Reconstruction of earthquake hazard in regions of sparse seismic monitoring

Studying strong motion records and the spatial distribution of ground shaking is of great importance in understanding the underlying causes of damage in earthquakes. Many regions in the world are either not instrumented or are sparsely instrumented. As such, significant opportunities for motion-damage correlations are lost. Two recent and damaging earthquakes belong to the class of lost opportunities, namely the Kashmir (Pakistan) earthquake of October 2005 and the Yogyakarta (Indonesia) earthquake of May 2006. In this paper, an overview of the importance of supply and demand studies in earthquake-stricken regions is given, followed by two examples of investigative engineering seismology aimed at reconstructing the hazard from sparse data. The paper closes with a plea for responsible authorities to invest in seismic monitoring networks in the very near future.     

Pacific coral oxygen isotope and the tropospheric temperature gradient over the Asian monsoon region: a tool to reconstruct past Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Having recognized that it is the tropospheric temperature (TT) gradient rather than the land–ocean surface temperature gradient that drives the Indian monsoon, a new mechanism of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) monsoon teleconnection has been unveiled in which the ENSO influences the Indian monsoon by modifying the TT gradient over the region. Here we show that equatorial Pacific coralline oxygen isotopes reflect TT gradient variability over the Indian monsoon region and are strongly correlated to monsoon precipitation as well as to the length of the rainy season. Using these relationships we have been able to reconstruct past Indian monsoon rainfall variability of the first half of the 20th century in agreement with the instrumental record. Additionally, an older coral oxygen isotope record has been used to reconstruct seasonally resolved summer monsoon rainfall variability of the latter half of the 17th century, indicating that the average annual rainfall during this period was similar to that during the 20th century. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A 200-year precipitation index for the central English Lake District / Un indice de précipitation de 200 ans pour la Région des Lacs en Angleterre

Abstract

Abstract The geographical context and hydroclimatology of the English Lake District means that the region is an important monitor of changes to nationally significant environmental assets. Using monthly rainfall series for sites in and around the central Lake District, a continuous ~200-year precipitation index was constructed for a representative station close to Grasmere. The bridged series shows a significant decline in summer rainfall since the 1960s, offset by increases in winter and spring that are strongly linked to North Atlantic forcing. Over longer time periods, the index exhibits several notable dry (1850s, 1880s, 1890s, 1930s, 1970s) and wet (1820s, 1870s, 1920s, 1940s, 1990s) decades. These patterns are strongly reflected by reservoir inflow series and by indicators of the biological status of the region’s freshwater lakes. It is argued that long-term climate indices will become increasingly important as managers seek to evaluate recent and project environmental changes within the context of long-term natural variability.     

透射波波场重建和介质层厚反演研究

本文以P波和SV波波场比值,提出层状介质情况下透射波波场的反向重建算法原理,并据此给出在已知介质速度值时,求介质层厚度的反演方法。文中还以深源远震记录波形资料给出反演算例,证实本文的算法是可行的。     

TEMPERATURE SEQUENCE AND ITS CHANGE FOR RECENT 200 YEARS IN THE MIDDLE REACHES OF THE TARIM RIVER

Based on the populus euphratica chronologies in the middle reaches of the Tarim River,the temperaturesequence in growing season of populus euphratica for recent 200 years at Shaya weather station is reconstructed,which can be regarded as evidence of warm-cold changes in recent 100 years in the middle reaches of theTarim River.     

用线特征摄影测量对目标体素进行量测和重建的可行性研究

本文利用线特征摄影测量方法对ＣＡＤ实体造型中体素进行自动量测与重建、借此建立ＣＡＤ与数字摄影测量的桥梁，文中提出了一种以描述体素几何元素为未知数，直接在像片线特征与物体表面之间进行匹配的线特征摄影测量模型和方法，并对其可行性进行了实验，实验结果表明：线特征摄影测量能达到立体摄影测量相同的，甚至更高的精度，从而可解决无明显目标点工点物体的自动量测。     

Upper Holocene sea-level changes: Paleogeographic evolution and its impact on coastal archaeological sites and monuments

The paper presents the evolution of the geographic environment imposed by sea-level changes in selected sites of the Aegean Sea region during the Upper Holocene. The changes are due, mainly, to paroxysmic phases of the actual neotectonic evolution and to differential—in time and space—block movements, and emerged or submerged coasts. The reconstitution of these coasts is presented and, in some cases, natural harbor morphology is revealed. The use and evolution of these sites is discussed. Other sites concern coastal or inland ancient settlements or constructions affected by submersion by the sea, by the rise of the groundwater table, or by uplift movements. A general discussion on engineering measures to be applied for protection of the antiquities affected by these geographic changes closes the presentation.     

岩样中包体构造的CT实验探测

CT技术图象重建方法可分为变换法和代数法两大类。本文讨论了几种代数重建法的特点,开展了地球物理CT技术在岩石实验中应用的探讨性工作。研究表明,实验数据的测量误差直接影响着反演结果,当测量误差比较大时,即使数据量很大,也难以提高反演结果的分辨。岩样的吸收、换能器与样品的耦合、岩样均匀性等因素对实验数据的测量精度都有着重要的影响。文中还针对实验条件进行了数值模拟,以检验本方案的可行性,并对当前流行的BPT、ART和SIRT算法及其组合算法的成象能力结合本实验的条件进行了性能的比较。结果表明:BPT方法计算简单,但所给出的图象偏粗糙,特别是在井间观测时水平方向的分辨率较差;ART方法收敛速度快,图象的反差大,反演结果的高频成分比较丰富,但边界异常大;SIRT方法收敛速度慢,图象的低频比较好,结构平滑,边界异常小,反演受测量误差的影响比较小。综合了ART和SIRT两种反演方法特点的ART-SIRT联合反演方法比较理想,发挥出了各自的长处。     

14C dating and palaeoenvironment of the historic ‘little ice age’ glacier advance of Nigardsbreen Southwest Norway

Moss and grass remains associated with a well-developed in situ palaeosol buried beneath a moraine ridge in front of Nigardsbreen (Jostedalsbreen ice cap, southern Norway) have been ¹⁴C-dated. Pollen preserved with the plant remains suggests the existence of an agricultural landscape prior to the deposition of the moraine. The calibrated dates and the pollen spectra are in close accord with historically-documented evidence for the timing and palaeoenvironment of the ‘Little Ice Age’ advance of the glacier. Considerable potential is indicated for estimating the maximum ages of moraine ridges and for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction where such documentary evidence does not exist.