Contrasting geomorphological storm response from two adjacent shorefaces

Shorefaces play a critical role in cross‐shore sediment transport between the beach and inner shelf, particularly during storm conditions. A comparison and examination of storm‐driven sedimentary changes on two adjacent shorefaces in Northern Ireland, located only 5 km apart, revealed significantly different geomorphological responses. The steeper shoreface at West Strand responded with extensive sediment deposition across almost the entire shoreface, in contrast with the more dissipative and quasi‐linear shoreface at Portstewart, which mostly showed nearshore bar changes. Results from the two sites, which have similar wave/wind characteristics and seabed sediments, suggest that: (i) cross‐shore morphology, (ii) immediately previous (antecedent) shoreface morphodynamic behaviour and (iii) the presence, or lack of, offshore sand appear to be the primary controls on storm‐driven sedimentary changes attributed to the high‐energy event. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Australia Telescope 20-GHz (AT20G) Survey: the Bright Source Sample

The Australia Telescope 20-GHz (AT20G) Survey is a blind survey of the whole southern sky at 20 GHz (with follow-up observations at 4.8 and 8.6 GHz) carried out with the Australia Telescope Compact Array from 2004 to 2007.
The Bright Source Sample (BSS) is a complete flux-limited subsample of the AT20G Survey catalogue comprising 320 extragalactic     ) radio sources south of  δ=−15°  with      Jy. Of these, 218 have near simultaneous observations at 8 and 5 GHz.
In this paper we present an analysis of radio spectral properties in total intensity and polarization, size, optical identifications and redshift distribution of the BSS sources. The analysis of the spectral behaviour shows spectral curvature in most sources with spectral steepening that increases at higher frequencies (the median spectral index α, assuming   S ∝ν^α  , decreases from  α^8.6_4.8= 0.11  between 4.8 and 8.6 GHz to  α²⁰_8.6=−0.16  between 8.6 and 20 GHz), even if the sample is dominated by flat spectra sources (85 per cent of the sample has  α²⁰_8.6 > −0.5)  . The almost simultaneous spectra in total intensity and polarization allowed us a comparison of the polarized and total intensity spectra: polarized fraction slightly increases with frequency, but the shapes of the spectra have little correlation. Optical identifications provided an estimation of redshift for 186 sources with a median value of 1.20 and 0.13, respectively, for QSO and galaxies.     

前陆褶皱冲断带厚皮缩短盐构造运动的物理模拟

尺度物理实验用干石英砂和聚合硅树脂为实验材料,模拟了前陆褶皱冲断带厚皮缩短盐构造,并与薄皮缩短盐构造及无盐层的褶皱冲断带构造模型进行了对比。实验表明,由于塑性盐层的存在,厚皮缩短盐构造呈3层式结构模式。盐上层主要形成敞开褶皱、箱状褶皱、前冲和背冲断层以及冲垒构造,盐下层形成逆冲断层及冲垒构造,断层通常都终止于盐层中。尽管盐层局部变薄或增厚,但不形成刺穿型盐构造。褶皱冲断带不具构造指向特征,其楔形库仑锥剖面呈平台与斜坡两段式形态。模型对比表明,厚皮缩短与薄皮缩短所产生的盐上层构造形态相似,不易区分;但二者的库仑锥剖面有所不同。厚皮前陆褶皱冲断盐构造与无盐层的褶皱冲断构造无论是其几何形态、还是库仑锥剖面都有极大的差别,极易区分：实验结果对解释前陆褶皱冲断构造和寻找盐下油气圈闭都有着重要的指导意义。     

Field measurements of intertidal bar evolution on a high‐energy beach system

Nearshore bars play a pivotal role in coastal behaviour, helping to protect and restore beach systems particularly in post‐storm conditions. Examination of bar behaviour under various forcing conditions is important to help understand the short‐ to medium‐term evolution of sandy beach systems. This study carried out over a nine‐week period examines, the behaviour of three intertidal bars along a high energy sandy beach system in northwest Ireland using high‐frequency topographic surveys and detailed nearshore hydrodynamic modelling. Results show that, in general, there was onshore migration for all the bars during the study period, despite the variability observed between bars, which was driven mostly by wave dominated processes. Under the prevailing conditions migration rates of up to 1.83 m day^?1 and as low as 0.07 m day^?1 were observed. During higher wave energy events the migration rates of the bars decelerated in their onshore route, however, under lower wave energy conditions, they quickly accelerated maintaining their shoreward migration direction. Tidal influence appears to be subordinate in these conditions, being restricted to moderating the localized wave energy at low tides and in maintaining runnel configurations providing accommodation space for advancing slip faces. The study highlights the intricate behavioural patterns of intertidal bar behaviour along a high energy sandy coastline and provides new insights into the relative importance of wave and tidal forcing on bar behaviour over a relatively short time period. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Earthquake early warning scenarios at critical facilities in the Eastern Caribbean

A feasibility study of an earthquake early warning (EEW) system was conducted for the Eastern Caribbean region using scenario earthquakes, corresponding to the maximum credible earthquakes and to the earthquakes associated with a return period of 475 years. Broadband synthetic seismograms were produced at selected critical facilities, where there is potential interest in the installation of an EEW system. The expected damage was derived from the synthetic seismograms and compared with the lead-time determined for both a regional and on-site EEW configuration. Next, the Virtual Seismologist EEW algorithm, as included in SeisComP3, was tested. Additional broadband synthetic seismograms were produced for the stations in the Eastern Caribbean seismic networks in order to simulate the real time behaviour of the seismic networks during the occurrence of the synthetic earthquakes and to assess the predictive capacity of the selected ground motion prediction equation. Expected peak ground parameters and lead-times at the critical facilities constitute the major outcome of the study.     

Simple automatic time-stepping for improved simulation of groundwater hydrographs

An automatic time-stepping algorithm is presented, based on the intensity of driving groundwater recharge, that improves the simulation of groundwater level fluctuations in regional models while maintaining model run-times. The algorithm is implemented in the ZOOMQ3D finite difference groundwater flow code and controls the discretization of time using two user-defined criteria: a maximum time-step length and a maximum recharge per time-step. Daily recharge is accumulated in time until either of these criteria is violated when the model then calculates a solution. The efficiency and accuracy of the algorithm is tested using an idealized groundwater model and an existing regional groundwater model of a UK aquifer. The approach is illustrated using simulations of high groundwater levels and associated groundwater flood events in a responsive, high-diffusivity aquifer. Simulations using the automatic time-stepping technique are presented that reduce the maximum absolute error in groundwater level by 45% and the run-time by 51% compared to models using conventional, a priori defined stress-periods and time-steps.     

Oxidative stress, genotoxicity and histopathology biomarker responses in mullet (Mugil cephalus) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) liver from Bizerte Lagoon (Tunisia)

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of environmental contaminants on oxidative stress, genotoxic and histopathologic biomarkers in liver of mullet (Mugil cephalus) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) collected from a polluted coastal lagoon (Bizerte Lagoon) in comparison to a reference site (the Mediterranean Sea). Antioxidant enzyme activities were lower in fish from the polluted site compared with fish from the reference site, suggesting deficiency of the antioxidant system to compensate for oxidative stress. DNA damage was higher in both fish species from the contaminated site indicating genotoxic effects. The liver histopathological analysis revealed alterations in fish from Bizerte Lagoon. Hepatocytes from both fish species featured extensive lipid-type vacuolation and membrane disruption. Results suggest that the selected biomarkers in both fish species are useful for the assessment of pollution impacts in coastal environments influenced by multiple pollution sources.