Neural network prediction of nitrate in groundwater of Harran Plain, Turkey

Monitoring groundwater quality by cost-effective techniques is important as the aquifers are vulnerable to contamination from the uncontrolled discharge of sewage, agricultural and industrial activities. Faulty planning and mismanagement of irrigation schemes are the principle reasons of groundwater quality deterioration. This study presents an artificial neural network (ANN) model predicting concentration of nitrate, the most common pollutant in shallow aquifers, in groundwater of Harran Plain. The samples from 24 observation wells were monthly analysed for 1 year. Nitrate was found in almost all groundwater samples to be significantly above the maximum allowable concentration of 50 mg/L, probably due to the excessive use of artificial fertilizers in intensive agricultural activities. Easily measurable parameters such as temperature, electrical conductivity, groundwater level and pH were used as input parameters in the ANN-based nitrate prediction. The best back-propagation (BP) algorithm and neuron numbers were determined for optimization of the model architecture. The Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm was selected as the best of 12 BP algorithms and optimal neuron number was determined as 25. The model tracked the experimental data very closely (R = 0.93). Hence, it is possible to manage groundwater resources in a more cost-effective and easier way with the proposed model application.     

Gender-based differences in flood vulnerability among men and women in the char farming households of Bangladesh

Natural Hazards - Gender and vulnerability are important issues to examine in the context of flooding caused by climate change. Men and women around the world adapt differently to climate change...     

Laboratory Modeling of Standing Shocks and Radiatively Cooled Jets with Angular Momentum

Collimated flows ejected from young stars are believed to play a vital role in the star formation process by extracting angular momentum from the accretion disk. We discuss the first experiments to simulate rotating radiatively cooled, hypersonic jets in the laboratory. A modification of the conical wire array $z$-pinch is used to introduce angular momentum into convergent flows of plasma, a jet-forming standing shock and into the jet itself. The rotation of the jet is evident in laser imaging through the presence of discrete filaments which trace the rotational history of the jet. The presence of angular momentum results in a hollow density profile in both the standing conical shock and the jet.     

The effects of season on fatty acid composition and ω3/ω6 ratios of northern pike(Esox lucius L.,1758) muscle lipids

In the present study,the effects of season on fatty acid composition,total lipids,and ω3/ω6ratios of northern pike muscle lipids in Kizilirmak River(Kirikkale,Turkey) were investigated.A total of 35 different fatty acids were determined in gas chromatography.Among these,palmitic,oleic,and palmitoleic acids had the highest proportion.The main polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs) were found to be docosahexaenoic acid,eicosapentaenoic acid,and arachidonic acid.There were more PUFAs than monounsaturated fatty acids(MUFA) in all seasons.Similarly,the percentages of ω3 fatty acids were higher than those of total ω6 fatty acids in the fatty acid composition.ω3/ω6 ratios were calculated as 1.53,1.32,1.97,and 1.71 in spring,summer,autumn and winter,respectively.Overall,we found that the fatty acid composition and ω3/ω6 fatty acid ratio in the muscle of northern pike were significantly influenced by season.     

Monitoring cryosphere and associated flood hazards in high mountain ranges of Pakistan using remote sensing technique

Knowledge of Himalayan cryosphere seems to be an outstanding requirement for assessment of glacier storage, water balance analysis, planning of water resources and flood hazard monitoring. A stepwise approach through mapping glaciers and glacial lakes using satellite remote sensing data and investigating potential glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) hazards was adopted for the three Hindukush, Karakoram and Himalayan (HKH) ranges of Pakistan. The findings of the study revealed 5,218 glaciers in the cryosphere of HKH ranges. The cumulative glacial cover of over 15,000 km² contains ice reserves of about 2,738 km³. About 46 % of the Karakoram glaciers are contributing 77 % to the total glacial cover and 87 % to the cumulative ice reserves of the country. The 33 % Himalayan glaciers and 21 % Hindukush glaciers contribute only 3 and 10 % ice reserves, respectively. Among 2,420 glacial lakes identified in the three HKH ranges, 52 were classified as critical lakes that can pose GLOF hazard for the downstream communities. Most of the potential hazardous lakes lie in the Karakoram and Himalayan ranges, the monitoring of which is crucial to reduce high risk of future floods hazard in this fragile mountain ecosystem of the Himalayan region.     

