SEDIMENT MOBILIZATION BY SURFACE EROSION IN MIDDLE MOUNTAIN CATCHMENTS OF NEPAL

1 INTRODUCTION Soil erosion in the foothills of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas (HKH) is considered to be a hot topic in land degradation research in the region (Scherr and Yadav, 1996). The land degradation research has mainly addressed the issue of topsoil los…     

The requirement and advantage of the application of GIS at a national level

Abstract

Basin characteristics are central to the regionalization of hydrological parameters and, in particular, runoff. Two examples are provided which demonstrate that Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can supply such characteristics at a national level, assuming that the necessary base data are available. These methods offer great potential for coordination and open new horizons for regional hydrology. The experience gained by the Swiss National Hydrological and Geological Survey is used to demonstrate the advantages which accrue from the flexibility of the application of GIS at regional and national levels.     

THE RESOLUTION POSSIBLE IN IMAGING WITH DIFFRACTED SEISMIC WAVES1

The determination of the vertical and lateral extent of discontinuities is an important aspect of interpreting seismic reflection data. The Common Fault Point (CFP) stacking method appears to be promising in imaging discontinuities in acoustic impedance by making use of diffracted energy from a spatial array of receivers. The problems of vertical and lateral resolution in the method are most important when carrying out an interpretation. Source signature, subsurface velocities and the depth of the discontinuity are the most important parameters affecting the resolution. We use, for a perfectly coherent source, the first derivative of the Gaussian function which is an antisymmetric band-limited wavelet. Rayleigh's, Ricker's and Widess' criteria are also applicable to this wavelet. The limits of vertical and lateral resolution are illustrated by using a step fault and a dike model respectively. The vertical resolution of the CFP method is found to be of the order of λ/16 which is half the theoretically predicted value for a single receiver. The lateral resolution is still limited by the size of the Fresnel zone which depends upon the velocity, two-way time and the dominant frequency of the wavelet. The resolution limits of the CFP method are compared with that of the CDP method, prestack migration and post-stack migration. Obtaining high resolution with real data is limited by the extent to which it is possible to generate a coherent source or to simulate one during computer processing with before stack seismic data. The CFP method is an artificial intelligence approach to imaging diffracting points as it localizes parts of the structure that scatter acoustic waves.     

The influence of river discharge on the thawing of sea ice, Mackenzie River Delta: albedo and temperature analyses

Multi-temporal satellite images, field observations and field measurements were used to investigate the mechanisms by which sea ice melts offshore from the Mackenzie River Delta. Satellite data recorded between April and August 1986 were corrected to a map projection and calibrated such that albedo and temperature values could be compared. Three stages in the melting of sea ice were identified: flooding (overflows), insolation and melting by warm river water. The albedo values of overflows were as much as 1/7 that of ice values while the albedo of ice decreased by 1/3 over the summer. Approximately two weeks after the overflows develop, sea surface temperatures rise as the river-discharge peaks and becomes the dominant source of energy. By this process, ice removal in the delta regime is initiated two months earlier than adjacent coasts with minimal runoff. However, the net result is only a two-week acceleration of ice removal in the delta region.     

Experimental rock deformation: techniques, results and applications to tectonics

Flow and fracture of rocks in the Earth's crust and upper mantle are evident from the study of rocks in the field, but the same features can be induced in laboratory experiments on rocks at high temperatures and pressures. Through such experiments, the mechanical and other properties can be measured, and used to constrain quantitative modelling of lithospheric dynamics.