Seismic attenuation and velocity dispersion in fractured rocks: The role played by fracture contact areas

The presence of fractures in fluid‐saturated porous rocks is usually associated with strong seismic P‐wave attenuation and velocity dispersion. This energy dissipation can be caused by oscillatory wave‐induced fluid pressure diffusion between the fractures and the host rock, an intrinsic attenuation mechanism generally referred to as wave‐induced fluid flow. Geological observations suggest that fracture surfaces are highly irregular at the millimetre and sub‐millimetre scale, which finds its expression in geometrical and mechanical complexities of the contact area between the fracture faces. It is well known that contact areas strongly affect the overall mechanical fracture properties. However, existing models for seismic attenuation and velocity dispersion in fractured rocks neglect this complexity. In this work, we explore the effects of fracture contact areas on seismic P‐wave attenuation and velocity dispersion using oscillatory relaxation simulations based on quasi‐static poroelastic equations. We verify that the geometrical and mechanical details of fracture contact areas have a strong impact on seismic signatures. In addition, our numerical approach allows us to quantify the vertical solid displacement jump across fractures, the key quantity in the linear slip theory. We find that the displacement jump is strongly affected by the geometrical details of the fracture contact area and, due to the oscillatory fluid pressure diffusion process, is complex‐valued and frequency‐dependent. By using laboratory measurements of stress‐induced changes in the fracture contact area, we relate seismic attenuation and dispersion to the effective stress. The corresponding results do indeed indicate that seismic attenuation and phase velocity may constitute useful attributes to constrain the effective stress. Alternatively, knowledge of the effective stress may help to identify the regions in which wave induced fluid flow is expected to be the dominant attenuation mechanism.     

Long-Term Power Transmission Failures in Southeastern Brazil and the Geophysical Environment

High-voltage transmission networks represent a large electrical circuit just above the ground subjected to a number of transient overcharges of various kinds, some of which may lead to failures. Some failures might be related to anomalies of the geophysical environment. We have analyzed one unprecedented long series of transmission grid failures (9?years) on high-voltage networks located in S?o Paulo state, southeastern Brazil, from 1998 to 2006, which includes an important fraction of the past solar activity cycle 23. Ninety-five distinct failure causes were given by the power line operator to explain the transmission grid shut downs. Most failures were attributed to atmospheric discharges, corresponding to 1,957 failures out of a total of 4,572 for the whole period at 138?kV, and 170 out of 763 at 440?kV, respectively. They correspond to less than one ten thousandth of the actual number of atmospheric discharges recorded in the same area, demonstrating the grid’s high resilience to breakdowns due to lightning. A clear concentration of failures in the region’s thunderstorm season has been found. A significant 67 and 77?% reduction in the number of failure rates per year has been found for the 138 and 440?kV grids, respectively, for the period studied, in good correspondence with the decay in the sunspot numbers. No obvious correlation was found between power failures and the planetary index of geomagnetic activity or major geomagnetic storms in the period, either on short or on long time scales. Assuming that the dependence of the electrosphere/ionosphere-ground coupling on the external geophysical environment plays a major role in explaining the reduction in power failures as the solar cycle wanes, it is suggested that the increase in atmosphere conductivity caused by the larger cosmic ray flux then reduces the threshold voltage required to produce lightning strokes, so reducing their effectiveness in disrupting high-voltage power lines.     

Occurrence of selected estrogens in mangrove sediments

This paper presents results related to the occurrence and distribution of estrogens along the Brazilian coast. Three mangrove areas were chosen to evaluate the presence of estrogens in surface sediments of mangrove forests. The presence of estrogens was observed in all studied sites. 17-α-Ethinylestradiol (EE2), a synthetic estrogen, was the most common and has been found in higher concentration (0.45-129.78 ng/g) compared to 17-β-estradiol (E1) and estrone (E2) (both being natural estrogens). The concentrations of E1 and E2 ranged from 0.02 to 49.27 ng/g and 0.03 to 39.77 ng/g, respectively. Theoretically, under anaerobic conditions EE2 can be reduced to E1 even in environments such as sediments of mangrove forests, which are essentially anaerobic. Even if the concentrations of estrogens seem to be insignificant in some samples, the effects remain uncertain.     

Gully catchments as a sediment sink,not just a source: Results from a long‐term (~12 500 year) sediment budget

Sediment delivery from hillslopes to trunk streams represents a significant pathway of mass transfer in the landscape, with a large fraction facilitated by gully systems. The internal gully geomorphic dynamics represent a considerable gap in many landscape and empirical erosion models, therefore a better understanding of these processes over longer timescales (10–10⁴ years) is needed. This study analyses the sediment mass balance and storage dynamics within a headwater gully catchment in central Europe over the last ~12 500 years. Human induced erosion resulted in hillslope erosion rates ~2.3 times higher than under naturally de‐vegetated conditions (during the Younger Dryas), however the total sediment inputs to the gully system (and therefore gully aggradation), were similar. Net gully storage has consistently increased to become the second largest term in the sediment budget after hillslope erosion (storage is ~45% and ~73% of inputs during two separate erosion and aggradation cycles). In terms of the depletion of gully sediment storage, the sediment mass balance shows that export beyond the gully fan was not significant until the last ~500 years, due to reduced gully fan accommodation space. The significance of storage effects on the gully sediment mass balance, particularly the export terms, means that it would be difficult to determine the influences of human impact and/or climatic changes from floodplain or lake sedimentary archives alone and that the sediment budgets of the headwater catchments from which they drain are more likely to provide these mechanistic links. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Retreating ice: research in pro‐glacial areas matters

