Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantification and dating of floodplain sedimentation in a medium-sized catchment of the German uplands: a case study from the Aar Valley in the southern Rhenish Massif, Germany

The distribution, thickness and composition of the floodplain sediments in the valleys of the Aar and its tributaries (Taunus Mountains) were investigated by way of extensive fieldwork at 25 locations. In the entire catchment area, 48.8 million tons of loamy floodplain fines could be assessed. Most of these were deposited since late medieval times due to extensive historical land use and forest clearing, especially in the mining region along the middle course of the Aar. In its lower course, the enhanced sedimentation of loamy f loodplain sediments started during the Bronze Age.
Active faulting and growth folding in the eastern Santa Barbara Channel

We develop new methods to identify blind-thrust fault systems, determine fault slip rates, and estimate potential earthquake magnitudes and recurrence intervals in active fold-and-thrust belts. These methods are applied to compressive folds along the Offshore Oak Ridge and Blue Bottle trends, which overlie active blind-thrust faults in the eastern Santa Barbara Channel. These folds and their causative faults are interpreted using fault-bend fold theory and are represented in balanced models and cross sections that integrate surface and subsurface data. The structures are mapped using a new technique of axial-surface mapping in seismic reflection grids, which defines three-dimensional structural geometries and shows changes in slip and subsurface fault geometry along strike. Analysis of syntectonic (growth) sediments yields Pliocene and Quaternary fault slip rates of 1.3 mm/yr on a deep thrust (≥16 km) and 1.3 mm/yr on shallower faults (2-5 km). The combined 2.6 mm/yr slip rate represents only part of the 6 mm/yr of shortening measured by geodesy across the channel and estimated from relative Pacific-North American plate motions across the Transverse Ranges. Additional shortening is probably accommodated on other active thrusts in the western Transverse Ranges and in the northern channel along the Santa Barbara coast. Deformed seafloor sediments and a swarm of axial surface seismicity along the fold trends indicate that the underlying thrusts are active and may pose significant earthquake hazards to coastal southern California. Unsegmented fault surfaces are used through empirical relationships between fault surface area and rupture magnitude to estimate the sizes of potential earthquakes. This analysis suggests that a ramp in the Channel Islands fault beneath the Offshore Oak Ridge trend is capable of rupturing in a M s ≥7.2 earthquake. Earthquakes of this magnitude may release ∼2 m of slip, which, when combined with the estimated slip rate (1.3 mm/yr), yields an earthquake recurrence interval of ∼1500 yr for this Channel Islands fault ramp.
Linkage of scaling and thermodynamic parameters of rainfall: Results from midlatitude mesoscale convective systems

In this paper we explore the possibility of establishing predictive relationships between statistical characteristics of rainfall at the mesoscale (approximately 102 to 104 km2) and representative meteorological parameters of the storm environment. To increase the usefulness of these relationships and, in particular, to explore their use in subgrid-scale rainfall parameterization, special attention is given to statistical characteristics of rainfall that are scale invariant, i.e., are constant at least within a significant range of scales. The main contributions of this paper are the following: (1) we establish the presence of statistical (simple) scaling in “standardized rainfall fluctuations” (derived from rainfall intensities via an orthogonal wavelet transform and normalization by local means) and (2) we establish empirical connections between statistical and physical storm characteristics by quantifying relations between the scaling parameters and kinematic and thermodynamic indices of the prestorm environment. The data used for this analysis are rainfall events and corresponding soundings observed during the PRE-STORM experiment (May and June 1985) over Oklahoma and Kansas. The developed relationships are applicable to midlatitude mesoscale convective systems, which are the major rainfall producers over most of the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Continental International Project (GCIP) region, and are envisioned to play a key role in disaggregating rainfall (predicted by mesoscale numerical models) to subgrid scales for runoff prediction and other hydrologic applications.
Modeling organic contaminant sorption impacts on aquifer restoration

