Origin of the color in cobalt-doped quartz

Synthetic Co-doped quartz was grown hydrothermally in steel autoclaves at the Technological Center of Minas Gerais (CETEC), Brazil. The quartz samples, originally yellow in the as-grown state acquired blue coloration after prolonged heat treatment times at 500°C near the alpha–beta transition temperature. UV–VIS–NIR absorption spectroscopy shows the characteristic spectra of Co³⁺ before heat treatment. After heat treatment, the optical absorption spectrum is dominated by two split-triplet bands the first in the near infrared region centered at about 6,700 cm⁻¹ (1,490 nm) and the second in the visible spectral range at about 16,900 cm⁻¹ (590 nm). Both split-triplet bands are typical for Co²⁺ ions in tetrahedral coordination environments. From the absence of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra, we conclude that the Co²⁺ found in the optical absorption spectra of the blue quartz is not due to an isolated structural site in the quartz lattice. Instead, the blue color is associated with electronic transitions of Co²⁺ in small inclusions in which the Co site has tetrahedral symmetry. The non-observation of polarization-depend optical absorption spectra is also in agreement with this model. The results for Co²⁺ in quartz are different from Co-bearing spinel and staurolite and other silicates like orthopyroxene, olivine, and beryls. The formation process of the color center is discussed.     

Auswirkungen des Extremhochwassers 1999 auf die Flächendynamik und Bestandsstruktur der Uferröhrichte des Bodensees

In consequence of the extreme flood at Lake Constance in 1999 the reed belts showed a severe loss in vitality so that a permanent damage could be expected. The monitoring project presented here focuses the documentation of the damage following the disturbance event, the identification of co-factors, and is designed to find out significant stressors that may impede the recovery of the reeds. The monitoring is based on CIR aerial photo interpretation, quantitative GIS-analyses and field data. The design of the study implies the definition of five degrees of damage using the interpretation of CIR aerial photo series from July 2000. The aquatic reed beds were digitised and areal sums were calculated. These data were compared with the corresponding data from 1999 and 1993. Stand structural and biomass attributes were investigated in 50 randomly distributed permanent plots covering all site types and damage degrees. The results showed a loss of about 24 hectares of aquatic reeds at Lake Constance Untersee alone. The stands which had survived showed a great patchiness in terms of culm density, shoot population composition, culm architecture, and aboveground biomass production. Severely damaged stands were mainly composed of secondary shoots, whereas primary and insect infested shoots dominated in less damaged stands. One co-factor which explained the patchiness was the vertical position of the stand, i.e. the probability of being severely damaged increased with increasing distance below mean water level. The monitoring programme will be continued till 2003.     

Morphological analysis of open clusters’ properties: II. Relationships projected onto the galactic plane

A morphological analysis study of open clusters’ properties has been achieved for a sample of 160 UBVCCD open star clusters of approximately 128,000 stars near the galactic plane. The data was obtained and reduced from Tadross (2001) using the same reduction procedures, which makes this catalogue the largest homogeneous source of open clusters’ parameters.     

A semi-probabilistic procedure for developing societal risk function

Among the coastal districts of mega city Istanbul, Bakirkoy is one of the most critical one with the importance of air and marine transportation and presence of many other coastal facilities and structures that are prone to suffer from marine hazards. In the history, the Sea of Marmara has experienced numerous earthquake and landslide events and associated tsunamis. Therefore, tsunami risk assessment is essential for all coastal districts of Istanbul, including Bakirkoy district. In this study, a further developed methodology for tsunami human vulnerability and risk assessment Metropolitan Tsunami Human Vulnerability Assessment (MeTHuVA) is applied for Bakirkoy district of Istanbul, considering earthquake generated tsunamis. High-resolution tsunami hazard analysis is performed with the integration of coastal inundation computation with tsunami numerical tool NAMI DANCE and tsunami human vulnerability assessment with GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis methods (MCDA). Using analytical hierarchy process method of MCDA, a hierarchical structure is established, composed of two main elements of tsunami human vulnerability: Vulnerability at Location and Evacuation Resilience. Tsunami risk assessment for Bakirkoy district is calculated by integrating result of hazard and vulnerability assessments with a risk relation that includes a parameter (n), which represents the preparedness and awareness level of the community. Tsunami simulations revealed that the maximum inundation distance is over 350 m on land and water penetrates almost 1700 m along Ayamama stream. Inundation is observed in eleven neighborhoods of Bakirkoy district. In the inundation zone, maximum flow depth is found to be over 5.7 m. The inundated area forms 4.2% of whole Bakirkoy district, and 62 buildings are located in the inundation zone. Hazard, vulnerability and risk assessment results for different neighborhoods of Bakirkoy district are presented and discussed.     

Rebuttal to “The case of the Biscayne Bay and aquifer near Miami,Florida: density-driven flow of seawater or gravitationally driven discharge of deep saline groundwater?” by Weyer (Environ Earth Sci 2018, 77:1–16)

A recent paper by Weyer (Environ Earth Sci 2018, 77:1–16) challenges the widely accepted interpretation of groundwater heads and salinities in the coastal Biscayne aquifer near Miami, Florida, USA. Weyer (2018) suggests that the body of saltwater that underlies fresh groundwater just inland of the coast is not a recirculating wedge of seawater, but results instead from upward migration of deep saline groundwater driven by regional flow. Perhaps more significantly, Weyer (2018) also asserts that established hydrologic theory is fundamentally incorrect with respect to buoyancy. Instead of acting along the direction of gravity (that is, vertically), Weyer (2018) claims, buoyancy acts instead along the direction of the pressure gradient. As a result, Weyer (2018) considers currently available density-dependent groundwater flow and transport modeling codes, and the analyses based on them, to be in error. In this rebuttal, we clarify the inaccuracies in the main points of Weyer’s (2018) paper. First, we explain that Weyer (2018) has misinterpreted observed equivalent freshwater heads in the Biscayne aquifer and that his alternative hypothesis concerning the source of the saltwater does not explain the observed salinities. Then, we review the established theory of buoyancy to identify the problem with Weyer’s (2018) alternative theory. Finally, we present theory and cite successful benchmark simulations to affirm the suitability of currently available codes for modeling density-dependent groundwater flow and transport.