Use of interactive multisensor snow and ice mapping system snow cover maps (IMS) and artificial neural networks for simulating river discharges in Eastern Turkey

Basins located in Eastern Turkey are largely fed by snowmelt runoff during spring and early summer seasons. This study investigates the efficiency of artificial neural networks (ANNs) in snowmelt runoff generation. Although ANNs have been used for streamflow simulating/forecasting in the last two decades, using satellite-based snow-covered area (SCA) maps and meteorological observations as inputs to ANN provides a novel basis for estimating streamflow. The proposed methodology is implemented over Upper Euphrates River Basin in Eastern Turkey. SCA data was acquired from Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS) for an 8-year period from February 2004 to September 2011. Meteorological observations including daily cumulative precipitation and daily average air temperatures were obtained from Turkish State Meteorological Services. The simulation results are promising with coefficient of correlation varying from 0.67 to 0.98 among proposed models. Past days discharge was found to substantially improve the forecast accuracy. The paper presents the expected basin discharge for 2011 water year based on meteorological observations and SCA input.     

Impacts of nutrient management and decrease in paddy field area on groundwater nitrate concentration: a case study at the Nasunogahara alluvial fan,Tochigi Prefecture,Japan

In order to help evaluate the trends in the NO₃-N concentration in groundwater with a view to preventing further degradation in water quality in the future, a distributed groundwater quality model was constructed for the Nasunogahara basin. The best fit for the groundwater table elevations by the flow component of the model was achieved with average mean absolute errors (MAEs) of 0·92 m for the calibration period and 0·83 m for the validation period. Moreover, the best fit for the NO₃-N concentration by the water quality component was achieved with average mean relative errors (MREs) of 29·8% for the calibration period and 30·3% for the validation period. After developing a robust model, various change scenarios were tested; specifically, the effects of effluent load control and a decrease in paddy field area on the NO₃-N concentration in groundwater were predicted. The most intensively farmed area contributed about 40% of the total effluent load because of livestock farming in the basin. When the effluent load from this area was decreased by 50%, the average NO₃-N concentrations at sites S1, S2 and S3 were reduced by about 15%; however, the average concentrations at S4 and S5 were reduced by only 1%. Furthermore, when the total effluent load from the concentrated livestock area was removed completely, the average groundwater NO₃-N concentrations at S1, S2 and S3 were reduced by about 30% as compared with the original calculated results. In contrast, decreasing the area of the paddy fields in the basin did not greatly influence the groundwater NO₃-N concentration. In the case of a 70% reduction in paddy field area, average NO₃-N concentrations increased by about 7% at S1, S2 and S3. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chemical Characterization of Carbonated Natural Mineral Waters Produced in Turkey: Compliance with European Water Quality Standards

In this study, a total of 100 samples from 25 brands of carbonated natural mineral waters (CNMWs) produced in Turkey were analyzed for a total of 36 water quality constituents to determine their suitability for human consumption. Parameters examined include pH, electrical conductivity, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, sulfate, sulfite, orthophosphate, chloride, fluoride, bicarbonate, and 25 major/trace elements analyzed by inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). The presence of these constituents in this type of water was investigated considering recent concerns about their quality and the lack of trace element information on the manufacturer labels. The analytical results obtained in this study were compared to the European Union (EU) norms, labeled values on bottles, as well as values from the literature. Results of this study have shown that Turkish CNMWs may contain high concentrations of sulfite, which is a known allergen, especially for chronic asthmatic population. CNMWs surveyed in this study have also appreciable amounts of fluoride (>1.5 mg L^?1) that may have detrimental effects on health of children. The EU standards for As, Ba, Mn, and Ni were exceeded in seven CNMWs classified as “high mineral”. Compared to similar type of bottled waters from Europe and North America, CNMWs from Turkey generally contained higher elemental concentrations.     

Curie Point Depth Estimates from Aeromagnetic Data from Death Valley and Surrounding Regions, California

Aeromagnetic data were analyzed to determine the Curie point depth (CPD) by power density spectral and three-dimensional inversion methods within and surrounding Death Valley in southern California. We calculated the CPD for 0.5° regions using 2D power density spectral methods and found that the CPDs varied between 8 and 17 km. However, the 0.5° region may average areas that include shallow and deep CPDs, and because of this limitation, we used the 3D inversion method to determine if this method may provide better resolution of the CPDs. The final 3D model indicates that the depth to the bottom of the magnetic susceptible bodies varies between 5 and 23 km. Even though both methods produced roughly similar results, the 3D inversion method produced a higher lateral resolution of the CPDs. The shallowest CPDs occur within the central and southern Death Valley, Panamint Valley, Coso geothermal field and the Tecopa hot springs region. Deeper (>15 km) CPDs occur over outcropping granitic and Precambrian lithologies in the Panamint Range, Grapevine Mountains, Black Mountains and the Argus Range. The shallowest CPD occurs within the central Death Valley over a possible seismically imaged magma body and slightly deeper values occur within the Panamint Valley, southern Death Valley and Tecopa Hot Springs. The shallow CPD values suggest that partially molten material may also be found in these latter regions. The CPD computed heat flow values for the region suggest that the entire area has high heat flow values (>100 mW m^?2), on the other hand, locally extremely high values (>200 mW m^?2) occur within the Panamint Valley, the southern and central Death Valley and Tecopa Hot Springs region. These locally high heat flow values may be related to midcrustal magma bodies; but additional geophysical experiments are needed to determine if the magma bodies exist.     

