Structural evolution of the Orange Basin gravity-driven system,offshore Namibia     

Jose de Vera  Pablo GranadoKen McClay 《Marine and Petroleum Geology》2010

The Orange Basin records the development of the Late Jurassic to present day volcanic-rifted passive margin of Namibia. Regional extension is recorded by a Late Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Syn-rift Megasequence, which is separated from a Cretaceous to present day post-rift Megasequence by the Late Hauterivian (ca. 130 Ma) break-up unconformity. The Late Cretaceous Post-rift evolution of the basin is characterized by episodic gravitational collapse of the margin. Gravitational collapse is recorded as a series of shale-detached gravity slide systems, consisting of an up-dip extensional domain that is linked to a down-dip zone of contraction domain along a thin basal detachment of Turonian age. The extensional domain is characterized by basinward-dipping listric faults that sole into the basal detachment. The contractional domain consists of landward-dipping listric faults and strongly asymmetric basinward-verging thrust-related folds. Growth stratal patterns suggest that the gravitational collapse of the margin was short-lived, spanning from the Coniacian (ca. 90 Ma) to the Santonian (ca. 83 Ma). Structural restorations of the main gravity-driven system show a lack of balance between up-dip extension (24 km) and down-dip shortening (16 km). Gravity sliding in the Namibian margin is interpreted to have occurred as a series of episodic short-lived gravity sliding between the Cenomanian (ca. 100 Ma) and the Campanian (ca. 80 Ma). Gravity sliding and spreading are interpreted to be the result of episodic cratonic uplift combined with differential thermal subsidence. Sliding may have also been favoured by the presence of an efficient detachment layer in Turonian source rocks.  相似文献   

Centaurus A: VLT Views of the Nearest Giant Elliptical Galaxy     

Dante Minniti  Marina Rejkuba  Doug Geisler  Jose Gabriel Funes 《Astrophysics and Space Science》2004,290(3-4):363-377

VLT images in BVI are used to identify globular clusters in the central region of NGC5128. Based on the sizes, optical magnitudes and colors, a hundred candidate globular clusters are identified with projected galactocentric distances 1 kpc < R _G < 5 kpc. These clusters have magnitudes 18 < V < 20.5 or ?10.3 < M _V < ?7.8 at the distance of this galaxy, and colors 0.8 < V?I < 1.5 and 0.5 < B?V < 1.5. These identifications allow us to compare the properties of the X-ray globular cluster population discovered recently in this galaxy.  相似文献   

Horizontal soil stress changes around displacement piles     

Sayed M. Sayed  Jose L. M. Clemente 《国际地质力学数值与分析法杂志》1990,14(2):131-138

A simplified analysis of the problem of horizontal soil stress changes around circular displacement piles, caused by pile placement, is presented. Pile installation is assumed to cause soil displacements in the horizontal direction only, thus yielding an axisymmetric problem. The soil surrounding the pile is modelled as a weightless non-linear elastic material. Material non-linearity is handled in a simplified manner by adopting secant shear moduli defined in terms of a proportionality coefficient and a softening factor. The resulting equilibrium equation is solved analytically and an expression is obtained which is also conveniently presented in graphical form. The derived expression can be used to estimate horizontal soil stress changes and is incorporated into a simple procedure to estimate the ultimate load or the efficiency of pile groups. Comparisons are made between efficiencies calculated according to this procedure and efficiencies measured in full-scale group load tests in sand.  相似文献   

A multi-physics ensemble of present-day climate regional simulations over the Iberian Peninsula     

Sonia Jerez  Juan Pedro Montavez  Pedro Jimenez-Guerrero  Juan Jose Gomez-Navarro  Raquel Lorente-Plazas  Eduardo Zorita 《Climate Dynamics》2013,40(11-12):3023-3046

This work assesses the influence of the model physics in present-day regional climate simulations. It is based on a multi-phyiscs ensemble of 30-year long MM5 hindcasted simulations performed over a complex and climatically heterogeneous domain as the Iberian Peninsula. The ensemble consists of eight members that results from combining different parametrization schemes for modeling the Planetary Boundary Layer, the cumulus and the microphysics processes. The analysis is made at the seasonal time scale and focuses on mean values and interannual variability of temperature and precipitation. The objectives are (1) to evaluate and characterize differences among the simulations attributable to changes in the physical options of the regional model, and (2) to identify the most suitable parametrization schemes and understand the underlying mechanisms causing that some schemes perform better than others. The results confirm the paramount importance of the model physics, showing that the spread among the various simulations is of comparable magnitude to the spread obtained in similar multi-model ensembles. This suggests that most of the spread obtained in multi-model ensembles could be attributable to the different physical configurations employed in the various models. Second, we obtain that no single ensemble member outperforms the others in every situation. Nevertheless, some particular schemes display a better performance. On the one hand, the non-local MRF PBL scheme reduces the cold bias of the simulations throughout the year compared to the local Eta model. The reason is that the former simulates deeper mixing layers. On the other hand, the Grell parametrization scheme for cumulus produces smaller amount of precipitation in the summer season compared to the more complex Kain-Fritsch scheme by reducing the overestimation in the simulated frequency of the convective precipitation events. Consequently, the interannual variability of precipitation (temperature) diminishes (increases), which implies a better agreement with the observations in both cases. Although these features improve in general the accuracy of the simulations, controversial nuances are also highlighted.  相似文献   

