The Italian guidelines for seismic risk classification of constructions: technical principles and validation

The Italian “Guidelines for the seismic risk classification of constructions” approved in February 2017 define the technical principles for exploiting tax deductions with respect to seismic strengthening interventions on existing buildings (Sismabonus). Tax deductions represent a unique opportunity to improve the seismic safety of the existing Italian building stock. The guidelines are very simple and allow practitioners to deal with the sophisticated concepts behind modern seismic design, such as expected annual losses (EAL) and repair costs (expressed as a fraction of the Reconstruction Cost: %RC). The seismic risk classes of buildings and the class upgrade due to strengthening interventions can be assessed using the principles included in the guidelines. The seismic risk class is the minimum between the class defined by the building safety index at the ultimate limit state and the one related to the EAL. The latter class depends on the area under the curve of the expected losses, which is easily obtained by computing the safety index converted in the return period (annual frequency) at different limit states and the relevant %RC. This paper illustrates the technical principles at the base of the guidelines and the procedure used to calibrate the repair costs associated with the different limit states using the actual repair costs monitored in the reconstruction process following recent Italian earthquakes. Finally, simple tools to estimate the cost of the strengthening interventions to improve the seismic capacity at the life-safety limit states are provided.     

Remote sensing of Mercury's magnetospheric plasma environment via energetic neutral atoms imaging

The potentiality of exploring the plasma dynamical behavior of Mercury via energetic neutral atom (ENA) analysis is briefly discussed. The analysis of the Hermean ENA would give clues to the global magnetospheric configuration, clarifying crucial issues like the existence of radiation belts. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of ENA imaging in the Hermean environment, an empirical model of the equatorial proton distributions, originally developed for the Earth's magnetosphere, is here modified in order to be applicable to the expected conditions, according to the present knowledge of the planet. Simulations of the ENA radiation are then presented and discussed. It is shown that the simulated radiation is significantly high, especially when pointing the field of view towards the Hermean surface. The way of determining the proton flux distributions and the cross-tail electric field characteristics by using the ENA signal is discussed. Finally, a preliminary design of an ENA detector suitable for the ESA mission to Mercury ‘BepiColombo’ is proposed and discussed.     

Assessing the relative contributions of the flood tide and the ebb tide to tidal channel network dynamics

Flood and ebb currents provide different contributions to the initiation and evolution of tidal channel networks, generating diverse network structures and channel cross-sections. In order to separate the effects of these contributions, a physical model of a sloping tidal-flat basin was set up in the laboratory. Depending on the degree of tidal asymmetry imposed offshore, either flood or ebb currents can be enhanced. The experimental results show that the ebb current has a higher capability to initiate and shape tidal networks than the flood current. Headward erosion is mainly induced by the ebb flow. The slightly inclined flat surface tends to reduce the energy of the flood current and to enhance the ebb current, thus prolonging the duration of morphodynamic activity as well as sediment motion. Overall, flood-dominated tides favour the formation of small-scale channel branches in the upper basin zone, while long lasting ebb-dominated tides result in more complex, wider and deeper tidal networks. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic displacement demand prediction in non-linear domain: Optimization of the N2 method

In Europe, computation of displacement demand for seismic assessment of existing buildings is essentially based on a simplified formulation of the N2 method as prescribed by Eurocode 8(EC8). However, a lack of accuracy of the N2 method in certain conditions has been pointed out by several studies. This paper addresses the assessment of effectiveness of the N2 method in seismic displacement demand determination in non-linear domain. The objective of this work is to investigate the accuracy of the N2 method through comparison with displacement demands computed using non-linear timehistory analysis(NLTHA). Results show that the original N2 method may lead to overestimation or underestimation of displacement demand predictions. This may affect results of mechanical model-based assessment of seismic vulnerability at an urban scale. Hence, the second part of this paper addresses an improvement of the N2 method formula by empirical evaluation of NLTHA results based on EC8 ground-classes. This task is formulated as a mathematical programming problem in which coefficients are obtained by minimizing the overall discrepancy between NLTHA and modified formula results. Various settings of the mathematical programming problem have been solved using a global optimization metaheuristic. An extensive comparison between the original N2 method formulation and optimized formulae highlights benefits of the strategy.     

Morphology and dynamics of the intertidal floodplain along the Amazon tidal river

Depositional environments along the tidal river downstream of Óbidos have been proposed as important sinks for up to one third of the sediment discharge from the Amazon River. However, the morphology of the intertidal floodplain and the dynamics of sediment exchange along this reach have yet to be described. River-bank surveys in five regions along the Amazon tidal river reveal a distinct transition in bank morphology between the upper, central and lower reaches of the tidal river. The upper tidal-river floodplain is defined by prominent natural levees that control the transfer of water and sediment between the mainstem Amazon River and its floodplain. Greater tidal influence in the central tidal river suppresses levee development, and tidal currents increase sediment transport into the distal parts of the floodplain. In the lower tidal river, the floodplain morphology closely resembles marine intertidal environments (e.g. mud flats, salt marshes), with dendritic tidal channels incising elevated vegetated flats. Theory, morphology and geochronology suggest that the dynamics of sediment delivery to the intertidal floodplain of the Amazon tidal river vary along its length due to the relative influence and coupling of fluvial and tidal dynamics. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Highly nonlinear wind waves in Currituck Sound: dense breather turbulence in random ocean waves

Ocean Dynamics - We analyze surface wave data taken in Currituck Sound, North Carolina, during a storm on 4 February 2002. Our focus is on the application of nonlinear Fourier analysis (NLFA)...     

