Evaluation of ADEOS-II GLI ocean color atmospheric correction using SIMBADA handheld radiometer data

The performance of the “version 2” Global Imager (GLI) standard atmospheric correction algorithm, which includes empirical absorptive aerosol correction and sun glint correction, was evaluated using data collected with handheld above-water SIMBADA radiometers during 23 cruises of opportunity (research vessels, merchant ships), mostly in the North Atlantic and European seas. A number of 100 match-up data sets of GLI-derived and SIMBADA-measured normalized water-leaving radiance (nL _W ) and aerosol optical thickness (AOT) were sorted out, using objective selection criteria, and analyzed. The Root-Mean-Square (RMS) difference between GLI and SIMBADA nL _W was about 0.32 μW/cm²/nm/sr for the 412 nm band, showing improvement by 30% in RMS difference with respect to the conventional “version 1” GLI atmospheric correction algorithm, and the mean difference (or bias) was reduced significantly. For AOT, the RMS difference was 0.1 between GLI estimates and SIMBADA measurements and the bias was small (a few 0.01), but the ?ngstr?m exponent was systematically underestimated, by 0.4 on average, suggesting a potential GLI calibration offset in the near infrared. The nL _W differences were not correlated to AOT, although performance was best in very clear conditions (AOT less than 0.05 in the 865 nm band). Despite the relatively large scatter between estimated and measured nL _W , the derived chlorophyll-a concentration estimates, applying the same ratio algorithm (GLI OC4V4) to GLI and SIMBADA, were consistent and highly correlated in the range of 0.05–2 μg/l. The large variability in chlorophyll-a concentration estimate for clear clean water areas (e.g. with the concentration range lower than about 0.05 μg/l) turns out to be due to the nature of the “band ratio” based in-water algorithm.     

Modeling coupled erosion and filtration of fine particles in granular media

One of the major causes of instability in geotechnical structures such as dikes or earth dams is the phenomenon of suffusion including detachment, transport and filtration of fine particles by water flow. Current methods fail to capture all these aspects. This paper suggests a new modeling approach under the framework of the porous continuous medium theory. The detachment and transport of the fine particles are described by a mass exchange model between the solid and the fluid phases. The filtration is incorporated to simulate the filling of the inter-grain voids created by the migration of the fluidized fine particles with the seepage flow, and thus, the self-filtration is coupled with the erosion process. The model is solved numerically using a finite difference method restricted to one-dimensional (1-D) flows normal to the free surface. The applicability of the model to capture the main features of both erosion and filtration during the suffusion process has been validated by simulating 1-D internal erosion tests and by comparing the numerical with the experimental results. Furthermore, the influence of the coupling between erosion and filtration has been highlighted, including the development of material heterogeneity induced by the combination of erosion and filtration.

     

Ballistic capture into distant retrograde orbits around Phobos: an approach to entering orbit around Phobos without a critical maneuver near the moon

This paper discusses an approach for designing missions to Phobos that do not require a critical maneuver in proximity of the moon. A low-energy transfer is designed that utilizes the aspherical mass distribution of Phobos to capture a spacecraft into a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) for the mission duration. The process for generating stable DROs in the Mars–Phobos system is discussed along with the method for generating and surveying a set of ballistic capture trajectories (BCTs) for DROs with altitudes between 0.5 and 14 km above Phobos. Statistical analysis of the BCT set reveals options for designing a mission to the desired DRO. This approach can be used in any three-body system when a significant perturbation is present, such as Phobos’ aspherical co-rotating gravity field.     

