Analysis of the 2003 Varunawat Landslide,Uttarkashi, India using Earth Observation data

Mass movements such as landslides in mountainous terrains are natural degradation processes and one of the most important landscape-building factors. Varunawat Parbat overlooking Uttarkashi town witnessed a series of landslides on 23 September 2003 and the debris slides and rock falls continued for 2 weeks. This landslide complex was triggered due to the incessant rainfall prior to the event, and its occurrence led to the blockage of the pilgrim route to Gangotri (source of the Ganges river) and evacuation of thousands of people to safer places. Though there was no loss of lives due to timely evacuation, heavy losses to the property were reported. High-resolution stereoscopic earth observation data were acquired after the incidence to study the landslide in detail with emphasis on the cause of the landslide and mode of failure. Areas along the road and below the Varunawat foothill region are mapped for landslide risk. It was found that the foothill region of the Varunawat Parbat was highly disturbed by man-made activities and houses are dangerously located below steep slopes. The potential zones for landslides along with the existing active and old landslides are mapped. These areas are critical and their treatment with priority is required in order to minimise further landslide occurrences.     

Monitoring Large-Scale Tests for Nuclear Waste Disposal

Two large-scale “in situ” demonstration experiments and their instrumentation are described. The first test (FEBEX Experiment) involves the hydration of a compacted bentonite barrier under the combined effect of an inner source of heat and an outer water flow from the confining saturated granite rock. In the second case, the progressive de-saturation of Opalinus clay induced by maintained ventilation of an unlined tunnel is analyzed. The paper shows the performance of different sensors (capacitive cells, psychrometers, TDR’s) and a comparison of fill behaviour with modelling results. The long term performance of some instruments could also be evaluated specially in the case of FEBEX test. Capacitive sensors provide relative humidity data during long transient periods characterised by very large variations of suction within the bentonite.     

棉兰老涡旋的数值模拟

用一个水平分辨率比较高的非线性正压模式,对热带西太平洋海域里的海流进行了数值模拟。计算海流与观测结果颇相一致。结果表明:赤道以北、棉兰老岛以东附近海域中,棉兰老冷涡在一年的大部分时间里都得到发展,但是其范围、强度和中心位置在各个月份并不相同,显示出很强的季节变化;在哈马黑拉岛东北海域,6月份突然出现了一个反气旋式的涡旋;这个涡旋8月份发展得最强,一直持续到10月份,在11月份就消亡了。     

Constraining the origin and evolution of confined turbidite systems: southern Cretan margin,Eastern Mediterranean Sea (34°30–36°N)

Bathymetric, 9.5-kHz long-range sidescan sonar (OKEAN), seismic reflection and sediment-core data are used in the analysis of two tectonic troughs south of Crete, Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Here, up to 1.2 s two-way travel time (TWTT) of strata have accumulated since the Middle Miocene in association with extension in the South Aegean region. The study area comprises >100-km- long by >25-km-wide basins filled by sediments subdivided into two seismic units: (1) an upper Unit 1 deposited in sub-basins which follow the present-day configuration of the southern Cretan margin; (2) a basal Unit 2, more than 500 ms (TWTT) thick, accumulated in deeper half-graben/grabens distinct from the present-day depocentres. Both units overlap a locally stratified Unit 3 comprising the pre-Neogene core complex of Crete and Gavdos. In this work, the interpreted seismic units are correlated with the onshore stratigraphy, demonstrating that denudation processes occurring on Crete and Gavdos in response to major tectonic events have been responsible for high sedimentation rates along the proximal southern Cretan margin. Consequently, topographically confined sedimentary units have been deposited south of Crete in the last 12 Ma, including turbidites and other mass-flow deposits fed by evolving transverse and axial channel systems. Surface processes controlling facies distribution include the direct inflow of sediment from alluvial-fan systems and incising mountain rivers onto the Cretan slope, where significant sediment instability processes occur at present. In this setting, seismic profiles reveal eight different types of stratigraphic contacts on basin-margin highs, and basinal areas show evidence of halokinesis and/or fluid escape. The acquired data also show that significant changes to the margin’s configuration occurred in association with the post-Alpine tectonic and eustatic episodes affecting the Eastern Mediterranean.     

