An estimation of the probable maximum precipitation for river basins in the Czech Republic

The hydro-meteorological evaluation of a flood event in July 1997 (the Odra flood in Central Europe) demonstrated that new procedures to estimate design floods for the reservoir outflow structures in the Czech Republic (CR) were needed. Therefore, the techniques of the estimation of Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) were developed in a national research project (1998–2000), and the activity focused on the improvement of the area related PMP estimates was going on within a present national project. In the frame of the evaluation of the next extreme precipitation event in August 2002 (the Labe flood in the CR and Germany), we compared the catchments related precipitation with the PMP estimates. In this paper, an outline of the PMP estimation techniques is given and the use of data from the Czech gauges is described, the aim being the statistical derivation of the point and area PMP estimates for precipitation duration of 1 to 5 days. The use of radar data in assessing the maximized area reduction factor is discussed and the relationship resulting from the radar measurements over the CR territory is presented. An evaluation of the radar-based area rainfall enabled us to transform the point PMP to the area PMP estimate designed for the river basins in CR. In the last part of the paper, the results obtained by comparing the rainfalls in 1997 and 2002 flood events with the PMP estimates are presented. The comparison showed that the maximum area rainfalls over small Czech catchments (the 3rd order river basins) did not exceed 63% of the corresponding PMP values.     

A comparison of the flood precipitation episode in August 2002 with historic extreme precipitation events on the Czech territory

The hydro-meteorological characteristics of the flood from August 2002, which affected a great part of the Czech territory, particularly the Vltava and Labe river basin, were compared with corresponding conditions during similar flood events in the summer seasons of 1997, 1890, 1897 and 1903. The comparison shows analogies in synoptic conditions and causal precipitation heights. The heaviest precipitation fell in the area of a considerable horizontal pressure gradient on the rearward side of the cyclone which advanced very slowly to the north-east across Central Europe and created conditions for the transport of moist air as well as for an organized long-term updraft enhanced in orographically exposed regions. The varying features of the individual events were based on the spatial–temporal distribution of causal precipitation and also on the very different saturation of the catchments. It was chiefly the extraordinary time concentration of precipitation together with the highest catchment saturation that made the flood in 2002 the most extreme.The extremeness of meteorological fields during two episodes in July 1997 was compared with two episodes in August 2002 with the aid of the reanalysis data from ECMWF. The first episode in 1997 and the second episode in 2002 were the most similar and more extreme in terms of the large-scale fields of basic meteorological quantities. The similar features of these episodes are specifically an intensive influx of moisture into Central Europe and intensive upward motions in the precipitation area. The extremeness of upper- and low-level potential vorticity fields was evaluated to diagnose the behavior of the cyclone and frontal precipitation bands accompanying it. The suitable spatial configuration of positive upper- and low-level potential vorticity anomalies induced an additional amplification of upward motions in the precipitation area that apparently contributed to triggering the heavy precipitation over Central Europe. On the whole, quantities reached more extreme values during the second episode in 2002.     

Dynamics of the Subsurface Temperature Field Caused by Mining-Related Groundwater Management

The subsurface temperature field was studied on a set of 46 borehole logs measured in the vicinity of uranium deposits in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. Vertical variations of the steady state temperature and the temperature gradient are governed by thermal conductivity which strongly varies in dependence on lithology. Large departures from undisturbed temperature detected in many holes are associated with uranium mining. A positive anomaly is observed in leaching fields where large amounts of acid are injected into the uranium-bearing Cenomanian. A negative anomaly is linked to the operation of hydraulic barriers which enclose the mining area and helps to contain pollution by pumping clean water into the Cenomanian aquifer. The spatial distribution of the observed temperature anomalies helps to map the migration of the fluids used in both processes. The temperature disturbance is propagated from the Cenomanian aquifer up through overlying impermeable sediments. The good fit of transient conductive models to the measured temperatures rules out heat advection and hence upward water flow towards and contamination of the upper Middle Turonian aquifer in the vicinity of the holes studied.     

