Istanbul Earthquake Rapid Response System: Methods and practices

Potential impact of large earthquakes on urban societies can be reduced by timely and correct action after a disastrous earthquake. Modern technology permits measurements of strong ground shaking in near real-time for urban areas exposed to earthquake risk. The Istanbul Earthquake Rapid Response System equipped with 100 instruments and two data processing centers aims at the near real time estimation of earthquake damages using most recently developed methodologies and up-to-date structural and demographic inventories of Istanbul city. The methodology developed for near real time estimation of losses after a major earthquake consists of the following general steps: (1) rapid estimation of the ground motion distribution using the strong ground motion data gathered from the instruments; (2) improvement of the ground motion estimations as earthquake parameters become available and (3) estimation of building damage and casualties based on estimated ground motions and intensities. The present paper elaborates on the ground motion and damage estimation methodologies used by the Istanbul Earthquake Rapid Response System with a special emphasis on validation and verification of the different methods.     

Pattern and timing of the northwestern Barents Sea Ice Sheet deglaciation and indications of episodic Holocene deposition

The origin of two acoustic sediment units has been studied based on lithological facies, chronology and benthic stable isotope values as well as on foraminifera and clay mineral assemblages in six marine sediment cores from Kveithola, a small trough west of Spitsbergenbanken on the western Barents Sea margin. We have identified four time slices with characteristic sedimentary environments. Before c. 14.2 cal. ka, rhythmically laminated muds indicate extensive sea ice cover in the area. From c. 13.9 to 14.2 cal. ka, muds rich in ice‐rafted debris were deposited during the disintegration of grounded ice on Spitsbergenbanken. From c. 10.3 to 13.1 cal. ka, sediments with heterogeneous lithologies suggest a shifting influence of suspension settling and iceberg rafting, probably derived from a decaying Barents Sea Ice Sheet in the inner‐fjord and land areas to the north of Kveithola. Holocene deposition was episodic and characterized by the deposition of calcareous sands and shell debris, indicative of strong bottom currents. We speculate that a marked erosional boundary at c. 8.2 cal. ka may have been caused by the Storegga tsunami. Whilst deposition was sparse during the Holocene, Kveithola acted as a sediment trap during the preceding deglaciation. Investigation of the deglacial sediments provides unprecedented details on the dynamics and timing of glacial retreat from Spitsbergenbanken.     

Gaseous and Particulate Oxidized and Reduced Nitrogen Species in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer in Scandinavia in Spring

Observations of the concentration of several nitrogen containing compounds at five rural Scandinavian sites during March–June 1993 are reported. Total nitrate (NO ₃ ^- + HNO₃) and total ammonium (NH ₄ ⁺ + NH₃) were measured by denuder and filter pack. In general the methods agree well. At all sites the particulate fraction dominated, with the largest fraction of NO ₃ ^- and the lowest of NH ₄ ⁺ at the sites which were closest to the emission sources. The fraction of NO ₃ ^- of total nitrate increased with increasing NO₂ concentrations, indicating that the nighttime conversion of NO₂ to NO ₃ ^- is an important route of formation for NO ₃ ^- . A positive correlation was found between HNO₃ and O₃ in June at all sites, while no correlation was found early in the spring. Model calculations were made with a lagrangian boundary layer photooxidant model for the whole period, and compared to the measured concentrations. The calculated ratio between mean observed and modelled daily maximum concentrations of ozone over the measurement period were within +/–10% at all sites. The models ability to describe the daily ozone maximum concentration was satisfactory with an average deviation of 19–22% from the observed concentrations. HNO₃ was underestimated by over 50% at all sites except the one closest to the emission sources. The correlation between modelled and observed concentrations was generally best for the sites with shortest transport distance from the sources of emission.     

