Doubtful Events Reported in Current Italian Earthquake Catalogues: The Medieval Earthquakes of Subiaco (Central Italy)

Within the framework of a study of the seismicity of the Aniene Valley (Central Italy), we analysed the medieval earthquakes of Subiaco (1216, 1227, 1299), the largest events reported for the area. Our main goal was to investigate some doubtful events reported in earthquake catalogues and, as such, currently utilised for seismic hazard estimates. A careful screening of the oldest available sources and their filiation pattern up to the present pointed out the uncertainty on the date and nature of these phenomena. A multidisciplinary approach based on the joint analysis of archaeological, geomorphologic and historical evidence allowed us to propose new interpretations concerning these events and their significance for the assessment of seismic hazard in the Aniene Valley. The main conclusion is that the dates of the 1216 and 1227 events are fairly unsupported. In particular, the 1216 earthquake could be dated back to between AD 1159 and 1181.     

Behavior of Gd-DTPA in simulated bank filtration

The behavior of Gd-DTPA during bank filtration was simulated in a 30 m column filled with Pleistocene sand and flushed by surface water from a lakeside in Berlin, Germany. The surface water is about a 1:1 mixture of river water and effluents from a sewage treatment plant. Throughout 34 days this water was continuously spiked with Gd-DTPA at a level of 60 μg/L. The broad plateau of the Gd-DTPA pulse declined by 15.4% within 34 days by transmetallation. Nine percentage of the total decline is caused by Y and rare earth elements; the remaining part is attributed to Cu²⁺ which is the most influential metal in surface water. All other metals also contributing to transmetallation are combined with Cu to Cu equivalents because only the rate constant of transmetallation of Cu²⁺ is known. The analytical results of the column effluents prove the pseudo-first-order kinetics of transmetallation based on reversible sorption of metals by pools in the column sediment and disprove biodegradation at noticeable levels. The mass ratio of water to tracer is <10¹⁰.     

Experimental study of the K2ZrSi3O9 (wadeite)–K2TiSi3O9 and K2(Zr,Ti)Si3O9–phlogopite systems at 2–3 GPa

Experiments ranging from 2 to 3 GPa and 800 to 1300 °C and at 0.15 GPa and 770 °C were performed to investigate the stability and mutual solubility of the K₂ZrSi₃O₉ (wadeite) and K₂TiSi₃O₉ cyclosilicates under upper mantle conditions. The K₂ZrSi₃O₉–K₂TiSi₃O₉ join exhibits complete miscibility in the P–T interval investigated. With increasing degree of melting the solid solution becomes progressively enriched in Zr, indicating that K₂ZrSi₃O₉ is the more refractory end member. At 2 GPa, in the more complex K₂ZrSi₃O₉–K₂TiSi₃O₉–K₂Mg₆Al₂Si₆O₂₀(OH)₄ system, the presence of phlogopite clearly limits the extent of solid solution of the cyclosilicate to more Zr-rich compositions [Zr/(Zr + Ti) > 0.85], comparable to wadeite found in nature, with TiO₂ partitioning strongly into the coexisting mica and/or liquid. However, at 1200 °C, with increasing pressure from 2 to 3 GPa, the partitioning behaviour of TiO₂ changes in favour of the cyclosilicate, with Zr/(Zr + Ti) of the K₂(Zr,Ti)Si₃O₉ phase decreasing from ∼0.9 to ∼0.6. The variation in the Ti content of the coexisting phlogopite is related to its degree of melting to forsterite and liquid, following the major substitution ^VITi+^VI□=2^VIMg. Received: 26 January 1999 / Accepted: 10 January 2000     

A numerical study on seismic risk assessment of historic masonry towers: a case study in San Gimignano

After a brief introduction on the research project RiSEM (Seismic Risk of Monumental Buildings), the paper discusses on the seismic assessment of historic masonry towers according to the Italian “Guidelines for the assessment and mitigation of the seismic risk of the cultural heritage” that identifies an analysis methodology based on three different levels of evaluation, according to an increased knowledge of the structure. The RiSEM project aimed at developing and testing innovative and expeditious methodologies (i.e. either without or with a minimal direct contact with the masonry building) to evaluate all the main structural features of the monumental buildings required for the assessment of their seismic safety. As a relevant case study the “Town of Fine Towers”, San Gimignano (Italy), listed under the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites, was selected. The paper summarizes the analyses performed on one of the San Gimignano towers: the Coppi-Campatelli one. The seismic vulnerability of the tower was evaluated with reference to the above guidelines, and the paper reports and critically compares the results obtained for the three levels of evaluation there defined: LV1 (analysis at territorial level), LV2 (local analysis) and LV3 (global analysis).     

