On the variability of the Charnock constant and the functional dependence of the drag coefficient on wind speed: Part II-Observations

An analytical expression for the 10 m drag law in terms of the 10 m wind speed at the maximum in the 10 m drag coefficient, and the Charnock constant is presented, which is based on the results obtained from a model of the air-sea interface derived in Bye et al. (2010). This drag law is almost independent of wave age and over the mid-range of wind speeds (5?17 ms^?1) is very similar to the drag law based on observed data presented in Foreman and Emeis (2010). The linear fit of the observed data which incorporates a constant into the traditional definition of the drag coefficient is shown to arise to first-order as a consequence of the momentum exchange across the air-sea boundary layer brought about by wave generation and spray production which are explicitly represented in the theoretical model.     

Slope instabilities triggered by the 11th May 2011 Lorca earthquake (Murcia,Spain): comparison to previous hazard assessments and proposition of a new hazard map and probability of failure equation

The Lorca Basin has been the object of recent research aimed at studying the phenomena of earthquake-induced landslides and its assessment in the frame of different seismic scenarios. However, it has not been until the 11th May 2011 Lorca earthquakes when it has been possible to conduct a systematic approach to the problem. In this paper we present an inventory of slope instabilities triggered by the Lorca earthquakes which comprises more than 100 cases, mainly rock and soil falls of small size (1–100  \(\hbox {m}^{3}\) ). The distribution of these instabilities is here compared to two different earthquake-triggered landslide hazard maps: one considering the occurrence of the most probable earthquake for a 475-years return period in the Lorca Basin \((\hbox {M}_{\mathrm{w}}=5.0)\) based on both low- and high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM); and a second one matching the occurrence of the \(\hbox {M}_{\mathrm{w}}=5.2\) 2011 Lorca earthquake, which was performed using the higher resolution DEM. The most frequent Newmark displacements related to the slope failures triggered by the 2011 Lorca earthquakes are lower than 2 cm in both the hazard scenarios considered. Additionally, the predicted Newmark displacements were correlated to the inventory of slope instabilities to develop a probability of failure equation. The fit seems to be very good since most of the mapped slope failures are located on the higher probability areas. The probability of slope failure in the Lorca Basin for a seismic event similar to the \(\hbox {M}_{\mathrm{w}}\) 5.2 2011 Lorca earthquake can be considered as very low (0–4 %).     

Tectonic setting of the recent damaging seismic series in the Southeastern Betic Cordillera,Spain

In this work we analyze the tectonic setting of the recent damaging seismic series occurred in the Internal Zones of the eastern Betic Cordillera (SE Spain) and surrounding areas, the tectonic region where took place the 11th May 2011 Mw 5.2 Lorca earthquake. We revisit and make a synthesis of the seven largest and damaging seismic series occurred from 1984 to 2011. We analyze their seismotectonic setting, and their geological sources under the light of recent advances in the knowledge on active faults, neotectonics, seismotectonics and stress regime, with special attention focused on the Lorca Earthquake. These seismic series are characterized by two types of focal mechanisms, produced mainly by two sets of active faults, NNW–SSE to NNE–SSW small (no larger than 20–30 km) extensional faults with some strike slip component, and E–W to NE–SW large strike slip faults (more than 50 km long) with some compressional component (oblique slip faults). The normal fault earthquakes related to the smaller faults are dominant in the interior of large crustal tectonic blocks that are bounded by the large E–W to NE–SW strike-slip faults. The strike slip earthquakes are associated to the reactivation of segments or intersegment regions of the large E–W to NE–SW faults bounding those crustal tectonic blocks. Most of the seismic series studied in this work can be interpreted as part of the background seismicity that occurs within the crustal blocks that are strained under a transpressional regime driven by the major strike slip shear corridors bounding the blocks. The seismotectonic analysis and the phenomenology of the studied series indicate that it is usual the occurrence of damaging compound earthquakes of M  \(\sim \)  5.0 associated with triggering processes driven by coseismic stress transfer. These processes mainly occur in the seismic series generated by NNW–SSE to NNE–SSW faults. These mechanical interaction processes may induce a higher frequency of occurrence of this kind of earthquakes than considered in traditional probabilistic seismic hazard assessments and it should be taken into account in future seismic hazard assessments.     