Prediction of strong ground motion at EURO-SEISTEST site using the empirical Green's function method

This paper presents some tests on the empirical Green's function method, performed in order to check its effectiveness to predict strong ground motion during future large earthquakes. These investigations basically consist of blind or pseudo-blind tests using part of the data set obtained at the Volvi (Greece) test-site within the framework of the EURO-SEISTEST project. In a first step, a moderate event (M_L=4.1) is simulated by using a small event (M_L=2.5), and taking into account the a priori knowledge of the relevant source parameters (magnitude and stress-drop) for both the base and target events. This check emphasizes the sensitivity of the prediction to the stress-drop values. In a second step, a pseudo-blind prediction is carried out in which the information on the target event is only the magnitude (M_L=5.3) besides the geometrical parameters such as source location, strike and dip. The other important parameters (seismic moment, fault area, stress-drop) are determined on the basis of specific empirical scaling laws derived from several small and moderate events occurring in the area. The synthetic motions are computed for two nearby sites, which are located on the southern edge and in the center of the Mygdonian graben, respectively, and correspond to much different site conditions: weathered rock and thick sediments. They are found in good agreement with the observations, which were unveiled after the simulation. In particular, the amplitude and the phase of the late, local surface waves generated on the southern edge of the graben, are very well reproduced at valley center. Finally, the last step is an attempt to predict strong ground motion for a hypothetical large earthquake of magnitude M_L=6.5. The results are shown to depend very significantly on the scaling laws.     

Structural mapping in basin-and-range-like geology by electromagnetic methods: a powerful aid to seismic

A case history is presented where electromagnetic (EM) methods were applied as a complement to seismic, for structural mapping in basin-and-range-like geology: 366 five-component magnetotelluric (MT) soundings were carried out together with 331 transient soundings (TDEM) along seismic lines. Due to high structural complexity, seismic shows a number of limitations. For the same reasons, MT is highly perturbed and three specific interpretation techniques were comprehensively applied: 1. a classical correction of static effect using TDEM sounding, to determine the high-frequency nondistorted apparent resistivities and thus the corrected tensor; 2. a so-called regional correction based upon the same concept as the static effect, to transform distorted resistivity curves due to the horst/graben situation into plausible 1D curves, through the use of nomograms built for 2D H-polarization situations; 3. a stripping technique which made it possible to map areas where a deep conductive Mesozoic shale was present below carbonates, at a depth of 3 km. After the best MT interpretation was obtained along each line, it was integrated with seismic and with the results from two boreholes. A crude empirical law relating resistivity and acoustic velocity was established and the MT horizons were plotted on the two-way traveltime seismic sections. The final integrated cross-sections obtained are undoubtedly of greater use to the explorationist than the initial seismic sections alone and two wells were accurately predicted.     

Retrieval of chlorophyll-a concentration via linear combination of ADEOS-II Global Imager data

Top-of-atmosphere reflectance measured above the ocean in the visible and near infrared, after correction for molecular scattering, may be linearly combined to retrieve surface chlorophyll-a abundance directly, without explicit correction for aerosol scattering and absorption. The coefficients of the linear combination minimize the perturbing effects, which are modeled by a polynomial, and they do not depend on geometry. The technique has been developed for Global Imager (GLI) spectral bands centered at 443, 565, 667, and 866 nm, but it is applicable to other sets of spectral bands. Theoretical performance is evaluated from radiation-transfer simulations for a wide range of geophysical and angular conditions. Using a polynomial with exponents of −2, −1, and 0 to determine the coefficients, the residual influence of the atmosphere on the linear combination is within ±0.001 in most cases, allowing chlorophyll-a abundance to be retrieved with a root-mean-squared (RMS) error of 8.4% in the range 0.03–3 mgm⁻³. Application of the method to simulated GLI imagery shows that estimated and actual chlorophyll-a abundance are in agreement, with an average RMS difference of 32.1% and an average bias of −2.2% (slightly lower estimated values). The advantage of the method resides in its simplicity, flexibility, and rapidity of execution. Knowledge of aerosol amount and type is avoided. There is no need for look-up tables of aerosol optical properties. Accuracy is adequate, but depends on the polynomial representation of the perturbing effects and on the bio-optical model selected to relate the linear combination to chlorophyll-a abundance. The sensitivity of the linear combination to chlorophyll-a abundance can be optimized, and the method can be extended to the retrieval of other bio-optical variables.     

