Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autocyclic behaviour of alluvial and deltaic systems

Fan deltas are excellent recorders of fan-building processes because of their high sedimentation rate, particularly in tectonically active settings. Although previous research has focused mainly on allogenic controls, there is clear evidence for autogenically produced storage and release of sediment by flume and numerical modelling that demands further definition of characteristics and significance of autogenically forced facies and stratigraphy. Analogue experiments were performed on fan deltas with constant extrinsic variables (discharge, sediment supply, sea-level and basin relief ) to demonstrate that fan-delta evolution consists of prominent cyclic alternations of channelised flow and sheet flow. The channellised flow is initiated by slope-induced scouring and subsequent headward erosion to form a channel that connected with the valley, while the removed sediment is deposited in a rapidly prograding delta lobe. The resulting decrease in channel gradient causes a reduction in flow strength, mouth-bar formation, flow bifurcation and progressive backfilling of the channel. In the final stage of channel filling, sheet flow coexists for a while with channellised flow (semi-confined flow), although in cycle 1 this phase of semi-confined flow was absent. Subsequent autocyclic incisions are very similar in morphology and gradient. However, they erode deeper into the delta plain and, as a result, take more time to backfill. The duration of the semi-confined flow increases with each subsequent cycle. During the period of sheet flow, the delta plain aggrades up to the ‘critical’ gradient required for the initiation of autocyclic incision. This critical gradient is dependent on the sediment transport capacity, defined by the input conditions. These autogenic cycles of erosion and aggradation confirm earlier findings that storage and release of sediment and associated slope variation play an important role in fan-delta evolution. The erosional surfaces produced by the autocyclic incisions are well-preserved by the backfilling process in the deposits of the fan deltas. These erosional surfaces can easily be misinterpreted as climatically, sea-level or tectonically induced bounding surfaces.
Contourite drifts, moats and channels in the Upper Cretaceous chalk of the Danish Basin

During the Late Cretaceous, high global sea‐level meant that most of the NW European craton was flooded by the deep epeiric ‘chalk sea’. The classical paradigm for chalk deposition envisages a quiet rain of minute skeletal debris of coccolithophorid algae and other pelagic organisms deposited as horizontal, flat‐lying pelagic oozes with local redeposition by slumps, slides and debris flows along faults and other structural features. Seismic data from the Danish Basin and elsewhere necessitate a revision of this paradigm. These demonstrate that the chalk sea floor had a considerable relief, commonly of more than a hundred metres amplitude, comprising moats, drifts, mounds and channels. Seismic sections from the Kattegat sea illustrate the development in the Maastrichtian of a deep moat adjacent to a topographic ridge formed over the inverted NW–SE‐trending Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone. The moat was up to 120 m deeper than its SW flank which was formed by an internally complex elongate drift, up to 20 km wide with an estimated length of ca 200 km. Smaller mound‐like features, channels and clinoform beds are superimposed on the large‐scale relief. The sea floor relief is interpreted to have formed in response to persistent bottom currents, flowing parallel to bathymetric contours. The initial build‐up of the broad, gently convex‐up sheeted drift was controlled by relatively low‐velocity bottom currents. The region of highest current velocity was gradually shifted NE‐wards towards the inversion zone ridge, resulting in the formation of the deep moat flanked by the elongate drift. The current is interpreted to have flowed from the SE towards NW on the basis of the internal architecture of the elongate drift and the NW‐ward branching and decrease in moat relief. The architecture and morphology of the moat drift and other features of the chalk sea floor are in all aspects similar to contourite systems of modern continental margins. It is accordingly proposed that the fundamental physical oceanographic concept – contour currents and their resulting contourite drifts – is extended to include the deep epeiric seas which covered NW Europe during the Late Cretaceous.
Monitoring environmental behavior among recreational boaters

Introduction The environmental impacts of recreational boating in protected waters are recognized, but not well understood. Much of the available information is descriptive or anecdotal, with little hard data and analysis. Most studies are of a short-term nature, and long-term impacts are rarely addressed. The monitoring of environmental impacts of boating is not carried out in the majority of protected area marine parks in developing countries. There is rarely any baseline data with which to compare current situations, and neither is time-series data available for analyzing trends. There is a lack of integrated monitoring and management, and no definition of indicators by which to evaluate the environmental performance of protected area tourism. It is recommended that simple social and environmental impact monitoring strategies are implemented, and controls on certain aspects of visitor and boater use are enforced (Goodwin, Kent, Parker, and Walpole 1997). This paper examines specific issue responsible environmental behavior as a social indicator in boater impact monitoring within a marine resource setting. However, note that the concepts are intended for a broader context of monitoring proenvironmental behavior.
Évaluation de l'Impact du Dispositif Scellier sur les Prix Fonciers

