Space-time mapping of soil salinity using probabilistic bayesian maximum entropy

The mapping of saline soils is the first task before any reclamation effort. Reclamation is based on the knowledge of soil salinity in space and how it evolves with time. Soil salinity is traditionally determined by soil sampling and laboratory analysis. Recently, it became possible to complement these hard data with soft secondary data made available using field sensors like electrode probes. In this study, we had two data sets. The first includes measurements of field salinity (EC_a) at 413 locations and 19 time instants. The second, which is a subset of the first (13 to 20 locations), contains, in addition to EC_a, salinity determined in the laboratory (EC_2.5). Based on a procedure of cross-validation, we compared the prediction performance in the space-time domain of 3 methods: kriging using either only hard data (HK) or hard and mid interval soft data (HMIK), and Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) using probabilistic soft data. We found that BME was less biased, more accurate and giving estimates, which were better correlated with the observed values than the two kriging techniques. In addition, BME allowed one to delineate with better detail saline from non-saline areas.     

On the Limnology of Deep and Saline Lake Burdur in Turkey

Limnological characteristics of Lake Burdur in Lake District in south‐western Turkey are presented. It is a deep, tectonic (estimated max. depth 100 m), athalassic, highly alkaline, and saline lake. A set of physical and chemical variables was monitored, phyto‐ and zooplankton was sampled from surface layer of the lake during 1997. Physico‐chemical variables indicated that the lake is hyposaline and composed of some hydrochemically different water layers formed by groundwater sources located on the bottom of the lake. The phytoplankton composition of Lake Burdur consisted of Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, Dinophyta, and Chrysophyta. The abundance and number of species of Chlorophyta and Cyanophyta were higher than the other taxa. The zooplankton composition of the Lake consisted of Rhizopoda, Rotifera, and Crustacea. Number of species of Rotifera was higher than the other taxa. The diversities of the phyto‐ and zooplankton were calculated according to the Shannon‐Weaver diversity index. The diversity of each group was found to be low in the lake.     

Indicator Simulation Accounting for Multiple-Point Statistics

Geostatistical simulation aims at reproducing the variability of the real underlying phenomena. When nonlinear features or large-range connectivity is present, the traditional variogram-based simulation approaches do not provide good reproduction of those features. Connectivity of high and low values is often critical for grades in a mineral deposit. Multiple-point statistics can help to characterize these features. The use of multiple-point statistics in geostatistical simulation was proposed more than 10 years ago, on the basis of the use of training images to extract the statistics. This paper proposes the use of multiple-point statistics extracted from actual data. A method is developed to simulate continuous variables. The indicator kriging probabilities used in sequential indicator simulation are modified by probabilities extracted from multiple-point configurations. The correction is done under the assumption of conditional independence. The practical implementation of the method is illustrated with data from a porphyry copper mine.     

An attenuation relationship based on Turkish strong motion data and iso-acceleration map of Turkey

This paper presents an attenuation relationship of peak ground acceleration (PGA) derived from Turkish strong motion data for rock, soil and soft soil sites and an iso-acceleration map of Turkey based on this relationship. For the purpose, among all the three-component accessible records, 221 records from 122 earthquakes that occurred in Turkey between 1976 and November 2003 were selected. The database was compiled for earthquakes with moment magnitudes (M_w) and PGA values ranging between 4.1 and 7.5, and 20 and 806 gal, and distances to epicenter considered in the database were between 5 and 100 km. From the regression analysis of the data, an attenuation equation of PGA considering rock, soil and soft soil conditions was developed. The PGA values predicted from the equation suggested in this study and those both from a few domestic equations and some imported equations were compared. In addition, an iso-acceleration map of Turkey was constructed using the suggested attenuation equation and considering both known active faults and epicenter locations of the earthquakes that have occurred in Turkey.     

Low-frequency 3-D seismic survey of upper crustal magmatic intrusions in the northeastern Pannonian basin of Hungary

A specially designed 700-km² grid survey, deploying 1000 regularly distributed low-frequency seismic recording systems, successfully investigated one of the most complex geologic environments of the Pannonian basin. The wide-angle signals penetrated through over 1000 m of multi-phase igneous lithology and recognized, for the first time, the underlying enigmatic Permian to Early Triassic basement rocks. Tomographic inversion of the first arrival grid data resulted in determination of an accurate three-dimensional (3-D) velocity field, to a depth of 4 km. The anomalous changes of the spatial velocity data outline the regional extent of the Late Miocene magmatic intrusions, which are covered by over 2000 m of Mid-Miocene to Pleistocene clastics. Complex relationship was found between the surface potential data and the intrusive bodies. This multi-faceted geophysical data analysis established a functional technique for mapping a subsurface with intricate acoustic and structural complexity.     

