A note on a pseudo-natural SSI frequency for coupled soil–pile–structure systems

The notion of a pseudo-natural SSI frequency was introduced in a recent publication by the authors, as the frequency where foundation motion is minimized with respect to the free field surface motion. This frequency is determined analytically in this paper, for a single-degree-of-freedom structure supported on a pile foundation. The analytical solution is compared to numerical results from rigorous finite element analyses for different pile and structural configurations. The relationship between pseudo-natural (f_pSSI) and effective natural SSI frequency (f_SSI) of the coupled system is also analytically quantified. It is concluded that f_pSSI may deviate substantially from f_SSI when a stiff squatty structure is founded on a stiff and/or short end-bearing pile for which foundation translation prevails. Conversely, when a flexible tall structure is supported on a flexible pile, f_pSSI and f_SSI nearly coincide due to dominant base rocking effects. In the latter case the effective natural SSI frequency can be predicted by standard identification procedures even when free-field recordings are missing. Effective damping effects are also discussed.     

Fishing for diatoms: fish gut analysis reveals water quality changes over a 75-year period

Defining the reference state of some perturbed streams and rivers is challenging since their non-altered state is undocumented. Despite the near-absence of pristine sites in highly anthropogenic areas, information about aquatic communities that existed prior to human disturbance can be obtained from historic sources. Sediment coring is commonly used in paleolimnology to estimate past environmental conditions of lakes, but this technique is often not appropriate for studies of lotic systems. An alternative is to use diatom assemblages present in the guts of fish that were captured in the streams prior to significant human disturbance. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the biological integrity of several streams in Ontario and Québec during the early twentieth century based on “paleo” diatom assemblages extracted from the guts of fish stored in museums. The Eastern Canadian diatom index (IDEC: Indice Diatomées de l’Est du Canada) was used to evaluate the biological status of “paleo” and “modern” diatom assemblages. The IDEC shows the position of diatom assemblages on a general pollution gradient. The comparison of IDEC values calculated for the 1925–1948 and the 2003–2007 periods showed that several streams were severely polluted in the early 1900s. In general, present water quality has declined compared to the early 1900s. The biological integrity of only three of the 22 sites has increased. IDEC values were not influenced by the species of fish studied.     

Pockmarks in the inner Oslofjord,Norway

Multibeam bathymetric surveys of the Inner Oslofjord, Norway have revealed a high density of pockmarks in the 179-km² inner fjord area, which contains over 500 pockmarks of varying size, typically 20–50 m in diameter and 2–10 m deep. These pockmarks have been investigated with a variety of techniques, including acoustic subbottom profiling, sedimentological and geochemical analyses of cores, remotely operated vehicle observation, and morphometry. Both the distribution and shapes of the pockmarks suggest that they are related to structures in the bedrock underlying relatively thin (<50 m) unconsolidated glacial and postglacial sediments. The data provide no direct indication of a particular mode of pockmark formation, but release of large amounts of biogenic, shallow methane seems unlikely. Several lines of evidence point to a continuous process of pockmark formation followed by inactivity, with some pockmarks recently active whereas others have been inactive for a considerable time. Some pockmarks are characterised by coarse sediment in their centres. The density, variety and easy access make this pockmark field an ideal model area for pockmark research. John S. Gray is deceased.     

Pacific decadal oscillation and European climatic anomalies

By using the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data sets for 1951–2001, we study the characteristics of Pacific cyclones. It is shown that the northeast-southwest direction is predominant in the displacements of cyclones in the North Pacific. We study the variability of the field of surface atmospheric pressure in different phases of the Pacific decadal oscillation characterizing the temperature anomalies on the surface of the ocean in the region bounded by 20 and 60°N. It is shown that the decadal variations of the North Atlantic Oscillation supported by the large-scale anomalies of the Pacific decadal oscillation is the most important cause of natural decadal oscillations in the European region. We study and evaluate the regional response to the Pacific decadal oscillation by using, as an example, the analysis of variations of the discharge of European rivers. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, pp. 13–23, July–August, 2007.     

Adaptive balance of global development processes

We study the processes of global self-regulation of Earth’s biota (GAIA-theory) by applying the method of adaptive balance of causes proposed by the authors. By using, as an example, the Daisy World model constructed by this method, we reveal the phenomenon of preservation of the mean temperature of Earth’s surface due to the presence of the vegetation cover. We develop an integral model of global natural, social, and economic processes in which the World Ocean is one of the factors regulating the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The decrease in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by the GAIA-effects increases the number of hurricanes and floods on the Earth. As a result, the levels of ecological and social hazards for the mankind become much higher. To eliminate these threats, it is necessary to intensify the processes of self-organization of the society realized via the improvement of education, development of science, and global regulation of the competition for natural resources. We present the results of numerical experiments performed by using the model demonstrating possible scenarios of global development with regard for the processes of self-organization of the society. __________ Translated From Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 3, Pp. 62–80, May–June, 2007.     

