The smoke is rising but where is the fire? Exploring effective online map design for wildfire warnings

The current study sought to offer guidance for developing effective web-based mapping tools for wildfire warnings by identifying (1) the important content for facilitating individuals’ decision-making, and (2) the optimal interface design for ensuring usability and ease of information access. A map-based warning tool was prototyped in the Australian context, followed by a usability and effectiveness evaluation through individual interviews and verbal protocol analysis to assess participants’ interaction with the mapping interface and information in response to the simulated warning scenario. The results demonstrated variations in participants’ approaches to wildfire warning response, revealing varied information needs. Specifically, most participants relied on their own assessment of the prospective threat, requiring specific wildfire-related information before eliciting a response. In contrast, the decision of a minority of the participants was motivated by response guidance from agencies, and accurate wildfire information was less important for their response. Imperative information for both types of residents therefore needs to be highlighted in a map-based warning tool to cater to a wide audience. Furthermore, a number of heuristics were identified for designing effective interactive functions to facilitate the control of, and access to, the various maps and textual information presented on the map-based warning interface.     

Relationships between typhoons,climate and crime rates in Taiwan

The literature indicates climate change is likely to cause more frequent and intense extreme weather events along with higher temperatures and altered precipitation. Taiwan frequently suffers from extremes in the form of typhoons, and their effects threaten both social stability and public security. Temperature effects through climate change are also expected to alter crime rates. We examine the immediate and longer-run impacts of typhoons and other climate variables on crime rates in Taiwan. The immediate results suggest that typhoon intensity has a significantly negative influence on rates of crime, including all violent crimes and automobile thefts. They also show that warmer temperatures have a strong positive effect on all violent crimes and all the subtypes of violent crimes. In addition, longer duration typhoons increase the immediate rates of all violent crimes, automobile thefts and muggings while decreasing the rate of burglaries. In the long run, we find that typhoon intensity, duration and landfall have persistent, lagged effects on crime that vary from negative to positive. For example, strong-intensity typhoons have significantly negative lagged effects on crimes 3–5 months in the future but positive lagged effects on crimes in future months 6–9. Finally, projections under the IPCC climate change scenarios show all violent crimes will increase.     

A low-dimensional subsurface model for saturated and unsaturated flow processes: ability to address heterogeneity

A low-dimensional model that describes both saturated and unsaturated flow processes in a single equation is presented. Subsurface flow processes in the groundwater, the vadose zone, and the capillary fringe are accounted for through the computation of aggregated hydrodynamic parameters that result from the integration of the governing flow equations from the bedrock to the land surface. The three-dimensional subsurface flow dynamics are thus described by a two-dimensional equation, allowing for a drastic reduction of model unknowns and simplification of the model parameterizations. This approach is compared with a full resolution of the Richards equation in different synthetic test cases. Because the model reduction stems from the vertical integration of the flow equations, the test cases all use different configurations of heterogeneity for vertical cross-sections of a soil-aquifer system. The low-dimensional flow model shows strong consistency with results from a complete resolution of the Richards equation for both the water table and fluxes. The proposed approach is therefore well suited to the accurate reproduction of complex subsurface flow processes.     

A multi-domain decomposition-based Fourier finite element method for the simulation of 3D marine CSEM measurements

We introduce a multi-domain decomposition Fourier finite element (MDDFFE) method for the simulation of three-dimensional (3D) marine controlled source electromagnetic measurement (CSEM). The method combines a 2D finite element (FE) method in two spatial dimensions with a hybrid discretization based on a Fourier FE method along the third dimension. The method employs a secondary field formulation rather than the total field formulation. We apply the MDDFFE method to several synthetic marine CSEM examples exhibiting bathymetry and/or multiple 3D subdomains. Numerical results show that the use of the MDDFFE method reduces the problem size by as much as 87 % in terms of the number of unknowns, without any sacrifice in accuracy.     

Dewatering Behaviour of a Uranium Ore Slurry Containing Clays

The main objective of this paper was to investigate the dewatering behaviour of a clayey uranium ore slurry. The slurry (containing 28% clay size) exhibited moderate water adsorption (w _l  = 83% and w _p  = 30%). Primarily composed of muscovite (46%) and quartz (30%), the clay minerals included illite (8%), chlorite (5%) and kaolinite (2%) alongside a CEC of 41 (cmol(+)/kg) with Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ as the dominant cations. Likewise, the high EC (17,600 μS/cm) and ionic strength (1.15 mol/L) indicated a flocculated microstructure due to the presence of SO₄ ^2? (22,600 mg/L) and Mg²⁺ (1340 mg/L) in the slurry water. Settling included sedimentation and consolidation at low initial solids condition (25–35%) whereas only consolidation was observed at high initial solids contents (40–50%). The average k reduced from 1.2 × 10^?6 m/s (initial s = 25%) to 5.3 × 10^?8 m/s (initial s = 50%) along with a void ratio reduction from 7.4 to 2.6. Due to thixotropic strength, volume compressibility during consolidation showed apparent pre-consolidation at low effective stress (0.3–2 kPa) with a reduction in void ratio from 2.6 to 2.5. The e _s was found to be 2.46 at σ′ = 2 kPa and was followed by a steeper slope with the void ratio reducing to 2.1 at σ′ = 31 kPa. Likewise, the hydraulic conductivity during consolidation decreased from 2.6 × 10^?9 m/s (at e = 2.6) to 2.0 × 10^?10 m/s (at e = 2.1).     

