Rehabilitation of industrial areas: case histories from England and Germany

 Contaminated and possibly hazardous ground represents a problem in all of the industrialized countries of the world. The investigation of a site that is suspected of being contaminated differs somewhat from a routine site investigation. Sampling of soils, groundwater and gas-producing material may be required. Various precautions may be necessary in doing this and operatives may have to wear protective clothing. Four case histories have been chosen to illustrate different aspects of the rehabilitation of abandoned contaminated land, namely, investigation, assessment, ground treatment and redevelopment. The first comes from Leeds in West Yorkshire, England, and outlines how a site investigation was undertaken and the nature of the contamination present, together with a note on the suggested redevelopment. The remaining three case histories are taken from the heavily industrialized district of the Ruhr in Germany, where extensive mining of coal and associated industries were developed from the mid-19th century onwards. The first considers the site of the former Graf Moltke mine near Essen. In this instance, the somewhat novel methods of data assessment and ground treatment are dealt with. The Mont Cenis site at Herne-Sodingen is one of the more notable old mining/industrial sites undergoing redevelopment in the state of North Rhine Westphalia. Hence, the case history concentrates of this aspect of rehabilitation. This involves not only the construction of new and interesting structures but an attempt to reduce energy consumption in an attempt to effect the concept of sustainable development of an urban area. The last example deals with the abandoned site of the Minister Achenbach mine at Lünen, where the ground conditions were further complicated by the presence of old bomb craters that had been filled with a variety of materials. In addition, because of the suspected presence of former foundation structures in the ground an electromagnetic survey was carried out across part of the site, the areas of high conductivity suggesting their presence. Received: 15 September 1999 · Accepted: 14 March 2000     

Measurements of stratospheric chlorine monoxide (ClO) from groudbased FTIR observations

Infrared absorption features due to ClO in the lower stratosphere have been identified from groundbased solar absorption spectra taken from Aberdeen, U.K. (57° N, 2° W) on 20 January 1995. A vertical column abundance of 3.42 (±0.47)×10¹⁵ molec cm^-2 has been derived from 13 independent absorption features in the P and R branches of the (0–1) vibration-rotation band of ³⁵ClO, spanning the spectral region 817–855 cm^-1. The observed absorption features are consistent with very high levels of ClO (approximately 2.6 parts per billion by volume (ppbv)) in the altitude range 16–22 km. A comparison of this profile with a 3D chemical transport model profile indicates the observation was made inside the polar vortex and shows good qualitative agreement but the model underestimates the concentrations of ClO. Simultaneous measurements of other species were made including HCl, HF and ClONO₂. These columns yield a value for HCl+ClONO₂+ClO of 7.02±0.65×10¹⁵ molec cm^-2. This is lower than the total inorganic chlorine (ClO _y ) column of 10.7±1.6×10¹⁵ molec cm^-2 estimated from mean measured (HCl+ClONO₂)/HF ratios together with in-vortex HF measurements. The discrepancy is probably due to significant amounts of the ClO dimer (Cl₂O₂) in the lower part of the stratosphere. The measurements of highly elevated levels of ClO are used to estimate O₃ loss rates at the 400, 475 and 550 K levels making assumptions about the probable distribution of ClO and Cl₂O₂. These are compared with loss rates derived from ozone sonde data.     

Charge-coupled device imaging spectroscopy of Mars. 1. Instrumentation and data reduction/analysis procedures

This paper describes the collection, reduction, and analysis of 0.4–1.0 m Mars imaging spectroscopy data obtained during the 1988 and 1990 oppositions from Mauna Kea Observatory and provides a general outline for the acquisition and analysis of similar imaging spectroscopy data sets. The U.H. 2.24-m Wide Field Grism CCD Spectrograph was used to collect 13 three-dimensional image cubes covering 90% of the planet south of 50°N in the 0.4–0.8 m region (/=245 at 0.6 m) and covering 55% of the planet south of 50°N in the 0.5–1.0 m region (/=293 at 0.75 m). Spectra extracted from these image cubes reveal the detailed character of the martian near-UV to visible spectrum. Images at red wavelengths reveal the classical albedo markings at 100–500 km spatial resolution while images at blue wavelengths show little surface feature contrast and are dominated by condensate clouds/hazes and polar ice. Many of the data acquisition, reduction, and analysis steps discussed here are new or unique to imaging spectroscopy data sets. These techniques exploit the information contained within the spatial domain of data such as these, thus allowing more traditional point-spectral analysis techniques to be expanded into an imaging format.     

