The Zoning of Semi-Enclosed Bodies of Water According to the Sediment Pollution: The Bay of Algeciras as a Case Example

This paper reports a study of the occurrence and levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a bay characterised by a chronic persistent impact. A total of 55 sediment samples were taken at different depths up to 111 m in two sampling campaigns. Chemical analyses were carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The results indicate that: (1) significant spatial variations exist, (2) levels of PAHs are related more strongly to the spatial distribution of sediments than to mineralogy/granulometry, (3) the sediments are slightly-to-moderately contaminated by PAHs, and (4) these PAHs derive from pyrolytic and petrogenic sources. Through use of an innovative data classification system (proposed according to depth and spatial location of sampling points), and using factorial and cluster techniques, five zones have been differentiated depending on the contamination level and source.     

Impact of climate variability on summer fires in a Mediterranean environment (northeastern Iberian Peninsula)

We analyse the impact of climate interannual variability on summer forest fires in Catalonia (northeastern Iberian Peninsula). The study period covers 25 years, from 1983 to 2007. During this period more than 16000 fire events were recorded and the total burned area was more than 240 kha, i.e. around 7.5% of whole Catalonia. We show that the interannual variability of summer fires is significantly correlated with summer precipitation and summer maximum temperature. In addition, fires are significantly related to antecedent climate conditions, showing positive correlation with lagged precipitation and negative correlation with lagged temperatures, both with a time lag of two years, and negative correlation with the minimum temperature in the spring of the same year. The interaction between antecedent climate conditions and fire variability highlights the importance of climate not only in regulating fuel flammability, but also fuel structure. On the basis of these results, we discuss a simple regression model that explains up to 76% of the variance of the Burned Area and up to 91% of the variance of the number of fires. This simple regression model produces reliable out-of-sample predictions of the impact of climate variability on summer forest fires and it could be used to estimate fire response to different climate change scenarios, assuming that climate-vegetation-humans-fire interactions will not change significantly.     

Land-use and vegetation-cover mapping of an indigenous land area in the state of Mato Grosso (Brazil) based on spectral linear mixing model,segmentation and region classification

A spectral linear-mixing model using Landsat ETM+ imagery was undertaken to estimate fraction images of green vegetation, soil and shade in an indigenous land area in the state of Mato Grosso in the central-western region of Brazil. The fraction images were used to classify different types of land use and vegetation cover. The fraction images were classified by the following two methods: (a) application of a segmentation based on the region-growing technique; and (b) grouping of the regions segmented using the per-region unsupervised classifier named ISOSEG. Adopting a 75% threshold, ISOSEG generated 44 clusters that were grouped into eight land-use and vegetation-cover classes. The mapping achieved an average accuracy of 83%, showing that the methodology is efficient in mapping areas of great land-use and vegetation-cover diversity, such as that found in the Brazilian cerrado (savanna).     

Black shales and massive sulfide deposits: causal or casual relationships? Insights from Rammelsberg, Tharsis, and Draa Sfar

