Extreme anomaly event detection in biosphere using linear regression and a spatiotemporal MRF model

Natural Hazards - Detecting abnormal events within time series is crucial for analyzing and understanding the dynamics of the system in many research areas. In this paper, we propose a methodology...     

A simplified approach for flood vulnerability assessment of historic sites

In the last decades, floods have increased in frequency all over the world due to diverse phenomena such as climate change, extended urbanization, land use, etc. Their social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts have also grown significantly, highlighting the need for the development of further studies and improved methods to manage and mitigate flood risk, mainly in urban areas. Historic sites need particular attention in this field, not only because the high and irreplaceable cultural value of these areas, but also taking into account that the constructive typologies that they host are particularly vulnerable to natural hazards. In consequence of that, the analysis of the phenomena, the evaluation of their consequences and the adoption of adequate mitigation and preparedness measures are presently a fundamental societal challenge. Having this in mind, the present paper aims at proposing an innovative methodology focused on the assessment of flood vulnerability in historic sites through the evaluation of a set of exposure and sensitivity indicators. From the analysis of these indicators, it is possible to obtain a Flood Vulnerability Index capable of measuring the spread of flood vulnerability over an extended area. The historic centre of Guimarães, in Portugal, declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2001, is used here as a pilot case study to apply and discusses the preliminary version of the approach. Although some improvements are still needed, this approach can be already used to provides preliminary vulnerability scenarios and to point the way to the definition of more efficient and customized strategies for managing and mitigating flood risk in historic sites. Moreover, with further improvements and calibrations resorting to larger and more diverse data, it will be possible to reduce some of the uncertainties currently involved in the assessment process and to make its application wider and more robust.

     

Spatial modelling of commercial spaces in medium-sized cities

The pattern of commercial spaces in a city has never been the consequence of chance. Retailers have always searched for the ‘best location’, but the notion of what exactly constitutes the ‘best location’ has changed over the decades. It is no longer a question of being close-to-market. It depends on an amount of social, economic and even morphological aspects of urban life, not to mention intrinsic aspects of the retail sector itself, namely new types of stores, products and purchase and payment options. Consequently, the methods retailers have employed to determine ‘best location’ have also evolved, and today increasingly complex mathematical and geospatial models are in use. It should then be safe to assume that commercial geography has changed and therefore, commercial hierarchies need to be re-invented, or at least challenged. A current trend in the literature is revealing more than ever the influence of commerce in the spatial and morphological re-configuration of cities. Thus, the understanding of modern retail patterns may be a key issue in interpreting and regulating the processes of urban, social and economic development. Using as test-beds four Portuguese medium-sized cities, commercial and morphological data was collected, analysed and compared, applying spatial analysis techniques. Similar patterns were found between the four cities, which led to the proposal of two geospatial commercial distribution models, one for the city-centre and one for the suburbia. These models shed a new light on the structure of Portuguese medium-size cities, and may well be valid in other medium and small towns across Europe.     

Influence of Organic Enrichment and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spisula subtruncata</Emphasis> (da Costa, 1778) on Oxygen and Nutrient Fluxes in Fine Sand Sediments

The role of labile organic material and macrofaunal activity in benthic respiration and nutrient regeneration have been tested in sublittoral fine sand sediments from the Gulf of Valencia (northwestern Mediterranean Sea). Three experimental setups were made using benthic chambers. One experiment was performed in-situ through the annual cycle in a well-sorted fine sand community. The remaining experiments were carried out with mesocosms under laboratory conditions: one with different concentrations of organic enrichment (mussel meat and concentrated diatoms culture), and the other adding two different densities of the endofaunal bivalve Spisula subtruncata. Biochemical variables in surface sediment and changes in oxygen consumption and nutrient fluxes throughout incubation period were studied in each experiment. In the in situ incubations, dissolved oxygen (DO) fluxes showed a strong correlation with sedimentary biopolymeric fraction of organic carbon. Organic enrichment in the laboratory experiments was responsible for increased benthic respiration. However, sediment response (expressed as DO uptake and dissolved inorganic nitrogen—DIN—release) between oligotrophic and eutrophic conditions was more intense than between eutrophic and hypertrophic conditions. S. subtruncata abundances close to 400 and 850 ind m^?2 also intensified benthic metabolism. DO uptake and DIN production in mesocosms with added fauna were between 60 and 75 % and 65–100 % higher than in the control treatment respectively. The results of these three experiments suggest that the macrobenthic community may increase the benthic respiration by roughly a factor of two in these bottoms, where S. subtruncata is one of the dominant species. Both organic enrichment and macrobenthic community in general, and S. subtruncata in particular, did not seem to have a relevant role in P and Si cycles in these sediments.     

