Multi-Gaussian kriging and simulation in the presence of an uncertain mean value

The multi-Gaussian model is used in geostatistical applications to predict functions of a regionalized variable and to assess uncertainty by determining local (conditional to neighboring data) distributions. The model relies on the assumption that the regionalized variable can be represented by a transform of a Gaussian random field with a known mean value, which is often a strong requirement. This article presents two variations of the model to account for an uncertain mean value. In the first one, the mean of the Gaussian random field is regarded as an unknown non-random parameter. In the second model, the mean of the Gaussian field is regarded as a random variable with a very large prior variance. The properties of the proposed models are compared in the context of non-linear spatial prediction and uncertainty assessment problems. Algorithms for the conditional simulation of Gaussian random fields with an uncertain mean are also examined, and problems associated with the selection of data in a moving neighborhood are discussed.     

Heat balance and eddies in the Peru-Chile current system

The Peru-Chile current System (PCS) is a region of persistent biases in global climate models. It has strong coastal upwelling, alongshore boundary currents, and mesoscale eddies. These oceanic phenomena provide essential heat transport to maintain a cool oceanic surface underneath the prevalent atmospheric stratus cloud deck, through a combination of mean circulation and eddy flux. We demonstrate these behaviors in a regional, quasi-equilibrium oceanic model that adequately resolves the mesoscale eddies with climatological forcing. The key result is that the atmospheric heating is large (>50 W m^?2) over a substantial strip >500 km wide off the coast of Peru, and the balancing lateral oceanic flux is much larger than provided by the offshore Ekman flux alone. The atmospheric heating is weaker and the coastally influenced strip is narrower off Chile, but again the Ekman flux is not sufficient for heat balance. The eddy contribution to the oceanic flux is substantial. Analysis of eddy properties shows strong surface temperature fronts and associated large vorticity, especially off Peru. Cyclonic eddies moderately dominate the surface layer, and anticyclonic eddies, originating from the nearshore poleward Peru-Chile Undercurrent (PCUC), dominate the subsurface, especially off Chile. The sensitivity of the PCS heat balance to equatorial intra-seasonal oscillations is found to be small. We demonstrate that forcing the regional model with a representative, coarse-resolution global reanalysis wind product has dramatic and deleterious consequences for the oceanic circulation and climate heat balance, the eddy heat flux in particular.     

Quantitative Analysis of Micro-structural Changes in a Bituminous Coal After Exposure to Supercritical CO2 and Water

Natural Resources Research - High-volatile bituminous coal samples were reacted in deionized water with supercritical CO2 (ScCO2–water) under simulated in situ pressure and temperature...     

Youth Mobility and Territorial Disparities: An Analysis of Urban and Rural Barcelona

Travel behavior of the present generation of youths is being increasingly explored due to their relevance in shaping future accessibility needs and mobility habits. The present study offers an original perspective on this topic by identifying territorial disparities that emerge in youth mobility patterns in rural and urban areas. Unlike most previous research, we propose taking a global view on mobility by analyzing all trip purposes and transportation modes. This is conducted by analyzing a comprehensive mobility survey in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, which provides data on mobility engagement, trip purposes, modal split, travel times and territorial differences. In general, youngsters account for larger daily travel times than older adults, present a higher attachment to public transportation and walk less on a daily basis. These differences are enhanced in rural territories, where while older adults overcome accessibility issues with higher use of the private vehicle, youngsters are more likely to invest larger travel times on transit.     

Spectral simulation of vector random fields with stationary Gaussian increments in <Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis>-dimensional Euclidean spaces

This paper addresses the problem of simulating multivariate random fields with stationary Gaussian increments in a d-dimensional Euclidean space. To this end, one considers a spectral turning-bands algorithm, in which the simulated field is a mixture of basic random fields made of weighted cosine waves associated with random frequencies and random phases. The weights depend on the spectral density of the direct and cross variogram matrices of the desired random field for the specified frequencies. The algorithm is applied to synthetic examples corresponding to different spatial correlation models. The properties of these models and of the algorithm are discussed, highlighting its computational efficiency, accuracy and versatility.     

Characterization of total suspended particles around a power station in an urban coastal area in eastern Spain

The incidence of power station emissions in the composition of the atmospheric aerosols in an urban-industrial area is presented in this study. The Iberdrola (Spanish electrical company) thermoelectric power station is located at Castellon's industrial estate along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Due to the fact that there are other polluting industries in this region, the present study is also helpful to investigate potential tracers to discriminate the origin and source of particular pollution events. The analysis of air particulate samples, collected on cellulose membrane filters, was carried out by means of the following instrumentation: (1) mineralogical analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD), (2) morphological study by scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDX), and (3) chemical analysis by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), to carry out quantitative chemical analyses of both major and trace elements. This analysis has allowed the authors to find marker elements, V and Zn, for the power station emissions.     

Bay of Biscay and Pyrenees

The different hypotheses proposed for the creation of the Bay of Biscay are reviewed. New geological and geophysical data collected in the last two years in the Bay and in the Pyrenean domain give new insight into the tectogenesis of the Pyrenees. Geological data of the Pyrenean area provide tight constraints on the hypothesis of formation of the Bay. The most probable hypothesis is an opening by rotation of the Iberian Peninsula around a pole of rotation situated near Paris, which resulted in strike-slip motion along the North Pyrenean fault during the Upper Mesozoic. A progressive westward migration of the pole initiated in the late Cretaceous blocked the motion along the fault and led to the main Eocene tectogenetic Pyrenean phase.     

The fit of the continents around the North Atlantic Ocean

A new reassembly of the continents around the North Atlantic Ocean is presented. The first criterion used for this reassembly is the identification of the structural framework related to the opening which consists of marginal fracture zones generated by offsets of the Rift. The Africa—North America, Eurasia—Greenland, Greenland—North America and Eurasia—North America adjustments are successively discussed. It is argued that the adjustments are best made at the 3000-meters isobath between Africa and North America and at the 2000-meters isobath for the younger rifts. The difference is attributed to subsidence and modification of continental margins with time. The importance of the Late Paleozoic tectonic phase in determining the subsequent pattern of Mesozoic rifting is emphasized.     

Comparison between analytical and mineralometric methods in regional scheelite exploration

The scheelite dispersion was studied in a drainage system over an area of 150 km² with stratabound mineralization of scheelite in a Pre-Ordovician volcano-sedimentary Series in the Hercynian Iberian Massif (Zamora province, NW Spain). A density of two samples per square kilometer (approximately 500 m sample spacing along streams), a sample volume of 10 l and sieving at 5 mm ensure that an anomaly source is detected. It was found that the dispersion of scheelite is typically less than 1 km. The methods applied to panned concentrates (mineralometric scheelite study, with or without multifractional grain size basis, and X-ray fluorescence tungsten analysis) give similar anomaly patterns and are efficient in exploration for scheelite mineralization.