From subsurface to surface: a multidisciplinary approach to decoding uplift histories in tectonically-active karst landscapes     

Christos Pennos  Stein-Erik Lauritzen  Konstantinos Vouvalidis  Patience Cowie  Sofia Pechlivanidou  Charikleia Gkarlaouni  Michael Styllas  Panagiotis Tsourlos  Antonios Mouratidis 《地球表面变化过程与地形》2019,44(9):1710-1721

We present an integrated study of subsurface and surficial karst landforms to unravel the uplift history of karst landscape in a tectonically-active area. To this end, we apply a multidisciplinary approach by combining cave geomorphology and Th/U dating of speleothems with remote sensing plus geophysical imaging of surface landforms. We use as an example Mt. Menikio in northern Greece where four caves share well-defined epiphreatic/shallow phreatic characteristics that are related to the distribution of surface and buried doline fields and provide evidence for three distinct water table stillstands (e.g. expressed as cave levels) now lying at ~130 m, ~800 m and ~1600 m a.m.s.l. Our dating constraints delimit the age of the lower water table stillstand prior to 77 ka ago and imply a maximum rate of relative base level drop of 0.45 mma^-1, which is consistent with relative tectonic uplift rate estimates along currently active normal faults. We interpret the elevation of the higher water table stillstands to reflect earlier phases of uplift related to the regional tectonic events associated with the development of the North Anatolian Fault and the Northern Aegean area. Our analysis shows that the combined study of epiphreatic/shallow phreatic caves and surficial karst landforms together, is a robust way to investigate the uplift history of a karst landscape in a tectonically-active setting. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Late Quaternary glacier and sea-ice history of northern Wijdefjorden,Svalbard     

Lis Allaart  Juliane Müller  Anders Schomacker  Tom A. Rydningen  Lena Håkansson  Sofia E. Kjellman  Gesine Mollenhauer  Matthias Forwick 《Boreas: An International Journal of Quaternary Research》2020,49(3):417-437

The deglaciation history and Holocene environmental evolution of northern Wijdefjorden, Svalbard, are reconstructed using sediment cores and acoustic data (multibeam swath bathymetry and sub-bottom profiler data). Results reveal that the fjord mouth was deglaciated prior to 14.5±0.3 cal. ka BP and deglaciation occurred stepwise. Biomarker analyses show rapid variations in water temperature and sea ice cover during the deglaciation, and cold conditions during the Younger Dryas, followed by minimum sea ice cover throughout the Early Holocene, until c. 7 cal. ka BP. Most of the glaciers in Wijdefjorden had retreated onto land by c. 7.6±0.2 cal. ka BP. Subsequently, the sea-ice extent increased and remained high throughout the last part of the Holocene. We interpret a high Late Holocene sediment accumulation rate in the northernmost core to reflect increased sediment flux to the site from the outlet of the adjacent lake Femmilsjøen, related to glacier growth in the Femmilsjøen catchment area. Furthermore, increased sea ice cover, lower water temperatures and the re-occurrence of ice-rafted debris indicate increased local glacier activity and overall cooler conditions in Wijdefjorden after c. 0.5 cal. ka BP. We summarize our findings in a conceptual model for the depositional environment in northern Wijdefjorden from the Late Weichselian until present.  相似文献   

Local gamma ray events as tests of the antimatter theory of gamma ray bursts     

Sabatino Sofia  Robert E. Wilson 《Astrophysics and Space Science》1976,39(1):L7-L11

Nearby examples of the antimatter chunks postulated by Sofia and Van Horn to explain the cosmic gamma ray bursts may produce detectable gamma ray events when struck by solar system meteoroids. These events would have a much shorter time scale and higher energy spectrum than the bursts already observed. In order to have a reasonably high event rate, the local meteoroid population must extend to a distance from the Sun of the order of 0.1 pc, but the required distance could become much lower if the instrumental threshold is improved. We also examine the expected gamma ray flux for interaction of the antimatter bodies with the solar wind, and find it far below present instrumental capabilities.  相似文献   

Geomorphic features extraction from high-resolution topography: landslide crowns and bank erosion   总被引：5，自引：0，他引：5  

Paolo Tarolli  Giulia Sofia  Giancarlo Dalla Fontana 《Natural Hazards》2012,61(1):65-83

