DSpace Collection:

An agricultural decision support system for optimal land use regarding groundwater vulnerability

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:00:00 GMT

Title: An agricultural decision support system for optimal land use regarding groundwater vulnerability Authors: Voudouris, K.; Aristotle University, Greece; Polemio, M.; CNR-IRPI, italy; Kazakis, N.; Aristotle University, Greece; Sifaleras, A.; University of Macedonia, Greece Editors: Wang, J.; Montclair State University, USA Abstract: The availability of good quality water is worldwide a basic condition to pursue the socioeconomic development. The agriculture water demand can be damaged by contamination of groundwater resources. This paper proposes a tool to preserve the groundwater quality by using groundwater vulnerability assessment methods and a decision support system (DSS). Vulnerability map could be used for planning, policy, management, and contamination assessment. The mapping of intrinsic groundwater vulnerability was based on reliable methods, i.e., the DRASTIC and the SINTACS methods. A vulnerability map could be used for planning, policy, management, and contamination assessment. A DSS was developed in order to assess the groundwater vulnerability and pollution risk due to agricultural activities and land use changes. The proposed DSS software package was designed using the Matlab language. The software is a friendly application for everyone ranging from the novice user, e.g., a student, to an operations research scientist. It quickly and efficiently performs the task that is scheduled to carry out, and it can incorporate new maps in order to cover new areas. The tool was tested using two study areas located in the Mediterranean area. The test sites are dominated by different prevalent hydrogeological features, i.e., the typical porous features of alluvial deposits in the Greek study area and the typical fissured and karstic features of limestones and dolostones in the Italian study area.

Project S1: Analysis of the seismic potential in Italy for the evaluation of the seismic hazard

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:00:00 GMT

Title: Project S1: Analysis of the seismic potential in Italy for the evaluation of the seismic hazard Authors: Barba, S.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma1, Roma, Italia; Doglioni, C.; Sapienza Università di Roma Abstract: The project S1 was aimed at (a) collecting new data and to update the existing databases needed to quantify seismic hazard; (b) promoting new studies on specific fields of knowledge and less-explored areas of Italy; (c) testing new approaches to evaluate seismic potential; (d) bounding slip rate values to use within probabilistic hazard estimates; and (e) preparing the way towards a future seismic hazard map of Italy. It was designed with three scientific parts – nationwide basic data, rheology, and field studies – and implemented into four tasks: 1) earthquake geodesy and modeling, 2) seismological data and earthquake statistics, 3) earthquake geology, and 4) tsunamis. Although with many difficulties and some delay, described in the appropriate section, all the above objectives have generally been accomplished. New observations were collected through original fieldwork and more sophisticated analyses were performed on existing data. Datasets needed for the seismic hazard estimates were updated at various levels by reducing both epistemic and aleatory uncertainties. New studies were carried out on specific fields of knowledge, e.g. addressing the repeatability of geodetic and stress data measurements or the seismogenic behavior of misoriented faults. Studies on less-explored areas were stimulated, and faults, whose seismic potential was not previously accounted for, were mapped and/or parameterized in the Ionian and Adriatic Seas, in Calabria, Sicily and the Southwestern Alps. Independent approaches to evaluate the seismic potential were tested, and a large effort toward homogenization and verifiability was made. The substantial improvements of nationwide datasets and understanding of the tectonic processes in large areas of the country set the basis for a significantly better assessment of seismic hazard.

Hydrothermal Breccia Textures and Processes: Lisca Bianca Islet, Panarea Volcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Title: Hydrothermal Breccia Textures and Processes: Lisca Bianca Islet, Panarea Volcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy Authors: Cas, R.; Giordano, G.; Balsamo, F.; Esposito, A.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione CNT, Roma, Italia; Lo Mastro, S. Abstract: Panarea is a largely submarine to partly subaerial Quaternary lava dome complex-stratovolcano with a long-lived, active, shallow hydrothermal system, located in the Aeolian Islands volcanic arc of southern Italy. The emergent top of the volcano forms a small archipelago, made up of calc-alkaline basaltic andesite to rhyolite lava domes (ca. 150–20 ka). We document the facies outcropping on Lisca Bianca islet, Panarea archipelago, based on grain size, clast fabric, and degree of hydrothermal alteration, identifying coherent facies, boulder breccia facies, cobble breccia facies, pebble breccia facies, and pervasively altered andesite facies (alunite-marcasite-sulfur). The breccias all have ubiquitous jigsaw-fit clast textures, and are variably hydrothermally altered. The breccias are interpreted as hydrothermal breccias and are distinguished from primary volcanic facies based on their distinguishing characteristics. The breccias formed through a cyclical process, involving the following: stage 1: progressive build-up of fluid pressure toward the level of the tensile strength of the host andesite; stage 2: incipient fracturing of the andesite when fluid pressure approaches and then exceeds the tensile strength of the andesite under critical fracturing conditions; stage 3: pervasive fracturing of the host andesite, leading to an increase in permeability as a network of fractures develops; stage 4: declining pressure, with fluid flow rates that lead to infilling and sealing of fractures by natroalunite, thereby reducing permeability, leading to progressive build-up of fluid pressure again, and the beginning of a new cycle.