Re–Os and Pb–Pb geochronology of the Archean Salobo iron oxide copper–gold deposit, Carajás mineral province, northern Brazil

Rhenium–osmium ages were determined for two molybdenite samples and a Pb–Pb age was derived from bornite–chalcopyrite–magnetite at the Salobo iron oxide copper–gold deposit to determine the timing of mineralization and its relation to the nearby Old Salobo Granite. Rhenium–osmium dating of molybdenite spatially associated with copper sulfide minerals yields ages with weighted means of 2576±8 and 2562±8 Ma. Removing the error multiplier introduced by the decay constant uncertainty, appropriate for comparing ages from the same isotopic system, these data convincingly argue for two temporally separated pulses of molybdenite deposition at 2576.1±1.4 Ma (n=2) and 2561.7±3.1 Ma (n=3). The 2576±8 Ma age coincides with a previously published U–Pb age of 2573±2 Ma for the Old Salobo Granite, suggesting that main stage ore formation may have been contemporaneous with granite magmatism. The slightly younger 2562 Ma age most likely represents new molybdenite precipitation associated with the development or reactivation of local shear zones. Lead–lead stepwise leaching of copper sulfide minerals yields a less precise isochron age of 2579±71 Ma, and supports an Archean age for the Salobo ores. This is the first documentation of an Archean iron oxide copper–gold deposit, and the Re–Os and Pb–Pb geochronology herein support 2580–2550 Ma estimates for basement reactivation and regional granite magmatism associated with the development of brittle–ductile shear zones.     

Behavior of isotopic systematics during deformation and metamorphism: a Hf,Nd and Sr isotopic study of mylonitized granite

A combined compositional and Hf, Nd and Sr isotopic study was performed on a suite of samples of progressively deformed granite from a mylonite zone in the Harquahala Mountains, western Arizona, to evaluate the effects of deformation and metamorphism on the isotopic systematics of typical continental crustal rocks. The 1.4 Ga Harquahala Granite was deformed during Mesozoic thrusting along the Harquahala thrust. Granite in the resulting 60 m wide shear zone ranges from protomylonite to ultramylonite. In most of these mylonites, the protolith is not megascopically recognizable, and can be discerned only by the progressive transition to undeformed granite. Isotopic analyses of Hf, Nd and Sr from the shear zone document the immobility of the Hf and Nd isotopic systems relative to that of the Sr isotopic system during deformation. The Rb–Sr isotopic data show considerable scatter on an isochron plot, exhibiting both gains and losses of Rb and Sr from the whole-rock systems. In contrast, the Sm–Nd and Lu–Hf isotopic systematics are mostly well behaved on isochron diagrams, plotting mostly in tight clusters or along 1.4 Ga isochrons. These results show that while the Sr isotopic system in crustal rocks is quite susceptible to later tectonic disturbance, both Hf and Nd isotopic systems can provide reliable model age information in continental crustal terranes even when the rocks have been subjected to low to medium grades of deformation and metamorphism.     

The politics and policy of carbon capture and storage: Framing an emergent technology

Over the past decade carbon capture and storage (CCS) has attracted increasing international attention as a climate change mitigation option and moved into the center of climate policy debates and negotiations. This special issue of Global Environmental Change brings together leading scholars to analyze the politics, policy and regulation of CCS in cross-country comparisons as well as in a global context. The aim is to contribute on two fronts: first, by applying concepts, theories and methodologies from the social and policy sciences, to elucidate how societies are engaging with CCS as a mitigation option; and secondly, to point toward a future research agenda which, while exploring basic aspects of technology development as situated in a social context, would also be aligned with the needs of the climate and environmental policy community. The contributions address at least one of three inter-related research areas; CCS and the emergence of long-term climate and energy strategies; regulation, policy instruments and public acceptance; and international politics and CCS in developing countries.     

