The interrelation between the two hemispheres and long-range forecasting

Summary This investigation represents an attempt to illustrate some important aspects of the general circulation and the interrelation of seasonal atmospheric variations between northern and southern hemispheres. It presents evidence that the winter circulation of the northern hemisphere has a significant influence on subsequent seasons in the southern hemisphere. The idea is backed up by specific examples, showing that winter rainfall at Malta and Cairo is strongly correlated with the subsequent seasonal rainfall in Zimbabwe. These findings, which potentially allow to forecast Zimbabwe rainfalls several months in advance of the rainy season, are interpreted physically in terms of the variations of major features of the general circulation, such as the strength of the Winter Siberian Anticyclone (WSA) and the El-Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). These two features appear to be related, from the point of view that the forecasting techniques of the study also allow the possibility of predicting the outstanding ENSO events several months before January.With 8 Figures     

Deficiencies of the vertical slice method in assessment of the seismic earth pressures

Acta Geotechnica - Conventionally, when the method of slice is adopted to assess the earth pressures behind the retaining wall considering a curvilinear failure surface, the mobilized soil mass...     

WATER QUALITY STUDIES IN MALAYSIAN DISUSED MAN MADE LAKES FOR SUITABILITY OF AN AQUACULTURE PROJECT

1INTRODUCTIONWater is an essential component of an eco-sys-tem.It sustains life on the earth.A community de-pends on water for its domestic,agricultural and in-dustrials needs.According to Ackefors,et al.(1994),the term water quality'in the context ofaqua…     

Acidic Rocks as Aggregates in Concrete: Engineering Properties,Microstructures and Petrologic Characteristics

In this research, the possibility of replacing different portions of the normally used aggregate by acidic rocks was investigated. These rock types outcrop at the northern part of Eastern Desert, southwest Ras Gharib area where large quantities of good quality acidic rocks are available their. Portland cement concrete is a composite material made up of the hydrated cement matrix, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate. The scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analysis system (EDX) has been applied to investigate several aspects of Portland cement concrete microstructure. The topics investigated so far include the influence of aggregate composition on the development of the cement paste-aggregate interface and the formation of calcium silicate hydrate CSH/calcium silicate aluminate CSA formation. The silicate gel coated the aggregates in the concrete paste and crystallized into well defined needle like shape, cotton shape as well as euhedral to subhedral crystals of silicate/alumiante and ettringite minerals with free lime librated from the hydrolysis process. The free lime can react again with the aggregates leading to the formation of cementing materials which increase strength and durability of the concrete paste by increasing the interfacial bonds between the used aggregates.     

Thermal springs,fumaroles and gas vents of continental Yemen: Their relation with active tectonics,regional hydrology and the country’s geothermal potential

Most thermal springs of continental Yemen (about 65 emergences at 48 sampling sites) and a couple of fumaroles and boiling water pools have been sampled and analyzed for chemical and isotopic composition in the liquid phase and the associated free-gas phase. Whatever the emergence, all the water discharges have an isotopic signature of meteoric origin. Springs seeping out from high altitudes in the central volcanic plateau show a prevalent Na–HCO₃-composition, clearly affected by an anomalous flux of deep CO₂ deriving from active hydrothermal systems located in the Jurassic Amran Group limestone sequence and/or the Cretaceous Tawilah Group, likely underlying the 2000–3000 m thick volcanic suite. At lower elevations, CO₂ also affects the composition of some springs emerging at the borders of the central volcanic plateau.     

Structural geologic control with the limestone bedrock associated with piling problems using remote sensing and GIS: a modified geomorphological method

Geotechnical engineering and unpredictable piling problems of highly urbanized areas underlain by intensive geological fracture zones require a better understanding of their spatial pattern and developments. Unlike traditional techniques which use geophysical survey and visual interpretation of optical satellite images, this study presents a modified approach to revealing the buried geological fractures in karst terrain, which incorporates Wood??s algorithm. The algorithm binary maps were modified by applying additional Soble filter with 10% threshold and equalization enhancement. These modifications have proven good discrimination for morphological linear and curvilinear derived from DEM. Results of the modified method were compared to the existing geological map and validated by conducting field observations. The analysis of the results and corresponding geological and topographical maps showed the effectiveness of the method to recognize the pattern of buried geological fractures. The results obtained demonstrated that maps of the modified method can be used as a reference map prior to any site investigation.     

Geochemical evidence for the genesis of the Sarical-Yavu hematite mineralizations (Sivas,Central Turkey)

The hematite mineralization under investigation is located 11 km NE of Sarical (Yavu) village of the Yildizeli town (Sivas Province) in central Turkey. The region is within the Central Anatolian Thrust Zone and is comprised of metamorphic units, ophiolitic rocks and overlying Tertiary volcanic and volcanosedimentary rocks in addition to Neogene terrestrial deposits. The mineralization occurs as lenticular or bedded bodies and is composed chiefly of hematite and a lesser amount of goethite. Quartz, calcite, and dolomite are the gangue minerals. Kaolinite and zeolite are the common alteration products. In this study, geochemical and mineralogical investigations were carried out using an X-ray diffractometer analysis (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). The V/(V + Ni) ratio increases in parallel to the detritic contribution, and when this ratio is less than 0.60, deposition conditions are said to be anoxic. Considering the V/(V + Ni) ratio and Ce_anom values of the studied samples, we suggest that the environment is both oxic and anoxic in character. The overall assessment of the field observations, mineral paragenesis, major, trace, and rare earth element (REE) data indicates that the Sarical hematite mineralization is of a hydrothermal-sedimentary type.