Misure magnetiche in Albania

Riassunto Il campo magnetico terrestre in Albania è stato studiato (per la prima volta) dall'Istituto Geografico Militare attraverso l'esecuzione di una rete del 1⁰ crdine (65 stazioni assolute nei tre elementiD, H edI a circa 20 Km l'una dall'altra). I risultati sono compendiati in una carta magnetica della regione, scala 1750.000, isolinee al 1942.0. Oltre a due zone molto estese di anomalie dovute a rocce eruttive del periodo eocenico nell' Albania settentrionale e sud-orientale, sono messe in evidenza altre tre importanti anomalie regionali nella regione a NE di Scutari, a SO di Kruja, a NE di Korcia ed una locale a SE di Valona. L'esame geofisico indica come probabile causa per la prima e la terza la presenza di rocce basiche a profondità non molto rilevanti (dell' ordine di qualche Km).

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Zusammenfassung Das erdmagnetische Feld in Albanien ist (zum ersten Mal) von Ital. Mil. Geogr. Institut studiert worden. Ein magnetisches Netz erster Ordnung von 65 Stationen (ungefähr 20 Km Punktabstand) inD, H undI wurde gemessen. Die Ergebnisse sind in einer Karte dargestellt, Massstab 1750.000, Isolinien am 1942,0. Ausser zwei ausgedehnten Störgebieten von Eruptivgesteinen (Eozän) in Nord-und Süd-Ost-Albanien, sind drei andere Regionalstörungen im Gebiet NO von Scutari, SW von Kruja und NW Koriza, und eine Lokalstörung SO von Valona zu erkennen. Die erste und die dritte sind wahrscheinlich den Ergussgesteinen zuzuschreiben.

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con una tavola f. t.

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Dott.Carlo Morelli, Capo della Sezione Geomagnetica dell'Istituto Geografico Militare.     

Hydroclimatology of the Upper Madeira River basin: spatio-temporal variability and trends

Rising in the Andes, the Madeira River drains the southwestern part of the Amazon basin, which is characterized by high geographical, biological and climatic diversity. This study uses daily records to assess the spatio-temporal runoff variability in the Madeira sub-basins. Results show that inter-annual variability of both discharge and rainfall differs between Andean and lowland tributaries. High-flow discharge variability in the Andean tributaries and the Guaporé River is mostly related to sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial Pacific in austral summer, while tropical North Atlantic (TNA) SST modulates rainfall and discharge variability in the lowlands. There also is a downward trend in the low-flow discharge of the lowland tributaries which is not observed in the Andes. Because low-flow discharge values at most lowland stations are negatively related to the SST in the tropical North Atlantic, these trends could be explained by the warming of this ocean since the 1970s.

EDITOR A. Castellarin

ASSOCIATE EDITOR A. Viglione     

Types of eruptions of Etna volcano AD 1670–2003: implications for short-term eruptive behaviour

Analysis of the historical records of Etnas eruptive activity for the past three centuries shows that, after the large 1669 eruption, a period of about 60 years of low-level activity followed. Starting from 1727, explosive activity (strombolian, lava fountaining and subplinian) at the summit crater increased exponentially to the present day. Since 1763, the frequency of flank eruptions also increased and this value remained high until 1960; afterward it further increased sharply. In fact, the number of summit and flank eruptions between 1961 and 2003 was four times greater than that of the pre-1960 period. This long-term trend of escalating activity rules out a pattern of cyclic behaviour of the volcano. We propose instead that the 1670–2003 period most likely characterises a single eruptive cycle which began after the large 1669 eruption and which is still continuing.On the basis of the eruptive style, two distinct types of flank eruptions are recognised: Class A and Class B. Class A eruptions are mostly effusive with associated weak strombolian activity; Class B eruptions are characterised by effusive activity accompanied by intense, long-lasting, strombolian and lava fountaining activity that produces copious tephra fallouts, as during the 2001 and 2002–2003 eruptions. Over the past three centuries, seven Class B eruptions have taken place with vents located mainly on the south-eastern flank, indicating that this sector of the volcano is a preferential zone for the intrusion of volatile-rich magma rising from the deeper region of the Etna plumbing system.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at Editorial responsibility: M. Carroll     

