Restoring a glacier-fed river: Past and present morphodynamics of a degraded channel in the Italian Alps

The present study explores the evolutionary trajectory of the glacier-fed Mareit River (South Tyrol, Italian Alps), where a large restoration programme was implemented in 2008–2009. River corridor changes before and after the restoration works were assessed using historical maps, recent field observations, topographic surveys and topographic differencing. Trends of anthropic (forest cover, channel works, gravel mining) and natural (glacial cover, precipitation, flow regime) factors controlling channel morphology – at both catchment and reach scales – were reconstructed. From the mid-19th century, the evolutionary trajectory of the Mareit River followed a degradational trend, characterized by channel narrowing, bed incision and planform simplification. Direct, in-channel human alterations – mainly in the form of bank protections (in the late 19th century), gravel mining (mostly in the 1970s) and grade-control works (since the 1980s) – dominated the historical adjustments before the restoration. In 2008–2009, a segment of the Mareit was restored by widening the channel, partly removing the check-dams and shaping a braided pattern within a laterally constrained corridor. Post-work monitoring shows that the restoration improved both the morphological quality and the geomorphic diversity. At present, the channel is subject to narrowing and slight bed level incision, with islands and floodplains progressively expanding at the expenses of the active channel. This trend is likely to continue in the next decades based on the expected future flow regime, and indeed the Mareit River seems to be attaining a ‘miniaturized’ version of the anabranching pattern of the mid-19th century. Overall, this restoration approach and the associated evolutionary trajectory is considered positive, because it leads to a complex mosaic of geomorphic units, dynamically self-adjusting to the time-varying driving variables. The formation of a morphodynamically active corridor, while keeping artificially non-erodible boundaries, represents an optimal strategy to integrate ecological improvements with flood risk mitigation in the densely populated Alpine valleys. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using orthogonal Legendre polynomials to parameterize global geophysical optimizations: Applications to seismic-petrophysical inversion and 1D elastic full-waveform inversion

We use Legendre polynomials to reparameterize geophysical inversions solved through a particle swarm optimization. The subsurface model is expanded into series of Legendre polynomials that are used as basis functions. In this framework, the unknown parameters become the series of expansion coefficients associated with each polynomial. The aim of this peculiar parameterization is threefold: efficiently decreasing the number of unknowns, inherently imposing a 1D spatial correlation to the recovered subsurface model and searching for maximally decoupled parameters. The proposed approach is applied to two highly non-linear geophysical optimization problems: seismic-petrophysical inversion and 1D elastic full-waveform inversion. In this work, with the aim to maintain the discussion at a simple level, we limit the attention to synthetic seismic data. This strategy allows us to draw general conclusions about the suitability of this peculiar parameterization for solving geophysical problems. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach ensures fast convergence rates together with accurate and stable final model predictions. In particular, the proposed parameterization reveals to be effective in reducing the ill conditioning of the optimization problem and in circumventing the so-called curse-of-dimensionality issue. We also demonstrate that the implemented algorithm greatly outperforms the outcomes of the more standard approach to global inversion in which each subsurface parameter is considered as an independent unknown.     

Radio and millimeter continuum surveys and their astrophysical implications

We review the statistical properties of the main populations of radio sources, as emerging from radio and millimeter sky surveys. Recent determinations of local luminosity functions are presented and compared with earlier estimates still in widespread use. A number of unresolved issues are discussed. These include: the (possibly luminosity-dependent) decline of source space densities at high redshifts; the possible dichotomies between evolutionary properties of low- versus high-luminosity and of flat- versus steep-spectrum AGN-powered radio sources; and the nature of sources accounting for the upturn of source counts at sub-milli-Jansky (mJy) levels. It is shown that straightforward extrapolations of evolutionary models, accounting for both the far-IR counts and redshift distributions of star-forming galaxies, match the radio source counts at flux-density levels of tens of μJy remarkably well. We consider the statistical properties of rare but physically very interesting classes of sources, such as GHz Peak Spectrum and ADAF/ADIOS sources, and radio afterglows of γ-ray bursts. We also discuss the exploitation of large-area radio surveys to investigate large-scale structure through studies of clustering and the Integrated Sachs–Wolfe effect. Finally, we briefly describe the potential of the new and forthcoming generations of radio telescopes. A compendium of source counts at different frequencies is given in Supplementary Material.     

Recursive anisotropy: a spatial taphonomic study of the Early Pleistocene vertebrate assemblage of Tsiotra Vryssi,Mygdonia Basin,Greece

By applying advanced spatial statistical methods, spatial taphonomy complements the traditional taphonomic approach and enhances our understanding of biostratinomic and diagenetic processes. In this study, we elaborate on a specific aspect – spatial anisotropy – of taphonomic processes. We aim to unravel the taphonomic history of the Early Pleistocene vertebrate assemblage of Tsiotra Vryssi (Mygdonia Basin, Greece). Circular statistics are used for the fabric analysis of elongated elements; geostatistics (directional variograms), wavelet and point pattern analyses are applied for detecting anisotropy at the assemblage level. The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of sedimentary magnetic minerals is also investigated. The results, integrated with preliminary remarks about the differential preservation of skeletal elements, sedimentological and micromorphological observations, suggest multiple dispersion events and recurrent spatial re‐arrangement of a lag, (peri)autochthonous assemblage, consistent with the cyclical lateral switching of a braided fluvial system. Furthermore, this study offers a contribution to the building of a spatial taphonomic referential framework for the interpretation of other fossil vertebrate assemblages, including archaeo‐palaeontological ones.     

