Flood control failures in a Third World City: Benin City,Nigeria — some environmental factors and policy issues

GeoJournal - Inspite of step-up efforts at controlling flood hazards in Third World cities, the frequency and magnitude of the flood problem have more than doubled in recent years. A survey of the...     

Long-term variations of annual and growing season rainfalls in Nigeria

Summary Evidence for changes in the annual and growing season rainfall series for the period 1919 to 1985 in Nigeria are examined on a regional basis, using power-spectral and lowpass filter techniques, and the Mann-Kendall rank statistic. Four regions, the Coastal Zone, the Guinea-Savanna Zone, the Midland area and the Sahel, are used in the investigation of rainfall variation from south to north across the country.Quasi-periodic oscillations in the annual and growing season rainfall series are found to be concentrated in four spectral bands: 2.0–2.4, 2.7–2.9, 3.2–3.6 and 5.6–6.3 years. The spatial coherence of the fluctuations in annual and growing season rainfall is found to be limited to Nigeria south of 11 degrees north latitude. Evidence also emerges of a progressive decline in annual and growing season rainfall for northern Nigeria, north of nine degrees north latitude, for the period 1939–1985.With 5 Figures     

Temporal Variations of Chlorinated Solvents in Abstraction Wells

Data obtained during an organic water quality survey of abstraction (pumping) wells in the Triassic Sandstone Aquifer of Birmingham (U.K.) indicate that there are important variations of chlorinated solvent concentrations with time. Short-term observation of solvent concentrations with elapsed pumping time indicates widely differing well responses; such observations are important in establishing good sampling protocols. Long-term monitoring indicates that solvent concentrations, particularly trichloroethene, are often stable with time. When large solvent variations do occur, these are shown to be due to the variation in the abstraction history of the well or significant migration of solvent plumes during the monitoring period. The latter effect is particularly exemplified by rising trends in 1,1,1-trichlroethane concentrations. The changes observed in solvent concentrations during long-term monitoring of the Birmingham Aquifer are slow to occur, but often large.     

Chronology of Sanbagawa metamorphism

By collating age data based on the fossil age of the protoliths, radiometric dating of the metamorphic minerals, and sedimentary records of erosion at the earth's surface, the history of the Sanbagawa metamorphism can be summarized as follows. (1) The pre-metamorphic sedimentary rocks (Carboniferous-Jurassic + Early Cretaceous?) became mixed and formed a thickened packet in the vicinity of an ancient trench through a variety of subduction-related tectono-sedimentary processes, probably in Early Cretaceous time (c., 130-120 Ma). (2) The subducted protoliths underwent progressive metamorphism reaching a maximum depth of c. 30 km in late Early Cretaceous time (c. 116 ± 10 Ma). (3) The high-P/T metamorphic rocks began to rise toward the surface (during the interval 110-50 Ma) with minimum estimates for the average cooling rate around 9-12°C/Ma and an average uplift rate around 0.4-0.5 mm/year. (4) Finally, at some stage after reaching the erosional surface, the high-P/T metamorphic rocks were covered unconformably by the middle Eocene (c. 50-42 Ma) Kuma Group. On the basis of the present chronological summary of the Sanbagawa metamorphism, the areal extent of the Sanbagawa metamorphism is also discussed with respect to the weakly metamorphosed subduction-accretion complex of the next tectonic belt to the south, the Northern Chichibu belt.     

Interpretation of aeromagnetic anomalies over part of Southeastern Nigeria using three-dimensional Hilbert transformation

We present the results of the application of three-dimensional Hilbert transformation to the analysis of airborne total field magnetic anomalies over part of Southeastern Nigeria. This study not only substantiates the usefulness of 3-D Hilbert transforms in the interpretation of magnetic anomaly maps but also more clearly delineates the structural pattern of the area, of study. Results from the previous study are discussed in relation to the results of previous geological and geophysical studies of the area.     

Influence of Biogenous Elements on Components of the Lake Baikal Plankton Community

Fertilization experiments in mesocosms of 1 … 2,000 1 containing up to 0.32 mg/l P and 1.7 mg/l N in summer and in winter did not show any significant changes of the hydrochemical conditions and in the bacterio-plankton. CO₂-assimilation (14-C method) is reduced by circa 10= by nutrient doses, whereas the chlorophyll concentration increases significantly due to addition of P and N at the same time in summer, a decrease taking place in winter. The different courses of development are connected with different reactions of individual species of phytoplankton.     

The geographical distribution of the potential for seed germination and seedling establishment ofPinus densiflora in Japan as influenced by soil and air temperatures

Summary The geographical distribution ofPinus densiflora forests in Japan was examined in relation to the seed germination and seedling establishment information obtained from laboratory experiments, field observations and field experiments. The laboratory experiments indicated that seed germination can occur in all areas of Japan because effective cumulative soil temperatures reaches to 75 °C · day everywhere. However, the field observations and field experiments suggested that seedling establishment is impossible in the northern, eastern and central parts of Hokkaido because the effective cumulative air temperature at a height of 6 cm over bare ground is less than 2 000 °C · day. These results agree approximately with the actual geographical distribution ofP. densiflora forest, which can not be found under natural circumstances in these areas.With 3 Figures     

Air/water two-phase flow test tunnel for airfoil studies

A test tunnel for the study of airfoil performances under air/water two-phase flow condition has been designed and constructed. This facility will serve for a better understanding of the flow phenomena and characteristics of hydraulic machinery under gas/ liquid two-phase flow operating conditions. At the test section of the tunnel, a two-dimensional isolated airfoil or a cascade of airfoils is installed in a two-phase inlet flow with a uniform velocity (up to 10 m/s) and void fraction (up to 12%) distribution. The details of the tunnel structure and the measuring systems are described and the basic characteristics of the constructed tunnel are also given. As an example of the test results, void fraction distribution around a test airfoil is shown.Dedicated to the 60th Birthday of Professor Klaus Gersten     

Cyclic sedimentation and climatically caused sea-level changes in the Late Palaeozoic of Central Europe

Significant short-term fluctuations are characteristic of geological history since Precambrian times. Only the younger Quaternary climatic fluctuations are known in more detail as a result of a high grade time resolution. Climatic change can also be postulated with respect to older, cold periods during which polar inland ice sheets developed. From a discussion of endogene and exogene interpretations it is shown that global climatic changes, and the sea-level changes induced by them, as well as changes in the position and extent of climatic zones throughout the world provide a control mechanism for sedimentation which is consistent with cyclic sedimentation in Late Palaeozoic times, and also if the basin subsides non-cyclically. The model allows an explanation of the development of the Permo-Carboniferous sedimentary cycles without numerous short-term vertical oscillations of the earth's crust. In reality, exogene and endogene controls on sedimentation act together in great variety of combinations.