Typecasting prospective Au-bearing sedimentary lithologies using sedimentary geochemistry and Nd isotopes in poorly exposed Proterozoic basins of the Tanami region, Northern Australia

The development of a regional stratigraphy in Palaeoproterozoic basins within the Tanami region, Northern Australia has been hindered by the difficulty of discriminating sedimentary units and facies across this isolated and poorly exposed basin. A regional stratigraphy is important as it provides constraints on sedimentary basin evolution and assists in gold exploration. Gold is known to be more concentrated in certain rock formations. Based on Nd isotopes and whole rock geochemistry, five main sedimentary events have been identified in the Tanami region. Some sedimentary units were derived from homogeneous local sources, whereas others contain evidence of a well-mixed fine-grained remote provenance. Within the basins, major gold-bearing lithologies are characterised by mafic source indicators: (1) high Cr/Th ratios; (2) low Th/Sc ratios; (3) low (La/Yb)_PAAS ratios relative to Post-Archaean Average Shale (Taylor and McLennan 1985); (4) Eu anomalies equal to ∼1; and (5) distinctive ranges in initial ε _Nd values. Potential future exploration target areas have been identified in the Tanami region at the Cashel and Sunline prospects using these geochemical parameters.     

Sedimentary patterns and geometries of the Bahamian outer carbonate ramp (Miocene–Lower Pliocene, Great Bahama Bank)

Core, logging and high-resolution seismic data from ODP Leg 166 were used to analyse deposits of the Neogene (Miocene–Lower Pliocene) Bahamian outer carbonate ramp. Ramp sediments are cyclic alternations of light- and dark-grey wackestones/packstones with interbedded calciturbidite packages and minor slumps. Cyclicity was driven by high-frequency sea-level changes. Light-grey layers containing shallow-water bioclasts were formed when the ramp exported material, whereas the dark-grey layers are dominantly pelagic. Calciturbidites are arranged into mounded lobes with feeder channels. Internal bedding of the lobes shows a north-directed shingling as a result of the asymmetrical growth of these bodies. Calciturbidite packages occur below and above sequence boundaries, indicating that turbidite shedding occurred during third-order sea-level highstands and lowstands. Highstand turbidites contain shallow-water components, such as green algal debris and epiphytic foraminifera, whereas lowstand turbidites are dominated by abraded bioclastic detritus. Gravity flow depocentres shifted from an outer ramp position during the early Miocene to a basin floor setting during the late Miocene to early Pliocene. This change was triggered by an intensification of the strength of bottom currents during the Tortonian, which was also responsible for shaping the convex morphology of the outer ramp. The Miocene and Lower Pliocene of the leeward flank of Great Bahama Bank provides an example of the poorly known depositional setting of the outer part of distally steepened carbonate ramps. The contrast between its sedimentary patterns and the well-known Upper Pliocene–Quaternary slope facies associations of the flat-topped Great Bahama Bank shows the strong control that the morphology of a carbonate platform exerts on the depositional architecture of the adjacent slope and base-of-slope successions.     

Understanding heterogeneity in metropolitan India: The added value of remote sensing data for analyzing sub-standard residential areas

Analyzing the heterogeneity in metropolitan areas of India utilizing remote sensing data can help to identify more precise patterns of sub-standard residential areas. Earlier work analyzing inequalities in Indian cities employed a constructed index of multiple deprivations (IMDs) utilizing data from the Census of India 2001 (http://censusindia.gov.in). While that index, described in an earlier paper, provided a first approach to identify heterogeneity at the citywide scale, it neither provided information on spatial variations within the geographical boundaries of the Census database, nor about physical characteristics, such as green spaces and the variation in housing density and quality. In this article, we analyze whether different types of sub-standard residential areas can be identified through remote sensing data, combined, where relevant, with ground-truthing and local knowledge. The specific questions address: (1) the extent to which types of residential sub-standard areas can be drawn from remote sensing data, based on patterns of green space, structure of layout, density of built-up areas, size of buildings and other site characteristics; (2) the spatial diversity of these residential types for selected electoral wards; and (3) the correlation between different types of sub-standard residential areas and the results of the index of multiple deprivations utilized at electoral ward level found previously.