Neoproterozoic podiform chromitites in serpentinites of the Abu Meriewa–Hagar Dungash district, Eastern Desert, Egypt: Geotectonic implications and metamorphism

Podiform chromitites hosted in serpentinites (after harzburgite and dunite) and talc‐carbonate rocks from the Abu Meriewa–Hagar Dungash district (MHD), Eastern Desert of Egypt, together with metagabbros, pillow metavolcanics, and metasediments, form an ophiolitic mélange formed during the Neoproterozoic Pan‐African Orogeny. The chromitites show massive, disseminated, and nodular textures. Chromite cores in chromitites have high and restricted ranges of Cr# (0.65–0.75) and Mg# (0.64–0.83), implying primary compositions not affected by metamorphism. Therefore, they are used as reliable indicators of parent magma composition and tectonic affinities of these highly metamorphosed rocks. On the contrary, the altered rims are high‐Cr, low‐Fe³⁺ spinel (rather than ferritchromit) enriched in Cr, Fe, and Mn, and depleted in Al and Mg (Cr# = 0.75–0.97, Mg# = 0.29–0.79), due to equilibration with interstitial silicates during regional metamorphism up to transitional greenschist–amphibolite facies at about 500–550°C. The primary chromite compositions suggest derivation from a high‐Mg tholeiitic, to possibly boninitic, parental magma in a supra‐subduction zone (arc–marginal basin) environment, similar to the spatially associated metavolcanic rocks. The MHD chromitites are most probably formed by melt–rock interaction mechanisms. The high Cr# of the investigated chromites suggests high degrees of partial melting of a depleted harzburgite source by interaction with primitive basaltic melt of deeper origin followed by mixing. Such Cr‐rich chromites are common in chromitites from the Eastern Desert of Egypt, implying broad thermal anomalies, possibly linked to an important geodynamic feature of the Arabian–Nubian Shield (ANS) evolution. This could revive interest in models that involve asthenospheric uprise, related to plume interaction or most probably due to oblique convergence of arc terranes during early evolution of the ANS.     

Environmental and Health Impacts of Successive Mineral Fertilization in Egypt

Excessive amounts of mineral fertilizers are unnecessarily applied to agricultural soils in Egypt to increase crop yield. The current study aims at assessing the impacts of fertilization with different mineral fertilizers for different cultivation periods on the accumulation of heavy metals in soils and plants grown thereon. In addition, human risks resulted due to the exposure to these metal ions through ingestion, and dermal routes were evaluated. Soil and plant samples were collected from several locations in El‐Behira Governorate, Egypt and their heavy metal contents were measured. The result indicated that there is a continuous accumulation of heavy metals in the soils and the plants grown thereon. Calculation of the hazard index (HI) revealed that humans, especially children, have a potential health risk for both Pb and Cd, which have levels greater than the safe level (1). Finally, the obtained results showed that the continuous application of mineral fertilizers containing high levels of heavy metals pose a potential health threat.     

Broad-band calibration of marine seismic sources used by R/V Polarstern for academic research in polar regions

Air guns and air-gun arrays of different volumes are used for scientific seismic surveys with R/V Polarstern in polar regions. To assess the potential risk of these research activities on marine mammal populations, knowledge of the sound pressure field of the seismic sources is essential. Therefore, a broad-band (0–80 kHz) calibration study was conducted at the Heggernes Acoustic Range, Norway. A GI (2.4 l), a G (8.5 l) and a Bolt gun (32.8 l) were deployed as single sources, 3 GI (7.4 l), 3 G (25.6 l) and 8 VLF™ Prakla-Seismos air guns (24.0 l) as arrays. Each configuration was fired along a line of 3–4 km length running between two hydrophone chains with receivers in 35, 100, 198 and 263 m depth. Peak-to-peak, zero-to-peak, rms and sound exposure levels (SEL) were analysed as functions of range. They show the typical dipole-like directivity of marine seismic sources with amplitude cancellation close to the sea surface, higher amplitudes in greater depths, and sound pressure levels which continuously decrease with range. Levels recorded during the approach are lower than during the departure indicating a shadowing effect of Polarsterns's hull. Backcalculated zero-to-peak source levels range from 224–240 dB re 1 μPa @ 1 m. Spectral source levels are highest below 100 Hz and amount to 182–194 dB re 1 μPa Hz^–1. They drop off continuously with range and frequency. At 1 kHz they are ∼30 dB, at 80 kHz ∼60 dB lower than the peak level. Above 1 kHz amplitude spectra are dominated by Polarstern's self-noise. From the rms and sound exposure levels of the deepest hydrophone radii for different thresholds are derived. For a 180 dB rms-level threshold radii maximally vary between 200 and 600 m, for a 186 dB SEL threshold between 50 and 300 m.     

