Ground viscosity and stiffness measurements for near surface seismic velocity

In land surveys, the weathering layer can often distort the seismic signal due to it passing through rapid velocity and density changes, dispersion, scattering and inelastic absorption. In a simple spring‐dashpot model for the earth response, an equivalent medium groups these complex phenomena into two parameters only; these are called ground viscosity and ground stiffness. The most recent controllers for vibrators can estimate both parameters. To validate these measurements, Saudi Aramco conducted an experiment measuring ground viscosity and stiffness from two different vibrator control systems over an area of varying terrain conditions, including unconsolidated sand and limestone outcrop. The two systems measured different values, but detected similar trends that correlated well with weathering conditions and surface geology, e.g. lower viscosity values on the outcrop than on the sand. The ratio of ground viscosity to ground stiffness can approximate the shallow S‐wave velocity, which we converted into P‐wave velocity through calibration with sparse uphole data. Static corrections incorporating this velocity information somewhat improved the focusing of seismic time sections. This new approach does not require additional acquisition efforts, and can model shallow complex formations in arid areas where classical static methods often fail.     

Modelling observed and future runoff from a glacierized tropical catchment (Cordillera Blanca, Perú)

Monthly runoff from the 34.3% glacierized tropical catchment of Llanganuco in the tropical Cordillera Blanca, Perú, is successfully simulated and compared with a measured 44 year time series. In the investigation area, the climate is characterized by all-year round homogenous temperature conditions and a strong variability in air humidity and moisture content of the atmosphere. Thus, contrary to the mid latitudes, the seasonal variation in glacier melt strongly depends on moisture-related variables, rather than on air temperature. The here presented ITGG-2.0-R model aims for these requirements. The lack of moisture-related input data other than precipitation demands for an intermediate calibration step. Net shortwave radiation, the emissivity of the atmosphere and a sublimation/melt ratio are related to precipitation amounts. Runoff is well simulated and correlates with the measured record with r² = 0.76. Seasonally obtained r² are only slightly smaller. On a long-term, the cumulative deviation is minor, and the mean annual cycle of runoff is reproduced rather well (r² = 0.99). Based on four different IPCC climate change scenarios, future runoff is simulated. All runoff scenarios are modelled for the respective steady-state glacier extent. This leads to a reduction in the glacier size and a decreased amount of glacier melt. On the other hand, direct runoff increases due to larger glacier free areas. Consequently, mean annual runoff remains almost unchanged, but the seasonality intensifies considerably with more runoff during the wet and less runoff during the dry season.     

Baseline metals pollution profile of tropical estuaries and coastal waters of the Straits of Malacca

The status report on metal pollution in tropical estuaries and coastal waters is important to understand potential environmental health hazards. Detailed baseline measurements were made on physicochemical parameters (pH, temperature, redox potential, electrical conductivity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solid), major ions (Na, Ca, Mg, K, HCO₃, Cl, SO₄ and NO₃) and metals concentrations (²⁷Al, ⁷⁵As, ¹³⁸Ba, ⁹Be, ¹¹¹Cd, ⁵⁹Co, ⁶³Cu, ⁵²Cr, ⁵⁷Fe, ⁵⁵Mn, ⁶⁰Ni, ²⁰⁸Pb, ⁸⁰Se, ⁶⁶Zn) at estuaries and coastal waters along the Straits of Malacca. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to reveal potential pollution sources. Seven principal components were extracted with relation to pollution contribution from minerals-related parameters, natural and anthropogenic sources. The output from this study will generate a profound understanding on the metal pollution status and pollution risk of the estuaries and coastal system.     

A possible effect of salinity fluctuation on abundance of benthic vegetation and associated fauna in Northeastern Florida Bay

In southern Florida, a vast network of canals and water control structures mediate freshwater discharge into the coastal zone. Management protocol for one such canal network (C-111) is being modified in part to try to improve habitat for estuarine fish and wading birds in northeastern Florida Bay, an estuarine part of Everglades National Park. Changes in canal management could alter the spatial and temporal salinity regime in the estuary. To better predict the effect of such changes on estuarine habitat, abundances of submersed vegetation and benthic animals were sampled repeatedly at 12 stations that differed in salinity. A variety of other parameters were also measured (nutrients, light, temperature, oxygen, sediment characteristics, and others). Mean salinity among stations ranged from 11.4‰ to 33.1‰. Densities of benthic plants and animals differed among stations by several orders of magnitude. The standard deviation of salinity was the best environmental correlate with mean plant biomass and benthic animal density: less biota occurred at stations with greater fluctuations in salinity. The two stations with the least plant biomass also had the highest mean water temperatures. In a stepwise multiple regression analysis, standard deviation of salinity accounted for 59% of the variation in the logarithm of mean plant biomass among stations. For every 3‰ increase in the standard deviation, total benthic plant biomass decreased by an order of magnitude. Mean water temperature accounted for only 14% of the variation, and mean salinity was not included for lack of significance. At stations with widely fluctuating salinities, not only was biomass low, but species dominance also frequently changed. Severe fluctuation in salinity may have prevented abundant benthos by causing physiological stress that reduced growth and survival. Salinity may not have remained within the range of tolerance of any one plant species for long enough to allow the development of a substantially vegetated benthic community. Hence, gaining control over salinity fluctuation may be the key to estuarine habitat improvement through canal management in southern Florida.     

