Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Uncertainties of sandy shoreline change projections as sea level rises
Published: 2018-07-03
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sustainability
Sandy shorelines are constantly evolving, threatening frequently human assets such as buildings or transport infrastructures. In these environments, sea level rise will exacerbate coastal erosion to an amount which remains uncertain. Sandy shoreline change projections inherits the uncertainties of future mean sea level changes, of vertical ground motions, and of other natural and anthropogenic [...]
Delayed Recognition of Geomorphology Papers in The Geological Society of America Bulletin
Published: 2018-07-02
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The Geological Society of America Bulletin was an early home for quantitative geomorphology research. Though geomorphology papers are not uniformly the highest cited papers in the Bulletin, many show ‘delayed recognition’ —they garner only few citations directly after publication, before suddenly being widely and numerously cited (sometimes decades after publication). I focus here on 1) [...]
Coseismic extension recorded within the damage zone of the Vado di Ferruccio Thrust Fault, Central Apennines, Italy
Published: 2018-07-02
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Recent high resolution hypocentral localisation along active fault systems in the Central Apennines illuminates the activation of seismogenic volumes dipping at low angle (<30°) in extensional settings overprinting contractional deformations affecting the continental crust of the Adria microplate. Individuation of the geological structures and of the fault processes associated with these [...]
The impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation on European hydro-power generation
Published: 2018-07-02
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sustainability
In this paper we analyse and quantify the impact of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on the daily hydropower generation in the European countries. We create a consistent dataset of hydropower generation using a machine- learning methodology, this activity is an output of the Copernicus Climate Change Service ECEM contract. The model is set up using generation data on 2015-2016, and then an [...]
The Dark Geo-Cultural Heritage of Volcanoes: Combining Cultural and Geoheritage Perspectives for Mututal Benefit
Published: 2018-06-30
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
It is now widely accepted that vulnerability is in part culturally and historically contingent. Similarly, geoheritage cannot be readily disentangled from cultural values and cultural heritage given that the assignment of value to a given geosite is conducted in the present and that many if not most geosites are also sites of culture-historical significance. Vice versa, most tangible cultural [...]
The slow slip of viscous faults
Published: 2018-06-29
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
We examine a simple mechanism for the spatio-temporal evolution of transient, slow slip. We consider the problem of slip on a fault that lies within an elastic continuum and whose strength is proportional to sliding rate. This rate dependence may correspond to a viscously deforming shear zone or the linearization of a non-linear, rate-dependent fault strength. We examine the response of such a [...]
Cyclic CO2 – H2O injection and residual trapping: implications for CO2 injection efficiency and storage security
Published: 2018-06-28
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Oil, Gas, and Energy, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sustainability
To meet the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 2ºC or below it is widely accepted that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) will have to be deployed at scale. The influence of residual trapping on CO2 well injectivity and its response over time has a major impact on the injection efficiency and storage capacity of CO2 storage sites. For the first time, experiments have been [...]
Micromorphological report of Hof ter Coign
Published: 2018-06-28
Subjects: Agriculture, Earth Sciences, Education, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, Geography, Geology, Life Sciences, Physical and Environmental Geography, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Soil Science
Micromorphological report of the Hof ter Coign site (Belgium)
Constructional process of relatively high-relief crescent-shaped bedforms in submarine channels by gravelly sand-laden flows: analysis of the ancient case study of the Guredin palaeo-bedforms
Published: 2018-06-27
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology
The channel-fills of the Miocene Alikayasi submarine channel system in the south of Turkey offer an extraordinary opportunity to improve our understanding of the physical properties of gravity-driven gravelly sand-laden flows and their resulting deposits on the seafloor. This study describes and analyses a particular area of an ancient channel-fill that is interpreted as the preserved deposits of [...]
What Even Is Climate?
Published: 2018-06-26
Subjects: Climate, Geography, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Other Geography, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Although the concept of climate is easy to understand, there is not any uncontroversial definition of it. Most definitions fall back to the simple formulation that `climate is the statistics of weather. Recent attempts at a definition called versions of this saying vague. Climate is policy-relevant, and discussions on climate and climate change benefit from clarity on the topic. Beyond the policy [...]
Evaluation of open-access global digital elevation models (AW3D30, SRTM and ASTER) for flood modelling purposes
Published: 2018-06-25
Subjects: Aerospace Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computational Engineering, Computer Engineering, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Hydraulic Engineering, Hydrology, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Water Resource Management
Digital Elevation Models (DEM) are a key piece of information for the accurate representation of topographic controls exerted in hydrologic and hydraulic models. Many practitioners rely on open-access global datasets usually obtained from space-borne survey due to the cost and sparse coverage of sources of higher resolution. In may 2016 the Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency publicly released an [...]
Quantitative analysis of fluvial paleohydraulics and intra-channel belt stratal preservation: lower Wasatch Formation, Utah, USA
Published: 2018-06-22
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
This article uses measurements from five fluvial channel belts of the Paleocene lower Wasatch Formation to quantitatively document the transience or persistence of flow velocities recorded in stratigraphy at the bedset scale. We use facies proportions and sedimentary structures coupled with a paleoflow velocity workflow to calculate the mean flow velocity for each bedset. Flow velocity [...]
Preparing for the Utilization of Data Science / Data Analytics in Earth Science Research
Published: 2018-06-21
Subjects: Computational Engineering, Computer Sciences, Databases and Information Systems, Education, Engineering, Mathematics, Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Science and Mathematics Education, Statistics and Probability
Data analytics is the process of examining large amounts of varying data types to uncover hidden patterns, unknown correlations and other useful information. The Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Earth Science Data Analytics (ESDA) Cluster was created to facilitate the co-analysis of Earth science data and information. In addition to pioneering the definition of ESDA, the cluster has [...]
Quantifying the Fate of Wastewater Nitrogen Discharged to a Canadian River
Published: 2018-06-21
Subjects: Biogeochemistry, Earth Sciences, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Systems Biology, Water Resource Management
Addition of nutrients, such as nitrogen, can degrade water quality in lakes, rivers, and estuaries. To predict the fate of nutrient inputs, an understanding of the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients is needed. We develop and employ a novel, parsimonious, process-based model of nitrogen concentrations and stable isotopes that quantifies the competing processes of volatilization, uptake, [...]
Palaeolithic artefact deposits at Wadi Dabsa, Saudi Arabia; a multi-scalar geoarchaeological approach to building an interpretative framework
Published: 2018-06-21
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy
Surface artefacts dominate the archaeological record of arid landscapes, particularly the Saharo-Arabian belt, a pivotal region in dispersals out of Africa. Discarded by hominins, these artefacts are key to understanding past landscape use and dispersals, yet behavioural interpretation of present-day artefact distributions cannot be carried out without understanding how geomorphological processes [...]