Cette etude s'interesse a l'effet du dispositif dit "Scellier" d'aide a l'investissement locatif prive sur le prix des terrains a bâtir. Notre methode d'evaluation se situe dans le cadre de l'evaluation contrefactuelle d'une politique publique developpee par Rubin. Nous mettons en œuvre une estimation par la methode de la double difference en mobilisant des donnees extraites de la base BNDP entre 2004 et 2010. Nous developpons deux strategies pour les groupes de controle et de traitement. La premiere utilise les donnees de part et d'autre de la frontiere entre les zones soumises et non soumises au dispositif. La seconde repose sur la decomposition du groupe de controle en quantiles dont l'evolution temporelle avant la mise en place du dispositif est la plus similaire aux quartiles du groupe de traitement. Nous montrons que le dispositif impacte bien le prix des terrains a bâtir. Cet impact pouvant varier de 5 euros a 30 euros au metre carre. Cependant nous montrons que cet impact est heterogene a la fois structurellement et localement.
Sodium metabisulfite–induced polymerization of sickle cell hemoglobin incubated in the extracts of three medicinal plants (Anacardium occidentale, Psidium guajava, and Terminalia catappa)

Background: The exploitation and utilization of vast varieties of herbal extracts may serve as alternative measures to deter aggregation of deoxygenated sickle cell hemoglobin (deoxyHbS) molecules. Objective: The present in vitro study ascertained the capacity of three medicinal plants, namely, Anacardium occidentale, Psidium guajava, and Terminalia catappa, to alter polymerization of HbS. Materials and Methods: Spectrophotometric method was used to monitor the level of polymerization of hemolysate HbS molecules treated with sodium metabisulfite (Na2 S2 O5) at a regular interval of 30 s for a period of 180 s in the presence of separate aqueous extracts of A. occidentale, P. guajava, and T. catappa. At time intervals of 30 s, the level of polymerization was expressed as percentage of absorbance relative to the control sample at the 180th s. Results: Although extracts of the three medicinal plants caused significant (P < 0.05) reduction in polymerization of deoxyHbS molecules, the corresponding capacity in this regard diminished with increase in incubation time. Aqueous extract of P. guajava exhibited the highest capacity to reduced polymerization of deoxyHbS molecules. Whereas at t > 60 s, extract concentration of 400 mg% of A. occidentale activated polymerization of deoxyHbS molecules by 6.23±1.34, 14.53±1.67, 21.15±1.89, and 24.42±1.09%, 800 mg% of T. catappa at t > 30 s gave values of 2.50±1.93, 5.09±1.96, 10.00±0.99, 15.38±1.33, and 17.31±0.97%. Conclusion: The capacity of the three medicinal plants to interfere with polymerization of deoxyHbS molecules depended on the duration of incubation and concentration of the extracts.
Variability of extreme precipitation over Yunnan Province, China 1960–2012

This study investigated spatial and temporal variations of extreme precipitation over Yunnan Province during 1960–2012. On the basis of a dataset from 120 meteorological stations covering the region, ten precipitation indices derived from daily precipitation were computed and analysed. Our results indicate the precipitation indices showed spatially complex trends. Most precipitation indices present increasing trends in western Yunnan and decreasing trends in eastern Yunnan. The western, southern and central regions experienced an increase in consecutive dry days (CDDs) and decrease in consecutive wet days (CWDs). In addition, a widespread increase was also found in precipitation intensity over Yunnan. On a region‐wide scale, a weak decrease was observed in total precipitation, accompanied by an increase in precipitation intensity. CDDs tended to be prolonged while the CWDs tended to be shortened. The days with precipitation amounts totaling more than 10 mm and maximum 5‐day precipitation amount had decreasing but not significant trends. In contrast, insignificant increases were found for the maximum 1‐day precipitation and annual total precipitation exceeding 95th and 99th percentiles. The contribution of extreme precipitation to total precipitation increased during 1960–2012. Overall, occurrences of extreme precipitation are more concentrated in time. The weakening of the Asian summer monsoon strength and local topography had contribution to the variations of extreme precipitation over Yunnan. However, the forcing mechanisms are very complicated and need to be studied in subsequent work.
Carbonate sand bodies along contrasting shallow bank margins facing open seaways in northern Bahamas.

