Intercomparison among plasma wake models for plasmaspheric and ionospheric conditions

Intercomparisons are made among the angular distributions of ions in the wake of a body moving through a space plasma as computed from three different expressions (models). Both subsonic and supersonic relative flows are considered in order to examine the wake current depletion ratios under conditions realistic for the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere. Results of these comparisons demonstrate the importance of including the thermal flux at low Mach numbers and of taking into account the angular acceptance of ion detectors in making theory-experiment comparisons. Gradients in the angular variations of the fluxes are found to be steeper near the wake-ambient interface than closer to the maximum rarefaction region of all models, although quantitatively there is considerable variation among the models. From examining the variations of the wake depletion ratio parametrically with Mach number and normalized potential over ranges characteristic of the plasmasphere and topside ionosphere, we find considerable variation with both parameters, with sensitivity to normalized potential increasing dramatically with Mach number. Overall, however, the Mach number variation appears to be the more significant over this range of parameters.     

A Dual Delineation Approach to Untangle Interferences in Well Doublets Systems

Traditional numerical methods for the delineation of wellhead protection areas span deterministic and probabilistic approaches. They provide time-related capture zones. However, none of the existing approaches identifies the groundwater contribution areas related to each source or sink. In this work, the worthiness of the so-called double delineation approach was extended. This task was achieved by simple postprocessing of its dual outputs leading to a highly efficient screening tool. In the particular context of geothermal resources management through the well doublets of the Dogger aquifer in the Paris Basin (France), the approach was extended to forecast the compositional heat breakthrough at production wells. Hence, cold-water breakthrough and temperature decline in production wells are timely assessed in low-enthalpy geothermal reservoirs. The method quantifies how groundwater volumes are moving through space and time between any couple of source and sink. It provides unprecedented tools advancing the enhanced understanding of water resources systems functioning. It is highly recommended to implement the presented concepts in the current and future generations of community groundwater models.     

Tectonic evolution of the basement complex in the central eastern desert of Egypt

The Egyptian basement rocks are gathered into three major rock groups, viz. Meatiq Group (oldest), Abu Ziran Group and Hammamat Group (youngest); the last two groups belong to the Pan-African orogenic cycle. The Meatiq Group is an old crystalline basement cropping out in gneiss domes. The Abu Ziran Group comprises the geosynclinal association which is formed of a lower ophiolite unit overlain by metasediments, volcanoclastics and locally intermediate volcanics having clear island arc characters. The Hammamat Group comprises molasse-type clastics, and penecontemporaneous Dokhan Volcanics of andesite to rhyolite composition; syn to late-tectonic calc-alkaline granites are the plutonic equivalents of the Dokhan Volcanics.The studied area lies within the foreland fold and thrust belt of a continental margin orogen. Ophiolites, particularly serpentinites, crop out along the trace of the sole thrust between the Meatiq infrastructure and the imbricated Abu Ziran nappe.Swells, developed along two geanticlines, were centers of marked calc-alkaline magmatic activity associated, at least, with gold mineralization.

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Zusammenfassung Die Gesteine des ägyptischen Kristallins sind in drei Hauptgruppen unterteilt: Meatiq Group (älteste), Abu Ziran Group und Hammamat Group (jüngste); die letzten zwei Gruppen gehören dem Pan-Afrikanischen Zyklus an. Die Meatiq-Gruppe stellt einen alten Sokkel dar, der in Gneisdomen auftritt. Die Abu-Ziran-Gruppe umfaßt die Geosynklinal-Assoziation, die aus einer unteren ophiolitischen Einheit besteht, überlagert von Sedimenten, volkanoklastischen Sedimenten und lokalen intermediären Vulkaniten mit ausgeprägten Inselbogen-Eigenschaften. Die Hammamat-Gruppe besteht aus Molassetyp klastischen Sedimenten und zeitlich assoziierte Dokhan Volcanics andesitischer bis rhyolitischer Zusammensetzung. Die synbis spät-tektonische Kalkalkaligranite sind die plutonischen Aequivalente der Dokhan Volcanics.Das untersuchte Gebiet liegt im Vorland-Falten- und Decken-Gürtel eines Kontinentalrand-Orogens. Ophiolite, insbesondere die Serpentinite, treten entlang dem Ausbiß der Überschiebungsfläche zwischen dem Meatiq-Sockelstockwerk und der Abu-Ziran-Decke auf.Schwellen in Form zweier Geantiklinalen waren Zentren aktiver kalkalkaliner magmatischer Tätigkeit, begleitet zumindest von Goldvererzungen.

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Résumé Les roches du socle égyptien se répartissent en trois groupes majeurs: Meatiq Group (le plus ancien); Abu Ziran Group et Hammamat Group (le plus récent); les deux derniers groupes appartiennent au cycle orogénique Pan-Africain.Le Meatiq Group est un socle cristallin ancien affleurant en dômes gneissiques. Le Abu Ziran Group comprend une association géosynclinale formée d'une unité ophiolitique inférieure suivie par des métasédiments, des volcanoclastites et localement par des roches volcaniques intermédiaires à caractere d'arc insulaire. Le Hammamat Group comprend des roches clastiques du type molassique, et des roches volcaniques pénécontemporaines de composition andésitique à rhyolitique (Dokhan Volcanics); des granites calco-alcalins syntectoniques à tardi-tectoniques sont les équivalents plutoniques des «Dokhan Volcanics».Le terrain étudié se situe dans l'avant-pays plissé et charrié d'un orogène de marge continentale. Des ophiolites, particulièrement des serpentinites, affleurent le long de la surface de charriage entre le massif autochtone de Meatiq et la nappe complexe d'Abu Ziran.Des dômes, développés le long de deux géanticlinaux, ont été les centres d'une forte activité magmatique calco-alcaline associée, au moins, à une minéralisation aurifère.

