scholarly journals Multi Frequency Isotopes Survey to Improve Transit Time Estimation in a Situation of River-Aquifer Interaction

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2695
Author(s):  
Angélique Poulain ◽  
Vincent Marc ◽  
Marina Gillon ◽  
Anne-Laure Cognard-Plancq ◽  
Roland Simler ◽  
...  

The Barthelasse alluvial aquifer is used to supply water to 180,000 inhabitants. The pumping field is located less than 200 m from the Rhône and is 100% fed by water from the Rhône, which makes it particularly vulnerable to any pollution from the Rhône. Between the Rhône and the pumping field is a Girardon unit, an arrangement that can be found regularly along the banks of the lower and middle reaches of the Rhône, and whose role is to stabilise the banks (alluvial deposits) and to facilitate river navigation. In order to know the transfer times between the Rhône and the pumping field, fortnightly monitoring was carried out over a hydrological year, as well as hourly monitoring during a flood in the winter of 2019. The Rhône shows a cyclicality in its isotopic signature with enrichment in heavy isotopes during the winter period, particularly during floods, and a depletion during the summer period. This variation is found well within the associated alluvial aquifer. The application of LPMs models showed that the average transfer time between the Rhône and the Girardon unit was 20 days and 50 days between the Rhône and the Barthelasse pumping. This study highlighted the importance of using several sampling frequencies to consider the diversity of hydrological situations. For the Rhône, event-based monitoring (flooding) proved to be relevant to account for isotopic variability throughout the year. This work also highlighted the impact of the disruption of hydraulic exchanges between the river and the water table caused by the presence of the Girardon unit in terms of the propagation of contaminants.

2021 ◽  
Vol 906 (1) ◽  
pp. 012100
Author(s):  
Jozef Hančul’ák ◽  
Ol’ga Šestinová ◽  
Lenka Findoráková

Abstract This study aims to evaluate the impact of local emission sources on the environmental load through a detailed analysis of the atmospheric deposition (AD). The main sources of pollution are neighbouring iron and steelworks and typical urban sources, such as the heating plant, transport, construction, etc. Total atmospheric deposition, i.e. both wet and dry ones, were sampled from eleven sampling sites that have been placed on the roofs above the height of the surrounding buildings at a distance of 1 to 16 kilometers from the main source of pollution in the urban, suburban and rural areas. The atmospheric deposition fluxes of selected elements (Fe, Al, Mn, Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr, Cd, As) were determined separately for “water-soluble” and “insoluble phase” (particulate matter - PM) as well as in terms of the heating season for summer and winter half-year. The results from 2009–2020 are introduced. The average Fe deposition at urban stations in Košice was 2-3 times higher, compared with other urban areas. The very high values of iron deposition (9,181) and manganese (348 mg.m-2.yr-1) were measured mainly at sites near the ironworks. The highest values of correlation coefficients were calculated by Pearson correlation analysis for the elements Fe, Mn and Cr but also for Al and PM. Higher values of correlation coefficients were calculated for the winter period. The monitored elements are bound to the insoluble component AD in the order of Fe, Al, Cr, Pb, Mn and As. Cadmium and zinc are preferably bound to the soluble phase for sites north of the ironworks. Significant differences for fluxes of AD of the most observed parameters were found between the summer and winter periods. In winter, higher values of AD were found for the elements Fe, Pb, Mn, Cr, and Cd. In the case of zinc and arsenic higher values were recorded in the summer period. The share of emission sources of iron and steelworks on the fluxes of iron at the urban sites in winter was more than doubled compared to the summer period. The smallest seasonal differences for all observed components were found at localities near the ironworks. Detailed analysis of AD showed that in addition to Fe, Mn, and Cr, the ironworks complex is also a source of dust particles, aluminum and other observed elements in descending order of lead, zinc, copper, arsenic and cadmium.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Lamya Lairgi ◽  
Rachid Lagtayi ◽  
Abdelmajid Daya ◽  
Rabie Elotmani ◽  
Mohammed Touzani

The main objective of this work is to study the heat transfer through an administrative building’s envelope in Errachidia City in Morocco. A numerical simulation based on the finite element method was made to describe the effect of introducing several thermal insulators (air, hemp wool, glass wool, rock wool, and extruded polystyrene) of different thicknesses (5 cm, 10 cm, and 15 cm) on the heat transfer through the building’s envelope under different climatic conditions. For the stationary regime, the summer period was chosen on August 7th, 2019, at 17 h, while the winter period was opted on January 1st, 2020, at 7 h. Otherwise, for the transitional regime, the summer period was chosen from August 1st to 8th, 2019, and the winter period from January first to 8th, 2020. The physical model analyzes the temperature variation at the different layers of the wall. It depends on the indoor temperature, the instantaneous climatic conditions of the outdoor air, solar radiations, and the thermal properties of the building’s envelope. The results show that the air gap is a good thermal insulator; it acts as a damper of temperature and heat flux.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Charles Girardeau ◽  
Philippe Blondé ◽  
Dominique Makowski ◽  
Maria Abram ◽  
Pascale Piolino ◽  
...  

