New coring study in Augusta Bay expands understanding of offshore tsunami deposits (Eastern Sicily,Italy)     

Alessandra Smedile  Flavia Molisso  Catherine Chagué  Marina Iorio  Paolo Marco De Martini  Stefania Pinzi  Philip E. F. Collins  Leonardo Sagnotti  Daniela Pantosti 《Sedimentology》2020,67(3):1553-1576

Tsunami deposits present an important archive for understanding tsunami histories and dynamics. Most research in this field has focused on onshore preserved remains, while the offshore deposits have received less attention. In 2009, during a coring campaign with the Italian Navy Magnaghi, four 1 m long gravity cores (MG cores) were sampled from the northern part of Augusta Bay, along a transect in 60 to 110 m water depth. These cores were taken in the same area where a core (MS06) was collected in 2007 about 2·3 km offshore Augusta at a water depth of 72 m below sea level. Core MS06 consisted of a 6·7 m long sequence that included 12 anomalous intervals interpreted as the primary effect of tsunami backwash waves in the last 4500 years. In this study, tsunami deposits were identified, based on sedimentology and displaced benthic foraminifera (as for core MS06) reinforced by X-ray fluorescence data. Two erosional surfaces (L1 and L2) were recognized coupled with grain-size increase, abundant Posidonia oceanica seagrass remains and a significant amount of Nubecularia lucifuga, an epiphytic sessile benthic foraminifera considered to be transported from the inner shelf. The occurrence of Ti/Ca and Ti/Sr increments, coinciding with peaks in organic matter (Mo incoherent/coherent) suggests terrestrial run-off coupled with an input of organic matter. The L1 and L2 horizons were attributed to two distinct historical tsunamis (ad 1542 and ad 1693) by indirect age-estimation methods using ²¹⁰Pb profiles and the comparison of Volume Magnetic Susceptibility data between MG cores and MS06 cores. One most recent bioturbated horizon (Bh), despite not matching the above listed interpretative features, recorded an important palaeoenvironmental change that may correspond to the ad 1908 tsunami. These findings reinforce the value of offshore sediment records as an underutilized resource for the identification of past tsunamis.  相似文献   

Analytical study of the powered Swing-By maneuver for elliptical systems and analysis of its efficiency     

Alessandra F. S. Ferreira  Antônio F. B. A. Prado  Othon C. Winter  Denilson P. S. Santos 《Astrophysics and Space Science》2018,363(7):145

Analytical equations describing the velocity and energy variation of a spacecraft in a Powered Swing-By maneuver in an elliptic system are presented. The spacecraft motion is limited to the orbital plane of the primaries. In addition to gravity, the spacecraft suffers the effect of an impulsive maneuver applied when it passes by the periapsis of its orbit around the secondary body of the system. This impulsive maneuver is defined by its magnitude \(\delta V\) and the angle that defines the direction of the impulse with respect to the velocity of the spacecraft (\(\alpha\)). The maneuver occurs in a system of main bodies that are in elliptical orbits, where the velocity of the secondary body varies according to its position in the orbit following the rules of an elliptical orbit. The equations are dependent on this velocity. The study is done using the “patched-conics approximation”, which is a method of simplifying the calculations of the trajectory of a spacecraft traveling around more than one celestial body. Solutions for the velocity and energy variations as a function of the parameters that define the maneuver are presented. An analysis of the efficiency of the powered Swing-By maneuver is also made, comparing it with the pure gravity Swing-by maneuver with the addition of an impulse applied outside the sphere of influence of the secondary body. After a general study, the techniques developed here are applied to the systems Sun-Mercury and Sun-Mars, which are real and important systems with large eccentricity. This problem is highly nonlinear and the dynamics very complex, but very reach in applications.  相似文献   

The dynamics of the de Sitter resonance     

Alessandra Celletti  Fabrizio Paita  Giuseppe Pucacco 《Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy》2018,130(2):15

We study the dynamics of the de Sitter resonance, namely the stable equilibrium configuration of the first three Galilean satellites. We clarify the relation between this family of configurations and the more general Laplace resonant states. In order to describe the dynamics around the de Sitter stable equilibrium, a one-degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian normal form is constructed and exploited to identify initial conditions leading to the two families. The normal form Hamiltonian is used to check the accuracy in the location of the equilibrium positions. Besides, it gives a measure of how sensitive it is with respect to the different perturbations acting on the system. By looking at the phase plane of the normal form, we can identify a Laplace-like configuration, which highlights many substantial aspects of the observed one.  相似文献   

