Uvalas and their relationship to sinkholes (dolines) in an evaporite karst setting

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Watson ◽  
Eoghan Holohan ◽  
Djamil Al-Halbouni ◽  
Hussam Alrshdan ◽  
Damien Closson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Evaporite Karst ◽  
Physical Erosion ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Karst Systems ◽  
Karst Landscapes ◽  
Topographic Depressions

<p>Enclosed topographic depressions are characteristic of karst landscapes on Earth. The scale and morphological characteristics of such depressions are variable, but the most common depression type is a sinkhole (doline). Certain karst depressions that are much larger than sinkholes and that display gentler slopes and more complex three-dimensional shapes are known as uvalas. A single uvala typically contains numerous sinkholes within it. The developmental relationship between sinkholes and uvalas has been subject of debate, however, mainly because long developmental timescales impede direct observation in classical limestone karst, where such features are most commonly reported.</p><p>Here, we describe the development of five uvalas and numerous associated sinkholes in an evaporite karst setting on the eastern shore of the hypersaline Dead Sea. This karst landscape evolved rapidly over a 25-year period from 1992 to 2017 in response to the anthropogenically-driven decline in the Dead Sea level. Our remote sensing data and field observations show that both the sinkholes and the uvala-like depressions formed through subsidence in a very close spatio-temporal relationship. While many sinkholes developed initially in clusters, the uvalas developed around such clusters as larger-scale and gentler depressions that are structurally distinct both in space and time.</p><p>In agreement with inferences for examples in limestone karst settings, the uvalas in this evaporite karst setting do not form by a simple coalescence of sinkholes. Instead, these evaporite-karst uvalas form through subsidence (sagging), interpreted here as in response to distributed subsurface dissolution and physical erosion within a mechanically unstable subsurface volume (e.g. a groundwater conduit network). Sinkholes, on the other hand, are interpreted as discrete subsidence responses within that volume to smaller-scale zones of highly localised material removal (e.g. individual groundwater conduits). Our observations and interpretations are consistent with numerical modelling of subsidence produced by the development of multiple void spaces at progressively deepening levels. Morphometrically, our results also agree well in several respects with a recent re-evaluation of uvalas in some classical limestone karst areas. Consequently, this study helps to clarify the nature, occurrence and genesis of uvalas in karst systems generally.</p>

scholarly journals Sinkholes and uvalas in evaporite karst: spatio-temporal development with links to base-level fall on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea

Solid Earth ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1451-1468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Watson ◽  
Eoghan P. Holohan ◽  
Djamil Al-Halbouni ◽  
Leila Saberi ◽  
Ali Sawarieh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Water ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Temporal Development ◽  
Evaporite Karst ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Karst Landscapes

Abstract. Enclosed topographic depressions are characteristic of karst landscapes on Earth. The developmental relationship between depression types, such as sinkholes (dolines) and uvalas, has been the subject of debate, mainly because the long developmental timescales in classical limestone karst settings impede direct observation. Here we characterize the morphometric properties and spatio-temporal development of ∼1150 sinkholes and five uvalas formed from ∼1980 to 2017 in an evaporite karst setting along the eastern coast of the hypersaline Dead Sea (at Ghor Al-Haditha, Jordan). The development of sinkhole populations and individual uvalas is intertwined in terms of onset, evolution and cessation. The sinkholes commonly develop in clusters, within which they may coalesce to form compound or nested sinkholes. In general, however, the uvalas are not defined by coalescence of sinkholes. Although each uvala usually encloses several clusters of sinkholes, it develops as a larger-scale, gentler and structurally distinct depression. The location of new sinkholes and uvalas shows a marked shoreline-parallel migration with time, followed by a marked shoreline-perpendicular (i.e. seaward) growth with time. These observations are consistent with theoretical predictions of karstification controlled by a laterally migrating interface between saturated and undersaturated groundwater, as induced by the 35 m fall in the Dead Sea water level since 1967. More generally, our observations indicate that uvalas and the sinkhole populations within them, although morphometrically distinct, can develop near-synchronously by subsidence in response to subsurface erosion.

