Spherical Elementary Current Systems Method Applied to Geomagnetic Field Modeling for the Adriatic

The aim of this work was to derive an accurate regional model of geomagnetic components on the Adriatic. Data of north, east and vertical geomagnetic components at repeat stations and ground survey sites enclosing the Adriatic Sea were used to obtain a geomagnetic model at 2010.5 epoch. The core field was estimated by use of the global Enhanced Magnetic Model, while the crustal field by a mathematical technique for expanding vector systems on a sphere into basis functions, known as spherical elementary current systems method. The results of this method were presented and compared to the crustal field estimations by the Enhanced Magnetic Model. The maps of isolines of the regional model are also presented.     

Is rocking motion predictable?

An argument of engineers and researchers against the use of rocking as a seismic response modification technique is that the rocking motion of a structure is chaotic and the existing models are incapable of predicting it well. This argument is supported by the documented inability of rocking models to predict the motion of a specimen excited by a single ground motion. A statistical comparison of the experimental and the numerical responses of a rigid rocking oscillator not to a specific ground motion, but to ensembles of ground motions that have the same statistical properties, is presented. It is shown that the simple analytical model proposed by Housner in 1963 is capable of predicting the statistics of seismic response of a rigid rocking oscillator.     

Stochastic analysis of flood series

A stochastic model based on the renewal process was developed and used to analyse the characteristics of floods: the volume exceedence, the duration of the flood and the maximum annual flow. The model contains a method for determination of total annual volume exceedence and total annual duration of floods, as well as a method for calculation of maximum annual exceedence, maximum flood duration and maximum flow. The subset of the flood occurrence number in a given time interval is common for all analysed phenomena (volume exceedence, flood duration, maximum flow). The subset of given exceedences is common for total annual volume exceedence, as well as for maximum annual volume exceedence. The same holds for durations of individual floods. The model was then applied to analyse the floods on the Drina River at the Paunci hydrological station and on the Danube River at the Bezdan station.     

The 1667 Dubrovnik earthquake–some new insights

The year 2017 marks the 350th anniversary of the great 6 April 1667 Dubrovnik earthquake that caused extensive damage in a wide area around this old Dalmatian town (today in Croatia). This article presents the effects of the 1667 earthquake and examines the first few weeks following the catastrophe. Macroseismic data are reanalysed, for the first time available data are collected of the damage on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the territory which was in the 17th century under the Ottoman reign) and a new map of macroseismic intensities is presented. This map is in good agreement with the macroseismic field modelled using the SAF (Strong Attenuation at Fault Zones) model. We highlight some problems in the collection of macroseismic information, which are mainly a consequence of the complex political situation in the areas affected by the earthquake. The 1667 earthquake heavily impacted Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian coast. This event is thought to be the biggest one in the history of Dalmatia and practically defines seismic hazard in the coastal area of Croatia. For this reason, the main goals in this article are the improvement of the epicenter location and the determination of the moment magnitude.     

Water Resources Management Issues in the Danube River Basin District—Examples from Serbia

Water Resources - This paper aims to present water resources management problems in Serbia and recommend possible solutions. Key issues involve water quality and water quantity. Water quality is...     

Mechanisms of land–sea interactions – the distribution of metals and sedimentary organic matter in sediments of a river-dominated Mediterranean karstic estuary

This paper examines disposal of metals and the origin, characteristics, and distribution of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) in a Mediterranean karstic estuary in the north-eastern Adriatic. This environment offers a real-time, small model system for studies of geochemical processes in microtidal Mediterranean estuaries that are infilling with sediments and classified as river-dominated disequilibrium estuaries. The results have shown that the longitudinal distribution of heavy metals in sediments follows the sedimentation dynamics and deposition pattern of river-borne, clay mineral particles. The highest concentration of metals was found in the restricted upper part of the estuary, characterized by rapid deposition of clay particles and terrestrial sedimentary organic matter, and decreases toward the open sea. The vertical distribution of metals in sediment cores depends on the prevailing pH and Eh conditions. Significant increases of the concentrations of metals in the uppermost strata are the result of recent anthropogenic inputs. The share of the terrestrial component in SOM, estimated by N/C_org atomic ratios and δ¹³C values, decreases with distance from the river mouth. The small vertical variation in δ¹³C values of SOM indicates that a fast sedimentation rate overrides the diagenetically determined decomposition. The results obtained indicate that river-borne inorganic particles, natural terrigenous organic material, and anthropogenic metal loads are trapped in sediments of the estuarine system. Under the prevailing conditions, there is negligible transport towards the open sea.     

44-year wave hindcast for the Eastern Mediterranean

Within the EU-funded project HIPOCAS (Hindcast of Dynamic Processes of the Ocean and Coastal Area of Europe), high-resolution wave hindcasts were performed for the period 1958–2001 over the Eastern Mediterranean. The state-of-the-art WAM model was used for producing the 44-year wave data set. The wave model was driven by wind data generated from the regional atmospheric model REMO. The WAM model outputs of significant wave height were validated against in-situ measurements and satellite data. The model results show a good agreement with observations. The homogeneous wave data set produced by the model was then used for a study of long-term variability and climatic trends in the region.     

Meridional Motions and Reynolds Stress Determined by Using Kanzelhöhe Drawings and White Light Solar Images from 1964 to 2016

Sunspot position data obtained from Kanzelhöhe Observatory for Solar and Environmental Research (KSO) sunspot drawings and white light images in the period 1964 to 2016 were used to calculate the rotational and meridional velocities of the solar plasma. Velocities were calculated from daily shifts of sunspot groups and an iterative process of calculation of the differential rotation profiles was used to discard outliers. We found a differential rotation profile and meridional motions in agreement with previous studies using sunspots as tracers and conclude that the quality of the KSO data is appropriate for analysis of solar velocity patterns. By analyzing the correlation and covariance of meridional velocities and rotation rate residuals we found that the angular momentum is transported towards the solar equator. The magnitude and latitudinal dependence of the horizontal component of the Reynolds stress tensor calculated is sufficient to maintain the observed solar differential rotation profile. Therefore, our results confirm that the Reynolds stress is the dominant mechanism responsible for transport of angular momentum towards the solar equator.