Distinct patterns of bank erosion in a navigable regulated river     

Gonzalo Duró  Alessandra Crosato  Maarten G. Kleinhans  Timotheus G. Winkels  Hessel A.G. Woolderink  Wim S.J. Uijttewaal 《地球表面变化过程与地形》2020,45(2):361-374

Distinct bankline patterns appeared after the removal of protection works along a navigable reach of the Meuse River. A series of oblique embayments now dominate the riverine landscape after ten years of bank erosion, but their location and asymmetry cannot be explained yet. This work analyses and integrates field measurements of flow, ship waves, bank composition, bed topography and historical maps to explain the observed patterns along two reaches of the river. An extraordinary low-water-level event generated by a ship accident provided the unique opportunity to also analyse the subaqueous bank topography. The results indicate that the formation of oblique embayments arises from the combination of floodplain heterogeneity, structured by scroll-bar deposits, and the regulation of water levels, resulting in ship-wave attack at a narrow range of bank elevation for 70% of the time. Substrate erodibility acts on the effectiveness of trees to slow down local bank erosion rates, which is possibly enhanced by a positive feedback between woody roots and cohesive soil. The strong regulation of water levels and the waves generated by the intense ship traffic produce an increasingly long mildly-sloping terrace at the bank toe and progressively dominate the bank erosion process. This study demonstrates the important role of floodplain and scroll bar formation in shaping later bank erosion, which has implications for predictive numerical models, restoration strategies, and understanding the role of vegetation in bank erosion processes. © 2019 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd  相似文献   

Topographic and stratification effects on shelf edge flows     

Yakun Guo  Peter A. Davies  Alessandra Cavalletti  Pieter Jacobs 《Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans》2000,31(1-4)

Results are presented from two sets of laboratory model experiments on the effects of an isolated seamount upon the flow of an intermediate-water slope current along a continental shelf. The experimental results for initial ambient conditions of respectively two-layer and linearly stratified fluids show that the structure of such a boundary current depends primarily on the values of the appropriate set of dimensionless dynamical parameters (namely the Burger (Bu), Ekman (Ek) and Rossby (Ro) numbers), as well as the dimensionless lateral separation of the seamount and shelf and the proportional height of the seamount relative to the distance from the bottom at which the intermediate-water flows. Comparisons of the present results with those from a previous two-layer fluid study with no obstacle present reveals that the presence of the obstacle does not alter significantly the stability of the current even when situated close to the shelf. However, for such configurations, the density, velocity and vorticity fields in the local zone of interaction between the current and the obstacle are distorted significantly by the presence of the obstacle, provided that the summit of the obstacle penetrates the level of current flow. Measurements of density, velocity and vorticity fields show no significant dependence of the flow interaction upon the detailed bathymetry of the shelf-slope. For stable intermediate-water slope currents, the nature of the interaction with the obstacle is determined primarily by (i) the lateral separation of the obstacle and the shelf edge and (ii) the Ro of the flow. For sufficiently low values of the former and high values of the latter, the interaction results in a splitting of the incident flow around the obstacle, with cyclonic and anticyclonic eddy pairs being generated in the lee. Geostrophic equilibrium is seen to be maintained in the current, even in the near wake of the obstacle. For cases in which the summit of the seamount is below the initially-undisturbed intermediate water level, no Taylor column-like division of the slope current occurs and no significant distortion of the current structure (velocity and density) occurs for the parameter ranges investigated. For linearly stratified cases, measurements show that no significant local elevation or depression of the density interfaces is observed in the interaction zone. The distributions of the local buoyancy frequencies calculated from the density profiles reveal that the minimum value of the frequency upstream of the obstacle is smaller than that downstream, indicating that the flow interactions generate local mixing downstream, with consequent erosion of the density interfaces.  相似文献   

Stability of the synchronous spin-orbit resonance by construction of librational trapping tori     

Alessandra Celletti 《Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy》1993,57(1-2):325-328

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Levels and chemical speciation of arsenic in polychaetes: a review     

Daniele Fattorini  Alessandra Notti  Magdalena N. Halt  Maria Cristina Gambi  & Francesco Regoli 《Marine Ecology》2005,26(3-4):255-264

