The role of faith-based institutions in urban disaster risk reduction for immigrant communities

Natural Hazards - Drawing on interviews with Cambodian and Thai communities in Auckland, New Zealand, this paper examines the role of Buddhist temples in disaster preparedness, response and...     

Nonlinear dynamic tests of a reinforced concrete frame building at different damage levels

This paper discusses the dynamic tests of a two-story infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frame building using an eccentric-mass shaker. The building, located in El Centro, CA, was substantially damaged prior to the tests due to the seismic activity in the area. During the testing sequence, five infill walls were removed to introduce additional damage states and to investigate the changes in the dynamic properties and the nonlinear response of the building to the induced excitations. The accelerations and displacements of the structure under the forced and ambient vibrations were recorded through an array of sensors, while lidar scans were obtained to document the damage. The test data provide insight into the nonlinear response of an actual building and the change of its resonant frequencies and operational shapes due to varying damage levels and changes of the excitation amplitude, frequency, and orientation.     

GPCC's new land surface precipitation climatology based on quality-controlled in situ data and its role in quantifying the global water cycle

In 1989, the need for reliable gridded land surface precipitation data sets, in view of the large uncertainties in the assessment of the global energy and water cycle, has led to the establishment of the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) at Deutscher Wetterdienst on invitation of the WMO. The GPCC has calculated a precipitation climatology for the global land areas for the target period 1951–2000 by objective analysis of climatological normals of about 67,200 rain gauge stations from its data base. GPCC's new precipitation climatology is compared to several other station-based precipitation climatologies as well as to precipitation climatologies derived from the GPCP V2.2 data set and from ECMWF's model reanalyses ERA-40 and ERA-Interim. Finally, how GPCC's best estimate for terrestrial mean precipitation derived from the precipitation climatology of 786 mm per year (equivalent to a water transport of 117,000 km³) is fitting into the global water cycle context is discussed.     

The evolution of brittle and ductile structures at the surface of a partly debris-covered,rapidly thinning and slowly moving glacier in 1998–2012 (Pasterze Glacier,Austria)

Many glaciers in alpine regions are currently rapidly receding and thinning at historically unobserved rates causing changes in the velocity field and in normal and shear stresses affecting the surface expression of structures within the ice. We studied the distribution of brittle and ductile structures at the surface of Pasterze Glacier during a 14-year period by analysing orthophotos and digital elevation models of five stages (1998, 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2012). A structural glaciological mapping key was applied. Normal faults, strike-slip faults, en échelon structures (systematic stepping of fractures), thrust faults, and band ogives were distinguished. Results indicate substantial deceleration and glacier thinning in 1998–2012. Glacier thinning was not homogenous over time related to the uneven distribution of supraglacial debris causing differential ablation or the selective ablation effects of subglacial water channels. Peculiar supraglacial features observed are circular collapse structures with concentric crevasses which form when the ice between the surface and the roof of water channels decreases. The total length of brittle structures increased from 38.4 km to 56.9 km whereas the extent of the glacier tongue decreased by 25%. The fracture density doubled from 0.009 to 0.018 m/m². Areas of the glacier tongue which were up to 100 m away from the nearest brittle structure increased by 16%. The visual appearance of thrust faults shifted upglacier due to decreasing glacier velocity causing horizontal shortening or due to exhumation of faults that did not previously extend to the surface. A large number of brittle structures are progressively independent from glacier motion. Our study suggests that glacier tongues which are in a state of rapid decay and thinning are prone to fracturing due to normal fault formation and glacier disintegration. Water further increases ablation rates substantially if rather large amounts drain through supra-, en- or subglacial water channels. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Methane Oxidation in the Water Column of Xiangxi Bay,Three Gorges Reservoir

Four field campaigns are carried out to quantify the methane (CH₄) oxidation rate in Xiangxi Bay (XXB) of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), China. The water depth of the sampling site varied from 13 to 30 m resulting from the water level fluctuation of the TGR. The CH₄ oxidation rates are measured in situ as the decline of dissolved CH₄ concentration versus time in incubated, and those rates. The CH₄ oxidation rates range from 1.18 × 10^?3 to 3.69 × 10^?3 µmol L^?1 h^?1, with higher values and stronger variation during summer. A static floating chamber method is used to measure CH₄ emitted to the atmosphere resulting in an annual mean flux of 4.79 µmol m^?2 h^?1. The CH₄ emission rate is significantly negatively correlated with the water level. The results show that a large fraction of CH₄ is consumed in the water column with a range of 28.97–55.90 µmol m^?2 h^?1, accounting for ≈69–98% of the total CH₄ input into the water column, and more than 90% is consumed outside the summer, when the water level is lowest. Water depth, which is dominated by water level of the TGR, is a potentially important driver for CH₄ oxidation and atmospheric emission in the tributary bay.     

