Keplerian expansions in terms of Henrard's practical variables

Formulae for the Keplerian expansions in terms of Henrard's practical variables are given. Two different methods were applied: one using the Bessel functions and one based on the Lie transforms. The former involves less series products, but the latter is more flexible and universal.     

Origin and post-glacial evolution of surface cracks: A case study from the area of the Last Glaciation,north-eastern Poland

The analysis of LiDAR-based digital elevation models revealed the existence of groups of longitudinal fractures in the ground in northern Poland at the limit of the ice sheet's extent during its last maximum. Our research on the closed elongated depressions (CEDs) of the Jedwabno test field (Szuć site, north-east Poland) focuses on explaining their origins and their post-glacial history. This region was covered by an ice sheet and glacitectonically active during the Vistulian, and at least some surface fractures are possible witnesses to this activity. Using geomorphological mapping, sedimentological and geophysical research, we assumed it was related that the origin of these features here is associated with groundwater migration at the end of the Vistulian glaciation or later when groundwater flow intensified due to a rapid climate warming that caused permafrost to melt. The thawing of permafrost caused to transition from continuous permafrost to discontinuous, which in turn created groundwater flow that was probably responsible for the development of the surface cracks (fractures). Radiocarbon, palaeobiological (pollen, Cladocera) and geochemical studies allowed for an estimation of the formation time of these unique surface cracks in the Older Dryas. Prevailing conditions were also reconstructed for the later dynamic changes of the end of the Late Vistulian glaciation and in the Late Holocene until the Subatlantic Period (Megalayan stage). The surface cracks with steep slopes, despite their small area, are extraordinary sedimentation traps that have, in a special way, retained an almost complete record of the environmental and climate changes of the Late Glacial. There are sedimentological gaps in the Holocene, especially after the Preboreal (old part of the Greenlandian Stage), caused by changes in water levels, aeolian processes and human activity.     

A dendroclimatological study of east- and west-facing slopes in mountainous areas subjected to strong air pollution (the Sudetes,Central Europe)

The Sudetes Mountains (Central Europe) were under a particularly intense long-term air pollution load during the 1970s and 1980s. Intense industrial activity in this area led to large-scale forest dieback and reductions in tree growth rates, potentially limiting the use of tree-ring data from this region in dendroclimatic research. In this paper, ring-width chronologies were constructed for 493 Norway spruce trees (Picea abies L. Karst.) from 17 sampling sites within five major mountain ranges in the Sudetes Mountains of Poland. Growth-climate response data indicate that April?July temperatures are the main factor affecting radial growth of trees in the study area. Our data also indicate the strong influence of slope aspect on temperature signal strength. The lowest correlation values were obtained for sites located on western slopes with effective fog deposition, which are strongly affected by pollution. An appropriate sampling strategy resulted in the creation of a temperature-sensitive proxy record (rAMJJ = 0.70), exceptional for areas under strong pressure from human activity. Based on a regional master chronology, growing season (April?July) temperatures over the past 200 years were then reconstructed. Four warm and four cold periods were distinguished and compared with other reconstructions and long-term instrumental data.     

Laboratory characterization of bent monocrystal wafers for Bragg X-ray spectroscopy

We describe our laboratory procedures for precise measurements of lattice surface profile, where Bragg reflection takes place, of bent monocrystal wafers. A comparison of X-ray spectrometer characteristics for perfect and real crystals is presented. The described procedures will be used to measure the properties of the crystals that will be used as the dispersive elements in the future solar X-ray spectrometers SolpeX and ChemiX.     

Assessment of long‐term Holocene soil erosion rates in Polish loess areas using sedimentary archives from closed depressions

Soil erosion is a particularly important problem in the loess areas of Central Europe. Numerous studies of past and present soil erosion based on colluvial sediments have so far been conducted. The main problem is the fact that colluvia usually do not represent the complete sedimentation record. Closed depressions (CDs) collect all colluvial sediments from their catchment, therefore, constitute sediment stores enabling the calculation of soil erosion rates. Colluvial sediments and fossil soils, infilling four CDs in the Polish loess belt, were OSL and C‐14 dated. Human settlements near the studied CDs were analyzed. Phases of soil erosion and colluviation from the Neolithic (5400–2900 bc ), from the Middle Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age (1600–0 bc ), and from the Early Middle Ages to Modern Times (500 AD until today) were documented within the CDs studied. Phases of low soil erosion rate and pedogenesis occurred from the Late Vistulian to the Early Neolithic and from the Iron Age to Early Middle Ages. This study reveals that these phases are not synchronous with the soil erosion phases in Central Europe, as the latter mainly occurred in the Bronze Age, Roman Period and Middle Ages. The obtained soil erosion rates were compared with erosion rates in different areas of Central Europe. This study indicates that in loess regions with long‐term agricultural land use, mean erosion rates (i.e. 3.7–5.9 t ha^‐1 yr^‐1) from the Middle Ages to Modern Times were ten times higher than during the entire prehistoric period (0.39–0.67 t ha^‐1 yr^‐1). The mean soil erosion rates for forested CDs was 0.24–0.74 t ha^‐1 yr^‐1. Soil erosion phases are most probably caused by human activities (i.e. land use change) but the early Holocene erosion phase (7.96 +/‐ 0.67 kyr) could have been induced by a climatic fluctuation (e.g. a 8.2 kyr Bond event). Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using Generative Adversarial Networks as a Fast Forward Operator for Hydrogeological Inverse Problems