Temporal variations of mesozooplankton abundance and biomass in the mangrove creek area along the Karachi coast, Pakistan

The temporal variations of mesozooplankton abundance and biomass （1-Volumetric method by settling volume and displacement volume and 2- Gravimetric method through wet weight, dry weight and ash-free dry weight） with relation to environmental parameters were studied in the mangrove creek area of Karachi coast, Pakistan. The data of mesozooplankton samples along with environmental parameters （temperature, salinity, pH, etc.） were collected during January 1998 to December 1998 from two creek stations. The abun-dance of mesozooplankton also exhibited seasonal trends at both stations. At Sta. S2, the highest and low-est abundance values were observed during post-monsoon and southwest monsoon respectively whereas, at Sta. S1, a clear trend of high abundance in pre-monsoon to low abundance in southwest monsoon was observed. Mesozooplankton abundance was also positively correlated with settling volume, displacement volume, wet weight and dry weight. The highest biomass value was observed in the northeast monsoon and pre-monsoon periods. The results of the canonical analysis of the output from the discriminate function was tested. Out of fifteen variables, only one was significantly different in single character ratios dry weight/ash free-dry weight （F3,23=4.78,P＆lt;0.005）. The mesozooplankton community was collectively composed of 28 taxa. Among these groups, copepoda （66.3%）, gastropod larvae （9.94%）, evadne （4.60%）, zoea （3.60%）, cypris nauplii （2.56%）, lemellibranch larvae （1.87%）, chaetognaths （1.81%）, ostracods （1.73%）, lucifer （1.15%） and barnacles nauplii （1.35%） contributed the most to the similarities within Sta. S1, while copepoda （74.68%）, cypris nauplii （5.29%）, gastropods （4.87%）, barnacles nauplii （4.81%）, evadne （1.72%）, zoea （1.53%） and ca-ridean larvae （1.18%） at Sta. S2. The remaining mesozooplanktonic group were accounted for less than 5% and 6% at Sta. S1 and Sta. S2 respectively, of the total organisms. Similarity perce     

Amendments affect lead mobility and modulated chemo-speciation under different moisture regimes in normal and salt-affected lead-contaminated soils

The total lead content in the soil itself is insufficient as a measure to indicate the actual environmental risks related to the presence of lead in the soil. Understanding the mobility of lead and its chemical speciation in soil solution is of great importance for accurately assessing environmental risks posed by lead. Therefore, a laboratory study was carried out to evaluate the effect of inorganic amendments (gypsum, rock phosphate and di-ammonium phosphate) on lead mobility and chemical speciation under different moisture regimes (flooding regime and 75 % field capacity) in normal and salt-affected lead-contaminated soils. After 2, 7, 15, 30, 100 and 110 days of incubation, pore water samples were collected by using Rhizon soil moisture samplers. In order to estimate the chemical speciation of lead in pore water, Visual MINTEQ 3.0 modeling approach was used. The results showed that presence of free Pb²⁺, PbCl⁺, Pb(SO₄) ₂ ^2? , and PbH₂PO₄ ⁺ was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by the soil moisture regime, incubation time and applied amendments in lead-contaminated soils. The Visual MINTEQ 3.0 predicted free Pb²⁺ species concentration was found higher in lead-contaminated soils, while PbCl⁺ was more pronounced in salt-affected soils. Gypsum increased the occurrence of Pb(SO₄) ₂ ^2? , while di-ammonium phosphate and rock phosphate enhanced the PbH₂PO₄ ⁺ species formation and decreased free Pb²⁺ species in pore water. Thus, gypsum is the most effective in reducing lead and free Pb²⁺ species concentrations in the pore water under different soil moisture regimes and incubation times in normal and salt-affected lead-contaminated soils.     

数字摄影测量工作站DVP实验

用不同的采样间隔５０μｍ、７５μｍ与１００μｍ的数字形像，所量测之结果与解析测图仪ＢＣ２量测结果作了比较，得到了有益的结果，并概要地介绍了ＤＶＰ之功能与操作。     

Colour origin of upper cretaceous pelagic red sediments within the Eastern Pontides, northeast Turkey

 Characteristic samples of Upper Cretaceous pelagic red sediments from different parts of the Eastern Pontides (NE Turkey) have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive analyses (SEM/EDAX). The red sediments are composed of limestone and muddy limestone, and characterized by abundant planktonic foraminifers. Hematite content ranges from 0.5 to 3.0 wt.%. Electron microscope observations suggest that the hematite pigment has a diagenetic origin. The red colour is due to presence of hematite pigment, and indicates oxidizing conditions during early diagenesis in a relatively deep marine environment. Received: 4 January 1999 / Accepted: 8 July 1999     

Stable isotope geochemistry of Quaternary calcretes in the Mersin area, southern Turkey – A comparison and implications for their origin

In the Mersin area, Quaternary calcretes are widespread, and occurred in a variety of forms, as namely powdery, nodular, tubular, fracture-infill, laminar crust, hard laminated crust (hardpan), pisolithic crust. They are predominantly calcite, and small amount of palygorskite associated with them as a minor component. Calcite δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values of the calcretes vary from −4.31 to −6.82 and from −6.03 to −9.65‰ PDB, respectively. These values are consistent with values of pedogenic calcretes reported in literature from worldwide sites. The oxygen isotope values indicate formation under the influence of meteoric water at estimated temperatures from 25 to 32 °C. The carbon isotope values are typical for pedogenic calcretes, reflecting development under the C3-dominated vegetation cover and semiarid or seasonally arid climatic conditions.