Correlation between the rainfall,sediment recharge,and triggering of torrential flows in the Rebaixader catchment (Pyrenees,Spain)

The debris flow (DF) and debris flood (DFD) activity in the Rebaixader catchment (Spanish Pyrenees) is analyzed in this study. The research is focused on how precipitation leads to the triggering of torrential floods and influences the sediment availability during the recharge period, in a supply-unlimited catchment. Two kinds of correlations are studied: (1) the correlation between the rainfall features (intensity and kinetic energy) and the DF/DFD triggering and (2) the correlation between the hyetograph and the DF/DFD volumes. The tested hypothesis was that a greater amount of rainfall during the recharge period would produce a greater DF/DFD volume. The period between two consecutive DF/DFD events is processed using a variable, the Erosion Index, originally developed for the Universal Soil Loss Equation. This analysis considered the rainfall time series and 22 DF/DFD events registered during the period 2009–2015. The results show that the precipitation of the recharge period does not seem to have a strong influence on the mobilized volumes. In many cases, a second DF/DFD event was triggered soon after the previous event, which highlighted the role of the first event in creating an unstable state of the catchment. Additionally, a threshold relationship between the kinetic energy of the rainfall event and the maximum rainfall intensity for a 30-min period seems to be a good criterion to discriminate between triggering and non-triggering rainfall events. The results show no clear trends with which to forecast the sediment volume from precipitation, weakening the role of rainfall characteristics in determining the return period of mobilized sediment volumes in catchments similar to the Rebaixader torrent.     

The THESEUS space mission: science goals,requirements and mission concept

Experimental Astronomy - THESEUS, one of the two space mission concepts being studied by ESA as candidates for next M5 mission within its Comsic Vision programme, aims at fully exploiting Gamma-Ray...     

Temporal correlation of population composition and environmental variables in the marine invader Ciona robusta

The capacity for ascidians to inhabit coastal sea floor worldwide relies on their peculiar tolerance to environmental variables and pollution, which is considered, together with high levels of genetic diversity, among the main drivers of their invasive potential. In spite of the continued interest in the genetics of invasive species, little attention has been paid toward the microevolutionary processes that drive structure and fate of ascidian populations over time under chemically polluted conditions. Understanding the interplay between environmental and population dynamics is critical to predict the biodiversity of marine coastal ecosystems. In the present study, a local population of the ascidian Ciona robusta living in the Fusaro Lagoon has been monitored over a 13‐month period of sampling. Physico‐chemical parameters (temperature, salinity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, heavy metals), genetic composition (microsatellites, ITS‐2), abundance and biomass (wet and dry weight) were assessed with the aim to infer fine‐scale temporal variation of population structure with respect to rapid environmental change. Analysis of biomass showed that C. robusta is highly sensitive to salinity and oxygen concentrations. Further, genetic analysis suggested a highly dynamic population structure, likely due to the strong clustering of temporal samples and distinct responses to environmental conditions, including bioaccumulation of heavy metals. Here, we hypothesize that rapid variation in allele frequencies of neutral markers in C. robusta populations may increase the ability of the species to colonize habitats that are subject to strong variation and are under heavy human pressure.     

An application of the Nekhoroshev theorem to the restricted three-body problem

We studied the stability of the restricted circular three-body problem. We introduced a model Hamiltonian in action-angle Delaunay variables. which is nearly-integrable with the perturbing parameter representing the mass ratio of the primaries. We performed a normal form reduction to remove the perturbation in the initial Hamiltonian to higher orders in the perturbing parameter. Next we applied a result on the Nekhoroshev theorem proved by Pöschel [13] to obtain the confinement in phase space of the action variables (related to the elliptic elements of the minor body) for an exponentially long time. As a concrete application. we selected the Sun-Ceres-Jupiter case, obtaining (after the proper normal form reduction) a stability result for a time comparable to the age of the solar system (i.e., 4.9 · 10⁹ years) and for a mass ratio of the primaries less or equal than 10^–6.     

Population III stars: hidden or disappeared?

A Population III/Population II transition from massive to normal stars is predicted to occur when the metallicity of the star-forming gas crosses the critical range   Z _cr= 10^−5±1 Z_⊙  . To investigate the cosmic implications of such a process, we use numerical simulations which follow the evolution, metal enrichment and energy deposition of both Population II and Population III stars. We find that: (i) due to inefficient heavy element transport by outflows and slow 'genetic' transmission during hierarchical growth, large fluctuations around the average metallicity arise; as a result, Population III star formation continues down to   z = 2.5  , but at a low peak rate of  10⁻⁵ M_⊙ yr⁻¹ Mpc⁻³  occurring at   z ≈ 6  (about 10⁻⁴ of the Population II one); and (ii) Population III star formation proceeds in an 'inside–out' mode in which formation sites are progressively confined to the periphery of collapsed structures, where the low gas density and correspondingly long free-fall time-scales result in a very inefficient astration. These conclusions strongly encourage deep searches for pristine star formation sites at moderate  (2 < z < 5)  redshifts where metal-free stars are likely to be hidden.