Content analysis of dam break studies for tailings dams with high damage potential in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero,Minas Gerais: technical weaknesses and proposals for improvements

Natural Hazards - Tailings dams are civil structures that have an intrinsic potential risk of failure that, if poorly managed or neglected, can lead to severe societal, environmental, and economic...     

Study of the effect of temperature, irradiance and salinity on growth and yessotoxin production by the dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum in culture by using a kinetic and factorial approach

A complete first order orthogonal plan was used to optimize the growth and the production of yessotoxin (YTX) by the dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum in culture by controlling salinity, temperature and irradiance. Initially, an approach to the kinetic data of cellular density and YTX production for each one of the experimental design conditions was performed. The P. reticulatum growth and YTX production were fitted to logistical equations and to a first-order kinetic model, respectively. The parameters obtained from this adjustment were used as dependent variables for the formulation of the empirical equations of the factorial design tested. The results showed that in practically all the cases for both, P. reticulatum growth and YTX production, irradiance is the primary independent variable and has a positive effect in the range 50-90 micromol photons m(-2) s(-1). Additionally, in certain specific cases, temperature reveals significant positive effects when maintained between 15 and 23 degrees C and salinity in the range of 20-34 displays negative effects. Despite the narrow ranges used in the work, results showed the suitability of factorial analysis to evaluate the optimal conditions for growth and yessotoxin production by the dinoflagellate P. reticulatum.     

Damage assessment through structural identification of a three‐story large‐scale precast concrete structure

This paper investigates the damage assessment of a three‐story half‐scale precast concrete building resembling a parking garage through structural identification. The structure was tested under earthquake‐type loading on the NEES large high‐performance outdoor shake table at the University of California San Diego in 2008. The tests provide a unique opportunity to capture the dynamic performance of precast concrete structures built under realistic boundary conditions. The effective modal parameters of the structure at different damage states have been identified from white‐noise and scaled earthquake test data with the assumption that the structure responded in a quasi‐linear manner. Modal identification has been performed using the deterministic‐stochastic subspace identification method based on the measured input–output data. The changes in the identified modal parameters are correlated to the observed damage. In general, the natural frequencies decrease, and the damping ratios increase as the structure is exposed to larger base excitations, indicating loss of stiffness, development/propagation of cracks, and failure in joint connections. The analysis of the modal rotations and curvatures allowed the localization of shear and flexural damages respectively and the checking of the effectiveness of repair actions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long-Term Power Transmission Failures in Southeastern Brazil and the Geophysical Environment

High-voltage transmission networks represent a large electrical circuit just above the ground subjected to a number of transient overcharges of various kinds, some of which may lead to failures. Some failures might be related to anomalies of the geophysical environment. We have analyzed one unprecedented long series of transmission grid failures (9?years) on high-voltage networks located in S?o Paulo state, southeastern Brazil, from 1998 to 2006, which includes an important fraction of the past solar activity cycle 23. Ninety-five distinct failure causes were given by the power line operator to explain the transmission grid shut downs. Most failures were attributed to atmospheric discharges, corresponding to 1,957 failures out of a total of 4,572 for the whole period at 138?kV, and 170 out of 763 at 440?kV, respectively. They correspond to less than one ten thousandth of the actual number of atmospheric discharges recorded in the same area, demonstrating the grid’s high resilience to breakdowns due to lightning. A clear concentration of failures in the region’s thunderstorm season has been found. A significant 67 and 77?% reduction in the number of failure rates per year has been found for the 138 and 440?kV grids, respectively, for the period studied, in good correspondence with the decay in the sunspot numbers. No obvious correlation was found between power failures and the planetary index of geomagnetic activity or major geomagnetic storms in the period, either on short or on long time scales. Assuming that the dependence of the electrosphere/ionosphere-ground coupling on the external geophysical environment plays a major role in explaining the reduction in power failures as the solar cycle wanes, it is suggested that the increase in atmosphere conductivity caused by the larger cosmic ray flux then reduces the threshold voltage required to produce lightning strokes, so reducing their effectiveness in disrupting high-voltage power lines.     