Technologies and science archives for ultraviolet astronomy     

Noah Brosch  Martin Barstow  Jose Chirivella 《Astrophysics and Space Science》2014,354(1):125-141

This paper summarizes 17 talks presented during the Technological sessions at the “Challenges in UV Astronomy” conference. It is based on summaries submitted by the presenters, on the slides of their talks, on notes written by the authors, and on additional material kindly submitted to the lead author. In many instances the summaries were written by the presenters themselves and are included as-submitted to the authors with just minor editorial interference. In other cases one of the editors wrote the summary based on their notes and on the files of the actual presentations. The contributions are placed in the general context of the current knowledge in the field. The sessions were devoted to: [a] detectors, [b] optics, [c] integration and verification procedures for vacuum UV instruments and [d] calibration and archival research. A cautionary note: this is not a regular article in these proceedings presenting one idea, an experiment, of a result. It is rather a distillation of what was presented at the NUVA/ESO/IAG meeting at the sessions deemed technological, therefore it will lack an overall coherence although the individual sections and subsections should be logically connected.  相似文献   

Lithosphere mechanical behavior inferred from tidal gravity anomalies: a comparison of Africa and South America     

Marta S.M. Mantovani  Wladimir Shukowsky  Silvio R.C. de Freitas  Benjamim B. Brito Neves 《Earth and Planetary Science Letters》2005,230(3-4):397-412

  相似文献   

Two-stage aquifer pumping subject to slow desorption and persistent sources     

Saez JA  Harmon TC 《Ground water》2006,44(2):244-255

This work focuses on improving pump-and-treat remediation by optimizing a two-stage operational scheme to reduce volumes extracted when confronted with nonequilibrium desorption, low-permeability units, and continuous contaminant sources such as non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL). Q1 and Q2 are the initial short-term high pumping rate and later long-term low pumping rate, respectively. A two-dimensional ground water flow and transport management model was used to test the proposed strategy for plumes developed from finite (NAPL-free) and continuous (NAPL-driven) contaminant sources in homogeneous and nonhomogeneous (zoned) aquifers. Remediation scenarios were simulated over durations of 2000, 6000, and 15,000 d to determine (1) the optimal time to switch from a preset Q1 to Q2 and (2) the value of Q2. The problem was constrained by mass removal requirements, maximum allowable downgradient concentrations, and practical bounds on Q2. Q1 was fixed at preset values 50% to 200% higher than the single-stage pumping rates (i.e., steady pumping rates during entire remediation period) necessary to achieve a desired cleanup level and capture the plume. Results for the NAPL-free homogeneous case under nonequilibrium desorption conditions achieved the same level of cleanup as single-stage pumping, while reducing extracted volumes by up to 36%. Comparable savings were obtained with NAPL-driven sources only when the source concentration was reduced by at least 2 orders of magnitude. For the zoned aquifer, the proposed strategy provided volume savings of up to 24% under NAPL-free and reduced source conditions.  相似文献   

The middle Pleistocene transition: characteristics, mechanisms, and implications for long-term changes in atmospheric pCO₂   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Peter U. Clark  David Archer  David Pollard  Joel D. Blum  Jose A. Rial  Victor Brovkin  Alan C. Mix  Nicklas G. Pisias  Martin Roy 《Quaternary Science Reviews》2006,25(23-24):3150