Focal depth,magnitude, and frequency distribution of earthquakes along oceanic trenches

The occurrence of earthquakes in oceanic trenches can pose a tsunami threat to lives and properties in active seismic zones. Therefore, the knowledge of focal depth, magnitude, and time distribution of earthquakes along the trenches is needed to investigate the future occurrence of earthquakes in the zones. The oceanic trenches studied, were located from the seismicity map on: latitude +51° to +53°and longitude-160° to 176°(Aleutian Trench), latitude+40° to +53° and longitude +148° to +165°(Japan Trench), and latitude-75° to-64° and longitude –15° to+30°(Peru–Chile Trench). The following features of seismic events were considered: magnitude distribution, focal depth distribution, and time distribution of earthquake. The results obtained in each trench revealed that the earthquakes increased with time in all the regions. This implies that the lithospheric layer is becoming more unstable. Thus, tectonic stress accumulation is increasing with time. The rate of increase in earthquakes at the Peru–Chile Trench is higher than that of the Japan Trench and the Aleutian Trench. This implies that the convergence of lithospheric plates is higher in the Peru–Chile Trench. Deep earthquakes were observed across all the trenches. The shallow earthquakes were more prominent than intermediate and deep earthquakes in all thetrenches. The seismic events in the trenches are mostly of magnitude range 3.0–4.9. This magnitude range may indicate the genesis of mild to moderate tsunamis in the trench zone in near future once sufficient slip would occur with displacement of water column.     

Lake-groundwater relationships and fluid-rock interaction in the East African Rift Valley: isotopic evidence

The assessment of water resources in the Rift Valley environment is important for population, agriculture and energy-related issues and depends on a good understanding of the relationship between freshwater lakes and regional groundwater. This can be hampered by the amount of fluid-rock interaction which occurs throughout the rift, obscuring original hydrochemical signatures. However, O and H stable isotope ratios can be used as tracers of infiltration over sometimes considerable distances, while showing that the volcanic edifices of the rift floor have varying effects on groundwater flow patterns. Specific cases from Kenya and Ethiopia are considered, including Lakes Naivasha, Baringo, Awasa and Zwai.In addition to their physical tracing role, stable isotopes can reveal information about processes of fluid-rock interaction. The general lack of O isotope shifting in rift hydrothermal systems suggests a high water:rock ratio, with the implication that these systems are mature. Carbon isotope studies on the predominantly bicarbonate waters of the rift show how they evolve from dilute meteoric recharge to highly alkaline waters, via the widespread silicate hydrolysis promoted by the flux of mantle carbon dioxide which occurs in most parts of the rift. There appears to be only minor differences in the C cycle between Kenya and Ethiopia.     

Geochemistry and tectonic significance of altered basaltoids from the Pontic Ranges,Turkey

The basaltoids of the Küre area, Pontides of northern Turkey, associate with eugeosynclinal greywackes and black shales. They comprise massive flows, pillow lavas, and cutting diabase dikes. In the submarine environment and still more during the formation of the Küre copper ores, the basaltoids were severely altered, which affected particularly their alkali contents. In spite of variable proportions of main components, the study of stable trace elements permits a confident identification of the rocks as tholeiites of ocean floor affinity. The Küre basaltoids are considered to have been generated during the expansion of the marginal basin of the Anatolian troughs.     

Obtaining Suction Distribution Within Vadose Zone of Highway Pavement System in Southwestern Nigeria Using Physico-Empirical Approach

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - The stability of the pavement system on old Ogbomoso-Ilorin road in southwestern Nigeria basement complex was investigated. This was carried out by...     

科尔沁沙地沙丘植被对丘间低地水体的影响北大核心CSCD

在流动沙丘以建立固沙植被的方式向固定沙丘转化的过程中,植被将改变沙丘水分再分配过程,影响沙丘的水文调节功能,甚至可能引起沙丘生态系统水资源失衡。为探明植被对沙丘水文调解功能的影响,以科尔沁沙地不同植被盖度的沙丘-丘间地水体组合体为研究对象,于2021年生长季开展了沙丘植被盖度、丘间低地水体变化特征、气象因素的动态观测,以期明确沙丘植被变化对丘间低地水体的影响。结果表明:(1)沙丘植被盖度影响沙丘水分对外补给能力,随着沙丘表面固沙植被盖度增加,单位面积沙丘对外水分补给能力降低,表现为流动沙丘(58.25 mm)>半固定沙丘(24.75 mm)>固定沙丘(14.87 mm),占同期降水量的比例分别为21.39%、9.09%、5.46%。(2)生长季流域降水补给量、植被盖度、气温显著影响沙丘对丘间低地水体的水分补给量,丘间低地水体获补量与流域降水补给量显著正相关,与植被盖度、气温极显著负相关。(3)依据水量平衡原理推导出沙丘水分对外补给量(Y)与影响因素(降水补给量X_(1),植被盖度X_(2),平均气温X_(3))的关系模型,Y=1052.737+0.1X_(1)-11.459X_(2)-37.585X_(3),R2=0.641。可根据模型预测沙丘水分对外补给量,为流动沙丘生物治理模式的合理选择提供支持。