Automated approaches for displaying spatially oriented time‐series data through image processing techniques

This study demonstrated the cartographic implications of automated image processing and computer graphics for the study of time‐series data. Automated statistical and image processing techniques were applied to a case study data set consisting of weekly Crop Moisture Index (CMI) values summarized at 174 state cooperative weather stations within Oklahoma for the time period between February and October, 1980. Computer generated isoline maps of the CMI values were interpolated and rescaled into a series of 32 grid matrices for input into a raster‐based ERDAS image processing software system. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was used to develop graphic models that synthesized the multi‐temporal data into statistical dimensions that represented the most significant elements of CMI variability. Graphic models of the PCA statistical vectors were displayed individually, in conjunction with eigenvector loadings, and as composite images. Resultant images were analyzed statistically and graphically through the generated CMI grid matrices to ascertain the location, severity, and progression of drought represented in the CMI values. Traditional image processing techniques and devices were combined with the ERDAS software system to transform the multi‐temporal CMI data into multi‐dimensional images that represented the drought's spatial and temporal signature unobscured by redundant information.     

Statistics of major Chilean earthquakes recurrence

In this work, we consider historical earthquakes registered in Chile (from 1900 up to 2010) with epicenters located between 19 and 40°S latitude, in order to evaluate the probabilities of the occurrence of strong earthquakes along Chile in the near future. Applying Gumbel??s technique of first asymptotic distribution, Wemelsfelder??s theory and Gutenberg?CRichter relationship, we estimate that during the next decade strong earthquakes with Richter magnitudes larger than 8.7?C8.9 could occur along Chile. According to our analysis, probabilities for the occurrence of such a strong earthquake range between 64 and 46% respectively. Particularly in the very well known ??seismic gap?? of Arica, a convergence motion between Nazca and South American plates of 77?C78?mm/year represents more than 10?m of displacement accumulated since the last big interplate subduction earthquake in this area over 134?years ago. Therefore, this area already has the potential for an earthquake of magnitude >8.     

Degradation and Detoxification of Chlorophenols in Continuous‐Flow Fixed‐Bed Aerobic Reactors

An indigenous bacterial strain of Delftia sp. capable of degrading 2,4‐dicholorophenol and an indigenous bacterial community that degrades 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol (TCP) were employed to inoculate continuous down‐flow fixed‐bed reactors. Continuous‐reactors were constructed from PVC employing hollow PVC cylinders as support material. Synthetic wastewater was prepared by dissolving the corresponding chlorophenol in non‐sterile groundwater. Biodegradation was evaluated by spectrophotometry, chloride release, GC, and microbial growth. Detoxification was evaluated by using Daphnia magna as test organism. Delftia sp. was able to remove an average of 95.6% of DCP. Efficiency in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was of 88.9%. The indigenous bacterial community that degrades TCP reached an average efficiency of 96.5 and 91.6% in terms of compound and COD removal, respectively. In both cases stoichiometric removal of chloride and detoxification was achieved. When synthetic wastewater feed was cut off for 7 days, both reactors showed a fast recovery after inflow restarting, reaching average outlet concentration values within 36 h. The promising behavior of the microorganisms and the low cost of the reactors tested allow us to suggest their possible application to remediation processes.     

A Bayesian approach to monitoring and assessing unexploded ordnance remediation progress from munitions testing ranges

We present a statistical methodology which aims to monitor and assess the progress of unexploded ordnance remediation. We explicitly quantify the probability that each buried sensor-identified anomaly is not a target of interest conditional on the information gleaned from anomalies which have been dug and identified. We provide a measure of confidence that the anomalies which remain onsite after remediation are not unexploded ordnance—this measure of confidence is gleaned through Monte Carlo methods. The methodology is iterative in that, at any point in the remediation process, we can assess remediation progress and compute the probability that no targets of interest remain given the available dig information.     

