Practical seismic resilience evaluation and crisis management planning through GIS-based vulnerability assessment of buildings

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how assessment of seismic vulnerability can be effective in protection against earthquakes.Findings are reported from a case study in a densely populated urban area near an active fault,utilizing practical methods and exact engineering data.Vulnerability factors were determined due to technical considerations,and a field campaign was performed to collect the required data.Multi-criteria decision making was carried out by means of an analytical hierarchy process including a fuzzy standardization.Earthquake scenarios were applied through an implicit vulnerability model.GIS was utilized and the results were analyzed by classifying the state of vulnerability in levels as very low,low,moderate,high,and very high.Seismic resilience was evaluated as vulnerabilities below the moderate state,being about 40% in an intensity of 6 Mercalli and less than 10% in 10 Mercalli.It is concluded that seismic resilience in the area studied is not acceptable,the area is vulnerable in the expected scenarios,and due to the high seismicity of the region,proper crisis management planning is required in parallel with attempts toward retrofitting.In this regard,an emergency map was developed with reference to the assessed vulnerabilities.     

Mass balance of major elements in relation to weathering in soils developed on igneous rocks in a semiarid region, northwestern Iran

This study was conducted to evaluate the weathering intensity of the major soils developed on igneous rocks in semiarid region of northwestern Iran.Eight parent materials were selected including monzodiorite,alkali granite,granodiorite,syenite,pyroxene diorite,hornblende andesite,pyroxene andesite,and dacite.Representative soil profiles were described and soil samples were collected and analyzed for selected chemical and physical properties and total concentrations of major elements and Zr,V,Ti and Y.Bulk densities as well as Ti,Zr and V concentrations were used to estimate the strain factors and mass balance equations were used to quantify the net result of pedogenic weathering,i.e.elemental loss and gain.The results of clay content and pedogenic iron variability as well as index of compositional variability(ICV),chemical index of alteration(CIA) and,A-CN-K and MFW ternary plots showed that the soils developed on volcanic rocks(hornblende andesite> pyroxene andesite> dacite) were more weathered than those on the plutonic parent rocks(alkali granite,granodiorite,monzodiorite,syenite,pyroxene diorite).The results of mass balance calculations based on the strain factors revealed that the Ca and Na depleted during weathering progress mostly from plagioclase grains.In the semiarid regions Ca is precipitated as pedogenic calcite in the soil horizons.K and Mg depletion is less than Ca and Na especially in the profiles on the hornblende andesite with the highest clay and LOI content.The results of this study clearly suggest that the behavior of K and Mg during the weathering cannot only be explained by the disintegration of the primary minerals,since they are fixed on the secondary clay minerals.Iron did not change in the soils compared to the parent material and was precipitated as the pedogenic iron and conserved in the soil horizons.Overall,the results on the weathering indicators and major elements mass balance enrichment/depletion in the study area confirmed that the soil profiles developed on volcanic rocks are more weathered than those on the plutonic igneous rocks.     

Moho depth uncertainties in the Vening-Meinesz Moritz inverse problem of isostasy

We formulate an error propagation model based on solving the Vening Meinesz-Moritz (VMM) inverse problem of isostasy. The system of observation equations in the VMM model defines the relation between the isostatic gravity data and the Moho depth by means of a second-order Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. The corresponding error model (derived in a spectral domain) functionally relates the Moho depth errors with the commission errors of used gravity and topographic/bathymetric models. The error model also incorporates the non-isostatic bias which describes the disagreement, mainly of systematic nature, between the isostatic and seismic models. The error analysis is conducted at the study area of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas with the world largest crustal thickness. The Moho depth uncertainties due to errors of the currently available global gravity and topographic models are estimated to be typically up to 1–2 km, provided that the GOCE gravity gradient observables improved the medium-wavelength gravity spectra. The errors due to disregarding sedimentary basins can locally exceed ～2 km. The largest errors (which cause a systematic bias between isostatic and seismic models) are attributed to unmodeled mantle heterogeneities (including the core-mantle boundary) and other geophysical processes. These errors are mostly less than 2 km under significant orogens (Himalayas, Ural), but can reach up to ～10 km under the oceanic crust.     

Assessment of hydro power potential of Swat,Kohistan Himalayas: A solution for energy shortfall in region

Pakistan is facing acute power dearth these days due to which people are suffering from privation and their economic condition is deflating. Expensive imported fossil fuel for thermal power generation is pressing them hard and exacerbating the situation. The total power produced in the country by all means is less by 4000 MW than the requirement of Pakistan. So this is the prime time to think about exploring aboriginal and renewable power resources. This article converses about hydro power resources of Swat, North Pakistan, one of the most promising areas in hydro power production. The area drained by the Swat River and its tributary net work is a part of Kohistan Himalayas and has a potential of more than 1000 MW that can contribute 25% to the total energy shortfall in the country and the same is 150% more than the shortfall experienced in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that hosts Swat Valley. Due to great relief difference acquired within a small stretch, the perennial Swat River and its tributaries become pertinent for power production as high head projects and also gain importance in irrigation as well.     

Study on the relation of river morphology and tsunami propagation in rivers

The relations of river morphology and tsunami propagation in rivers were studied at several rivers in the Tohoku region during The Great Chilean Tsunami of 2010 and The Great East Japan Tsunami of 2011. It was found that river mouth morphological features play an important role in the intrusion of low magnitude tsunamis in which the geological and geographical conditions are an important factor. Nevertheless, the effects of these features were not found in the case of an extreme tsunami wave. As the wave enters the river, the propagation depends on other factors. It was found that the intrusion distance correlates well to the riverbed slope. The measurements of water level and riverbed slope were analyzed to propose an empirical method for estimating the damping coefficient for the tsunami propagation in rivers based on the tsunami of 2011. The proposed empirical method was used to approximate the length of the tsunami intrusion into a river by assuming that the furthest distance is given for the ratio of local tsunami wave height to the tsunami wave height at the river entrance of 0.05 (5 %). The estimated intrusion length from the proposed method in this study shows a good comparison with measurement data.     

