The Formation of Chemical and Isotopic Composition of Surface Water of Open Water Bodies in the Bodrak River Basin (North-Western Slope of the Crimean Mountains)

Water Resources - The major factors governing the formation of the chemical and isotopic compositions of surface water in open water bodies (ponds) in the Bodrak River basin have been studied by...     

Global comparison of the regional rainfall results of enhanced greenhouse coupled and mixed layer ocean experiments: Implications for climate change scenario development

The extent of agreement amongst current global climate models (GCMs) on the global pattern of rainfall change simulated under enhanced greenhouse conditions is assessed. We consider the results of five experiments which use a simple mixed layer ocean formulation and five which use a fully dynamic ocean model (coupled experiments). For many regions of the northern hemisphere there is strong agreement amongst both mixed layer and coupled experiments on the sign of simulated rainfall change. However, in the southern hemisphere there are large, and apparently systematic, differences between the coupled and mixed layer experiments. In particular, whereas the mixed layer experiments agree on simulated rainfall increase in summer in the tropics and subtropics of the Australian sector, the coupled experiments agree (although more weakly) on rainfall decreases. These differences appear to relate to the much reduced warming simulated by the coupled experiments in the high latitudes of the southern hemisphere. However, recent oceanographie evidence suggests that this suppressed warming may be considerably overestimated. We conclude therefore that despite the in-principle advantages of coupled models, it may be too soon to base some regionally specific climate change scenarios solely on the results of coupled experiments.     

Estimation of sedimentary thickness in the Godavari basin

A major portion of the southern part of the Indian subcontinent is classified as a stable continental region. However, a few segments in this region are punctuated by rifts and shear zones that are seismically active. The Godavari rift that sutures the eastern Dharwar and the Bastar cratons is one such region, prone to seismic hazard. Estimation of the sedimentary thickness in these seismically active regions assumes importance since locales of thick and soft sediments are vulnerable to destruction due to surface waves generated by earthquakes. In the present study, data from five broadband seismological stations are utilized to estimate the average sedimentary thickness of the Godavari region using the difference in travel times of the direct S and converted Sp phases from local earthquakes. The thickness of sediments varies between 0.32 and 4.32 km. Also, the site-specific response in terms of the fundamental resonance frequency and the corresponding amplifications are estimated using the well-established Nakamura technique. The predominant frequencies are in the range of 1.3–4.61 Hz, and the amplifications are higher (>1.5) for the stations inside the Godavari basin. Both the thickness and amplification values clearly indicate that the sediments tend to get thicker toward the center of the basin, in good agreement with the geological distribution of the sedimentary units.     

Completely Integrable Systems Connected with Lie Algebras

In a recent paper Ballersteros and Ragnisco (1998) have proposed a new method of constructing integrable Hamiltonian systems. A new class of integrable systems may be devised using the following sequence: , where A is a Lie algebra is a Lie–Poisson structure on R ₃, C is a Casimir for is a reduced Poisson bracket and (A, ▵) is a bialgebra. We study the relation between a Lie-Poisson stucture Λ and a reduced Poisson bracket , which is a key element in using the Lie algebra A to constructing this sequence. New examples of Lie algebras and their related integrable Hamiltonian systems are given. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Seismic response of an urban bridge-support system in soft clay

The numerical simulation of an instrumented urban bridge support and its foundation system was conducted. The bridge works as a deck in a surface subway station and was built 12 yr ago in the so-called Lake Zone in Mexico City, where very soft clays, exhibiting low shear strength and high compressibility prevail. Since the beginning of its construction, pile loads, soil–raft contact pressures and the overall response of the foundation system have been monitored. Within this period, several earthquakes have occurred. Thus, an extensive database of accelerations, pore pressures and load histories have been recorded. In particular, this paper focuses on the bridge response observed during two moderated intensity events, the 2004, 6.3 M_w, Guerrero Coast and the 1999, 7.0 M_w, Tehuacan earthquakes. Finite element models were developed to reproduce the measured responses and to assess the soil–foundation-support performance for long-term conditions, including the effects of potential changes in the dynamic soil properties due to regional subsidence. The computed dynamic responses obtained with the simulation for the free field and structure compares fairly well with the recordings.     

Maternal transfer of bioactive polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons in spawning chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha)

The biological potency (relative to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. TCDD) of planar polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (PCHs) in extracts of eggs and flesh from spawning female chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) from Lake Michigan was determined by measuring the induction of 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity in H-4-II-E rat hepatoma cells. TCDD-equivalents in flesh and egg samples ranged from 0 to 115·8 pg/g, and were approximately 5-fold greater in eggs than in flesh. These results suggest that the maternal transfer of PCHs may play a role in determining the reproductive success of Lake Michigan chinook salmon.     

Astrometry in the Kerr field inPPN approximation

The equation of motion written down using a metric obtained from the Kerr metric allows us to get both the deflection angle of light ray bending by the gravitational field of the Sun and its corresponding time delay. We reproduce the experimental data of Epstein-Shapiro and also it is in accordance with the theoretical results obtained by Brumberget al. (1990) using another approach to this problem.Presented at the 2nd UN/ESA Workshop, held in Bogotá, Colombia, 9–13 November, 1992.     

The influence of marine inflows on the chemical composition of groundwater in small islands: the example of the Cyclades (Greece)

 Marine contamination of groundwater may be caused by seawater intrusion and by salt spray. The role of both processes was studied in the Cyclades archipelago on four small islands (45–195 km²) whose aquifers consist essentially of fractured, weathered metamorphic rocks. Annual rainfall ranges from 400 to 650 mm and precipitation has high total dissolved solids contents of 45–223 mg l^–1. The chemical characteristics of the groundwater, whose salinity is from 0.4 to 22 g l^–1, are strongly influenced by seawater intrusion. However, the effect of atmospheric input is shown in certain water sampling locations on high ground elevation where the dissolved chloride contents may attain 200 mg l^–1. Received: 14 November 1995 · Accepted: 9 September 1996     

AN EVALUATION OF THE STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE PROGRAM OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY*

The United States Department of Energy is required by law to plan, acquire, store, and maintain a Strategic Petroleum Reserve of crude oil and petroleum products. This is to be used if there is an interruption in crude oil supply. The plan is described and then analyzed with a linear programming model. The results show that the plan is generally well formulated.