Submarine groundwater discharge of nutrients to the ocean along a coastal lagoon barrier, Southern Brazil

The Patos–Mirim Lagoon system along the southern coast of Brazil is linked to the coastal ocean by a narrow mouth and by groundwater transport through a Holocene barrier. Although other groundwater systems are apparently active in this region, the hydraulic head of the lagoon, the largest in South America, drives groundwater transport to the coast. Water levels in wells placed in the barrier respond to changing water level in the lagoon. The wells also provide a measure of the nutrient concentrations of groundwater flowing toward the ocean. Additionally, temporary well points were used to obtain nutrient samples in groundwater on the beach face of the barrier. These samples revealed a subterranean freshwater–seawater mixing zone over a ca. 240 km shoreline. Previously published results of radium isotopic analyses of groundwater and of surface water from cross-shelf transects were used to estimate a water flux of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to nearshore surface waters of 8.5 × 10⁷ m³/day. Using this SGD and the nutrient concentrations in different compartments, nutrient fluxes between groundwater and surface water were estimated. Fluxes were computed using both average and median reservoir (i.e. groundwater and surface water) nutrient concentrations. The SGD total dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphate and silicate fluxes (2.42, 0.52, 5.92 × 10⁶ mol day^− 1, respectively) may represent as much as 55% (total N) to 10% (Si) of the nutrient fluxes to the adjacent shelf environment. Assuming nitrogen limitation, SGD may be capable of supporting a production rate of ca. 3000 g C m² year^− 1in the nearshore surf zone in this region.     

Simulation of Geological Contacts from Interpreted Geological Model Using Multiple-Point Statistics

Applications of multiple-point statistics (mps) algorithms to large non-repetitive geological objects such as those found in mining deposits are difficult because most mps algorithms rely on pattern repetition for simulation. In many cases, an interpreted geological model built from a computer-aided design system is readily available but suffers as a training image due to the lack of patterns repetitiveness. Porphyry copper deposits and iron ore formations are good examples of such mining deposits with non-repetitive patterns. This paper presents an algorithm called contactsim that focuses on reproducing the patterns of the contacts between geological types. The algorithm learns the shapes of the lithotype contacts as interpreted by the geologist, and simulates their patterns at a later stage. Defining a zone of uncertainty around the lithological contact is a critical step in contactsim, because it defines both the zones where the simulation is performed and where the algorithm should focus to learn the transitional patterns between lithotypes. A larger zone of uncertainty results in greater variation between realizations. The definition of the uncertainty zone must take into consideration the geological understanding of the deposit, and the reliability of the contact zones. The contactsim algorithm is demonstrated on an iron ore formation.     

Nonlinear Evolution of Thermal Structures. Numerical Approach

A numerical algorithm using a two stage, two level difference scheme has been developed to solve the heat transfer equation with nonlinear heat diffusion and bulk energy losses. The algorithm is an extension of the scheme developed by Meek and Norbury (1982). The first stage calculates an intermediate value which is used in a second stage to estimate a new value. The scheme is consistent, second-order convergent in space and almost second order in time. It has been applied to the nonlinear stability and time evolution of thermal structures constituted by optically thin plasmas with solar abundances. The configuration has been assumed to be heated at a rate T^m, cooled at a rate Tⁿ and a thermal conduction coefficient T^k. In particular, the second order analytical approximation considered in previous papers (Ibáñez and Rosenzweig, 1995; Steele and Ibáñez, 1997) has been worked out for arbitrary amplitude of the initial temperature disturbance. Particular cases of interest in Astrophysics are considered.     

Stellar Motions in Galactic Satellites

The study of the motions of the stars that belong to a galactic satellite (i.e. a globular cluster or a dwarf galaxy orbiting a larger one) has some similarities, as well as significant differences, with that of the restricted three-body problem of celestial mechanics. The high percentage of chaotic orbits present in some models is of particular interest because it rises, on the one hand, the question of the origin of those chaotic motions and, on the other hand, the question of whether an equilibrium stellar system can be built when the bulk of the stars that make it up behave chaotically.     

Improving GSMaP V06 precipitation products over the Upper Tocantins River basin in the Brazilian Cerrado,based on local rain-gauge network

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Gridded precipitation products from remote sensing are currently available and could potentially enhance the use of precipitation data in regions with sparse...     