The groundwater resources of the U.S. have been contaminated by a variety of organic pollutants that include solvents, petroleum products, and pesticides. A need exists to understand the movement of contaminants in the subsurface so that: (1) an assessment of the risk due to contamination may be made, (2) an economical and environmentally acceptable response to contamination may be designed, and (3) an appropriate ranking of sites that require clean-up and that are competing for the same fixed pool of resources may be accomplished. Many common organic contaminants sorb to solid surfaces, like soils or aquifer materials. Sorption affects the rate of transport for a given contaminant in the subsurface and may also affect the rate of contaminant degradation. An understanding of the sorption process is, therefore, an important part of understanding the overall movement of a contaminant in the subsurface. This work focuses on the investigation of the sorption process in the subsurface. Specifically four aspects are considered: the'measurement of sorption equilibrium for petroleumbased contaminants to a coastal North Carolina aquifer material; determination of the rate of sorption for these systems; development of mathematical models that may be used to simulate the sorption process; and an analysis of the significance of sorptiondesorption rates for predicting field-scale transport of organic contaminants. Laboratory results demonstrate the relative importance of sorption as a function of compound type using aquifer material collected from a Camp Lejeune field site. The sorption process is shown to require several days to approach equilibrium, while the h a l equilibrium is found to be nonlinear. The analysis of sorption effects on time required for aquifer remediation shows that nonlinear desorption has a significant effect on remediation time, while the rate of desorption is shown to be less important for solute-solid combinations that sorb at a rate similar to those investigated in this work. DISCLAIMER STATEMENT
An assessment of the potential impacts of climatic warming on glacier-fed river flow in the Himalaya.

A regional hydro-glaciological model has been developed to assess the potential impacts of climatic warming on glacier-fed river flows in the Indus and Ganges basins. The model, applied at a 20 km x 20 km grid resolution, considers glaciers contributing runoff to a cell as a single idealized glacier that is allowed to recede through time. Using 1961-1990 climate data as input, baseline flow estimates were derived for every stretch of river in either basin. A transient warming scenario of +0.06°C years -1 was then imposed for 100 years from an arbitrary start-date of 1991. Comparison of results at 10 sites in two representative areas suggest the impacts of such climatic warming are similar regionally, with estimates of future decadal mean flows continually increasing at 1-4% per decade, relative to baseline, at most sites considered. Flows peaked at only two of the sites several decades into the model run.
IMPACT OF VARIED DATA RESOLUTION ON HYDRAULIC MODELING AND FLOODPLAIN DELINEATION 1

ABSTRACT: Current data collection technologies such as light detection and ranging (LIDAR) produce dense digital terrain data that result in more accurate digital terrain models (DTMs) for engineering applications. However, such data are redundant and often cumbersome for hydrologic and hydraulic modeling purposes. Data filtering provides a means of eliminating redundant points and facilitates model preparation. This paper demonstrates the impact of varied data resolution on a case study completed for a 2.3 mi2 area with mild slopes (about 001 ft/ft) along Leith Creek near Laurinburg, North Carolina. For the original data set and seven filtered data sets, filtering induced changes in elevation, area, and hydraulic radius were determined for 10 water depths at 23 cross sections. Water surface elevations resulting from HEC‐RAS (Hydrologic Engineering Center‐River Analysis System) models for each data set were then compared. A hydraulic model sensitivity analysis was also conducted to compare filtering error to error introduced by variation in flow rates and roughness values. Finally, automated floodplain delineation was performed for each filter level based on the computed hydraulic model results and the filtered LIDAR elevations. Data filtering results indicate that significant time savings are achieved throughout the modeling process and that filtering to four degrees can be performed without compromising cross‐sectional geometry, hydraulic model results, or floodplain delineation results.
Business Angels’ Perspectives on Exit by IPO

