The role of sediments in the phosphorus cycle in Lake Lugano. I. Geochemical approach

The bottom sediment from three coring stations in Lake Lugano (Lago di Lugano) show major differences in their role in the P-cycles related to their geochemistry and characteristics of sedimentation. In the northern basin, the deepest sediment may be considered practically inactive, due to a permanently reduced condition at the sediment-water interface. In the southern basin, the sediments are active with respect to P-recycling with strong seasonal variations. One of the sites (Figino) behaves as a sink for P due to a high iron content and an important rate of detrital sedimentation.     

Comparative assessment of the relationship of satellite data with the above ground biomass of Sal trees (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Shorea robusta</Emphasis>) determined from phenologically different time periods

The Above Ground Biomass(AGB) estimates of vegetation comprise both the bole biomass determined through a volumetric equation and litter biomass collected from the ground.For mature trees,the AGB estimated in phenologically different time periods is directly affected by the litter biomass since the Diameter at Breast Height(DBH) and height(H) of such trees that are used in the estimation of bole biomass would remain unchanged over a reasonable time period.In the present study,we have determined the AGB of Sal trees(Shorea robusta) in two contrasting seasons:the peak green period in October being devoid of lit-ter on the ground and the leaf shedding period in February with abundant amount of litter present on the ground.Estimation of AGB for the month of February included the litter biomass.In contrast,the AGB for October represented only the bole biomass.AGB was estimated for ten different plots selected in the study area.The AGB estimated from ten sampling plots for each time period was re-gressed with the individual tree parameters such as the average DBH and height of trees measured from the corresponding plots.The regression analysis exhibited a significantly stronger relationship between the AGB and DBH for the month of October as compared to February.Furthermore,the correlation between the remotely sensed derived data and AGB was also found to be significantly higher for the month of October than February.This observation indicates that inclusion of the litter biomass in AGB will tend to decrease the re-gression relationship between AGB and DBH and also between the remotely sensed data and AGB.Therefore,these conclusions invite careful consideration while estimating AGB from satellite data in phenologically different time periods.     

On the chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols — Part III: Trends of the total annual precipitation with respect to the chemical content of rainwater over the United States

Summary Following a recent hypothesis on the role of activated sodium chloride particles as potential nuclei of atmospheric precipitation, further analysis is made of average annual data due toC. Junge on the chemical composition of rainwater salts, and correlation of some parameters with the total amount of rainfall is attempted. It is found that the results obtained are in agreement with the proposed role of activated sodium chloride as a nucleus of a substantial part of the atmospheric precipitation.     

On the nature of intraplate earthquakes

Continental intraplate regions are characterized by uniform stresses over thousands of kilometers. Local stresses, with wavelengths of tens to hundreds of kilometers can accumulate at inhomogeneities lying within these regional fields. A variety of geological structures, herein called local stress concentrators (LSCs), act as elastic inhomogeneities. The temporal buildup of stress depends on the particular structure and its geometrical relationship with the regional stress field. The interaction of the local and the regional stress fields can result in the rotation of the latter over wavelengths of tens to hundreds of kilometers. This rotation can be detected by direct measurement or from seismicity data. Intraplate earthquakes (IPEs) result when the local stresses become comparable with their regional counterparts, i.e., hundreds of megapascals. Globally, most of the seismic energy release associated with IPEs occurs within old rifts which contain LSCs most favorable for stress buildup by stress inversion. Of the various LSCs, stepover en echelon faults are associated the largest IPEs. In low tectonic strain rate regions, IPEs are associated with larger stress drops. With the availability of a variety of LSCs, there is generally an absence of repeat earthquakes. Instead, successive earthquakes occur on different structures, leading to the observation of “roaming” earthquakes. These observations suggest a need for a reevaluation of seismic hazard estimation techniques. This study addresses some of these facets of the nature of IPEs with global examples, including a unique, detailed seismicity and geodetic data set collected in a dozen years following the 2001 M 7.7 Bhuj earthquake in western India.     

The equatorial Atlantic oscillation and its response to ENSO

An internal equatorial Atlantic oscillation has been identified by analyzing sea surface temperature (SST) observations. The equatorial Atlantic oscillation can be viewed as the Atlantic analogue of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific, but it is much less vigorous. The equatorial Atlantic oscillation is strongly influenced by the Pacific ENSO with the equatorial Atlantic sea surface temperature lagging by about six months. This lag can be explained by the dynamical adjustment time of the equatorial Atlantic to low-frequency wind stress variations and the seasonally varying background state, which favours strongest growth of perturbations in summer. Results of an extended-range simulation with a coupled ocean-atmosphere GCM support this picture.     