In recent years, new remote-sensed technologies, such as airborne and terrestrial laser scanner, have improved the detail and the quality of topographic information, providing topographical high-resolution and high-quality data over larger areas better than other technologies. A new generation of high-resolution (≤3 m) digital terrain models (DTMs) is now available for different areas and is widely used by researchers, offering new opportunities for the scientific community. These data call for the development of a new generation of methodologies for an objective extraction of geomorphic features, such as channel heads, channel networks, bank geometry, debris-flow channel, debris-flow deposits, scree slope, landslide and erosion scars, etc. A high-resolution DTM is able to detect the divergence/convergence of areas related to unchannelized/channelized processes with better detail than a coarse DTM. In this work, we tested the performance of new methodologies for an objective extraction of geomorphic features related to shallow landsliding processes (landslide crowns), and bank erosion in a complex mountainous terrain. Giving a procedure that automatically recognizes these geomorphic features can offer a strategic tool to map natural hazard and to ease the planning and the assessment of alpine regions. The methodologies proposed are based on the detection of thresholds derived by the statistical analysis of variability of landform curvature. The study was conducted on an area located in the Eastern Italian Alps, where an accurate field survey on shallow landsliding, erosive channelized processes, and a high-quality set of both terrestrial and airborne laser scanner elevation data is available. The analysis was conducted using a high-resolution DTM and different smoothing factors for landform curvature calculation in order to test the most suitable scale of curvature calculation for the recognition of the selected features. The results revealed that (1) curvature calculation is strongly scale-dependent, and an appropriate scale for derivation of the local geometry has to be selected according to the scale of the features to be detected; (2) such approach is useful to automatically detect and highlight the location of shallow slope failures and bank erosion, and it can assist the interpreter/operator to correctly recognize and delineate such phenomena. These results highlight opportunities but also challenges in fully automated methodologies for geomorphic feature extraction and recognition.  相似文献   

High-Precision Measurements of the Solar Diameter and Oblateness by the Solar Disk Sextant (SDS) Experiment     

A. Egidi  B. Caccin  S. Sofia  W. Heaps  W. Hoegy  L. Twigg 《Solar physics》2006,235(1-2):407-418

We reduce and analyze, in a uniform way, all of the data obtained by the Solar Disk Sextant (SDS) experiment, concerning high-precision measurements of the solar radius and oblateness, in the bandwidth 590 {–} 670 nm, made onboard stratospheric balloons during a series of flights carried out in 1992, 1994, 1995, and 1996. The measured radius value appears anti-correlated with the level of solar activity, ranging from about 959.5 to 959.7 arcsec. Its variation from year to year is outside the error range, which is mostly due to a systematic diurnal behavior, particularly evident in the 1996 flight. The oblateness shows an analogous temporal behavior, ranging from about (4.3 to 10.3) × 10⁻⁶. We regret that Prof. Caccin died on June 19, 2004.  相似文献   

Pseudo-nitzschia spp. (Bacillariophyceae) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics in the Ebro Delta (Alfacs Bay, NW Mediterranean Sea)     

Sofia Loureiro  Esther Garcs  Margarita Fernndez-Tejedor  Dolors Vaqu  Jordi Camp 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2009,83(4):539-549

Samples were collected during one annual cycle (April 2007–March 2008) at Alfacs Bay (NW Mediterranean Sea) central station in order to assess the influence of organic nutrients in the growth of the microalgae assemblage, with special reference to Pseudo-nitzschia spp. This potentially toxic diatom forms natural and recurrent blooms in the study area. To assess further the relationship between Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and nutrients an enrichment experiment with high molecular weight dissolved organic matter (HMWDOM) was performed with field samples obtained during a Pseudo-nitzschia spp. bloom. HMWDOM was extracted from water collected at Alfacs Bay. Five bioassays were prepared: N + P (seawater with addition of nitrate and phosphate), DOM (addition of HMWDOM), (−N + P) + DOM (nitrogen deficient, with addition of phosphate and HMWDOM), (N + P) + DOM (addition of nitrate, phosphate and HMWDOM), seawater control (without added nutrients), and B + DOM (control of bacteria, without microalgae). The experiment was run in batch mode over 4 days. Results from the field study revealed that the concentrations of organic nutrients mostly surpassed the inorganic pool. Pseudo-nitzschia spp. was the most frequent and abundant taxa of the microalgae community. The micro-planktonic assemblage was arranged according to a seasonal factor (ANOSIM and cluster analysis). DON, nitrate and silicate were the most important abiotic parameters contributing to the dissimilarities between seasons (SIMPER analysis) and thereby potentially influencing the seasonal distribution of microalgae in the representative station. In the experimental investigation, Pseudo-nitzschia cells increased by the end of the experiment in the DOM bioassay but no respective increase was observed for chlorophyll a. This could point to an acquisition of nutrients through the DOM fraction that would conjointly reduce the need of chlorophyll a. The data obtained suggest that organic nutrients may exert an important role in the development of microalgae, including Pseudo-nitzschia spp., in the selected location.  相似文献   

Recent disruptions in the timing and intensity of precipitation in Calakmul,Mexico     

Sofia Mardero  Birgit Schmook  Zachary Christman  Sarah E. Metcalfe  Betsab&#; De la Barreda-Bautista 《Theoretical and Applied Climatology》2020,140(1):129-144

