Agent-based simulation for biogas power plant potential in Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis,Germany: a step towards better economy

Over the past decade, political framework in the energy sector all over the world has provoked a strong focus on the production of renewable energies. The study focuses on agent-based modelling approach to identify the suitable and economical distribution of biogas power plants over time in the area of interest. For sufficient supply of biomass (silage maize) on a regional basis to run biogas power plants economically and smoothly, different thematic layers with defined rules for Agent Analyst used to simulate the future installations of power plants. In conjunction with ArcGIS, the Agent Analyst software generates simulations that prove the robustness of the model in finding the suitable location of power plants. The resultant location from the model is analysed in different aspects. The designed methodology could be implemented in other areas with minor edits as per requirement of the area.     

Partial integer decorrelation: optimum trade-off between variance reduction and bias amplification

Different techniques have been developed for determining carrier phase ambiguities, ranging from float approximations to the efficient solution of the integer least square problem by the LAMBDA method. The focus so far was on double-differenced measurements. Practical implementations of the LAMBDA method lead to a residual probability of wrong fixing of the order one percent. For safety critical applications, this probability had to be reduced by eight orders of magnitude, which could be achieved by linear multi-frequency code–carrier combinations. Scenarios with single or no differences include biases due to orbit errors, satellite clock offsets, as well as residual code and phase biases. For this case, a linear combination of Galileo E1 and E5 code and carrier phase measurements with a wavelength of 3.285 m and a noise level of a few centimeters is derived. This ionosphere-free combination preserves the orbit and clock errors, and suppresses the E1 code multipath by 12.6 dB. Since integer decorrelation transformations, as used in the LAMBDA method, inflate biases, the number of such transformations must be limited, and applied in a judicious order. With a Galileo type constellation, this leads to a vertical standard deviation of ca. 20 cm, while keeping the probability of wrong fixing extremely low for code biases of 10 cm, and phase biases of 0.1 cycle, combined in a worst case.     

European temperature records of the past five centuries based on documentary/instrumental information compared to climate simulations

Two European temperature reconstructions for the past half-millennium, January-to-April air temperature for Stockholm (Sweden) and seasonal temperature for a Central European region, both derived from the analysis of documentary sources and long instrumental records, are compared with the output of climate simulations with the model ECHO-G. The analysis is complemented by comparisons with the long (early)-instrumental record of Central England Temperature (CET). Both approaches to study past climates (simulations and reconstructions) are burdened with uncertainties. The main objective of this comparative analysis is to identify robust features and weaknesses in each method which may help to improve models and reconstruction methods. The results indicate a general agreement between simulations obtained with temporally changing external forcings and the reconstructed Stockholm and CET records for the multi-centennial temperature trend over the recent centuries, which is not reproduced in a control simulation. This trend is likely due to the long-term change in external forcing. Additionally, the Stockholm reconstruction and the CET record also show a clear multi-decadal warm episode peaking around AD 1730, which is absent in the simulations. Neither the reconstruction uncertainties nor the model internal climate variability can easily explain this difference. Regarding the interannual variability, the Stockholm series displays, in some periods, higher amplitudes than the simulations but these differences are within the statistical uncertainty and further decrease if output from a regional model driven by the global model is used. The long-term trend of the CET series agrees less well with the simulations. The reconstructed temperature displays, for all seasons, a smaller difference between the present climate and past centuries than is seen in the simulations. Possible reasons for these differences may be related to a limitation of the traditional ‘indexing’ technique for converting documentary evidence to temperature values to capture long-term climate changes, because the documents often reflect temperatures relative to the contemporary authors’ own perception of what constituted ‘normal’ conditions. By contrast, the amplitude of the simulated and reconstructed inter-annual variability agrees rather well.     

The South Marmara Fault

We use about 800 km of multichannel exploration seismic reflection profiles of the seventies as well as the results of three drill holes that penetrated the sedimentary cover down to the Upper Cretaceous basement to describe a continuous gently curvilinear, south-concave zone of deformation about 10 km wide that extended over the whole southern shelf of the Sea of Marmara from the Gulf of Gemlik to the Dardanelles Straits in Lower Pliocene time, about 4 Ma. We call this zone of deformation the South Marmara Fault (SMF) system and propose that the SMF was then a branch of the dextral North Anatolian Fault. This branch passed to the north of the Marmara Island Eocene block and thus had a south-facing concavity. This curvature resulted in a significant component of shortening in the western part of the fault. The SMF was deactivated at the end of Lower Pliocene, about 3.5 Ma, except for its easternmost branch between the Gulf of Gemlik and ?mral? Island where about 5 mm/year of dextral motion is still occurring today.     