We analyze exit-related perceptions of the members of a large, well-structured Canadian angel group. Because they invest in high tech deals larger than CAN$1.2 million, together with venture capitalists and a matching fund, these angels should consider the initial public offering (IPO) as a possible exit mode. However, they show a strong preference for the trade sale. This preference is consistent with the economies of scope hypothesis: getting big fast has become more important because large firms can fully and rapidly exploit innovations, resulting in more small firm acquisitions. Securities regulation is also perceived as a major impediment to exiting onto the stock market. Both reasons explain why IPOs are not considered an exit mode. Reluctance to exit through an IPO increases with angels' experience. Our observations have implications for entrepreneurs, business angels and policy makers Nous analysons les perspectives selon lesquelles des anges membres d'un groupe structures d'anges canadiens envisagent la disposition de leurs placements. Ces anges investissent des montants de l'ordre de 1,2 millions de dollar dans des entreprises technologiques et l'emission initiale est, de ce fait, une option de sortie envisageable. Toutefois, les anges enoncent une preference marquee pour la cession en bloc de leurs actions a des acquereurs strategiques. Cette preference est coherente avec l'hypothese des economies d'echelles : pour les entreprises innovantes, il est essentiel d'acquerir rapidement une taille suffisante a l'exploitation rapide des innovations, et l'acquisition par un joueur important du domaine est un moyen plus efficace d'acquerir cette taille que l'emission initiale. Toutefois, la reglementation des valeurs mobilieres est egalement percue comme un obstacle majeur aux emissions initiales
Climaps by Emaps in 2 Pages (A Summary for Policy Makers and Busy People)

Climaps.eu is an online atlas providing data, visualizations and commentaries about climate adaptation debate. It contains 33 issue-maps and 5 issue-stories. Each of the maps focuses on one issue in the adaptation debate and provides.The atlas is addressed to climate experts (negotiators, NGOs and companies concerned by global warming, journalists…) and to citizens willing to engage with the issues of climate adaptation.It employs advanced digital methods to deploy the complexity of the issues related to climate adaptation and information design to make this complexity legible.
A 1000-year record of winter precipitation from northwestern New Mexico, USA: a reconstruction from tree-rings and its relation to El Niño and the Southern Oscillation

A 1000-year reconstruction of winter (cool season) November-May precipitation for northern New Mexico is developed for AD 985-1970 based on six millenium-long tree-ring records from moisture-sensitive coniferous sites in New Mexico and southern Colorado. Two of the most prolonged and severe droughts occurred during the last 100 years: in the AD 1890s-1904 and the AD 1950s-early 1960s. These were exceeded in length and severity only once in the 1000-year reconstructed record, in the late 1500s, and almost equaled in the early 1200s. The five decadal-scale intervals of greatest drought were, in descending order, AD 1577-1598, AD 1955-64, AD 1895-1904, AD 1217-1226, and AD 1778- 1787. The wettest periods were AD 1835-49, AD 1905-28, AD 1429-1440, AD 1609-23, and AD 1487- 98. The most abrupt shift from severe sustained drought to extremely high precipitation occurred in the 1890s to early 1900s. The intensity of this shift is unprecedented over the 1000-year period of the reconstruction. Relatively dry conditions are indicated for part of the 1400-1600s period around the onset of the Little Ice Age, and the reconstruction indicates average conditions during the Medieval Warm Period. The southwestern US is an area of known teleconnection with the El Nine-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), coinciding with a tendency for wetter conditions to occur during ENSO years (warmer events) and drier conditions during colder events. The chronologies and reconstruction show correspondence with indices of ENSO, including Wright's Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). The years AD 1720, 1484, 1816 and 1941 (interpreted as ENSO-related events in instrumental or historical data) are the four wettest individual years in the reconstruction. Variance spectral analysis of the chronologies and reconstruction reveals significant peaks at approximately 2-7 year, 22 year and 80-100 year. There is potential for modelling the amplitude and frequency of the ENSO signature in the southwestern US over the past 1000 years or more, particularly by integrating tree-ring data from this region with other sources of high-resolution palaeoclimatic information.
Precipitation Estimates over the Baltic Sea: Present State of the Art

