Diatom-inferred late Pleistocene and Holocene palaeolimnological changes in the Ioannina basin, northwest Greece

The character and impact of climate change since the last glacial maximum (LGM) in the eastern Mediterranean region remain poorly understood. Here, two new diatom records from the Ioannina basin in northwest Greece are presented alongside a pre-existing record and used to infer past changes in lake level, a proxy for the balance between precipitation and evaporation. Comparison of the three records indicates that lake-level fluctuations were the dominant driver of diatom assemblage composition change, whereas productivity variations had a secondary role. The reconstruction indicates low lake levels during the LGM. Late glacial lake deepening was underway by 15.0 cal kyr BP, implying that the climate was becoming wetter. During the Younger Dryas stadial, a lake-level decline is recorded, indicating arid climatic conditions. Lake Ioannina deepened rapidly in the early Holocene, but long-term lake-level decline commenced around 7.0 cal kyr BP. The pattern of lake-level change is broadly consistent with an existing lake-level reconstruction at Lake Xinias, central Greece. The timing of the apparent change, however, is different, with delayed early Holocene deepening at Xinias. This offset is attributed to uncertainties in the age models, and the position of Xinias in the rain shadow of the Pindus Mountains.     

ROckfall risk MAnagement assessment: the RO.MA. approach

The analysis of risk for vehicles and drivers as a result of rockfall on a road is relevant to design management in geotechnical engineering. This process is very complex due to the large number of parameters involved. In this paper, we discuss risk analysis and management procedures for roads subject to rockfall phenomena. To this aims, we are proposing a quantitative method (the RO.MA. approach). We developed an abacus to define the threshold values of acceptable rockfall risk for a given road. Rockfall risk is calculated using an Event Tree approach and compared with the abacus thresholds to evaluate road safety and the need for additional protective measures to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. The approach was successfully applied at a test site located in Bard, Aosta Valley, north-western Italy.     

Live-bed scour downstream of block ramps for low densimetric Froude numbers

Sediment load plays a major role in the morphological evolution of rivers.Therefore,the analysis of the sediment load interaction with hydraulic structures is of main importance in order to enhance the preservation of fish habitats and river morphological characteristics.The present study analyzes the scour mechanisms downstream of a block ramp in live bed conditions,when the sediment supplied by the approaching flow is balanced by the sediment transported out of the scour hole.Experiments were performed in a model flume and the effect of the approaching sediment concentration on the scour geometry was analyzed.It was observed that the scour features depend deeply on the approaching sediment concentration and four main profile configurations were distinguished.The experimental data were analyzed and empirical relationships were developed in order to evaluate the depth and length of a scour hole,the dune height and the distance of the transversal section of maximum dune height from the ramp toe for different hydraulic and geometric conditions.It was also proved that the dynamic equilibrium shape of a scour hole does not depend on the sediment load time history.     

Reply to “Discussion 1 on ‘Introspection on improper seismic retrofit of Basilica Santa Maria di Collemaggio after 2009 Italian earthquake' by G.P.Cimellaro, A.M.Reinhorn and A.De Stefano” by Vincenzo Ciampi

The authors thank the discusser for his interest and careful review of the paper and his valuable comments.They also welcome this discussion,because it gives the authors the opportunity to clarify several points which were not explained in sufficient detail in the paper,due to space limitations. The paper does not provide any personal or professional criticism of the discusser or his work and if any statement may have raised an ambiguous interpretation,this should be clarified and dismissed.Any inaccuracy in the reference's citation was not intentional.Some of the authors do not speak Italian;therefore they could not read directly and understand the paper cited by the discusser,which is in Italian.     

Contributions expected from marine geodesy to the study of tsunamis in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

In the Mediterranean Sea, tsunamigenic sources may be found in several areas in the belt running from Gibraltar up to the Black Sea, but they are concentrated mainly around Italy and Greece. Most of the sources are located close to the coasts and excite tsunamis reaching the coasts soon after the generation time. Tsunami research and tsunami mitigation programs are only in a very initial stage in the Mediterranean area. The present activities are focused chiefly to tsunami potential evaluation and on tsunami propagation modeling. The establishment of efficient observational networks, centers for data management and services, and systems for issuing tsunami warnings are some of the most urgent needs. In this context, the envisaged contribution of marine geodesy is twofold. First, monitoring of submarine active faults and submarine volcanic areas by means of systems capable of detecting seafloor deformation may contribute in identifying periods in which the probability of tsunami generation increases beyond a threshold value, especially in those tsunamigenic zones where geodetic observations on land are insufficient (for example, eastern Sicily in Italy and the Hellenic Arc in southern Greece). Second, since most of the active sources are close to the coastline, computations of tsunami propagation and run‐up may be significantly enhanced by a better knowledge of the bathymetry of the seabelt facing the coasts.     

Site characterization by seismic noise in Istanbul,Turkey

Single station seismic noise measurements were carried out at 192 sites in the western part of Istanbul, Turkey. This extensive survey allowed the fundamental resonance frequency of the sedimentary cover to be mapped, and identify areas prone to site amplification. The results are in good agreement with the geological distribution of sedimentary units, indicating a progressive decrease of the fundamental resonance frequencies from the northeastern part, where the bedrock outcrops, towards the southwestern side, where a thickness of some hundreds meters for the sedimentary cover is estimated. The particular distribution of fundamental resonance frequencies indicates that local amplification of the ground motion might play a significative role in explaining the anomalous damage distribution after the 17 August 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake.     

Mediterranean warming is especially due to summer season

We created a new homogenized daily minimum and maximum temperature data set (1955–2007) for the central Mediterranean area of Tuscany (Italy). Yearly and seasonal long-term trends of some climatic and extreme climatic indices were investigated. The results highlighted a positive trend for mean temperature of about 0.9°C per 50 years with a slightly more pronounced increase in maximum temperature. Seasonal analysis revealed a by far much greater increase in summer (June, July, August) and spring (March, April, May) temperature in respect of autumn and winter, this finding consistent with most recent Mediterranean evidences. Warm extremes showed an overall tendency to increase, while a slight not significant decrease trend was found in regard to frost days and cold extremes. Comparisons with different patterns of Mediterranean warming confirmed the magnitude of recent very fast rise in temperature, especially during summer. This change could be due to last decades modifications of general circulation patterns and land–temperature, land–precipitation positive feedback processes dependent from soil moisture. All these results confirm that the Mediterranean is a region especially responsive and thus very vulnerable to climate change.