湖泊沉积物磁学特征指示的埃及Faiyum盆地全新世以来的环境演变

利用埃及北部Faiyum盆地获得的高取芯率沉积物岩芯,进行沉积物多种磁性参数的测量,结合有机碳、介形虫、粒度等分析,在AMS14C加速器测年的基础上,建立全新世以来湖泊沉积物磁性特征变化的时间序列.结果表明,粒度效应以及沉积后的各种次生作用对沉积物的磁性特征没有明显的影响,磁性变化主要反映了沉积物不同来源组成的相对变化.全新世前沉积物磁性较弱,主要含不完全反铁磁性矿物,与周边沙漠的物质相似,结合其粒度特征,沉积物来源应以近源物质为主.全新世早中期(约10 5.4 ka BP)沉积物磁性变化相对稳定,有机质含量也较高,指示了来自尼罗河较为稳定的物质供应;而大约5.4 ka BP尤其最近约4.2 ka BP以来,磁性的明显变化反映了流域降水减少情况下,来自青尼河物质贡献的相对增加;最近约2.0 ka BP以来沉积物的磁性变化,则更多地与盆地人类活动的强化有关.总体而言,Faiyum盆地全新世以来的环境演变主要受控于全新世以来尼罗河与盆地的水力学联系.即:全新世前盆地未与尼罗河连通时,沉积物主要来源于周边沙漠的风成物质;而受全新世早-中期来流域季风降水增加的影响,泛滥的尼罗河为盆地提供了相对稳定的物质供应,湖泊也处于高湖面;全新世晚期以来,随着流域干旱化的加剧,尼罗河与盆地的连通性开始减弱,来自高磁性的青尼罗河物质贡献开始相对增加.最近约2.0 ka BP以来,虽然仍有人工运河连接尼罗河与盆地,但沉积物磁性的显著变化更多地反映了盆地人类活动的不断强化.     

Multiple phases of North African humidity recorded in lacustrine sediments from the Fazzan Basin, Libyan Sahara

The Fazzan Basin of south-west Libya is at present arid with less than 20 mm of rainfall per annum. However, regionally extensive limestones, lacustrine sands and coquina (fossiliferous carbonate rock) deposits show that the Fazzan Basin previously contained a large palaeolake, indicating that the climate in the past was more humid. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating techniques have been applied to key lacustrine deposits within the basin in an attempt to provide an internally consistent chronology for this humidity record. Results indicate that palaeolake sediments within the Fazzan Basin record a very long history of palaeohydrological change, ranging from present day arid conditions to humidity capable of sustaining a lake with an approximate area of 76,250 km². The existence of humid periods in mid oxygen isotope stage 5 and the early Holocene is confirmed. An older lacustrine event, tentatively correlated to oxygen isotope stage 11, is also recognized. In addition, evidence is presented for at least two humid phases beyond the age range over which the conventional OSL dating technique is applicable. This study demonstrates that OSL dating of palaeolake sediments within the Fazzan Basin offers the potential to provide a detailed record of North African humidity spanning several glacial–interglacial cycles.     

Least-cost adaptation options for global climate change impacts on the Brazilian electric power system

Global climate change induced by the emission of greenhouse gases may pose challenges to energy security. The vulnerability of energy sources, in particular of renewable sources, to climate change raises the need to identify adaptation measures. This paper applies an integrated resource planning approach to calculate least-cost adaptation measures to a set of projected climate impacts on the Brazilian power sector. The methodology used has the advantage of finding optimal solutions that take into consideration the whole energy chain and the interactions between energy supply and demand. Results point in the direction of an increased installed capacity based, mostly, on natural gas, but also sugarcane bagasse, wind power and coal/nuclear plants, to compensate for a lower reliability of hydroelectric production, amongst other impacts. The indirect effect of these results is the displacement of natural gas from other consuming sectors, such as industry, in favor of its use for power generation. Results obtained are, however, based on the techno-economic premises used in the simulation, which may vary in the long term.     

Numerical Analysis of the Behavior of A New Aeronautical Alloy (Ti555-03) Under the Effect of A High-Speed Water Jet

In this paper, we present a numerical simulation of a water jet impacting a new aeronautical material Ti555-03 plate.The Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) behavior of the jet is investigated using a FV(Finite Volume) method.The Fluid–Structure Interaction(FSI) is studied using a coupled SPH(Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics)-FE(Finite Element) method. The jets hit the metal sheet with an initial velocity 500 m/s. Two configurations which differ from each other by the position(angle of inclination) of the plate relatively to the axis of revolution of the jet inlet are investigated in this study. The objective of this study is to predict the impact of the fluid produced at high pressure and high speed especially at the first moment of impact. Numerical simulations are carried out under ABAQUS. We have shown in this study that the inclination of the titanium alloy plate by 45° stimulates the phenomenon of recirculation of water. This affects the velocity profile, turbulence and boundary layers in the impact zone. The stagnation zone and the phenomenon of water recirculation are strongly influenced by the slope of the plate which gives a pressure gradient and displacement very important between the two configurations. Fluctuations of physical variables(displacement and pressure) prove the need for a noise and vibratory study. These predictions will subsequently be used for the modeling of the problem of an orthogonal cut in a high-speed machining process assisted by high-pressure water jet.     