Precipitation is one of the main components in the water balance, and probably the component determined with the greatest uncertainties. In the present paper we focus on precipitation (mainly rain) over the Baltic Sea as a part of the BALTEX project to examine the present state of the art concerning different precipitation estimates over that area. Several methods are used, with the focus on 1) interpolation of available synoptic stations; 2) a mesoscale analysis system including synoptic, automatic, and climate stations, as well as weather radar and an atmospheric model; and 3) measurements performed on ships. The investigated time scales are monthly and yearly and also some long-term considerations are discussed. The comparison shows that the differences between most of the estimates, when averaged over an extended period and a larger area, are in the order of 10-20%, which is in the same range as the correction of the synoptic gauge measurements due to wind and evaporation losses. In all data sets using gauge data it is important to include corrections for high winds. To improve the structure of precipitation over sea more focus is to be put on the use of radar data and combinations of radar data and other data. Interpolation methods that do not consider orographic effects must treat areas with large horizontal precipitation gradients with care. Due to the large variability in precipitation in time and space, it is important to use long time periods for climate estimates of precipitation Ship measurements are a valuable contribution to precipitation information over sea, especially for seasonal and annual time scales.
Persistence of Soil Organic Carbon after Plowing a Long‐Term No‐Till Field in Southern Ontario, Canada

There is abundant evidence that minimizing soil disturbance reduces mineralization of organic matter and can result in larger storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) relative to conventional tillage. However, little is known about the persistence of SOC when no-till lands are plowed periodically. This study set out to determine the change in SOC when a long-term (22 yr) no-till field in southern Ontario, Canada, was plowed once. Four plots were located within three textural classes [sandy loam (SL), sandy clay loam (SCL), and silty clay loam (SiCL)] within two hydrologic conditions (well- and poorly drained) in the field. The plots were sampled before and three times after (3 d, 7 mo, and 18 mo) the no-till field was moldboard plowed. The single tillage event homogenized the SOC through the profile and reduced the stratification. When calculated on an equivalent mass basis beyond the plow depth, there was no significant change in SOC 18 mo after plowing the SCL, SiCL, and SL high SOC plots. However, in the SL plot with low SOC, there was a loss of about 3 Mg SOC ha -1 after 18 mo, and the loss occurred primarily between the 15- and 30-cm depths in the profile. The loss may have accounted for as much as two-thirds of the SOC gained from no-tillage. This study also emphasized the need for additional care to account for changes in bulk density when comparing the quantity of soil constituents, such as SOC, after plowing.
Seismic Stratigraphy — Applications to Hydrocarbon Exploration

Papers from a research symposium at the 1975 American Association of Petroleum Geologists and supplemented by later reports became “Seismic Stratigraphy Applications to Hydrocarbon Exploration”, one of AAPG’s best-selling book publications. Dramatic improvements in seismic imaging were demonstrated, a result of developments in seismic data quality and the processing capability of electronic technology. Twenty-eight articles are grouped into three sections. The first describes principles that both permit and also limit interpretations. The second section presents sixteen articles that describe the qualitative approach to stratigraphic interpretations of reflection records, and the final section presents techniques and examples of modeling. Of particular interest are a series of eleven papers in the second section under the subject heading of “Seismic stratigraphy and global changes of sea level”. Prepared by P. R. Vail, R. M. Mitchum and others from Exxon, they describe the regional unconformities and stratigraphic changes resulting from sea level fluctuations, and the manner in which these changes can be interpreted from seismic surveys. For many individuals within the oil industry who purchased this book, it was their first introduction to the modern concept of sequence stratigraphy that would have a major impact on the methodology of petroleum exploration.
Multidecadal ENSO Amplitude Variability in a 1000-yr Simulation of a Coupled Global Climate Model: Implications for Observed ENSO Variability

