Search results for "Geology"
showing 10 items of 6012 documents
Advanced radar-interpretation of InSAR time series for mapping and characterization of geological processes
2011
Abstract. We present a new post-processing methodology for the analysis of InSAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry) multi-temporal measures, based on the temporal under-sampling of displacement time series, the identification of potential changes occurring during the monitoring period and, eventually, the classification of different deformation behaviours. The potentials of this approach for the analysis of geological processes were tested on the case study of Naro (Italy), specifically selected due to its geological setting and related ground instability of unknown causes that occurred in February 2005. The time series analysis of past (ERS1/2 descending data; 1992–2000) and current…
Shoreline Extraction and Change Detection using 1:5000 Scale Orthophoto Maps: A Case Study of Latvia-Riga
2015
Coastal management requires rapid, up-to-date, and
 correct information. Thus, the determination of coastal movements and its
 directions has primary importance for coastal managers. For monitoring the
 change of shorelines, remote sensing data, very high resolution aerial images
 and orthophoto maps are utilized for detections of change on shorelines. It is
 possible to monitor coastal changes by extracting the coastline from orthophoto
 maps. Along the Baltic Sea and Riga Gulf, Latvian coastline length is 496 km.
 It is rich of coastal resources and natural biodiversity.  Around 120 km of coastline are affected by
 significant coastal chang…
River-bed erosion due to changing boundary conditions: performance of a protective measure
2018
Abstract. Due to the introduction of man-made sediment barriers along a river, the amount of sediment load entering the downstream river reach is different to that leaving the reach, and erosion processes occur downstream of the barrier itself. Designers are often required to take into account the scouring process and to include adequate protective measures against the local scour. This paper addresses the performance of bio-engineering protective measures against the erosion process. In particular, a green carpet, realized with real flexible vegetation, has been used as the protective measure against erosion processes downstream of a rigid bed. Analyses are based on experimental work carri…
Modelling the shrub encroachment in a grassland with a Cellular Automata Model
2018
Abstract. Arid and semi-arid grasslands of southwestern North America have changed dramatically over the last 150 years as a result of shrub encroachment, i.e. the increase in density, cover and biomass of indigenous shrubby plants in grasslands. Numerous studies have documented the expansion of shrublands in the southwestern American grasslands; in particular shrub encroachment has occurred strongly in part of the northern Chihuahuan desert since 1860. This encroachment has been simulated using an ecohydrological Cellular Automata model, CATGraSS. It is a spatially distributed model driven by spatially explicit irradiance and runs on a fine-resolution gridded domain. Plant competition is m…
Assessment of the changes of COD and color in rivers of Latvia during the last twenty years
1998
Analysis of long-term records of the concentrations of water color and chemical oxygen demand for nine river sites in Latvia is reported. The period of observations lasted for the last 20 years. Characteristic features of data include non-normal distributions, serial correlation, seasonality and presence of mostly significant downward trends. In Latvia, the main water quality changes could be explained by the changes of anthropogenic impact and the type of catchment management over the last 20 years.
Potential of historical meteorological and hydrological data for the reconstruction of historical flood events – the example of the 1882 flood in sou…
2009
Abstract. This paper presents a hydrometeorological reconstruction of the flood triggering meteorological situation and the simulation of discharges of the flood event of December 1882 in the Neckar catchment in Baden-Württemberg (southwest Germany). The course of the 1882 flood event in the Neckar catchment in southwest Germany and the weather conditions which led to this flood were reconstructed by evaluating the information from various historical sources. From these historical data, daily input data sets were derived for run-off modeling. For the determination of the precipitation pattern at the end of December 1882, the sparse historical data were modified by using a similar modern day…
Microhydrological Niches in Soils: How Mucilage and EPS Alter the Biophysical Properties of the Rhizosphere and Other Biological Hotspots
2019
Plant roots and bacteria are capable of buffering erratic fluctuations of water content in their local soil environment by releasing a diverse, highly polymeric blend of substances (e.g. extracellular polymeric substances [EPS] and mucilage). Although this concept is well accepted, the physical mechanisms by which EPS and mucilage interact with the soil matrix and determine the soil water dynamics remain unclear. High-resolution X-ray computed tomography revealed that upon drying in porous media, mucilage (from maize [Zea mays L.] roots) and EPS (from intact biocrusts) form filaments and two-dimensional interconnected structures spanning across multiple pores. Unlike water, these mucilage a…
Accuracy of Saturated Soil Hydraulic Conductivity Estimated from Numerically Simulated Single‐Ring Infiltrations
2019
The single-ring pressure infiltrometer (PI) method is widely used to determine saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, K s , directly in the field. The original and still most common way to analyze the data makes use of the steady-state model developed by the Canadian School in the 90s and two (two-ponding-depth, TPD, approach) or more (multiple-ponding-depth, MPD, approach) depths of ponding. The so-called Wu method based on a generalized infiltration equation allows analysis of the transient infiltration data collected by establishing a single ponding depth of water on the infiltration surface. This investigation, making use of simulated infiltration runs for initially unsaturated sand to …
The interdisciplinary nature of SOIL
2015
The holistic study of soils requires an interdisciplinary approach involving biologists, chemists, geologists, and physicists, amongst others, something that has been true from the earliest days of the field. In more recent years this list has grown to include anthropologists, economists, engineers, medical professionals, military professionals, sociologists, and even artists. This approach has been strengthened and reinforced as current research continues to use experts trained in both soil science and related fields and by the wide array of issues impacting the world that require an in-depth understanding of soils. Of fundamental importance amongst these issues are biodiversity, biofuels/…
Simulating stress-dependent fluid flow in a fractured core sample using real-time X-ray CT data
2016
Various geoscientific applications require a fast prediction of fracture permeability for an optimal workflow. Hence, the objective of the current study is to introduce and validate a practical method to characterize and approximate single flow in fractures under different stress conditions by using a core-flooding apparatus, in situ X-ray computed tomography (CT) scans and a finite-volume method solving the Navier–Stokes–Brinkman equations. The permeability of the fractured sandstone sample was measured stepwise during a loading–unloading cycle (0.7 to 22.1 MPa and back) to validate the numerical results. Simultaneously, the pressurized core sample was imaged with a medical X-ray CT scanne…