The climate in Zafra from 1750 to 1840: history and description of weather observations

Weather observations in Zafra during the period 1750 to 1840 have been compiled and studied. Zafra was the capital of the Duchy of Feria, located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The documentary sources used in this work are weekly reports submitted to the Duke (who lived in Madrid) that contain a section describing the weather of the preceding week or less. Regular and updated meteorological information was vital to the government of this Duchy as farming and ranching constituted the bases of the economic activity in this region, allowing the estimation of crop yield and quality and a better management of the trade of agricultural products. Therefore, this documentary source is exceptional to study the climate of SW Iberia due to its continuity, homogeneity and high temporal-resolution.     

Modelling the spatial allocation of second-generation feedstock (lignocellulosic crops) in Europe

This paper presents a modelling approach for the spatial allocation of second-generation feedstock (lignocellulosic crops) under a reference policy scenario in European Union of 28 Member State (EU-28). The land-use modelling platform (LUMP) was used in order to simulate the land-use changes from 2010 to 2050. Within the LUMP, the land demand for these lignocellulosic energy crops was derived from the Common Agricultural Policy Regionalised Impact analysis model. Suitability maps were generated for two main energy crop groups: herbaceous and woody lignocellulosic crops, using multicriteria analysis techniques. Biophysical factors (climate, soil properties and topographical aspects), natural and artificial constraints and location-specific land categories were defined as relevant components within the platform. A sensitivity analysis determined the most influential factors to be temperature, precipitation, length of growing period and number of frost-free days. The results of the modelling exercise in the LUMP reflect the significant renewable energy contribution from energy crops in EU-28, which was estimated to be between 2.3 EJ/year (in 2020) and 6.3 EJ/year (in 2050), accounting for 2.3% and 9.6% of total energy consumption in the EU-28. The results of the allocation were aggregated at regional level to analyse trends. Regions with considerably high demand were identified in Germany, the United Kingdom and Poland.     

Using entropy theory to improve the definition of homogeneous regions in the semi-arid region of Brazil

ABSTRACT

Although the semi-arid region of Brazil appears to be homogeneous due to drought conditions, there is a great deal of variability in climatic elements in the region, so that the definition of homogeneous regions will provide the deployment of measures appropriate for each locality. However, the limited information on climatic parameters in the region makes it difficult to define these regions. This problem can, however, be alleviated by the use of entropy theory. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential of the theory to identify hydrologically homogeneous regions for conditions of the semi-arid region of Brazil. Entropy-based Disorder Index (DI) data were computed, based on monthly precipitation and monthly water balance (precipitation – reference evapotranspiration) for 290 gauge stations. For defining homogeneous regions, cluster analysis was utilized, using the data on geographical information about rain gauges (latitude and longitude), annual precipitation, annual water balance, coefficient of skewness, coefficient of kurtosis and DI. The identification of homogeneous regions in the Brazilian semi-arid region was only possible when the grouping of stations was performed, based on DI for precipitation and latitude. Results showed the definition of seven homogeneous regions in the semi-arid region of Brazil.     

Estimating Travel Times of Coronal Mass Ejections to 1 AU Using Multi-spacecraft Coronagraph Data

We study the relationship between the speeds of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) obtained close to the Sun and in the interplanetary medium during the low solar-activity period from 2008 to 2010. We use a multi-spacecraft forward-modeling technique to fit a flux-rope-like model to white-light coronagraph images from the STEREO and SOHO spacecraft to estimate the geometrical configuration, propagation in three-dimensions (3D), and the radial speeds of the observed CMEs. The 3D speeds obtained in this way are used in existing CME travel-time prediction models. The results are compared to the actual CME transit times from the Sun to STEREO, ACE, and Wind spacecraft as well as to the transit times calculated using projected CME speeds. CME 3D speeds give slightly better predictions than projected CME speeds, but a large scatter is observed between the predicted and observed travel times, even when 3D speeds are used. We estimate the possible sources of errors and find a weak tendency for large interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) with high magnetic fields to arrive faster than predicted and small, low-magnetic-field ICMEs to arrive later than predicted. The observed CME transit times from the Sun to 1?AU show a particularly good correlation with the upstream solar-wind speed. Similar trends have not been observed in previous studies using data sets near solar maximum. We suggest that near solar minimum a relatively narrow range of CME initial speeds, sizes, and magnetic-field magnitudes led to a situation where aerodynamic drag between CMEs and ambient solar wind was the primary cause of variations in CME arrival times from the Sun to 1?AU.     

Kinetics of biodegradation of diesel fuel by enriched microbial consortia from polluted soils

Three microbial consortia were isolated from three polluted soils located at an oil refinery and acclimated to grow on diesel fuel as the sole carbon source. Batch experiments were then conducted with the three consortia to study the kinetics of diesel biodegradation. The effects of temperature (25, 30 and 35?°C) and diesel concentration (0.5, 1 and 3?%) on the biodegradation of diesel were analysed. Several species were identified in the acclimated microbial consortia, and some of them appeared in more than one consortium. Thermal inhibition was observed at 35?°C. In the rest of experiments, over 80?% of the substrate was degraded after 40?h of treatment. These results proved the good feasibility of using the polluted sites as sources of mixed consortia for hydrocarbon degradation. However, diesel degradation efficiencies and rates were very similar, suggesting that the acclimation process produced mixed consortia with very similar characteristics; in this context, origin of the soil sample was not a decisive factor. A simple Monod-type kinetic model was used to simulate the biodegradation process, and accurate results were obtained. The ?? _max values were between 0.17 and 0.34?h^?1. The results of this study revealed that the consortia can function at high concentrations of hydrocarbons without any sign of growth inhibition, which is important for the design of bioreactors for wastewater treatment with high concentrations of fuel.     