Black shales and massive sulfides represent reduced lithofacies that require isolation from oxic environments to be preserved. This, together with the sedimentary affinity of both lithofacies, can explain their common concurrence in the geologic record. The present study is based on the comparison of Rammelsberg in Germany, Tharsis in Spain, and Draa Sfar in Morocco, three massive sulfide deposits closely associated with black shales that are distributed along the European and North African Variscan orogen. The study entails geochemical, biostratigraphic, and stratigraphic analyses of the black shale sequences hosting the three deposits and mineralogical and textural analyses of the sulfides. All three deposits were formed in immature, tectonically unstable basins within an active continental margin or continental magmatic arc. Their stratigraphic records consist of a sequence of black shales enclosing massive sulfides and variable proportions of bimodal volcanic and subvolcanic rocks. The major differences among the three deposits concern the size, composition, and mineralogy. Regarding age, they are diachronous and younger southward: Rammelsberg is middle Eifelian, Tharsis latest Famennian, and Draa Sfar late Viséan. The study of redox conditions of the paleoenvironment using organic and inorganic proxies highlights similarities and significant differences among the three ore-hosting basins during massive sulfide and black shale deposition. The black shales generally display low C_org and high S_tot contents. At Rammelsberg, the S_tot/C_tot ratios provide values typical for normal Middle Devonian marine environments, which suggests that the original reactive organic C is now fixed in carbonates. At Tharsis, most of the samples have C_org >1 and S_tot/C_org values equivalent to those of Devonian?CCarboniferous normal marine sediments. However, some pyritic hanging-wall samples have C_org <1 and S_tot up to 5?wt.%, suggesting the epigenetic addition of HS^?. The S_tot/C_org ratio for the Draa Sfar samples resembles that of Middle Carboniferous normal marine environments. Geochemical inorganic proxies used to define the environmental conditions include the enrichment factors of U (U_EF) and Mo (Mo_EF) together with V/Cr and V/(V?+?Ni) ratios. Footwall shales at Filón Norte (Tharsis) show positive and eventually elevated U_EF and Mo_EF values, which suggests anoxic conditions, whereas at Rammelsberg and Draa Sfar oxic bottom water is indicated. The relations V/Cr and V/(V + Ni) in all three cases point to a redox boundary near the sediment?Cwater interface, although at Tharsis some samples indicate anoxic/euxinic conditions (i.e., V/(V + Ni) >0.9). Regarding the environmental conditions of the source areas, feldspar illitization and selective depletion in Na and Ca occurred at the three studies sites. Available sulfur isotopic data from the Rammelsberg and Tharsis sulfide ore indicate that biogenic reduction of marine sulfate was a major sulfur source during massive sulfide generation. Nevertheless, a hydrothermal sulfur source has also been detected. At Rammelsberg, this is indicated from the polymetallic sulfides that replace sedimentary and diagenetic pyrite. At Tharsis, the bacteriogenic sulfur signature is also restricted to sulfide with less evolved textures, whereas a hydrothermal source is more evident in sulfides showing evidence of recrystallization. Both geochemical and isotopic data suggest that the bacteriogenic reduction process was inhibited by rapid burial. The sedimentation rates calculated for Rammelsberg, Tharsis, and Draa Sfar were in the range 7?C13, 8?C14, and 19?C27?cm/ka, respectively. Continuous sedimentation of black shale favored the isolation of the massive sulfides and organic material from bottom waters and hence favored their preservation. Accordingly, the relationships between black shales and massive sulfides are considered to be casual. Nevertheless, the tectono-sedimentary evolution of each basin controlled the deposition of both black shales and massive sulfides and the parameters that favored their coeval deposition.     

The spatial distribution of galaxies within the cosmic microwave background cold spot in the Corona Borealis supercluster

We study the spatial distribution and colours of galaxies within the region covered by the cold spot in the cosmic microwave background recently detected by the Very Small Array interpherometer (VSA) towards the Corona Borealis supercluster (CrB-SC). The spot is in the northern part of a region with a radius  ∼1° (∼5 Mpc  at the redshift of CrB-SC) enclosing the clusters Abell 2056, 2065, 2059 and 2073, and where the density of galaxies, excluding the contribution from those clusters, is approximately two times higher than the mean value in typical intercluster regions of the CrB-SC. Two of such clusters (Abell 2056 and 2065) are members of the CrB-SC, while the other two are in the background. This high-density intercluster region is quite inhomogeneous, being the most remarkable feature a large concentration of galaxies in a narrow filament running from Abell 2065 with a length of ∼35 arcmin (  ∼3 Mpc  at the redshift of CrB-SC) in the SW–NE direction. This intercluster population of galaxies probably results from the interaction of clusters Abell 2065 and 2056. The area subtended by the VSA cold spot shows an excess of faint  (21 < r < 22)  and red  (1.1 < r − i < 1.3)  galaxies as compared with typical values within the CrB-SC intercluster regions. This overdensity of galaxies shows a radial dependence and extends out to ∼15 arcmin. This could be the signature of a previously unnoted cluster in the background.     

4D Arctic: A Glimpse into the Structure and Evolution of the Arctic in the Light of New Geophysical Maps,Plate Tectonics and Tomographic Models

Knowledge about the Arctic tectonic structure has changed in the last decade as a large number of new datasets have been collected and systematized. Here, we review the most updated, publicly available Circum-Arctic digital compilations of magnetic and gravity data together with new models of the Arctic’s crust. Available tomographic models have also been scrutinized and evaluated for their potential to reveal the deeper structure of the Arctic region. Although the age and opening mechanisms of the Amerasia Basin are still difficult to establish in detail, interpreted subducted slabs that reside in the High Arctic’s lower mantle point to one or two episodes of subduction that consumed crust of possibly Late Cretaceous–Jurassic age. The origin of major igneous activity during the Cretaceous in the central Arctic (the Alpha–Mendeleev Ridge) and in the proximity of rifted margins (the so-called High Arctic Large Igneous Province—HALIP) is still debated. Models of global plate circuits and the connection with the deep mantle are used here to re-evaluate a possible link between Arctic volcanism and mantle plumes.     

