A Multi‐Objective,Multi‐Criteria Approach to Improve Situational Awareness in Emergency Evacuation Routing Using Mobile Phone Data

Emergency services personnel face risks and uncertainty as they respond to natural and anthropogenic events. Their primary goal is to minimize the loss of life and property, especially in neighborhoods with high population densities, where response time is of great importance. In recent years, mobile phones have become a primary communication device during emergencies. The portability of cell phones and ease of information storage and dissemination has enabled effective implementation of cell phones by first responders and one of the most viable means of communication with the population. Using cellular location data during evacuation planning and response also provides increased awareness to emergency personnel. This article introduces a multi‐objective, multi‐criteria approach to determining optimum evacuation routes in an urban setting. The first objective is to calculate evacuation routes for individual cell phone locations, minimizing the time it would take for a sample population to evacuate to designated safe zones based on both distance and congestion criteria. The second objective is to maximize coverage of individual cell phone locations, using the criteria of underlying geographic features, distance and congestion. In summary, this article presents a network‐based methodology for providing additional analytic support to emergency services personnel for evacuation planning.     

A granite–gabbro complex from Madagascar: constraints on melting of the lower crust

The Ranomandry Complex is a Neoproterozoic, nested intrusion from central Madagascar composed of a gabbroic core within a coeval peraluminous granite ring intruding pelitic metasediments. Although xenocryst entrainment and magma mixing have both contributed to marginal phases of the granite, the primary melt is characterised by steep LREE/HREE ratios and negligible, or slightly positive, Eu anomalies. Both isotopic and trace element systematics preclude an origin from either partial melting of the metapelitic country rock or from fractional crystallisation of the gabbroic magma. However, trace-element modelling suggests an origin from the dehydration melting of a plagioclase-poor, garnet-bearing metagreywacke at temperatures of 850–900 °C and at lower crustal pressures (>10 kbar). Melting of an enriched subcontinental mantle generated gabbroic magmas that caused advective heating and anatexis at the base of thickened continental crust during their ascent. Transport of the resulting granite magma was facilitated by the pre-existing plumbing system that overcame thermal and mechanical problems associated with both diapirism and self-propagating dykes as mechanisms for long-distance transport of granite magmas. The nested geometry of the intrusions is an indication of a structurally homogeneous lower crust that contains no pre-existing shear zones or fault systems.     

Preservation of organic matter in the STONE 6 artificial meteorite experiment

The exposure of a carbonaceous siltstone sample to atmospheric entry, as part of the STONE 6 artificial meteorite experiment, has allowed a controlled investigation of the effect of heat shock during atmospheric entry on organic matter in carbonaceous meteorites and, potentially, sedimentary martian meteorites containing carbonaceous biomolecules. Thermal alteration is evident in an increase in structural order of the carbon (i.e. degree of graphitisation), preferential loss of thermally unstable compounds and substantial loss of extractable organic matter. There is a gradient of increasing alteration towards the outer, exposed margin of the rock, and also an increase in hydrocarbons that suggests outward migration following thermally-induced generation. The carbon has not been completely graphitised, and sufficient biomarker compounds survive to prove the biological origin of the organic matter. The experiment implies that meteorites of appropriate size could preserve evidence of biological activity on their parent body.     

Quantitative analysis of Miocene to Recent forearc basin evolution along the Colombian convergent margin