Policy Change and Venue Choices: Field Burning in Idaho and Washington

Grass seed farmers have burned their fields in Idaho and Washington State for decades. Field burning, however, creates small particulate matter air pollution, thus engendering a growing public backlash by the 1990s that manifested itself in new clean air advocacy groups. The new groups’ push for policy change eventually met with significant success in both cases. How did each set of advocates approach the challenge of policy change? More specifically, what kinds of policy venues did each group choose and why? This research uses the cases to explore and explain each clean air group's choices vis-à-vis hypotheses of venue choice. Three hypotheses are tested—Schattschneider's (1960 Schattschneider , E. E. 1960 . The semisovereign people . New York , NY : Holt, Rinehart, and Winston . [Google Scholar]) “expanded scope of conflict” thesis, ACF's (Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith 1999 Sabatier , P. , and H. Jenkins-Smith . 1999 . The advocacy coalition framework: An assessment . In Theories of the policy process , ed. P. A. Sabatier , 117 – 166 . Boulder , CO : Westview Press . [Google Scholar]) contention that groups strategically apply their resources in order to increase the likelihood of achieving their primary goal(s), and Pralle's (2003 Pralle , S. B. 2003 . Venue shopping, political strategy, and policy change . J. Public Policy 23 : 233 – 260 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 2010 Pralle , S. B. 2010 . Shopping around: Environmental organizations and the search for policy venues . In Advocacy organizations and collective action , ed. A. Prakash and M. K. Gugerty , 177 – 203 . Cambridge , MA : Cambridge University Press .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) thesis that internal group constraints deter groups from moving into new venues.     

Glacier mass balance variability in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru and its relationship with climate and the large-scale circulation

A 41-year-long reconstructed annual mean glacier mass balance record from the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, was investigated for its climate sensitivity toward temperature, humidity and precipitation, and its links with the large-scale atmospheric circulation. On interannual timescales precipitation variability appears to be the main driver for glacier mass balance fluctuations in the Cordillera Blanca. This is corroborated by an analysis of the relationship between mass balance variations and local- to regional-scale precipitation variability. Temperature tends to enhance precipitation in driving the mass balance signal, as dry years are often characterized by warm conditions, while wet years usually coincide with cold anomalies. In some years, however, warm and wet or cold and dry conditions coincide, under which circumstances temperature minimizes or even neutralizes the effects of precipitation. Surface energy balance studies have shown that changes in atmospheric humidity significantly affect the melt rates of tropical glaciers, but the lack of long and high-quality in-situ measurements precludes a detailed quantitative assessment of its role on interannual timescales in the Cordillera Blanca. Sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) in the tropical Pacific exert the dominant large-scale forcing on interannual time scales, leading to negative mass balance anomalies during El Niño and above average mass balance during La Niña episodes. In general the teleconnection mechanism linking ENSO with glacier mass balance is similar to what has previously been described for the Bolivian Altiplano region. Changes in the upper-tropospheric zonal flow aloft associated with ENSO conditions determine the amount of snowfall during the wet season and thereby significantly affect the glacier mass balance. Because this teleconnection mechanism is spatially unstable and oscillates latitudinally along the subtropical Andes, it affects the Cordillera Blanca in most, but not all years. The relationship between ENSO and glacier mass balance is therefore characterized by occasional ‘break downs’, more common since the mid-1970's, when El Niño years with above average mass balance and La Niña events with negative mass balance have been observed.     

The price ripple effect in the Vancouver housing market

Attempts to model the dynamic characteristics of a housing market include examining the spatial diffusion of price changes from an epicenter through a regional or national network of geographic units. Less common has been the study of a ripple effect of price changes within a single metropolitan area, with implications for the erosion of residential affordability. Such trends have particular salience within the Vancouver metropolitan area, the least affordable housing market in North America. Using quarterly price data from local real estate boards, we examine price changes through municipal regions from 2005–2017, a period including several externally-induced price shocks. Several techniques test for a ripple effect in price movements. A time lag of three months consistently exists in the communication of price shocks from an originating epicenter to other parts of the metropolitan region, with longer lags with several more distant municipalities, confirming the presence of an intra-metropolitan ripple effect.     

SOME ASPECTS OF HEIGHT EXTRACTION FROM SPOT IMAGERY

Military systems are becoming far more demanding in their requirement for geographical information. Military Survey must be able to support these requirements and consequently undertake a continuous evaluation of new potential sources and exploitation systems. In considering SPOT data, both the improved spatial resolution and the three dimensional capability afforded by the system must be investigated. Military Survey, together with universities and industry, is conducting trials on the accuracy and detail obtainable from both film and digital data. This paper will consider the three dimensional geometric fidelity of SPOT data using three different systems. The first exploits the data as a stereopair of diapositives using an analytical plotter. The second is a hybrid system in that the stereoscopic digital data are loaded into an image processing workstation which projects a stereo-image onto a split screen. This is then treated as “hardcopy” and is interactively exploited by a conventional stereoscope. The third system is completely digital in that height extraction is undertaken within a digital environment incorporating autocorrelation routines. Overall system errors of 10 m to 12 m (σ) were recorded for each exploitation system. Digital elevation model accuracies varied depending upon terrain type and image contrast.     

Geostatistical integration of near-surface geophysical data

Accurate statics calculation and near‐surface related noise removal require a detailed knowledge of the near‐surface velocity field. Conventional seismic surveys currently are not designed to provide this information, and 3D high‐resolution reflection/refraction acquisition is not feasible for large survey areas. Satellite images and vibrator plate attributes are dense low‐cost data, which can be used in spatially extrapolating velocities from sparse uphole data by geostatistics. We tested this approach in two different areas of Saudi Arabia and found that the optimal recipe depends on the local geology.