Numerical Modelling of the Destructive Meteotsunami of 15 June, 2006 on the Coast of the Balearic Islands

A destructive tsunami-like event (locally known as “rissaga” waves) occurring on 15 June, 2006 in Ciutadella Harbour (Menorca, Balearic Islands) is reproduced by a numerical model forced by a travelling atmospheric disturbance. The disturbance is reconstructed from microbarograph measurements, being the only available instrumental data at the time of the event. The model is verified based on two weaker 1997 events, which were recorded by a number of bottom pressure recorders operating at that time on the Menorca shelf, in Ciutadella Inlet and adjacent Platja Gran Inlet. Both 1997 events are numerically simulated and good agreement is achieved with observations in time, frequency (including eigenfrequencies of the affected inlets) and wave heights. Subsequently the same model is applied to simulate the 2006 event. The vigorous currents with speeds up to 400 cm/s are found to occur specifically at those areas of the harbour where the most severe damage and sinking of boats had been reported. Maximum simulated sea-level heights of 2.5 m were about one half of those reported by eyewitnesses. This difference is apparently caused by quality and spatial resolution of bathymetry data. However, in general, the model is capable of reproducing the event fairly well and can probably be used for future assessment and mitigation activities on the coasts of the Balearic Islands.     

Fluvial transport of coarse particulate organic matter in a coastal mountain stream of a rainy-temperate evergreen broadleaf forest in southern Chile

Coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM, i.e. particles such as leaves, wood fragments, twigs, branches, flowers, seeds and fruits) in aquatic systems influences the flow, provides an important food source, and at the catchment scale, may significantly contribute to total carbon export. CPOM exports have rarely been quantified in subtropical, broadleaf forest streams. We captured CPOM in Bunte traps in the rainfall-dominated Vuelta de Zorra stream in southern Chile to (a) propose a novel classification to characterize the different CPOM components, (b) analyze the frequency of each matter class (i.e. leaves, wood fragments, and ‘others’) and its seasonal variability, (c) quantify the CPOM transported, (d) derive a model to quantify CPOM transport rates, and (e) compare the transported CPOM data with those from a unique long-term (> seven years) large wood monitoring dataset. Results showed that leaves were significantly more abundant than other types of CPOM in all seasons. The dry CPOM transport rate ranged over three orders of magnitude, and there was a significant relationship with mean discharge. Mean dry CPOM yield for the study period 2015–2017 was 4.6 kg/ha/yr when normalizing to the total forested catchment area. The 2009–2018 decadal average yield was 6.8 kg/ha/yr when normalizing to the total forested catchment area. These values are similar to measurements from deciduous and coniferous forests in streams in the United States and the Brazilian Mato Grosso and ~1/10 of the yields obtained in a Swiss torrent. Over a three-year period, the CPOM exports in Vuelta de Zorra ranged between 13 and 36% of the exported large wood (particles with diameters ≥ 100 mm and length ≥ 1 m) exports. Our data collected from an underrepresented area improve the understanding of global carbon budgets and cycling. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of the K?ppen classification for climatic zoning in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

The knowledge of the climatic conditions of a region is crucial for its agricultural development. It is also extremely important for understanding the fact that certain cultures have to develop under prevailing temperature and humidity conditions and assist in the adoption of a suitable irrigation technique, as well as its management and operationalization. The K?ppen system of climate classification is widely used for the identification of homogeneous climate zones as it considers only rainfall and temperature as the meteorological elements for classification. For this study, we used climatic databases of rainfall and temperature in a raster format, with a spatial resolution of 30″ of arc (an approximate area of 0.86?km²?pixel^?1), from 1961 to 1990. Through geoprocessing techniques, we obtained a map of climatic classification for the state of Minas Gerais. We found that the state has the following three major climatic groups: A, B and C, which correspond to tropical rainy, dry and warm temperate climates, respectively. The climate classes obtained were Aw, Am, BSh, Cwa and Cwb, with Aw, Cwa and Cwb classes occupying 99.89% of the territorial area of the state. The validation of the results showed a satisfactory agreement, with 93.75% reliability.     

Effects of sewage pollution and bacterial load on growth and oxidative balance in the freshwater mussel Diplodon chilensis

The effect of chronic exposure to Escherichia coli on morphometrical parameters, different antioxidant defenses, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation has been studied in digestive gland of the freshwater mussel Diplodon chilensis in the laboratory during 6 weeks. In, a parallel field study, we evaluated morphometrical and oxidative stress parameters in digestive glands of mussels collected from a sewage polluted area (SMA) and from a pristine area (control). Both sites were characterized by analyzing bacteriological and physic-chemical parameters. In the laboratory D. chilensis was able to filter bacteria at high concentrations with a clearing rate of 0.510 ± 0.036 L/h per gram of dry soft tissue mass. The digestive gland mass to shell length ratio (DGM/SL), reduced glutathione (GSH), lipid peroxidation, as concentration of thiobartituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity of mussels fed with bacteria were significantly higher than those of control mussels after the fourth week. Fecal bacteria in lake water samples were undetectable in the control, and higher than 24,000 MPN (most probable number)/100 mL in SMA. DGM/SL was higher in SMA. No differences between sites were observed in total lipid and protein content, neither in superoxide dismutase activity. GSH content was higher in SMA, with no difference in the oxidized form. GST activity and MDA were significantly higher in SMA but protein oxidation was not affected.     

