Fast free surface multiples attenuation workflow for three-dimensional ocean bottom seismic data

Water multiples can be very strong and contaminate the primary reflections. This can cause problems in the processing flow and the interpretation of the subsurface image. Hence, multiples suppression is an important part of the preprocessing flow. We present a fast workflow for attenuation of free surface related multiples for 2D and 3D ocean bottom seismic data based on the wave equation approach. Included in the workflow are: 1. Calibration of the pressure and vertical velocity components by using wavefield splitting. 2. Data interpolation by using offset projection. 3. Fast Radon transform by using fast fractional Fourier transform. Advantages of this workflow are that it is fast, efficient and the only requirements are the recording of both pressure and vertical particle components at some point below the source in the water column.     

Methanogenesis in the sediment of the acidic Lake Caviahue in Argentina

The biogeochemistry of methane in the sediments of Lake Caviahue was examined by geochemical analysis, microbial activity assays and isotopic analysis. The pH in the water column was 2.6 and increased up to a pH of 6 in the deeper sediment pore waters. The carbon isotope composition of CH₄ was between − 65 and − 70‰ which is indicative for the biological origin of the methane. The enrichment factor ε increased from − 46‰ in the upper sediment column to more than − 80 in the deeper sediment section suggesting a transition from acetoclastic methanogenesis to CO₂ reduction with depth. In the most acidic surface layer of the sediment (pH < 4) methanogenesis is inhibited as suggested by a linear CH₄ concentration profile, activity assays and MPN analysis. The CH₄ activity assays and the CH₄ profile indicate that methanogenesis in the sediment of Lake Caviahue was active below 40 cm depth. At that depth the pH was above 4 and sulfate reduction was sulfate limited. Methane was diffusing with a flux of 0.9 mmol m^− 2 d^− 1 to the sediment surface where it was probably oxidized. Methanogenesis contributed little to the sediments carbon budget and had no significant impact on lake water quality. The high biomass content of the sediment, which was probably caused by the last eruption of Copahue Volcano, supported high rates of sulfate reduction which probably raised the pH and created favorable conditions for methanogens in deeper sediment layers.     

The Bronze Age occupation of the Black Sea coast of Georgia—New insights from settlement mounds of the Colchian plain

Along the lower course of the Rioni and several minor rivers, more than 70 settlement mounds (local name: Dikhagudzuba) have been identified by field surveys and remote sensing techniques. They give evidence of a formerly densely populated landscape in the coastal lowlands on the Colchian plain (western Georgia) and have been dated to the Bronze Age. As yet, limited information is available on their internal architecture, the chronology of the different layers and their palaeoenvironmental context. Based on archaeological sources, remote sensing measurements of three mounds and sediment cores from one mound and its closer surroundings, our study presents a review of the relevant literature and reveals the internal structure, distribution and spatial extent of the mounds. Geochemical and sedimentological analyses of element contents (X-ray fluorescence) and granulometry helped to identify different stratigraphical layers and differentiate between natural facies and anthropogenic deposits; using the Structure-from-Motion technique the mounds' dimensions were calculated. The studied settlement mounds had relatively small dimension (varying from 30 to 100 m in diameter) and were similar in their stratigraphy. Measurement of elements that can identify types of human activity, notably metals and phosphorus, suggest changing intensities of human occupation, pastoral agriculture and metalworking through the occupation sequence. According to the ¹⁴C chronology, the formation of the settlements occurred during the first half of the second millennium B.C., which confirms the archaeological interpretation of their Bronze Age origin. The narrow age difference between the lowermost and uppermost anthropogenic layers indicates an intentional construction of the mounds, rather than a successive accumulation of construction debris due to the disintegration of loam bricks by weathering. Therefore, they are indeed mounds and not tells. It is most likely that the characteristic circular moats that surround them were the source of their construction material. Fluvial and alluvial processes in a warm and humid climate dominated the environment of the mounds.     

