Rainfall-induced shallow landslides: a model for the triggering mechanism of some case studies in Northern Italy

The article relates the main findings of a recent investigation aimed at modeling the triggering of shallow landslides. A simplified model for assessing the safety factor of potentially unstable slopes, directly related with rainfall trends, was developed. Based on the geometric characteristics of the slope, the geotechnical properties, and strength parameters of the soil, the model makes it possible to define a safety factor of a slope as a function of time. The model is based on the limit equilibrium method and takes into account the seepage of underground water. The safety factor is, in turn, related to the seasonal rainfall. The model was applied on a local scale to some historical cases which had occurred recently in Northern Italy. The paper shows how the results of the application of the model on a local scale achieve a good agreement between the instability condition and the real date of each considered event.     

Population distribution and urban growth in Southern Italy, 1871–2011: emergent polycentrism or path-dependent monocentricity?

This study assesses changes in population distribution and the expansion of urban settlements in Southern Italy between 1871 and 2011. Four demographic phases are identified: (i) spatially balanced, mild population growth (1871–1921); (ii) moderate population increase concentrated in coastal and lowland areas (1921–1951); (iii) rapid and diffused population growth (1951–1981); and (iv) population stability with settlement dispersion (1981–2011). While urban growth in the years preceding the 1980s reinforced the polarization in rich and poor areas along the urban-to-rural gradient, since the early 1990s both urban and rural areas showed population dynamics that consolidated low-density settlements scattered around the largest cities. This path, however, does not reflect the evolution towards a more spatially balanced urban development, as observed in other European regions. Causes and consequences of the persistence of a fragmented urban hierarchy with dense settlements and sprawl concentrated around the main cities are finally discussed.     

ESEEM of industrial quartz powders: insights into crystal chemistry of Al defects

A set of raw industrial materials, that is, pure quartz and quartz-rich mixtures, were investigated through electron paramagnetic resonance and electron spin echo-envelope modulation spectroscopies, with the aim of evaluating the effective role played by defect centres and of assessing whether they can be used to monitor changes in the physical properties of quartz powders with reference to their health effects. The obtained results point to two interactions of the Al defect centres with H⁺, hosted in sites within the channels parallel and perpendicular to the c axis of quartz, respectively. These two Al/H⁺ (h_Al) centres exhibit a weak chemical bond, and their relative amounts appear to be modified/controlled by the thermo-mechanical processes underwent by powders. Indeed, a mechanically promoted inter-conversion between the two kinds of site is suggested. As a consequence, the h_Al centres are effective in monitoring even modest activations of powders, through thermal or mechanical processes, and they are also supposed to play a specific, relevant role in quartz reactivity during the considered industrial processes.     

Magnetic properties and cation ordering of nanopowders of the synthetic analogue of kuramite, Cu3SnS4

An extensive characterisation of the magnetic properties of synthetic powders of kuramite, with formal composition Cu₃SnS₄, was performed. Powders were investigated through superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning and transmission electron microscopies (SEM and TEM) and microanalysis. SEM and TEM reveal the presence of nanodimensioned particles. XRPD clearly shows that Cu₃SnS₄ crystallised in a cubic sphalerite-type structural model, in spite of the stannite-type tetragonal structure described for the natural phase. This difference arises from a full random distribution of cations. Synthetic kuramite nanopowders exhibit a marked paramagnetism, originated by the presence of Cu(II), definitely assessed by EPR measurements. Moreover, the overall magnetic behaviour of the sample cannot be simply ascribed to diluted paramagnetism, and this suggests the presence of strong superexchange interactions among Cu(II) ions even at room temperature. The main consequences of these results are the definitive assessment of the chemical formula Cu(I)₂Cu(II)SnS₄ and of a random distribution of Cu(II), Cu(I) and Sn(IV) ions within the available tetrahedral sites.     

Two GUIs-based analysis tool for spectroradiometer data pre-processing

A new graphical user interface (GUI) for pre-processing reflectance spectra, built using MATLAB and expressly designed for the ASD FieldSpec® spectroradiometer, was developed to solve problems that generally affect experimental ASD data. The GUI is characterised by an easily readable, graphic visualisation of spectra, from which the absorption band depth (ABD) can be obtained for a selected wavelength. The output format of the ASD data is a binary file with an .asd extension. The binary file, that provides a single spectrum, can be processed using a software functionality, by means of a GUI, that allows to select one or more binary files to produce a spectral library in a unique .txt file. The spectral reflectance is re-calibrated with the “convex-hull” methodology to eliminate the convex shape, which is typical of reflectance spectra. Different examples of the use of the new GUI are provided.     

