Dynamics of Microbiological Contamination at a Marine Recreational Site

Levels of bacterial indicators of pollution are related with marine salinity and turbidity at both high tide (HT) and low tide (LT). The salinity varied from values around 26.9 ppm at the LT and 28.6 ppm at the high tide but affected total and faecal coliform (FC) estimates. Salinity readings of 25–30 ppm produced microbial counts below 10⁻² MPN/100 ml total coliforms (TCs) whereas salinity of 15–22 ppm produced a TC level of 4.6×10⁻⁴ MPN/100 ml. Turbidity peaks in the samples are accompanied by peaks of microbial contamination of the seawater indicating that the contamination is normally deposited at the marine sediment rather than in the water column. In fact, samples collected under heavy stormy weather, in which the water agitation resulted in turbidity values up to 68.3 NTU, produced maximum microbial counts.     

A GPS-Supported Gravity Survey in the Amazon of Ecuador

The growing importance and effectiveness of the Global Positioning System (GPS) in positioning geophysical surveys is now well established. In Ecuador's Amazon basin the use of GPS was the determining factor in the successful completion of a gravity survey carried out in 1994. Over 500 gravity stations, spaced from 1 to 5 km apart and positioned by GPS, were collected in the jungle environment in the country's southeast, where the preexisting data, of variable and unknown quality, were mostly confined to areas along the major rivers. This station densification, which includes the reoccupation of selected points, contributed to increase the gravity coverage; it also allowed us to evaluate and correct 1100 preexisting data points in the area, so that the different surveys can be merged. The composite data set is used for a geologic analysis of the study area, where previously unknown structures are discovered. ? 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Tectonic significance of an earthquake sequence in the Zacoalco half-graben, Jalisco, Mexico

We studied a sequence of small earthquakes that occurred during the months of April and May of 1997, in Jalisco, southwestern Mexico. The earthquakes were located along a set of active faults that form the Zacoalco half-graben (La Lima fault system), west of Lake Chapala, within the rift–rift–rift triple junction. A total of 33 events were located, with magnitudes ranging from 1.5 to 3.5, recorded by a portable array of broadband seismographs. We identified two groups of events: one corresponding to a shallow normal fault, synthetic to La Lima fault system, and another group associated with a deeper fault. The events that occurred on the synthetic fault show normal faulting oriented on a NW–SE plane, dipping shallowly towards the SW. The other group of mechanisms showed either a normal fault oriented NW–SE and dipping steeply to the NE, or a very shallow-dipping normal fault, dipping to the SW. Earthquake distribution and fault plane solutions suggest that the Zacoalco half-graben developed from blocks that rotate as slip occurs on listric faults. These mechanisms could represent the type of motion expected for larger earthquakes in the area, like the one that occurred in 1568.     

Tectonic implications of the earthquake swarm of 1997 in the Michoacan Triangle, Mexico

An earthquake swarm occurred during February and March 1997 in the vicinity of the Tancitaro Volcano, in the southern part of the tectonically complex Michoacan Triangle. A study of these events provides an opportunity to map the active faults in the area and to learn if the orientation and the sense of motion on these faults are consistent with the mapped faults and the alignment of cinder cones in the region. The foci of 230 earthquakes, which could be located, are distributed between 10 and 18 km depth, and show an alignment in, roughly, a NE direction. The focal mechanisms and seismic moments of the 27 best-recorded events were determined by waveform modeling of P and S waves. These mechanisms show two distinct patterns. More than 50% of the solutions are left-lateral strike–slip mechanisms with a normal component. The preferred fault plane strikes NE. Another group of events, probably caused by triggered seismicity on the Chapala–Oaxaca fault zone, shows left-lateral strike–slip mechanisms with a large-thrust component on NW-trending faults. S wave splitting shows 1–2.5% crustal-anisotropy. The direction of the anisotropy coincides with the NE alignment of events, and the preferred nodal plane. This is also the alignment of cinder cones, suggesting that preexisting fractures and cracks are responsible for the seismicity and anisotropic behavior of the crust. The resulting stress orientation, NE compression, is the one expected for the fore-arc region. We conclude that although Michoacan Triangle lies in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, it does not form part of this stress province where the stress orientation is NS extension.     

