RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN DEBRIS FLOW RESEARCH IN ITALY

ＲＥＣＥＮＴＤＥＶＥＬＯＰＭＥＮＴＳＩＮＤＥＢＲＩＳＦＬＯＷＲＥＳＥＡＲＣＨＩＮＩＴＡＬＹＭａｒｃｈｉＬｏｒｅｎｚｏ；ＴｅｃｃａＰｉａＲ．（ＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｆｏｒＰｒｅｖｅｎｔｉｏｎｏｆＨｙｄｒｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌａｎｄＧｅｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌＨａｚａｒｄ...     

Dendrogeomorphic dating of rockfalls on low‐latitude,high‐elevation slopes: Rodadero,Iztaccíhuatl volcano,Mexico

Dynamics and rates of rockfalls have been repeatedly studied in mountain environments with archival records as well as lichenometric, radiocarbon or dendrogeomorphic approaches. In this study, we test the potential of conifers growing at a low‐latitude, high‐elevation site as a dendrogeomorphic tool to reconstruct to calendar dates associated rockfall activity. Analysis is based on tree‐ring records of Mexican mountain pine (Pinus hartwegii Lindl.) growing at timberline [~4000 m above sea level (a.s.l.)] and at the runout fringe of a north–northeast (NNE)‐facing slope of the dormant Iztaccíhuatl volcano (Mexico), which is subject to frequent rockfalls. The potential and limitations of tree‐ring data are demonstrated based on 67 rockfall impacts dated in the increment‐ring series of 24 trees since ad 1836. While findings of this paper are site‐specific, the study clearly shows the potential of dendrogeomorphic approaches in extra‐Alpine, low‐latitude environments and for the understanding of rockfall processes in space and time. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Winter water mass distributions in the western Gulf of Mexico affected by a colliding anticyclonic ring

The winter water mass distributions in the western Gulf of Mexico, affected by the collision of a Loop Current anticyclonic ring, during January 1984 are analyzed. Two principal modes of Gulf Common Water (GCW) formation, arising from the dilution of the Caribbean Subtropical Underwater (SUW), are identified. Within the western gulf continental slope to the east of Tamiahua, the GCW is formed by the collision of anticyclonic rings. During these collision events, the SUW, entrapped at the core (200 m depth) of these features, is diluted by low salinity (36.1S36.3) water from the uppermost layer of the main thermocline. The end product of this mixture is GCW, which is further diluted by low salinity coastal water within the western gulf continental shelf. The second GCW formation mode is associated to the northerly wind stress which propagates over the western gulf during winter. During January, 1984, this wind stress gave rise to a 175 m mixed layer. This convective mixing destroyed the static stability of the summer thermocline and allowed for the partial dilution of the SUW with low salinity (S36.3) water from the western gulf continental shelf. Within the western gulf's upper 2000 m, the following water masses were identified to be present: GCW, SUW, Tropical Atlantic Central Water and associated dissolved oxygen minimum stratum, Antarctic Intermediate Water remnant, a mixture of the Caribbean Intermediate Water and the upper portion of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), and the NADW itself. The topographic distribution of these water masses' strata was dictated by the cyclonic-anticyclonic baroclinic circulation that evolved from the anticyclone's collision to the east of Tamiahua. Between the cyclonic and anticyclonic domains, the maximum pressure differential of these water masses' core occurrences was 150 to 280 dbar. The topographic transition zone defined by these strata occurred between the cyclonic and anticyclonic domains and coincided unambiguously with the anticyclone's collision zone. Within the continental shelf, we identified low temperature (12°C) and low salinity (31) coastal waters contributed by river runoff. Driven by the northerly wind stress, these coastal waters were advected toward the south hugging the coastline. The coastal and continental shelf waters demarcated a sea surface temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen discontinuity region that coincided with the horizontal baroclinic flow transition zone associated to the anticyclone's collision.     

A Critical Analysis of a Recent Test of the Lense–Thirring Effect with the LAGEOS Satellites

In this paper, we quantitatively discuss the impact of the current uncertainties in the even zonal harmonic coefficients J _l of the Newtonian part of the terrestrial gravitational potential on the measurement of the general relativistic Lense–Thirring effect. We use a suitable linear combination of the nodes Ω of the laser-ranged LAGEOS and LAGEOS-II satellites. The one-sigma systematic error due to mismodelling of the J _l coefficients ranges from ~ 4% for the EIGEN−GRACE02S gravity field model to ~ 9% for the GGM02S model. Another important source of systematic error of gravitational origin is represented by the secular variations j _l of the even zonal harmonics. While the relativistic and J _l signals are linear in time, the shift due to j _l is quadratic. We quantitatively assess their impact on the measurement of the Lense–Thirring effect with numerical simulations obtaining a 10−20% one-sigma total error over 11 years for EIGEN-GRACE02S. Ciufolini and Pavlis (Nature 431:958–960, 2004) claim a total error of 5% at the one-sigma level.     

The THESEUS space mission: science goals,requirements and mission concept

Experimental Astronomy - THESEUS, one of the two space mission concepts being studied by ESA as candidates for next M5 mission within its Comsic Vision programme, aims at fully exploiting Gamma-Ray...     

