Chlorine-36 in groundwater of the United States: empirical data

Natural production of the radionuclide chlorine-36 (³⁶Cl) has provided a valuable tracer for groundwater studies. The nuclear industry, especially the testing of thermonuclear weapons, has also produced large amounts of ³⁶Cl that can be detected in many samples of groundwater. In order to be most useful in hydrologic studies, the natural production prior to 1952 should be distinguished from more recent artificial sources. The object of this study was to reconstruct the probable preanthropogenic levels of ³⁶Cl in groundwater in the United States. Although significant local variations exist, they are superimposed on a broad regional pattern of ³⁶Cl/Cl ratios in the United States. Owing to the influence of atmospherically transported ocean salt, natural ratios of ³⁶Cl/total Cl are lowest near the coast and increase to a maximum in the central Rocky Mountains of the United States. Electronic Publication     

Spatial and temporal structure of the Denmark Strait Overflow revealed by acoustic observations

In spite of the fundamental role the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays for global climate stability, no direct current measurement of the Denmark Strait Overflow, which is the densest part of the AMOC, has been available until recently that resolve the cross-stream structure at the sill for long periods. Since 1999, an array of bottom-mounted acoustic instruments measuring current velocity and bottom-to-surface acoustic travel times was deployed at the sill. Here, the optimization of the array configuration based on a numerical overflow model is discussed. The simulation proves that more than 80% of the dense water transport variability is captured by two to three acoustic current profilers (ADCPs). The results are compared with time series from ADCPs and Inverted Echo Sounders deployed from 1999 to 2003, confirming that the dense overflow plume can be reliably measured by bottom-mounted instruments and that the overflow is largely geostrophically balanced at the sill.     

Magma plumbing beneath Anak Krakatau volcano, Indonesia: evidence for multiple magma storage regions

Understanding magma plumbing is essential for predicting the behaviour of explosive volcanoes. We investigate magma plumbing at the highly active Anak Krakatau volcano (Indonesia), situated on the rim of the 1883 Krakatau caldera by employing a suite of thermobarometric models. These include clinopyroxene-melt thermobarometry, plagioclase-melt thermobarometry, clinopyroxene composition barometry and olivine-melt thermometry. Petrological studies have previously identified shallow magma storage in the region of 2–8 km beneath Krakatau, while existing seismic evidence points towards mid- to deep-crustal storage zone(s), at 9 and 22 km, respectively. Our results show that clinopyroxene in Anak Krakatau lavas crystallized at a depth of 7–12 km, while plagioclase records both shallow crustal (3–7 km) and sub-Moho (23–28 km) levels of crystallization. These magma storage regions coincide with well-constrained major lithological boundaries in the crust, implying that magma ascent and storage at Anak Krakatau is strongly controlled by crustal properties. A tandem seismic tomography survey independently identified a separate upper crustal (<7 km) and a lower to mid-crustal magma storage region (>7 km). Both petrological and seismic methods are sensitive in detecting magma bodies in the crust, but suffer from various limitations. Combined geophysical and petrological surveys, in turn, offer increased potential for a comprehensive characterization of magma plumbing at active volcanic complexes.     

Climate change influences on pollinator,forest, and farm interactions across a climate gradient

Improved cookstoves have been identified in Mexico as a key opportunity to advance sustainable local development priorities in disadvantaged regions while mitigating climate change. This paper reviews the Patsari Cookstove Project initiated in 2003 by an NGO, Interdisciplinary Group on Appropriate Rural Technology (GIRA). The project applied an interdisciplinary and participative user-centered approach to disseminate improved cookstoves in rural Mexico, with a special focus on indigenous and poor rural communities. To date, GIRA and the Patsari Network have disseminated thousands of stoves using a “training to trainers” model. Benefits from the project include tangible improvements in users’ health, as well as savings in time and money expended on fuelwood procurement and use. The project has also documented substantive environmental benefits from significant mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with traditional open fires. To sustain scaling up efforts over the long-term, two networks have been created: The Patsari Network, which includes several organizations promoting Patsari stoves for household users, and the Tsiri Network, which supports local food security and the empowerment of indigenous women through the promotion of institutional cookstoves. Through appropriately designed and implemented local interventions, the project demonstrates that the goals of advancing sustainable local development in rural areas and climate change mitigation may not be contradictory, and may in fact reinforce one another.     

Multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) for seismic site characterization using 2D genetic algorithm at Bahrah area,Wadi Fatima,Saudi Arabia

The present study deals with the seismic site classification of Bahrah area, Wadi Fatima, to characterize the local site conditions. The dynamic behavior of sediments was studied by the application of surface wave inversion. The multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) shallow geophysical technique was utilized for site classification. MASW survey was carried out at 66 sites along with 13 seismic refraction profiles at suitable localities. MASW and seismic refraction profiles were processed and compared with the available borehole data. The integration of MASW techniques with seismic refraction and borehole data progressively enhanced the subsurface visualization and reliability of the shear wave velocity estimation in the subsurface in the study area. The subsurface shear-wave velocity model was achieved by the solution of an inverse problem-based dispersion of surface waves and propagation in a vertically heterogeneous medium. The 2D genetic algorithm was employed for the inversion of dispersion curves to obtain velocity and thickness of subsurface layers. The depth to engineering bedrock and velocity of shear waves in the first 30 m was deciphered and mapped. The depth of bedrock in study area varies from 4 to 30 m, and V _{S 30} ranges from 320 to 800 m/s. The most of study area falls in B and C class categories in addition to few sites of D class according to the NEHRP guidelines.     

Mapping the Land Cover of Mexico Using AVHRR Time‐Series Data Sets

Abstract

An important methodological and analytical requirement for analyzing spatial relationships between regional habitats and species distributions in Mexico is the development of standard methods for mapping the country's land cover/land use formations. This necessarily involves the use of global data such as that produced by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). We created a nine‐band time‐series composite image from AVHRR Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) bi‐weekly data. Each band represented the maximum NDVI for a particular month of either 1992 or 1993. We carried out a supervised classification approach, using the latest comprehensive land cover/vegetation map created by the Mexican National Institute of Geography (INEGI) as reference data. Training areas for 26 land cover/vegetation types were selected and digitized on the computer's screen by overlaying the INEGI vector coverage on the NDVI image. To obtain specific spectral responses for each vegetation type, as determined by its characteristic phenology and geographic location, the statistics of the spectral signatures were subjected to a cluster analysis. A total of 104 classes distributed among the 26 land cover types were used to perform the classification. Elevation data were used to direct classification output for pine‐oak and coastal vegetation types. The overall correspondence value of the classification proposed in this paper was 54%; however, for main vegetation formations correspondence values were higher (60‐80%). In order to obtain refinements in the proposed classification we recommend further analysis of the signature statistics and adding topographic data into the classification algorithm.     

Revealing the energy sources of alternating intensity regimes of the evolving Alberto tropical cyclone using microwave satellite sensing data

The trajectory characteristics and the intensity evolution of the Alberto tropical cyclone (TC) in the integral water-vapor field are analyzed in detail using a software-algorithmic complex designed for constructing highly detailed global radio-thermal fields of the ocean-atmosphere system based on microwave satellite measurements. This complex was developed by the authors earlier and allows one to obtain global animated radio-thermal fields with a time step of 1.5 h and a spatial resolution of 0.2°. Special attention is paid to the problem of revealing the energy sources of three consecutive intensifications of this TC. The analysis of satellite data with the use of the animation method developed by the authors shows for the first time that these sources are regions with an increased (exceeding the critical level) integral water-vapor content located in different geographical areas lying along the complex trajectory of the TC with a variable intensity. The first region was located in the equatorial intertropical convergence zone, the second was located above the Gulf Stream water area, and the third resided in the area affected by the Azores High.     

Combining pixel and object based image analysis of ultra-high resolution multibeam bathymetry and backscatter for habitat mapping in shallow marine waters

Habitat mapping data are increasingly being recognised for their importance in underpinning marine spatial planning. The ability to collect ultra-high resolution (cm) multibeam echosounder (MBES) data in shallow waters has facilitated understanding of the fine-scale distribution of benthic habitats in these areas that are often prone to human disturbance. Developing quantitative and objective approaches to integrate MBES data with ground observations for predictive modelling is essential for ensuring repeatability and providing confidence measures for habitat mapping products. Whilst supervised classification approaches are becoming more common, users are often faced with a decision whether to implement a pixel based (PB) or an object based (OB) image analysis approach, with often limited understanding of the potential influence of that decision on final map products and relative importance of data inputs to patterns observed. In this study, we apply an ensemble learning approach capable of integrating PB and OB Image Analysis from ultra-high resolution MBES bathymetry and backscatter data for mapping benthic habitats in Refuge Cove, a temperate coastal embayment in south-east Australia. We demonstrate the relative importance of PB and OB seafloor derivatives for the five broad benthic habitats that dominate the site. We found that OB and PB approaches performed well with differences in classification accuracy but not discernible statistically. However, a model incorporating elements of both approaches proved to be significantly more accurate than OB or PB methods alone and demonstrate the benefits of using MBES bathymetry and backscatter combined for class discrimination.     

