A protocol for classifying ecologically relevant marine zones,a statistical approach

Mapping ecologically relevant zones in the marine environment has become increasingly important. Biological data are however often scarce and alternatives are being sought in optimal classifications of abiotic variables. The concept of ‘marine landscapes’ is based on a hierarchical classification of geological, hydrographic and other physical data. This approach is however subject to many assumptions and subjective decisions.     

Understanding Perturbation on the Simplex: A Simple Method to Better Visualize and Interpret Compositional Data in Ternary Diagrams

Perturbation is an operation defined on the simplex and can be used for centering compositional data in a ternary diagram, applying objective criteria. Because a straight line in the original diagram is still astraight line in the perturbed diagram, gridlines or compositional fields defined by straight lines can easily be included in the operation. Simultaneous perturbation of data, gridlines, and/or compositional fields is shown to improve both visualization and graphical interpretation of compositions in ternary diagrams. This is illustrated by some examples using simulated as well as real data.     

Weathering: Toward a Fractal Quantifying

Weathering occurs over a wide range of scales. To link features through these scales is a major challenge for interdisciplinary weathering studies. Fractal approach seems to be specially useful for this purpose. We introduce a multistep fractal weathering assessment scheme devoted to extract fractal weathering classifiers from texture analysis of the mineral's image. Our scheme enables to quantitatively estimate the global and local information about the geometry of the weathering pattern. This information is basic to develop geometrical indices of weathering, which can significantly enrich the common qualitative and semiquantitative weathering assessment schemes. To justify the fractal approach, a strong statistical self-similarity has been documented for both the weathering and fresh features of two common silica minerals: quartz and biogenic A-opal (phytolith) over four orders of length scales. The procedure is fast, drastically reduces thresholding bias, promises to be universal, it is valid for genetically different minerals and rock types, scale independent, and specially useful for monitoring the changes in the mineral's roughness during the alteration. Two of the proposed classifiers seem to be potentially useful for direct application in the field and be used by nonspecialist.     

Seismic hazard assessment for Iceland in terms of macroseismic intensity using a site approach

We present the results of probabilistic seismic hazard assessment for Iceland in the framework of the EU project UPStrat-MAFA using the so-called site approach implemented in the SASHA computational code. This approach estimates seismic hazard in terms of macroseismic intensity by basically relying on local information about documented effects of past seismic events in the framework of a formally coherent and complete treatment of intensity data. In the case of Iceland, due to the lack of observed intensities for past earthquakes, local seismic histories were built using indirect macroseismic estimates deduced from epicentral information through an empirical attenuation relationship in probabilistic form. Seismic hazard was computed for four exceedance probabilities for an exposure time of 50 years, equivalent to average return periods of 50, 200, 475 and 975 years. For some localities, further return periods were examined and deaggregation analysis was performed. Results appear significantly different from previous seismic hazard maps, though just a semi-qualitative comparison is possible because of the different shaking measure considered (peak ground acceleration versus intensity), and the different computational methodology and input data used in these studies.     

A new insight on the decreasing sea level trend over the Ionian basin in the last decades

Altimetry measurements over the Ionian region and tide gauge records along the southern Italian coasts have been combined to analyse the negative sea level trend over the Ionian basin in the last decades. The apparent decreasing trend should be better understood as an abrupt sea level drop in 1998 probably linked to changes in the surface circulation in the Ionian basin induced by the Eastern Mediterranean Transient, which changed from anticyclonic to cyclonic about March 1998. From then onwards, a rising rate of 7.9 ± 0.9 mm/year is observed over the basin.     

Zum Jahresgang der relativen Feuchte über dem Mittelmeer

Zusammenfassung Abweichend von der in einem früheren Aufsatz versuchten Erklärung der sommerlichen Feuchtezunahme über dem Mittelmeer wird plausibel gemacht, daß im wesentlichen die normale Erhöhung der Temperatur der Meeresoberfläche dafür verantwortlich ist.

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Summary Earlier in this journal an article was published, which suggested that the increase of the relative humidity in the warmer season of the Mediterranean was effected by subsiding of dry air from above and therefore increasing evaporation. But now it seems to the author that only the normal annual variation of the sea surface temperature is responsible for the observed phenomenon.

     

Jahresgänge des Dampfdrucks und der relativen Feuchte in verschiedenen Gebieten des Mittelmeers

Zusammenfassung Für 11 ausgewählte Gebiete auf dem Hauptschiffahrtweg längs der nordafrikanischen Küste sind Jahresgänge des Dampfdrucks und der relativen Feuchte aus den Messungen abgeleitet, die seit 1950 an Bord deutscher Handelsschiffe mit dem Schleuderpsychrometer durchgeführt wurden. Eine Erklärung des inversen Ganges der relativen Feuchte auf See wird versucht.

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Summary For 11 selected areas within the principal route of navigation along the coast of Northern Africa annual variations of vapour pressure and humidity are derived from measurements with help of swing psychrometers, which were carried out since 1950 aboard German merchant ships. An explanation of the inverse variation of the humidity at sea is attempted.

     

Validation through HVSR measurements of a method for the quick detection of site amplification effects from intensity data: an application to a seismic area in Northern Italy

An instrumental validation is attempted of an innovative approach devoted to the quick individuation, from macroseismic data, of site amplification phenomena able to significantly modify seismic hazard levels expected on the basis of average propagation effects only. According to this methodology, two evaluations of hazard are performed at each investigated locality: the former, obtained by epicentral intensity data ‘reduced’ at the site through a probabilistic attenuation function and, the latter, computed by integrating such data with seismic effects actually observed at the site during past earthquakes. The comparison, for each locality, between these two hazard estimates allow to orientate the identification of those sites where local amplifications of earthquake ground motion could be significant. In order to check such methodology, indications obtained in this way from macroseismic data are compared with the estimates of transfer functions performed through the HVSR technique applied to microtremors. Results concerning municipalities located in a seismic area of Northern Italy indicate a good agreement between macroseismic and instrumental estimates.