Spatio‐temporal variation in density and size structure of the endangered sea cucumber Isostichopus fuscus in Huatulco National Park,Mexico

The brown sea cucumber Isostichopus fuscus (Ludwig, 1875) has been subjected to strong fishing pressure and is currently considered an endangered species by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Spatial and temporal variations in density were analysed and population parameters of I. fuscus were estimated in three localities of the Southern Mexican Pacific. Density was estimated using circular transects covering a 300 m² area in each locality. Body length and weight were also measured. The mean density was 0.018 ± 0.013 individuals·m^?2, and was statistically significantly lower during summer. The mean length and weight were 22.4 ± 3.8 cm and 396 ± 130 g, respectively, and statistically significant differences were found among localities. The weight–length relationship was W = 0.28·L^1.32 and the mean relative condition index (Kn) = 1.04 ± 0.31. The von Bertalanffy growth equation was L_t = 38.7·(1–exp^(?0.4·t)). The lowest values of length, weight and age were found at Dos Hermanas, suggesting that this locality could be favorable for the settlement of larvae and recruitment and growth of juveniles. The present study is the second to estimate densities of I. fuscus and the first one to publish data on size structure and growth for the population at Bahias de Huatulco. The densities were so low in the three sampled localities that none of them would be able to support a fishery, even under a sustainable management scheme. The information collected in the present study could be helpful for management programs of the Huatulco National Park, as all the data used for these currently come mainly from the populations of I. fuscus in the Gulf of California.     

Seismic-induced rockfalls and landslide dam following the October 30, 2016 earthquake in Central Italy

On October 30, 2016, a seismic event and its aftershocks produced diffuse landslides along the SP 209 road in the Nera River Gorge (Central Italy). Due to the steep slopes and the outcropping of highly fractured and bedded limestone, several rockfalls were triggered, of which the main event occurred on the slope of Mount Sasso Pizzuto. The seismic shock acted on a rock wedge that, after an initial slide, developed into a rockfall. The debris accumulation blocked the SP 209 road and dammed the Nera River, forming a small lake. The river discharge was around 3.6 m³/s; the water overtopped the dam and flooded the road. By a preliminary topographic survey, we estimated that the debris accumulation covers an area of about 16,500 m², while the volume is around 70,000 m³. The maximum volume occupied by the pre-existing talus mobilized by the rockfall is about 20% of the total volume. Besides blocking the road, the rockfall damaged a bridge severely, while, downstream of the dam, the water flow caused erosion of a road embankment. A rockfall protection gallery, a few hundred meters downstream of the dam, was damaged during the event. Other elastic nets and rigid barriers were not sufficient to protect the road from single-block rockfalls, with volumes around 1–2 m³. Considering the geological and geomorphological conditions, as well as the high seismicity and the socioeconomic importance of the area, a review of the entire rockfall protection systems is required to ensure protection of critical infrastructure and local communities.     

A least squares approach for efficient and reliable short-term versus long-term optimization

The uncertainties related to long-term forecasts of oil prices impose significant financial risk on ventures of oil production. To minimize risk, oil companies are inclined to maximize profit over short-term horizons ranging from months to a few years. In contrast, conventional production optimization maximizes long-term profits over horizons that span more than a decade. To address this challenge, the oil literature has introduced short-term versus long-term optimization. Ideally, this problem is solved by a posteriori multi-objective optimization methods that generate an approximation to the Pareto front of optimal short-term and long-term trade-offs. However, such methods rely on a large number of reservoir simulations and scale poorly with the number of objectives subject to optimization. Consequently, the large-scale nature of production optimization severely limits applications to real-life scenarios. More practical alternatives include ad hoc hierarchical switching schemes. As a drawback, such methods lack robustness due to unclear convergence properties and do not naturally generalize to cases of more than two objectives. Also, as this paper shows, the hierarchical formulation may skew the balance between the objectives, leaving an unfulfilled potential to increase profits. To promote efficient and reliable short-term versus long-term optimization, this paper introduces a natural way to characterize desirable Pareto points and proposes a novel least squares (LS) method. Unlike hierarchical approaches, the method is guaranteed to converge to a Pareto optimal point. Also, the LS method is designed to properly balance multiple objectives, independently of Pareto front’s shape. As such, the method poses a practical alternative to a posteriori methods in situations where the frontier is intractable to generate.     

Postseismic Coulomb stress changes on intra-continental dip-slip faults due to viscoelastic relaxation in the lower crust and lithospheric mantle: insights from 3D finite-element modelling

International Journal of Earth Sciences - Earthquakes in the brittle upper crust induce viscoelastic flow in the lower crust and lithospheric mantle, which can persist for decades and lead to...