Investigation of Various Parameters Effect on Cerchar Abrasivity Index with PFC3D Modeling

The Cerchar test is one of the appropriate and routine tests for determining the rock abrasion; but as for the costs and pin wear measurement errors in laboratory procedures and lack of access to laboratory equipment, using of numerical modeling can lead to use of greater number of samples required during the course of mechanized excavation and reduce the costs and errors in the laboratory test. In this study, the Cerchar abrasivity test was modeled using PFC3D (Particle Flow Code in 3 Dimensions) software. In order to verify the simulation results, Cerchar laboratory test results obtained by Rostami (Rock Mech Rock Eng 47(5):1905–1919, 2014) were compared with the numerical modeling results. In modeling studies, the effects of some parameters such as apply load, test speed, pin hardness and scratching distance on pin wear were investigated. As a conclusion of the study, good agreement between modeling and experimental results was obtained for a given condition. As in the experiment with various loads in both laboratory tests and modeling, with increasing applied load the Cerchar abrasivity index also increased in the experiment with Rockwell hardness HRC (An abbreviation for Rockwell Hardness measured on the C scale. The Rockwell test determines the hardness by measuring the depth of penetration of an indenter under a large load compared to the penetration made by a preload, that on the C scale use from a indenter with 120° cone and 150 kgf load) 42.     

Seasonal residence and counterurbanization: the role of second homes in population redistribution in Finland

Since the late twentieth century, many developed countries have experienced population deconcentration, labelled as counterurbanization. There has been an academic discussion on the meaning, validity and universality of this concept, drivers of counterurbanization and its impacts on rural areas. To date, research on counterurbanization mostly apply static and discrete definitions of residence, migration and population, which is an increasingly simplistic view in the contemporary reality of a growing multitude of forms of mobility, often related to dual residence. Particularly large-scale quantitative studies on counterurbanization are confined by existing statistical practices. This paper attempts to overcome this obstacle and describe the transformation of the settlement system in Finland acknowledging the role of second home mobility. To achieve this goal, it introduces two alternative measures of population, seasonal and average population, and analyses their spatial dynamics between the years 1990 and 2010 based on georeferenced grid statistical data. The study finds that although registered population has been concentrating during the period in analysis, seasonal population has been increasingly dispersed due to the growing number of second homes. It shows that the counterurbanization process, though not noticed by conventional statistics, does occur in Finland, manifested by seasonal rather than permanent moves. The article concludes that various forms of mobility should be taken into account when analysing the urban–rural population dynamics and transformations of settlement systems as well as in rural development planning.     

华北煤田岩溶陷落柱及其突水研究综述及展望

华北煤田岩溶陷落柱（简称“陷落柱”）是地质历史演化过程中形成的产物。80多年来,在中国华北煤田39个矿区煤矿开采过程中共揭露10 000多个陷落柱,因其导致的重大突水淹井事故20余起,研究岩溶陷落柱对系统认识中国矿山岩溶水文地质条件以及防治岩溶水害具有十分重要的理论与现实意义。文章系统梳理、总结了华北煤田陷落柱的发育特征、成因机理、突水机理、探查与防治方法,归纳出近年来华北南缘陷落柱的研究成果,并结合目前华北煤田生产过程中陷落柱研究与水害防治中存在的问题,从陷落柱形成机理与演化过程、小型隐伏陷落柱精细化探查与解译、陷落柱“动态监测—预测模型—突水机理”模式以及陷落柱水害防治技术体系等方面展望了其今后研究趋势及水害防治的方向。     

塔里木克拉通东北缘二叠纪镁铁质岩浆氧化物与硫化物成矿条件对比

塔里木克拉通东北缘坡北、磁海等地二叠纪幔源岩浆活动形成了镍钴硫化物矿床和铁钴氧化物矿床,两者赋矿镁铁-超镁铁岩体的年龄相近(290～260 Ma),主、微量元素和Sr-Nd-Hf同位素组成相似,分配系数接近的微量元素比值分布于相同趋势线,揭示两者岩浆源区相同,可能为俯冲板片流体交代的亏损地幔或软流圈地幔。两类矿床镁铁-超镁铁质岩中Co与Ni含量正相关,Co主要富集在基性程度高的岩石中;块状硫化物与磁铁矿矿石中Co与Ni相关性差,Co和Ni具有不同的富集机制,Co热液富集作用明显。北山镁铁-超镁铁杂岩体是地幔柱相关软流圈上涌,诱发俯冲板片交代的亏损岩石圈地幔发生部分熔融,形成的高镁母岩浆演化过程中经历壳源混染、硫化物饱和富集镍钴形成铜镍钴硫化物矿床,富铁母岩浆氧逸度高、富水,岩浆分离结晶磁铁矿、叠加热液作用富集钴,形成铁钴氧化物矿床。     

甘肃北山前红泉地区水系沉积物地球化学特征及找矿方向

前人在研究区开展过1∶20万水系沉积物测量及重砂测量,但受比例尺限制,异常面积过大,查证目标不够明确,找矿效果不佳。本次通过对前红泉地区开展1∶5万水系沉积物测量工作,初步总结了该区地球化学特征,根据元素组合特征、成矿地质条件等圈定出综合异常10处;在分析综合异常特征、异常检查情况及成矿潜力的基础上划分了成矿远景区4个,分别为受断裂和韧性剪切带控制的万岁山金成矿远景区、黑山头金多金属成矿远景区、与基性岩有关的帐房山铜钴镍成矿远景区及受酸性岩体内构造裂隙控制的红柳疙瘩钨成矿远景区;在成矿远景区内优选出找矿靶区4处,并提出了下一步找矿工作的建议。