Impact of Kiri dam on the lower reaches of river Gongola, Nigeria

Changes in Geomorphic characteristics in the lower reaches of the Gongola River channel following construction of Kiri dam have been investigated. The study focused on changes in the channel bankfull width and of riverbed width after the control of the river flow, variation in discharge characteristics between pre- and post- dam periods and the impact of discharge variation on post- dam river channel. Results of the analysis revealed that the main effect of the impoundment of the Gongola channel is a drastic decrease in flood peaks below the reservoir by 11.5% (from 1,420 m³/sec to 1,256 m³/sec). The low flows have on the other hand increased by 268% (from 5.7 m³/sec to 21 m³/sec). The resultant effect of decrease in the discharge was reduction in the channel bankfull and riverbed widths by 38.3% and 72.2% respectively. Also, the post- dam channel became less sinuous and braided in some of the reaches downstream. Discharges of high peaks were found during the period of maximum precipitation (June to September) whereas low discharges were recorded during the period of minimum or no precipitation (December to May). Some of the observed implications of the flow control on the geometric variables were reduction in the overall channel width, concave bank erosion and emergence of vegetation in some of the reaches.     

Period formulas of shear wall buildings with flexible bases

The evaluation of the fundamental period of shear wall buildings considering the flexibility of the base is investigated in this paper. This research is motivated by the discrepancy reported between the formulas used in different building codes and the measurement of real buildings. Both experimental and analytical approaches are used to assess the effect of the base flexibility on the fundamental period of shear wall structures. In total, twenty buildings built on different types of soil are tested under ambient vibration. The fundamental period is identified using a non‐parametric linear model in the frequency domain. The results show that fundamental period formulas used by UBC‐97 and NBCC‐95 are inadequate since they do not include the effect of the foundation stiffness. To improve the estimation of the fundamental period of shear wall buildings, an analytical approach is presented. The structure and the foundation are represented by a continuous‐discrete system. The stiffnesses of the base are represented by translational and rotational discrete springs. The rigidities of these springs are evaluated from the elastic uniform compression of the soil mass and the size of the foundation. The analytical predictions improve the estimation of the fundamental period and keep the computation simple. The error between the measured period and the analytical results is, on average, less than 10%. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geotechnical properties of a chemically stabilized soil from Malaysia with rice husk ash as an additive

Summary The stabilization of Malaysian soil by mixing with rice husk ash, a locally available waste material, to improve its engineering properties is described. Stabilizing agents, i.e. cement and lime, were added to produce the reaction products which are responsible for the enhancement of the engineering properties. Based on the strength development, it seems that lime is the more effective stabilizing agent. However, the cheap waste material can be used as partial replacement for the more expensive cement in the cement-treatment of the soil. A durability study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of this stabilization method.     

Organochlorine pesticide residues in sediments and biota from the coastal area of Dar es Salaam city,Tanzania

Sediment and biota samples were collected from Msimbazi and Kizinga rivers and from the coastal marine environment of Dar es Salaam during both dry and wet seasons. The samples were analyzed for various organochlorine pesticide residues using GC-ECD and GC-MS. Dieldrin, p,p^′-DDT, p,p^′-DDE, p,p^′-DDD, o,p^′-DDT and γ-HCH were detected at significantly greater concentrations above the method detection limits. Recoveries of pesticide residues ranged 86.5–120% in sediments and 62–102% in biota. The average concentrations of total DDT in sediments for the two seasons were almost the same. Biota samples showed significant difference in levels of residues depending on mode of feeding and age of analyzed biota. p,p^′-DDT to total DDT ratios in all matrices indicated recent use of DDT. The levels of residues in sediments suggest possible adverse effects to humans consuming biota that are directly exposed to the sediments. This effect, which is associated with bio-concentration of residues in the tissues of edible aquatic biota, should not affect wildlife. In spite of concern on the adverse effect to humans posed by pesticide residues in sediments, edible biota from the examined water bodies were found to be safe for human consumption.     