The Garzón Massif, Colombia-a new ultrahigh-temperature metamorphic complex in the Early Neoproterozoic of northern South America

The Garzón Complex of the Garzón Massif in SW Colombia is composed of the Vergel Granulite Unit (VG) and the Las Margaritas Migmatite Unit (LMM). Previous studies reveal peak temperature conditions for the VG of about 740?°C. The present study considers the remarkable exsolution phenomena in feldspars and pyroxenes and titanium-in-quartz thermometry. Recalculated ternary feldspar compositions indicate temperatures around 900–1,000?°C just at or above the ultra-high temperature–metamorphism (UHTM) boundary of granulites. The calculated temperatures range of exsolved ortho- and clinopyroxenes also supports the existence of an UHTM event. In addition, titanium-in-quartz thermometry points towards ultra-high temperatures. It is the first known UHTM crustal segment in the northern part of South America. Although a mean geothermal gradient of ca 38?°C?km^?1 could imply additional heat supply in the lower crust controlling this extreme of peak metamorphism, an alternative model is suggested. The formation of the Vergel Granulite Unit is supposed to be formed in a continental back-arc environment with a thinned and weakened crust behind a magmatic arc (Guapotón-Mancagua Gneiss) followed by collision. In contrast, rocks of the adjacent Las Margaritas Migmatite Unit display “normal” granulite facies temperatures and are formed in a colder lower crust outside the arc, preserved by the Guapotón-Mancagu Gneiss. Back-arc formation was followed by inversion and thickening of the basin. The three units that form the modern-day Garzón Massif, were juxtaposed upon each other during collision (at ca. 1,000?Ma) and exhumation. The collision leading to the deformation of the studied area is part of the Grenville orogeny leading to the amalgamation of Rodinia.     

A critical analysis of some variational methods in slope stability analysis

During the last ten years the Calculus of variations technique has been applied to solve the problem of stability of slopes. All published methods are essentially based on the attainment of a functional and the search for its absolute minimum or maximum by vanishing its first variation. Obviously this statement of the problem is valid only if such a minimum or maximum exists and can be obtained by making the first variation of the functional equal to zero. So, these implicit hypotheses must be checked. This work analyses from this point of view the validity of the methods proposed by ‘Baker and Garber’, ‘Chen’ and ‘Castillo and Revilla’, and demonstrates that the first two methods are incorrectly stated while the third one is correct at least in the case of a frictionless soil.     

Identifying sources and distributions of sediment contaminants at two US Virgin Islands marinas

Differences in sediment contaminant concentrations within two marinas and adjacent to the marinas in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands were compared to calculate the portion of those contaminants due to marina activities. In marina 1 (containing no vessel maintenance areas, but with a fuel dock) 88% of observed PAHs and 0% of metals were attributed to marina activities. In the marina/boatyard complex, 46% of PAHs and 89% of metals were attributed to marina sources. The distance from storm drain discharges, and sediment characteristics play a greater role in the distribution and fate of pollutants than do activities associated with a given marina station. The data also provided some evidence that the protection marinas offer to vessels from wind, currents, and waves may concentrate contaminants.     

Hydrobiology of a salt pan from the Peninsula of Baja California, Mexico

The study site, a salt pan in the northwest of Baja California, Mexico,has a surface area of 33.2 ha and water capacity of 216,072m³. It is intermittently isolated from the adjacent ocean by asand bar, so that flooding via the coastal plain is a low frequency eventassociated with extreme storm conditions. Temporal changes in water volumewere represented by a particular expression of the mass conservationequation having as variables the volumetric capacity of the system, waterinputs by pluvial precipitation, runoff and infiltration, and water loss byevaporation; the numerical model explained over 80 per cent of observedfluctuations. The hydrobiological study covered a three-year period and twohydrological cycles; the first one was of mixed marine and pluvial origin,and the second, continental. Throughout the first cycle, phosphate andnitrate concentrations were up to one order of magnitude higher as weretotal particulate protein, chlorophyll a and phytoplankton abundance. Ingeneral, nannoplankton abundance was up to three orders of magnitude greaterthan the microphlanktonic fraction. In the former, 29 different cell formswere observed; two halophytic bacteria constituted 60–80 per cent ofthat fraction. In the microplankton, there were 27 different forms; mostwere benthic diatoms. The zooplanktonic assemblages of the first cycle hadmarine and continental elements; at 141 per mille, Artemia sp. firstappeared; at 240 per mille, it was the only faunistic element in the system.During the second cycle, Artemia was always present, co-existing with othercontinental species up to a salinity of 99 per mille. The morphology andmorphometry of Artemia were similar to those of Artemia franciscana.