Ecosystem-based marine spatial management: Review of concepts, policies, tools, and critical issues

Conventional sectoral management and piecemeal governance are considered less and less appropriate in pursuit of sustainable development. Ecosystem based marine spatial management (EB-MSM) is an approach that recognizes the full array of interactions within an ecosystem, including human uses, rather than considering single issues, species, or ecosystem services in isolation. Marine spatial planning and ocean zoning are emerging concepts that can support EB-MSM. EB-MSM is driven by high-level goals that managers aim to achieve through the implementation of measures. High-level goals and objectives need to be translated into more operational objectives before specific targets, limits and measures can be elaborated.Monitoring, evaluation and adaptation are necessary to ensure that marine management measures are both effective and efficient. Solid monitoring frameworks are the foundation of adaptive management, as they provide the necessary information to evaluate performance and the effectiveness of management actions. Marine protected areas (MPAs) - possibly set up in networks - constitute a key component in EB-MSM policies and practises and have been applied as a cornerstone in conservation of marine biodiversity, management of fish populations, development of coastal tourism, etc. Moreover, MPA experiences have provided methods and concepts (such as zoning) to a wider EB-MSM context. The assignment of values to biophysical features of the marine environment allows the direct assessment of related management choices and may assist EB-MSM.A range of monetary valuation techniques have been proposed to reduce attributes of goods and services to a single metric. However, in the marine environment such an approach is often over simplistic, and thus less reductive techniques may be necessary. Rather than producing a single metric, the results of non-monetary assessments guide policy allowing weight to be given as necessary to potential areas of conflict and consensus.Strategies to take into account climate change effects and geohazard risks in EB-MSM have been applied or proposed worldwide. EB-MSM regimes must be alert to such risks and flexible to account for changes.     

Surface atmospheric circulation patterns and associated minimum temperatures in the Maipo and Casablanca valleys, central Chile

This paper analyzes the influence of circulation anomalies on the magnitude of minimum air temperature (T _min) at a daily scale in two important agricultural valleys of Chile (Maipo and Casablanca) during the period 2001–2007. A statistical classification of synoptic fields was performed, resulting in eight circulation patterns (CPs, 84 % of explained variance). The corresponding anomalies of T _min (AT_min) of each CP were analyzed in order to understand their synoptic-scale forcing mechanisms. Results showed a direct association between AT_min and the synoptic structure. The average weakening in sea level pressure (SLP) yields positive AT_min, while negative AT_min is associated with a strengthening in SLP. In the latter case, it was also found that a synoptic structure (10.2 % of frequency) corresponding to a migratory high-pressure system passing eastward across the Andes led to the lowest AT_min and a higher probability of frost in both valleys (22 % on average) in winter and springtime.     

U and Th content in the Central Apennines continental crust: A contribution to the determination of the geo-neutrinos flux at LNGS

