Complexity measurement of regional groundwater resources system using improved Lempel-Ziv complexity algorithm

In this paper, the self-adaptive artificial fish swarm algorithm (SAAFSA) is used to optimize the coarse graining of segment numbers, which are used in the Lempel-Ziv complexity algorithm. This approach improves the Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC) algorithm of equal probability coarse graining. As a case study, the complexities of monthly series of groundwater depth were analyzed at seven farms in the Hongxinglong Administration. GIS technology was used to create spatial distributions of monthly groundwater depths. A projection pursuit model based on the SAAFSA was established and used for complexity attribution analysis at selected farms with different degrees of complexity. The three selected farms, Hongqiling, 852, and Youyi, each represent a certain degree of complexity. Further analysis shows that precipitation, evaporation, temperature, and human activities are the primary factors that cause complexity variations in local groundwater depth. The results reveal the evolution of the complexity characteristics of local groundwater depth and provide scientific evidence for the need to effectively allocate regional water resources. Additionally, the proposed method can be applied in complexity analyses of other hydrologic features, as well as in research regarding nonlinear time series in economic, engineering, medical, and signal analyses.     

PCA and SVM as geo-computational methods for geological mapping in the southern of Tunisia,using ASTER remote sensing data set

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficiency of Advanced Space Borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data in the discrimination of geological formations and the generation of geological map in the northern margin of the Tunisian desert. The nine ASTER bands covering the visible (VIS), near-infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral regions (wavelength range of 400–2500 nm) have been treated and analyzed. As a first step of data processing, crosstalk correction, resampling, orthorectification, atmospheric correction, and radiometric normalization have been applied to the ASTER radiance data. Then, to decrease the redundancy information in highly correlated bands, the principal component analysis (PCA) has been applied on the nine ASTER bands. The results of PCA allow the validation and the rectification of the lithological boundaries already published on the geologic map, and gives a new information for identifying new lithological units corresponding to superficial formations previously undiscovered. The application of a supervised classification on the principal components image using a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm shows good correlation with the reference geologic map. The overall classification accuracy is 73 % and the kappa coefficient equals to 0.71. The processing of ASTER remote sensing data set by PCA and SVM can be employed as an effective tool for geological mapping in arid regions.     

Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy of Kometan Formation (Upper Cretaceous) in the imbricated zone,northeastern Iraq

Facies and sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Kometan Formation (Upper Cretaceous) were studied from Kometan village, Kurdistan region of northeastern Iraq. Lithologically, the formation consists of 44 m of white weathering, light grey, thin to medium-bedded highly fractured limestones with chert nodules. Petrographic study of the carbonates shows that both skeletal and non-skeletal grains were present. The skeletal grains include a variety of planktonic foraminifera (including Oligostegina), calcispheres, ostracods, pelecypods, larva ammonite, and echinoderms. Non-skeletal grains include peloids only. Three main microfacies types are distinguished in the studied formation. The results of stable carbon and oxygen isotopes of the studied carbonate samples show negative values of δ¹⁸O. These indicate that the seawater was warm with low salinity during precipitation of the carbonates in the Kometan Formation in northeastern Iraq. The positive δ¹³C values of carbonate samples, in the middle part of the formation, reflect the widespread deposition of organic-rich marine sediments during a transgression and deepening of the basin. Petrographic, facies and stable isotopic analyses revealed that the Kometan Formation was deposited in a warm, basinal, pelagic (open marine) environment with low salinity. The Kometan Formation consists of one complete third-order depositional sequence, separated by a sequence boundary (SB) of type 2. The third-order sequence is subdivided into a transgressive systems tract (TST) and highstand systems tract (HST). This reflects episodes of transgression and still stands of the relative sea level. The TSTs are topped by maximum flooding surface (MFS) characterized by deepening-/fining-upward parasequences implying a retrogradational stacking pattern. The HST is marked by shallowing-/coarsening-upward parasequences implying a progradational stacking pattern.     