Direct observation of microcrack development in marble caused by thermal weathering

One of the properties that makes marble such an excellent construction and ornamental material is its low porosity. It is very difficult for water or decay agents to penetrate the internal structure of materials with no or few pores, so enhancing the durability of these materials. However, environmental temperature fluctuations bring about significant physical changes in marbles that result in an increase in porosity, due to the appearance of new microcracks and the expansion of existing ones. These cracks offer new paths into the marble which make it easier for solutions containing pollutants to penetrate the material. Thermal expansion tests were performed on three different types of marble known as White, Tranco, and Yellow Macael (Almeria, Spain), after which an increase in porosity (from 17 to 73% depending on marble type) was observed, mainly due to crack formation. The structural changes occurring during thermal expansion tests were more significant in the case of White Macael samples, a fact that is not only related to its mineralogical composition but also to the morphology of the grains, grain boundaries and crystal size. Our research suggests that thermally weathered White Macael marble could be more susceptible to decay by other contaminant agents than Tranco or Yellow Macael. The use of hot-stage environmental scanning electron microscopy is proposed as a valid tool for observing, both in situ and at high magnification, changes in the fracture system of building stones induced by thermal stress.     

Generalized elliptic anomalies

A two-parameter time transformationdt=r ^3/2(α₀+α₁ r)^?1/2 dτ is proposed, where τ is the radial distance while α₀ and α₁ are, if not constants, at least conservative functions of positions and velocities. In Keplerian systems, the quadrature implied by the transformation may by carried out by elliptic functions. When α₀=0, τ is the eccentric anomaly; if α₁=0, then τ is the intermediate or elliptic anomaly. Considering several values of α₀ and α₁, numerical examples of the relation of thegeneralized elliptic anomaly τ with the classical and elliptic anomalies are given. Application of this transformation to some perturbed Kepler problems is briefly outlined.     

Compositional evolution of grossular garnet from leucotonalitic pegmatite at Ruda nad Moravou, Czech Republic; a complex EMPA, LA-ICP-MS, IR and CL study

Five distinct paragenetic, morphological and compositional types of grossular garnet (G1, G2, G3, G4, G5) were distinguished within the individual (sub)units of the zoned leucotonalitic pegmatite cutting serpentinized lherzolite with rodingite dikes at ??ár near Ruda nad Moravou, Staré Město Unit, Northern Moravia. Detailed study using Electron Microprobe Analysis, Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Cathodoluminiscence and Infrared Spectroscopy revealed distinct compositional trends in major, minor and trace elements. The contents of Fe³⁺, Mn, Mg and Ti increase from early garnet (G1) in the outermost grossular subunit through the interstitial garnet (G2) in the leucocratic subunit to graphic intergrowths of quartz+garnet (G3) in the coarse-grained unit. Then these constituents decrease in inclusions of garnet (G4) from the blocky unit and large crystals of garnet (G5) from the quartz core. Some trace elements (V, Ni, Y) exhibit the same trends, only Be evidently increases in garnet from border zone to the centre. Fluorine has negative correlation with Fe³⁺ as well as some trace elements (Ta, Pb). Concentrations of H₂O in garnets, up to 0.22 wt.% H₂O, are comparable with spessartine-almandine garnets from the Rutherford No. 2 pegmatite, Virginia, and grossular garnets from high-temperature calc-silicate rocks (skarns). Water contents correlate positively with Fe³⁺, but inversely with F. The use of water contents in garnet to elucidate the fluctuations of activity of H₂O during the pegmatite formation is only limited; the incorporation of hydrous defects seems to be controlled instead by crystal-structural constraints. However, the sum of all volatile components (H₂O + F) increases about twice from the outermost subunit to the centre of the pegmatite body.     

Comprehensive wave climate analysis of the Uruguayan coast

Ocean Dynamics - A detailed analysis of how the wave climate gradually varies from the Atlantic coast to the Rio de la Plata (RDP) estuary coast of Uruguay is undertaken, exploiting a recently...     

Coordinates for perturbed keplerian systems with axial symmetry

A coordinate system is defined on the phase space of a perturbed Keplerian system after the mean anomaly has been averaged out, for the purpose of explaining how eliminating the longitude of the ascending node reduces the orbital space to a two-dimensional sphere in case the system admits an axial symmetry. Concomitantly, on the submanifold of direct osculating ellipses, the CDM variables are replaced by functions which form the basis of a Poisson algebra isomorphic to the Lie algebra so(3) of the rotation group SO(3); furthermore, in these variables, the doubly reduced phase flow appears like a rotation of the reduced phase space.     

Methods for Evaluation of Geodetic Data and Seismicity Developed with Numerical Simulations: Review and Applications

In this work we review the development of both established and innovative analytical techniques using numerical simulations of the southern California fault system and demonstrate the viability of these methods with examples using actual data. The ultimate goal of these methods is to better understand how the surface of the Earth is changing on both long-and short-term time scales, and to use the resulting information to learn about the internal processes in the underlying crust and to predict future changes in the deformation and stress field. Three examples of the analysis and visualization techniques are discussed in this paper and include the Karhunen-Loeve (KL) decomposition technique, local Ginsberg criteria (LGC) analysis, and phase dynamical probability change (PDPC). Examples of the potential results from these methods are provided through their application to data from the Southern California Integrated GPS Network (SCIGN), historic seismicity data, and simulated InSAR data, respectively. These analyses, coupled with advances in modeling and simulation, will provide the capability to track changes in deformation and stress through time, and to relate these to the development of space-time correlations and patterns.