Magma yield stress and permeability: Insights from multiphase percolation theory

Magmas often contain multiple interacting phases of embedded solid and gas inclusions. Multiphase percolation theory provides a means of modeling assemblies of these different classes of magmatic inclusions in a simple, yet powerful way. Like its single phase counterpart, multiphase percolation theory describes the connectivity of discrete inclusion assemblies as a function of phase topology. In addition, multiphase percolation employs basic laws to distinguish separate classes of objects and is characterized by its dependency on the order in which the different phases appear. This paper examines two applications of multiphase percolation theory: the first considers how the presence of bubble inclusions influences yield stress onset and growth in a magma's crystal network; the second examines the effect of bi-modal bubble-size distributions on magma permeability. We find that the presence of bubbles induces crystal clustering, thereby 1) reducing the percolation threshold, or critical crystal volume fraction, ?_c, at which the crystals form a space-spanning network providing a minimum yield stress, and 2) resulting in a larger yield stress for a given crystal volume fraction above ?_c. This increase in the yield stress of the crystal network may also occur when crystal clusters are formed due to processes other than bubble formation, such as heterogeneous crystallization, synneusis, and heterogeneity due to deformation or flow. Further, we find that bimodal bubble size distributions can significantly affect the permeability of the system beyond the percolation threshold. This study thus demonstrates that larger-scale structures and topologies, as well as the order in which different phases appear, can have significant effects on macroscopic properties in multiphase materials.     

Elastic and anelastic anomalies in (Ca,Sr)TiO3 perovskites: Analogue behaviour for silicate perovskites

Values of bulk modulus (K), shear modulus (G) and mechanical quality factor (Q) have been determined for polycrystalline samples across the CaTiO₃ (CST0)–SrTiO₃ (CST100) solid solution by resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. Because of similarities with low frequency elastic and anelastic anomalies due to twin wall motion reported in previous studies, a working hypothesis is developed in which dissipation processes are interpreted in terms of twin wall displacements. At high temperatures in CST50 the stability field of the I4/mcm structure is marked by the disappearance of all resonance peaks (superattenuation). This is attributed to anelastic domain wall sliding. At room temperature the I4/mcm phase of CST70 and CST80 has values of G which are lower than those of cubic or orthorhombic phases, and a concomitant drop in Q is interpreted as implying that the domain wall pinning process reported elsewhere to occur below 400–450 K is only partial. A similar drop in G and Q was found in CST95 below the transition at 238 K. The I4/mcm ↔ Pbcm transition in CST70 at 230 K is marked by an abrupt increase in Q, suggesting that mobile twins in crystals with the I4/mcm structure become effectively immobile in antiferroelectric crystals with the Pbcm structure. The I4/mcm ↔ Pnma transition in CST50 is marked by a similarly abrupt increase in Q, consistent with twin walls becoming effectively immobile also in crystals with the Pnma structure. A fall in Q below 800 K in CST0, however, could imply that a degree of twin wall mobility might develop in Pnma crystals if the tetragonal spontaneous strain departs significantly from zero. The remarkable attenuation behaviour of crystals with the I4/mcm structure at the relatively low stress conditions which apply during resonances of a parallelepiped with edge dimensions of 2–4 mm, is consistent with the view that a characteristic signature for tetragonal CaSiO₃ in the Earth's lower mantle should be a marked attenuation of seismic waves.     

An upper limit to coronal X-rays from single,magnetic white dwarfs

Pointed ROSAT PSPC exposures of 9277 and 6992 sec, directed toward the nearby, single, cool, magnetic white dwarfs GR 290 and EG 250 yielded no counts significantly above the expected background rate. The corresponding flux limits (for an assumed source temperature of l keV) are 1.0 and 1.7 × 10⁻¹⁴erg cm⁻² s⁻¹, within the 0.1–2.5 keV bandpass of the instrument (99% confidence limits). This is more than an order of magnitude below the tentative detection level (for GR 290) and limits (for four other similar stars) obtained from archival Einstein data in 1991. The corresponding limits on coronal electron density are comparable with those implied if cyclotron emission is not responsible for any of the features observed in the optical spectra of magnetic white dwarfs. X-ray data currently provide no evidence for the existence of coronae around these stars. A final long observation (25,000 sec of GD 356) is scheduled for later this year on ROSAT, along with coordinated EUVE observations.     

