Using a naive Bayes classifier to explore the factors driving the harmful dinoflagellate Karenia selliformis blooms in a southeastern Mediterranean lagoon

Ocean Dynamics - The blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia selliformis can be predicted with accuracy derived from knowledge of the main forcing variables. A naive Bayes classifier modeling...     

Evidence for fault-related directionality and localized site effects from strong motion recordings of the 2003 Boumerdes (Algeria) earthquake: Consequences on damage distribution and the Algerian seismic code

The Algiers–Boumerdes region has been struck by a destructive magnitude 6.8 (M_w) earthquake on May 21, 2003. The study presented in this paper is based on main shock strong motions from 13 stations of the Algerian accelerograph network. A maximum 0.58g peak ground acceleration (PGA) has been recorded at 20 km from the epicenter, only about 150 m away from a PGA of 0.34g, with both a central frequency around 5 Hz, explained by a strong very localized site effect, confirmed by receiver function technique results showing peaks at 5 Hz with amplitudes changing by a factor of 2. Soil amplifications are also evidenced at stations located in the quaternary Mitidja basin, explaining the higher PGA values recorded at these stations than at stations located on firm soil at similar distances from the epicenter. A fault-related directionality effect observed on the strong motion records and confirmed by the study of the seismic movement anisotropy, in agreement with the N65 fault plan direction, explains the SW–NE orientation of the main damage zone. In the near field, strong motions present a high-frequency content starting at 3 Hz with a central frequency around 8 Hz, while in the far field their central frequency is around 3 Hz, explaining the high level of damage in the 3- to 4-story buildings in the epicentral zone. The design spectra overestimate the recorded mean response spectra, and its high corner frequency is less than the recorded one, leading to a re-examination of the seismic design code that should definitively integrate site-related coefficient, to account for the up to now neglected site amplification, as well as a re-modeling of the actual design spectra. Finally, both the proposed Algerian attenuation law and the worldwide laws usually used in Algeria underestimate the recorded accelerations of the 6.8 (M_w) Boumerdes earthquake, clearly showing that it is not possible to extrapolate the proposed Algerian law to major earthquakes.     

The origin of dolomite associated with salt diapirs in central Tunisia: Preliminary investigations of field relationships and geochemistry

Black and white dolomite crystals (mm to cm width) of different isotopic composition are associated with Triassic diapirism in central Tunisia, as well as with evaporite minerals and clays. The white dolomites occur mostly in the Jabal Hadifa diapir near the contact with Cretaceous limestones, whereas the smaller black dolomites occur in the Jabal Hamra diapir. The former dolomite has a narrow range of δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values (− 3.83‰ to − 6.60‰ VPDB for δ¹⁸O; − 2.11‰ to − 2.83‰ VPDB for δ¹³C), whereas the latter dolomite has a wider range and more depleted values (− 4.92‰ to − 9.97‰ for δ¹⁸O; − 0.55‰ to − 6.08‰ for δ¹³C). However, the ⁸⁷Sr / ⁸⁶Sr ratios of most of the samples are near Triassic seawater values. Dolomite formation is due to at least two different fluids. The main fluid originated from deeper hydrothermal or basinal sources related to the Triassic saliferous rocks and ascended through faults during the diapiric intrusion. The second, less important fluid source is related to meteoric water originating from Cretaceous rocks.     

Earthquake Induced Site Effect in the Algiers–Boumerdes Region: Relation Between Spectral Ratios Higher Peaks and Observed Damage During the May 21st M w 6.8 Boumerdes Earthquake (Algeria)

The Algiers–Boumerdes regions were hit by an M _w 6.8 destructive earthquake on May 21, 2003. The accelerometric and seismometric networks successfully recorded the main shock and many aftershocks at some locations where the damage was most extensive. A microtremor measurement was performed in the same locations; some of them are localized on the Mitidja basin. In this paper, we propose to analyze earthquake-induced site effect derived from horizontal to vertical spectral ratio from ambient noise (noise horizontal to vertical—NHV), or from very weak, weak, moderate and strong ( peak ground acceleration—PGA >10 % g) seismic motions (EHV), and transfer function evaluation from soil velocity profile data at four sites. H/V spectral ratios are computed by using both Fourier and response spectra. Compared to the transfer function, the obtained results show that in the case of soft soils, NHV as well as EHV give a good estimation of the soil's fundamental frequency, whereas the NHV underestimate the H/V amplitude and the EHV amplitude increase with the seismic motion intensity. In the case of firm soils, whereas the NHV gives flat curves synonymous for a rock site or a bump, the EHV is more appropriate as seen by identifying clear peaks with non negligible amplitude. In the case of soft sites as well as in the case of firm sites, strong peaks at frequencies higher than the fundamental one are found from EHV curves. Those peaks would not be found when looking at NHV ratios alone, are evidenced by the computed transfer function as well as by an analytical formulation, and are in agreement with the observed distribution of damage during the M _w 6.8 2003 Boumerdes earthquake. Finally, the same analysis is performed by using response spectra rather than Fourier spectra and leads to the same conclusions. Moreover, the calculation of the response spectra is more easily compared with the smoothing operation of the Fourier spectra.     

A three-phase model for evaluating the seismic resistance of soils reinforced by a network of symmetrically inclined piles

The stability analysis of a piled embankment under seismic loading is considered, with a special emphasis on the optimization of the reinforcement layout by splitting the initial group of vertical piles into two symmetrically inclined arrays of parallel inclusions. The bidirectionally-reinforced soil thus obtained is appropriately described, at the macroscopic scale, by a three-phase model, conceived as an extension of the two-phase model previously developed for unidirectionally-reinforced soils. The model is implemented in a finite element formulation and related numerical code, which is used for simulating the behavior of the piled embankment up to failure. The results of these simulations, which favourably compare with upper bound yield design calculations, clearly indicate that the seismic resistance of the embankment can be considerably increased from symmetrically inclining the piles, even without taking the potential benefits of their flexural resistance into account.