High-resolution seismic profiling, bottom sampling, and aerial and space imagery show that widely contrasting carbonate sand bodies are present along the shallow windward, leeward, and tide-dominated margins of Little and Great Bahama Banks which face open seaways--the Northwest Providence Channel and the northern Straits of Florida. This high diversity in sand bodies and their associated bank margins is due to variations in the level, duration, and magnitude of the physical energy flux across the edges of the platforms. In the Bahamas, the dominant winds, waves, and currents are from the east; hence easterly facing margins are windward, westerly facing margins are leeward. Where strong tidal currents are present (because of adjacent basin shape) the windward and leeward effects are diminished. Thus, bank-margin orientation relative to the climatic energy patterns appears to assert the major controls upon sedimentation. Antecedent topography in the form of islands or subtidal rock ridges creates energy barriers which can control the direction and volume of sediment flux on or off the banks. Along windward margins, energy barriers such as large islands not only block the bankward transport of sands but appear to augment offbank transport by setting up seaward flows. In contrast, along leeward margins, energy barriers prevent the vigorous offbank sand transport that normally occurs when these margins are open and water flow is unrestricted. In addition, sand-body geometry and grain type are controlled by bank-margin orientation. Along windward, open margins, skeletal sands accumulate in the lee of low-relief, mostly relict reefs. These margins are generally sediment-barren, having only a sporadic, thin veneer of sand. Along leeward, open margins a broad (10 × 10 km), thick (12 m), bankward-thinning blanket of sand rich in nonskeletal components (peloids, composite grains) lies on top of rock ridges and reefs. Large, asymmetric sand waves superimposed on this sand body indicate net offbank sand transport. Along the tide-dominated margin, large, broad, oolitic sand lobes have migrated onto adjacent lagoonal muddy sands and indicate net bankward transport. We suggest the following classification of modern, shallow, carbonate bank margins: (1) windward open; (2) windward protected; (3) leeward open; (4) leeward protected; (5) tide dominated. This classification seems to fit many ancient analogs and may be useful in paleoenvironmental reconstructions.
Assessing Air Quality Impacts of Managed Lanes

Impacts on transit bus performance and air quality were investigated for a case study high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane project on a corridor of I-95 near Miami. Trends in air pollutant concentration monitoring data in the study area first were analyzed. Traffic movement prior to and after implementation of the HOT lanes was simulated using corridor microsimulation (CORSIM). Emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, hydrocarbons, and benzene were estimated using MOBILE6.2. Finally, changes in ambient pollutant concentrations were estimated using AERMOD dispersion simulations. Results indicate decreased congestion on the corridor due to the HOT lane implementation, particularly for the northbound direction during the afternoon peak hours. Specifically, bus travel times were reduced by nine minutes, on average, during these hours. Emissions results were mixed, with small estimated increases for CO, NOx, PM10, and benzene and small decreases for HCs. Slightly higher ambient concentrations were found in most of the study area for the pollutants modeled (CO, NOx, and benzene), with the largest increases near the corridor. Overall, changes in both emissions and concentrations were small, indicating small impacts of the managed lane project on air quality. An additional outcome was the identification of factors contributing to uncertainty in the emissions estimation.
Orocline and syntaxes formation during subduction and collision

The present work investigates the formation of curved ranges and syntaxes with scaled laboratory experiments. We simulated subduction and collision processes comparable to India‐Asia configuration involving a continental upper plate and a subducting plate composed of an oceanic lithosphere and a continental indenter. The experiments reveal that the shape of the mountain range (concave, straight, or convex) and the development of syntaxes are controlled by the subduction interface, the buoyancy number (Fb) of the upper plate (i.e., thickness and viscosity), and the boundary conditions. Four end‐members regimes of indentation can be defined depending on the range shape and dynamics of the upper plate. The curvature of the range is convex toward the subducting plate with syntaxes for a weak subduction fault and concave without syntaxes for a strong subduction fault. Convex curvature and syntaxes form by overthrusting of upper plate material on the subducting plate, which is faster at the center than at the extremities. They are associated with a rather flat slab (underthrusting) during continental collision. Low‐Fb experiments show less pronounced curvatures associated to thickening comparable to the early stages of the India‐Asia collision. In contrast, a thick and weak upper plate (high Fb) leads to gravity collapse that increases the amplitude of the curvature and lateral escape, similar to the late evolution of the Himalaya‐Tibet system. Important lateral decoupling on the sides of the indenter enhances the indentation and produces sharper syntaxes.
Influences of the Bermuda High and atmospheric moistening on changes in summer rainfall in the Atlanta, Georgia region, USA