Recent crustal movements in the Sierra Nevada—Walker lane region of California—Nevada: Part i, rate and style of deformation

This review of geological, seismological, geochronological and paleobotanical data is made to compare historic and geologic rates and styles of deformation of the Sierra Nevada and western Basin and Range Provinces. The main uplift of this region began about 17 m.y. ago, with slow uplift of the central Sierra Nevada summit region at rates estimated at about 0.012 mm/yr and of western Basin and Range Province at about 0.01 mm/yr. Many Mesozoic faults of the Foothills fault system were reactivated with normal slip in mid-Tertiary time and have continued to be active with slow slip rates. Sparse data indicate acceleration of rates of uplift and faulting during the Late Cenozoic. The Basin and Range faulting appears to have extended westward during this period with a reduction in width of the Sierra Nevada.The eastern boundary zone of the Sierra Nevada has an irregular en-echelon pattern of normal and right-oblique faults. The area between the Sierra Nevada and the Walker Lane is a complex zone of irregular patterns of hörst and graben blocks and conjugate normal-to right- and left-slip faults of NW and NE trend, respectively. The Walker Lane has at least five main strands near Walker Lake, with total right-slip separation estimated at 48 km. The NE-trending left-slip faults are much shorter than the Walker Lane fault zone and have maximum separations of no more than a few kilometers. Examples include the 1948 and 1966 fault zone northeast of Truckee, California, the Olinghouse fault (Part III) and possibly the almost 200-km-long Carson Lineament.Historic geologic evidence of faulting, seismologic evidence for focal mechanisms, geodetic measurements and strain measurements confirm continued regional uplift and tilting of the Sierra Nevada, with minor internal local faulting and deformation, smaller uplift of the western Basin and Range Province, conjugate focal mechanisms for faults of diverse orientations and types, and a NS to NE—SW compression axis (σ₁) and an EW to NW—SE extension axis (σ₃).     

Rift kinematics preserved in deep-time erosional landscape below the northern North Sea

Our understanding of continental rifting is, in large parts, derived from the stratigraphic record. This record is, however, incomplete as it does not often capture the geomorphic and erosional signal of rifting. New 3D seismic reflection data reveal a Late Permian-Early Triassic landscape incised into the pre-rift basement of the northern North Sea. This landscape, which covers at least 542 km², preserves a drainage system bound by two major tectonic faults. A quantitative geomorphic analysis of the drainage system reveals 68 catchments, with channel steepness and knickpoint analysis of catchment-hosted palaeo-rivers showing that the landscape preserved a >2 Myr long period of transient tectonics. We interpret that this landscape records a punctuated uplift of the footwall of a major rift-related normal fault (Vette Fault) at the onset of rifting. The landscape was preserved by a combination of relatively rapid subsidence in the hangingwall of a younger fault (Øygarden Fault) and burial by post-incision sediments. As such, we show how and why erosional landscapes are preserved in the stratigraphic record, and how they can help us understand the tectono-stratigraphic evolution of ancient continental rifts.     