scholarly journals Sinkholes, stream channels and base-level fall: a 50-year record of spatio-temporal development on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Watson ◽  
Eoghan P. Holohan ◽  
Djamil Al-Halbouni ◽  
Leila Saberi ◽  
Ali Sawarieh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Stream Channels ◽  
Shoreline Retreat ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Close Range ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Karst Systems

Abstract. The fall of hydrological base-level is long established as a driver of geomorphological change in both fluvial and karst systems, but few natural occurrences occur on timescales suitable for direct observation. Here we document the spatiotemporal development of fluvial and karstic landforms along the eastern coast of the hypersaline Dead Sea (at Ghor al-Haditha, Jordan) during a 50-year period of regional base-level decline from 1967 to 2017. Combining remote sensing data with close-range photogrammetric surveys, we show that the 35 m base-level fall has caused shoreline retreat of up to 2.5 km, and resulted in: (1) incision of new meandering or straight/braided stream channels and (2) formation of > 1100 sinkholes and several salt-karst uvalas. Both alluvial incision and karst-related subsidence represent significant hazards to local infrastructure. The development of groundwater-fed meandering stream channels is in places interlinked with that of the sinkholes and uvalas. Moreover, active areas of channel incision and sinkhole development both migrate seaward in time, broadly in tandem with shoreline retreat. Regarding theoretical effects of base-level fall, our observations show some deviations from those predicted for channel geometry, but are remarkably consistent with those for groundwater-related salt karstification. Our results present, for the first time in the Dead Sea region, the dual response of surface and subsurface hydrological systems to base level drop as indicated by fluvial and karst geomorphological analysis.

scholarly journals Data assimilation of in-situ and satellite remote sensing data to 3D hydrodynamic lake models

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo Baracchini ◽  
Philip Yifei Chu ◽  
Jonas Šukys ◽  
Gian Lieberherr ◽  
Stefan Wunderle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Satellite Remote Sensing ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Localization Scheme ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Abstract. The understanding of lakes physical dynamics is crucial to provide scientifically credible information for ecosystem management. We show how the combination of in-situ data, remote sensing observations and three-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical simulations is capable of delivering various spatio-temporal scales involved in lakes dynamics. This combination is achieved through data assimilation (DA) and uncertainty quantification. In this study, we present a flexible framework for DA into lakes three-dimensional hydrodynamic models. Using an Ensemble Kalman Filter, our approach accounts for model and observational uncertainties. We demonstrate the framework by assimilating in-situ and satellite remote sensing temperature data into a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of Lake Geneva. Results show that DA effectively improves model performance over a broad range of spatio-temporal scales and physical processes. Overall, temperature errors have been reduced by 54 %. With a localization scheme, an ensemble size of 20 members is found to be sufficient to derive covariance matrices leading to satisfactory results. The entire framework has been developed for the constraints of operational systems and near real-time operations (e.g. integration into http://meteolakes.ch).

scholarly journals Dynamics of hydrological and geomorphological processes in evaporite karst at the eastern Dead Sea – a multidisciplinary study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Djamil Al-Halbouni ◽  
Robert A. Watson ◽  
Eoghan P. Holohan ◽  
Rena Meyer ◽  
Ulrich Polom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Stream Channels ◽  
Evaporite Karst ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Multidisciplinary Study ◽  
Reflection Seismics ◽  
Geomorphological Changes

