Characterizing spatiotemporal trends in extreme precipitation in Southeast Texas

Natural Hazards - Rainfall extreme value analysis provides information that has been crucial in characterizing risk, designing successful infrastructure systems, and ultimately protecting people...     

A Virgo high-resolution Hα kinematical survey – II. The Atlas

A catalogue of ionized gas velocity fields for a sample of 30 spiral and irregular galaxies of the Virgo cluster has been obtained by using 3D optical data. The aim of this survey is to study the influence of high-density environments on the gaseous kinematics of local cluster galaxies. Observations of the Hα line by means of Fabry–Perot interferometry have been performed at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope, European Southern Observatory 3.6-m telescope, Observatoire de Haute-Provence 1.93-m telescope and Observatoire du mont Mégantic telescope at angular and spectral samplings from 0.4 to 1.6 arcsec and 7 to 16 km s⁻¹. A recently developed, automatic and adaptive spatial binning technique is used to reach a nearly constant signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) over the whole field of view, allowing us to keep a high spatial resolution in high-S/N regions and extend the detection of signal in low-S/N regions. This paper is part of a series and presents the integrated emission-line and velocity maps of the galaxies. Both Hα morphologies and kinematics exhibit signs of perturbations in the form of, for example, external filaments, inner and nuclear spiral- and ring-like structures, inner kinematical twists, kinematical decoupling of a nuclear spiral, streaming motions along spiral arms and misalignment between kinematical and photometric orientation axes.     

Origin of Pyroxenite-Peridotite Veined Mantle by Refertilization Reactions: Evidence from the Ronda Peridotite (Southern Spain)

The Ronda orogenic peridotite (southern Spain) contains a varietyof pyroxene-rich rocks ranging from high-pressure garnet granulitesand pyroxenites to low-pressure plagioclase–spinel websterites.The ‘asthenospherized’ part of the Ronda peridotitecontains abundant layered websterites (‘group C’pyroxenites), without significant deformation, that occur asswarms of layers showing gradual modal transitions towards theirhost peridotites. Previous studies have suggested that theselayered pyroxenites formed by the replacement of refractoryspinel peridotites. Here, we present a major- and trace-element,and numerical modelling study of a layered outcrop of groupC pyroxenite near the locality of Tolox aimed at constrainingthe origin of these pyroxenites after host peridotites by pervasivepyroxene-producing, refertilization melt–rock reactions.Mg-number [= Mg/(Mg + Fe) cationic ratio] numerical modellingshows that decreasing Mg-number with increasing pyroxene proportion,characteristic of Ronda group C pyroxenites, can be accountedfor by a melt-consuming reaction resulting in the formationof mildly evolved, relatively low Mg-number melts (0·65)provided that the melt fraction during reaction and the time-integratedmelt/rock ratio are high enough (>0·1 and > 1,respectively) to balance Mg–Fe buffering by peridotiteminerals. This implies strong melt focusing caused by melt channellingin high-porosity domains resulting from compaction processesin a partial melted lithospheric domain below a solidus isothermrepresented by the Ronda peridotite recrystallization front.The chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns ofgroup C whole-rocks and clinopyroxenes are convex-upward. Numericalmodeling of REE variations in clinopyroxene produced by a pyroxene-forming,melt-consuming reaction results in curved trajectories in the(Ce/Nd)_N vs (Sm/Yb)_N diagram (where N indicates chondrite normalized).Based on (Ce/Nd)_N values, two transient, enriched domains betweenthe light REE (LREE)-depleted composition of the initial peridotiteand that of the infiltrated melt may be distinguished in thereaction column: (1) a lower domain characterized by convex-upwardREE patterns similar to those observed in Ronda group C pyroxenite–peridotite;(2) an upper domain characterized by melts with strongly LREE-enrichedcompositions. The latter are probably volatile-rich, small-volumemelt fractions residual after the refertilization reactionsthat generated group C pyroxenites, which migrated throughoutthe massif—including the unmelted lithospheric spinel-tectonitedomain. The Ronda mantle domains affected by pyroxenite- anddunite- or harzburgite-forming reactions (the ‘layeredgranular’ subdomain and ‘plagioclase-tectonite’domain) are on average more fertile than the residual, ‘coarsegranular’ subdomain at the recrystallization front. Thisindicates that refertilization traces the moving boundariesof receding cooling of a thinned and partially melted subcontinentallithosphere. This refertilization process may be widespreadduring transient thinning and melting of depleted subcontinentallithospheric mantle above upwelling asthenospheric mantle. KEY WORDS: subcontinental mantle; refertilization; pyroxenite; peridotite; websterite; melt–rock reaction; plagioclase; trace elements     