Hydrologic response of a Hawaiian watershed to future climate change scenarios

The impact of potential future climate change scenarios on streamflow and evapotranspiration (ET) in a mountainous Hawaii watershed was studied using the distributed hydrology soil vegetation model (DHSVM). The hydrologic response of the watershed was simulated for 43 years for different levels of atmospheric CO₂ (330, 550, 710 and 970 ppm), temperature (+1.1 and + 6.4 °C) and precipitation (±5%, ±10% and ±20%) on the basis of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) AR4 projections under current, B1, A1B1 and A1F1 emission scenarios. Vegetation leaf conductance and leaf area index were modified to reflect the increase in CO₂ concentration. The relative departure of streamflow and ET from their levels during the reference scenarios was calculated on a monthly and annual basis. Results of this study indicate that the streamflow and ET are less sensitive to changes in temperature compared with changes in precipitation. However, temperature increase coupled with precipitation showed significant effect on ET and streamflow. Changes in leaf conductance and leaf area index with increasing CO₂ concentration under A1F1 scenario had a significant effect on ET and subsequently on streamflow. Evapotranspiration is less sensitive than streamflow for a similar level of change in precipitation. On the basis of a range of climate change scenarios, DHSVM predicted a change in ET by ±10% and streamflow between ?51% and 90%. From the six ensemble mean scenarios for AR4 A1B, simulations suggest reduction in streamflow by 6.7% to 17.2%. These reductions would produce severe impact on water availability in the region. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation,Characterization of a Novel Chelating Resin Functionalized with o‐Hydroxybenzamide and Its Application for Preconcentration of Trace Metal Ions

A stable extractor of metal ions was synthesized through azo linking of o‐hydroxybenzamide (HBAM) with Amberlite XAD‐4 (AXAD‐4) and was characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectral, and thermal studies. Its water regain value and hydrogen ion capacity were found to be 12.93 and 7.68 mmol g^?1, respectively. The optimum pH range (with the half‐loading time [min], t_1/2) for Cu(II), Cr(III), Ni(II), Co(II), Zn(II), and Pb(II) ions were 2.0–4.0 (5.5), 2.0–4.0 (7.0), 2.0–4.0 (8.0), 4.0–6.0 (9.0), 4.0–6.0 (12.0), and 2.0–4.0 (15.0), respectively. Comparison of breakthrough and overall capacities of the metals ascertains the high degree of column utilization (>70%). The overall sorption capacities for Cu(II), Cr(III), Ni(II), Co(II), Zn(II), and Pb(II) ions were found to be 0.29, 0.22, 0.20, 0.16, 0.13, and 0.11 mmol g^?1 with the corresponding preconcentration factor of 400, 380, 380, 360, 320, and 320, respectively. The limit of preconcentration was in the range of 5.0–6.3 ng mL^?1. The detection limit for Cu(II), Cr(III), Ni(II), Co(II), Zn(II), and Pb(II) were found to be 0.39, 0.49, 0.42, 0.59, 0.71, and 1.10 ng mL^?1, respectively. The AXAD‐4‐HBAM has been successfully applied for the analysis of natural water, multivitamin formulation, infant milk substitute, hydrogenated oil, urine, and fish.     

Response Surface Optimization of Acid Red 119 Dye Adsorption by Mixtures of Dried Sewage Sludge and Sewage Sludge Ash

The mixtures of dried sewage sludge (DSS) and sewage sludge ash were studied for removal of acid red 119 (AR119) dye as a new, more environmental friendly, and low cost adsorbent. For this purpose, response surface methodology was applied to optimize the dye removal efficiency and turbidity of treated dye solutions as two individual responses. Results revealed that an optimum condition under specified constraints (dye removal efficiency >95% and turbidity <50 NTU) was obtained at a contact time of 60 min, 40 wt% DSS in the mixture, an initial pH of 6, and an initial dye concentration of 200 mg dye/L in distilled water. Under the optimal condition, dye removal efficiency of 94.98% and effluent turbidity of 24.9 NTU was observed. In further studies, at optimum condition, the effect of some additives on adsorption process and desorption/reusability of adsorbent was investigated. It was observed that removal efficiency was significantly decreased to 83.76% when a simulated dye wastewater (containing the selected dye, acetic acid, and Glauber's salt dissolved in tap water) was used. Desorption studies revealed that AR119 dye could be well removed from dye‐loaded adsorbent by 0.3 M NaOH solution.     

Teleseismic Source Parameters of the Rigan County Earthquakes and Evidence for a New Earthquake Fault

Two medium-sized earthquakes occurred on 20 December 2010 and 27 January 2011 in Rigan County, Kerman Province, southeastern Iran. According to the dislocation grid search method results, the first event was nearly strike-slip including reverse component (strike 115°, dip 50°, and rake ?5°) whereas the second event had some amount of reverse component (strike 125°, dip 75°, and rake ?5°). Based on synthetic Green’s function deconvolution and aftershock distribution, the down-dip-propagated rupture migrated toward southeast districts with low population distribution, confirming the reason for low casualties. Meanwhile, the aftershock distribution indicates the existence of a new earthquake fault for which we suggest the name “Rigan earthquake fault.” However, the same aftershock distribution indicates that the second mainshock was inevitably triggered by the first one, most probably along the continuation of the Bam earthquake fault.