Trends in global and regional sea level from satellite altimetry within the framework of auto-SSA

The sea level change is a crucial indicator of our climate. The spatial sampling offered by satellite altimetry and its continuity during the last 18 years are major assets to provide an improved vision of the sea level changes. In this paper, we analyze the University of Colorado database of sea level time series to determine the trends for 18 large ocean regions by means of the automatic trend extraction approach in the framework of the singular spectrum analysis technique. Our global sea level trend estimate of 3.19 mm/year for the period from 1993 to 2010 is comparable with the 3.20-mm/year sea level rise since 1993 calculated by AVISO Altimetry. However, the trends from the different ocean regions show dissimilar patterns. The major contributions to the global sea level rise during 1993–2010 are from the Indian Ocean (3.78?±?0.08 mm/year).     

Hydrochemistry and geothermometry of thermal groundwater of southeastern Tunisia (Gabes region)

Given the vital importance of water and energy in desert regions, we undertook a study dealing with the deep reservoirs in Gabes area, which is located in the southeastern part of Tunisia. Geothermal resources are taken from the Intercalary Continental [or Continental Intercalaire (CI)], known as the largest deep aquifer in Tunisia and are used in a number of applications, mainly in agriculture. Previous investigations performed on the thermal waters of this area focused on the genesis of the deep waters with regard to the thermal features of geothermal reservoirs. A more detailed investigation has been carried out, considering both deep and shallow waters. In order to estimate the potential temperatures of deep reservoir in the Gabes area, we developed a synthetic study including chemical geothermometers, multiple mineral equilibrium approach, and other approaches. Chemical types of the thermal waters and effects of mixing between shallow cold waters with deep thermal waters were also discussed. In fact, the application of Na–K–Mg diagram relative to deep geothermal reservoir capitulate estimated temperatures (about 90°C). In addition, the multiple mineral equilibrium approach submits a similar estimated temperature ranging between 65 and 70°C, showing a disequilibrium status which indicates a possibly mixing with surface water. Indeed, wells exploiting the CI aquifer in the south part of the studied area showed the same characteristics, corroborating the reliability of the applied methods.     

Rupture line and damage effects in Aqaba area, Egypt

Strong-motion parameters, peak ground acceleration, peak ground velocity, and peak ground displacement depend on several factors, such as the source of earthquake, distance between the source and site, and the characteristics of that site. Five seismographs and two accelographs were installed by the Egyptian Geological Survey team along the western side of the Gulf of Aqaba from Taba to Sharm El-Sheikh to record seismic events during the period from September 1995 to June 1996. During this period, two events were recorded by the accelographs. The two accelographs were located on the surface of the basement rocks, the first near the epicenter and the second at a farther distance. However, the farthest accelograph recorded higher values compared to the nearer one. Fault mechanics are an important factor in determining the values of strong motion parameters, where the direction of the rupture line plays an important role in detecting the values of strong motion parameters, the strong motion parameters and damage effects seem to be attenuated very fast in the direction perpendicular to the rupture line. This can be interpreted by the fact that the farthest accelograph lies at the extension of the fault rupture (azimuth = 30°), while the nearer one was perpendicular to the strike of the fault rupture.     

Adaptive Progressive Band Selection for Dimensionality Reduction in Hyperspectral Images

One of the challenging problems in processing high dimensional data, as hyperspectral images, with better spectral and temporal resolution is the computational complexity resulting from processing the huge amount of data volume. Various methods have been developed in the literature for dimensionality reduction, generally divided into two main techniques: data transformation techniques and features selection techniques. The feature selection technique is advantageous compared to transformation techniques in preserving the original data. However, deciding the appropriate number of features to be selected and choosing these features are very challenging since they require exhaustive researches. The progressive feature selection technique is a new concept recently introduced to address these issues based on priority criteria. However, this approach presents limits when these criteria are insufficient or depends on domain applications. In this paper, we present a new approach to improve the Progressive Feature Selection technique by adding new criteria that measure the amount of information present in each band. The endmembers extraction phase of the proposed approach includes both the N-FINDR and the ATGP algorithms. A case based reasoning system is used to choose the optimal criterion for the endmember extraction. The performances of this proposed approach were evaluated using AVIRIS hyperspectral image and the obtained results prove its effectiveness compared to other PBS techniques.     

Conservation planning as an adaptive strategy for climate change and groundwater depletion in Wadi El Natrun,Egypt

In drylands, groundwater is often the sole source of freshwater for industrial, domestic and agricultural uses, while concurrently supporting ecosystems. Many dryland aquifers are becoming depleted due to over-pumping and a lack of natural recharge, resulting in loss of storage and future water supplies, water-level declines that reduce access to freshwater, water quality problems, and, in extreme cases, geologic hazards. Conservation is often proposed as a strategy for managing groundwater to reduce or reverse the depletion, although there is a need to better understand its potential effectiveness and benefits at the local scale. This study assesses the impact of water-conservation planning strategies on groundwater resources in the Wadi El Natrun (WEN) area of northern Egypt. WEN has been subjected to groundwater depletion and quality degradation since the 1990s, attributed to agricultural and industrial groundwater usage. Initiatives have been proposed to increase the sustainability of the groundwater resource in the study area, but they have yet to be evaluated. Simultaneously, there are also proposals to increase the extent of arable land and thus demand for freshwater. In this study, three water management scenarios are developed and assessed to the 2060s for their impact on groundwater resources using a hydrogeologic model. Results demonstrate that demand management implemented through an optimized irrigation and crop rotation strategy has the greatest potential to significantly reduce risk of groundwater depletion compared to the other two scenarios—“business as usual” and “30% water-use reduction”—that were evaluated.