The regional contribution to the geo-neutrino signal at Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) was determined based on a detailed geological, geochemical and geophysical study of the region. U and Th abundances of more than 50 samples representative of the main lithotypes belonging to the Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary cover were analyzed. Sedimentary rocks were grouped into four main “reservoirs” based on similar depositional settings and mineralogy. The initial assumption that similar chemico-physical depositional conditions would lead to comparable U and Th contents, was then confirmed by chemical analyses. Basement rocks do not outcrop in the area. Thus U and Th in the upper and lower crust of Valsugana and Ivrea-Verbano areas were analyzed. Irrespective of magmatic or metamorphic origin lithotypes were subdivided into a mafic and an acid reservoir, with comparable U and Th abundances.Based on geological and geophysical properties, relative abundances of the various reservoirs were calculated and used to obtain the weighted U and Th abundances for each of the three geological layers (sedimentary cover, upper and lower crust). Using the available seismic profile as well as the stratigraphic records from a number of exploration wells, a 3D modeling was developed over an area of 2° × 2° down to the Moho depth, for a total volume of about 1.2 × 10⁶ km³. This model allowed us to determine the volume of the various geological layers and eventually integrate the Th and U contents of the whole crust beneath LNGS.On this base the local contribution to the geo-neutrino flux (S) was calculated and added to the contribution given by the rest of the world, yielding a refined reference model prediction for the geo-neutrino signal in the Borexino detector at LNGS: S(U) = (28.7 ± 3.9) TNU and S(Th) = (7.5 ± 1.0) TNU. An excess over the total flux of about 4 TNU was previously obtained by Mantovani et al. (2004) who calculated, based on general worldwide assumptions, a signal of 40.5 TNU. The considerable thickness of the sedimentary rocks, almost predominantly represented by U- and Th-poor carbonatic rocks in the area near LNGS, is responsible for this difference. Thus the need for detailed integrated geological study is underlined by this work, if the usefulness of the geo-neutrino flux for characterizing the global U and Th distribution within the Earth’s crust, mantle and core is to be realized.     

Carbonate Chemistry and Air–Sea CO2 Flux in a NW Mediterranean Bay Over a Four-Year Period: 2007–2011

The Service d’Observation de la Rade de Villefranche-sur-Mer is designed to study the temporal variability of hydrological conditions as well as the abundance and composition of holo- and meroplankton at a fixed station in this bay of the northwest Mediterranean. The weekly data collected at this site, designated as “Point B” since 1957, represent a long-term time series of hydrological conditions in a coastal environment. Since 2007, the historical measurements of hydrological and biological conditions have been complemented by measurements of the CO₂–carbonic acid system parameters. In this contribution, CO₂–carbonic acid system parameters and ancillary data are presented for the period 2007–2011. The data are evaluated in the context of the physical and biogeochemical processes that contribute to variations in CO₂ in the water column and exchange of this gas between the ocean and atmosphere. Seasonal cycles of the partial pressure of CO₂ in seawater (pCO₂) are controlled principally by variations in temperature, showing maxima in the summer and minima during the winter. Normalization of pCO₂ to the mean seawater temperature (18.5 °C), however, reveals an apparent reversal of the seasonal cycle with maxima observed in the winter and minima in the summer, consistent with a biogeochemical control of pCO₂ by primary production. Calculations of fluxes of CO₂ show this area to be a weak source of CO₂ to the atmosphere during the summer and a weak sink during the winter but near neutral overall (range ?0.3 to +0.3 mmol CO₂ m^?2 h^?1, average 0.02 mmol CO₂ m^?2 h^?1). We also provide an assessment of errors incurred from the estimation of annual fluxes of CO₂ as a function of sampling frequency (3-hourly, daily, weekly), using data obtained at the Hawaii Kilo Nalu coastal time-series station, which shows similar behavior to the Point B location despite significant differences in climate and hydrological conditions and the proximity of a coral reef ecosystem.     

Vertical dynamics of disc galaxies in modified Newtonian dynamics

We investigate the possibility of discriminating between modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) and Newtonian gravity with dark matter, by studying the vertical dynamics of disc galaxies. We consider models with the same circular velocity in the equatorial plane (purely baryonic discs in MOND and the same discs in Newtonian gravity embedded in spherical dark matter haloes), and we construct their intrinsic and projected kinematical fields by solving the Jeans equations under the assumption of a two-integral distribution function. We find that the vertical velocity dispersion of deep MOND discs can be much larger than in the equivalent spherical Newtonian models. However, in the more realistic case of high surface density discs, this effect is significantly reduced, casting doubt on the possibility of discriminating between MOND and Newtonian gravity with dark matter by using current observations.