Organic matter in a low productivity anoxic intraplatform basin in the Triassic Tethys

This paper presents isotopic, bulk geochemical and biomarker data measured on organic matter accumulated in a narrow extensional basin developed at the oceanward margin of the huge Triassic carbonate platform in the Alps–Appenines domain. The integration of isotope signatures, organic petrographical and biomarker evidence together with the composition of kerogen pyrolysates suggests immature organic matter predominantly of algal origin with a minor, but not negligible, higher plant derived and moderate bacterial contribution for the entire sequence. The mineral sources are dominated by platform-derived subtidal Dachstein limestone with a minor palaeosol input and a moderate contribution of autochtonous quartz. Nevertheless, parallel variations observed in the mineral content, as well as in the amount and the quality of the organic matter reflect variations in the palaeoenvironment. The increased humidity, existing in the period of the accumulation of the upper section of the sequence, led to the restriction of dolomitization. A slightly greater higher plant derived contribution, in this section, is evidenced by the composition of bitumen and the results on GC and GC/MS analyses on the non-aromatic hydrocarbon fraction of bitumen. Moreover, the climate-induced weathering enchanced the primary productivity and resulted in a pronounced increase in the TOC content. The average estimated value of the planktonic productivity is about three times higher for the calcite-rich sequence than the dolomite-rich one, being 44.2 and 15.3 tC_org/m²/Ma, respectively. The low to moderate planktonic productivity shows that anoxic conditions, observed for the entire succession, are a consequence of the stagnant water stratification rather than high planktonic productivity. Depth trends in the data measured on kerogens (HI, OI, δ¹³Corg values, composition of pyrolysate) together with the δ¹⁸O excursions and Δδ¹³C values appear to be controlled by sea-level fluctuations. Consistent with the high abundance of alkyltiophenes in kerogen pyrolysates, the high S_org/C ratios (ranging between 0.05 and 0.10) suggest the importance of natural sulfurization in the formation of the sulfur-rich type-II-S kerogen occurring in all of the samples.     

Relationship between solar radiation and the development and morphology of small cirque glaciers (Maladeta Mountain massif, Central Pyrenees, Spain)

Abstract Spatial and temporal variations in radiative fluxes influence glacier mass‐balance in mountain areas. The primary goal of this study was to assess differences in solar radiation on three glacial cirques located in the Maladeta Mountain massif (Central Spanish Pyrenees), and analyse their implications on glacier development and morphology. A quantitative approach is adopted to obtain the values of solar radiation (direct, diffuse and global radiation), combining several field data parameters (measured at 55 control‐points) with the solar radiation modelling package Ecosim. The data obtained confirm that the morphologies of the glacial bodies developed in the three cirques have a good correlation with the spatial variation on solar radiation inputs, favouring also the conservation (Aneto and Coronas cirques) or total vanishing (Llosás cirque) of the glacial remnants analysed here. The study shows how strongly in this Alpine‐Mediterranean context solar radiation — firstly as a function of latitude and time of year, and locally as a function of topographic slope, aspect and shadowing — controls the mass‐balance and the spatial distribution of melting in small glaciers, having an effect on the development of their morphologies.     

Histogram and variogram inference in the multigaussian model

Several iterative algorithms are proposed to improve the histogram and variogram inference in the framework of the multigaussian model. The starting point is the variogram obtained after a traditional normal score transform. The subsequent step consists in simulating many sets of gaussian values with this variogram at the data locations, so that the ranking of the original values is honored. The expected gaussian transformation and the expected variogram are computed by an averaging operation over the simulated datasets. The variogram model is then updated and the procedure is repeated until convergence. Such an iterative algorithm can adapt to the case of tied data and despike the histogram. Two additional issues are also examined, referred to the modeling of the empirical transformation function and to the optimal pair weighting when computing the sample variogram.