nm, ?? ₆₅₇, ?ngstrom coefficient ?? _936/657, particulate matter of diameter 10???m or less, PM₁₀ (??g/m³), and meteorological parameters were analyzed for March 2003. AOT exceeded 3 for the 3?days of interest and PM₁₀ concentrations reached as high value as 2,457???g/m³ on 19 March dust storm day. Retrieved aerosol characteristics from space using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on board Terra and Aqua satellite were examined against ground-based measurements. A strong correlation was found between ground-based measurements of ?? ₆₇₅ and the Terra-MODIS retrieved AOD₅₅₀. The synoptic of the dust storm were analyzed and source regions were identified using back trajectory analysis and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer Aerosol Index.     

Spatial analysis of the frequency–magnitude distribution of aftershock activity of 2003 Bam earthquake: southeast Iran

The Bam earthquake (2003 December 26, M _W = 6.6) was one of the largest earthquakes that occurred in southeast of Iran during last century. It took place along an N–S trending right-lateral strike-slip fault, almost near the southern end of Nyband–Gowk fault. In this study, we mapped the frequency–magnitude distribution of aftershock events spatially across the Bam aftershock zone. The b-value varies between 0.6 and 1.1 across the Bam rupture zone. The overall depth distribution of b-value in Bam aftershock zone reveals two distinct increases in b-value: (1) at depths of 8–10 km and (2) shallower than 4 km beneath the Bam city. There is no correlation between high b- value anomalies found in this study and the region of largest slip, whereas the spatial correlation between high b-value anomalies and the zone of low V _s and high σ (in earlier tomography study) is obvious. This correlation reveals that material properties and increasing heterogeneity are more important in controlling b-value distribution in Bam earthquake rupture zone. The high b-value anomaly near the surface of northern part of rupture zone may be related to unconsolidated and water-rich quaternary alluvial sediments and probable low-strength rocks beneath them. The high b-value anomaly at depth range 8–10 km can be correlated with fractured and fluid-filled mass, which may result from the movement of magma during Eocene volcanism in the Bam area. In this study, the induced changes in pore fluid pressure due to main shock are suggested as a mechanism for aftershock generation.     

System dynamics approach for simulating water resources of an urban water system with emphasis on sustainability of groundwater

Water resources management is an important driver in social and economic development. Water shortage is one of the most critical issues threatening human welfare, public health, and ecosystems. This issue has turned into a major challenge in many river basins all around the world due to the imbalance in water supply and demand. Use of simulation models can be effective tools in providing water managers with scientifically supported decisions in dealing with complex and uncertain water resource systems. System dynamics approach serves as a management tool and may play an important role in understanding the cause–effect in water resources systems. In the present study, system dynamics approach was applied to simulate management strategies dealing with Tehran metropolitan water resources systems. In the developed model, the trend of water storage in the next 30-year period and the effectiveness of water supply strategies were simulated. The results showed that, despite the growing shortage of the water resources, optimal use of existing resources under appropriate strategies could reduce water deficit within the next 30 years.     

Correction to: New climatic zones in Iran: a comparative study of different empirical methods and clustering technique

Theoretical and Applied Climatology -     

Age and composition of Antarctic sub-glacial bedrock reflected by detrital zircons,erratics, and recycled microfossils in the Ellsworth Land–Antarctic Peninsula–Weddell Sea–Dronning Maud Land sector (240°E–0°–015°E)

The age and composition of the 14 × 10⁶ km² of Antarctica's surface obscured by ice is unknown except for some dated detrital minerals and erratics. In remedy, we present four new analyses (U–Pb age, T_DM^C, εHf, and rock type) of detrital zircons from Neogene turbidites as proxies of Antarctic bedrock, and review published proxies: detrital hornblendes analysed for Ar–Ar age and bulk Sm–Nd isotopes; Pb isotope compositions of detrital K-feldspars; erratics and dropstones that reflect age and composition; and recycled microfossils that reflect age and facies. This work deals with the 240°E–0°–015°E sector, and complements Veevers and Saeed's (2011) analysis of the 70°E–240°E sector. Each sample is located in its ice-drainage basin for backtracking to the potential provenance. Gaps in age between sample and upslope exposure are specifically attributable to the provenance. The major provenance of detritus west of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) is West Antarctica, and of detritus east of the AP East Antarctica. We confirm that the Central Antarctic provenance about a core of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM) and the Vostok Subglacial Highlands (VSH) contains a basement that includes igneous (mafic granitoids) and metamorphic rocks with peak U–Pb ages of 0.65–0.50, 1.20–0.9, 2.1–1.9, 2.8–2.6, and 3.35–3.30 Ga, T_DM^C of 3.6–1.3 Ga, and mainly negative εHf. The potential provenance of zircons of 650–500 Ma age with T_DM^C ages of 1.55 Ga, and of zircons of 1200–900 Ma age with positive εHf lies beneath the ice in East Antarctica south and southeast of Dronning Maud Land within the Antarctic part of the East African–Antarctic Orogen. Zircons with the additional ages of 1.7–1.4 Ga, 2.1–1.9 Ga, and 3.35–3.00 Ga have a potential provenance in the GSM.     

Vulnerability of ordinary moment resistant concrete frames

The effects of structural modeling (bar slip in lap splice), ground motion selection process (epsilon effect) and size of a structure (number of bays and stories) on the fragility of reinforced concrete ordinary moment resisting frames are investigated. An analytical model is developed to account for bar slip in lap splice, which exhibits good correlation with existing experimental data. Then, incremental dynamic analysis is used to derive the fragility curves for four model structures. The model structures simulate frames with a different number of bays and stories. Finally, the fragility curves are corrected for the epsilon effect. The results show that slip in the lap splice can significantly increase the failure probability, especially for the collapse prevention limit state. At the same time, it is found that spectral shape has a significant impact on the fragility curves. It is also found that accounting for or ignoring bar slip or epsilon effects increases the probability of failure for larger structures. This indicates an unconservative bias in the safety of larger structures.