Hydrologic characteristics of Appalachian loose‐dumped spoil in the Cumberland Plateau of eastern Kentucky

Heavily compacted lands, typical of traditional surface mine reclamation techniques, have been shown to hinder tree growth, increase levels of flooding, and produce suboptimal water quality. Utilizing loose‐dumped spoil, in accordance with the Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA), has demonstrated success with regards to promoting tree growth and survival; however, additional information is needed to assess the potential of FRA to ameliorate other environmental concerns related to water quantity. To better understand the hydrologic characteristics of loose‐dumped spoil, key hydrograph parameters (discharge volume, peak discharge, discharge duration, lag time, and response time) were monitored for three common spoil types: (1) predominately brown weathered sandstone, (2) predominately gray weathered sandstone, and (3) a mixture of both sandstones and shale. Although spoil types were found to differ hydrologically, these differences were relatively minor. Measured discharge volumes were low (averaging 12% of rainfall for all events and treatments), peak discharge rates were small (between 2·5 × 10^?5 and 3 × 10^?3 m³/s), and the duration of discharge was long (6 days on average). From a hydrologic perspective, the results of this study indicate that mine spoils need not be segregated for reclamation as long as the spoil is placed in accordance with the loose‐dumped techniques as outlined in the FRA. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A deep, stratigraphically and structurally controlled landslide: the case of Mount La Civita (Molise, Italy)

The present paper illustrates the results of an integrated study of a large landslide located on the southern slope of Mount la Civita (Molise, Southern Apennine), an E–W elongated, SSE dipping and 890-m-high monocline carbonate ridge. The upper part of the slope affected by the landslide is largely controlled by strata attitude while its basal part is marked by a strike–slip fault causing the tectonic juxtaposition of the carbonate successions against predominantly clayey flysch units. An integrated study, including geological, geomorphological and geotechnical investigations, was carried out to determine the features of the landslide and to plan further investigation and monitoring. In particular, from 2002 to 2004, Differential Global Positioning System monitoring and core drillings, coupled with inclinometer measurements, were carried out to determine the landslide’s kinematics, extent, depth to the surface of rupture and rates of movement. Inclinometer data revealed the presence of the rupture surface at a depth of about 20 m. DGPS monitoring allowed rates of movement up to several tens of centimetres per year to be recorded. The nearby village of Civitanova del Sannio can still be considered at risk due to the landslide, as recent remedial works, consisting mainly of very shallow re-shaping of the slope by blasting and partial filling of trenches, did not succeed in stopping its movement.     

DInSAR measurements of ground deformation by sinkholes,mining subsidence,and landslides,Ebro River,Spain

Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) has been applied to detect and measure ground deformation in a stretch of the Ebro River valley (Spain) excavated in salt‐bearing evaporites. The capability of the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) DInSAR technique to detect ground displacement is analyzed comparing the DInSAR results with the available geomorphological information. The deformation map derived from 27 European Remote Sensing (ERS) satellite images covering more than five years provides sub‐centimeter displacement measurements in zones coinciding with known active sinkholes and landslides. Moreover the map provides the first account of mining subsidence in the area. The measured deformation rates reach 1·68 cm/y for the sinkholes, 0·80 cm/y for the landslides and 1·45 cm/y for the area affected by mining subsidence. The SBAS DInSAR technique provided deformation measurements in a small proportion (5–10%) of the known active sinkholes and landslides. This limitation is mainly due to the lack of coherence in agricultural areas, the spatial resolution of the deformation map (pixel size of 90 m), and the parallelism between the ERS satellite line of sight and the linear escarpment on which most of the landslides occur. Despite this, the interferometric technique provides valuable data that complement traditional geomorphological studies including the quantification of the deformation phenomena, the identification of mining subsidence otherwise only recognizable by geodetic methods, and the detection of creep deformation which might correspond to premonitory indicators of catastrophic sinkholes and landslides capable of causing the loss of lives. Detailed DInSAR studies combined with field data would be required to improve the analysis of each deformation area. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Monitoring permeable paver runoff with an open-innovation geospatial sensor network

Sensor networks are an essential tool for environmental scientists. As scientists and engineers are beginning to utilize these new methods and devices in their fieldwork, they need to be actively involved in the future of sensor-networking development. Continued sensor network innovation is important for improved standardization, affordability, and interoperability. This article uses a storm water case study to outline an end-to-end open-innovation sensor network. Open innovation by scientists, engineers, and entities is the collaborative process of creating value for this project in permeable paver runoff data and advances within sensor networking. This article focuses on the technical implementation of the near–real-time location and temporally aware sensor network. Data are streamed in near–real-time with subliter precision to the cloud using common off-the-shelf routers. The sensors use Maxim's 1-wire? protocol, and the unique digital serial numbers confirm the data. The data retrieved compare residence times within the permeable paver catchment basins and the control basin. Sensor network advances are made by bridging the gap between sensor protocols and communication systems. These advances enable the development of open-source representational state transfer web services. Our successful implementation serves as an example for others to study and expand upon for a variety of monitoring solutions.