A review of inverse methods in seismic site characterization

Journal of Seismology - Seismic site characterization attempts to quantify seismic wave behavior at a specific location based on near-surface geophysical properties, for the purpose of mitigating...     

A COMBINED REFRACTION-DIFFRACTION-DISSIPATION MODEL OF WAVE PROPAGATION

A numerical model based on the mild-slope equation of water wave propagation over complicated bathymetry,taking into account the combined effects of refraction,diffraction and dissipation due to wavebreaking is presented.Wave breaking is simulated by modifying the wave height probability density func-tion and the wave energy dissipation mechanism is parameterized according to that of the hydraulic jumpformulation.Solutions of the wave height,phase function,and the wave direction at every grid point areobtained by finite difference approximation of the governing equations,using Gauss-Seidel Iterative Method(GSIM)row by row.Its computational convenience allows it to be applied to large coast regions tostudy the wave transformation problem.Several case studies have been made and the results compare verywell with the experiment data and other model solutions.The capability and utility of the model forreal coast areas are illustrated by application to a shallow bay of northeast Australia.     

10Be chronology of the last deglaciation of County Donegal, northwestern Ireland

A well-preserved moraine on the northern coast of County Donegal, Ireland, has played a critical role in our understanding of the glacial history of this sector of the Irish Ice Sheet (IIS). Because of a lack of numerical dating of the moraine, however, previous interpretations of its age and significance to the glacial history of this region have varied widely. Here we report eight in situ cosmogenic ¹⁰Be ages on boulders sampled from the moraine. Two of these ages are outliers, with the remaining six ranging from 18.8±1.0 ¹⁰Be kyr to 20.9±1.3 ¹⁰Be kyr, with an uncertainty-weighted mean age of 19.4±0.3 ¹⁰Be kyr (19.4±1.2 kyr accounting for production rate uncertainty). Our results confirm one previous ¹⁰Be age obtained from the moraine, with the combined data ( n =7) constraining the age of initial deglaciation of the IIS from its LGM position on the continental shelf to be 19.3±0.3 ¹⁰Be kyr (19.3±1.2 kyr accounting for production rate uncertainty). These ages are in excellent agreement with calibrated ¹⁴C ages that constrain retreat of the IIS margin from the continental shelf elsewhere in northwestern and western Ireland and the Irish Sea Basin associated with the start of the Cooley Point Interstadial (≥20–≤18.2 cal. kyr BP), suggesting widespread deglaciation of the IIS ∼19.5–20 kyr ago.     

Coordinated observations of two large Leonid meteor fireballs over northern New Mexico,and computer model comparisons

Abstract— This paper describes the coordinated results of several sets of measurements of two Leonid meteor fireballs over northern New Mexico at 1:32 and 3:06 MST, respectively, on the night of 1998 November 17. The measurements included visible band photometry on both events, as well as filtered 5890 Å all-sky images of the Na airglow. Also, for the 3:06 a.m. event, we obtained an infrasound measurement of the hydrodynamic yield. For the 1:32 a.m. event, we obtained a set of visible band charge-coupled device (CCD) camera images of the meteor train for times extending to 30 min after the initial impact. The measurement results have been combined to derive an optical efficiency for the intense early-time optical flash, and the total explosion yields and masses for both of the meteors. We have also done a set of numerical radiation, hydrodynamic, and chemistry computations to investigate the nature and distribution of the long-lasting airglow. We attribute the brightest visible airglow to atomic O 5577 Å line emission, with additional contributions from atomic Na emission and NO₂ chemiluminescence. The near-infrared atmospheric bands of molecular O₂ should be very strong as well. All of the band emissions are expected to show a hollow limb-brightened structure.     

Using computational intelligence techniques to model subglacial water systems

Measurements of water pressure beneath Trapridge Glacier, Yukon Territory, Canada show that the basal water system is highly heterogeneous. Three types of behaviour were recorded: pressure records which are strongly correlated, records which are strongly anticorrelated, and records which alternate between strong correlation and strong anticorrelation. We take the pressure in bore-holes that are connected to the evacuation route for basal water as the forcing, and the other pressures as the response to this forcing. Previous work (Murray and Clarke 1995) has shown that these relationships can be modelled using low-order nonlinear differential equations optimized by inversion. However, despite optimizing the model parameters we cannot be sure that the final model forms are themselves optimal. Computational intelligence techniques provide alternative methods for fitting models and are robust to missing or noisy data, applicable to non-smooth models, and attempt to derive optimal model forms as well as optimal model parameters. Four computational intelligence techniques have been used and the results compared with the more conventional mathematical model. These methods were genetic programming, artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic and self-organizing maps. We compare each technique and offer an evaluation of their suitability for modelling the pressure data. The evaluation criteria are threefold: (1) goodness of fit and an ability to predict subsequent data under different surface weather conditions; (2) interpretability, and the extent and significance of any new insights offered into the physics of the glacier; (3) computation time. The results suggest that the suitability of the computational intelligence techniques to model these data increases with the complexity of the system to be modelled.     

Occurrence and Distribution of Organic Contaminants in the Aquatic System in Berlin. Part III: Determination of Synthetic Musks in Berlin Surface Water Applying Solid-phase Microextraction (SPME) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

Polycyclic musks and nitro musks were found as environmental pollutants in screening analyses of 30 representative surface water samples collected from rivers, lakes, and canals in Berlin. These synthetic musks, which are used as fragrances in cosmetics, detergents, and other products, are discharged by the municipal sewage treatment plants into Berlinπs surface waters. In particular, the polycyclic musks 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta-(g)-2-benzopyrane (HHCB; Galaxolide®, Abbalide®) and 7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyltetraline (AHTN; Tonalide®, Fixolide®) were found in the receiving surface waters at considerable concentrations up to the μg/L-level. In the Wuhle, a small brook almost totally consisting of sewage effluents, maximum concentrations were 12.5 μg/L for HHCB and 6.8 μg/L for AHTN. Additionally, the polycyclic musk 4-acetyl-1,1-dimethyl-6-tert-butylindane (ADBI; Celestolide®, Crysolide®) and 1-tert-butyl-3,5-dimethyl-2,6-dinitro-4-acetylbenzene (musk ketone) were detected at low concentrations in most of the samples. Two other nitro musks, namely 1,1,3,3,5-pentamethyl-4,6-dinitroindene (musk moskene) and 1-tert-butyl-3,5-dimethyl-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (musk xylene), were only detected in a single surface water sample. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with detection by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has proven to be a rapid and reliable tool for the screening of synthetic musks in surface and sewage water samples. Internal calibration with a suitable internal standard enables reproducible quantitation of the analytes down to the low ng/L-level.