http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987111001265

Landscapes in tectonically active Hindu Kush（NW Pakistan and NE Afghanistan） result from a complex integration of the effects of vertical and horizontal crustal block motions as well as erosion and deposition processes.Active tectonics in this region have greatly influenced the drainage system and geomorphic expressions.The study area is a junction of three important mountain ranges （Hindu Kush-Karakorum-Himalayas） and is thus an ideal natural laboratory to investigate the relative tectonic activity resulting from the India-Eurasia collision.We evaluate active tectonics using DEM derived drainage network and geomorphic indices hypsometric integral（HI）,stream-length gradient （SL）.fractal dimension（FD）.basin asymmetry factor（AF）.basin shape index（B_s）,valley floor width to valley height ratio（Vf） and mountain front sinuosity(S_mf). The results obtained from these indices were combined to yield an index of relative active tectonics （IRAT） using CIS.The average of the seven measured geomorphic indices was used to evaluate the distribution of relative tectonic activity in the study area.We defined four classes to define the degree of relative tectonic activity:class 1 very high（1.0≤IRAT 1.3）;class 2-high（1.3≥IRAT<1.3）:class 3—moderate（1.5≥IRAT<1.8）;and class 4—low（l.8≥1RAT）.In view of the results.we conclude that this combinetl approach allows the identification of the highly deformed areas related to active tectonics.Landsat imagery and held observations also evidence the presence of active tectonics based on the dellected streams,deformed landforms.active mountain fronts and triangular facets.The indicative values of IRAT are consistent with the areas of known relative uplift rates,landforms and geology.     

Quantitative analysis of physical and geotechnical factors affecting methane emission in municipal solid waste landfill

The amount of methane that vent from landfills is dependent on the physical, chemical and biological components of the soil cover. Especially moisture content and temperature of the soil are known as the major controlling factors. In situ moisture content measurement is very critical because the moisture content of the soil continuously changes within minutes to hours as a result of change in temperature. The presented study used time domain reflectometry to measure in situ moisture content and analyzed moisture content, temperature and methane data of the landfill soil cover in a quantitative manner. Geotechnical factors including soil grain size and uniformity coefficient of the soil were analyzed and their influence on moisture content and methane emission was examined. The authors used kriging and polynomial regression methods to characterize the spatial distribution of moisture content and methane emission. Methane emission showed good temporal correlation with soil temperature, however, no significant relationship between moisture content and methane emission was observed. Spatial distribution of soil attributes was also analyzed to examine its effect on those variables. The spatial pattern of moisture content was quite similar to that of uniformity coefficient, C _u and that of clay content of the soil but strongly contrasted to that of methane emission.     

Atmospheric electric potential gradient at Vishakapatnam

Atmospheric electric potential gradient measurments were made near the ground at Vishakapatnam (17°42N, 83°18E). The diurnal variation of potential gradient during fair weather has been studied. The characteristic pattern of potential gradient in different months, different seasons and its annual variation are examined.     

An examination of groundwater within the Hawara Pyramid,Egypt

The Hawara Pyramid is an outstanding monument. However, the mudbrick structure shows signs of erosion, and the passages and chambers are currently submerged. The problem of water ingress has mainly arisen since the 1880s. In this study, an initial assessment of the pyramid structure was made and causes of water ingress were investigated through analysis of water samples. Stable oxygen isotope measurements indicate that the source of water within the pyramid is the Bahr Selah canal. Water within the pyramid is highly saline compared to the Bahr Selah, and evaporation can only partly account for this high salinity. The composition of dissolved ions suggests that dissolution of salts in soils and from bedrock in the vicinity of the pyramid has enhanced the salinity of water percolating into the pyramid structure. Water ingress and salt deposition are at present the main threat to the integrity of the monument. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A methodology for validating numerical ground water models

Ground water validation is one of the most challenging issues facing modelers and hydrogeologists. Increased complexity in ground water models has created a gap between model predictions and the ability to validate or build confidence in predictions. Specific procedures and tests that can be easily adapted and applied to determine the validity of site-specific ground water models do not exist. This is true for both deterministic and stochastic models, with stochastic models posing the more difficult validation problem. The objective of this paper is to propose a general validation approach that addresses important issues recognized in previous validation studies, conferences, and symposia. The proposed method links the processes for building, calibrating, evaluating, and validating models in an iterative loop. The approach focuses on using collected validation data to reduce uncertainty in the model and narrow the range of possible outcomes. This method is designed for stochastic numerical models utilizing Monte Carlo simulation approaches, but it can be easily adapted for deterministic models. The proposed methodology relies on the premise that absolute validity is not theoretically possible, nor is it a regulatory requirement. Rather, the proposed methodology highlights the importance of testing various aspects of the model and using diverse statistical tools for rigorous checking and confidence building in the model and its predictions. It is this confidence that will encourage regulators and the public to accept decisions based on the model predictions. This validation approach will be applied to a model, described in this paper, dealing with an underground nuclear test site in rural Nevada.     