Cygnus X-3 with ISO: investigating the wind

We have observed the energetic binary Cygnus X-3 in both quiescent and flaring states between 4 and 16 μm using the ISO satellite. We find that the quiescent source shows the thermal free–free spectrum typical of a hot, fast stellar wind, such as from a massive helium star. The quiescent mass-loss rate arising from a spherically symmetric, non-accelerating wind is found to be in the range (0.4–2.9)×10⁻⁴ M_⊙ yr⁻¹, consistent with other infrared and radio observations, but considerably larger than the 10⁻⁵ M_⊙ yr⁻¹ deduced from both the orbital change and the X-ray column density. There is rapid, large-amplitude flaring at 4.5 and 11.5 μm at the same time as enhanced radio and X-ray activity, with the infrared spectrum apparently becoming flatter in the flaring state. We believe that non-thermal processes are operating, perhaps along with enhanced thermal emission.     

ASOCAM Observations of CYG X-3: Search for a Hot Stellar Wind

Six CAM observations have been made in the 4 - 14 μm wavelength region to search for further evidence of emission from a hot stellar wind. Initial results suggest that the spectrum detected by Fender et al. using UKIRT extends into the wavelength region covered by ISOCAM. There is also evidence that the source is variable on timescales of ≈ 70 seconds. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Quantitative multi-risk analysis for natural hazards: a framework for multi-risk modelling

This paper introduces a generic framework for multi-risk modelling developed in the project ‘Regional RiskScape’ by the Research Organizations GNS Science and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA) in New Zealand. Our goal was to develop a generic technology for modelling risks from different natural hazards and for various elements at risk. The technical framework is not dependent on the specific nature of the individual hazard nor the vulnerability and the type of the individual assets. Based on this generic framework, a software prototype has been developed, which is capable of ‘plugging in’ various natural hazards and assets without reconfiguring or adapting the generic software framework. To achieve that, we developed a set of standards for treating the fundamental components of a risk model: hazards, assets (elements at risk) and vulnerability models (or fragility functions). Thus, the developed prototype system is able to accommodate any hazard, asset or fragility model, which is provided to the system according to that standard. The software prototype was tested by modelling earthquake, volcanic ashfall, flood, wind, and tsunami risks for several urban centres and small communities in New Zealand.     

Observed and modelled tidal currents in the New Zealand region

Tidal currents derived from current meter measurements are compared with the output from a barotropic tidal model of the New Zealand region. For the semi‐diurnal constituents there was very good agreement for the M₂ tide and good agreement for the S₂ tide. For the diurnal constituents (K_l, O_l) it was found that as the amplitude of the constituents decreased so did both the model/observation agreement and the accuracy of the observed tidal ellipse parameters. Consequently it was not possible to decide whether differences arose through shortcomings in the model or in the data. However, the overall performance of the model as a prognostic tool for ocean tidal current simulation appears to be good.     

The STAGES view of red spirals and dusty red galaxies: mass-dependent quenching of star formation in cluster infall

We investigate the properties of optically passive spirals and dusty red galaxies in the A901/2 cluster complex at redshift ∼0.17 using rest-frame near-ultraviolet–optical spectral energy distributions, 24-μm infrared data and Hubble Space Telescope morphologies from the STAGES data set. The cluster sample is based on COMBO-17 redshifts with an rms precision of  σ _cz ≈ 2000 km s⁻¹  . We find that 'dusty red galaxies' and 'optically passive spirals' in A901/2 are largely the same phenomenon, and that they form stars at a substantial rate, which is only four times lower than that in blue spirals at fixed mass. This star formation is more obscured than in blue galaxies and its optical signatures are weak. They appear predominantly in the stellar mass range of  log  M _*/M_⊙=[10, 11]  where they constitute over half of the star-forming galaxies in the cluster; they are thus a vital ingredient for understanding the overall picture of star formation quenching in clusters. We find that the mean specific star formation rate (SFR) of star-forming galaxies in the cluster is clearly lower than in the field, in contrast to the specific SFR properties of blue galaxies alone, which appear similar in cluster and field. Such a rich red spiral population is best explained if quenching is a slow process and morphological transformation is delayed even more. At  log  M _*/M_⊙ < 10  , such galaxies are rare, suggesting that their quenching is fast and accompanied by morphological change. We note that edge-on spirals play a minor role; despite being dust reddened they form only a small fraction of spirals independent of environment.