The 1997 Umbria-Marche (Italy) earthquake sequence: analysis of the data recorded by the local and temporary networks

We present some preliminary results obtained from thejoined analysis of the data collected by the permanentand the temporary networks operating in the area ofthe earthquake sequence that followed (andanticipated) the 26 September, Central Italy, mainshocks. In particular, these earthquake data haveallowed us to determine a well constrainedwave-velocity model (both P and S) with stationcorrections which demonstrated to produce robusthypocentral locations. These velocity modelswith station corrections have been used forre-locating the whole September 1997–July 1998subset of data of the permanent network, and theprevious background seismicity, starting from May1996. The focal mechanisms of the largest events werealso obtained from an analysis of the first-motionpolarities.Our results indicate that 1) the seismic activityaligns on a SE-NW trend for a total length of about50 km of extension; 2) the focal depth of theseevents is restricted to the range 0–9 km; 3) mostevents can be related to sub-parallel SW dipping faultplanes; 4) focal mechanisms of the largest shocks(M_L > 4) show a coherent behaviour, withnormal fault solution on SSE-NNW striking, SW dippingplanes; 5) the space-time evolution of the activitydisplays a discontinuous mode of energy release, withdifferent episodes of activation and an apparentclustering of aftershocks at the edges of the areaswhich presumably ruptured in the main shocks.     

SESTET: A spatially explicit stream temperature model based on equilibrium temperature

Stream-water temperature is a key variable controlling chemical, biological, and ecological processes in freshwater environments. Most models focus on a single river cross-section; however, temperature gradients along stretches and tributaries of a river network are crucial to assess ecohydrological features such as aquatic species suitability, growth and feeding rates, or disease transmission. We propose SESTET, a deterministic, spatially explicit stream temperature model for a whole river network, based on water and energy budgets at a reach scale and requiring only commonly available spatially distributed datasets, such as morphology and air temperature, as input. Heat exchange processes at the air–water interface are modelled via the widely used equilibrium temperature concept, whereas the effects of network structure are accounted for through advective heat fluxes. A case study was conducted on the prealpine Wigger river (Switzerland), where water temperatures have been measured in the period 2014–2018 at 11 spatially distributed locations. The results show the advantages of accounting for water and energy budgets at the reach scale for the entire river network, compared with simpler, lumped formulations. Because our approach fundamentally relies on spatially distributed air temperature fields, adequate spatial interpolation techniques that account for the effects of both elevation and thermal inversion in air temperature are key to a successful application of the model. SESTET allows the assessment of the magnitude of the various components of the heat budget at the reach scale and the derivation of reliable estimates of spatial gradients of mean daily stream temperatures for the whole catchment based on a limited number of conveniently located (viz., spanning the largest possible elevation range) measuring stations. Moreover, accounting for mixing processes and advective fluxes through the river network allows one to trust regionalized values of the parameters controlling the relationship between equilibrium and air temperature, a key feature to generalize the model to data-scarce catchments.     

An improved processing sequence for uncorrelated Chirp sonar data

Chirp sonar systems can be used to obtain high resolution seismic reflection images of the sub-seafloor during marine surveys. The exact knowledge of the Chirp signature allows the use of deterministic algorithms to process the data, similarly to that applied to Vibroseis data on land. Here, it is described an innovative processing sequence to be applied to uncorrelated Chirp data, which can improve vertical and lateral resolution compared to conventional methods. It includes application of a Wiener filter to transform a frequency-modulated sweep into a minimum-phase pulse sequence. In this way, the data become causal and can undergo predictive deconvolution to reduce ringing and enhance vertical resolution. Afterwards, FX-deconvolution and Stolt migration can be applied to obtain an improved imaging of the subsurface. The result of this procedure is a seismic reflection image with higher resolution than traditional ones, which are normally represented using the envelope function of the signal. This technique can be particularly useful for engineering-geotechnical surveys and archaeological investigations that require a fine detail imaging of the uppermost meters of the sub-seafloor.