Inconsistencies between cpx-grt geothermometry and field observations: example of the peraluminous eclogites from Beni Bousera (North Morocco)

Large variations in clinopyroxene-garnet (cpx-grt) temperatures are recorded in thin peraluminous eclogite layers from Beni Bousera ultramafic massif (Morocco): cpx-grt temperatures in the core of layers < 20 cm thick are higher by up to 300°C than in the margins. The cpx-grt temperatures are correlated to both Al-concentration in cpx and Ca-concentration in grt, the two latter parameters being themselves closely intercorrelated. It is demonstrated that the regular interaction parameter Δw^grt_Ca calculated from the Beni Bousera natural data is very close to Δw^grt_Ca calculated from experimental data analysis for Ca-rich garnet. It is concluded that: (i) Al-concentration in cpx has no significant effect on the distribution of Fe and Mg between cpx and grt; and (ii) cpx-grt temperature variations observed across Beni Bousera peraluminous eclogite layers do not correspond to real thermal gradients, but merely result from the inadequacy of the thermometric equations in Ca-rich systems (X^grt_Ca > 0.15).     

Two-dimensional modeling of contaminant transport in porous media in the presence of colloids

It has long been known that colloids can facilitate the transport of contaminants in groundwater systems by reducing the effective retardation factor. A significant effort has been devoted to study colloid-facilitated contaminant transport during the past decade. Many of the previous studies were restricted to one-dimensional analyses and comparisons with finite-column experiments. In this work, a two-dimensional numerical model is developed and used to study the different interactions between colloids, contaminants, and porous media under homogeneous conditions. The numerical formulation of the model is based on discretizing mass balance equations and reaction equations using finite differences having a third-order, total variance-diminishing scheme for the advection terms. This scheme significantly reduces numerical dispersion and leads to greater accuracy compared to the standard central-differencing scheme. The model is tested against analytical solutions under simplified conditions as well as against experimental data, and the results are favorable. The model is used to investigate the impact of the various reaction rates and parameter values on the movement of contaminant plumes in two dimensions. The model is also used to investigate the hypothesis that colloids may increase the effective retardation factor of contaminant plumes. The analysis shows that assuming kinetic mass exchange between contaminant and colloids with constant reaction rate coefficients that are not related to the concentrations may lead to inaccurate results. These inaccurate results are exemplified in the finding that under the kinetic assumption the ratio of the initial concentration of colloids to the initial concentration of contaminant does not affect the amount of facilitation or retardation that occurs in the system. It is also found that colloids can increase the effective retardation factor for the contaminant under certain combinations of reaction rates and distribution coefficients. A quantitative empirical expression to identify whether colloids retard or facilitate the contaminant movement is presented.     

Effect of remote forcings on the winter precipitation of central southwest Asia part 1: observations

Summary We investigate the effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on winter precipitation in Central Southwest Asia (CSWA) using an analysis of available observed climate data. The analysis is based on correlations, composites and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) performed using the gridded dataset of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) and station data for the region. We find that both the NAO and ENSO affect climate over the region. In particular a positive precipitation anomaly is typically found in correspondence of the positive NAO phase and warm ENSO phase over a sub-region encompassing northern Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and southern Uzbekistan. This conclusion is supported by a consistency across the different analysis methods and observation datasets employed in our study. A physical mechanism for such effect is proposed, by which western disturbances are intensified over the region as they encounter a low pressure trough, which is a dominant feature during positive NAO and warm ENSO conditions. Our results give encouraging indications towards the development of statistically-based prediction tools for winter precipitation over the CSWA region.     

Uncertainties in the regional climate models simulations of South-Asian summer monsoon and climate change

The uncertainties in the regional climate models (RCMs) are evaluated by analyzing the driving global data of ERA40 reanalysis and ECHAM5 general circulation models, and the downscaled data of two RCMs (RegCM4 and PRECIS) over South-Asia for the present day simulation (1971–2000) of South-Asian summer monsoon. The differences between the observational datasets over South-Asia are also analyzed. The spatial and the quantitative analysis over the selected climatic regions of South-Asia for the mean climate and the inter-annual variability of temperature, precipitation and circulation show that the RCMs have systematic biases which are independent from different driving datasets and seems to come from the physics parameterization of the RCMs. The spatial gradients and topographically-induced structure of climate are generally captured and simulated values are within a few degrees of the observed values. The biases in the RCMs are not consistent with the biases in the driving fields and the models show similar spatial patterns after downscaling different global datasets. The annual cycle of temperature and rainfall is well simulated by the RCMs, however the RCMs are not able to capture the inter-annual variability. ECHAM5 is also downscaled for the future (2071–2100) climate under A1B emission scenario. The climate change signal is consistent between ECHAM5 and RCMs. There is warming over all the regions of South-Asia associated with increasing greenhouse gas concentrations and the increase in summer mean surface air temperature by the end of the century ranges from 2.5 to 5 °C, with maximum warming over north western parts of the domain and 30 % increase in rainfall over north eastern India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.