Jurassic granitoid magmatism in the Dinaride Neotethys: geochronological constraints from detrital minerals

Three independent single‐grain geochronometers applied to detrital minerals from Central Dinaride sediments constrain the timing of felsic magmatism that associated the Jurassic evolution of the Neotethys. The Lower Cretaceous clastic wedge of the Bosnian Flysch, sourced from the Dinaride ophiolitic thrust complex, yields magmatic monazite and zircon grains with dominant age components of 164 ± 3 and 152 ± 10 Ma respectively. A unique tephra horizon within the Adriatic Carbonate Platform was dated at 148 ± 11 Ma by apatite fission track analysis. These consistent results suggest that leucocractic melt generation in the Central Dinaride segment of the Neotethys culminated in Middle to Late Jurassic times, coeval with and slightly post‐dating subophiolitic sole metamorphism. Growth of magmatic monazite and explosive volcanism call for supra‐subduction‐zone processes at the convergent Neotethyan margin. New compilation of geochronological data demonstrates that such Jurassic felsic rocks are widespread in the entire Dinaride–Hellenide orogen.     

Inland-coastal demographic transformations in a karst area:a case study of the surroundings of Krka National Park (Croatia)

According to geographic possibilism,environment does not determine socio-economic development.However,the environment sets certain constraints and limitations f...     

Regional effects of natural disasters in China: investing in post-disaster recovery

We examine the effects of natural disasters on income and investment in China. Using macroeconomic province-level data and the provincial history of disaster exposure over the past two decades, we describe the relationship between disaster mortality and morbidity, disasters’ economic damages, government investment and regional economic activity, and infrastructure development. The Chinese government’s aggressive investment in post-disaster reconstruction is discussed, and the implications of this investment for post-disaster private sector economic activity are analyzed empirically. We further investigate the differential effects of natural disasters on economic activity in China’s diverse geographical regions.

     

Three-dimensional hydrostratigraphical modelling to support evaluation of recharge and saltwater intrusion in a coastal groundwater system in Vietnam

Saltwater intrusion is generally related to seawater-level rise or induced intrusion due to excessive groundwater extraction in coastal aquifers. However, the hydrogeological heterogeneity of the subsurface plays an important role in (non-)intrusion as well. Local hydrogeological conditions for recharge and saltwater intrusion are studied in a coastal groundwater system in Vietnam where geological formations exhibit highly heterogeneous lithologies. A three-dimensional (3D) hydrostratigraphical solid model of the study area is constructed by way of a recursive classification procedure. The procedure includes a cluster analysis which uses as parameters geological formation, lithological composition, distribution depth and thickness of each lithologically distinctive drilling interval of 47 boreholes, to distinguish and map well-log intervals of similar lithological properties in different geological formations. A 3D hydrostratigraphical fence diagram is then generated from the constructed solid model and is used as a tool to evaluate recharge paths and saltwater intrusion to the groundwater system. Groundwater level and chemistry, and geophysical direct current (DC) resistivity measurements, are used to support the hydrostratigraphical model. Results of this research contribute to the explanation of why the aquifer system of the study area is almost uninfluenced by saltwater intrusion, which is otherwise relatively common in coastal aquifers of Vietnam.     

Projected changes in vertical temperature profiles for Australasia

The vertical temperature profile in the atmosphere reflects a balance between radiative and convective processes and interactions with the oceanic and land surfaces. Changes in vertical temperature profiles can affect atmospheric stability, which in turn can impact various aspects of weather systems. In this study, we analyzed recent-past trends of temperature over the Australian region using a homogenized monthly upper-air temperature dataset and four reanalysis datasets (NCEP, ERA-Interim, JRA-55 and MERRA). We also used outputs of 12 historical and future regional climate model (RCM) simulations from the NSW/ACT (New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory) Regional Climate Modelling (NARCliM) project and 6 RCM simulations from the CORDEX (Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment) Australasian project to investigate projected changes in vertical temperature profiles. The results show that the currently observed positive trend in the troposphere and negative trend in the lower stratosphere will continue in the future with significant warming over the whole troposphere and largest over the middle to upper troposphere. The increasing temperatures are found to be latitude-dependent with clear seasonal variations, and a strong diurnal variation for the near surface layers and upper levels in tropical regions. Changes in the diurnal variability indicate that near surface layers will be less stable in the afternoon leading to conditions favoring convective systems and more stable in the early morning which is favorable for temperature inversions. The largest differences of future changes in temperature between the simulations are associated with the driving GCMs, suggesting that large-scale circulation plays a dominant role in regional atmospheric temperature change.