The emergence of low-frequency, high-amplitude, quasi-periodic (100-kyr) glacial variability during the middle Pleistocene in the absence of any significant change in orbital forcing indicates a fundamental change internal to the climate system. This middle Pleistocene transition (MPT) began 1250 ka and was complete by 700 ka. Its onset was accompanied by decreases in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the North Atlantic and tropical-ocean upwelling regions and by an increase in African and Asian aridity and monsoonal intensity. During the MPT, long-term average ice volume gradually increased by 50 m sea-level equivalent, whereas low-frequency ice-volume variability experienced a 100-kyr lull centered on 1000 ka followed by its reappearance 900 ka, although as a broad band of power rather than a narrow, persistent 100-kyr cycle. Additional changes at 900 ka indicate this to be an important time during the MPT, beginning with an 80-kyr event of extreme SST cooling followed by the partial recovery and subsequent stabilization of long-term North Atlantic and tropical ocean SSTs, increasing Southern Ocean SST variability primarily associated with warmer interglacials, the loss of permanent subpolar sea-ice cover, and the emergence of low-frequency variability in Pacific SSTs and global deep-ocean circulation. Since 900 ka, ice sheets have been the only component of the climate system to exhibit consistent low-frequency variability. With the exception of a near-universal organization of low-frequency power associated with marine isotope stages 11 and 12, all other components show an inconsistent distribution of power in frequency-time space, suggesting a highly nonlinear system response to orbital and ice-sheet forcing.Most hypotheses for the origin of the MPT invoke a response to a long-term cooling, possibly induced by decreasing atmospheric pCO₂. None of these hypotheses, however, accounts for the geological constraint that the earliest Northern Hemisphere ice sheets covered a similar or larger area than those that followed the MPT. Given that the MPT was associated with an increase in ice volume, this constraint requires that post-MPT ice sheets were substantially thicker than pre-MPT ice sheets, indicating a change in subglacial conditions that influence ice dynamics. We review evidence in support of the hypothesis that such an increase in ice thickness occurred as crystalline Precambrian Shield bedrock became exposed by glacial erosion of a thick mantle of regolith. This exposure of a high-friction substrate caused thicker ice sheets, with an attendant change in their response to the orbital forcing. Marine carbon isotope data indicate a rapid transfer of organic carbon to inorganic carbon in the ocean system during the MPT. If this carbon came from terrigenous sources, an increase in atmospheric pCO₂ would be likely, which is inconsistent with evidence for widespread cooling, Apparently rapid carbon transfer from terrestrial sources is difficult to reconcile with gradual erosion of regolith. A more likely source of organic carbon and nutrients (which would mitigate pCO₂ rise) is from shelf and upper slope marine sediments, which were fully exposed for the first time in millions of years in response to thickening ice sheets and falling sealevels during the MPT. Modeling indicates that regolith erosion and resulting exposure of crystalline bedrock would cause an increase in long-term silicate weathering rates, in good agreement with marine Sr and Os isotopic records. We use a carbon cycle model to show that a post-MPT increase in silicate weathering rates would lower atmospheric pCO₂ by 7–12 ppm, suggesting that the attendant cooling may have been an important feedback in causing the MPT.  相似文献   

Future regional projections of extreme temperatures in Europe: a nonstationary seasonal approach     

Maria Dolores Frías  Roberto Mínguez  Jose Manuel Gutiérrez  Fernando J. Méndez 《Climatic change》2012,113(2):371-392

This paper analyzes changes of maximum temperatures in Europe, which are evaluated using two state-of-the-art regional climate models from the EU ENSEMBLES project. Extremes are expressed in terms of return values using a time-dependent generalized extreme value (GEV) model fitted to monthly maxima. Unlike the standard GEV method, this approach allows analyzing return periods at different time scales (monthly, seasonal, annual, etc). The study focuses on the end of the 20th century (1961?C2000), used as a calibration/validation period, and assesses the changes projected for the period 2061?C2100 considering the A1B emission scenario. The performance of the regional models is evaluated for each season of the calibration period against the high-resolution gridded E-OBS dataset, showing a similar South-North gradient with larger values over the Mediterranean basin. The inter-RCM changes in the bias pattern with respect to the E-OBS are larger than the bias resulting from a change in the boundary conditions from ERA-40 to ECHAM5 20c3m. The maximum temperature response to increased green house gases, as projected by the A1B scenario, is consistent for both RCMs. Under that scenario, results indicate that the increments for extremes (e.g. 40-year return values) will be two or three times higher than those for the mean seasonal temperatures, particularly during Spring and Summer in Southern Europe.  相似文献   

Extreme climatic events in the Amazon basin   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Jose Antonio Marengo  Javier Tomasella  Wagner R. Soares  Lincoln M. Alves  Carlos A. Nobre 《Theoretical and Applied Climatology》2012,107(1-2):73-85

During 2009 the Amazon basin was hit by a heavy flooding with a magnitude and duration few times observed in several decades. Torrential rain in northern and eastern Amazonia during the austral summer of 2008–2009 swelled the Amazon River and its tributaries. By July 2009, water levels of the Rio Negro, a major Amazon tributary, reached at Manaus harbor a new record, the highest mark of the last 107?years. During the 2008–2009 hydrological year, the rainy season on northern and northwestern Amazonia started prematurely, and was followed by a longer-than-normal rainy season. An anomalously southward migration of the ITCZ during May–June 2009, due to the warmer than normal surface waters in the tropical South Atlantic, was responsible for abundant rainfall in large regions of eastern Amazonia and Northeast Brazil from May to July 2009. We also compared the flood of 2009 with other major events recorded in 1989 and 1999. The hydrological consequences of this pattern were earlier than normal floods in Amazon northern tributaries, which peak discharges at their confluences with the main stem almost coincided with the peaks of southern tributaries. Since the time displacement of the contribution to the main stem of northern and southern Amazon tributaries is fundamental for damping flood waves in the main stem, the simultaneous combinations of peak discharges of tributaries resulted in an extreme flood.  相似文献