The scope for generating bio-oils with relatively low oxygen contents via hydropyrolysis

The primary oils obtained in high yields from fast (fluidised-bed) pyrolysis of biomass generally have high oxygen contents (ca. 40% w/w). The scope for using pyrolysis under hydrogen pressure (hydropyrolysis), to give oils with much lower oxygen contents compared to normal pyrolysis has been investigated. Fixed-bed hydropyrolysis tests have been conducted on cellulose, sugar cane bagasse and eucalyptus wood using hydrogen pressures up to 10 MPa, with heating rates of 5 and 300°C min⁻¹. A colloidal FeS catalyst was used in some tests (Fe loading of 5%, w/w) to increase overall conversions. Further, the attractive option of using a two-stage reactor in which the primary oil vapors are passed though a bed of hydrotreating catalyst is also described. Raising the hydrogen pressure from atmospheric to 10 MPa reduced the oxygen content of the primary oil by over 10% to below 20% w/w. The addition of a dispersed iron sulphide catalyst gave conversions close to 100% for all three biomass samples investigated at 10 MPa under conditions in the fixed-bed reactor where significant diffusional resistances existed and reduced the oxygen content of the bio-oil by a further 10%. Although NMR indicated that the oils became increasingly aromatic as more oxygen was removed, the increase in hydrogen pressure decreased the extent of overall aromatisation that occurs primarily due to the lower char yields obtained. In two-stage tests for cellulose, using a commercial sulphided Ni/Mo γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst at 400°C, increasing the hydrogen pressure from 2.5 to 10 MPa decreased the oxygen content of the oil by over 20% to 10% w/w. The H/C ratios were higher and O/C ratios smaller for the two-stage bio-oils compared to their single stage counterparts. However, the differences in the O/C ratios between the single and two-stage bio-oils increase with pressure.     

Large-Scale and Mesoscale Distribution of Plankton Biomass and Metabolic Activity in the Northeastern Central Atlantic

Plankton biomass and indices of metabolism and growth [electron transport system (ETS), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and aspartate transcarbamylase (ATC) activities] were studied over a 2,800 km east-west section of the tropical North Atlantic Ocean (21°N) in <200, 200–500 and >;500 µm size classes. On the large-scale, zooplankton (>;200 µm) enzymatic activities increased westward in the study section, where large cyanobacteria chains (Trichodesmium spp.) were observed. Parallel to it, an increase in medium calanoids (1–2 mm length) was observed towards the western part of the transect, whereas small calanoids (<1 mm) were dominant throughout the boundary area of the subtropical gyre. Microplankton ETS and mesoplankton ETS and ATC activities seemed to match the wave length of low frequency waves. Our results suggest that such waves are related to the observed enhancement of metabolic activity of micro- and mesoplankton. The large-scale and mesoscale variability observed give evidence of the inadequacy of assuming a steady-state picture of the euphotic zone of tropical and subtropical waters.     

Stream channel erosion in a rapidly urbanizing region of the US–Mexico border: documenting the importance of channel hardpoints with Structure‐from‐Motion photogrammetry

Urbanization can lead to accelerated stream channel erosion, especially in areas experiencing rapid population growth, unregulated urban development on erodible soils, and variable enforcement of environmental regulations. A combination of field surveys and Structure‐from‐Motion (SfM) photogrammetry techniques was used to document spatial patterns in stream channel geometry in a rapidly urbanizing watershed, Los Laureles Canyon (LLCW), in Tijuana, Mexico. Ground‐based SfM photogrammetry was used to map channel dimensions with 1 to 2 cm vertical mean error for four stream reaches (100–300 m long) that were highly variable and difficult to survey with a differential GPS. Regional channel geometry curves for LLCW had statistically larger slopes and intercepts compared with regional curves developed for comparable, undisturbed reference channels. Cross‐sectional areas of channels downstream of hardpoints, such as concrete reaches or culverts, were up to 64 times greater than reference channels, with enlargement persisting, in some cases, up to 230 m downstream. Percentage impervious cover was not a good predictor of channel enlargement. Proximity to upstream hardpoint, and lack of riparian and bank vegetation paired with highly erodible bed and bank materials may account for the instability of the highly enlarged and unstable cross‐sections. Channel erosion due to urbanization accounts for approximately 25–40% of the total sediment budget for the watershed, and channel erosion downstream of hardpoints accounts for one‐third of all channel erosion. Channels downstream of hardpoints should be stabilized to prevent increased inputs of sediment to the Tijuana Estuary and local hazards near the structures, especially in areas with urban settlements near the stream channel. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reconstruction of fluvio-lacustrine landscapes and settlement history in the Texcoco region,Mexico, using a modern geomorphic analog