     

A multi-analysis remote-sensing approach for mapping groundwater resources in the karstic Meo Vac Valley, Vietnam

Remote sensing data can be integrated with analyses of topography, structural geology, hydrogeology and geophysics. The integration gives premises for the delineation of zones of potential groundwater resources in strongly fractured and karstified deep aquifers in the uplifted Meo Vac Highland, northern Vietnam. Remote sensing analysis outlines geological faults with hydrogeological significance. These faults are combined with a derived lineament density map, interpreted analysis of surface flow direction and existing hydrogeological data, resulting in indications of groundwater flow direction. An analysis of the SPOT 5 band ratio 4/1, together with indications of surface-flow direction in low terrains, results in a determination of underground cavern passages. The delineated zones of potential groundwater resources are verified by detailed hydrogeological field surveys and geophysical measurements. Remote sensing analysis is shown to effectively contribute to the investigation of groundwater resources for a hydrogeologically complex area.     

The impact of topography on social factors,a case study of Montenegro

Relationships between environmental and social factors have long been studied by geographers.Nowadays,GIS-aided statistical analysis provides new tools to explore these relationships.In order to detect the impact of topography on social factors,we selected the country of Montenegro as a case example due to its high topographic variability.We compared the spatial pattern of population,settlements and ethnic minorities to physical geographic factors,especially to topography,but lithology and land cover data were also taken into consideration.We found that certain factors are closely correlated,e.g.the settlement density linearly decreases with elevation,while the characteristic settlement area shows an exponential increase upwards.The population density is not related to absolute elevation,but it is in close correlation with height（i.e.elevation relative to the local minimum）.Population change and illiteracy are also topography-related social factors.On the contrary,the variable ethnic pattern of Montenegro is influenced by historical,political and economic effects rather than by environmental factors or topographic features.As a conclusion we state that in the scale of a country or a region,the environment can strongly impact some social factors.     

Rethinking the regularity in mobility patterns of personal vehicle drivers: A multi-city comparison using a feature engineering approach

Large-scale trajectory data offer a finer lens into the regularity in individual mobility choices. Previous studies have exerted efforts to measure the regularity in people's location visiting patterns. However, the complexity of travel behavior at different spatial and temporal scales has not been adequately considered. To capture regularity in a more comprehensive manner, we construct human mobility profiles with interpretable features at three levels, that is, location, motif, and route, on personal vehicle drivers. A feature engineering approach is designed to analyze the extent to which individuals exhibit multi-level regularity. The analysis pipeline includes feature selection, user segmentation and profiling, and feature importance evaluation. Our empirical study analyzed over 4 million trips of 3743 personal vehicle drivers collected over a month in six metropolitan areas in the United States. The weak correlations between features confirm the validity of quantifying regularity from different aspects. We discovered five clusters of drivers (i.e., gig drivers, homebodies, movers, typical drivers, and work-focused commuters) that differ in their regularity to commute to the workplace and the inclination to participate in non-work activities. A similar driver segmentation and profiling pattern is found in all of the studied metro areas. The minor differences are interpreted from the distribution of mobility features and urban features. The proposed method using multi-level feature engineering provides a generic framework to study regularity and can be readily adapted to other mobility data sources by customizing the features. The improved understanding of mobility patterns within the built environment is valuable for innovating urban transportation solutions.     

Effects of salinity on anatomical features and physiology of a semi-mangrove plant Myoporum bontioides

The effect of different concentrations of NaCl, 0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 mM, on the anatomical features and physiology of Myoporum bontioides was investigated. The photosynthetic rates (Pn) were significantly reduced by salt stress, with the lowest values at 400 mM NaCl. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA), proline and soluble sugar, as well as the activities of peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) increased at the beginning, but became similar to the control as the experiment proceeded. The NaCl effect on superoxide dismutase (SOD) was different from the other parameters, with a significant reduction at 400 mM NaCl at Day 7. Salt glands were found in both upper and lower epidermis, and the ratios of the thickness of palisade to spongy mesophyll tissues increased with NaCl concentrations. The medullary ray was clearly damaged by NaCl at levels of 200 and 300 mM. These results demonstrated that M. bontioides could adapt to a relatively low salinity, and was not a halophilous species.     

Effect of a polybrominated diphenyl ether congener (BDE-47) on growth and antioxidative enzymes of two mangrove plant species, Kandelia obovata and Avicennia marina, in South China

The effects of BDE-47 on the growth and antioxidative responses of the seedlings of Kandelia obovata (Ko) and Avicennia marina (Am) were compared in an 8-week hydroponic culture spiked with different levels of BDE-47, 0.1, 1, 5 and 10 mg l⁻¹. The two highest BDE-47 levels significantly suppressed the growth and increased the activities of three antioxidative enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), of Ko in week 1. However, SOD and POD activities at high levels of BDE-47 became lower than the control in week 8. On the contrary, growth of Am was not affected at all contamination levels, and the activities of three enzymes were enhanced by BDE-47 in weeks 1 and 4, but such stimulatory effect became insignificant in week 8. Avicennia was more tolerant to BDE-47 toxicity than Kandelia, as its antioxidative enzymes could better counter-balance the oxidative stress caused by BDE-47.