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: Meatiq Group ( ), Abu Ziran Group Hammamat Group ( ); - . , . , , , , , , . , Dokhan . Dokhan - - . . , , Meatiq Abu-Ziran.

     

Assessment of models predicting anthropogenic interventions and climate variability on surface runoff of the Lower Zab River

Multi-regression, hydrologic sensitivity and hydrologic model simulations were applied to quantify the climate change and anthropogenic intervention impacts on the Lower Zab River basin (LZRB). The Pettitt, precipitation-runoff double cumulative curve (PR-DCC) and Mann–Kendall methods were used for the change points and significant trend analyses in the annual streamflow. The long-term runoff series from 1979 to 2013 was first divided into two main periods: a baseline (1979–1997) and an anthropogenic intervention period (1998–2013). The findings show that the mean annual streamflow changes were consistent using the three methods. In addition, climate variability was the main driver, which led to streamflow reduction with contributions of 66–97% during 2003–2013, whereas anthropogenic interventions caused reductions of 4–34%. Moreover, to enhance the multi-model combination concept and explore the simple average method (SAM), Hydrologiska Byrans Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV), Génie Rural a Daily 4 parameters (GR4J) and Medbasin models have been successfully applied.     

Parameters affect foaming and foam stability during foam drilling

The authors presented indoor practice experiments of parameters affect on foaming and foam stability. Experiments were carried out and special equipments were used to determine foaming and foam stability; tests were tabulated and charted. The effects of chemical and physical parameters on foaming and foam stability have been conducted.     

Recharge of the plio-quaternary water table aquifer in Tunisian chotts region estimated from stable isotopes

The hydrodynamic groundwater data and stable isotopes of water have been used jointly for better understanding of upward leakage and mixing processes in the Djerid aquifer system (southwestern Tunisia). The aquifer system is composed of the upper unconfined Plio-Quaternary (PQ) aquifer, the intermediate (semi-)confined Complex Terminal (CT) aquifer and the deeper confined Continental Intercalaire (CI) aquifer. A total of 41 groundwater samples from the CT and PQ aquifers were collected during June 2001. The stable isotope composition of waters establishes that the CT deep groundwater (depleted as compared to present Nefta local rainfall) is ancient water recharged during late Quaternary time. The relatively recent water in the shallow PQ aquifer is composed of mixed water resulting from upward leakage and sporadic meteoric recharge. In order to characterize the meteoric input signal for PQ in the study area, rainfall water samples were collected during 4 years (2000–2003) at the Nefta meteorological station. Weighted mean values of isotopic contents with respect to rainfall amounts have been computed. Despite the short collection period in the study area, results agree with those found in Beni Abbes (southwestern Algerian Sahara) by Fontes on 9 years of rainfall surveillance. Stable isotopic relationships provide clear evidence of shallow PQ aquifer replenishment by deep CT groundwater. The ¹⁸O/upward leakage rate allowed the identification of distinctive PQ waters related to CT aquifer configuration (confined in the western part of the study area, semi-permeable in the eastern part). These trends were confirmed by the relation ¹⁸O/TDS. The isotope balance model indicated a contribution of up to 75% of the deep CT groundwater to the upper PQ aquifer in the western study area, between Nefta and Hazoua.     

The marine killers: Dinoflagellates in estaurine and coastal waters

Records of massive fish kills and paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in Europe and North America go back to the 17th century. But, it was not until the 1940s when the relationship between PSP, red tide and toxic dinoflagellateGonyaulax was established. Recent records show that PSP and related poisons caused by toxic dinoflagellates in coastal waters and estuaries, are a world-wide problem. Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) and neurotoxic poisoning (NSP), believed earlier as bacterial or viral infections are now shown to be caused by other toxic dinoflagellates such asDinophysis. The shellfish most often involved in the poisoning are mussels and clams. Other dinoflagellates,Gyrodinium, occasionally cause massive fish kills in vast coastal areas, resulting in fishery and economic losses.Factors promoting toxic dinoflagellate bloom development and PSP/DSP outbreaks are not fully understood. In previous studies, temperature was considered as the principal factor influencing dinoflagellate blooming. Recent studies showed that other factors such as salinity, sunlight, freshwater runoff and water stability are also important. Pollution from land drainage and sewage discharge in inshore waters were also implicated.Current knowledge indicates that although chemical and biotic factors are important forin-situ growth of dinoflagellate cells, convergence by thermal and tidal fronts is essential for cell accumulation and bloom development. Advances in physical oceanographic research, modelling and remote sensing enabled the detection of fronts and bordering eddies with high precision. There is a potential for an increased use of these technological advances in predicting and monitoring the bloom development.The present paper overviews the history and distribution of toxic dinoflagellates, and the physical factors influencing bloom development and PSP/DSP outbreaks. Future research needs to improve the predictability and control of this world-wide hazard are also discussed.     

Dynamics of particle creation in relativistic viscous fluid Universe in Brans Dicke theory

The study of dynamics of the particle creation in relativistic viscous fluid in Robertson-Walker Universe is studied by using Brans-Dicke theory. The behaviour of these solutions with respect to Dirac's hypothesis are investigated along with the discussion of the physical parameters as well as the variable gravitational constant. By adopting a particular method of integration, exact solutions are obtained and physical interpretations are presented.