Fumarole/plume and diffuse CO2 emission from Sierra Negra caldera, Galapagos archipelago

Measurements of visible and diffuse gas emission were conducted in 2006 at the summit of Sierra Negra volcano, Galapagos, with the aim to better characterize degassing after the 2005 eruption. A total SO₂ emission of 11?±?2?t day^?1 was derived from miniature differential optical absorption spectrometer (mini-DOAS) ground-based measurements of the plume emanating from the Mini Azufral fumarolic area, the most important site of visible degassing at Sierra Negra volcano. Using a portable multigas system, the H₂S/SO₂, CO₂/SO₂, and H₂O/SO₂ molar ratios in the Mina Azufral plume emissions were found to be 0.41, 52.2, and 867.9, respectively. The corresponding H₂O, CO₂, and H₂S emission rates were 562, 394, and 3?t day^?1, respectively. The total output of diffuse CO₂ emissions from the summit of Sierra Negra volcano was 990?±?85?t day^?1, with 605?t day^?1 being released by a deep source. The diffuse-to-plume CO₂ emission ratio was about 1.5. Mina Azufral fumaroles released gasses containing 73.6?mol% of H₂O; the main noncondensable components amounted to 97.4?mol% CO₂, 1.5?mol% SO₂, 0.6?mol% H₂S, and 0.35?mol%?N₂. The higher H₂S/SO₂ ratio values found in 2006 as compared to those reported before the 2005 eruption reveal a significant hydrothermal contribution to the fumarolic emissions. ³He/⁴He ratios measured at Mina Azufral fumarolic discharges showed values of 17.88?±?0.25?R _A , indicating a mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and a Galapagos plume contribution of 53 and 47?%, respectively.     

Can bottom-up procedures improve the performance of stream classifications?

Top-down methods for defining stream classifications are based on a conceptual model or expert-defined rules, whereas bottom-up methods use biological training data and statistical modelling. We compared the performance of six classification methods for explaining the taxonomic composition of invertebrate and fish assemblages recorded at 327 and 511 sites, respectively, distributed throughout France. Classification 1 and 2 were top-down classifications; The European Water Framework System A (WFDa,) and the French Hydro-ecoregions (HER 2). Four bottom-up classification procedures of increasing complexity were defined based on 11 variables that included watershed characteristics describing climate, topography, and geology, and site characteristics including elevation, bed slope and temperature. Classification 3 was defined using matrix correlation (MC) to select a combination of variable categories that produced the best discrimination of the observed taxonomic composition. Classification 4 and 5 were defined by clustering the sites based on their taxonomic data and then using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and Random forests (RF) to discriminate the clusters based on the environmental variables. Classification 6 was defined using generalized dissimilarity modelling (GDM). Our hypothesis was that the bottom-up classifications would perform better because they flexibly accommodate complex relationships between compositional and environmental variation. We tested the classifications using the classification strength statistic (CS). The RF-based classification fitted the taxonomic patterns better than GDM or LDA and these latter classifications generally fitted better than the MC, WFDa or HER classifications. Cross validation analysis showed that differences in predictive CS (i.e. the CS statistics produced from sites not used in defining the classifications) were often significant. However, these differences were generally small. Gains in predictive performance of classifications appear to be small relative to the increase in complexity in the manner in which environmental variables are combined to define classes.     

Ozone Weekend Effect Analysis in Three European Urban Areas

This paper aims to apply statistical procedures to analyse the ozone weekend effect (OWE) in three European urban areas: Lisbon, Oporto and London. Seasonal variations of surface ozone (O₃) and total oxidant species (O_x) concentrations are presented. The studied period was from January 2007 to December 2009. The O₃ annual average profile in London was significantly different from the ones achieved for Lisbon and Oporto, due to the high emissions of nitrogen oxides and low temperatures (associated with low solar radiations). The influence of nitrogen oxides in atmospheric chemistry of London was analysed by linear correlations between O₃ concentrations and NO₂/NO ratio. High values during almost all period showed that O₃ concentrations are mainly influenced by NO? NO₂? O₃ chemical reaction. On the other hand, the linear correlations between O₃ and NO₂ concentrations only presented positive values in Lisbon and Oporto. This behaviour is associated with photo‐dissociation of NO₂, producing O₃ during the spring and summer periods. Additionally, cluster analysis was applied to group the days of week according the correspondent O₃ behaviour. The weekend and some weekdays (immediately after or before) were grouped in the same cluster, showing that OWE occurs in all urban areas selected in this study. These findings suggest that the applied statistical procedures should be used to analyse the OWE and that the causes for the different O₃ behaviours during the week may be influenced by meteorological variables.