SVME: an ensemble of support vector machines for detecting oil spills from full resolution MODIS images

This paper addresses oil spill detection from remotely sensed optical images. In particular, it focuses on the automatic classification of regions of interest (ROIs) in two classes, namely oil spills or look-alikes. Candidate regions and the corresponding boundaries have been manually identified from full resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer images, related to the Mediterranean Sea over the years 2008 and 2009. Then, a set of features has been extracted from each ROI, allowing to formulate the oil spill detection problem as a two-class classification task on the provided regions (i.e. using a supervised learning strategy). Since ROI classification is challenging, some desired characteristics for the classification algorithm are first identified, such as accuracy, robustness, etc. Then, a solution (called SVME) is provided: it is based on an ensemble of incremental/decremental cost-oriented Support Vector Machines, aggregated with the Receiving Operating Characteristic (ROC) convex hull method in the ROC space. Such a solution addresses all the desired characteristics. Finally, the results obtained on the collected dataset are shown. The importance of this study is the devising of a powerful classification technique that may have an impact on optical oil spill detection from space, especially if fused with satellite synthetic aperture radar data. Moreover, it is shown how the proposed system can be used as a decision support tool, to help a junior operator in making more reliable detections.     

A new method for the determination of the specific kinetic energy (SKE) released to pyroclastic particles at magmatic fragmentation: theory and first experimental results

Brittle magmatic fragmentation plays a crucial role in explosive eruptions. It represents the starting point of hazardous explosive events that can affect large areas surrounding erupting volcanoes. Knowing the initial energy released during this fragmentation process is fundamental for the understanding of the subsequent dynamics of the eruptive gas-particle mixture and consequently for the forecasting of the erupting column’s behavior. The specific kinetic energy (SKE) of the particles quantifies the initial velocity shortly after the fragmentation and is therefore a necessary variable to model the gas-particle conduit flow and eruptive column regime. In this paper, we present a new method for its determination based on fragmentation experiments and identification of the timings of energy release. The results obtained on compositions representative for basaltic and phonolitic melts show a direct dependence on magma material properties: poorly vesiculated basaltic melts from Stromboli show the highest SKE values ranging from 7.3 to 11.8 kJ/kg, while experiments with highly vesiculated samples from Stromboli and Vesuvius result in lower SKE values (3.1 to 3.8 kJ/kg). The described methodology presents a useful tool for quantitative estimation of the kinetic energy release of magmatic fragmentation processes, which can contribute to the improvement of hazard assessment.     

Statistical identification of orographic effects in the regional analysis of extreme rainfall

Regional models of extreme rainfall must address the spatial variability induced by orographic obstacles. However, the proper detection of orographic effects often depends on the availability of a well‐designed rain gauge network. The aim of this study is to investigate a new method for identifying and characterizing the effects of orography on the spatial structure of extreme rainfall at the regional scale, including where rainfall data are lacking or fail to describe rainfall features thoroughly. We analyse the annual maxima of daily rainfall data in the Campania region, an orographically complex region in Southern Italy, and introduce a statistical procedure to identify spatial outliers in a low order statistic (namely the mean). The locations of these outliers are then compared with a pattern of orographic objects that has been a priori identified through the application of an automatic geomorphological procedure. The results show a direct and clear link between a particular set of orographic objects and a local increase in the spatial variability of extreme rainfall. This analysis allowed us to objectively identify areas where orography produces enhanced variability in extreme rainfall. It has direct implications for rain gauge network design criteria and has led to promising developments in the regional analysis of extreme rainfall. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Insights on the events surrounding the final drainage of Lake Ojibway based on James Bay stratigraphic sequences

Deglaciation of the James Bay region was highly dynamic, with the occurrence of ice (Cochrane) readvances into glacial Lake Ojibway around final deglaciation time, which culminated with the drainage of Ojibway waters into Hudson Bay and subsequent incursion of the Tyrrell Sea at ～8 ka. Renewed interest on these events comes from the possible link between the drainage of the ice-dammed Lake Agassiz-Ojibway and a major climate deterioration known as the 8.2-ka cooling event. Recent glaciological modeling suggests that this drainage may have occurred subglacially, a mechanism that can accommodate more than one lake discharge, as suggested by marine records. The exact number and timing of drainage events, as well as location of the lake discharge pathway(s) remain, however, largely unconstrained. Here we focus on the events that led to the drainage of Lake Ojibway by documenting late-glacial sedimentary sequences located east of James Bay. Our investigations indicate that the deglacial sequence consists of a readvance till, extensive Ojibway rhythmites, and thick marine sediments. The glaciolacustrine and marine units are separated by a 60 cm-thick horizon composed of laminated silt beds containing rounded clay balls and disseminated clasts resulting from the abrupt drainage of the lake. Radiocarbon dating of marine fossils lying above the drainage horizon indicates that the glaciolacustrine episode ended around 8128–8282 cal yr BP. Micropaleontological analyses reveal that freshwater ostracods (Candona sp.) and marine microfossils (foraminifers, dinocysts) occur together in the upper part of the Ojibway sediments. Analysis of oxygen isotopes (δ¹⁸O) of ostracods and foraminifers originating from the same stratigraphic position show highly contrasting values that suggest possible subglacial exchanges between Lake Ojibway and Tyrrell Sea waters prior to the final drainage event. The complexity of the deglacial events is further indicated by radiocarbon dating of marine shells retrieved from a Cochrane till that suggests that the last ice readvance occurred almost simultaneously with the final lake discharge. These results bring additional constraints on the drainage mechanism of the coalesced Lake Agassiz-Ojibway and indicate that the James Bay region formed an important drainage pathway for meltwaters at the end of the last deglaciation.     