Soil phosphorus bioavailability assessed by XANES and Hedley sequential fractionation technique in a glacier foreland chronosequence in Gongga Mountain,Southwestern China

The primary productivity of terrestrial ecosystems is influenced by soil phosphorus bioavailability, which depends largely on chemical fractions of phosphorus. The sequential fractionation technique developed by Hedley et al. or its subsequent modification is a well-known method to determine soil phosphorus forms. Hedley sequential fractionation technique separates the phosphorus into fractions based on their different chemical solubilities in extractants with certain chemical properties. Recently, synchrotron-based X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy has been employed to measure soil phosphorus species directly and non-invasively. The XANES method provides information concerning local structure and chemical information of target elements at a molecular level. Thus, it can distinguish phosphorus fractions bound by metal oxides or hydroxides (such as Fe, Al, and Ca). In this present work, the phosphorus speciation of topsoil along a glacial foreland chronosequence in Gongga Mountain is determined using these two methods. The changes in soil phosphorus bioavailability along the 120-year-old chronosequence are assessed based on comparisons of the results obtained by these two methods. The results indicate that Hedley sequential fractionation technique shows a greater ability to determine soil bioavailable phosphorus (Resin-P and NaCHO₃-P), while XANES is effective in distinguishing phosphorus bound by metal compounds. In the chronosequence, Ca- and Al-bound phosphorus were derived mainly from primary minerals, whose phosphorus contents decreased within 120 years of moraine weathering and soil development. The content of soil bioavailable phosphorus increased rapidly after 30 years since deglaciation. The increasing phosphorus bioavailability promoted the colonizing and primary succession vegetation.     

Cretaceous metamorphism in the Austroalpine Matsch Unit (Eastern Alps): The interrelation between deformation and chemical equilibration processes

In the polymetamorphic Austroalpine Matsch Unit (European Eastern Alps) Cretaceous upper greenschist facies metamorphism overprinted Variscan and Permian magmatic and metamorphic assemblages. Mineral compositional and (micro-)structural data of metapelites and metapegmatites document different mechanisms of interrelated deformation and (re-)equilibration during Cretaceous overprinting: i) Microfractures in relic garnet represented pathways for material transport, and thus established material exchange between intragranular domains and the matrix. Major element equilibration by fast diffusion along microfractures contrasts with limited volume diffusion in adjacent host garnet. ii) Syn-tectonic breakdown of staurolite initially to paragonite, then chloritoid allows correlating reaction progress with the formation of different fracture sets. iii) Syn-tectonic mineral growth with shape-preferred orientation in foliation domains contrasts with radial growth in microlithons and strain shadows of the mylonitic foliation. iv) Syn-tectonic unmixing of pre-existing oligoclase (an_14–16) produced fine-grained aggregates of two supposedly coexisting plagioclase-phases (an_3–6 and an_20–25) in strain shadows of the oligoclase-clasts. v) Pre-existing deformation-induced heterogeneities in the spatial distribution of phases and their preferred orientation influence the kinetics of phase equilibration. Understanding the mechanisms of the mutual interrelation between deformation and phase equilibration is a prerequisite for deducing PT-constraints from strained metamorphic rocks. New garnet—whole rock Sm-Nd data from metapegmatites indicate their emplacement at 263–280 Ma and provide an important age constraint on the interrelated deformation and re-equilibration processes.     

Spatial analysis of anthropogenic impact on karst geomorphology (Slovenia)

The objective of this contribution is analyzing, visualizing, interpreting and discussing the impacts of anthropogenic influences on karst geomorphology through various geomorphologically based environmental indicators. The primary data sources are digital terrain models (DTMs) as continuous surface data, supported by aerial photographs, satellite images, topographic maps and databases of natural and anthropogenic features. The sources are supplemented by written information about surface changes and in situ inspections. Spatial analyses as quantitative methods in combination with enhanced visualizations as qualitative methods performed in a geographical information system (GIS) on different data sets are introduced as an important methodology. This enables explaining many anthropogenic influences on the terrain surface (landform), which were not perceived before by classical surveying techniques and verifications.     

