Prediction of temperature variation within a snowpack in open areas and under different canopy covers

Snow temperature is a major component of many physical processes in a snowpack. The temperature and the change in temperature across a layer have a dominant effect on physical properties of snow grains as well as its hardness, strength, and failure resistance. In this study, temperature and snow cover thickness were measured during the snow season of 2007–2008 in 11 elevation classes and in three different sampling locations, one in an open area and two under different forest canopy covers for each class along Kartalkaya road, Bolu. Each sampling site was visited 44 times to collect data including snow depth, snow surface temperature, ground temperature, and temperature within snowpack at 20‐cm intervals. Seven different models are developed to determine snowpack temperature variations under forest canopy covers and in an open area with different leaf area index values. All models were performed using a multilayer perceptron (MP) method for the Bolu–Kartalkaya area, Turkey. MP approach constitutes a standard form of neural network modeling and can modify two‐layer linear perceptron methods using three and more layers. The ability of MP is to handle complex nonlinear interactions, which ease the natural process of modeling. This method can overcome complex computations using neuron networks, and they can easily nonlinearly link input and output variables. The predictive errors are determined on the basis of mean absolute error and mean square error criteria. The Nash–Sutcliffe sufficiency score showing compliance between observed and predicted values is also calculated. According to the mean absolute error, the mean square error, and the Nash–Sutcliffe sufficiency score criteria, the predictive errors are within reasonable error intervals, justifying the use of the developed MP models for engineering applications. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A 3-tier tsunami vulnerability assessment technique for the north-west coast of Peninsular Malaysia

The 2004 tsunami that struck the Sumatra coast gave a warning sign to Malaysia that it is no longer regarded as safe from a future tsunami attack. Since the event, the Malaysian Government has formulated its plan of action by developing an integrated tsunami vulnerability assessment technique to determine the vulnerability levels of each sector along the 520-km-long coastline of the north-west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The scope of assessment is focused on the vulnerability of the physical characteristics of the coastal area, and the vulnerability of the built environment in the area that includes building structures and infrastructures. The assessment was conducted in three distinct stages which stretched across from a macro-scale assessment to several local-scale and finally a micro-scale assessment. On a macro-scale assessment, Tsunami Impact Classification Maps were constructed based on the results of the tsunami propagation modelling of the various tsunami source scenarios. At this stage, highly impacted areas were selected for an assessment of the local hazards in the form of local flood maps based on the inundation modelling output. Tsunami heights and flood depths obtained from these maps were then used to produce the Tsunami Physical Vulnerability Index (PVI) maps. These maps recognize sectors within the selected areas that are highly vulnerable to a maximum tsunami run-up and flood event. The final stage is the development of the Structural Vulnerability Index (SVI) maps, which may qualitatively and quantitatively capture the physical and economic resources that are in the tsunami inundation zone during the worst-case scenario event. The results of the assessment in the form of GIS-based Tsunami-prone Vulnerability Index (PVI and SVI) maps are able to differentiate between the various levels of vulnerability, based on the tsunami height and inundation, the various levels of impact severity towards existing building structures, property and land use, and also indicate the resources and human settlements within the study area. Most importantly, the maps could help planners to establish a zoning scheme for potential coastline development based on its sensitivity to tsunami. As a result, some recommendations on evacuation routes and tsunami shelters in the potentially affected areas were also proposed to the Government as a tool for relief agencies to plan for safe evacuation.     

Curie point depth beneath the Barramiya–Red Sea coast area estimated from aeromagnetic spectral analysis

The geothermal structure beneath of the Barramiya?CRed Sea coast area of the Central Eastern Desert of Egypt has been determined using Curie point depth (CPD), which is temperature-dependent. The CPD and the surface heat flow (q) maps of such area are estimated by analyzing aeromagnetic data. Such data are low-pass-filtered and analyzed to estimate the magnetic bottom using the centroid method. The heat flow map reflects the geothermic nature of the region. However, it is suggested that the shallow Curie point temperature depth pattern depends on the tectonic regime and morphology, which continues eastwards through the Red Sea. Particularly, the coastal regions are characterized by high heat flow (83.6?mW/m²) and shallow Curie depth (22.5?km), whereas the western portion of the studied area has a lower heat flow (<50?mW/m²) and deeper Curie depth (~40?km). In addition to its bordering to the Red Sea margin, such high heat flow anomaly is associated with the increased earthquake swarms activity in the Abu Dabbab area. El-Hady (1993) attributed the swarm activity to the geothermal evolution. Also, the heat flow pattern is correlatable by the numerous results of shallow borehole temperature measurements as reported by Morgan and Swanberg (1979). A significant low heat flow extending in the northeast?Csouthwest direction, which is associated with NE?CSW large areal extent negative Bouguer gravity anomaly and NE/SW-trending belt of the deep CPD region, seems to be directly related to the surface outcrops of Precambrian older granitoids of the mountainous range of that trend.     