Objectives. Prospective memory (PM) consists of remembering to perform an action that was previously planned. The recovery and execution of these actions require attentional resources. Mindfulness, as a state or a dispositional trait, has been associated with better attentional abilities. In this study, we investigated the impact of mindfulness on PM. Methods. Eighty participants learned 15 cue-action associations. They were, then, asked to recall the actions at certain moments (time-based items) or places (event-based items) during a walk in a virtual town. Before the PM task, participants were randomly assigned to a mindfulness or mind-wandering (control condition) session. Dispositional mindfulness was measured via the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Results. We found no difference between the two groups in the PM scores. Nevertheless, the natural tendency to describe one's own sensations (the Describing facet of the FFMQ) predicted time-based performance in both groups. Conclusions. To our knowledge, this study is the first to explore the link between mindfulness and PM. We did not report any effect of a short mindfulness session, compared to mind-wandering, on PM. We discuss different hypotheses to explain this finding. Our main observation is a positive link between the Describing facet and time-based PM performances. We propose that this link could be due to the common association of this mindfulness facets and PM with attentional and interoceptive abilities. Additional studies are needed to explore this hypothesis.


Author(s):  
N. Maidanovych ◽  

The purpose of this work is to review and analyze the main results of modern research on the impact of climate change on the agro-sphere of Ukraine. Results. Analysis of research has shown that the effects of climate change on the agro-sphere are already being felt today and will continue in the future. The observed climate changes in recent decades have already significantly affected the shift in the northern direction of all agro-climatic zones of Europe, including Ukraine. From the point of view of productivity of the agro-sphere of Ukraine, climate change will have both positive and negative consequences. The positives include: improving the conditions of formation and reducing the harvesting time of crop yields; the possibility of effective introduction of late varieties (hybrids), which require more thermal resources; improving the conditions for overwintering crops; increase the efficiency of fertilizer application. Model estimates of the impact of climate change on wheat yields in Ukraine mainly indicate the positive effects of global warming on yields in the medium term, but with an increase in the average annual temperature by 2 ° C above normal, grain yields are expected to decrease. The negative consequences of the impact of climate change on the agrosphere include: increased drought during the growing season; acceleration of humus decomposition in soils; deterioration of soil moisture in the southern regions; deterioration of grain quality and failure to ensure full vernalization of grain; increase in the number of pests, the spread of pathogens of plants and weeds due to favorable conditions for their overwintering; increase in wind and water erosion of the soil caused by an increase in droughts and extreme rainfall; increasing risks of freezing of winter crops due to lack of stable snow cover. Conclusions. Resource-saving agricultural technologies are of particular importance in the context of climate change. They include technologies such as no-till, strip-till, ridge-till, which make it possible to partially store and accumulate mulch on the soil surface, reduce the speed of the surface layer of air and contribute to better preservation of moisture accumulated during the autumn-winter period. And in determining the most effective ways and mechanisms to reduce weather risks for Ukrainian farmers, it is necessary to take into account the world practice of climate-smart technologies.


Open Heart ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e001716
Author(s):  
Luke Byrne ◽  
Roisin Gardiner ◽  
Patrick Devitt ◽  
Caleb Powell ◽  
Richard Armstrong ◽  
...  

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has seen the introduction of important public health measures to minimise the spread of the virus. We aim to identify the impact government restrictions and hospital-based infection control procedures on ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) care during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsPatients meeting ST elevation criteria and undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention from 27 March 2020, the day initial national lockdown measures were announced in Ireland, were included in the study. Patients presenting after the lockdown period, from 18 May to 31 June 2020, were also examined. Time from symptom onset to first medical contact (FMC), transfer time and time of wire cross was noted. Additionally, patient characteristics, left ventricular ejection fraction, mortality and biochemical parameters were documented. Outcomes and characteristics were compared against a control group of patients meeting ST elevation criteria during the month of January.ResultsA total of 42 patients presented with STEMI during the lockdown period. A significant increase in total ischaemic time (TIT) was noted versus controls (8.81 hours (±16.4) vs 2.99 hours (±1.39), p=0.03), with increases driven largely by delays in seeking FMC (7.13 hours (±16.4) vs 1.98 hours (±1.46), p=0.049). TIT remained significantly elevated during the postlockdown period (6.1 hours (±5.3), p=0.05), however, an improvement in patient delays was seen versus the control group (3.99 hours (±4.5), p=0.06). There was no difference seen in transfer times and door to wire cross time during lockdown, however, a significant increase in transfer times was seen postlockdown versus controls (1.81 hours (±1.0) vs 1.1 hours (±0.87), p=0.004).ConclusionA significant increase in TIT was seen during the lockdown period driven mainly by patient factors highlighting the significance of public health messages on public perception. Additionally, a significant delay in transfer times to our centre was seen postlockdown.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katerina G. Tsakiri ◽  
Antonios E. Marsellos ◽  
Igor G. Zurbenko

