Iterative tomographic analysis based on automatic refined picking

The ever-growing size of data sets for active and passive seismic imaging makes the availability of automatic procedures for rapid analysis more and more valuable. Such procedures are especially important for time-critical applications like emergency decisions or re-orienting of ongoing seismic surveys. In this paper a new, iterative scheme for 3D traveltime tomography is presented. The technique, based on a tool originally developed for earthquake data, uses cross-correlation to examine waveform similarity and to adjust arrival times on seismic sections. A preliminary set of reference arrival times is first corrected by the cross-correlation lag and then used to build an initial 3D tomographic velocity model through a standard inversion code; traveltimes calculated from this model are then taken as new reference arrivals and the process of pick adjustment is repeated. The result is a tomographic image, upgraded and refined at each iteration of the procedure. The test performed on the waveform data set recorded during the 2001 SERAPIS active seismic survey in the gulfs of Naples and Pozzuoli (Southern Italy) shows that the 3D iterative tomography scheme produces a velocity image of the structure of the Campi Flegrei caldera which is consistent with the results from previous studies, employing just a fraction of the time needed by a human analyst to identify first breaks. We believe that this technique can be effectively employed for rapid analysis of large data-sets within time-critical or time-dependent tasks and for automatic 4D tomographic investigations.     

Establishing a transboundary network of marine protected areas: Diplomatic and management options for the east African context

International conservation efforts and cooperation are increasingly necessary, particularly at an ecoregion level, for the achievement of international targets for protecting biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems. Whereas more than 11 percent of land is protected, less than 1 percent of marine space is similarly protected. Transboundary networks of marine protected areas and transboundary marine protected areas (TBMPAs) are an essential form of cooperation for meeting these international targets. This paper explores the diplomatic and political options for regional and sub-regional cooperation between Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa, for the establishment of transboundary conservation mechanisms in the Eastern African Marine Ecoregion (EAME). Five options for the establishment and management of these mechanisms are presented, together with actions to be taken to facilitate cooperation. The paper deal with a proposed strategy for the implementation of transboundary conservation mechanisms, focusing on TBMPAs, between the three countries at a biogeographical/sub-regional level, supported by lessons learnt in other transboundary marine conservation experiences. The paper concludes that although political will may exist among States sharing borders to establish TBMPAs, the complexity of dealing with sub-regional realities is a difficult obstacle to overcome in a single step. The situation at each border must be taken into account in order that different multi-scale and multivariate solutions, supported by a common baseline will ultimately converge in a common trilateral framework. Finally, a two-step approach seems to be in course with the declaration (October 2009) of a TBMPA linking Ponta do Ouro in Mozambique to iSimangaliso Wetland Park in South Africa, following one of the options formerly presented.     

Numerical integration for the real time production of fundamental ephemerides over a wide time span

A simplified model of the solar system has been developed along with an integration method, enabling to compute planetary and lunar ephemerides to an accuracy better than 1 and 2 milliarcsecs, respectively. On current personal computers, the integration procedure (SOLEX) is fast enough that by using a relatively small ( 20 Kbytes/Cy) database of starting conditions, any epoch in the time interval (up to ±100 Cy) covered by the database can be reached by the integrator in a few seconds. This makes the algorithm convenient for the direct computation of high precision ephemerides over a time span of several millennia.     

Young Close-By Neutron Stars: The Gould Belt Vs. The Galactic Disc

We present new population synthesis calculations of close young neutron stars. In comparison with our previous investigation we use a different neutron star mass spectrum and different initial spatial and velocity distributions. The results confirm that most of ROSAT dim radioquiet isolated neutron stars had their origin in the Gould Belt. We predict that about several tens of young neutron stars can be identified in ROSAT All Sky Survey data at low galactic latitudes. Some of these sources also can have counterparts among EGRET unidentified sources.     

The Elk Creek Carbonatite,Southeast Nebraska–An Overview

A framework geophysical program in southeastern Nebraska during 1970 identified a near-circular feature having gravity relief of about 8 mgal and a magnetic anomaly of about 800 gammas. Analysis of the geophysical data provided a model of a cylindrical mass of indefinite length with a radius of 5500 ft (1676 m) and beveled at the basement surface at about 600 ft (183 m). At the approximate depth at which Precambrian rocks were expected, the initial test hole (2-B-71) encountered an iron-rich weathered zone overlying carbonate-rich rock. The carbonate rocks consist essentially of dolomite, calcite, and ankerite and lesser amounts of hematite, chlorite, phlogopite, barite, serpentine, pyrochlore, and quartz and contain barium, strontium, and rare earths. Total REE, P2O5, and 87Sr/86Sr ratios confirm the carbonatite identification. Texturally, the rocks range from fragmental to contorted to massive. Associated with the carbonatite are lesser amounts of basalt, lamprophyre, and syenite. Additional exploratory drilling has provided about 80,000 ft (24,384 m) of rock record and has penetrated about 3400 ft (1038 m) of carbonatite. The carbonatite is overlain by marine sediments of Pennsylvanian (Missourian) age. The surrounding Precambrian basement rocks are low-to medium-grade metamorphic gneiss and schist of island arc origin and granitic plutons. The Elk Creek carbonatite is located near the boundary between the Penokean orogen created at about 1.84 Ga (billion years) and the Dawes terrane (1.78 Ga) of the Central Plains orogen. This boundary strongly influenced the geometry of both the Midcontinent Rift System (1.1 Ga) and the Nemaha uplift (0.3 Ga). It is assumed that the emplacement of the Elk Creek carbonatite (0.5 Ga) was influenced similarly by the pre-existing tectonic sutures.     