Evaluation of energy balance closure adjustment methods by independent evapotranspiration estimates from lysimeters and hydrological simulations

Non‐closure of the surface energy balance is a frequently observed phenomenon of hydrometeorological field measurements, when using the eddy‐covariance method, which can be ascribed to an underestimation of the turbulent fluxes. Several approaches have been proposed in order to adjust the measured fluxes for this apparent systematic error. However, there are uncertainties about partitioning of the energy balance residual between the sensible and latent heat flux and whether such a correction should be applied on 30‐min data or longer time scales. The data for this study originate from two grassland sites in southern Germany, where measurements from weighable lysimeters are available as reference. The adjusted evapotranspiration rates are also compared with joint energy and water balance simulations using a physically based distributed hydrological model. We evaluate two adjustment methods: the first one preserves the Bowen ratio and the correction factor is determined on a daily basis. The second one attributes a smaller portion of the residual energy to the latent heat flux than to the sensible heat flux for closing the energy balance for every 30‐min flux integration interval. Both methods lead to an improved agreement of the eddy‐covariance based fluxes with the independent lysimeter estimates and the physically based model simulations. The first method results in a better comparability of evapotranspiration rates, and the second method leads to a smaller overall bias. These results are similar between both sites despite considerable differences in terrain complexity and grassland management. Moreover, we found that a daily adjustment factor leads to less scatter than a complete partitioning of the residual for every half‐hour time interval. The vertical temperature gradient in the surface layer and friction velocity were identified as important predictors for a potential future parameterisation of the energy balance residual.     

Three-dimensional semi-idealized model for tidal motion in tidal estuaries

In this paper, a three-dimensional semi-idealized model for tidal motion in a tidal estuary of arbitrary shape and bathymetry is presented. This model aims at bridging the gap between idealized and complex models. The vertical profiles of the velocities are obtained analytically in terms of the first-order and the second-order partial derivatives of surface elevation, which itself follows from an elliptic partial differential equation. The surface elevation is computed numerically using the finite element method and its partial derivatives are obtained using various methods. The newly developed semi-idealized model allows for a systematic investigation of the influence of geometry and bathymetry on the tidal motion which was not possible in previously developed idealized models. The new model also retains the flexibility and computational efficiency of previous idealized models, essential for sensitivity analysis. As a first step, the accuracy of the semi-idealized model is investigated. To this end, an extensive comparison is made between the model results of the semi-idealized model and two other idealized models: a width-averaged model and a three-dimensional idealized model. Finally, the semi-idealized model is used to understand the influence of local geometrical effects on the tidal motion in the Ems estuary. The model shows that local convergence and meandering effects can have a significant influence on the tidal motion. Finally, the model is applied to the Ems estuary. The model results agree well with observations and results from a complex numerical model.     

Linking social capacities and risk communication in Europe: a gap between theory and practice?

Although both improved risk communication and the building of social capacities have been advocated as vital ways to increase societies?? resilience towards natural hazards across the world, the literature has rarely examined the ways in which these two concepts may integrate in theory and practice. This paper is an attempt to address this gap in a European context. It begins with a conceptual discussion that unites the literature on risk communication with the literature on social capacity building. We then use the insights from this discussion as a basis to conduct a review of 60 risk communication practices from across Europe. This review indicates a gap between theory and practice because, whilst the literature highlights the importance of integrated and coordinated communication campaigns featuring both a one-way transfer and a two-way dialogue between the public, stakeholders and decision-makers, the majority of the communication practices reviewed here appear to be relatively disparate initiatives that rely on one-way forms of communication. On the basis of these findings, we conclude by making some recommendations for the way in which such practices could be improved in order to be more supportive of social capacities across Europe.     