Automatic identification of fake patterns caused by short-width wavelets in seismic data

Despite the popularity of using the Haar wavelet filter in many applications, it sometimes introduces fake patterns into the multi resolution analysis (MRA) of seismic data. In this work, we compared different wavelet filters to demonstrate that these patterns are fake and not part of the original waveforms and to show that they are a result of using the Haar wavelet filter as a short-width wavelet. To achieve this, many seismic waveforms from two different sources: the Egyptian National Seismic Network (ENSN) and the High Sensitivity Seismograph Network Japan (Hi-net) are used with different wavelet filters. We propose an algorithm based on an autoregressive (AR) model to detect these patterns automatically and fully.     

Using cloud water path and cloud top temperature for estimating convective and stratiform rainfall from SEVIRI daytime data

A satellite rainfall retrieval technique is proposed here. The relationships of rain rate with each of cloud water path (CWP) and cloud top temperature (CTT) are investigated. The CWP and CTT are retrieved from SEVIRI data (spinning enhanced visible and infrared imager), and corresponding rain rates are measured by weather radar. The rain rates are compared to corresponding CWP and then to corresponding CTT. The investigation demonstrates an exponential functional dependency between rain rates and CWP for low and moderate rain rates (stratiform rainfall). Conversely, the rain rates are more closely related to CTT for high rain rates (convective rainfall). Therefore, two separate relationships are established for rain rate retrievals. The results show rain rates estimated by the developed scheme are in good correlation with those observed by weather radar.     

Anomalous optical variations in the grossular garnet from the Eden Mills,Belvidere Mountain (Vermont,USA)

The optical anomalies, and surface and lamellar textures of a birefringent grossular garnet crystal from the Eden Mills, Belvidere Mountain, Vermont, USA, have been investigated by optical polarizing microscope, electron-probe micro-analyzer, back-scattered electron imaging, infrared spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffractometer from the standpoint of crystal growth. This grossular shows one-to-one correlation between natural surface features and its internal textures under crossed polarizers. Electron-probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) gave average chemical composition in (110) thin section, of bright lamella {Ca_2.97Mn_0.06}_∑3.03 [Al_1.59Fe_0.37Ti_0.01]_∑1.97(Si_3.00)_∑3.00 (Gros_79.5And_18.9Sps_1.6) and of dark host {Ca_2.99Mn _0.06}_∑3.05 [Al_1.73Fe_0.26 Ti_0.01]_∑2.00(Si_2.97OH_0.03)_∑3.00 (Gros_85.4And₁₃Sps_1.6). The correspondence of surface features and the internal textures with spiral or pyramidal growth mechanism suggest that the internal textures of the Eden Mills grossular are formed during growth process. The optical vibrational orientations and the growth steps inclination along [001] and \( \left[\overset{-}{1}10\right] \) directions predict monoclinic symmetry. With X-ray diffractometer (XRD) method, pseudocubic parameters are a = 11.839(2) Å, b = 11.855(1) Å, and c = 11.868(2) Å with interaxial angles α = 90.00(1)°, β = 89.99(1)°, and γ = 90.02(2)° that show orthorhombic symmetry of this crystal. Lamellar texture of Al³⁺-rich host with Fe³⁺-rich lamella infers cation ordering at octahedral site of the garnet structure. IR data favors the non-cubic orientation of [(OH) ₄] at tetrahedral position in this grossular structure.     

Grain size and mineralogy of Al Batinah beach sediments,Sultanate of Oman

The nature of Al Batinah coast beach sediments in the Sultanate of Oman was investigated by the analysis of grain size and mineralogy. The beach sediments, mostly light-medium gray green, were predominantly fine sands, with the average grain size of all samples about 200 μm. Some of the particles were gravel (2–16 mm), and some were even larger pebble-size particles (16–256 mm). Some mud (sediment <63 μm) was present, mostly in the sub-tidal sediments. The majority of the samples were skewed to the coarse size with coarse tail partly due to the presence of shell fragments. Approximately 50 % of the beach sediments were quartz with different varieties based on shape and size. The second major component of beach sediment was calcium carbonate which varied from 10 to 65 %. The other components in decreasing order consisted of microbreccia, feldspar, pyroxene, igneous rock fragments, biotite flakes, and heavy minerals. The levels of carbonate were lower in NW Al Batinah coast from Harmul to Al Khaburah but were higher in the SE from Al Khaburah to Al Ghubrah. This could be attributed to either lower carbonate production or more sediment input by wadis along the north-western part of Al Batinah coast. The unique and complex nature of these sediments is largely due to the geology of the terrestrial source area in the Hajar Mountains which contains the famous Samail ophiolite complex and the weak sorting along the shoreline in these tide-modified beaches.     