A methodology for structural analysis and optimization of riser connection joints

In riser structural systems, the region where the riser is connected to the platform is critical due to the development of high stress levels. To reduce the stress concentration in this region, bend stiffeners and stress joints are used in order to provide a gradual stiffness transition between the riser and the platform. The present paper presents an optimization design approach for bend stiffeners and stress joints, using a slender beam procedure for the connection joint analysis and an evolution strategies multi-objective optimization algorithm. This approach produces similar results when compared to a finite element analysis of the complete riser, but with significant reduction of computational costs. Numerical examples are presented, showing the efficiency and robustness of the suggested methodology.     

Evolution of hard gluons in a medium with q^(t)∼tn and the thermalization problem

We study the energy distribution of hard gluons traversing a dense quark-gluon plasma by comparing various transverse momentum broadening rates , using a probabilistic perturbative approach. These results were applied to address the thermalization problem in heavy ion collisions. Within the weak coupling model, thermalization follows a “bottom-up” process: early-formed high-energy partons emit low-energy gluons, leading to their equilibrium formation, creating a thermal bath that facilitates equilibrium in the high-energy sector. Under this scenario, we model the time dependencies of $$ as a power-law $$, and assess the impact of $$ on the distribution of hard gluons passing through the medium.     

Adaptive POD model reduction for solute transport in heterogeneous porous media

We study the applicability of a model order reduction technique to the solution of transport of passive scalars in homogeneous and heterogeneous porous media. Transport dynamics are modeled through the advection-dispersion equation (ADE) and we employ Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) as a strategy to reduce the computational burden associated with the numerical solution of the ADE. Our application of POD relies on solving the governing ADE for selected times, termed snapshots. The latter are then employed to achieve the desired model order reduction. We introduce a new technique, termed Snapshot Splitting Technique (SST), which allows enriching the dimension of the POD subspace and damping the temporal increase of the modeling error. Coupling SST with a modeling strategy based on alternating over diverse time scales the solution of the full numerical transport model to its reduced counterpart allows extending the benefit of POD over a prolonged temporal window so that the salient features of the process can be captured at a reduced computational cost. The selection of the time scales across which the solution of the full and reduced model are alternated is linked to the Péclet number (P e), representing the interplay between advective and dispersive processes taking place in the system. Thus, the method is adaptive in space and time across the heterogenous structure of the domain through the combined use of POD and SST and by way of alternating the solution of the full and reduced models. We find that the width of the time scale within which the POD-based reduced model solution provides accurate results tends to increase with decreasing P e. This suggests that the effects of local-scale dispersive processes facilitate the POD method to capture the salient features of the system dynamics embedded in the selected snapshots. Since the dimension of the reduced model is much lower than that of the full numerical model, the methodology we propose enables one to accurately simulate transport at a markedly reduced computational cost.     

Spatial and temporal changes in reef fish assemblages on disturbed coral reefs,north Pacific coast of Costa Rica

Benthic structure of coral reefs determines the availability of refuges and food sources. Therefore, structural changes caused by natural and anthropogenic disturbances can have negative impacts on reef‐associated communities. During the 1990s, coral reefs from Bahía Culebra were considered among the most diverse ecosystems along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica; however, recently they have undergone severe deterioration as consequence of chronic stressors such as El Niño‐Southern Oscillation and harmful algal blooms. Reef fish populations in this area have also been intensely exploited. This study compared reef fish assemblages during two periods (1995–1996 and 2014–2016), to determine whether they have experienced changes as a result of natural and anthropogenic disturbances. For both periods, benthic composition and reef fish abundance were recorded using underwater visual censuses. Live coral cover (LCC) decreased from 43.09 ± 18.65% in 1995–1996 to 1.25 ± 2.42% in 2014–2016 (U = 36, p < 0.05). Macroalgal cover (%) in 2014–2016 was sixfold higher than mean values reported for the Eastern Tropical Pacific region. Mean (±SD) fish species richness in 1995–1996 (36.67 ± 14.20) was higher than in 2014–2016 (23.00 ± 9.14; U = 20, p < 0.05). Over 40% of reef fish orders observed in 1995–1996 were not detected in the 2014–2016 surveys, including large‐bodied predators. Reduction in abundance of fish predators such as sharks, grunts, and snappers is likely attributed to changes in habitat structure. Herbivorous such as parrotfishes and pufferfishes increased their abundance at sites with low LCC, probably in response to predators decline and increased algal cover. These findings revealed significant degradation and drastic loss of structural complexity in coral reefs from Bahía Culebra, which now are dominated by macroalgae. The large reduction in structural complexity of coral reefs has resulted in the loss of diversity and key ecological roles (e.g., predation and herbivory), thus potentially reducing the resilience of the entire ecosystem.