Seismic Microzonation: A Comparison between Geotechnical and Seismological Approaches in Pointe-à-Pitre (French West Indies)

Pointe-à-Pitre, the main city of Guadeloupe in the French West Indies, has on several occasions been partially destroyed by major historical earthquakes. Moreover, a post-seismic assessment of the damage from the 1985 Montserrat earthquake indicates that the town is prone to site effects. Consequently, from 1996 to 1998, BRGM conducted a seismic microzonation study based on geotechnical and geological data. At the same time, three seismological studies were being conducted – two based on earthquake recordings using a time-series analysis and the classical spectral ratio (CSR) method (CETE/LCPC and BRGM), and the third based on noise measurement at 400 points using the horizontal-to-vertical noise ratio (HVNR) method (CETE/LCPC). The objective of this paper is not to carry out a new microzonation study by taking into account all the results, but rather to show in what respects the results of these different methods are in agreement or not. A comparison of the results of the seismological studies with the geotechnical microzonation shows that they are in fairly good agreement, albeit with some discrepancies. The results indicate that the seismological methods and the geotechnical data are highly complementary and should be used together in compiling seismic transfer-function microzonation maps. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Geophysical characterisation of karstic networks – Application to the Ouysse system (Poumeyssen,France)

In the framework of the management of karstic aquifers, geophysical reconnaissance can be used to locate conduits and caves, and to characterise the surrounding limestone matrix. Suitable characterisation of heterogeneities in the karstic environment is, however, challenging for ground-based geophysical methods. The present article describes the results, and evaluates the response and accuracy of combined geophysical measurements carried out at the Poumeyssen test site in France, involving electrical resistivity imaging (ERI), magnetic resonance sounding (MRS), “mise-à-la-masse” electrical mapping, and seismic tomography. This site provides the opportunity to study a relatively wide, shallow, water-filled conduit whose location and shape are known from topographic work carried out by cave divers. Seismic and MRS provided the exact location and width of the conduit, to within a few meters. The seismic and electrical data suggest that the limestone medium surrounding the conduit is not homogeneous.     

Eruptive response of oceanic islands to giant landslides: New insights from the geomorphologic evolution of the Teide-Pico Viejo volcanic complex (Tenerife, Canary)

Large sector collapses are a major component of oceanic islands evolution. Here we show that voluminous events such as the Icod landslide on Tenerife (Canary Islands) cause dramatic changes on the magma feeding system and control the subsequent volcanic and geomorphologic evolution of the eruptive complex over a period of more than 150 kyr. Instantaneous unloading by the Icod landslide is marked by the development of a large phonolitic explosive eruption dated at 175 ± 3 ka and interpreted as reflecting the immediate emptying of a shallow pre-existing magma chamber. Geochronological, geomorphological and geochemical analyses, carried out on the post-landslide volcanic succession sampled in a 4.4 km-long underground water-recovery gallery, provide further evidence for an enhanced extrusion of primitive lavas starting in the 10 kyr time interval following the failure. Rapid construction (< 40 kyr) of a thick basaltic volcano in the landslide scar at high eruptive rates (up to 8 km³ kyr⁻¹) increased the lithostatic pressure which then favored the intermittent storage of basic magma under the edifice. This resulted in more episodic construction evidenced by a significant decrease in output rates and the increasing occurrence of lavas with intermediate composition from 117 ± 7 to 52 ± 7 ka. An apparent volcanic gap is observed between 52 ± 7 and 18 ± 1 ka, after which highly differentiated lavas have been dominantly erupted. We propose that part of the gap can be explained by the individualization of a shallow magma reservoir a few kilometers below the base of the Teide volcano. During recent periods, vertical and lateral extrusions of trachytic and phonolitic viscous bodies from this storage area contributed to increase the slope of the main edifice up to 35°, overall favoring its present-day instability.