Fundamental site frequency estimation at New Domiat city, Egypt

The horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio technique has applied to detect the fundamental frequency at the sites of ambient noise recordings for New Domiat city. Noise measurements are acquired at 90 of sites for 1?h of continuous recording with a sampling rate of 100?Hz. Then, these data are processed following to SESAME project scheme. The presence of deep sedimentary basin in the Nile Delta suggests that the site response should be important. Consequently, the obtained fundamental frequency has lower values (0.2?C0.6?Hz). However, low-frequency ground motions attenuate more gradually with distance and can excite vibrations in large engineered structures, such as tall buildings and long bridges. There is hazardous threat even from the distant earthquakes originated from Mediterranean convergence zone for the structures in the city. It is recommended that the results of this study must be taken into consideration from civil engineering point of view before construction of civil engineering structures at this part.     

A regional stratigraphic correlation for the upper Campanian phosphorites and associated rocks in Egypt and Jordan

Facies analyses and a sequence stratigraphical framework with regional correlation of the upper Campanian phosphate province are presented, based on three main sections located in Egypt (Gebel Duwi and Abu Tartur sections) and north Jordan (Umm Qais section). Fifteen facies types were grouped into: phosphate (FT1–5), carbonate (FT6–11) and siliciclastic (FT12–15) facies associations. The main component of phosphate rocks is pellets in situ and common reworked biogenic debris, especially in the upper phosphate beds (e.g. fish teeth and bones), which along with abundant Thalassinoides burrows suggests that the skeletal material was the main source for phosphates in Egypt; in contrast the common authigenic phosphatic grains (pristine) in Jordan reflect an upwelling regime. Based on age assignment as well as stratigraphical position, the phosphorite beds show great similarity that may suggests a similar origin and proximity during the period of deposition of the Duwi Formation of the Red Sea coast of Egypt and its equivalent, the Al-Hisa Phosphorite Formation in Jordan, which represents an early transgressive system tract of a depositional sequence. On the Abu Tartur plateau, the presence of sandy pyritic phosphatic grainstone (FT1) and glauconitic quartz arenite (FT12) in the middle part of the studied section, along with the absence of chert facies (FT14), reflects a more shallow marine depositional environment with increased fluvial sediment supply compared to those along the Red Sea coast and north Jordan.     

Application of probabilistic-based frequency ratio model in groundwater potential mapping using remote sensing data and GIS

The main goal of this study is to investigate the application of the probabilistic-based frequency ratio (FR) model in groundwater potential mapping at Langat basin in Malaysia using geographical information system. So far, the approach of probabilistic frequency ratio model has not yet been used to delineate groundwater potential in Malaysia. Moreover, this study includes the analysis of the spatial relationships between groundwater yield and various hydrological conditioning factors such as elevation, slope, curvature, river, lineament, geology, soil, and land use for this region. Eight groundwater-related factors were collected and extracted from topographic data, geological data, satellite imagery, and published maps. About 68 groundwater data with high potential yield values of ≥11 m³/h were randomly selected using statistical software of SPSS. Then, the groundwater data were randomly split into a training dataset 70 % (48 borehole data) for training the model and the remaining 30 % (20 borehole data) was used for validation purpose. Finally, the frequency ratio coefficients of the hydrological factors were used to generate the groundwater potential map. The validation dataset which was not used during the FR modeling process was used to validate the groundwater potential map using the prediction rate method. The validation results showed that the area under the curve for frequency model is 84.78 %. As far as the performance of the FR approach is concerned, the results appeared to be quite satisfactory, i.e., the zones determined on the map being zones of relative groundwater potential. This information could be used by government agencies as well as private sectors as a guide for groundwater exploration and assessment in Malaysia.     

