Seeding agent dispersion within convective cloud as simulated by a 3-D numerical model

Summary The three-dimensional mesoscale cloud-resolving model ARPS (Advanced Regional Prediction System) was used to investigate the dispersal of an inert seeding agent within a cumulonimbus (Cb) cloud developing from two different initial states. In this paper, we stress the influence vortices in the cloud have on seeding agent dispersion. If a strong directional ambient wind shear is present in the lowest layer, a vortex pair formed at the flanks of the simulated cloud. Following the velocity field, a considerable amount of the injected seeding agent would be thrown out to the rear of the cloud, where both updrafts associated with vortices and downdrafts occurred. After a short time the agent was present only in the cloud periphery. If the Cb cloud developed under conditions where directional ambient wind shear did not exist, seeding agent dispersion would be quite different. In this case, almost all the seeding agent was transported into the main updraft, while the residence time of the agent within the cloud was longer due to the weaker cloud dynamics. Therefore, we must pay attention to whether or not the cloud contains vortices when we make the decision where to seed. This is necessary in order to minimize the loss of seeding material.     

A critical evaluation of using bulk sediment instead of fine fraction in environmental marine studies, investigated on example of Rijeka harbor, Croatia

This work tested the preferential use of fine (<63 μm) or bulk sediment (<2 mm) in environmental research of marine sediments in the Eastern Adriatic. Fine fraction sediment containing silt and clay (<63 μm), predominating in the studied area, was examined to evaluate past and present anthropogenic inputs and to test our hypothesis that investigation of bulk sediment should be preferred. Following aqua regia digestion, chemical analyses of 58 elements were performed by ICP/OES, ICP-MS and cold vapor AAS, and statistical analysis was performed. The concentrations of the majority of the analyzed elements increased with age of the sediment, except for Ag and Sn, which had higher concentrations in recent sediments. The previous main sources of metal contamination in Rijeka harbor were now abandoned municipal-sewage outflow and oil refinery, and continuing harbor activities and antifouling paint use. All activities except of antifouling paint use have been decreasing significantly. Anomalies of selected elements were determined by the box-plot method. More anomalies were found in the bulk sediment than in the fine fraction. Results of Q-modality clustering and factor analysis in the fine fraction almost correlate with that applied on bulk sediments. Thus, it can be said that the differences between the element distribution in the bulk and fine fraction are not statistically significant. Our conclusion is that analysis of bulk marine sediment gives a better insight into the state of pollution and supports previous recommendations to use bulk sediment as a chosen media for environmental studies.     

Changes in Components of the Water Balance in the Croatian Lowlands

Summary ?This paper deals with variations and trends in some components of the water balance: the soil water content; evaporation loss from the soil (from the surface and underlying layers); transpiration; ground water recharge and runoff. These components are calculated by means of the Palmer procedure. This analysis is based on data from Osijek, Croatia from this century (1900–1995). Besides the meteorological input parameters necessary for the water balance calculations, i.e. precipitation, temperature and relative humidity, the pedological characteristics of this area have also been taken into account. Fluctuations have been considered by means of the 11-year binomial filtered series and linear trends were tested by means of the Mann-Kendall rank test. For a closer look on the trends of water balance components, a progressive analysis of the time series was performed, too. The results show a significant increase in potential evapotranspiration and evapotranspiration and decrease in runoff and soil water content has occurred during the century. Received February 22, 1999/Revised August 3, 1999     

Comparison of different models of water quality index in the assessment of surface water quality

The method of water quality index is widely used in evaluation of the surface water quality because of its capability to summarize a number of water quality parameters into one numeric value, along with defined scale of water quality range. The current investigation includes application of modified model for calculating water quality index values, generated using experimental data and literary models. Software was created using modular design. Fourteen physical, chemical and biological parameters representing water quality state along with the assigned weights were elected. Comparison between models generated based on Serbian and American models of water quality index was done. Selected parameters differ mutually in number of parameters used in calculation of index, as well as in values of the weighting factors. In order to enable an efficient water quality analysis and to reconcile the requirements of both Serbian and American model, two software solutions were generated and processed on the example of the water quality of the Danube River in Serbia. Danube water quality was assessed at seventeen measuring locations along the river flow. Index values obtained from the two generated software applications were compared with the results of the official Serbian online calculator. Water quality determined using new generated models shows stricter approach and one class lower water quality compared to the existing Serbian model. Therefore, modular and open-generated simulation software is of great significance for the comparison and testing of different water quality models, not just those two shown in this study.     

A parallel mesh-free contaminant transport model based on the Analytic Element and Streamline Methods

This paper introduces a new method for simulating large-scale subsurface contaminant transport that combines an Analytic Element Method (AEM) groundwater flow solution with a split-operator Streamline Method for modeling reactive transport. The key feature of the method is the manner in which the vertically integrated AEM flow solution is used to construct three-dimensional particle tracks that define the geometry of the Streamline Method. The inherently parallel nature of the algorithm supports the development of reactive transport models for spatial domains much larger than current grid-based methods. The applicability of the new approach is verified for cases with negligible transverse dispersion through comparisons to analytic solutions and existing numerical solutions, and parallel performance is demonstrated through a realistic test problem based on the regional-scale transport of agricultural contaminants from spatially distributed sources.     