Glacier forefields are landscapes in transition from glacial to non‐glacial conditions; this implies intense geomorphic, hydrological and ecological dynamics with important on‐ and off‐site effects. This special issue collects 13 papers covering recent research in both (sub‐)polar and alpine pro‐glacial environments that focus on (i) pro‐glacial sediment sources, (ii) pro‐glacial rivers, (iii) pro‐glacial lakes, (iv) ground water and ice, and (v) the development of soil and vegetation in its interplay with morphodynamics. Advances in mapping, surveying and geophysical techniques form the basis for research perspectives related to the historical evolution of pro‐glacial areas, the understanding of complex interactions of multiple processes, and the effects of continued glacier recession. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluctuations of electrical conductivity as a natural tracer for bank filtration in a losing stream

A key parameter used in the assessment of bank filtration is the travel time of the infiltrated river water during the passage through groundwater. We analyze time series of electrical conductivity (EC) in the river and adjacent groundwater observation wells to investigate travel times of young hyporheic groundwater in adjoining channelized and restored sections of River Thur in North-East Switzerland. To quantify mixing ratios and mean residence times we perform cross-correlation analysis and non-parametric deconvolution of the EC time series. Measurements of radon-222 in the groundwater samples validate the calculated residence times. A simple relationship between travel time and distance to the river has not been observed. Therefore, we speculate that the lateral position and depth of the thalweg as well as the type of bank stabilization might control the infiltration processes in losing rivers. Diurnal oscillations of EC observed in the river and in nearby observation wells facilitate analyzing the temporal variation of infiltration. The diurnal oscillations are particularly pronounced in low flow situations, while the overall EC signal is dominated by individual high-flow events. Differences in travel times derived from diurnal and overall EC signals thus reflect different infiltration regimes.     

A web‐based visualization tool for exploring stakeholder conflicts in land‐use planning

This article describes an open source web‐based visualization tool for exploring stakeholder conflicts in land‐use planning. It implements a multi‐criteria, decision‐analytic framework which solves a conflict‐constrained knapsack problem in order to find Pareto efficient combinations of actions which maximize public value, given the conflict constraint. The user interface is centered around an interactive map in which geographical subareas are color‐shaded in proportion to the mean strength of preference for a particular chosen action within the population in the selected area. The aim of this work is to investigate the use of web technologies and formal problem‐solving methods for improving public participation in land‐use planning and support local governments in the pursuit of improved decision‐making. The tool was developed using the free statistical programming language R and the web application framework Shiny. Its usefulness is demonstrated through a case study in Upplands Väsby municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden. The article ends with a summary together with some ideas for future research and development.     

In situ pore-pressure evolution during dynamic CPT measurements in soft sediments of the western Baltic Sea

We present in situ strength and pore-pressure measurements from 57 dynamic cone penetration tests in sediments of Mecklenburg (n?=?51), Eckernförde (n?=?2) and Gelting (n?=?4) bays, western Baltic Sea, characterised by thick mud layers and partially free microbial gas resulting from the degradation of organic material. In Mecklenburg and Eckernförde bays, sediment sampling by nine gravity cores served sedimentological characterisation, analyses of geotechnical properties, and laboratory shear tests. At selected localities, high-resolution echo-sounder profiles were acquired. Our aim was to deploy a dynamic cone penetrometer (CPT) to infer sediment shear strength and cohesion of the sea bottom as a function of fluid saturation. The results show very variable changes in pore pressure and sediment strength during the CPT deployments. The majority of the CPT measurements (n?=?54) show initially negative pore-pressure values during penetration, and a delayed response towards positive pressures thereafter. This so-called type B pore-pressure signal was recorded in all three bays, and is typically found in soft muds with high water contents and undrained shear strengths of 1.6–6.4 kPa. The type B signal is further affected by displacement of sediment and fluid upon penetration of the lance, skin effects during dynamic profiling, enhanced consolidation and strength of individual horizons, the presence of free gas, and a dilatory response of the sediment. In Mecklenburg Bay, the remaining small number of CPT measurements (n?=?3) show a well-defined peak in both pore pressure and cone resistance during penetration, i.e. an initial marked increase which is followed by exponential pore-pressure decay during dissipation. This so-called type A pore-pressure signal is associated with normally consolidated mud, with indurated clay layers showing significantly higher undrained shear strength (up to 19 kPa). In Eckernförde and Gelting bays pore-pressure response type B is exclusively found, while in Mecklenburg Bay types A and B were detected. Despite the striking similarities in incremental density increase and shear strength behaviour with depth, gas occurrence and subtle variations in the coarse-grained fraction cause distinct pore-pressure curves. Gaseous muds interbedded with silty and sandy layers are most common in the three bays, and the potential effect of free gas (i.e. undersaturated pore space) on in situ strength has to be explored further.