The near-field method: a modified equivalent linear method for dynamic soil–structure interaction analysis. Part II: verification and example application

Usually for modeling of soil in a direct soil–structure interaction (SSI) problem, the equivalent linear soil properties are used. However, this approach is not valid in the vicinity of a foundation, where the soil experiences large strains and a high level of nonlinearity because of structural vibrations. The near-field method was developed and described in a companion paper to overcome this limitation. This method considers the effects of large strains and suggests a shear modulus and a damping ratio further modified in the near-field of a foundation. Validity and performance of this approach are evaluated, application examples are explained and the results of a parametric study about the role of soil and structure parameters in the extent of SSI effects on the nonlinear seismic response of structures are presented in this paper. One real existing and five, ten, fifteen and twenty story moment-resisting frame steel buildings with two different site conditions corresponding to firm and soft soils are considered and the responses obtained from the near-field method are compared with the recorded and rigorous responses. Moreover, various SSI modeling techniques are employed to investigate the accuracy and performance of each approach. The results show that the near-field method is a simple yet accurate enough approach for analysis of direct SSI problems.     

Thermal regime and amplitude of lithosphere extension in the Sirte basin, Libya: Numerical estimates in the plane basin modeling system

The GALO basin modeling system has been applied for the numerical reconstruction of the subsidence history, variations in temperature, and maturity of the organic matter of sedimentary rocks composing the main tectonic structures of Sirte Basin. The reconstruction was carried out for eight sedimentary cross sections along the profile stretching from the Cyrenaica Platform on the eastern coast of the basin to the Hun Graben on its western wall. The interval of depths for temperature calculations included the sedimentary layer, consolidated crust, and the mantle to below 100 km. This extensive depth coverage made it possible to use the analysis of the variations in the tectonic subsidence of the basin for estimating the amplitudes and duration of the events of thermal activation and extension of the lithosphere of the basin in the history of its evolution. The modeling suggests that thermal activations of the lithosphere in the Albian-Cenomanian and Oligocene-Pleistocene are common for all tectonic structures of the Sirte Basin and the Cyrenaica Platform and that a relatively high temperature regime is also characteristic of the present-day conditions in the Sirte Basin and Cyrenaica Platform. To a considerable extent, such a regime is caused by the thermal activation of the lithosphere of the basin during the last 10 Ma. The intensity of this activation is highest in the western part of the basin, where it is accompanied by the highest erosion amplitudes. The analysis of the variations in tectonic subsidence of the basement also suggests a series of intervals of lithospheric extension, which accounts for the stages of relatively rapid subsidence of the basin. Two intervals of significant extension of the lithosphere in the Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene are common for all areas within the basin. Here, the total amplitudes of the crustal extension attained 1.5 in the central part of the Sirte Basin (the Ajdabiya and Maradah troughs and Zelten and Dahra platforms), was equal to 1.3 in the Hameimat and Zallah troughs, and were minimal (1.11–1.17) in the periphery of the basin (within the Hun Graben and Cyrenaica Platform).     

Magnetic signature of indoor air pollution: Household dust study

The combination of magnetic and geochemical methods was used to determine the mineralogy, grain size and domain structure of magnetic particles in indoor dust collected in 195 sites in Warsaw, Poland. Data show an asymmetric distribution of magnetic susceptibility (χ) in the wide range of 20–1514 × 10^?8 m³ kg^?1. Comparison of magnetic parameters shows that the internal dust contains outside pollution characteristic for air and soil. More than 90% of indoor dust samples were characterized by roughly uniform magnetic mineralogy, typical for fine grained magnetite (diameter of 0.2–5 μm), and grain size between pseudo-single-domain and small multi-domain with small contribution of superpara-magnetic particles (～10%). Samples with χ larger than 220 × 10^?8 m³ kg^?1 contain mainly magnetite and an anthropogenic metallic Fe with T _C > 700°C. The indoor dust contains, characteristic for the urban areas, spherical magnetic particles originated from fossil fuel combustion processes and mixture of irregular angular iron-oxides grains containing other elements, including Na, Ca, Al, Si, K, S, Mn, Cl, and Mg.     

Seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton with relation to physicochemical water parameters above and below the hydroelectric plant on the Pasłęka River (North-East Poland)

The study of seasonal dynamics of net phytoplankton was carried out above and below the hydroelectric plant (HP) on the Pas ka River. Correlations were found between the abundance of diatoms and conductivity, O₂, PO₄; the abundance of cyanobacteria and water temperature and conductivity, and the abundance of chlorophytes and O₂ and N_tot. Multiple correlations revealed the most significant factor for diatom development is PO₄, for cyanobacteria is water temperature, and for chlorophytes is N_tot. A lower abundance and biomass of phytoplankton, and less species diversity and nutrient concentrations were registered below the HP than above it. The seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton abundance provided similar results. The maximum biomass of the assemblage was found earlier below the HP, in April, than above it, in May. However, no differences were recorded in the dominant species within phytoplankton abundance. The phytoplankton biomass was dominated by the Melosira varians and Spirogyra sp., which are typical taxa of plant periphyton and possibly emanate from the concrete elements of the dam. This HP changed the local hydrological and environmental conditions, affecting available nutrients, and thereby phytoplankton development in the vegetative season.     