Hornblende gabbros of Wadi Az Zarib area,Central Eastern Desert,Egypt: opaque mineralogy,geochemistry, tectonic setting,and petrogenesis

A small intrusive fresh gabbroic mass intrudes the Neoproterozoic metasediments and Dokhan volcanics of Wadi Az Zarib area, Central Eastern Desert. It is composed of hornblende gabbros and leuco-hornblende gabbros. Their petrography, opaque mineralogy, and geochemistry are addressed to elucidate their tectonic setting and petrogenesis. They represent a subduction-related calc–alkaline magma that evolved in an island arc setting. In terms of maturity, the supposed arc represents an intermediate stage between continental arc and active continental margin. Thermobarometry and physical–chemical data of the parent magma as deduced from compositions of amphiboles, biotite, and plagioclase indicate crystallization temperatures of 931–825 °C at pressures of 6.16–4.01 kbar and H₂O_melt of 6.4–5.2 wt%. Data, as presented, argue in favor of fractional crystallization mechanism to be accounted to the present suite to interpret the observed variations. The evolution of the suite from hornblende gabbros to leuco-hornblende gabbros was accompanied by decreasing of MgO, CaO, Cr, and Ni with simultaneous increasing of Al₂O₃, TiO₂, Na₂O, K₂O, Ba, Rb, Sr, La, and Ce. Residuals calculated during mass balance fractional crystallization modeling suggest that brown and green hornblendes are the main fractionated phases which derived the melt composition towards the leuco-hornblende gabbros.     

Infinitesimal Orbits Around the Libration Points in the Elliptic Restricted Three Body Problem

The objective of the present work is to develope explicit analytical expressions for the small amplitude orbits of the infinitesimal mass about the equilibrium points in the elliptic restricted three body problem. To handle this dynamical problem, the Hamiltonian for the elliptic problem is formed with the true anomaly and then with the eccentric anomaly as independent variables. The origin is then transformed to a fixed point and the Hamiltonian is developed up to O(4) in the eccentricity, e, (which plays the role of the small parameter of the problem) of the primaries. The integration of the model problem under consideration is undertaken by means of a perturbation technique based on Lie series developments, which leads to the solution of the canonical equations of motion.     

A second order analytical atmospheric drag theory based on the TD88 thermospheric density model

A second order atmospheric drag theory based on the usage of TD88 model is constructed. It is developed to the second order in terms of TD88 small parameters K _n,j . The short periodic perturbations, of all orbital elements, are evaluated. The secular perturbations of the semi-major axis and of the eccentricity are obtained. The theory is applied to determine the lifetime of the satellites ROHINI (1980 62A), and to predict the lifetime of the microsatellite MIMOSA. The secular perturbations of the nodal longitude and of the argument of perigee due to the Earth’s gravity are taken into account up to the second order in Earth’s oblateness.     

Radionuclides measurements and mineralogical studies on beach sands, East Rosetta Estuary, Egypt

Radiometric measurements were carried out for the beach sands from East Rosetta estuary to determine the activity concentrations of 238 U, 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K, using a Hyper Pure Germanium spectrometer, to estimate the dose rates and radiation hazard indices. The average specific activities are 778.20 Bq/kg for 238 U; 646.89 Bq/kg for 226 Ra; 621.92 and 627.85 Bq/kg for the 222 Rn daughters 214 Pb and 214 Bi respectively. The average specific activity of 232 Th is 1510.25 Bq/kg, while the calculated specific activity for 40 K has an average of 8.41 Bq/kg. The average specific activity of 235 U is 38.61 Bq/kg. The average absorbed dose rate is 1211.36 nGy/h, 20 times higher than the estimated average global primordial radiation of 60 nGy/h and 6 times higher than that of the world range (10-200 nGy/h). The radium equivalent (Ra eq ) values are from 6 to 9 times the recommended value. The internal and external hazard indices (H int , H ex ) indicate that their values are from 6 to 11 times the permissible values of these indices. These higher values may be due to the presence of economic heavy minerals containing radionuclides as zircon and monazite as well as some trace minerals, thorite and uranothorite. The mineralogical study indicates the beach sands contain heavy minerals, zircon, monazite, rutile, ilmenite, leucoxene, magnetite and garnet. The average abundance of zircon is 0.175 wt% ranging from 0.125 wt% to 0.239 wt%, while it is 0.004wt% ranging from 0.001 wt% to 0.007 wt% for monazite. The average abundance is 0.087 wt% for rutile; 2.029 wt% for ilmenite; 1.084 wt% for magnetite; 0.384 wt% for leucoxene and 0.295 wt% for garnet.