High-T phase transition of synthetic ANaB(LiMg)CMg5Si8O22(OH)2 amphibole: an X-ray synchrotron powder diffraction and FTIR spectroscopic study

The synthetic amphibole Na_0.95(Li_0.95Mg_1.05)Mg₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂ was studied in situ at high-T, using IR OH-stretching spectroscopy and synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction. At room-T the sample has P2₁ /m symmetry, as shown by the FTIR spectrum. It shows in the OH region two well-defined and intense absorptions at 3,748 and 3,712 cm⁻¹, respectively, and two minor bands at 3,667 and 3,687 cm⁻¹. The main bands are assigned to the two independent O–H groups in the primitive structure. The two minor bands evidencing the presence of small amount of vacant A-site (^A□_0.05). With increasing T, these bands shift continuously and merge into a unique absorption at high temperature. A change as a function of increasing T is revealed by the evolution of the refined unit-cell parameters, whose trend shows a transition to C2/m at about 320–330°C. The spontaneous scalar strain, fitted with a tricritical 2–6 Landau potential, gives a T _c of 325(10)°C (β parameter = 0.27). Comparison with the second-order P2₁ /m ⇔ C2/m phase transition at 255°C for synthetic amphibole ^ANa_0.8^B(Na_0.8Mg_1.2)^CMg₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂ indicates that the substitution of Na with Li at the B-sites strongly affects the thermodynamic character and the T _c of the phase transition. The comparison of LNMSH amphiboles with cummingtonitic ones shows that the high-T thermodynamic behaviour is affected by A-site occupancy.     

Human alteration of groundwater–surface water interactions (Sagittario River,Central Italy): implication for flow regime,contaminant fate and invertebrate response

Many rivers worldwide are undergoing severe man-induced alterations which are reflected also in changes of the degree of connectivity between surface waters and groundwater. Pollution, irrigation withdrawal, alteration of freshwater flows, road construction, surface water diversion, soil erosion in agriculture, deforestation and dam building have led to some irreversible species losses and severe changes in community composition of freshwater ecosystems. Taking into account the impact of damming and flow diversion on natural river discharge, the present study is aimed at (i) evaluating the effects of anthropogenic changes on groundwater/surface water interactions; (ii) analyzing the fate of nitrogenous pollutants at the floodplain scale; and (iii) describing the overall response of invertebrate assemblages to such changes. Hydrogeological, geochemical and isotopic data revealed short- and long-term changes in hydrology, allowing the assessment of the hydrogeological setting and the evaluation of potential contamination by nitrogen compounds. Water isotopes allowed distinguishing a shallow aquifer locally fed by zenithal recharge and river losses, and a deeper aquifer/aquitard system fed by surrounding carbonate aquifers. This system was found to retain ammonium and, through the shallow aquifer, release it in surface running waters via the hyporheic zone of the riverbed. All these factors influence river ecosystem health. As many environmental drivers entered in action offering a multiple-component artificial environment, a clear relationship between river flow alteration and benthic and hyporheic invertebrate diversity was not found, being species response driven by the combination of three main stressors: ammonium pollution, man-induced changes in river morphology and altered discharge regime.     

Evidence for an abrupt climatic change at 8700 14C yr B.P. in rockshelters and caves of Gebel Qara (Dhofar‐Oman): Palaeoenvironmental implications

Geoarchaeological research on the sedimentary fill of rockshelters and caves in the Gebel Qara (Dhofar, Southern Oman) has revealed the onset of heavy rains at 8700 yr B.P. These rains, produced by strengthening of the Southwest monsoon, abruptly altered the dry environment dominant in the area since the Pleistocene‐Holocene transition. Comparison of cave fills from the southern and northern fringes of the Gebel Qara indicates that the monsoon effects were limited to the southern and central part of the mountain range, directly facing the sea, and did not penetrate into the Nejd Desert. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.