The city-text in post-communist Budapest: street names,memorials, and the politics of commemoration

As in most parts of Central and Eastern Europe, there is a tradition in Hungary of changing street names and memorials in the wake of major political transitions. This article focuses on the change of street names and memorials, i.e. the city-text, in Hungary’s political capital, Budapest, between 1985 and 2001. The city-text in Budapest became a locus of dispute between different political authorities, including the nation state, the metropolitan municipality, and the district, each bearing different political ideals during and after the fall of communism. Discursive changes in the post-communist city-text emerged expressing specific conceptions of national sovereignty, but the direction of the changes were debated. Different levels of administration in Budapest and Hungary had divergent visions of what the new discourse on national sovereignty should be. The changes, therefore, did not express a simple transition to an agreed-upon post-communist value system, but were the result of a symbolic struggle between different levels of administration over what should be commemorated in the city-text.     

Fracture grouting and geonails for soft soil tunnelling

To stabilise the tunnel faces and slopes in soft clay for the Airport Link construction in Australia, fracture grouting and glass fibre-reinforced plastic (GFRP) soil nails are proposed for the soil improvement as well as ease of handling. The compensation caused by the fracture grouting and the gain in strength due to consolidation as well as the geonail have stabilised the soft clay during construction. Only a small amount of ground settlement during soft clay box-jacking operation is generated so that the railway traffic above the embankment can be maintained without interference. The design method of the fracture grouting ground improvement study for this difficult project is discussed in this paper. Extensive laboratory and field tests were employed to verify the design assumptions and to fine-tune the ground improvement studies. The success of this project in poor ground conditions results from combined efforts of extensive field tests, an improved ground improvement design method and a realistic numerical analysis to assess the unstable/highly stressed zones for the placement of soil reinforcement.     

Interacting effects of multiple factors on the morphological evolution of the meandering reaches downstream the Three Gorges Dam

Elucidating the influence of dams on fluvial processes can inform river protection and basin management. However, relatively few studies have focused on how multiple factors interact to affect the morphological evolution of meandering reaches. Using hydrological and topographical data, we analyzed the factors that influence and regulate the meandering reaches downstream the Three Gorges Dam (TGD). Our conclusions are as follows. (1) The meandering reaches can be classified into two types based on their evolution during the pre-dam period: G1 reaches, characterized by convex point bar erosion and concave channel deposition (CECD), and G2 reaches, characterized by convex point bar deposition and concave channel erosion (CDCE). Both reach types exhibited CECD features during the post-dam period. (2) Flow processes and sediment transport are the factors that caused serious erosion of the low beaches located in the convex point bars. However, changes in the river regime, river boundaries and jacking of Dongting Lake do not act as primary controls on the morphological evolution of the meandering reaches. (3) Flood discharges ranging from 20,000 to 25,000 m³/s result in greater erosion of convex point bars. The point bars become scoured if the durations of these flows, which are close to bankfull discharge, exceed 20 days. In addition, the reduction in bedload causes the decreasing of point bar siltation in the water-falling period. (4) During the post-dam period, flood abatement, the increased duration of discharges ranging from 20,000 to 25,000 m³/s, and a significant reduction in sediment transport are the main factors that caused meandering reaches to show CECD features. Our results are relevant to other meandering reaches, where they can inform estimates of riverbed change, river management strategies and river protection.     

New variable stars on digitized Moscow collection plates. The field of 66 Ophiuchi

In the course of a program to digitize the astronomical plates of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute’s plate stacks, we are developing algorithms for searching for new variable stars and studying them using digitized photographic plates. We have discovered and studied 480 new variable stars in a 10° × 10° field of view centered on 66 Ophiuchi. The digitized plate negatives used are from the 40-cm astrograph, and are 30 × 30 cm in size. These stars include three new Cepheids of the Galaxy’s spherical component, 157 eclipsing binaries, 11 high-amplitude δ Scuti stars (HADSs), 144 RR Lyrae stars, 110 irregular variables (109 LB and one white star), and 55 semi-regular red variables. New important information has been obtained for 43 known variables, which we have classified and derived or improved their light elements; an erroneous identification of the Mira V404 Oph has been corrected. We have also identified more than 50 suspect brightness variables; a program of CCD observations of these suspected variables has been initiated. Our discoveries of new variable stars were performed in a star field with a large number of known variables, detected earlier photographically or using CCD techniques. The discovery of hundreds of new variables in a well-studied region of sky demonstrates that archive photographs possess a large information potential that has remained unrealized.