Comparison of the Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentary cycles of Somalia and Madagascar: implications for the Gondwana breakup

The Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentary history of northern Somalia and the Morondava Basin of south-western Madagascar have been studied. Both regions display an independent facial development; however, a comparison of the sequential evolution of the Mesozoic sedimentary successions in these two presently widely separated areas reveals a surprisingly high level of similarity, which probably reflects major events during the disintegration of Eastern Gondwana during the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Although in Jurassic times the onset of transgressions and regressions in both areas compares well with eustatic development, major deviations in combination with the tectonic activities of different degrees are observed in the Early and Late Cretaceous synchronously in both regions. Transgressions are observed in Toarcian, Bajocian (not dated in northern Somalia), Callovian, Valanginian (Madagascar only), Aptian and Campanian times. Tectonism is noted before the Aptian and Campanian transgressions in northern Somalia and the Morondava Basin of south-western Madagascar.     

Diatom assemblage changes in lacustrine sediments from Isla de los Estados, southernmost South America, in response to shifts in the southwesterly wind belt during the last deglaciation

Isla de los Estados (54° 45′S, 63° 10′–64° 46′W) lies east of the main island of Tierra del Fuego and is the southeastern-most point in Argentina. Because of its geographic position near the latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies and the strong influence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the area is suitable for paleoecological and paleoclimate research. The island is not far north of the Subantarctic Front, which limits the northern boundary of the ACC. Paleoenvironmental study in this geographic location can shed light on past changes in atmospheric and marine circulation patterns. Diatom analysis of the lower part of a sediment sequence from Laguna Cascada (54° 45′ 51.3′′S, 64° 20′ 20.07′′W) enabled inference of changing lake conditions between 16 and 11.1 cal ka BP. Between 16 and 14.4 cal ka BP fragilarioid diatom species, often a pioneer group, dominated the record. Their presence shows seasonally open-water conditions from the onset of sedimentation. In zone II (14.4–12.8 cal ka BP), the dominance of planktonic/tychoplanktonic Aulacoseira spp. might represent longer ice-free periods and windier conditions, which would have kept this heavy species suspended in the water column. This period corresponds to the Antarctic Cold Reversal, when the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies were possibly centered on the latitudes of Tierra del Fuego, resulting in windy and wet conditions. Zone III (12.8–11.1 cal ka BP) is dominated by benthic diatom taxa that are mainly associated with peat and wetland vegetation. This suggests that climate conditions had become milder and less windy, favoring aquatic productivity and terrestrial vegetation development. This change in environmental conditions may have been a consequence of the southward movement of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies at the start of the Antarctic Holocene thermal optimum.     

Quantifying relations between surface runoff and aridity after wildfire

Post‐wildfire runoff and erosion are major concerns in fire‐prone landscapes around the world, but these hydro‐geomorphic responses have been found to be highly variable and difficult to predict. Some variations have been observed to be associated with landscape aridity, which in turn can influence soil hydraulic properties. However, to date there has been no attempt to systematically evaluate the apparent relations between aridity and post‐wildfire runoff. In this study, five sites in a wildfire burnt area were instrumented with rainfall‐runoff plots across an aridity index (AI) gradient. Surface runoff and effective rainfall were measured over 10 months to allow investigation of short‐ (peak runoff) and longer‐term (runoff ratio) runoff characteristics over the recovery period. The results show a systematic and strong relation between aridity and post‐wildfire runoff. The average runoff ratio at the driest AI site (33.6%) was two orders of magnitude higher than at the wettest AI site (0.3%). Peak runoff also increased with AI, with up to a thousand‐fold difference observed during one event between the driest and wettest sites. The relation between AI, peak 15‐min runoff (Q₁₅) and peak 15‐min rainfall intensity (I₁₅) (both in mm h^‐1) could be quantified by the equation: Q₁₅ = 0.1086I₁₅ × AI ^2.691 (0.65<AI<1.80, 0<I₁₅<45) (adjusted r² = 0.84). The runoff ratios remained higher at drier AI sites (AI 1.24 and 1.80) throughout the monitoring period, suggesting higher AI also lengthens the window of disturbance after wildfire. The strong quantifiable link which this study has determined between AI and post‐wildfire surface runoff could greatly improve our capacity to predict the magnitude and location of hydro‐geomorphic processes such as flash floods and debris flows following wildfire, and may help explain aridity‐related patterns of soil properties in complex upland landscapes. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Talc-chlorite-amphibole felses of the KTB pilot hole,Oberpfalz, Bavaria: Protolith characteristics and phase relationships