西沙群岛海产蓝藻的研究 Ⅴ

本文继续报道我国西沙群岛海产色球藻目 Chroococcales 的十种蓝藻,隶于三科六属，有八种是我国海产蓝藻的新记录,它们是:铜锈微囊藻 Microcystis aeruginosa Kuetzing,小形色球藻 Chroococcus minor ( Kuetzing) Naegeli,湖沼色球藻盐泽变种 C. limneticus Lemm.var. subsalsus Lemm,易变色球藻 C.varius A.Braun,膜状色球藻C. membraninus ( Meneghini) Naegeli,圆胞束球藻 Gomphasphaeria aponina Kuetzing,附钙管鞘藻 Hormathonema epilithicum Ercegovic 和透明拟丝藻 Johannesbaptistia pellucida ( Dickie) Taylor at Drouet。其中透明拟丝藻形态特征独特,这对于蓝藻类的研究,特别是研究从色球藻目进化到丝状蓝藻类的系统演化具有重要价值,早已为藻类学家们所重视。该种也是我国海产蓝藻属的新记录。 迄今为止,藻类学家们一致认为色球藻目是蓝藻门 Cyanophyta 中最原始、最低级的类群,其植物体最简单,大都是单细胞或简单的群体,而且都十分微小,常被肥厚的胶质鞘所包埋,这就使该目蓝藻能适应复杂的自然环境。所以,在地质学和古生物学的研究中它已引起许多学者的注意。有关该目海产种类的分类研究,我国仅有少数报道,这方面的工作还有待深入。     

Interfacial geochemistry of barium in suspension and sediment from Zhujiang Estuary

Chemical forms of Ba are determined in samples of suspension and sediment from the Zhujiang Estuary. Their interfacial geochemical processes are discussed. Total suspended Ba content is between 2. 4 and 40. 4 μg/L, and mostly exists in the crystalline form (43. 5%), secondly in the Fe-Mn oxidative form (23.1%). Percentages of organic, carbonate and exchangeable forms are 14. 8%, 11. l%and 7.4%, respectively. Total content of Ba in the sediment is between 158. 6 and 48. 0 ug/g. Percentages of crystalline form, Fe-Mn oxidative form and carbonate form are 78. 4% ,13. 5%and 8. 2%, respectively. Organic and exchangeable forms are not detected. The study on the mechanism of interfacial movement suggests that the salinity range of 10 is the turning point for the varied distribution of Ba. The subsidence of crystalline form affects the decrease of Ba content in suspension. The decrease mostly takes place in the salinity range lower than 10, which corresponds to the high value of Ba content in the sediment. The     

The Levant Slumps and the Phoenician Structures: collapse features along the continental margin of the southeastern Mediterranean Sea

Two distinct series of slumps deform the upper part of the sedimentary sequence along the continental margin of the Levant. One series is found along the base of the continental slope, where it overlies the disrupted eastern edge of the Messinian evaporites. The second series of slumps transects the continental margin from the shelf break to the Levant Basin. It seemed that the two series were triggered by two unrelated, though contemporaneous, processes. The shore-parallel slumps were initiated by basinwards flow of the Messinian salt, that carried along the overlying Plio-Quaternary sediments. Seawater that percolated along the detachment faults dissolved the underlying salt to form distinctly disrupted structures. The slope-normal slumps are located on top of large canyons that cut into the pre-Messinian sedimentary rocks. A layer of salt is found in the canyons, and the Plio-Quaternary sediments were deposited on that layer. The slumps are bounded by large, NW-trending faults where post-Messinian faulted offset was measured. We presume that the flow of the salt in the canyons also drives the slope-normal slumps. Thus thin-skinned halokynetic processes generated the composite post-Tortonian structural patterns of the Levant margin. The Phoenician Structures are a prime example of the collapse of a distal continental margin due to the dissolution of a massive salt layer.     

海水分光反射率与叶绿素浓度的相关分析

通过对东京湾两年度不同季节海水分光反射率与叶绿素浓度进行统计分析，结果表明，叶绿素浓度Ｃ与两谱段分光反射率之比Ｒｗ（λｊ）／Ｒｗ（λｊ）具有幂函关系Ｃ＝Ａ［Ｒｗ（λｊ）／Ｒｗ（λｊ）Ｂ。两者的对数显示出较好的线性关系，即ｌｏｇＣ＝ｌｏｇＡ＋Ｂｌｏｇ［Ｒｗ（λｊ）／Ｒｗ（λｊ）］。负相关系数达０．９９。相关方程之一为Ｃ＝３．３２９［Ｒｗ（５２０）／Ｒｗ（５５０）］－１．３８４（１９８７年６月初）．在梅雨季节之后，相关方程为Ｃ＝１２．６８［Ｒｗ（５２０）／Ｒｗ（５５０）］－２．０１０（１９８８年８月）。这表明了海湾或混浊的沿岸水质，在叶绿素浓度算法中，统计参数Ａ和Ｂ的确立，要基于不同季节不同水质的现场观测资料。     

青岛港风暴潮经验统计预报

本文利用青岛港多年实测资料,分析了该港风暴潮概况。而后通过多元回归技术,求取了该港极值增减水的预报公式。经非独立和独立检验,结果令人满意。