Time dependent photon transport in a three dimensional interstellar cloud with stochastic clumps

We consider time dependent photon transport in a three dimensional interstellar cloud which occupies a three dimensional regionV. One or more clumps of given shapes are present withinV and their positions are determined by a suitable set of stochastic variables. Iff is the photon number density in the cloud or in the clumps, then our mathematical model leads to two coupled initial value problems for the average photon density over the stochastic variables f and forf ^* =f -f. By using the theory of semigroups, we prove existence and uniqueness of a strongly continuous solution and examine the small fluctuation approximation of such a solution.     

Variable sequence of events during the past seven terminations in two deep-sea cores from the Southern Ocean

The relationships among internally consistent records of summer sea-surface temperature (SSST), winter sea ice (WSI), and diatomaceous stable isotopes were studied across seven terminations over the last 660 ka in sedimentary cores from ODP sites 1093 and 1094. The sequence of events at both sites indicates that SSST and WSI changes led the carbon and nitrogen isotopic changes in three Terminations (TI, TII and TVI) and followed them in the other four Terminations (TIII, TIV, TV and TVII). In both TIII and TIV, the leads and lags between the proxies were related to weak glacial mode, while in TV and TVII they were due to the influence of the mid-Pleistocene transition. We show that the sequence of events is not unique and does not follow the same pattern across terminations, implying that the processes that initiated climate change in the Southern Ocean has varied through time.     

The BH mass of nearby QSOs: a comparison of the bulge luminosity and virial methods

We report on the analysis of the photometric and spectroscopic properties of a sample of 29 low-redshift  ( z < 0.6)  QSOs for which both Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) WFPC2 images and ultraviolet HST   FOS spectra are available. For each object we measure the R -band absolute magnitude of the host galaxy, the C  iv (1550 Å) linewidth and the 1350 Å continuum luminosity. From these quantities we can estimate the black hole (BH) mass through the   M _BH– L _bulge  relation for inactive galaxies, and from the virial method based on the kinematics of the regions emitting the broad-lines. The comparison of the masses derived from the two methods yields information on the geometry of the gas emitting regions bound to the massive BH. The cumulative distribution of the linewidths is consistent with that produced by matter laying in planes with inclinations uniformly distributed between ∼10° and ∼50°, which corresponds to a geometrical factor   f ∼ 1.3  . Our results are compared with those of the literature and discussed within the unified model of active galactic nuclei.     

Palaeoenvironmental evolution and sea‐level fluctuations along the southeastern Pampa grasslands coast of Argentina during the Holocene

Holocene pollen and diatom analyses and complementary data from δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C, malacology and sedimentology have provided a detailed record of vegetation history and palaeoenvironmental change at arroyo Las Brusquitas, on the southeastern coast of the pampas of Argentina especially in relation to past sea levels. Holocene palaeosalinity trends were estimated by Detrended Correspondence Analysis and by salinity indexes based on pollen and diatom data. As a consequence of sea‐level rise from the postglacial an extensive wave‐cut platform formed over which Holocene infilling sequences were deposited unconformably. In these sequences, variation in pollen and diatom assemblages occurred in agreement with changes in mollusc diversity and abundance, isotope values, and sediment deposits. Between ca. 6700 and 6190 ¹⁴C yr BP (6279–6998 cal. yr BP) saline conditions predominated in an environment highly influenced by tides and salt water during the Holocene sea‐level highstand. Between ca. 6200 and 3900 ¹⁴C yr BP (4235–4608 cal. yr BP) shallow brackish water bodies formed surrounded by saltmarsh vegetation that became more widespread from 5180 ¹⁴C yr BP (5830–6173 cal. yr BP) to 3900 ¹⁴C yr BP in relation to a sea‐level stabilisation period within the regression phase. Less saline conditions marked by frequent variations in salinity predominated between ca. 3900 and 2040 yr ¹⁴C BP (1830–2160 cal. yr BP). The intertidal saltmarsh environment changed into a brackish marsh dominated by freshwater conditions and sporadic tidal influence. Halophytic vegetation increased towards ca. 2000¹⁴C yr BP indicating that saline conditions may be due to either desiccation or an unusually high tide range with rare frequency. After ca. 2000 ¹⁴C yr BP the sedimentary sequences were buried by aeolian sand dunes. Changes in Holocene vegetation and environments in Las Brusquitas area are in agreement with data obtained from various southeastern coastal sites of the Pampa grasslands. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.