Located in the Basin of Mexico, the eastern shore of former Lake Texcoco sustained a variety of human occupations throughout the Holocene, including preceramic hunter-gatherers, incipient agriculturalists, and a variety of settlements in the ceramic periods. Nonetheless, the environmental dynamics of occupations on the lakeshore have not been fully addressed. The Archaic preagricultural Texcoco Man site (>5000 B.C.E.) and the Late Formative TX-LF-14 site (c. 550-200 B.C.E.), among others, occupy this fluvio-lacustrine transitional environment. Few stratigraphic works in and around the sites have been performed. Consequently, it is difficult to understand the dynamics of the sedimentary system in space and time. This work highlights and describes the fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary dynamics and the resulting landscape that past societies inhabited on the eastern shore of Texcoco Lake. Because the study area has been altered by historic and modern draining, our work employs Lake Santiaguillo and its main tributary, the Tejamen River in the Durango state, as a modern analog to study their sedimentary dynamics. The analyses of surface geomorphology in the Texcoco study area were employed to corroborate the modern analog interpretation. To achieve these goals, we conducted a GIS-based morphometric analysis and LANDSAT-8 imagery to study the variations in landforms through wet and dry events. The results indicate an increase in the lake volume, low bifurcation in the active fluvial channels, few inundated surfaces, and the presence of bird-foot deltaic channels during high precipitation events. In contrast, low precipitation events are characterized by reduced lake volume, increased fluvial channel bifurcation, and expanded floodplains. This heterogeneous landscape thus provided a rich source of diverse natural resources of saline and freshwater aquatic habitats. Simultaneously, constant or recurring flooding events generated a challenging landscape for prehistoric settlers who implemented diverse technologies, such as the construction of tlateles, on the levees of deltaic channels to reduce the risk and impact of flooding events.     

ISA-Hypoplasticity accounting for cyclic mobility effects for liquefaction analysis

Acta Geotechnica - The hypoplastic model for sands proposed by Wolffersdorff (Mech Cohes Frict Mater 1: 251–271, 1996) combined with the intergranular strain anisotropy by Fuentes and...     

Separation of PP- and PS-wave reflected seismic data using two-dimensional finite offset common-reflection-surface traveltime approximation

Recently, the interest in PS-converted waves has increased for several applications, such as sub-basalt layer imaging, impedance estimates and amplitude-versus-offset analysis. In this study, we consider the problem of separation of PP- and PS-waves from pre-stacked multicomponent seismic data in two-dimensional isotropic medium. We aim to demonstrate that the finite-offset common-reflection-surface traveltime approximation is a good alternative for separating PP- and PS-converted waves in common-offset and common shot configurations by considering a two-dimensional isotropic medium. The five parameters of the finite-offset common-reflection-surface are firstly estimated through the inversion methodology called very fast simulated annealing, which estimates all parameters simultaneously. Next, the emergence angle, one of the inverted parameters, is used to build an analytical separation function of PP and PS reflection separation based on the wave polarization equations. Once the PP- and PS-converted waves were separated, the sections are stacked to increase the signal-to-noise ratio using the special curves derived from finite-offset common-reflection-surface approximation. We applied this methodology to a synthetic dataset from simple-layered to complex-structured media. The numerical results showed that the inverted parameters of the finite offset common-reflection-surface and the separation function yield good results for separating PP- and PS-converted waves in noisy common-offset and common shot gathers.