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Do endocrine disrupting chemicals threaten Mediterranean swordfish? Preliminary results of vitellogenin and Zona radiata proteins in Xiphias gladius     

M. Cristina Fossi  Silvia Casini  Stefania Ancora  Alessandra Moscatelli  Antonella Ausili  Giuseppe Notarbartolo-di-Sciara 《Marine environmental research》2001,52(5)

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) have the potential to alter hormone pathways that regulate reproductive processes in wildlife and fishes. In this research the hypothesis that Mediterranean top predator species (such as large pelagic fish) are potentially at risk due to EDCs is investigated. These marine organisms tend to accumulate high concentrations of EDCs such as polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs). The potential effects of EDCs on a fish species of commercial interest, the top predator Xiphias gladius (swordfish), were investigated using vitellogenin (Vtg) and Zona radiata proteins (Zrp) as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Dramatic induction of typically female proteins (Vtg and Zrp) was detected by ELISA and Western Blot in adult males of the species. These results are the first warning of the potential risk for reproductive function of Mediterranean top predators, and suggest the need for continuous monitoring of this fragile marine environment.  相似文献   

Geochemical features of rocks,stream sediments,and soils of the Fiume Grande Valley (Calabria,Italy)     

Carmine Apollaro  Luigi Marini  Rosanna De Rosa  Paolo Settembrino  Fabio Scarciglia  Giuseppe Vecchio 《Environmental Geology》2007,52(4):719-729

The role of both natural weathering and anthropogenic pollution in controlling the distribution of major oxides and several trace elements in soils, stream sediments, and rocks of the Fiume Grande catchment was evaluated. The contents of major oxides and trace elements in soils appear to be governed by weathering and pedogenetic processes, although the use of fertilizers in agriculture could also partly affect K₂O and P₂O₅ contents. Stream sediments have concentrations of major oxides (except CaO) very similar to soils, as relevant amounts of soil materials are supplied to the stream channels by erosive phenomena. In contrast, stream sediments have concentrations of Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, As, and Pb significantly higher than those of soils, probably due to different conditions and rates of mobility of these elements within the three considered matrices and/or disposal of wastes in the drainage network. Comparison of the concentrations of PHEs in soils with the maximum admissible contents established by the Italian law shows that these limits are too restrictive in some cases and too permissive in other ones. The approach of setting these limits with no consideration for the local geological–geochemical framework may lead to improper management of the territory and its resources. Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.  相似文献   

X-ray spectromicroscopic investigation of natural organochlorine distribution in weathering plant material     

Alessandra C. Leri  Matthew A. Marcus 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2007,71(23):5834-5846

Natural organochlorine (Cl_org) is ubiquitous in soil humus, but the distribution and cycling of different Cl species during the humification of plant material is poorly understood. Our X-ray spectromicroscopic studies indicate that the distributions of Cl_org and inorganic Cl⁻(Cl_inorg) in oak leaf material vary dramatically with decay stage, with the most striking changes occurring at the onset of weathering. In healthy or senescent leaves harvested from trees, Cl_inorg occurs in sparsely distributed, highly localized “hotspots” associated with trichomes as well as in diffuse concentration throughout the leaf tissue. The Cl_inorg associated with trichomes exists either in H-bonded form or in a solid salt matrix, while the Cl_inorg in diffuse areas of lower Cl concentration appears exclusively in H-bonded form. Most solid phase Cl_inorg leaches from the leaf tissue during early weathering stages, whereas the H-bonded Cl_inorg appears to leach away slowly as degradation progresses, persisting through advanced weathering stages. In unweathered leaves, aromatic and aliphatic Cl_org were found in rare but concentrated hotspots. In weathered leaves, by contrast, aromatic Cl_org hotspots are prevalent, often coinciding with areas of elevated Fe or Mn concentration. Aromatic Cl_org is highly soluble in leaves at early weathering stages and insoluble at more advanced stages. These results, combined with optical microscopy, suggest that fungi play a role in the production of aromatic Cl_org in weathering leaf material. Aliphatic Cl_org occurs in concentrated hotspots in weathered leaves as well as in diffuse areas of low Cl concentration. The distribution and speciation of Cl in weathering oak leaves depicted by this spectromicroscopic study provides new insight into the formation and cycling of Cl_org during the decay of natural organic matter.  相似文献