Subsurface characterization using inverse techniques constitutes one of the fundamental elements of hydrogeological modeling applications. Available methods to solve inverse problems rely on a forward operator that predicts state variables for a given set of subsurface parameters. As the number of model parameters to be estimated increases, forward operations incur a significant computational demand. In this paper, we investigate the use of conditional generative adversarial networks (cGAN) as an emulator for the forward operator in the context of a hydrogeological inverse problem. We particularly investigate if the cGAN can be used to replace the forward operator used in the adaptive importance sampling method posterior population expansion (PoPEx) with reasonable accuracy and feasible computation requirement. The cGAN model trained on channelized geological structures has shown that the cGAN is able to reproduce the state variables corresponding to a certain parameter field. Hence, its integration in PoPEx yielded satisfactory results. In terms of the computational demand, the use of cGAN as a surrogate forward model reduces the required computational time up to 80% for the problem defined in the study. However, the training time required to create a model seems to be the major drawback of the method.     

Time changes of the potential Love tidal parameters k2 and k3

The planet Earth is continuously changing in time, so there are phenomena that require continuous observation, including tidal parameters. The main goal of this study is to analyze time changes of the Love potential tidal parameters. This paper concerns an analysis of the estimated Love numbers k for the second and the third degree tides (numbers k₂ and k₃), associated with the tide variations of the satellite motion. The measured data used for determining the parameters k₂, k₃ were conducted within the period of January 1, 2014 until July 1, 2016 by LAGEOS-1 and LAGEOS-2 satellites. The results were compared with our previous determination of these parameters from LAGEOS data during the period from January 1, 2005 until July 1, 2007 to examine whether any systematic differences and time evolution occur. The adjusted values for k₂ equalling 0.29842 ± 0.00008 and k₃ equalling 0.0901 ± 0.0034 are discussed and compared with the nominal values given in International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service standards. The differences between the k₂ and k₃ values obtained for the time interval 2005.0–2007.5 and the results for 2014.0–2016.5 interval are –0.00288 for k₂ and 0.0042 for k₃. The obtained differences in the k₂ and k₃ values may indicate their evolution in time.     

Large wood clogging during floods in a gravel‐bed river: the Długopole bridge in the Czarny Dunajec River,Poland

During floods, large quantities of wood can be mobilized and transported downstream. At critical sections, such as bridges, the transported wood might be entrapped and a quick succession of backwater effects can occur as a result of the reduction of the cross‐sectional area. The aim of this work is to explore large wood‐related hazards during floods in the gravel‐bed river Czarny Dunajec (Polish Carpathians), where the river flows through the village of D?ugopole. This work is based on the numerical modelling of large wood transport together with flow dynamics in which inlet and boundary conditions were designed based on field observations. The exploratory approach developed in this study uses multiple scenarios (193) to analyse the factors controlling bridge clogging: wood size, wood supply, flow conditions, morphology and obstacles in the riverbed. Results highlighted the strong control of log length (stronger than that of log diameter) on potential blockage probability; however, according to our results the main factor controlling bridge clogging was the flood discharge. River morphology and wood supply play an important role as well. The river morphology may reduce bridge blockage, as it influences flow velocity and depth, and creates natural retention zones for wood. In addition, the impacts of bridge blockage were analysed in terms of afflux depth and length, and flooded area. Results showed that bridge blockage may result in a significant increase in water depth (up to 0.7 m) and flooded area (up to 33% more), therefore increasing flood risk in the village. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of the Unified Stream Assessment Method to Determine the Direction of Revitalization of Heavily Transformed Urban Rivers

Water Resources - The issues related to the assessment of the hydro morphological status of urban rivers in order to identify the revitalisation actions possible to be carried out, has been...