Facies development,depositional settings and sequence stratigraphy across the Ordovician–Silurian boundary: a new perspective from the Barrandian area of the Czech Republic

The Hirnantian and Llandovery sedimentary succession of the Barrandian area has been assigned to middle and outer clastic‐shelf depositional settings, respectively. Deposition was influenced by the remote Gondwanan glaciation and subsequent, long‐persisting, post‐glacial anoxia triggered by a current‐driven upwelling system. High‐resolution graptolite stratigraphy, based upon 19 formally defined biozones—largely interval zones—and five subzones, enabled a detailed correlation between 42 surface sections and boreholes, and enabled linking of the sedimentary record, graptoloid fauna dynamics, organic‐content fluctuations and spectral gamma‐ray curves. The Hirnantian and Llandovery succession has been subdivided into four biostratigraphically dated third‐order sequences (units 1–4). Time–spatial facies distribution recorded early and late Hirnantian glacio‐eustatic sea‐level lowstands separated by a remarkable mid‐Hirnantian rise in sea‐level. A major part of the post‐glacial sea‐level rise took place within the late Hirnantian. The highstand of Unit 2 is apparently at the base of the Silurian succession. Short‐term relative sea‐level drawdown and a third‐order sequence boundary followed in the early Rhuddanian upper acuminatus Zone. Early Aeronian and late Telychian sea‐level highstands and late Aeronian drawdown of likely eustatic origin belong to units 3 and 4. Sea‐level rise culminated in the late Telychian, which may also be considered as a highstand episode of a second‐order Hirnantian–early Silurian cycle. Facies and sequence‐stratigraphic analysis supports recent interpretations on nappe structures in the core part of the Ordovician–Middle Devonian Prague Synform of the Barrandian. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Triassic to Early Jurassic (c. 200 Ma) UHP metamorphism in the Central Rhodopes: evidence from U–Pb–Th dating of monazite in diamond‐bearing gneiss from Chepelare (Bulgaria)

Evidence for ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphism (UHPM) in the Rhodope metamorphic complex comes from occurrence of diamond in pelitic gneisses, variably overprinted by granulite facies metamorphism, known from several areas of the Rhodopes. However, tectonic setting and timing of UHPM are not interpreted unanimously. Linking age to a metamorphic stage is a prerequisite for reconstruction of these processes. Here, we use monazite in diamond‐bearing gneiss from Chepelare (Bulgaria) to date the diamond‐forming UHPM event in the Central Rhodopes. The diamond‐bearing gneiss comes from a strongly deformed, lithologically heterogeneous zone (Chepelare Mélange) sandwiched between two migmatized orthogneiss units, known as Arda‐I and Arda‐II. Diamond, identified by Raman micro‐spectroscopy, shows the characteristic band mostly centred between 1332 and 1330 cm^?1. The microdiamond occurs as single grains or polyphase diamond + carbonate inclusions, rarely with CO₂. Thermodynamic modelling shows that garnet was stable at UHP conditions of 3.5–4.6 GPa and 700–800 °C, in the stability field of diamond, and was re‐equilibrated at granulite facies/partial melting conditions of 0.8–1.2 GPa and 750–800 °C. The texture of monazite shows older central parts and extensive younger domains which formed due to metasomatic replacement in solid residue and/or overgrowth in melt domains. The monazite core compositions, with distinctly lower Y, Th and U contents, suggest its formation in equilibrium with garnet. The U–Th–Pb dating of monazite using electron microprobe analysis yielded a c. 200 Ma age for the older cores with low Th, Y, U and high La/Nd ratio, and a c. 160 Ma age for the dominant younger monazite enriched in Th, Y, U and HREE. The older age of c. 200 Ma is interpreted as the timing of UHPM, whereas the younger age of c. 160 Ma as granulite facies/partial melting overprint. Our results suggest that UHPM occurred in Late Triassic to Early Jurassic time, in the framework of collision and subduction of continental crust after the closure of Paleotethys.     

Effect of sub-indicator weighting schemes on the spatial dependence of multidimensional phenomena

Journal of Geographical Systems - The weighting of sub-indicators is widely debated in the composite indicator literature. However, these weighting schemes’ effects on the composite...     