Applicability of Wakeby distribution in flood frequency analysis: a case study for eastern Australia

Parametric method of flood frequency analysis (FFA) involves fitting of a probability distribution to the observed flood data at the site of interest. When record length at a given site is relatively longer and flood data exhibits skewness, a distribution having more than three parameters is often used in FFA such as log‐Pearson type 3 distribution. This paper examines the suitability of a five‐parameter Wakeby distribution for the annual maximum flood data in eastern Australia. We adopt a Monte Carlo simulation technique to select an appropriate plotting position formula and to derive a probability plot correlation coefficient (PPCC) test statistic for Wakeby distribution. The Weibull plotting position formula has been found to be the most appropriate for the Wakeby distribution. Regression equations for the PPCC tests statistics associated with the Wakeby distribution for different levels of significance have been derived. Furthermore, a power study to estimate the rejection rate associated with the derived PPCC test statistics has been undertaken. Finally, an application using annual maximum flood series data from 91 catchments in eastern Australia has been presented. Results show that the developed regression equations can be used with a high degree of confidence to test whether the Wakeby distribution fits the annual maximum flood series data at a given station. The methodology developed in this paper can be adapted to other probability distributions and to other study areas. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Discrimination test between the Halphen (A and B) and the gamma distributions

Hydrological frequency analysis is the most widely used method to estimate risk for extreme values. The most used statistical distributions to fit extreme value data in hydrology can be regrouped in three classes: class C of regularly varying distributions, class D of sub exponential and class E, Exponential depending on their tail behavior. The Halphen distributions (Halphen type A (HA), Halphen type B (HB)) are separated by the Gamma distribution; these three distributions belong to class D and can be displayed in the (δ₁, δ₂) moment-ratio diagram. In this study, a statistical test for discriminating between HA, HB and the Gamma distribution is developed. The methodology is based on: (1) the generation of N samples of different sizes n around the Gamma curve; (2) the determination of the confidence zones around the Gamma curve for each fixed couple (δ₁, δ₂) moment-ratios and finally; (3) the study of the power of the test developed and the calculation of the type 2 error β and the power of the test which is 1-β for a fixed significance level α. Results showed that the test is powerful especially for high coefficients of skewness. This test will be included in Decision Support System of the HYFRAN-PLUS software.     

Long-Term and Short-Term Variations of Sea Level in Eastern Canada: A Review

This is a review of sea level data performed at three selected stations (Québec-Lauzon, Harrington Harbour,and Halifax) in eastern Canada in order to investigate the seasonal trends and other long-term and short-term changes which occurred since the beginning of the 20th century. Stations situated in riverine or estuarine regions (e.g., Québec-Lauzon) are significantly affected by freshwater flow in their annual cycle of sea level changes and exhibit a definite maximum in spring and minimum in autumn-winter. Other stations situated in the eastern half of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (e.g., Harrington Harbour) or near the open Atlantic coast (Halifax) mainly follow the general cycle of subarctic regions, with lows in spring-summer and highs in autumn-winter. Such seasonal variations appear to be related to the atmospheric pressure and baroclinic current variations. Secular trends in mean sea level in eastern Canadian waterbodies show a mean rise of about 2.56 mm/yr -1 due to tectonic motions, that is, land subsidence. At several stations in eastern Canada, evidence is found for the influence of the nodal tide (18.6 years), the sunspot cycle (10.8 years), the lunar perigee (8.47 years), the pole tide (14.5 months), the annual cycle (12 months), and semiannual tidal cycle (6 months) in sea level records. Beside long-term oscillations with periods of more than one year, evidence is found for high energetic semidiurnal and diurnal tides where they contribute largely (from 90-95%) to short term variability of sea level. In the residual signal (variations of sea level--tidal variations), short-term variations between 2 to 30 days can be attributed to meterological forcing (atmospheric pressure and winds), longitudinal seiches (2-10 h), atmospheric tides (12 h and 24 h) and inertial oscillations (16-18 h). A regressive model showed that the water discharge from the St. Lawrence River contributes 29% to the monthly residual sea level at Québec-Lauzon. The atmospheric pressure and winds contribute respectively 8.1% and 8.9% at this station. They contribute 52.1% and 7.7% at Harrington Harbour and 41.8% and 14.3% at Halifax. The regression coefficients of residual sea level on atmospheric pressure are respectively estimated to be -1.507 cm. ( hPa ) -1 ( - 0.345 cm. ( hPa ) -1 ), -0.776 cm. ( hPa ) -1 ( - 0.112 cm. ( hPa ) -1 ) and -0.825 cm. ( hPa ) -1 ( - 0.008 cm. ( hPa ) -1 ) at the three stations. Compared to the coefficient of the inverted barometer, estimated to be -1 cm. ( hPa ) -1 , these effects of the atmospheric pressure on sea level variations seem to be amplified at Que´bec-Lauzon by the wind effects (and water discharge) while they are reduced at Harrington Harbour and Halifax.