Brown algae overproduce cell wall polysaccharides as a protection mechanism against the heavy metal toxicity

Brown algae are often used as heavy metal biomonitors and biosorbents because they can accumulate high concentrations of metals. Cation-exchange performed by cell wall polysaccharides is pointed out as the main chemical mechanism for the metal sequestration. Here, we biochemically investigated if the brown alga Padina gymnospora living in a heavy metal contaminated area would modify their polysaccharidic content. We exposed non-living biomass to Cd and Pb and studied the metals adsorption and localization. We found that raw dried polysaccharides, sulfate groups, uronic acids, fucose, mannose, and galactose were significantly higher in contaminated algae compared with the control ones. Metal concentrations adsorbed by non-living biomass were rising comparatively to the tested concentrations. Electron microscopy showed numerous granules in the cell walls and X-ray microanalysis revealed Cd as the main element. We concluded that P. gymnospora overproduces cell wall polysaccharides when exposed to high metal concentrations as a defense mechanism.     

Geoarchaeological study of the Phoenician cemetery of Tyre‐Al Bass (Lebanon) and geomorphological evolution of a tombolo

The geoarchaeological record of the Phoenician necropolis of Al Bass (Lebanon) provides information concerning the geomorphological evolution of a late Holocene tombolo. Physical and chemical analysis of sediments indicates that the cemetery (9th century B.C.) was located near a littoral lagoon, between the dunes of a cuspate spit pointing toward the island of Tyre. From the sea apex of this spit, the moles mentioned in historical chronicles were constructed. Once mainland and island were connected, at the northern coast (where the port of Sidon was located), a sediment trap was formed, which quickly filled with silt. Afterwards, an extensive field of sand dunes buried all the archaeological remains from Phoenician to Roman times. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Durations of soil formation and soil development indices in a Holocene Mediterranean floodplain

Holocene and late Pleistocene alluvial sequences of the mid-Medjerda floodplain (Northern Tunisia) reveal three types of soils with gradual transitions: Fluvisols (Calcaric), Cambisols (Calcaric) and Calcic Luvisols (Chromic). Stratigraphic cross-correlations, palaeomagnetic secular variation, and ¹⁴C and IRSL dating enable detailed information about ages and durations of soil formation in the floodplain.Weakly developed Fluvisols (Calcaric) commonly reveal late Holocene ages with soil formation durations lasting between 100 and 300 years. Hence, Holocene soil formation is detectable in the exposures from durations of around 100 years onwards. Cambisols show predominantly mid-Holocene ages. The durations of soil formation are between 800 and 5000 years. Calcic Luvisols (Chromic) feature late Pleistocene ages, with durations of soil formation between 10,000 and 40,000 years.Profile Development Indices were computed from simple field parameters like soil structure, soil colour, horizon thickness and leaching features. The derived development indices show good correlation (R² = 0.804) with the calculated durations of soil formation. Field parameters are well suited for a quantitative development index of Holocene soil formation, even if very weak developed soils are predominant. The study shows that maturity stages of Holocene alluvial soils in a homogeneous Mediterranean environment are predominantly driven by soil formation duration.     

The genetic relationship between mafic dike swarms and plutonic reservoirs in the mesozoic of central chile (30°–33°45′S): insights from AMS and geochemistry

Five mafic dike swarms between 30° and 33°45′S were studied for their geochemical signature and kinematics of magma flow directions by means of AMS data. In the Coastal Range of central Chile (33°−33°45′S), Middle Jurassic dike swarms (Concón and Cartagena dike swarms, CMDS and CrMDS, respectively) and an Early Cretaceous dike swarm (El Tabo Dike Swarm, ETDS) display the presence of dikes of geochemically enriched (high-Ti) and depleted (low-Ti) basaltic composition. These dikes show geochemical patterns that are different from the composition of mafic enclaves of the Middle Jurassic Papudo-Quintero Complex, and this suggests that the dikes were injected from reservoirs not related to the plutonic complex. The mantle source appears to be a depleted mantle for Jurassic dikes and a heterogeneous-enriched lithospheric mantle for Cretaceous dikes. In the ETDS, vertical and gently plunging magma flow vectors were estimated for enriched and depleted dikes, respectively, which suggest, together with variations in dike thickness, that reservoirs were located at different depths for each dike family. In the Elqui Dike Swarm (EDS) and Limarí Mafic Dike Swarm (LMDS), geochemical patterns are similar to those of the mafic enclaves of the Middle Jurassic plutons. In the LMDS, east to west magma flow vectors are coherent with injection from neighbouring pluton located to the east. In the EDS, some dikes show geochemical and magma flow patterns supporting the same hypothesis. Accordingly, dikes do not necessarily come from deep reservoir; they may propagate in the upper crust from coeval shallow pluton chamber. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Thermal desorption of CH4 retained in CO2 ice

CO₂ ices are known to exist in different astrophysical environments. In spite of this, its physical properties (structure, density, refractive index) have not been as widely studied as those of water ice. It would be of great value to study the adsorption properties of this ice in conditions related to astrophysical environments. In this paper, we explore the possibility that CO₂ traps relevant molecules in astrophysical environments at temperatures higher than expected from their characteristic sublimation point. To fulfil this aim we have carried out desorption experiments under High Vacuum conditions based on a Quartz Crystal Microbalance and additionally monitored with a Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer. From our results, the presence of CH₄ in the solid phase above the sublimation temperature in some astrophysical scenarios could be explained by the presence of several retaining mechanisms related to the structure of CO₂ ice.