Biostratigraphy of oligocene succession in the High Folded Zone,Sulaimani, Kurdistan region,Northeastern Iraq

Oligocene and Lower Miocene sediments from High Folded Zone of Iraqi Zagros have been studied paleontologically at south of Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan Region, NE Iraq. The identified fauna are consisted of (25) genera and species of benthonic and (16) species of planktonic foraminifera. The fauna comprises relatively abundant foraminiferal assemblages of moderate diversity. Based on the stratigraphic distribution of these species, two biozones have been recognized which are Nummulites—Rotalia and Globoquadrina dehiscens zones. These biozones indicate that the studied sections of Basara and Khewata are of Late Oligocene–Early Miocene age. Based on the microfossils, it has been found that the age of sediments is equivalent to or represents Anah and Serikagni Formations. Some previous studies described Oligocene rocks (Kirkuk Group) as interior sag basin. In the present study, the occurrence of the group inside High Folded Zone and its rich fauna content are used for the discussion of the sag basin versus normal marine water.     

Assessing desertification by using soil indices

Desertification generally refers to land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry semi-humid climatic zones. It involves five principal processes: vegetation degradation, water erosion, wind erosion, salinization and waterlogging, and soil crusting and compaction. The aim of this study is assessing desertification using soil criteria. For this purpose, nine indices including sodium absorption ratio (SAR), soil gypsum percentage, soil texture, the content of HCO₃ ^?, the percentage of the organic matter, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, the content of the soil sodium, and chloride were used. The soil samples were taken in the north of Zayandeh-Rood River in Isfahan province of Iran, using soil data randomly sampled in a depth of 0–20 cm. After assessing the normality of the samples using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, indices were imported into GIS environment and interpolated with IDW and normal and discrete kriging methods for delineating soil characteristics maps based on MEDALUS model. In this model, the data were firstly changed from 100 to 200. Thus 100 and 200 are estimated as the best and worst quality, respectively. Then the final map of soil criteria has been created by geometric mean of its indicators. The results showed that the maximum area is related to the medium class of desertification and is equal to 44,746 ha. The areas of severe and very severe classes of desertification are equal to 30,949 and 351 ha, respectively. The results also revealed that the indices of the organic matter and soil gypsum percentage are the most influential indices which affect desertification phenomenon.     

Late Quaternary chronology of the southern Black Sea basin

During New Euxinian time when sea level dropped below the sill connecting the Black and Marmara seas, the Black Sea became isolated and freshwater sediments were deposited. Now it is a semieuxinic basin with the oxic/anoxic boundary at 100–150 m. The seasonal changes in sedimentation are preserved in the form of laminated sequences. The counting of varves in southeastern Black Sea cores show the chronology of the O₂/H₂S interface. The age of the Holocene sapropel along the eastern margin ranges from 4000 to 1000 yr BP in deep water and 2500—1000 yr BP in shallower water. Sapropel formation started at 3650 yr BP at a water depth of 2200 m.     

High inorganic phosphate concentration in coral mucus and its utilization by heterotrophic bacteria in a Malaysian coral reef

Inorganic nutrient contents of mucus released by Acropora corals and its utilization by heterotrophic bacteria at several different hour intervals in the coral mucus were investigated at a coral reef in Malaysia. The dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) concentration was 135‐fold higher than in the ambient seawater, probably due to inorganic P release from the coral gut cavity. We experimentally confirmed that heterotrophic bacteria rapidly (within 8 h) consumed ca. 80% of the initial concentration of DIP derived from coral mucus. High DIP concentration in coral mucus may enhance heterotrophic bacterial production and associated carbon flow in the microbial loop of reef ecosystems.     

Surface wave dynamics off Mumbai coast,north-eastern Arabian Sea

Ocean Dynamics - Directional wave data collected in the coastal area at 10-m water depth for a period of 1 year is used to describe the surface wave dynamics off Mumbai coast. Partitioning...