This paper assesses the variability and trends in summer‐season rainfall from 1948 to 2009 for the Atlanta, Georgia region. The rainfall variables are total rainfall, frequency of rainfall days, and frequency of heavy‐rainfall days. The main methods involve classifying daily 500‐hPa geopotential height fields into synoptic types, determining the rainfall characteristics of the synoptic types, testing for significant temporal trends in rainfall, middle‐troposphere circulation, lower‐troposphere circulation, and atmospheric humidity, and using multiple linear regression to determine the impact of circulation and humidity variables on inter‐annual variations in the rainfall variables. There were a total of eight synoptic types: the wet types involved troughing across or to the immediate west of the Atlanta region, while the dry types involved either an anticyclone across or to the immediate west of the region. The rainfall variables and two lower‐troposphere circulation indices, the Bermuda High Index (BHI) and the Western Bermuda High Index (WBHI), had significant positive trends in variance over time. Among the three rainfall variables, only the frequency of rainfall days had a significant trend: the periods 1976–2009 and 1977–2009 had significant positive trends in rainfall days. The BHI had a significant positive trend from the 1970s to 2009, and the western ridge of the Bermuda High moved significantly southeastward from approximately the mid‐1970s to 2009. Atmospheric humidity (i.e. 850‐hPa specific humidity, 500‐hPa specific humidity, and precipitable water) over the region had significant positive trends during most periods, with all humidity variables having significant increases from the 1970s to 2009. Increased interannual variability in the WBHI appears to be the cause of the increased variance in rainfall variables. An increase in atmospheric humidity, which is actually a global phenomenon, appears to be the principal cause of the increase in rainfall days during the past three decades. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY OF SELENIUM IN PARIETTE WETLANDS, UTAH

Biogeochemistry of Selenium in Pariette Wetlands, Utah by Colleen Jones, Doctor of Philosophy Utah State University, 2014 Co-Major Professors: Dr. Paul Grossl and Astrid Jacobson Department: Plants, Soils, and Climate The Pariette Wetlands was constructed to provide wildlife habitat in an arid environment. Elevated levels of selenium (Se) have been detected in water, soil, and biota. Selenium concentrations have ranged from below detection limit to four times the water quality criterium limit. Here we report on three interrelated research topics: 1) selenium mass balance and flux in water, 2) selenium accumulation, concentration and volatilization of water and plant tissues; and 3) selenium sorption by upland and wetlands soils. 1) Mass balance and mass water flux of selenium for the Pariette Wetlands were studied. A comparison of inlet and outlet Se fluxes was used to determine the mass of Se stored. Selenium concentrations were higher at the inlet (2.1-16.3 μg L) than at the outlet (2.0-14.0 μg L). The average amount of Se retention and/or loss was 75%. 2) Elevated levels of selenium (Se) in water, soil, and biota of the Pariette Wetlands, Utah. Twelve sample sites were selected to determine the spatial and temporal variation of Se accumulation, concentration and volatilization. At the inlet, concentrations of waterborne Se during low-flow period (winter) were significantly higher than concentrations during high-flow irrigation season (summer). Se concentrations in water at the outlet were lower during the high-flow period ranging from. In contrast, plant tissue Se con-
The role of tourism in spreading dieback disease in Australian vegetation.

Commercial tourism and private recreation in national parks and other areas of high conservation value are continuing to grow in both economic and environmental significance (Buckley, 2000a). Some impacts are local, others diffuse; some immediately obvious, others not; some ecologically significant, others less so; some recover if tourists are removed, whereas others continue to increase; some are easily controlled and managed, others not (Buckley, 20006). The most serious are those that are important but insidious: diffuse, not immediately obvious, self-propagating, irreversible and damaging to conservation. Prime examples include feral animals 1 weeds and pathogens; and one such pathogen is the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi, commonly known as jarrah dieback or cinnamon fungus. A number of other Phytophthora and Pythium species also cause plant dieback diseases (Erwin and Ribeiro, 1996; Podger and Keane, 2000; Shearer and Smith, 2000) but P. cinnamomi is particularly virulent and easily spread. Historically 1 construction of logging and mining roads into production forests has been of particular concern in spreading P. cinnam­omi (Newhook and Podger, 1972; Podger et al., 1996). More recently 1 however, the role of tourism and recreation in dispersing dieback disease into protected areas has received increased attention (Shearer1 1990; Podger et al., 1996). It is this role that we review here. To provide an appreciation for its significance, however, the life history, distribution and ecological effects of P. cinnamomi are first sum­marized below.
Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions

List of contributors Foreword Preface List of acronyms and abbreviations Part I. Climatic Trends: 1. Identifying, monitoring and predicting change in the climate system 2. The oceans and the climate system 3. Sea level rise and ice sheet dynamics 4. Carbon cycle trends and vulnerabilities Part II. Defining 'Dangerous Climate Change': 5. The impact of climate change on human societies 6. Impacts of climate change on the biotic fabric of the planet 7. Tipping elements: jokers in the pack 8. Linking science and action: targets, timetables and emission budgets Part III. Equity Issues: 9. The equity challenge and climate policy: responsibilities, vulnerabilities and inequality in the response to climate change 10. A long-term perspective on climate change: values and ethics Part IV. Mitigation and Adaptation Approaches: 11. Low-carbon energy technologies as mitigation approaches 12. Economic approaches and instruments 13. Geopolitics and governance 14. Adapting to the unavoidable Part V. Meeting the Challenge: 15. Integrating adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development 16. Mobilising the population 17. The human-Earth relationship: past, present and future Index.