Empirical test of the spectral invariants theory using imaging spectroscopy data from a coniferous forest

The spectral invariants theory presents an alternative approach for modeling canopy scattering in remote sensing applications. The theory is particularly appealing in the case of coniferous forests, which typically display grouped structures and require computationally intensive calculation to account for the geometric arrangement of their canopies. However, the validity of the spectral invariants theory should be tested with empirical data sets from different vegetation types. In this paper, we evaluate a method to retrieve two canopy spectral invariants, the recollision probability and the escape factor, for a coniferous forest using imaging spectroscopy data from multiangular CHRIS PROBA and NADIR-view AISA Eagle sensors. Our results indicated that in coniferous canopies the spectral invariants theory performs well in the near infrared spectral range. In the visible range, on the other hand, the spectral invariants theory may not be useful. Secondly, our study suggested that retrieval of the escape factor could be used as a new method to describe the BRDF of a canopy.     

Evaluation of meteorological controls of reconstructed rockfall activity in the Czech Flysch Carpathians

Rockfall is an important process in the final sculpturing of escarpments and scree slopes that originate in bedrock landslides in the Flysch Carpathians. The spatio‐temporal characteristics of rockfall activity were studied at four localities representative of old landslides in the highest part of the Czech Flysch Carpathians (Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mountains). Historical activity, chronology, and spatial context of rockfall activity were reconstructed using dendrogeomorphic techniques and rockfall rate index (RR). A total of 1132 increment cores from 283 trees growing in the rockfall transport and accumulation zones enabled the dating of 989 rockfall events. Reconstruction of a 78‐year‐long RR chronology suggests similar rockfall histories and trends at all study sites, indicating the existence of major common factors driving rockfall dynamics in the region. Temporal analysis and correlation of the RR series obtained with monthly mean temperatures, numbers of days with temperature transitions through 0 °C and monthly precipitation totals show that meteorological characteristics have evident but variable influence on rockfall activity. The most important factor is the effect of freeze–thaw cycles throughout the year, supplemented by low temperatures, especially during autumn. The influence of precipitation totals is of lesser importance. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mineralogy and petrogenesis of a Ba–Ti–Zr-rich peralkaline dyke from Šebkovice (Czech Republic): Recognition of the most lamproitic Variscan intrusion

A peralkaline, ultrapotassic dyke found at ?ebkovice (T?ebí? district, western Moravia) is a mineralogically extreme member of a dyke swarm occurring along the south-eastern border of the Moldanubian Region of the Bohemian Massif. The dyke shows a simple zoning, with a very fine-grained marginal zone grading into a medium-grained central zone. It has a primary mineral assemblage of microcline and potassic amphiboles, with accessory apatite and altered phlogopite. The microcline exhibits an unusual red luminescence colour and pronounced substitution of Fe³⁺ for Al, with measured contents of Fe₂O₃ up to 8.5 wt.% (0.31 apfu Fe³⁺). Amphiboles have very high K (up to 0.99 apfu) and Si contents; their compositions follow an alkaline fractionation trend from potassic-richterite to potassic-magnesio-arfvedsonite, characterized by an increase of Na/K and a decrease of Ca, Mg, Fe²⁺ and Ti via heterovalent substitutions ^[B]Ca + ^[C](Mg,Fe²⁺) → ^[B]Na + ^[C]Fe³⁺ and Ti + Mg → 2Fe³⁺. The most evolved apatite is significantly enriched in SrO (up to 9.7 wt.%; 0.49 apfu Sr). The core of the dyke and late veinlets contain unique late- to post-magmatic Ba–Ti–Zr-bearing mineral assemblages of baotite, henrymeyerite, titanite, rutile, benitoite and bazirite. Anhedral baotite fills interstices distributed inhomogeneously in the dyke centre; it is locally replaced by a Ba-bearing titanite + henrymeyerite + rutile + quartz assemblage. Henrymeyerite (the second record in a lamproite) shows variable Fe/Ti ratios and represents a solid solution of the hepta- and hexatitanate components. Euhedral crystals of benitoite and bazirite are enclosed in the late-stage quartz–titanite–apatite veinlets in the fine-grained margin of the intrusion. In terms of a mineralogical–genetic classification, the ?ebkovice dyke can be considered as a new high-silica (~ 57 wt.% SiO₂) variety of lamproite (variety ?ebkovice), and represents a unique expression of post-collisional potassic magmatism on the south-eastern border of the Bohemian Massif. The peralkaline dykes from this area show mineralogical and geochemical features similar to those of silica-rich orogenic lamproites emplaced at destructive plate margins. In terms of the modern classification of lamproites, the ?ebkovice dyke is the first lamproite recognised in the Variscan orogenic belt.