The POETICs of industrial carbon dioxide emissions in Japan: an urban and institutional extension of the IPAT identity

Background  

This study applies the POETICs framework (population, organization, environment, technology, institutions and culture) to an analysis of industrial carbon dioxide emissions in Japanese cities. The inclusion of institutional variables in the form of International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives membership, ISO 14001 implementation, and non-profit sector activity addresses the ecological limitations of the often used IPAT (impact = population × affluence × technology) approach.     

Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for Sumatra, Indonesia and across the Southern Malaysian Peninsula

The ground motion hazard for Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula is calculated in a probabilistic framework, using procedures developed for the US National Seismic Hazard Maps. We constructed regional earthquake source models and used standard published and modified attenuation equations to calculate peak ground acceleration at 2% and 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years for rock site conditions. We developed or modified earthquake catalogs and declustered these catalogs to include only independent earthquakes. The resulting catalogs were used to define four source zones that characterize earthquakes in four tectonic environments: subduction zone interface earthquakes, subduction zone deep intraslab earthquakes, strike-slip transform earthquakes, and intraplate earthquakes. The recurrence rates and sizes of historical earthquakes on known faults and across zones were also determined from this modified catalog. In addition to the source zones, our seismic source model considers two major faults that are known historically to generate large earthquakes: the Sumatran subduction zone and the Sumatran transform fault. Several published studies were used to describe earthquakes along these faults during historical and pre-historical time, as well as to identify segmentation models of faults. Peak horizontal ground accelerations were calculated using ground motion prediction relations that were developed from seismic data obtained from the crustal interplate environment, crustal intraplate environment, along the subduction zone interface, and from deep intraslab earthquakes. Most of these relations, however, have not been developed for large distances that are needed for calculating the hazard across the Malaysian peninsula, and none were developed for earthquake ground motions generated in an interplate tectonic environment that are propagated into an intraplate tectonic environment. For the interplate and intraplate crustal earthquakes, we have applied ground-motion prediction relations that are consistent with California (interplate) and India (intraplate) strong motion data that we collected for distances beyond 200 km. For the subduction zone equations, we recognized that the published relationships at large distances were not consistent with global earthquake data that we collected and modified the relations to be compatible with the global subduction zone ground motions. In this analysis, we have used alternative source and attenuation models and weighted them to account for our uncertainty in which model is most appropriate for Sumatra or for the Malaysian peninsula. The resulting peak horizontal ground accelerations for 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years range from over 100% g to about 10% g across Sumatra and generally less than 20% g across most of the Malaysian peninsula. The ground motions at 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years are typically about 60% of the ground motions derived for a hazard level at 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years. The largest contributors to hazard are from the Sumatran faults.     

Modeling of mineralogical composition,density and elastic wave velocities in anhydrous magmatic rocks

We use the technique of direct minimization of the Gibbs free energy of the 8-component (K₂O-Na₂O-Fe₂O₃-FeO-CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂) multiphase system in order to determine the equilibrium mineral assemblages of rocks of different bulk chemical compositions equilibrated at various P-T conditions. The calculated modal compositions of rocks and experimental data on elastic moduli of single crystals are then used to calculate densities and isotropic elastic wave velocities of rocks together with their pressure and temperature derivatives. Sufficient accuracy of the calculations is confirmed by comparison with experimental data on the gabbro-eclogite transformation and precise ultrasonic measurements of elastic wave velocities in a number of magmatic and metamorphic rocks.We present calculated phase diagrams with isolines of density, elastic wave velocities, and their pressure and temperature derivatives for several anhydrous magmatic rocks, from granite to lherzolite. Density and elastic properties of rocks are controlled by their chemical compositions, especially the SiO₂ content, and by P-T of equilibration, and they increase with pressure due to mineral reactions changing mineral assemblages from plagioclase-bearing and garnet-free to garnetbearing and plagioclase-free. TheV _p -density correlation is high, and shows two clear trends: one for iron-poor ultramafic rocks and another for all the other rocks considered. Mineral reactions, which occur at high pressures, changeV _p and density of anhydrous magmatic rocks following the well-known Birch (or a similar) law.Felsic, intermediate and mafic rocks can be well distinguished in theV _p -V _p /V _s - diagram, although their values ofV _p can be close to one another. TheV _p -V _p /V _s -density diagrams together with calculated phase diagrams can serve as efficient instruments for petrologic interpretation of seismic velocities.     

High-resolution coastal hazard assessment along the French Riviera from co-seismic tsunamis generated in the Ligurian fault system

Natural Hazards - The French Riviera is a densely populated and touristic coast. It is also one of the most seismically active areas of the Western Mediterranean. This is evidenced by the Mw...     

Mineralogical and chemical composition and cosmic‐ray exposure history of two mesosiderites and two iron meteorites

Abstract— We performed a comprehensive study of the noble gas isotopic abundances, radionuclide activities, and mineralogical and chemical composition of two mesosiderites and two iron meteorites. For the mesosiderites Dong Ujimqin Qi and Weiyuan, the silicate and the metal phases were studied. The anomalous ataxite Rafrüti is not chemically related to any other meteorite class, whereas Ningbo is a type IVA octahedrite. The mineralogy and major and trace element abundances of the silicate phases of Dong Ujimqin Qi and Weiyuan are similar to those of other mesosiderites and distinct from those of the howardites. The cosmic‐ray exposure history was studied based on the concentrations of the cosmogenic noble gas nuclei and radionuclide activities. For the iron meteorites, cosmic‐ray exposure ages were calculated from the pairs ¹⁰Be‐²¹Ne, ²⁶Al‐²¹Ne, and ³⁶Cl‐³⁶Ar. Rafrüti yields the youngest exposure age of all ataxites (6.8 ± 1.7 Ma), whereas that of Ningbo with 107 ± 15 Ma falls within the range observed for the other octahedrites. The parent body break‐up times of the mesosiderites Dong Ujimqin Qi and Weiyuan are 252 ± 50 and 25.9 ± 5.0 Ma, respectively. We find no evidence for a common break‐up event for the mesosiderites and the howardites.     

A unique aspect of ballast water management requirements - The same location concept

Under certain circumstances vessels do not need to meet ballast water management requirements as stated in the International Convention for the Management and Control of Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention). Besides exceptions to ensure e.g., (a) the safety of a ship, (b) discharge of ballast water for the purpose of avoiding or minimizing pollution incidents, (c) uptake and discharge on high seas of the same ballast water, the same location concept comes into play as ballast water discharges from a ship at the same location where it was taken up is also excepted from BWM requirements. The term same location was not defined in this instrument, hence it is exposed to different interpretations (e.g., a terminal, a port, a larger area where two or more ports may be located). As the BWM Convention is an instrument with biological meaning, the authors recommend a biologically meaningful definition of the same location in this contribution.