Flooding normally occurs during periods of excessive precipitation or thawing in the winter period (ice jam). Flooding is typically accompanied by an increase in river discharge. This paper presents a statistical model for the prediction and explanation of the water discharge time series using an example from the Schoharie Creek, New York (one of the principal tributaries of the Mohawk River). It is developed with a view to wider application in similar water basins. In this study a statistical methodology for the decomposition of the time series is used. The Kolmogorov-Zurbenko filter is used for the decomposition of the hydrological and climatic time series into the seasonal and the long and the short term component. We analyze the time series of the water discharge by using a summer and a winter model. The explanation of the water discharge has been improved up to 81%. The results show that as water discharge increases in the long term then the water table replenishes, and in the seasonal term it depletes. In the short term, the groundwater drops during the winter period, and it rises during the summer period. This methodology can be applied for the prediction of the water discharge at multiple sites.


Author(s):  
Lisa-Marie Schütz ◽  
Geoffrey Schweizer ◽  
Henning Plessner

The authors investigated the impact of video speed on judging the duration of sport performance. In three experiments, they investigated whether the speed of video presentation (slow motion vs. real time) has an influence on the accuracy of time estimation of sporting activities (n1 = 103; n2 = 100; n3 = 106). In all three studies, the time estimation was more accurate in real time than in slow motion, in which time was overestimated. In two studies, the authors initially investigated whether actions in slow motion are perceived to last longer because the distance they cycled or ran is perceived to be longer (n4 = 92; n5 = 106). The results support the hypothesis that the duration of sporting activities is estimated more accurately when they are presented in real time than in slow motion. Sporting officials’ judgments that require accurate time estimation may thus be biased when based on slow-motion displays.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 583-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Coustau ◽  
S. Ricci ◽  
V. Borrell-Estupina ◽  
C. Bouvier ◽  
O. Thual

Abstract. Mediterranean catchments in southern France are threatened by potentially devastating fast floods which are difficult to anticipate. In order to improve the skill of rainfall-runoff models in predicting such flash floods, hydrologists use data assimilation techniques to provide real-time updates of the model using observational data. This approach seeks to reduce the uncertainties present in different components of the hydrological model (forcing, parameters or state variables) in order to minimize the error in simulated discharges. This article presents a data assimilation procedure, the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE), used with the goal of improving the peak discharge predictions generated by an event-based hydrological model Soil Conservation Service lag and route (SCS-LR). For a given prediction date, selected model inputs are corrected by assimilating discharge data observed at the basin outlet. This study is conducted on the Lez Mediterranean basin in southern France. The key objectives of this article are (i) to select the parameter(s) which allow for the most efficient and reliable correction of the simulated discharges, (ii) to demonstrate the impact of the correction of the initial condition upon simulated discharges, and (iii) to identify and understand conditions in which this technique fails to improve the forecast skill. The correction of the initial moisture deficit of the soil reservoir proves to be the most efficient control parameter for adjusting the peak discharge. Using data assimilation, this correction leads to an average of 12% improvement in the flood peak magnitude forecast in 75% of cases. The investigation of the other 25% of cases points out a number of precautions for the appropriate use of this data assimilation procedure.


Author(s):  
Wayne C.W. Giang ◽  
Canmanie T. Ponnambalam ◽  
Xiaonian He ◽  
Birsen Donmez

Medical dispatchers use estimates of patient transfer times to inform dispatch decisions, and decision support tools that assist with time estimation may lead to improved patient outcomes. However, individual differences between medical dispatchers may result in variances in how these tools are used in practice. A study was conducted to explore how individual difference factors such as numeracy ability, impulsiveness, and venturesomeness are associated with different time prediction strategies when using decision support tools that display historical transfer time information. It was found that individuals did exhibit different time prediction strategies, and some of the variance in behavior could be explained by differences in numeracy and impulsiveness. These preliminary results suggest caution when designing support tools, especially when the target population has large variability in terms of numeracy and impulsiveness characteristics.


Geosciences ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meena ◽  
Tavakkoli Piralilou

Despite landslide inventories being compiled throughout the world every year at different scales, limited efforts have been made to critically compare them using various techniques or by different investigators. Event-based landslide inventories indicate the location, distribution, and detected boundaries of landslides caused by a single event, such as an earthquake or a rainstorm. Event-based landslide inventories are essential for landslide susceptibility mapping, hazard modeling, and further management of risk mitigation. In Nepal, there were several attempts to map landslides in detail after the Gorkha earthquake. Particularly after the main event on 25 April 2015, researchers around the world mapped the landslides induced by this earthquake. In this research, we compared four of these published inventories qualitatively and quantitatively using different techniques. Two principal methodologies, namely the cartographical degree of matching and frequency area distribution (FAD), were optimized and applied to evaluate inventory maps. We also showed the impact of using satellite imagery with different spatial resolutions on the landslide inventory generation by analyzing matches and mismatches between the inventories. The results of our work give an overview of the impact of methodology selection and outline the limitations and advantages of different remote sensing and mapping techniques for landslide inventorying.


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