Binary progenitors of Supernovae

Supernovae of both Type I (hydrogen-poor) and Type II (hydrogen-rich) can be expected to occur among binary stars. Among massive stars (>10 M•), the companion makes it more difficult for the primary to develop an unstable core of >1.4.M• while still retaining the extended, hydrogen-rich envelope needed to make a typical Type II light curve. Among 1–10 M• stars, on the other hand, a companion plays a vital role in currently popular models for Type I events, by transferring material to the primary after it has become a stable white dwarf, and so driving it to conditions where either core collapse or explosive nuclear burning will occur. Several difficulties (involving nucleosynthesis, numbers and lifetimes of progenitors, the mass-transfer mechanism,etc.) still exist in these models. Some of them are overcome by a recent, promising scenario in which the secondary also evolves to a degenerate configuration, and the two white dwarfs spiral together to produce a hydrogen-free explosion, long after single stars of the same initial masses have ceased to be capable of fireworks.     

A new method for analyzing the effects of joints and stratigraphy on spring locations: a case study from the Sacramento Mountains, south central New Mexico, USA

A novel method for analyzing the effects that stratigraphic layers and joints have on spring locations is presented, with specific relevance for the southern Sacramento Mountains, south central New Mexico, USA. Bedrock in this heavily vegetated mountain block is mostly covered by alluvium and soil, making direct field observations difficult, and necessitating alternative methods. Elevations of a mapped geologic contact are used to produce a three-dimensional stratigraphic surface. A histogram of spring stratigraphic positions, calculated from this surface, indicates zones of preferential groundwater flow. Field measurements are combined with GIS analyses to quantify joint control on spring locations within stream valleys, and these results are compared to traditional lineament analysis. Stream valleys are parallel to joints observed in the field, and joint-parallel segments selected from digital elevation model (DEM)-mapped streams are up to 900 m in length. The abundance of springs throughout the study area decreases logarithmically with distance from these joint-parallel stream segments. Springs are more than twice as abundant within 25 m of joint-parallel stream segments compared with manually mapped lineaments from air-photos. Higher correlation with spring locations and significant time reduction by using GIS to select joint-parallel streams for lineament interpretation indicate that the method provides a good alternative to manual lineament analysis.     

The Gash Breccias of the Pembroke Peninsula,SW Wales

The thickest development of Carboniferous Limestone in Great Britain (about 1200 m) is in the Pembroke Peninsula of SW Wales. In various places, the regularity of the normally well‐stratified limestone is broken by zones of disturbance, which are spectacularly displayed in magnificent near‐vertical cliff sections. The zones generally occupy the whole of the 50 m‐high cliffs and are up to 300 m wide. The chief component of these zones is a chaotic, clast‐supported breccia, composed of angular limestone fragments welded together with varying degrees of firmness by sparry calcite veining or a normally sparse, red‐pink sandy or silty matrix. The breccias are very easy to distinguish and form a striking contrast to the grey cliff scenery hereabouts ( Figs 1, 2 ), yet they have not been discussed much—until now.

Figure 1 Open in figure viewer PowerPoint Location map, showing localities mentioned in the text, the outcrop of the Carboniferous Limestone, the chief synclinal axes and the distribution envelope of the Gash Breccias (after Thomas 1971 ). 1. Flimston Bay; 2. Bullslaughter Bay (west); 3. Bullslaughter bay (east); 4. Trevallen; 5. Box Bay; 6. Draught; 7. Whitesheet Rock; 8. Lydstep Point; 9. St Margaret's Point; 10. Den Point; 11. Valleyfield Top; 12. Pembroke Castle.