Hindcast of oil-spill pollution during the Lebanon crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean, July–August 2006

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Title: Hindcast of oil-spill pollution during the Lebanon crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean, July–August 2006 Authors: Coppini, G.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Bologna, Bologna, Italia; De Dominicis, M.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Bologna, Bologna, Italia; Zodiatis, G.; Lardner, R.; Pinardi, N.; Santoleri, R.; Colella, S.; Bignami, F.; Hayes, D. R.; Soloviev, D.; Georgiou, G.; Kallos, G. Abstract: MOON (Mediterranean Operational Oceanography Network http://www.moon-oceanforecasting.eu) provides near-real-time information on oil-spill detection (ocean color and SAR) and predictions [ocean forecasts (MFS and CYCOFOS) and oil-spill predictions (MEDSLIK)]. We employ this system to study the Lebanese oil-pollution crisis in summer 2006 and thus to assist regional and local decision makers in Europe, regionally and locally. The MEDSLIK oil-spill predictions obtained using CYCOFOS high-resolution ocean fields are compared with those obtained using lower-resolution MFS hydrodynamics, and both are validated against satellite observations. The predicted beached oil distributions along the Lebanese and Syrian coasts are compared with in situ observations. The oil-spill predictions are able to simulate the northward movement of the oil spill, with the CYCOFOS predictions being in better agreement with satellite observations. Among the free MEDSLIK parameters tested in the sensitivity experiments, the drift factor appears to be the most relevant to improve the quality of the results.

New insights on the relative sea level change during Holocene along the coasts of Tunisia and western Libya from archaeological and geomorphological markers

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Title: New insights on the relative sea level change during Holocene along the coasts of Tunisia and western Libya from archaeological and geomorphological markers Authors: Anzidei, M.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione CNT, Roma, Italia; Antonioli, F.; Lambeck, K.; Benini, A.; Soussi, M.; Lakhdar, R. Abstract: New data of sea level changes for the Mediterranean region along the coasts of northern Africa are presented. Data are inferred from archaeological sites of Punic-Roman age located along the coast of Tunisia, between Tunis and Jerba island and along the western coast of Libya, between Sabratha and Leptis Magna. Data are based on precise measures of presently submerged archaeological markers that are good indicators of past sea-level elevation. Nineteen selected archaeological sites were studied in Tunisia and four in Libya, all aged between ∼2.0 and ∼1.5 ka BP. The functional elevations of significant archaeological markers were measured with respect to the sea level at the time of measurements, applying corrections for tide and atmospheric pressure values. The functional elevations of specific architectural parts of the sites were interpreted, related to sea level at the time of their construction providing data on the relative changes between land and sea. Observations were compared against sea level change predictions derived from the glacio-hydro-isostatic model associated with the Last Glacial cycle. The results indicate that local relative sea level change along the coast of Tunisia and Libya, has increased 0.2 ÷ 0.5 m since the last ∼2 ka. Besides minor vertical tectonic movements of the land, the observed changes are produced by eustatic and glacio-hydro-isostatic variations acting in the Mediterranean basin since the end of the last glacial maximum.

Numerical simulation and decomposition of kinetic energy in the Central Mediterranean: insight on mesoscale circulation and energy conversion

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Title: Numerical simulation and decomposition of kinetic energy in the Central Mediterranean: insight on mesoscale circulation and energy conversion Authors: Sorgente, R.; Olita, A.; Oddo, P.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Bologna, Bologna, Italia; Fazioli, L.; Ribotti, A. Abstract: The spatial and temporal variability of eddy and mean kinetic energy of the Central Mediterranean region has been investigated, from January 2008 to December 2010, by mean of a numerical simulation mainly to quantify the mesoscale dynamics and their relationships with physical forcing. In order to understand the energy redistribution processes, the baroclinic energy conversion has been analysed, suggesting hypotheses about the drivers of the mesoscale activity in this area. The ocean model used is based on the Princeton Ocean Model implemented at 1/32 horizontal resolution. Surface momentum and buoyancy fluxes are interactively computed by mean of standard bulk formulae using predicted model Sea Surface Temperature and atmospheric variables provided by the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast operational analyses. At its lateral boundaries the model is one-way nested within the Mediterranean Forecasting System operational products. The model domain has been subdivided in four subregions: Sardinia channel and southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Sicily channel, eastern Tunisian shelf and Libyan Sea. Temporal evolution of eddy and mean kinetic energy has been analysed, on each of the four sub-regions, showing different behaviours. On annual scales and within the first 5m depth, the eddy kinetic energy represents approximately the 60% of the total kinetic energy over the whole domain, confirming the strong mesoscale nature of the surface current flows in this area. The analyses show that the model well reproduces the path and the temporal behaviour of the main known subbasin circulation features. New mesoscale structures have been also identified, from numerical results and direct observations, for the first time as the Pantelleria Vortex and the Medina Gyre