Physical environmental controls on riparian root profiles associated with black poplar (Populus nigra L.) along the Tagliamento River,Italy

Tree roots contribute to the resistance of riparian sediments to physical deformation and disintegration. Understanding reinforcement by roots requires information on root distributions within riparian soils and sediments. Continuous‐depth models or curves have been proposed to describe vertical root density variations, providing useful indicators of the types of function that may be appropriate to riparian trees, but have generally been estimated for terrestrial species or broad vegetation types rather than riparian species or environments. We investigated vertical distributions of roots >0.1 mm diameter of a single riparian tree species (Populus nigra L.) along the middle reaches of a single river (Tagliamento River, Italy), where Populus nigra dominates the riparian woodland. Root density (hundreds m^?2) and root area ratio (RAR in cm² m^?2) were measured within 10 cm depth increments of 24 excavated bank profiles across nine sites. Sediment samples, extracted from distinct strata within the profiles, were analysed for moisture content, organic matter content and particle size. Statistical analyses identified two groups of wetter and drier profiles and five sediment types. Following log_e‐transformation of root density and RAR, linear regression analysis explored their variation with depth and, using dummy variables, any additional influence of moisture and sediment type. Significant linear regression relationships were estimated between both root density and RAR and depth which explained only 15% and 8% of the variance in the data. Incorporating moisture and then sediment characteristics into the analysis increased the variance explained in root density to 29% and 36% and in RAR to 14% and 26%. We conclude that riparian tree root density and RAR are highly spatially variable and are poorly explained by depth alone. Complex riparian sedimentary structures and moisture conditions are important influences on root distributions and so need to be incorporated into assessments of the contribution of roots to river bank reinforcement. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nondestructive imaging of hypervelocity impact-induced damage zones beneath laboratory-created craters by means of ultrasound travel-time tomography

Since the 1960s, hypervelocity impact experiments have been conducted to study the complex deformation mechanisms which occur in the subsurface of meteorite craters. Here, we present ultrasound tomography measurements of the damage zone underneath seven experimentally produced impact craters in sandstone cubes. Within the framework of the Multidisciplinary Experimental and Modeling Impact Research Network and the NEOShield Project, decimeter-sized sandstone targets were impacted by aluminum and steel projectiles with radii of 2.5, 4, and 5 mm at velocities between ~3.0 and ~7.4 km s⁻¹. The 2-D ultrasound tomography clearly shows a correlation between impact energy and the damaged volume within the target blocks. When increasing impact energies from 805 to 2402 J, a corresponding increase in the damage radius from ~13.1 cm to ~17.6 cm was calculated. p-Wave velocity reductions up to 18.3% (for the highest impact energy) were observed in the vicinity of the craters. The reduction in seismic velocity decreased uniformly and linearly with increasing distance from the impact point. The damage intensities correspond to peak damage parameters of 0.4–0.51 compared to undamaged target blocks. In addition to the damage zone below the crater, we could identify weakened zones at the sandstone walls which represent precursors of spalling. The volume of the damaged subsurface beneath experimentally produced craters determined through ultrasound tomography is larger than that obtained from previously reported p-wave velocity reductions or to microscopic and microcomputed tomography observations of crack densities in experimentally produced craters.     

The Character and Formation of Elongated Depressions on the Upper Bulgarian Slope

Seafloor elongated depressions are indicators of gas seepage or slope instability. Here we report a sequence of slopeparallel elongated depressions that link to headwalls of sediment slides on upper slope. The depressions of about 250 m in width and several kilometers in length are areas of focused gas discharge indicated by bubble-release into the water column and methane enriched pore waters. Sparker seismic profiles running perpendicular and parallel to the coast, show gas migration pathways and trapped gas underneath these depressions with bright spots and seismic blanking. The data indicate that upward gas migration is the initial reason for fracturing sedimentary layers. In the top sediment where two young stages of landslides can be detected, the slopeparallel sediment weakening lengthens and deepens the surficial fractures, creating the elongated depressions in the seafloor supported by sediment erosion due to slope-parallel water currents.