International greenhouse gas inventory systems: A comparison between CORINAIR and IPCC methodologies in the EU

There are several different approaches currently taken by the 15 EU countries in compiling their IPCC inventories for the FCCC. Six countries (France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain) use the CORINAIR system and then aggregate and reformat the data into the required IPCC format. Of the remaining countries, two strictly follow the IPCC methodology (Finland and Greece), five (Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom) estimate emissions using a combination of national and IPCC methodologies, while the final two (Austria and Belgium) use a combination of national and CORINAIR methodologies (transformed to IPCC). Comparison of the national inventories in both the IPCC and CORINAIR formats shos some revealing discrepancies between the two systems at both sector and gas level that by chance cancel out when aggregated at the EU level.     

The Cloud Ice Mountain Experiment (CIME) 1998: experiment overview and modelling of the microphysical processes during the seeding by isentropic gas expansion

The second field campaign of the Cloud Ice Mountain Experiment (CIME) project took place in February 1998 on the mountain Puy de Dôme in the centre of France. The content of residual aerosol particles, of H₂O₂ and NH₃ in cloud droplets was evaluated by evaporating the drops larger than 5 μm in a Counterflow Virtual Impactor (CVI) and by measuring the residual particle concentration and the released gas content. The same trace species were studied behind a round jet impactor for the complementary interstitial aerosol particles smaller than 5 μm diameter. In a second step of experiments, the ambient supercooled cloud was converted to a mixed phase cloud by seeding the cloud with ice particles by the gas release from pressurised gas bottles. A comparison between the physical and chemical characteristics of liquid drops and ice particles allows a study of the fate of the trace constituents during the presence of ice crystals in the cloud.In the present paper, an overview is given of the CIME 98 experiment and the instrumentation deployed. The meteorological situation during the experiment was analysed with the help of a cloud scale model. The microphysics processes and the behaviour of the scavenged aerosol particles before and during seeding are analysed with the detailed microphysical model ExMix. The simulation results agreed well with the observations and confirmed the assumption that the Bergeron–Findeisen process was dominating during seeding and was influencing the partitioning of aerosol particles between drops and ice crystals. The results of the CIME 98 experiment give an insight on microphysical changes, redistribution of aerosol particles and cloud chemistry during the Bergeron–Findeisen process when acting also in natural clouds.     

Atmospheric Circulation Changes in Response to an Observed Stratospheric Zonal Ozone Anomaly

Abstract

In a sensitivity study, the influence of an observed stratospheric zonal ozone anomaly on the atmospheric circulation was investigated using the Fifth Generation European Centre Hamburg Model (ECHAM5) which is a general circulation model. The model was run from 1960 to 1999 (40 years) with a mean seasonal cycle of zonally symmetric ozone. In order to isolate the induced dynamical influence of the observed zonally asymmetric part of the three-dimensional stratospheric ozone, a second run was performed for the boreal extratropics using prescribed monthly means from the 40-year reanalysis dataset from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ERA-40). The main findings are the interdecadal westward shift of the polar vortex at about 65°N and a significant increase in the number of stratospheric sudden warmings during the 1980–99 period. Under the action of zonally asymmetric ozone a decrease in the Arctic Oscillation was identified between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s. The lag correlation between the mean Arctic Oscillation at the surface and the daily stratospheric northern annular mode increased in mid-winter. Furthermore, we examined the influence of the stratospheric zonal ozone anomaly on Rossby wave breaking in the upper troposphere and found a significant westward shift of poleward Rossby wave breaking events over western Europe in the winter. By this we show that the stratospheric zonal ozone anomaly has a strong influence on the tropospheric circulation as a result of enhanced dynamical coupling processes.     

Land tenure and REDD+: The good,the bad and the ugly

A number of international donors, national governments and project proponents have begun to lay the groundwork for REDD+, but tenure insecurity – including the potential risks of land grabbing by outsiders and loss of local user rights to forests and forest land – is one of the main reasons that many indigenous and other local peoples have publicly opposed it. Under what conditions is REDD+ a threat to local rights, and under what conditions does it present an opportunity? This article explores these issues based on available data from a global comparative study on REDD+, led by the Center for International Forestry Research, which is studying national policies and processes in 12 countries and 23 REDD+ projects in 6 countries. The article analyses how tenure concerns are being addressed at both national and project level in emerging REDD+ programs. The findings suggest that in most cases REDD+ has clearly provided some new opportunities for securing local tenure rights, but that piecemeal interventions by project proponents at the local level are insufficient in the absence of broader, national programs for land tenure reform. The potential for substantial changes in the status quo appear unlikely, though Brazil – the only one with such a national land tenure reform program – offers useful insights. Land tenure reform – the recognition of customary rights in particular – and a serious commitment to REDD+ both challenge the deep-rooted economic and political interests of ‘business as usual’.