The amplitude ofthe El Ni~lation(ENSO) can varynaturally over multidecadal time scales and can be influenced by climate change. However, determining the mechanism for this variation is difficult becauseofthepaucityofobservationsoversuchlongtimescales.Usinga1000-yrintegrationofacoupledglobal climate model and a linear stability analysis, it is demonstrated that multidecadal modulation of ENSO amplitudecanbedrivenbyvariations inthegoverningdynamics.Inthismodel, themodulationiscontrolled bythe underlying thermocline feedback mechanism, which in turn is governed by the response of the oceanic thermocline slope across the equatorial Pacific to changes in the overlying basinwide zonal winds. Furthermore, the episodic strengthening and weakening of this coupled interaction is shown to be linked to the slowly varying background climate. In comparison with the model statistics, the recent change of ENSO amplitude in observations appears to be still within the range of natural variability. This is despite the apparent warming trend in themeanclimate.Hence,thisstudysuggeststhatitmaybedifficulttoinferaclimatechangesignalfromchanges in ENSO amplitude alone, particularly given the presently limited observational data.
Radiative forcing and climate response due to the presence of black carbon in cloud droplets

Optical properties of clouds containing black carbon (BC) particles in their water droplets are calculated by using the Maxwell Garnett mixing rule and Mie theory. The obtained cloud optical properties were then applied to an interactive system by coupling an aerosol model with a General Circulation Model. This system is used to investigate the radiative forcing and the equilibrium climate response due to BC in cloud droplets. The simulated global annual mean radiative forcing at the top of the atmosphere due to the BC in cloud droplets is found to be 0.086 W m−2. Positive radiative forcing can be seen in Africa, South America, East and South Asia, and West Europe, with a maximum value of 1.5 W m−2 being observed in these regions. The enhanced cloud absorption is shown to increase the global annual mean values of solar heating rate, water vapor, and temperature, but to decrease the global annual mean cloud fraction. Finally, the global annual mean surface temperature is shown to increase by +0.08 K. The local maximum changes are found to be as low as −1.5 K and as high as +0.6 K. We show there has been a significant difference in surface temperature change in the Southern and Northern Hemisphere (+0.19 K and −0.04 K, respectively). Our results show that this interhemispheric asymmetry in surface temperature change could cause a corresponding change in atmospheric dynamics and precipitation. It is also found that the northern trade winds are enhanced in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). This results in northerly surface wind anomalies which cross the equator to converge with the enhanced southern trade winds in the tropics of Southern Hemisphere. This is shown to lead to an increase (a decrease) of vertical ascending motion and precipitation on the south (north) side of the equator, which could induce a southward shift in the tropical rainfall maximum related to the ITCZ.
Chemical analysis of CO2 removal in tray aerators

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a discussion of the chemistry of CO2 removal in tray aerators, and different sets of equations that are applicable to several initial water chemical conditions are proposed. These chemical equations and a statistical model to predict the kinetic constant were tested with field data observed by other researchers in pilot units and in a full scale plant. The water temperature in their experiments was around 15°C.
Analysis of Tunneling-Induced Ground Movements Using Transparent Soil Models

Ground movements induced by shallow tunnels affect the safety of nearby underground and aboveground structures. Therefore, the reliable prediction of these movements is important. A transparent soil model is used to investigate not only the surface settlement profile induced by shield tunneling, but also the distribution of soil deformation within the soil mass near the tunnel. The observed surface settlements are consistent with the normal probability curve commonly used for predicting settlement, with only the inflection points or trough width parameters somewhat different. The measured data are consistent with field measurements in that the trough width parameter is independent of the volume loss and linearly proportional to the tunnel depth. An analysis of the displacement field inside the transparent soil models indicates that the subsurface settlement trough at different depths can be approximated by a normal probability curve; and the horizontal displacement can be expressed by the trough width parameter and the volume loss, at the point at which maximum horizontal displacement occurs at the point of inflection. Additionally, the measurements indicate that subsurface ground movements can be in excess of the observed surface settlement, which can adversely affect underground utilities.