Summary The metagabbro-amphibolite sequences in the KTB pilot hole contain intercalations of talc-chlorite-amphibole felses (or hosbachites), which show transitional contacts to the adjacent metagabbros. The hosbachites are characterized by relics of a primary igneous texture and still contain igneous minerals like clinopyroxene, biotite and pseudomorphs after olivine, while brown Ca-amphibole was presumably formed in a late-magmatic stage. The geological, textural, mineralogical and geochemical evidence indicates that the hösbachites were derived from ultramafic cumulates, differentiated from a basaltic magma, either in the inner parts of dolerite sills or in small gabbro intrusions. A pervasive metamorphic overprint under medium-pressure, amphibolite-facies conditions which was accompanied by penetrative deformation led to assemblages with green Ca-amphibole ± anthophyllite ± cummingtonite ± tremolite/actinolite + clinochlore + talc + olivine + ilmenite ± Cr-bearing spinel + sulfides. Phase relationships are consistent with a prograde P-T path leading to the formation of anthophyllite from olivine + talc at peak metamorphic temperatures of 640–700°C, at assumed pressures of 8-10 kbar, similar to those derived from mineral assemblages in the adjacent metabasites and metasediments. High-pressure relics locally present in coronitic metagabbros and retrograded eclogites of the KTB pilot hole were not recognized in the hosbachites. A retrograde overprint under greenschist-facies conditions led to the total replacement of igneous or metamorphic olivine by aggregates of antigorite + magnetite, chloritization of biotite and the formation of late tremolite/ actinolite.

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Zusammenfassung Talk- Chlorit-Amphibol-Felse der KTB-Vorbohrung, Oberpfalz: Eduktcharakteristik und Phasenbeziehungen Die Metagabbro-Amphibolit-Folge in der KTB-Vorbohrung enthält Einschaltungen von Talk-Chlorit-Amphibol-Felsen (Hosbachite), die graduelle Übergänge zu den benachbarten Metagabbros aufweisen. Die Hosbachite sind durch Relikte von primären magmatischen Gefügen gekennzeichnet and führen noch magmatische Mineralrelikte wie Klinopyroxen, Biotit and Pseudomorphosen nach Olivin, während brauner CaAmphibol wahrscheinlich spdtmagmatisch gebildet wurde. Verbandsverhältnisse, Reliktgefüge und Reliktminerale sowie Haupt- und Spurenelement-Geochemie sprechen dafür, daß die Hosbachite auf ultramafische Kumulate zurückgehen, die aus einem basischen Magma differenziert wurden, and zwar entweder im Innern von doleritischen Lagergängen oder in kleinen Gabbro-Intrusionen.Eine durchgreifende metamorphe Überprägung unter Bedingungen der Mitteldruck Amphibolitfazies, die von einer penetrativen Deformation begleitet war, fuhrte zu Mineralparagenesen mit grünern Ca-Amphibol ± Anthophyllit ± Cummingtonit + Tremolit/Aktinolith + Klinochlor + Talk + Olivin + Ilmenit + Cr-haltigem Spinell + Sulfiden.Die Phasenbeziehungen weisen darauf hin, daß sich im Zuge eines prograden P-TPfades Anthophyllit aus der Paragenese Olivin + Talk bildete. Als P-T-Bedingungen beim Hbhepunkt der Metamorphose können Temperaturen von 640–700°C in einem angenommenen Druckbereich von 8-10 kbar abgeschätzt wurden, ähnlich wie sie auch aus den Mineralparagenesen in den angrenzenden Metabasiten and Metasedimenten der KTB-Vorbohrung ableitbar sind. Hochdruckrelikte, die gelegentlich in koronitischen Metagabbros and retrograd überprägten Eklogiten der KTB-Vorbohrung auftreten, wurden in den Hösbachiten nicht gefunden. Eine retrograde Überprägung unter grünschieferfaziellen Bedingungen führte zu einer vollständigen Verdrängung von magmatischem und metamorphem Olivin durch Aggregate von Antigorit + Magnetit, zur Chloritisierung von Biotit und zur Bildung einer späten Generation von Tremolit/ Aktinolith.

     

The late-and post-Variscan tectonic evolution of the Western Border fault zone of the Bohemian massif (WBZ)

 Paleostress analysis and evaluation of the stratigraphic unconformities reveal an extremely polyphase development of one of the most prominent fault zones of Central Europe, usually known as the Franconian Line (FL). Because the FL is just one fault zone, although it is the most important fault zone within a complex fault system, a more appropriate term is used herein: Western Border fault zone of the Bohemian massif (WBZ). The reconstruction of the paleostress history was carried out by analysing sequences of individual strain increments that belong to the same stratigraphic “units” (e.g., late-Variscan granites, Tertiary basalts). A succession of at least 15 paleostress directions and tectonic regimes have been determined since late-Variscan time. Received: 7 July 1996 / Accepted: 24 October 1996