This study addresses changes in the timing and intensity of precipitation from 1982 to 2016 from three meteorological stations around Calakmul, Mexico, a landscape balancing biodiversity conservation and smallholder agricultural production. Five methods were used to assess changes in precipitation: the Mann-Kendall test of annual and wet season trends; a fuzzy-logic approach to determine the onset of the rainy season; the Gini Index and Precipitation Concentration Index (PCI) to evaluate the temporal distribution of precipitation; Simple Precipitation Intensity Index (SDII) to evaluate precipitation intensity; and the Rainfall Anomaly Index (RAI) to identify the deficit or surplus of rainfall compared with the long-term mean. Overall, rainfall trends in Calakmul over this period indicate a slight increase, though results of the indices (Gini, SDII, PCI) all indicate that rainfall has become more intense and more unevenly distributed throughout the year. There was no significant trend in the onset date of rainfall or the RAI overall, though there were more pronounced crests and troughs from 2004 to 2016. Higher interannual variability and more pronounced rainfall anomalies, both positive and negative, suggest that rainfall in the Calakmul region has become more extreme. This research informs for management and livelihood strategies in the local region and offers insights for analyses of regional patterns of seasonal precipitation events in tropical landscapes worldwide.  相似文献   

Processing Method Effects on Solar Diameter Measurements: Use of Data Gathered by the Solar Disk Sextant     

D. Djafer  G. Thuillier  S. Sofia  A. Egidi 《Solar physics》2008,247(2):225-248

To determine the apparent diameter of the Sun, it is first necessary to measure the shape of the intensity profile of the solar limb with an imaging optical system (hereafter denoted as a solar-limb profile). The inflection point of the limb profile is usually used as a reference for calculating the diameter. Because this point may be difficult to determine in the presence of noise, it is necessary to define an appropriate filtering process that eliminates noise while preserving the position of the inflection point. In this paper we study two filtering techniques, one based on the compact wavelet transform and the other on the finite Fourier transform definition, that meet these requirements. The application of these two techniques to data gathered by the Solar Disk Sextant experiment shows that the solar radius increased from 1992 to 1996 by about 197 mas. However, a previous analysis of the same data and our present analysis provide a difference in the measured radii of about 92 mas. We show that this difference is entirely traced to the filtering process.  相似文献   

Evidences for multiple remagnetization of Proterozoic dykes from Iguerda inlier (Anti-Atlas Belt,Southern Morocco)     

Marta Neres  Pedro F. Silva  Moha Ikenne  Sofia Martins  Ahmid Hafid  João Mata  Francisco Almeida  Nasrrddine Youbi  Moulay A. Boumehdi 《Studia Geophysica et Geodaetica》2016,60(4):700-730

No paleomagnetic data exist for Paleo-Mesoproterozoic times of the West African Craton (WAC). Therefore, paleogeographic reconstructions for such old geological times are difficult to constrain. Gaps on the sedimentary record and intense remagnetizations are the major problems that paleomagnetic studies come across. Recent geochronological results for dyke swarms that intrude several Proterozoic inliers of WAC in the Anti-Atlas Belt (southern Morocco) revealed ages between Paleoproterozoic and early Neoproterozoic, opening for the first time a window of opportunity to conduct paleomagnetic studies and tentatively infer about the paleoposition of WAC during Proterozoic. On this scope we conducted a paleomagnetic study on seven Proterozoic dykes of the Iguerda inlier. The meaning of the obtained paleomagnetic directions was evaluated by rock magnetic and mineral analyses, complemented by petrographic observations. Our samples record the presence of a complex history of remagnetization, mostly assigned to several Phanerozoic thermal/chemical events, in particular to the late stages of Pan African orogeny (s.l.), to the Late Carboniferous Variscan orogeny, and even to more recent events. The recognized remagnetization processes are related to widespread metamorphic events under greenschist facies followed by low-temperature oxidation, both responsible for the formation of new magnetic phases, like magnetite and hematite. These events obliterated the primary (magmatic) thermo-remanent magnetization and promoted multiple remagnetizations of the dykes, thermally and chemically. For only one dyke the presence of primary magnetization is possible to infer, though not to confirm, and would place WAC at an equatorial position around 1750 Ma.  相似文献   

2D solar modeling     

P. Ventura  V. Penza  L. Li  S. Sofia  S. Basu  P. Demarque 《Astrophysics and Space Science》2010,328(1-2):295-300

Understanding the reasons of the cyclic variation of the total solar irradiance is one of the most challenging targets of modern astrophysics. These studies prove to be essential also for a more climatologic issue, associated to the global warming. Any attempt to determine the solar components of this phenomenon must include the effects of the magnetic field, whose strength and shape in the solar interior are far from being completely known. Modeling the presence and the effects of a magnetic field requires a 2D approach, since the assumption of radial symmetry is too limiting for this topic. We present the structure of a 2D evolution code that was purposely designed for this scope; rotation, magnetic field and turbulence can be taken into account. Some preliminary results are presented and commented.  相似文献