The bubbles or the boiling pot? An ecosystemic approach to culture,environment and quality of life

For the diagnosis and prognosis of the problems of quality of life, a multidisciplinary ecosystemic approach encompasses four dimensions of being-in-the-world, as donors and recipients: intimate, interactive, social and biophysical. Social, cultural and environmental vulnerabilities are understood and dealt with, in different circumstances of space and time, as the conjugated effect of all dimensions of being-in-the-world, as they induce the events (deficits and assets), cope with consequences (desired or undesired) and contribute for change. Instead of fragmented and reduced representations of reality, diagnosis and prognosis of cultural, educational, environmental and health problems considers the connections (assets) and ruptures (deficits) between the different dimensions, providing a planning model to develop and evaluate research, teaching programmes, public policies and field projects. The methodology is participatory, experiential and reflexive; heuristic-hermeneutic processes unveil cultural and epistemic paradigms that orient subject-object relationships; giving people the opportunity to reflect on their own realities, engage in new experiences and find new ways to live better in a better world. The proposal is a creative model for thought and practice, providing many opportunities for discussion, debate and development of holistic projects integrating different scientific domains (social sciences, psychology, education, philosophy, etc.). Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Hydrochemical variation in the springs water between Jerusalem–Ramallah Mountains and Jericho Fault,Palestine

The spatial and temporal changes of the composition of the groundwater from the springs along the Wadi Qilt stream running from the Jerusalem–Ramallah Mountains towards the Jericho Plain is studied during the hydrological year 2006/2007. The residence time and the intensity of recharge play an important role in controlling the chemical composition of spring water which mainly depends on distance from the main recharge area. A very important factor is the oxidation of organics derived from sewage and garbage resulting in variable dissolved CO₂ and associated HCO₃ ⁻ concentration. High CO₂ yields lower pH values and thus under-saturation with respect to calcite and dolomite. Low CO₂ concentrations result in over-saturation. Only at the beginning and at the end of the rainy season calcite saturation is achieved. The degradation of dissolved organic matter is a major source for increasing water hardness. Besides dissolution of carbonates dissolved species such as nitrate, chloride, and sulfate are leached from soil and aquifer rocks together with only small amounts of Mg. Mg not only originates from carbonates but also from Mg–Cl waters are leached from aquifer rocks. Leaching of Mg–Cl brines is particularly high at the beginning of the winter season and lowest at its end. Two zones of recharge are distinguishable. Zone 1 represented by Ein Fara and Ein Qilt is fed directly through the infiltration of meteoric water and surface runoff from the mountains along the eastern mountain slopes with little groundwater residence time and high flow rate. The second zone is near the western border of Jericho at the foothills, which is mainly fed by the under-groundwater flow from the eastern slopes with low surface infiltration rate. This zone shows higher groundwater residence time and slower flow rate than zone 1. Groundwater residence time and the flow rate within the aquifer systems are controlled by the geological structure of the aquifer, the amount of active recharge to the aquifer, and the recharge mechanism. The results of this study may be useful in increasing the efficiency of freshwater exploitation in the region. Some precautions, however, should be taken in future plans of artificial recharge of the aquifers or surface-water harvesting in the Wadi. Because of evaporation and associated groundwater deterioration, the runoff water should be artificially infiltrated in zones of Wadis with high storage capacity of aquifers. Natural infiltration along the Wadis lead to evaporation losses and less quality of groundwater.     

The Wave-Front Correction System for the Sunrise Balloon-Borne Solar Observatory

This paper describes the wave-front correction system developed for the Sunrise balloon telescope, and it provides information about its in-flight performance. For the correction of low-order aberrations, a Correlating Wave-Front Sensor (CWS) was used. It consisted of a six-element Shack??C?Hartmann wave-front sensor (WFS), a fast tip-tilt mirror for the compensation of image motion, and an active telescope secondary mirror for focus correction. The CWS delivered a stabilized image with a precision of 0.04?arcsec (rms), whenever the coarse pointing was better than ???45?arcsec peak-to-peak. The automatic focus adjustment maintained a focus stability of 0.01?waves in the focal plane of the CWS. During the 5.5?day flight, good image quality and stability were achieved during 33?hours, containing 45?sequences, which lasted between 10 and 45?min.