Earth Tides and Lense–Thirring Effect

The general relativistic Lense—Thirring effect can be measured by inspecting a suitable combination of the orbital residuals of the nodes of LAGEOS and LAGEOS II and the perigee of LAGEOS II. The solid and ocean Earth tides affect the recovery of the parameter by means of which the gravitomagnetic signal is accounted for in the combined residuals. Thus an extensive analysis of the perturbations induced on these orbital elements by the solid and ocean Earth tides is carried out. It involves the l=2 terms for the solid tides and the l=2,3,4 terms for the ocean tides. The perigee of LAGEOS II turns out to be very sensitive to the l=3 part of the ocean tidal spectrum, contrary to the nodes of LAGEOS and LAGEOS II. The uncertainty in the solid tidal perturbations, mainly due to the Love number k ₂, ranges from 0.4% to 1.5%, while the ocean tides are uncertain at 5–15% level. The obtained results are used in order to check in a preliminary way which tidal constituents the Lense-Thirring shift is sensitive to. In particular it is tested if the semisecular 18.6-year zonal tide really does not affect the combined residuals. It turns out that, if modeled at the level of accuracy worked out in the paper, the l=2,4 m=0 and also, to a lesser extent, the l=3, m=0 tidal perturbations cancel out.This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Impact of the Static Part of the Earth's Gravity Field on Some Tests of General Relativity with Satellite Laser Ranging

In this paper we calculate explicitly the classical secular precessions of the node and the perigee of an Earth artificial satellite induced by the even zonal harmonics of the static part of the geopotential up to degree l = 20. Subsequently, their systematic errors induced by the mismodelling in the even zonal spherical harmonics coefficients J _l are compared to the general relativistic secular gravitomagnetic and gravitoelectric precessions of the node and the perigee of the existing laser-ranged geodetic satellites and of the proposed LARES. The impact of the future terrestrial gravity models from CHAMP and GRACE missions is discussed as well. Preliminary estimates with the recently released EIGEN-1S gravity model including the first CHAMP data are presented.     

Speciation and solubility of heavy metals in contaminated soil using X-ray microfluorescence, EXAFS spectroscopy, chemical extraction, and thermodynamic modeling

Synchrotron-based X-ray radiation microfluorescence (μ-SXRF) and micro-focused and powder extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy measurements, combined with desorption experiments and thermodynamic calculations, were used to evaluate the solubility of metal contaminants (Zn, Cu, Pb) and determine the nature and fractional amount of Zn species in a near-neutral pH (6.5-7.0) truck-farming soil contaminated by sewage irrigation for one hundred years. Zn is the most abundant metal contaminant in the soil (1103 mg/kg), followed by Pb (535 mg/kg) and Cu (290 mg/kg). The extractability of Zn, Pb, and Cu with citrate, S,S-ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS), and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was measured as a function of time (24 h, 72 h, 144 h), and also as a function of the number of applications of the chelant (5 applications each with 24 h of contact time). Fifty-three percent of the Zn was extracted after 144 h with citrate, 51% with EDDS and 46% with EDTA, compared to 69, 87, and 61% for Cu, and 24, 40, and 34% for Pb. Renewing the extracting solution removed more of the metals. Seventy-nine, 65, and 57% of the Zn was removed after five cycles with citrate, EDDS and EDTA, respectively, compared to 88, 100, and 72% for Cu, and 91, 65, and 47% for Pb. Application to the untreated soil of μ-SXRF, laterally resolved μ-EXAFS combined with principal component analysis, and bulk averaging powder EXAFS with linear least-squares combination fit of the data, identified five Zn species: Zn-sorbed ferrihydrite, Zn phosphate, Zn-containing trioctahedral phyllosilicate (modeled by the Zn kerolite, Si₄(Mg_1.65Zn_1.35)O₁₀(OH)₂ · nH₂O), willemite (Zn₂SiO₄), and gahnite (ZnAl₂O₄), in proportions of ∼30, 28, 24, 11, and less than 10%, respectively (precision: 10% of total Zn). In contrast to Cu and Pb, the same fractional amount of Zn was extracted after 24 h contact time with the three chelants (40-43% of the initial content), suggesting that one of the three predominant Zn species was highly soluble under the extraction conditions. Comparison of EXAFS data before and after chemical treatment revealed that the Zn phosphate component was entirely and selectively dissolved in the first 24 h of contact time. Preferential dissolution of the Zn phosphate component is supported by thermodynamic calculations. Despite the long-term contamination of this soil, about 79% of Zn, 91% of Pb, and 100% of Cu can be solubilized in the laboratory on a time scale of a few days by chemical complexants. According to metal speciation results and thermodynamic calculations, the lower extraction level measured for Zn is due to the Zn phyllosilicate component, which is less soluble than Zn phosphate and Zn ferrihydrite.     

Dynamical constraints on some orbital and physical properties of the WD0137-349A/B binary system

In this paper I deal with the WD0137-349 binary system consisting of a white dwarf (WD) and a brown dwarf (BD) in a close circular orbit of about 116 min. I, first, constrain the admissible range of values for the inclination i by noting that, from looking for deviations from the third Kepler law, the quadrupole mass moment Q would assume unlikely large values, incompatible with zero at more than 1-sigma level for i≲35 deg and i≳43 deg. Then, by conservatively assuming that the most likely values for i are those that prevent such an anomalous behavior of Q, i.e. those for which the third Kepler law is an adequate modeling of the orbital period, I obtain i=39±2 deg. Such a result is incompatible with the value i=35 deg quoted in literature by more than 2 sigma. Conversely, it is shown that the white dwarf’s mass range obtained from spectroscopic measurements is compatible with my experimental range, but not for i=35 deg. As a consequence, my estimate of i yields an orbital separation of a=(0.59±0.05)R_⊙ and an equilibrium temperature of BD of T _eq=(2087±154) K which differ by 10% and 4%, respectively, from the corresponding values for i=35 deg.