Uncertainty of moment tensor determination from surface wave analysis for shallow earthquakes

We treat the problem of the non-uniqueness of the moment tensor inversion for shallow earthquakes from long period surface wave data. We give an existence condition for double couples radiating the same long period surface waves as the deviatoric moment tensor obtained by such inversion. We describe the family of such double couples and show that they may provide better estimates of double couple mechanisms than the traditional “best double-couple” solution. We demonstrate the results of application to four large shallow earthquakes with different source signatures.     

Geoarchaeological prospection of a medieval manor in the dutch polders using an electromagnetic induction sensor in combination with soil augerings

In archaeological prospection, geophysical sensors are increasingly being used to locate buried remains within their natural context. To cover a large area in sufficient detail, an electromagnetic induction sensor can be very useful, measuring simultaneously the electrical conductivity and the magnetic susceptibility of the soil (e.g., Geonics EM38DD). In this study, an 8 ha field containing a Medieval manor was mapped in a submeter resolution, using a mobile sensor configuration equipped with a GPS. As different soil features can yield analogous responses, the interpretation of geophysical maps can be ambiguous. Therefore, soil auger observations were laid out along two perpendicular transects to provide vertical profiles across the sensor measurements. This information greatly enhanced the interpretation of the anomalies obtained by the sensor. Both natural and anthropogenic features were delineated, which clearly presented a moated site along a former tidal channel. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Sustainable groundwater extraction in coastal areas: a Belgian example

Water extractions in coastal areas have to deal with salt water intrusion and lowering of hydraulic heads in valuable ecosystems. Therefore, sustainable management of fresh water resources in these areas is crucial. This is illustrated here with two water extractions in the western Belgian coastal plain which extract groundwater from a phreatic dune aquifer. One water extraction faced problems with salt water intrusion, while lowering of hydraulic heads was an issue for both. To remedy the salt water intrusion, it was found that decreasing the extraction rate was the only solution. To offset this and to increase hydraulic heads around both extractions, it was decided to artificially recharge the aquifer of the second extraction with tertiary treated wastewater. By taking these interventions, the combined production capacity of the water extractions was increased with 56% whereas 27% less water was extracted from the dune aquifer itself. Extraction history and the effects of interventions are illustrated for both water extractions with water quality data and fresh water head observations. A more detailed insight in groundwater flow and fresh–salt water distribution in the aquifer is provided by simulating the evolution of the water extractions with a 3D density dependent groundwater flow model.     

Diatom record from Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia, during the last 1 Ma: The results from the HDP-04 drill core

Quantitative diatom abundance and species composition was studied in the longest 81-m Lake Hovsgol drill core, HDP-04. Lake Hovsgol diatom biostratigraphy of the past 1 Ma includes 14 local diatom assemblage zones (LDAZ). Planktonic diatom flora of Lake Hovsgol is dominated by members of Stephanodiscus and Cyclotella. A large-scale shift from Stephanodiscus-dominated to Cyclotella-dominated flora occurred in the mid-Brunhes chron. Significant morphological variability of Cyclotella ocellata complex and Cyclotella cf. minuta, as well as the presence of new extinct endemic taxa of genus Stephanodiscus, suggest long speciation and/or adaptation history of diatom flora. The recognition of taxa morphologically similar to the extinct endemic species of Lake Baikal suggests potential correlation ties between Lake Hovsgol and Lake Baikal diatom biostratigraphies around the MIS 17, MIS 25, and, possibly, MIS 15 interglacial intervals. Narrow peaks of diatom abundance in the Lake Hovsgol sedimentary record are episodic and short-lived. These peaks may represent humid optima of past interglacials and/or interstadials, characterized by elevated surface runoff in the Hovsgol basin and relative highstands of the lake.     

A Biogeochemical View of Estuarine Eutrophication: Seasonal and Spatial Trends and Correlations in the Delaware Estuary

The Delaware River and Bay Estuary is one of the major urbanized estuaries of the world. The 100-km long tidal river portion of the estuary suffered from major summer hypoxia in the past due to municipal and industrial inputs in the urban region; the estuary has seen remarkable water quality improvements from recent municipal sewage treatment upgrades. However, the estuary still has extremely high nutrient loading, which appears to not have much adverse impact. Since the biogeochemistry of the estuary has been relatively similar for the past two decades, our multiple year research database is used in this review paper to address broad spatial and seasonal patterns of conditions in the tidal river and 120 km long saline bay. Dissolved oxygen concentrations show impact from allochthonous urban inputs and meteorological forcing as well as biological influences. Nutrient concentrations, although high, do not stimulate excessive algal biomass due to light and multiple nutrient element limitations. Since the bay does not have strong persistent summer stratification, there is little potential for bottom water hypoxia. Elevated chlorophyll concentrations do not exert much influence on light attenuation since resuspended bottom inorganic sediments dominate the turbidity. Dissolved inorganic carbon and dissolved and particulate organic carbon distributions show significant variability from watershed inputs and lesser impact from urban inputs and biological processes. Ratios of dissolved and particulate carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus help to understand watershed and urban inputs as well as autochthonous biological influences. Owing to the relatively simple geometry of the system and localized anthropogenic inputs as well as a broad spatial and seasonal database, it is possible to develop these biogeochemical trends and correlations for the Delaware Estuary. We suggest that this biogeochemical perspective allows a revised evaluation of estuarine eutrophication that should have generic value for understanding other estuarine and coastal waters.     

Dynamical zodiacal cloud models constrained by high resolution spectroscopy of the zodiacal light

The simulated Doppler shifts of the solar Mg I Fraunhofer line produced by scattering on the solar light by asteroidal, cometary, and trans-neptunian dust particles are compared with the shifts obtained by Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper (WHAM) spectrometer. The simulated spectra are based on the results of integrations of the orbital evolution of particles under the gravitational influence of planets, the Poynting-Robertson drag, radiation pressure, and solar wind drag. Our results demonstrate that the differences in the line centroid position in the solar elongation and in the line width averaged over the elongations for different sizes of particles are usually less than those for different sources of dust. The deviation of the derived spectral parameters for various sources of dust used in the model reached maximum at the elongation (measured eastward from the Sun) between 90° and 120°. For the future zodiacal light Doppler shifts measurements, it is important to pay a particular attention to observing at this elongation range. At the elongations of the fields observed by WHAM, the model-predicted Doppler shifts were close to each other for several scattering functions considered. Therefore the main conclusions of our paper do not depend on a scattering function and mass distribution of particles if they are reasonable. A comparison of the dependencies of the Doppler shifts on solar elongation and the mean width of the Mg I line modeled for different sources of dust with those obtained from the WHAM observations shows that the fraction of cometary particles in zodiacal dust is significant and can be dominant. Cometary particles originating inside Jupiter's orbit and particles originating beyond Jupiter's orbit (including trans-neptunian dust particles) can contribute to zodiacal dust about 1/3 each, with a possible deviation from 1/3 up to 0.1-0.2. The fraction of asteroidal dust is estimated to be ∼0.3-0.5. The mean eccentricities of zodiacal particles located at 1-2 AU from the Sun that better fit the WHAM observations are between 0.2 and 0.5, with a more probable value of about 0.3.