The Colombian accretionary complex forms the active convergent margin of the North Andes block of South America beneath which the east Panama Basin of the Nazca plate is subducted at a rate of 50–64 km Myr^?1. Multichannel seismic reflection data, collected as part of RRS Charles Darwin cruise CD40, image a series of well-developed forearc basins along the length of the margin, bounded on their oceanward side by an active accretionary complex and on their landward side by oceanward-dipping continental basement. Sedimentary sequences within the forearc basins indicate successive landward migration of the basin depocentre as the structural high bounding its oceanward edge is forced upward and landward by continued growth of the accretionary complex. Uplift beneath the oceanward side of the basins has resulted in progressive landward rotation of the older sedimentary sequences. Prominent seismic reflectors across the basins show a complex onlap–offlap relationship between successive sequences that reflects the interplay between tectonic uplift, sediment supply, differential sediment compaction and basement subsidence due to loading. A numerical model has been devised to investigate how Miocene to Recent forearc basin stratigraphy is controlled by progressive growth of the accretionary complex resulting in elevation of the outer-arc high and landward motion of the rear of the complex up the seaward-dipping backstop formed by the leading edge of the continental lithosphere. The effects of sediment accretion are modelled by treating the accretionary complex as a doubly vergent, noncohesive Coulomb wedge, where forces exerted by the proto- and retro-wedges must be balanced for the system to be in equilibrium. The model generates synthetic basin-fill architecture over a series of steps, each of which represents the deposition of individual sedimentary sequences and their subsequent deformation due to wedge growth. The model accounts for differential sediment compaction and the flexural response of the underlying lithosphere to changes in load distribution over time. Forearc basin evolution is simulated for various rates of sediment supply to the forearc and accretionary complex growth until the synthetic basin-fill geometry matches the observed geometry. The model enables either the rate of accretionary wedge growth or the rate of sediment supply to the forearc basin to be established. The technique is generally applicable to those convergent margins with forearc basins that have developed between an actively accreting wedge and a seaward-dipping backstop. Other examples include Peru, S. Chile, Sumatra and Barbados.     

Transpressive duplex and flower structure: Dent Fault System, NW England

Revised mapping along the Dent Fault (northwest England) has improved the resolution of folds and faults formed during Variscan (late Carboniferous) sinistral transpression. A NNE-trending east-down monocline, comprising the Fell End Syncline and Taythes Anticline, was forced in Carboniferous cover above a reactivated precursor to the Dent Fault within the Lower Palaeozoic basement. The Taythes Anticline is periclinal due to interference with earlier Acadian folds. The steep limb of the monocline was eventually cut by the west-dipping Dent Fault. The hangingwall of the Dent Fault was dissected by sub-vertical or east dipping faults, together forming a positive flower structure in cross-section and a contractional duplex in plan view. The footwall to the Dent Fault preserves evidence of mostly dip-slip displacements, whereas strike-slip was preferentially partitioned into the hangingwall faults. This pattern of displacement partitioning may be typical of transpressive structures in general. The faults of the Taythes duplex formed in a restraining overlap zone between the Dent Fault and the Rawthey Fault to the west. The orientations of the duplex faults were a response to kinematic boundary conditions rather than to the regional stress field directly. Kinematic constraints provided by the Dent and neighbouring Variscan faults yield a NNW–SSE regional shortening direction in this part of the Variscan foreland.     

Late‐glacial and early Holocene changes in vegetation and lake‐level at Hauterive/Rouges‐Terres,Lake Neuchâtel (Switzerland)

Palynological and sedimentological analyses of a sedimentary sequence sampled at Hauterive/Rouges‐Terres, Lake Neuchâtel (Switzerland) provide documentation of changes in vegetation and lake‐level during the Bølling, Younger Dryas and Preboreal pollen zones, and have allowed a comparison with sequences covering the same period from other sites located in the western part of the Swiss Plateau. The Juniperus–Hippophaë zone (regional pollen assemblage zone (RPAZ) CHb‐2, first part of the Bølling, ca. 14 650–14 450 cal. yr BP) was characterised by a generally low lake‐level. A weak rise occurred during this zone. The Juniperus–Hippophaë to Betula zone transition coincided with a lake‐level lowering, interrupted by a short‐lived but marked phase of higher lake‐level recorded at the neighbouring site of Hauterive‐Champréveyres, but not present at Hauterive/Rouges‐Terres owing to an erosion surface. Shortly after the beginning of the Betula zone (RPAZ CHb‐3, second part of the Bølling, ca 14 450–14 000 cal. yr BP), a marked rise in lake‐level occurred. It was composed of two successive periods of higher level, coinciding with high values of Betula, separated by a short episode of relatively lower lake‐level associated with raised values in Artemisia and other non‐arboreal pollen. The last part of RPAZ CHb‐3 saw a fall in lake‐level. The lower lake‐levels during RPAZ CHb‐2 to early RPAZ CHb‐3 can be correlated with the abrupt warming at the beginning of the Greenland Interstadial (GI) 1e thermal maximum. The successive episodes of higher lake‐level punctuating the GI 1e might be linked to the so‐called Intra‐Bølling Cold Oscillations identified from several palaeoclimatic records in the North Atlantic area, and also documented in oxygen‐isotope data sets from Swiss Plateau lakes. The Hauterive/Rouges‐Terres lake‐level record provides evidence for marked climatic drying through the second part of the Younger Dryas event (GS1), during the GS1–Preboreal (RPAZ CHb‐4b–4c) transition (except for a rise at ca. 11 450–11 400 cal. yr BP), and at the RPAZ CHb‐4c–5 (Preboreal–Boreal) transition, following the Preboreal Oscillation (after 11 150 cal. yr BP). The Preboreal Oscillation coincided with higher lake‐levels, its end being followed by a rapid expansion of Corylus, Quercus, Ulmus and Tilia. The Hauterive/Rouges‐Terres lake‐level record suggests that radiocarbon plateau at 12 600, 10 000 and 9500 ¹⁴C yr BP corresponded to periods of generally lower lake‐level. This suggests that an increase in solar activity may have contributed to both climatic dryness and a decrease in atmospheric radiocarbon content. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigating hydrologic connectivity and its association with threshold change in runoff response in a temperate forested watershed

