Mechanisms of partly flooded loose sand deposits

Partly flooded loose sand deposits are left back from lignite mining, particularly in east Germany. After flooding, gas inclusions in macropores enhance the pore pressure increase by total stress cycles without drainage, and this can cause the transition into a kind of suspension. Thus, natural and technical changes of surface loads triggered flow slides in chain reactions of sometimes catastrophic extent. Such collapsible deposits were and are stabilized by blast-induced liquefaction and densification. Successive collapse fronts in flooded grain skeletons are seismogeneous, and this appears as wavering in the near-field and leads to power-law spectra in the far-field. Apart from this evidence of mild fractality, the wild fractality of chain reactions eludes mathematical treatment. Therefore, uncommon methods of geotechnical design, operations and monitoring are required.     

Phytoplankton Spatial Variability in the River-Dominated Estuary,Apalachicola Bay,Florida

In shallow estuaries with strong river influence, the short residence time and pronounced gradients generate an environment for plankton that differs substantially in its dynamics from that of the open ocean, and the question arises “How is phytoplankton biomass affected?” This study assesses the small-scale spatial and temporal distribution of phytoplankton in Apalachicola Bay, a shallow bar-built estuary in the Florida Panhandle. Phytoplankton peaks were characterized to gain insights into the processes affecting spatial heterogeneity in biomass. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) distribution at 50-m spatial resolution was mapped using a flow-through sensor array, Dataflow©, operated from a boat that sampled four transects across the bay every 2 weeks for 16 months. Chl a peaks exceeding background concentrations had an average width of 1.3?±?0.7 km delineated by an average gradient of 3.0?±?6.0 μg Chl a L^?1 km^?1. Magnitude of E-W wind, velocity of N-S wind, tidal stage, and temperature affected peak characteristics. Phytoplankton contained in the peaks contributed 7.7?±?2.7% of the total integrated biomass observed along the transects during the study period. The river plume front was frequently a location of elevated Chl a, which shifted in response to river discharge. The results demonstrate that despite the shallow water column, river flushing, and strong wind and tidal mixing, distinct patchiness develops that should be taken into consideration in ecological studies and when assessing productivity of such ecosystems.     

Why chromatic imaging matters

During the last two decades, the first generation of beam combiners at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer has proved the importance of optical interferometry for high-angular resolution astrophysical studies in the near- and mid-infrared. With the advent of 4-beam combiners at the VLTI, the u ? v coverage per pointing increases significantly, providing an opportunity to use reconstructed images as powerful scientific tools. Therefore, interferometric imaging is already a key feature of the new generation of VLTI instruments, as well as for other interferometric facilities like CHARA and JWST. It is thus imperative to account for the current image reconstruction capabilities and their expected evolutions in the coming years. Here, we present a general overview of the current situation of optical interferometric image reconstruction with a focus on new wavelength-dependent information, highlighting its main advantages and limitations. As an Appendix we include several cookbooks describing the usage and installation of several state-of-the art image reconstruction packages. To illustrate the current capabilities of the software available to the community, we recovered chromatic images, from simulated MATISSE data, using the MCMC software SQUEEZE. With these images, we aim at showing the importance of selecting good regularization functions and their impact on the reconstruction.     

Application of a spectral correction method for measurements of covariances with fast-response sensors in the atmospheric boundary layer up to a height of 130 m and testing of the corrections

Measurement of meteorological quantities with fast-response sensors by means of the eddycorrelation technique allows calculation of turbulent transport without too severe demands with regard to stationarity and homogeneity. However, the measurement system causes frequency-dependent errors due to measuring height, averaging interval, sampling rate and mean wind speed. A correction method (Moore, 1986) was applied to measurements taken on a 130 m tower located at the German North Sea coast. The errors for 10-min averages, obtained at a height of 10 m were between 20 and 30%, mainly caused by the inertia of the sensors, increasing to between 30 and 60% at 130 m height due to a loss of low-frequency parts of the spectra because of the averaging interval. The corrections to the obtained data were validated by comparing the cospectra calculated from the data with the spectra used for the computation of the correction factors.     

Mineral distribution and feldspar weathering in a saprolite from northeastern Nigeria

Mineral composition was analysed within a saprolite profile from NE Nigeria. The determination of identifiable feldspar phases is only based on X-ray powder diffractograms. Representative K-feldspar fragments were selected for detailed SEM (scanning electron microscope) studies and EDX (energy-dispersive X-ray analysis) from the profile.

The analytical data indicate a significant contrast in weathering states between the lower and the upper profile section. This contrast reflects a different weathering history: the feldspars from the lower section exhibit weathering features that are characteristic for decomposition below the water table. When raised above the water table, another type of decomposition attacked only the feldspars within the upper section while those in the lower section still preserve the older weathering state.     

Direct measurements of volume transports through Fram Strait

Heat and freshwater transports through Fram Strait are understood to have a significant influence on the hydrographic conditions in the Arctic Ocean and on water mass modifications in the Nordic seas. To determine these transports and their variability reliable estimates of the volume transport through the strait are required. Current meter moorings were deployed in Fram Strait from September 1997 to September 1999 in the framework of the EU MAST III Variability of Exchanges in the Northern Seas programme. The monthly mean velocity fields reveal marked velocity variations over seasonal and annual time scales, and the spatial structure of the northward flowing West Spitsbergen Current and the southward East Greenland Current with a maximum in spring and a minimum in summer. The volume transport obtained by averaging the monthly means over two years amounts to 9.5 ± 1.4 Sv to the north and 11.1 ± 1.7 Sv to the south (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³s⁻¹). The West Spitsbergen Current has a strong barotropic and a weaker baroclinic component; in the East Greenland Current barotropic and baroclinic components are of similar magnitude. The net transport through the strait is 4.2 ± 2.3 Sv to the south. The obtained northward and southward transports are significantly larger than earlier estimates in the literature; however, within its range of uncertainty the balance obtained from a two year average is consistent with earlier estimates.     

Climatic change and design criteria in water resources management a regional case study

As a result of the anthropogenic greenhouse effect there is fear of alterations of the world climate, which also may result in hydrological changes and consequently in water resources management. In a case study it was investigated if such changes could be identified for a regional catchment area. Summarized it may be said that the regional analysis of hydro-meteorological data in the catchment area of the Sieg showed the expected effects of the anthropogenic climate change on the regional water cycle. Rises in annual mean temperature and precipitation could be observed over a period from 1892 until 1993. However, a significant relation between evident changes and greenhouse effect could not be stated. Changes in discharge do not show consistent behavior. Especially apparent contradictions show that additional examinations are necessary in order to make the complex natural inter-relationships between climate and regional water cycle with the impacts of existing anthropogenetic interferences visible and applicable for practical engineering tasks.