Chronology of Quaternary terrace deposits at the locality Hohle Gasse (Pratteln,NW Switzerland)

The Quaternary stratigraphy of the Alpine Foreland consists of distinct terrace levels, which have been assigned to four morphostratigraphic units: Höhere (Higher) Deckenschotter, Tiefere (Lower) Deckenschotter, Hochterrasse (High Terrace) and Niederterrasse (Lower Terrace). Here, we focus on the terrace gravels at Hohle Gasse, SSE of Pratteln near Basel, which are mapped as Tiefere Deckenschotter. Petrographic and morphometric data established from clasts allowed to infer the transport mechanisms and sources of the gravels. Sedimentological analyses indicate that the gravels were transported by a braided river and deposited in a distal glaciofluvial setting. In addition, it can be shown that the majority of the clasts display multiple reworking and only a minority maintained a distinct glaciofluvial shape. Cosmogenic multi-isotope dating using ¹⁰Be and ³⁶Cl allowed direct dating of the sediments at the study site. A depth-profile age of \(2 70_{ - 1 90}^{ + 8 30}\) ka for ¹⁰Be was achieved for the deposits at Hohle Gasse. Unfortunately, no age could be modelled from the ³⁶Cl concentrations as the blank correction was too high. Furthermore, this age proves that the studied terrace level should be assigned to the morphostratigraphic unit Hochterrasse.     

Wet Fault or Dry Fault? A Laboratory Approach to Remotely Monitor the Hydro-Mechanical State of a Discontinuity Using Controlled-Source Seismics

Stress variation and fluid migration occur in deformation zones, which are expected to affect seismic waves reflected off or propagating across such structures. We developed a basic experimental approach to monitor the mechanical coupling with respect to seismic coupling across a single discontinuity between a granite sample in contact with a steel platen. Piezoceramics located on the platen were used to both generate and record the P and S wave fields reflected off the discontinuity at normal incidence. This way, normal (B _n ) and tangential (B _t ) compliances were calculated using Schoenberg’s linear slip theory (Schoenberg, J Acoust Soc Am 68:1516–1521, 1980) when the roughness, the effective pressure (P _eff, up to 200 MPa), and the nature of the filling (gas or water) vary. We observe that increasing the effective pressure decreases B _n and B _t , which is interpreted as the effect of the closure of the voids at the interface, permitting more seismic energy to be transmitted across the interface. Values of B _n are significantly higher than those of B _t at low P _eff (<60–80 MPa) in dry conditions, and significantly drop under water-saturated conditions. The water filling the voids therefore helps to transmit the seismic energy of compressional waves across the interface. These results show that the assumption B _n  ≈ B _t commonly found in some theoretical approaches does not always stand. The ratio B _n /B _t actually reflects the type of saturating fluids and the effective pressure, in agreement with other experimental studies. However, we illustrate that only the relative variations of this ratio seem to be relevant, not its absolute value as suggested in previous studies. Consequently, the use of B _n against B _t plots may allow effective pressure variation and the nature of the pore fluid to be inferred. In this respect, this experimental approach at sample scale helps to pave the way for remotely monitoring in the field the hydro-mechanical state of deformation zones, such as seismogenic faults, fractured reservoirs, or lava conduits.     

Effect of hydrocarbon-contaminated fluctuating groundwater on magnetic properties of shallow sediments

We investigate magnetic phase (trans)formation in the presence of petroleum hydrocarbons and its relation to bacterial activity, in particular in the zone of remediation driven fluctuating water levels at a former military air base in the Czech Republic. In a previous study an increase of magnetite concentration from the groundwater table towards the top of the groundwater fluctuation zone (GWFZ) was reported, however with limited reliability as there was no control on small-scale effects. To recognize statistically significant magnetic signatures versus depth, we obtained multiple sediment cores from three locations in January 2011 and April 2012, penetrating the unsaturated zone, the GWFZ and the uppermost one meter below the groundwater level (～2.3 m depth at the time of sampling). Magnetic concentration variation versus depth was determined by measuring magnetic susceptibility (MS) and remanence parameters. Small-scale features were identified and eliminated by statistical processing of multiple cores. A trend of increasing MS values from the lowermost position of the groundwater table upward was verified and highest magnetic concentration was found at the top of the GWFZ. Magnetic mineralogy indicates that newly formed fine-grained magnetite in the single domain to small pseudo-single domain range is responsible for the MS enhancement confirming previous results. There is no correlation with the depth variation of hydrocarbon (HC) concentrations; however, total organic carbon is linked to MS and may represent a degradation product of HC that is bioavailable for microorganisms. Bacterial activity is likely responsible for magnetite formation as indicated by most probable number (MPN) results of iron-metabolizing bacteria. The comparison of our results with an earlier study conducted at the same site revealed that magnetic concentration clearly decreased since remediation was terminated in 2008, possibly due to dissolution of magnetite.     

Mineralogical characterization of potential targets for the ASTEX mission scenario

In-situ investigation of asteroids is the next logical step in understanding their exact surface mineralogy, petrology, elemental abundances, particle size distribution, internal structure, and collisional evolution. Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) provide us with ample opportunities for in-situ scientific exploration with lower Δv requirements and subsequently lower costs than their main belt counterparts. The ASTEX mission concept aims at surface characterization of two compositionally diverse NEAs, one with primitive and the other with a strong thermally evolved surface mineralogy. Here we present the first results of our ground-based characterization of potential ASTEX mission targets using the SpeX instrument on the NASA IRTF. Of the four potential targets we characterized, two (1991 JW and 1998 PA) have compositions similar to ordinary chondrite mineralogy. The other two targets (1994 CC and 1999 TA10) are thermally evolved objects with igneous formation histories. While 1994 CC is a triplet system and thus very challenging to orbit the V-type NEA, 1999 TA10 is the most interesting scientific ASTEX target identified so far.