Probabilistic Analysis and Design of a Strip Footing on Layered Soil Media

In the present paper, the analysis of a strip footing resting on a layered soil system has been carried out considering the elastic moduli of soil layers as random variables. Three layers of soil have been considered and the analysis employs Monte Carlo simulation. The modulus of elasticity has been considered as random variable having lognormal distribution. Factors of safety with respect to settlement of footing and the interfacial stresses have been determined and have been related to the associated risk factor and coefficient of variation of the random variable. A detailed parametric study revealed that for a given risk level, the factors of safety is strongly dependent on the coefficient of variation of elastic modulus and only mildly upon other parameters of the soil?Cfoundation system. This facilitated the development of closed form equations for the upper bounds on factors of safety only in terms of allowable risk of failure and the coefficient of variation of elastic modulus.     

Quantitative Simulation of the Hydrothermal Systems of Crystallizing Magmas on the Basis of Transport Theory and Oxygen Isotope Data: An analysis of the Skaergaard Intrusion

Application of the principles of transport theory to studiesof magma-hydrothermal systems permits quantitative predictionsto be made of the consequences of magma intruding into permeablerocks. Transport processes which redistribute energy, mass,and momentum in these environments can be represented by a setof partial differential equations involving the rate of changeof extensive properties in the system. Numerical approximationand computer evaluation of the transport equations effectivelysimulates the crystallization of magma, cooling of the igneousrocks, advection of chemical components, and chemical and isotopicmass transfer between minerals and aqueous solution. Numerical modeling of the deep portions of the Skaergaard magma-hydrothermalsystem has produced detailed maps of the temperature, pressure,fluid velocity, integrated fluid flux, ¹⁸O-values in rock andfluid, and extent of nonequilibrium exchange reactions betweenfluid and rock as a function of time for a two-dimensional cross-sectionthrough the pluton. An excellent match was made between calculated¹⁸O-values and the measured ¹⁸O-values in the three principalrock units, basalt, gabbro, and gneiss, as well as in xenolithsof roof rocks that are now embedded in Layered Series; the latterwere evidently depleted in ¹⁸O early in the system's coolinghistory, prior to falling to the bottom of the magma chamber.The best match was realized for a system in which the bulk rockpermeabilities were 10^–13 cm² for the intrusion, 10^–11cm² for basalt, and 10^–16 cm² for gneiss; reaction domainsizes were 0.2 cm in the intrusion and gneiss and 0.01 cm inthe basalts, and activation energy for the isotope exchangereaction between fluid and plagioclase was 30 kcal/mole. The calculated thermal history of the Skaergaard system wascharacterized by extensive fluid circulation that was largelyrestricted to the permeable basalts and to regions of the plutonstratigraphically above the basalt-gneiss unconformity. Althoughfluids circulated all around the crystallizing magma, fluidflow paths were deflected around the magma sheet during theinitial 130,000 years. At that time, crystallization of thefinal sheet of magma and fracture of the rock shifted the circulationsystem toward the center of the intrusion, thereby minimizingthe extent of isotope exchange between rocks near the marginof the intrusion at this level. For comparison, similar calculationswere also made for pure conductive cooling; it was found thatthe rate of crystallization of the magma body was not changed.The solidified pluton cooled by a factor of about 2 faster inthe presence of a hydrothermal system. Transport rates of thermal energy out of the intrusion and oflow-¹⁸O fluids into the intrusion controlled the overall isotopeexchange process. During the initial 150,000 years, temperatureswere high and reaction rates were fast; thus, fluids flowinginto the intrusion quickly equilibrated with plagioclase. However,the temperature decreased between 120,000 and 175,000 yearsand caused a decrease in reaction rates and an increase in theequilibrium fractionation factor between plagioclase and fluid.Consequently, during this time period fluids in the intrusiontended to be out of equilibrium with plagioclase. After 175,000years temperatures had decreased sufficiently that reactionrates became insignificant, but convection rates were largeenough to redistribute fluid and enlarge the regions where fluidand plagioclase were out of equilibrium. By 400,000 years, thepluton had cooled to approximately ambient temperatures, andthe final ¹⁸O values were ‘frozen in’. Reactionsbetween hydrothermal fluid and the intrusion occurred over abroad range in temperature, 1000-200 °C, but 75 per centof the fluid circulated through the intrusion while its averagetemperature was >480 °C. This relatively high temperatureis consistent with the observation that only minor amounts ofhydrothermal alteration products were formed in the naturalsystem, even where several per mil shifts in ¹⁸O were detected. The relative quantities of fluid to rock integrated over theentire cooling history were 0.52 for the upper part of intrusion,0.88 for the basalt, 0.003 for the gneiss, and 0.41 for theentire domain. Almost all of the fluid flowed into the intrusionfrom the basalt host rocks that occur adjacent to the side contactsof the intrusion. Convection transferred about 20 per cent ofthe total heat contained in the gabbro upward into the overlyingbasalts; the remaining 80 per cent of the heat was transferredby conduction.