Simulation of the Arabian Sea Tsunami propagation generated due to 1945 Makran Earthquake and its effect on western parts of Gujarat (India)

The 1945 Tsunami generated due to Makran Earthquake in the Arabian Sea was the most devastating tsunami in the history of the Arabian Sea and caused severe damage to property and loss of life. It occurred on 28th November 1945, 21:56 UTC (03:26 IST) with a magnitude of 8.0 (M _w), originating off the Makran Coast of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea. It has impacted as far as Mumbai in India and was noticed up to Karvar Coast, Karnataka. More than 4,000 people were killed as a result of the earthquake and the tsunami. In this paper an attempt is made for a numerical simulation of the tsunami generation from the source, its propagation into the Arabian Sea and its effect on the western coast of India through the use of a numerical model, referred to as Tunami-N2. The present simulation is carried out for a duration of 300 min. It is observed from the results that the simulated arrival time of tsunami waves at the western coast of India is in good agreement with the available data sources. The paper also presents run-up elevation maps prepared using Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) data, showing the possible area of inundation due to various wave heights along different parts of the Gujarat Coast. Thus, these results will be useful in planning the protection measures against inundation due to tsunami and in the implementation of a warning system.     

山体滑坡的综合防治措施在渝怀线古城南平山的应用研究

对于渝怀线古城南平山路堑边坡所发育山体滑坡形成的地貌条件、岩石条件、构造条件气候条件以及施工技术条件进行了初步的分析与研究,根据先期发生的小型山体滑坡,从地质学的角度进行了研究,并结合现场的实际情况,综合对比了几种治理措施的优劣,提出了较好的治理方案.     

Environmental Impact Assessment of the Proposed Titanium Mining Project in Kwale District,Kenya

This article addresses both environmental and socioeconomic issues concerned with the development or operation of the envisaged titanium mining project in Kwale District of Kenya. TIOMIN Resources Inc., of Canada, through its wholly owned Kenyan subsidiary, Kenya Titanium Minerals Ltd., is proposing to develop a titanium sands mine and mineral processing plants which will produce high grades of heavy minerals including rutile, ilmenite, and zircon. In addition, TIOMIN has proposed to develop a ship loading facility at Shimoni, a significant marine habitat in Kenya. When properly designed and implemented, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a powerful tool for ensuring that environmental issues are given due consideration during project design, allowing the benefits of the project to be maximized, while reducing the environmental and social costs of development. In Kenya, the EIA has to be conducted according to the requirements of the Kenya Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act (2000) and in compliance with World Bank standards. An EIA document submitted to the enforcement authority, National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), enables the issuing of an Environmental Impact Assessment License and a Mining License. A number of exploration studies have been undertaken and several sites have been identified for the extraction of titanium minerals and zircon. Many have expressed concern that environmental matters should be considered before a decision about titanium mining is undertaken. Toxic chemicals used in heavy mineral separation processes and disturbance or redistribution of sediment could spell a disaster for the coastal waters. The Wasini channel is home to world class coral reefs, humpback and spotted dolphins, and marine turtles. Another contentious issue is that of radioactivity associated with the minerals zircon and monazite. The coastal zone is a crucial part of the economy, as it supplies a living for a large number of people along the coast. It is envisaged that involuntary resettlement without adequate compensation and viable alternative sites may result in serious socioeconomic consequences.     

Modelling sustainable urban growth in a rapidly urbanising region using a fuzzy-constrained cellular automata approach

This article presents an application of a fuzzy-constrained cellular automata model to simulate the spatio-temporal processes of urban growth in the rapidly growing Gold Coast City in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Urban growth has been captured in the model as a continuous process in space and over time, which has been affected by a set of primary and secondary transition rules. The primary transition rules deal with the propensity of a local area for development and the impact of its neighbouring cells on such development, while the secondary transition rules reflect the influences of environmental and institutional factors on urban growth. Application of the model demonstrates its re-applicability to different regions and the effectiveness of the cellular automata technique in studying urban dynamics. It also provides tools to explore sustainable urban growth options under different socio-environmental and planning control factors. A sustainable urban future of the region is achievable if development is managed to maintain a balance amongst ecological conservation, economic growth and the contemporary Australian lifestyle.     

Estrogen pollution in a highly productive ecosystem off central-south Chile

While the presence of steroid estrogens in the environment has become a major environmental and health concern, their occurrence in coastal sediments remains poorly characterized. In this study, we measured the levels of three natural (estrone, 17β-estradiol, estriol) and one synthetic (17α-ethinylestradiol) estrogens in 54 coastal sediment samples collected from nine locations off central-southern Chile. Steroid estrogens were found in every sample. Remarkably high levels of 17α-ethinylestradiol were detected, reaching up to 48.14 ng/g dry weight. As a result, the global estrogenic loads were estimated to be high at all sites. Interestingly, they were found to correlate with the size of human populations served by sewage plants. Our study indicates that 17α-ethinylestradiol may accumulate in coastal sediments. The possible impact of this highly potent synthetic estrogen on the biota of the marine ecosystem off central-south Chile and on human health remains an open question.     

Paleoclimatic inference of the mid-Holocene record of monk seal (Monachus monachus) in the Cantabrian Coast

The mid-Holocene has been widely used to test the performance of the numerical models that are commonly employed to estimate the future evolution of world climate. This period, as the pollen record shows, was characterized by higher temperatures than present in northern and Central Europe, while cooler conditions occurred in the south of the continent. This pattern is challenging numeric algorithms that widely fail to replicate the paleoclimate data of southern Europe. Here we report the discovery of a fragmented bone of a temperate water phocid (Monachus monachus) dated to 5540 ± 40 BP that was hunted and consumed on the Cantabrian Coast during that period. This find implies a hitherto unnoted phase of warm conditions associated with strengthened advention of subtropical waters to the region. As a consequence, the possibility that the oceanographic regime from that time in the Bay of Biscay was similar to the current one is reinforced, a fact that could modify our view of mid-Holocene climate in the Iberian Peninsula and have important implications in climate change studies.     

基于知识的遥感影像居民地信息提取——以山东省蓬莱市为例

如何自动获得居民地信息是遥感专题信息提取研究的热点问题,该文以山东省蓬莱市为研究区,基于对2004年TM影像光谱特征的分析,建立了基于知识的居民地信息自动提取模型,并对提取结果进行了精度评价。结果表明,利用该模型可以很好地将蓬莱地区的城镇居民地自动提取出来,其提取精度与传统的监督分类方法相比有了很大提高。     

蓬莱阁丹崖山安全监测与分析

丹崖山边坡稳定性是关系古文物蓬莱阁安全的关键问题。丹崖山边坡高差大、断层裂隙发育、岩体卸荷深度大,地质条件十分复杂,边坡在施工期和运行期的稳定性问题特别突出。该文介绍了丹崖山岩体加固后的监测布置,并对岩体表面变形趋势、空间分布形态、加固后变形趋势进行分析,通过对多点位移计、锚杆测力计、锚索测力计、表面裂缝计及地表变形等监测结果进行综合分析,得到边坡岩体的变形规律。     

蓬莱市农村宅基地集约利用研究

针对蓬莱市农村宅基地利用现状,选取3个典型的宅基地集约利用乡镇,对宅基地集约利用存在的问题进行分析,从而提出合理可行的政策措施,来指导农村宅基地集约利用工作的展开,提高宅基地集约利用率。