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.     

Location Performance and Detection Magnitude Threshold of the Romanian National Seismic Network

Romania is an earthquake prone area with a few destructive earthquakes per century. The National Institute for Earth Physics carries out the seismic survey of Romania through the Romanian National Seismic Network (RNSN) consisting of 65 real-time seismic stations. Daily reports and monthly bulletins are delivered after routinely analyzing and processing the recorded data. In the present paper we applied the Seismic Network Evaluation through Simulation method for the RNSN configuration as it was in August 2011 to estimate the background noise level, assess the appropriateness of the velocity model adopted in routine location procedure, evaluate the hypocenter location uncertainty and determine the detection magnitude threshold. Areas of greater (southern Romania) and lower (Carpathians and Apuseni Mountains) background noise within the RNSN are identified by mapping the average power of noise in 1–12?Hz frequency range. The statistical study of the P and S phases residual times allow us to assess the appropriateness of the velocity model used in routine location. Both P- and S-wave velocity models can be optimized to improve the quality of the hypocenter location. As shown by our analysis, the RNSN is able to detect and locate earthquakes with M _L magnitude above 2.5 anywhere on the Romanian territory, except the border areas, such as the Crisana–Maramures seismic source zone. Merging data from both sides of the border significantly improves the quality of hypocenter location in these areas.     

Spectral and petrologic analyses of basaltic sands in Ka'u Desert (Hawaii) – implications for the dark dunes on Mars

Dark aeolian deposits on Mars are thought to consist of volcanic materials due to their mineral assemblages, which are common to basalts. However, the sediment source is still debated. Basaltic dunes on Earth are promising analogs for providing further insights into the assumed basaltic sand dunes on Mars. In our study we characterize basaltic dunes from the Ka'u Desert in Hawaii using optical microscopes, electron microprobe, and spectral analyses. We compare the spectra of terrestrial and Martian dune sands to determine possible origins of the Martian dark sediments. Our results show that the terrestrial sands consist primarily of medium to coarse sand‐sized volcanic glass and rock fragments as well as olivine, pyroxene, and plagioclase minerals. Grain shapes range from angular to subrounded. The sample composition indicates that the material was derived from phreatomagmatic eruptions partially with additional proportions of rock fragments from local lava flows. Grain shape and size indicate the materials were transported by aeolian processes rather than by fluvial processes. Spectral analyses reveal an initial hydration of all terrestrial samples. A spectral mineralogical correlation between the terrestrial and Martian aeolian sands shows a similarity consistent with an origin from volcanic ash and lava. We suggest that the Martian deposits may contain similar abundances of volcanic glass, which has not yet been distinguished in Martian spectral data. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Resonant dynamics of Medium Earth Orbits: space debris issues

The Medium Earth Orbit region is the home of the navigation constellations. It is shown how the orbits of these constellations of satellites are strongly affected by the so-called inclination dependent luni-solar resonances. The analytical theory of these resonances is recalled and a large set of numerical integrations is used to investigate the stability of the orbits of the constellations over very long time spans. The stability issue is important in the definition of possible disposal strategies for the constellation spacecraft, after their end-of-life. Two possible disposal strategies are envisaged involving either stable or unstable orbits (from the eccentricity growth point of view). In particular it is shown how, to have disposal orbits with moderately short lifetime (of the orders of 40–50 years), a very large disposal maneuver would be required to rise the inital eccentricity to values above ~ 0.3.     

On the displacement of marked pebbles on two coarse-clastic beaches during short fair-weather periods (Marina di Pisa and Portonovo, Italy)

The aim of the investigation was to define the mechanisms of sediment transport in the swash zone of microtidal coarse-clastic beaches in the very short term by evaluating the displacement rates of marked pebbles under low-energy wave conditions. Tests were performed at two sites (Marina di Pisa, Ligurian Sea, and Portonovo, central Adriatic Sea) to check the consistency of the data over a range of different grain sizes. Two recovery campaigns were carried out at both sites, one 6 h and the other 24 h after the injection. During the experiments wave action was at a minimum (wave heights never exceeded 0.3 m). The results show that 20% of pebbles ranging in diameter from 30–90 mm moved significantly (more than 0.5 m) already 6 h after the injection, with some tracers being lost (3%). After 24 h, 40% of the pebbles were significantly displaced and 10% were lost. The preferential downslope movement of tracers, which suggests that coarse sediment movement under low-energy conditions is mainly controlled by gravity processes enhanced by steep beachface slopes, represents the novelty of the results reported here. It would appear that swash processes on low-energy beaches cause a significant rate of pebble displacement through the destabilization induced by wave uprush and backwash. Despite the microtidal range, the position of the mean water level plays a major role in changing the beach level at which swash processes can actually trigger pebble movement. The results of this study show that considerable, and mostly seaward-directed, coarse sediment transport takes place even during short fair-weather periods.     

Imaging of the Antarctic ionosphere: Experimental results

Ground-based dual-frequency GPS observations can be used to create images of electron density. This is well established for the Arctic ionosphere; here one of the first results is presented for the Antarctic. In this study, the GPS receivers in the Antarctic are supplemented with another GPS receiver onboard CHAMP. The aim of the study is to demonstrate the technique for investigating geophysical events, for example, an ionospheric disturbance period on 11 February 2004. The images have been validated by in-situ measurements from DMSP and CHAMP satellites, as well as Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) convection patterns, which are able to confirm the location, presence, and transportation of large-scale plasma patches. This study indicates that although the convection still dominates in the high-latitude ionosphere, soft precipitation within the polar cap may play a role in the evolution of the polar patches. It also illustrates the potential for future multi-instrument studies of the Antarctic.     

Testing for linear Granger causality from?natural/anthropogenic forcings to global temperature anomalies

In this paper, we analyze the Granger causality from natural or anthropogenic forcings to global temperature anomalies. The lag-augmented Wald test is performed, and its robustness is also evaluated considering bootstrap method. The results show there is no-evidence of Granger causality from natural forcings to global temperature. On the contrary, a detectable Granger causality is found from anthropogenic forcings to global temperature confirming that greenhouse gases have an important role on recent global warming.     

Chemical parameters as natural tracers in hydrogeology: a case study of Louros karst system,Greece

The Louros Basin hosts one of the most important karst systems of Epirus Prefecture (Greece) and plays a key role in supplying three counties with drinking water. Aiming to investigate the origin of groundwater and its flow patterns, a multi-tracer approach was used to describe and evaluate the hydrogeology of the system. Therefore, 271 surface water and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for physicochemical parameters, major ions, and trace and rare earth elements, as well as stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δ²H). These data provided meaningful tracing of the water origin, water–rock interaction processes, and relationships among the aquifers. In particular, the elaboration of the major ions supported by the distribution of rare earth elements indicated that there are three aquifers located at different levels hosted in the Senonian and Pantokrator limestone formations. These aquifers are hydraulically interconnected by a cascade and constitute the Louros karst system which is drained by the homonymous river. Hydrochemical and isotopic data revealed that the Louros karst system is isolated from the adjacent northern Ioannina Basin and it is being recharged by precipitation. Higher groundwater salinity, where present, is mainly associated with increased water–rock interaction due to longer and deeper hydrologic flow, favoring the dissolution of evaporitic, carbonate and phosphate minerals.