Hydrological studies across varied climatic and physiographic regions have observed small changes in the ‘states of wetness’; based on average soil moisture, can lead to dramatic changes in the amount of water delivered to the stream channel. This non-linear behaviour of the storm response has been attributed to a critical switching in spatial organization of shallow soil moisture and hydrologic connectivity. However, much of the analysis of the role of soil moisture organization and connectivity has been performed in small rangeland catchments. Therefore, we examined the relationship between hydrologic connectivity and runoff response within a temperate forested watershed of moderate relief. We have undertaken spatial surveys of shallow soil moisture over a sequence of storms with varying antecedent moisture conditions. We analyse each survey for evidence of hydrologic connectivity and we monitor the storm response from the catchment outlet. Our results show evidence of a non-linear response in runoff generation over small changes in measures of antecedent moisture conditions; yet, unlike the previous studies of rangeland catchments, in this forested landscape we do not observe a significant change in geostatistical hydrologic connectivity with variations in antecedent moisture conditions. These results suggest that a priori spatial patterns in shallow soil moisture in forested terrains may not always be a good predictor of critical hydrologic connectivity that leads to threshold change in runoff generation, as has been the case in rangeland catchments. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Continuous measurement of the depth of water table (inundation) in wetlands with fluctuating surfaces

Assessment of the water table in compressible and/or floating peatland mats requires a remote sensor that can measure simultaneously the elevation of the peat surface and the water level. A simple device, comprising two potentiometers, a float and ‘bog shoe’ was used to measure the water level and peat surface witin 0-3 mm. The water table (depth of water level relative to the peat surface) was then calculated.     

Minor and trace elements in bornite and associated Cu-(Fe)-sulfides: A LA-ICP-MS studyBornite mineral chemistry

In situ laser ablation inductively-coupled mass spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) has been used to provide a baseline dataset on the minor element contents in hypogene bornite and accompanying Cu-sulfides from 12 deposits with emphasis on syn-metamorphic Cu-vein systems in Norway, and skarn, porphyry and epithermal systems in SE Europe.Bornite contains significant concentrations of both Ag and Bi, especially in the vein and skarn deposits studied and has the potential to be a major Ag-carrier in such ores. Concentrations of up to >1 wt.% of both elements are documented. Measured concentrations appear to be independent of whether discrete Ag- and/or Bi-minerals are present within the analyzed sulfide. Where bornite and chalcocite (or mixtures of Cu-sulfides) coexist, Ag is preferentially partitioned into chalcocite over co-existing bornite and Bi is partitioned into the bornite. Bornite is a relatively poor host for Au, which mimics Ag by being typically richer in coexisting chalcocite. Most anomalous Au concentrations in bornite can be readily tracked to micron- and submicron-scale inclusions, but bornite and chalcocite containing up to 3 and 28 ppm Au in solid solution can be documented. Selenium and Te concentrations in bornite may be as high as several thousand ppm and correlate with the abundance of selenides and tellurides within the sample. Selenium distributions show some promise as a vector in exploration, offering the possibility to track a fluid source. Bornite and chalcocite are poor hosts for a range of other elements such as Co, Ni, Ga and Ge, etc. which have been reported to be commonly substituted within sulfides. Hypogene bornite and chalcocite may have significantly different trace element geochemical signatures from secondary (supergene) bornite.