Baroclinic Stationary Waves in Aquaplanet Models

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Title: Baroclinic Stationary Waves in Aquaplanet Models Authors: Zappa, G.; Lucarini, V.; Navarra, A.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Bologna, Bologna, Italia Abstract: An aquaplanet model is used to study the nature of the highly persistent low-frequency waves that have been observed in models forced by zonally symmetric boundary conditions. Using the Hayashi spectral analysis of the extratropical waves, the authors find that a quasi-stationary wave 5 belongs to a wave packet obeying a well-defined dispersion relation with eastward group velocity. The components of the dispersion relation with k ≥ 5 baroclinically convert eddy available potential energy into eddy kinetic energy, whereas those with k < 5 are baroclinically neutral. In agreement with Green’s model of baroclinic instability, wave 5 is weakly unstable, and the inverse energy cascade, which had been previously proposed as a main forcing for this type of wave, only acts as a positive feedback on its predominantly baroclinic energetics. The quasi-stationary wave is reinforced by a phase lock to an analogous pattern in the tropical convection, which provides further amplification to the wave. It is also found that the Pedlosky bounds on the phase speed of unstable waves provide guidance in explaining the latitudinal structure of the energy conversion, which is shown to be more enhanced where the zonal westerly surface wind is weaker. The wave’s energy is then trapped in the waveguide created by the upper tropospheric jet stream. In agreement with Green’s theory, as the equator-to-pole SST difference is reduced, the stationary marginally stable component shifts toward higher wavenumbers, while wave 5 becomes neutral and westward propagating. Some properties of the aquaplanet quasi-stationary waves are found to be in interesting agreement with a low frequency wave observed by Salby during December–February in the Southern Hemisphere so that this perspective on low frequency variability, apart from its value in terms of basic geophysical fluid dynamics, might be of specific interest for studying the earth’s atmosphere.

The tsumani detector prototype installed on board of SN1-cabled abyssal station.

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 22:00:00 GMT

Title: The tsumani detector prototype installed on board of SN1-cabled abyssal station. Authors: Chierici, F.; Istituto di Radio Astronomia-INAF, sez. Bologna, Italy; Pignagnoli, L.; Istituto di Scienze Marine-CNR, sez. di Bologna, Italy; Embriaco, D.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia; Monna, S.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia Abstract: The new stand-alone tsunami detector prototype designed to operate in tsunami generation areas, already tested in the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Iberia) on board of GEOSTAR abyssal station, has been re-designed to be hosted on the cabled SN1 abyssal station. A new control software has been implemented to manage, in real time, from the land-based control room the basic component of the tsunameter. The tsunami detection software which perform the real time analysis of the parent tsunami signals, differently form the Gulf of Cadiz stand-alone prototype, runs on a land-based PC. Moreover, the cabled tsunameter is equipped with a new low-frequency hydrophone to detect the hydro-acoustic noise and signals that may be related to tsunami generation.

The tsumani detector prototype deployed in the Gulf of Cadiz: data collection and functionality evaluation

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 22:00:00 GMT

Title: The tsumani detector prototype deployed in the Gulf of Cadiz: data collection and functionality evaluation Authors: Chierici, F.; Istituto di Radio Astronomia-INAF, sez. Bologna, Italy; Pignagnoli, L.; Istituto di Scienze Marine-CNR, sez. di Bologna, Italy; Embriaco, D.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia; Monna, S.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia Abstract: A new tsunami detector prototype designed to operate in tsunami generation areas has been tested offshore SW Iberia, in the Gulf of Cadiz. The prototype, hosted on board of GEOSTAR has been deployed, at to 3200 meters depth, in August 2007 and recovered one year later by R/V Urania. After refurbishment and a partial upgrade, the tsunameter has been re-deployed in the same location on November 2009 by R/V Sarmiento de Gamboa.We report samples of the data collected by the pressure sensors and the critical analysis of the achievements and problems faced during these test periods.

The driving forces of the biotic processes along an offshore gradient in the Ligurian basin (Portofino Promontory) during 2008

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 22:00:00 GMT

Title: The driving forces of the biotic processes along an offshore gradient in the Ligurian basin (Portofino Promontory) during 2008 Authors: Locritani, M.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia; Gasparini, G. P.; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche ISMAR, La Spezia, Italy; Carmisciano, C.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia; Castellano, M.; Universita’ degli studi di Genova, Genova, Italy; Povero, P.; Universita’ degli studi di Genova, Genova, Italy Abstract: The marine coastal area of the Portofino Promontory, located in the North-East side of the Ligurian basin (Mediterranean Sea), has been studied since 1980’s to identify its main ecological characteristics. The large physical, chemical and biological dataset available for this site (LTER sites) represents a powerful tool for the reliable reconstruction of seasonal cycles and allow the differentiation of regular and recurrent patterns from occasional and exceptional events. This long-term monitoring reveled an increases in the average monthly temperature along the water column in the last 10 years compare with the previous decade (1985-1995), with a high inter-annual variability and some specific episodic occurrence of thermal anomalies. The physical features of the water column seems to have a strict relation with the phytoplankton biomass fluctuations. A detailed study of 2008 intended to analyze a wider area, in order to compare the driving forces influencing the development of biotic process along an offshore gradient.