Kimberlites and lamproites of the East European Platform: Petrology and geochemistry

Several episodes of kimberlite magmatism occurred in the East European Province (EEP) during a long (about 1.5 Gyr) time period, from the Late Paleoproterozoic (ca. 1.8 Ga) in the Archean Ukrainian and Baltic shields to the Middle Paleozoic (ca. 0.36 Ga) mainly in the Arkhangelsk, Timan, and adjacent regions. Based on the analysis of data on 16 kimberlite occurrences and four lamproite occurrences within the EEP, five time stages can be distinguished; one of them, the Middle Paleozoic stage (Middle Ordovician and Devonian), is the most productive epoch for diamond in the northern hemisphere (EEP, Siberian Craton, and part of the China Craton). The analysis of petrological and geochemical characteristics of kimberlites (lamproites were studied less thoroughly) revealed variations in rock composition and their correlation with a number of factors, including the spatial confinement to the northern or southern Archean blocks of the craton, time of formation of the source of kimberlite melts, contents of volatiles and autoliths, etc. Three petrogeochemical types of kimberlites were distinguished: high-, medium-, and low-Ti (TiO₂ > 3 wt %, 1–3 wt %, and <1 wt %, respectively). There are two time intervals of the formation of kimberlite and lamproite sources in the EEP, corresponding to T_Nd(DM) values of about 2 Ga (up to 2.9 Ga in the Por’ya Guba occurrence) and 1 Ga. The latter interval includes two groups of occurrences with model source ages of about 1 Ga (low-and medium-Ti kimberlites of the Zolotitsa and Verkhotina occurrences) and about 0.8 Ga (high-Ti kimberlites of the Kepino and a number of other occurrences); i.e., there seems to be an evolutionary trend in the composition of kimberlites. Concentric zoning patterns were recognized. The role of the crust in kimberlite sources is discussed; it is assumed that buried remnants of the oceanic lithosphere (megaliths) may underlie whole continents. A unique feature of the composition of low-Ti kimberlites, for instance, kimberlites of the Zolotitsa occurrence (to a smaller extent, medium-Ti kimberlites of the V. Grib pipe) is the distinct depletion of highly charged elements and pronounced negative anomalies of Ti, Zr, Th, U, Nb, and Ta in trace-element distribution patterns, which indicates a contribution of crustal material to the source of these kimberlites. It was shown that autoliths exert a significant influence on the differentiation of kimberlite material, resulting in the enrichment of rocks in the whole spectrum of incompatible elements. It was argued that geochemical criteria can be used together with traditional criteria (including those based on indicator minerals) for the assessment of diamond potential in EEP occurrences. We hope that such a combined approach will yield important outcomes in the future.     

Petrogenetic modelling of strongly residual metapelitic xenoliths within the southern Platreef,Bushveld Complex,South Africa

Xenoliths of quartz‐absent Fe‐rich aluminous metapelite are common within the platinum group element‐rich mafic/ultramafic magmatic rocks of the Platreef. Relative to well‐characterized protoliths, the xenoliths are strongly depleted in K₂O and H₂O, and have lost a substantial amount of melt (>50 vol.%). Mineral equilibria calculations in the NCKFMASHTO system yield results that are consistent with observations in natural samples. Lower‐grade rocks that lack staurolite constrain peak pressures to ～2.5 kbar in the southern Platreef. Smaller xenoliths and the margins of larger xenoliths comprise micro‐diatexite rich in coarse acicular corundum and spinel, which record evidence for the metastable persistence of lower‐grade hydrous phases and rapid melting consequent on a temperature overstep of several hundred degrees following their incorporation in the mafic/ultramafic magmas. In the cores of larger xenoliths, temperatures increased more slowly enabling progressive metamorphism by continuous prograde equilibration and the loss of H₂O by subsolidus dehydration; the H₂O migrated to xenolith margins where it may have promoted increased melting. According to variations in the original compositional layering, layers became aluminosilicate‐ and/or cordierite‐rich, commonly with spinel but only rarely with corundum. The differing mineralogical and microstructural evolution of the xenoliths depends on heating rates (governed by their size and, therefore, proximity to the Platreef magmas) and the pre‐intrusive metamorphic grade of the protoliths. The presence or absence of certain phases, particularly corundum, is strongly influenced by the degree of metastable retention of lower‐grade hydrates in otherwise identical protolith bulk compositions. The preservation of fine‐scale compositional layering that is inferred to be relict bedding in xenolith cores implies that melt loss by compaction was extremely efficient.     

Corrosion Resistance of the Nd–Ti Matrix for Actinides

Doklady Earth Sciences - Leaching of Np and Pu in water from samples composed of two titanate phases Nd2Ti3O9 (75 wt %) and Nd2Ti2O7 (25 wt %) is investigated. The rates of leaching actinides...     

The European coastal zone: characterization and first assessment of ecosystem metabolism

The geomorphic, oceanographic, terrestrial and anthropogenic attributes of the European coastal zone are described and published data on ecosystem function (primary production and respiration) are reviewed. Four regions are considered: the Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the European Atlantic coast including the North Sea. The metabolic database (194 papers) suffers from a non-homogeneous geographical coverage with no usable data for the Black Sea which was therefore excluded from this part of our study. Pelagic gross primary production in European open shelves is, by far, the most documented parameter with an estimated mean of 41 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹, the lowest value is reported in the Mediterranean Sea (21 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹) and the highest one in the Atlantic/North Sea area (51 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹). Microphytobenthic primary production, mostly measured in shallow areas, is extrapolated to the entire 0–200 m depth range. Its contribution to total primary production is low in all regions (mean: 1.5 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹). Although macrophyte beds are very productive, a regional production estimate is not provided in this study because their geographical distribution along the European coastline remains unknown. Measurements of pelagic community respiration are clearly too sparse, especially below the euphotic zone, to yield an accurate picture of the fate of organic matter produced in the water column. With a mean value of 17 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹, benthic community respiration consumes approximately 40% of the pelagic organic matter production. Estuaries generally exhibit high metabolic rates and a large range of variation in all parameters, except microphytobenthic primary production. Finally, the problem of eutrophication in Europe is discussed and the metabolic data obtained in the framework of the Land–Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) project are compared with available direct measurements of net ecosystem production.