Toward reliable calibration of aquifer hydrodynamic parameters: characterizing and optimization of arid groundwater system using swarm intelligence optimization algorithm

Despite advanced development in computational techniques, the issue of how to adequately calibrate and minimize misfit between system properties and corresponding measurements remains a challenging task in groundwater modeling. Two important features of the groundwater regime, hydraulic conductivity (k) and specific yield (S _y), that control aquifer dynamic vary spatially within an aquifer system due to geologic heterogeneity. This paper provides the first attempt in using an advanced swarm-intelligence-based optimization algorithm (cuckoo optimization algorithm, COA) coupled with a distributed hydrogeology model (i.e., MODFLOW) to calibrate aquifer hydrodynamic parameters (S _y and k) over an arid groundwater system in east Iran. Our optimization approach was posed in a single-objective manner by the trade-off between sum of absolute error and the adherent swarm optimization approach. The COA optimization algorithm further yielded both hydraulic conductivity and specific yield parameters with high performance and the least error. Estimation of depth to water table revealed skillful prediction for a set of cells located at the middle of the aquifer system whereas showed unskillful prediction at the headwater due to frequent water storage changes at the inflow boundary. Groundwater depth reduced from east toward west and southwest parts of the aquifer because of extensive pumping activities that caused a smoothening influence on the shape of the simulated head curve. The results demonstrated a clear need to optimize arid aquifer parameters and to compute groundwater response across an arid region.     

Regional debris flow susceptibility analysis based on principal component analysis and self-organizing map: a case study in Southwest China

A method was developed to analyze the susceptibilities of 541 regional basins affected by debris flows at the Wudongde Dam site in southwest China. Determining susceptibility requires information on source material quantity and occurrence frequency. However, the large number of debris flows can hinder the individual field investigation in a each small basin. Factors that may trigger debris flows can be identified using remotely sensed interpretation information. Susceptibility analysis can then be conducted based on these factors. In this study, SPOT5 satellite imagery, digital elevation models (DEM), a lithology distribution map, and rainfall monitoring data were used to identify 12 debris flow trigger factors: basin relief ratio, slope gradient in the initiation zone, drainage density, downslope curvature of the main channel, vegetation coverage, main channel aspect, topographic wetness index, Melton’s ruggedness number, lithology, annual rainfall, form factor, and cross-slope curvature of the transportation zone. Principal component analysis was used to obtain the eight principal components of these factors that contribute to susceptibility results. Then, a self-organizing map method was adopted to analyze the principal components, which resulted in a debris flow susceptibility classification. Field validation of 26 debris flow basins was used to evaluate the errors of the susceptibility classification, as well as assess the causes of such errors. The study found that principle component analysis and self-organizing map methodologies are good predictors of basin susceptibility to debris flows.     

Earthquake preparedness: the case of Eastern UAE

During the last 30 years, UAE witnessed earthquakes that ranged from minor to moderate, with maximum magnitude of 5.1 that occurred in the Masafi area (eastern UAE, on March 11, 2002). Recent earthquakes that hit Iran such as on May 11, 2013, caused tremors and mild shaking of buildings in some UAE cities. Although the tremors are small in magnitude, their sequences apparently become an important research topic and deserve more assessment from different perspectives such as geographical, geological, engineering, and social. This is because low risk does not equal no risk. This study is concerned with public perceptions of earthquake preparedness (reduction of disaster impact) that can be measured by various variables such as developing an emergency plan, preparation of disaster supply kits, and training. The methodology consists of a survey of 470 people who live around the Masafi area, near Fujairah city, UAE. GIS and GPS were used for site selection in conducting the survey, and remote sensing was used as an aid in identification of buildings’ ages. Results show that around 90% of the people surveyed have water tanks that can support them up to 3 days, and 60% of them normally buy food that can support them up to 2 days. Thirty percent of the respondents were familiar with storing first-aid kits and tools such as flashlights. The findings point to a need for more research regarding public awareness about earthquakes. The findings of this study may be useful for people who are involved in the four cornerstones of disaster risk reduction: community participation, public policy actions, safer construction and urban development, and development of a culture of prevention.