Accuracy assessment of high resolution satellite imagery orientation by leave-one-out method

Interest in high-resolution satellite imagery (HRSI) is spreading in several application fields, at both scientific and commercial levels. Fundamental and critical goals for the geometric use of this kind of imagery are their orientation and orthorectification, processes able to georeference the imagery and correct the geometric deformations they undergo during acquisition. In order to exploit the actual potentialities of orthorectified imagery in Geomatics applications, the definition of a methodology to assess the spatial accuracy achievable from oriented imagery is a crucial topic.In this paper we want to propose a new method for accuracy assessment based on the Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation (LOOCV), a model validation method already applied in different fields such as machine learning, bioinformatics and generally in any other field requiring an evaluation of the performance of a learning algorithm (e.g. in geostatistics), but never applied to HRSI orientation accuracy assessment.The proposed method exhibits interesting features which are able to overcome the most remarkable drawbacks involved by the commonly used method (Hold-Out Validation — HOV), based on the partitioning of the known ground points in two sets: the first is used in the orientation–orthorectification model (GCPs — Ground Control Points) and the second is used to validate the model itself (CPs — Check Points). In fact the HOV is generally not reliable and it is not applicable when a low number of ground points is available.To test the proposed method we implemented a new routine that performs the LOOCV in the software SISAR, developed by the Geodesy and Geomatics Team at the Sapienza University of Rome to perform the rigorous orientation of HRSI; this routine was tested on some EROS-A and QuickBird images. Moreover, these images were also oriented using the world recognized commercial software OrthoEngine v. 10 (included in the Geomatica suite by PCI), manually performing the LOOCV since only the HOV is implemented.The software comparison guaranteed about the overall correctness and good performances of the SISAR model, whereas the results showed the good features of the LOOCV method.     

Geochemical modeling and low-frequency geoelectrical methods to evaluate the impact of an open dump in arid and deltaic environments

In Mexico, open dumps that are maintained by the municipality but provide no covering of waste are not uncommon. Further, disposal at these sites is often performed by burning. The aim of this study was to determine the leachate plume from an open dump located in a depositional deltaic environment, with arid climate, low rainfall and where the water table is about 2 m below the surface. The methodology comprised analysis of groundwater monitoring wells and geophysical and geochemical prospecting techniques. The 3D geoelectric interpretation shows a typical area of these depositional environments with low resistive values (10–20 Ω-m) associated with the presence of sands and clays interbedded. However, there is a very low resistivity zone associated with the dump’s impact which reaches values below 5 Ω-m, and it is located where the disposal and burning of wastes occurred. Another zone with values above 16 Ω-m appears as a limit for the advance of the saline. This is interpreted as a sandy lenses area. These sandy lenses with higher porosity transport aquifer’s water. Thus the dump is in direct contact by this conduct with clean groundwater. Piper diagrams constructed with the chemical data analysis reveal that the groundwater in the area corresponds to the chlorinated and/or sulfated sodium type, showing the impact caused by the dump. The monitoring well (NP8, on-site) with the highest dissolved solids content behaves anomalously and belongs to the more conductive zone according to the geoelectric profiles. The subsoil geochemical behavior is influenced by the seasonal water table variations provoking the dissolution of burned and unburned wastes, but the effects of slow flows in the direction of the regional flow are not discarded. Although the most impacted area within the dump is characterized to a depth of 10 m, there is a slow flow in the direction of the regional flow that has been moving pollutants out of the dumpsite during its almost 20 years of operation. The results of this study provide valuable information for the authorities to carry out an appropriate restoration project.