Site Effects Study in the Serravalle Village (NE Italy) by Means of Spectral Ratios Analyses Relatively to Multiple Reference Sites

The area of Serravalle, sited in the northern part of the town of Vittorio Veneto (TV), NE Italy, has been the target of a seismic microzonation campaign. 10 seismic stations have been deployed for a 7 months period to record in continuous mode. Three stations were installed on bedrock outcrops and seven on sedimentary sites with variable cover thickness. Spectral analyses have been performed on the collected data-set using the Generalized Inversion Technique (GIT, e.g. Andrews, 1986). In particular, spectral ratios have been calculated for each station relatively to the average of the three reference, bedrock sites. The spectral ratios provide quantitative estimates of the seismic motion amplifications which occur in each of the monitored sites. Two sites show high values of amplification, 5 times larger than signal amplitude at the reference sites, in correspondence of well discernible peak frequencies of 5 Hz. Results for the other stations show smaller amounts of site amplification spreading over a broad range of frequencies. Sites where the highest amplifications were recorded all lie on the left bank of the Meschio River and in areas farther away from its outlet into the plain correlating with the presence of thick layers of Quaternary deposits.     

Temperature dependence of large-scale water-retention curves: a case study

A local-scale model for temperature-dependence of water-retention curves may be applicable to large scales. Consideration of this temperature dependence is important for modeling unsaturated flow and transport in the subsurface in numerous cases. Although significant progress has been made in understanding and modeling this temperature effect, almost all the previous studies have been limited to small scales (on the order of several centimeters). Numerical experiments were used to investigate the possibility of extending a local-scale model for the temperature-dependence of water retention curves to large scales (on the order of meters). Temperature effects on large-scale hydraulic properties are of interest in many practical applications. Numerical experiment results indicate that the local-scale model can indeed be applicable to large-scale problems for special porous media with high air entry values. A typical porous medium of this kind is the porous tuff matrix in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, the proposed geologic disposal site for national high-level nuclear wastes. Whether this finding can approximately hold for general cases needs to be investigated in future studies.     

油页岩综合利用对周围环境的影响——以抚顺矿区为例

世界能源日益减少的局面为油页岩的开发应用带来广阔的前景，但油页岩工业所带来的环境影响亦不容忽视。以抚顺油页岩为例，从油页岩综合利用和油页岩工业对环境的影响等方面系统讨论了在我国发展油页岩工业时，如何本着节约能源、保护环境、实现可持续发展的观念，利用现有先进技术，科学发展油页岩工业，降低生产过程中的固、液、气污染物对环境的危害。     

Early Estimation of Seismic Hazard for Strong Earthquakes in Taiwan

A shakemap system providing rapid estimates of strong ground shaking could be useful for emergency response providers in a damaging earthquake. A hybrid procedure, which combines site-dependent ground motion prediction models and the limited observations of the Real-Time Digital stream output system (RTD system operated by Central Weather Bureau, CWB), was set up to provide a high-resolution shakemap in a near-real-time manner after damaging earthquakes in Taiwan. One of the main factors that affect the result of ground motion prediction analysis is the existence of site effects. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the local site effects and their influence in the ground shaking and then establish an early estimation procedure of potential hazard for damaging earthquakes. Based on the attenuation law, the site effects of each TSMIP station are discussed in terms of a bias function that is site and intensity-level dependent function. The standard deviation of the site-dependent ground motion prediction model can be significantly reduced. The nonlinear behavior of ground soil is automatically taken into account in the intensity-level dependent bias function. Both the PGA and the spectral acceleration are studied in this study. Based on the RTD data, event correctors are calculated and applied to precisely estimate the shakemap of damaging earthquakes for emergency response.     

Electrical aerosol spectrometer of Tartu University

The electrical aerosol spectrometer (EAS) of the parallel measuring principle at Tartu University is an efficient instrument for rapid measurement of the unstable size spectrum of aerosol particles. The measuring range from 10 nm to 10 μm is achieved by simultaneously using a pair of differential mobility analyzers with two different particle chargers. The particle spectrum is calculated and measurement errors are estimated in real time by using a least-squares method. Experimental calibration ensures reliability of measurement. The instrument is well suited for continuous monitoring of atmospheric aerosol.     

Elemental particle size distributions. Measured and estimated dry deposition in Sfax region (Tunisia)

Mass size distribution of the crustal elements (Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Si, Ti), anthropogenic elements (Zn, Mn, Cr, Cu, K, P, Pb) and sea elements (Na, Cl) were obtained from measurements carried out with an inertial cascade impactor in Sfax. A fitting procedure by data inversion was applied to those data. This procedure yields accurate size distributions of aerosols in the diameter range 0.1–25 μm in two different sites. In a coastal industrial site, the mass distribution of the aerosol showed a bimodal structure; and in urban area, the lower particle mode cannot be observed. The elemental dry deposition flux was calculated as a function of particle size. The element flux size distribution increased rapidly with particle size. The modelling results indicate that the majority of the crustal and anthropogenic elements flux (>90%) was due to particles larger than 3 μm in diameter.     

高山峡谷区影响土壤测量找矿效果的元素表生活动特性研究

研究发现，高山峡谷区内土壤中元素的表生活动以表生富集作用为主，元素表征富集作用的程度、富集层位和粒级等受矿化作用和自然风化作用双重影响。非矿化地段土壤中元素的表生富集程度较矿化带处土壤中元素表生富集程度更强；矿化带处B层土壤比A层土壤中元素的富集强度稍大，元素明显地富集在粗粒级组分中；近矿（化）带的非矿化地段，A、B两层土壤仍受到矿化组分的影响，A层土壤比B层土壤受到的影响更加明显，粗粒级组分比细粒级组分反映敏感，C层土壤中元素在细粒级组分中轻微富集。根据本次研究结果，调整了高山峡谷区土壤测量工作方法，经试点测量验证，找矿效果良好。     

Capture-zone design in an aquifer influenced by cyclic fluctuations in hydraulic gradients

Design of a groundwater pumping and treatment system for a wood-treatment facility adjacent to the tidally influenced Fraser River estuary required the development of methodologies to account for cyclic variations in hydraulic gradients. Design of such systems must consider the effects of these cyclic fluctuations on the capture of dissolved-phase contaminants. When the period of the cyclic fluctuation is much less than the travel time of the dissolved contaminant from the source to the discharge point, the hydraulic-gradient variations resulting from these cycles can be ignored. Capture zones are then designed based on the average hydraulic gradient determined using filter techniques on continuous groundwater-level measurements. When the period of cyclic fluctuation in hydraulic gradient is near to or greater than the contaminant travel time, the resulting hydraulic-gradient variations cannot be ignored. In these instances, procedures are developed to account for these fluctuations in the capture-zone design. These include proper characterization of the groundwater regime, assessment of the average travel time and period of the cyclic fluctuations, and numerical techniques which allow accounting for the cyclic fluctuations in the design of the capture zone. Electronic Publication