Croatia — “a small country for a great vacation”

Croatia is a country of tourism, and this is primarily due to its position by the warm Adriatic Sea, its varying and picturesque landscapes, its diverse and generally favorable climate for tourism, its rich Mediterranean and Central European cultural heritage and its proximity to the leading European consumer countries.In the international tourism market, Croatia presents itself with the slogan A Small Country for a Great Vacation, because its 4.8 million inhabitants and surface area of 56,538 km² place Croatia in the ranks of the world's smaller countries. Its significance is increased by an additional 33,200 km² of territorial waters, of which a large part is considered internal waters because of its location within the limits of a series of islands.The tourism offering of Croatia is very diverse, but its basis is formed by three differing and mutually complimentary regions, through their natural characteristics and cultural heritage: coastal, montane and Pannonian and peri-Pannonian Croatia. The total tourism offering of Croatia includes 900,000 beds, of which over one-fifth are in hotels or similar places, two-fifths are in private rooms and one-third in camps.The tradition of tourism in Croatia is over one hundred years old, and according to the number of foreign tourists it is ranked as the fifth country for tourism in southern Europe.     

Application of the photoacoustic method for characterization of natural galena (PbS)

Electron transport properties of single crystal and polycrystalline natural mineral galena (PbS) samples from the Trep?a mine, Yugoslavia, were determined using the photoacoustic frequency transmission technique. Their thermal diffusivity (D _T≈0.16 × 10^?5 m² s^?1), the coefficient of diffusion (D between 0.15×10^?2 0.16×10^?2 m² s^?1) and lifetime of the excess carrier (τ≈35 μs and the front and rear recombination velocity (s _g≈65.5 m s^?1 and s _b≈66.4 m s^?1, respectively), were calculated by comparing the experimental results and the theoretical photoacoustic amplitude and phase signals. The lattice parameter obtained by X-ray work was a?=5.936?Å. The free carrier concentration of these single-crystal samples was measured using the Hall method (N?=?3×10¹⁸ cm^?3). Measurements of the optical reflectivity of the same samples, as a function of wavelength, in the infrared and far infrared ranges, were performed. In the far infrared range a free electron plasma frequency was observed and numerically analyzed, using the least-squares fitting procedure. The values of optical parameters were calculated and the value of the free carrier concentration obtained by the Hall method was confirmed.     

Factors that contributed to recent eutrophication of two Slovenian mountain lakes

Increased eutrophication was recently observed in the 5th (5J) and 6th (6J) Triglav Lakes, two remote Slovenian mountain lakes. Sediment phosphorus (P) pools were analysed and potential external P sources affecting the lakes (atmospheric deposition, terrestrial export and nearby hut) evaluated, to assess the effects of internal and external changes on the lakes. A sequential extraction procedure was used to quantify five P fractions from the sediments: adsorbed (NH₄Cl–P), redox-sensitive (BD–P), aluminium- (NaOH–P) and calcium- (HCl–P) bound, and refractory organic (Res–P) P. Total phosphorus (TP) contents in surface sediment of 5J and 6J were 1430 and 641 µg P g^?1 dry weight sediment (dw), respectively. TP varied with depth in 5J sediments, but displayed no discernible pattern, whereas it decreased steadily downcore in 6J. Contents of all P forms were distinctly higher in 5J than 6J, but their rank order and relative abundances were similar in the two lakes. Res–P was the most abundant P fraction, followed by HCl–P. Together, the two P forms accounted for nearly 80 and 90% of TP in 5J and 6J sediments, respectively. BD–P and NaOH–P were less abundant, with each fraction accounting for 3 to 9% of TP, whereas NH₄Cl–P was least abundant. Atmospheric deposition and terrestrial export were substantial sources of P for the lakes. Delivery of the former was estimated to be at least 7.5 mg P m^?2 yr^?1 and the latter around 20 mg P m^?2 yr^?1. We concluded that P was not retained in the catchment effectively, likely because of only slightly acidic soil pH (5.9), relatively low aluminium content and high organic matter content (53%) in soils, resulting in higher vulnerability of the studied lakes to eutrophication. The mountain hut could also be a significant source of P for the lakes. Each year, it could potentially contribute ~12 kg of soluble P to the environment, but the true impact of the hut on lake trophic status remains unclear.     

Size-differential feeding in Pinna nobilis L. (Mollusca: Bivalvia): Exploitation of detritus,phytoplankton and zooplankton

The endangered fan shell Pinna nobilis is a large bivalve mollusc (<120 cm shell length) endemic to the Mediterranean that lives one-third buried in soft substrata, generally in shallow coastal waters. We hypothesised that P. nobilis of different sizes would ingest different food sources, because small fan shells will inhale material from closer to the substratum than do large fan shells. We studied stomach contents and faeces of 18 fan shells, 6 small (mean 23.0 cm length), 6 medium-sized (mean 41.5 cm length) and 6 large (mean 62.7 cm length) living in a small area of a low-energy coastal detritic bottom characterised by mud, sand and macroalgae at Mali Ston Bay, Croatia. We found that all P. nobilis ingested copious quantities of undetermined detritus (probably at least 95% of ingested material), phytoplankton, micro and mesozooplankton and pollen grains. Large P. nobilis stomach contents showed a preponderance of water column calanoid copepods, while small fan shells had higher numbers of bivalve larvae. All fan shells took in high numbers of harpacticoid copepods that are benthonic, feeding on microbial communities of detritus and benthic vegetation. There was also a significant selection of phytoplankton species, some apparently occurring between inhalation and ingestion. The stomach contents of small P. nobilis had a higher organic matter content than either medium-sized or large fan shells; this indicated that small fan shells ingested detritus of higher organic content than did larger P. nobilis. As the faeces of all P. nobilis had similar organic matter content, this also indicates higher assimilation efficiencies in small fan shells. The demonstration of differential dietary selectivity by different sized animals has implications for future trophic studies of this endangered species. This study also provides the first demonstration of predation on zooplankton by P. nobilis.