Neo-Deterministic Seismic Hazard and Pattern Recognition Techniques: Time-Dependent Scenarios for North-Eastern Italy

An integrated neo-deterministic approach to seismic hazard assessment has been developed that combines different pattern recognition techniques, designed for the space?Ctime identification of impending strong earthquakes, with algorithms for the realistic modeling of seismic ground motion. The integrated approach allows for a time-dependent definition of the seismic input, through the routine updating of earthquake predictions. The scenarios of expected ground motion, associated with the alarmed areas, are defined by means of full waveform modeling. A set of neo-deterministic scenarios of ground motion is defined at regional and local scales, thus providing a prioritization tool for timely preparedness and mitigation actions. Constraints about the space and time of occurrence of the impending strong earthquakes are provided by three formally defined and globally tested algorithms, which have been developed according to a pattern recognition scheme. Two algorithms, namely CN and M8, are routinely used for intermediate-term middle-range earthquake predictions, while a third algorithm allows for the identification of the areas prone to large events. These independent procedures have been combined to better constrain the alarmed area. The pattern recognition of earthquake-prone areas does not belong to the family of earthquake prediction algorithms since it does not provide any information about the time of occurrence of the expected earthquakes. Nevertheless, it can be considered as the termless zero-approximation, which restrains the alerted areas (e.g. defined by CN or M8) to the more precise potential location of large events. Italy is the only region of moderate seismic activity where the two different prediction algorithms, CN and M8S (i.e. a spatially stabilized variant of M8), are applied simultaneously and a real-time test of predictions, for earthquakes with magnitude larger than a given threshold (namely 5.4 and 5.6 for CN algorithm, and 5.5 for M8S algorithm) has been ongoing since 2003. The application of the CN to the Adriatic region, which is relevant for seismic hazard assessment in the northeastern part of the Italian territory, is also discussed. Examples of neo-deterministic scenarios are provided, at regional and local scale and for the cities of Trieste and Nimis (Friuli Venezia Giulia region), where the knowledge of the local geological conditions permitted a detailed evaluation of the expected ground motion.     

The economic case for prioritizing governance over financial incentives in REDD+

It is argued that the subordination of policies to results-based payments for emissions reductions causes severe economic inefficiencies, which affect the opportunity cost, transaction cost, and economic rent of the programme. Such problems can be addressed by establishing sound procedural, land, and financial governance at the national level, before Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) economic incentives are delivered at scale. Consideration is given to each governance dimension, the entry points for policy intervention, and the impact on costs. International support must consider the financial and political cost of governance reforms, and use a pay-for-results ethos based on output and outcome indicators. This can be done in the readiness phase but only if the latter's legal force, scope, magnitude, and time horizon are adequately reconsidered. This article provides ammunition for the institutionalists’ argument that United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Parties must prioritize governance reforms between now and the entry into force of the new climate agreement in 2020. Finally, specific recommendations about how such governance reforms can be achieved, which will create the basis for the programme's financial sustainability, are offered.

Policy relevance

UNFCCC Parties could make the most cost-effective use of REDD+ resources if they were to prioritize investments in governance over the interim period 2012–2020. REDD+’s financial, technical and political capital should be used to establish sound procedural, sectoral (land), and financial governance systems in relevant countries. This will generate long-term economic savings, compared to an approach that privileges the implementation of results-based payments for emissions reductions. In particular, it will reduce economic inefficiencies, which affect the opportunity and transaction costs, and the private rents embedded in the current programme design. In order to promote the necessary policy reforms, stakeholders should work together to address technical, financial, and political economy issues at the domestic level. In particular, UNFCCC Parties should re-conceptualize the readiness phase by strengthening its legal force, expanding its scope, increasing its financial firepower, and extending its time horizon.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114000231

The possibility of a net rotation of the lithosphere with respect to the mantle is generally overlooked since it depends on the adopted mantle reference frames,which are arbitrary.We review the geological and geophysical signatures of plate boundaries,and show that they are markedly asymmetric worldwide.Then we compare available reference frames of plate motions relative to the mantle and discuss which is at best able to fit global tectonic data.Different assumptions about the depths of hotspot sources(below or within the asthenosphere,which decouples the lithosphere from the deep mantle) predict different rates of net rotation of the lithosphere relative to the mantle.The widely used no-net-rotation(NNR) reference frame,and low(0.2°-0.4° /Ma) net rotation rates(deep hotspots source) predict an average net rotation in which some plates move eastward relative to the mantle(e.g.,Nazca).With fast(1° /Ma) net rotation(shallow hotspots source),all plates,albeit at different velocity,move westerly along a curved trajectory,with a tectonic equator tilted about 30° relative to the geographic equator.This is consistent with the observed global tectonic asymmetries.