Abstract. Karst groundwater systems are characterised by the presence of multiple porosity types. Of these, subsurface conduits that facilitate concentrated, heterogeneous flow are challenging to resolve geologically and geophysically. This is especially the case in evaporite karst systems, such as those present on the shores of the Dead Sea, where rapid geomorphological changes are linked to a fall in base level by over 35 m since 1967. Here we combine field observations, remote sensing analysis, and multiple geophysical surveying methods (shear wave reflection seismics, electrical resistivity tomography [ERT], self-potential [SP] and ground penetrating radar [GPR]) to investigate the nature of subsurface groundwater flow and its interaction with hypersaline Dead Sea water on the rapidly retreating eastern shoreline, near Ghor Al-Haditha in Jordan. Remote-sensing data highlight links between the evolution of surface stream channels fed by groundwater springs and the development of surface subsidence patterns over a 25-year period. ERT and SP data from the head of one groundwater-fed channel adjacent the former lakeshore show anomalies that point to concentrated, multidirectional water flow in conduits located in the shallow subsurface (

scholarly journals A Spatio-Temporal Local Association Query Algorithm for Multi-Source Remote Sensing Big Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2333
Author(s):  
Lilu Zhu ◽  
Xiaolu Su ◽  
Yanfeng Hu ◽  
Xianqing Tai ◽  
Kun Fu
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Temporal Correlation ◽  
Local Association ◽  
Sensing Data ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Correlation Networks ◽  
Efficient Integration ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Query Algorithm

It is extremely important to extract valuable information and achieve efficient integration of remote sensing data. The multi-source and heterogeneous nature of remote sensing data leads to the increasing complexity of these relationships, and means that the processing mode based on data ontology cannot meet requirements any more. On the other hand, the multi-dimensional features of remote sensing data bring more difficulties in data query and analysis, especially for datasets with a lot of noise. Therefore, data quality has become the bottleneck of data value discovery, and a single batch query is not enough to support the optimal combination of global data resources. In this paper, we propose a spatio-temporal local association query algorithm for remote sensing data (STLAQ). Firstly, we design a spatio-temporal data model and a bottom-up spatio-temporal correlation network. Then, we use the method of partition-based clustering and the method of spectral clustering to measure the correlation between spatio-temporal correlation networks. Finally, we construct a spatio-temporal index to provide joint query capabilities. We carry out local association query efficiency experiments to verify the feasibility of STLAQ on multi-scale datasets. The results show that the STLAQ weakens the barriers between remote sensing data, and improves their application value effectively.

scholarly journals A novel missense variant of the GNAI3 gene and recognisable morphological characteristics of the mandibula in ARCND1

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumiko Yanagi ◽  
Noriko Morimoto ◽  
Manami Iso ◽  
Yukimi Abe ◽  
Kohji Okamura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Missense Variant ◽  
Nucleotide Binding ◽  
Sequencing Analysis ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Binding Protein ◽  
Computer Tomography Scan ◽  
Novel Variant ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Binding

AbstractAuriculocondylar syndrome (ARCND) is an autosomal monogenic disorder characterised by external ear abnormalities and micrognathia due to hypoplasia of the mandibular rami, condyle and coronoid process. Genetically, three subtypes of ARCND (ARCND1, ARCND2 and ARCND3) have been reported. To date, five pathogenic variants of GNAI3 have been reported in ARCND1 patients. Here, we report a novel variant of GNAI3 (NM_006496:c.807C>A:p.(Asn269Lys)) in a Japanese girl with micrognathia using trio-based whole exome sequencing analysis. The GNAI3 gene encodes a heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein. The novel variant locates the guanine nucleotide-binding site, and the substitution was predicted to interfere with guanine nucleotide-binding by in silico structural analysis. Three-dimensional computer tomography scan, or cephalogram, displayed severely hypoplastic mandibular rami and fusion to the medial and lateral pterygoid plates, which have been recognised in other ARCND1 patients, but have not been described in ARCND2 and ARCND3, suggesting that these may be distinguishable features in ARCND1.

Combining static and dynamic environmental factors at various scales to predict shallow landsliding in South Tyrol, Italy – The Proslide project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Kohrs ◽  
 Lotte de Vugt ◽  
Thomas Zieher ◽  
Alice Crespi ◽  
Mattia Rossi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Scale ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Predisposing Factors ◽  
Physical Models ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Heterogeneous Model ◽  
South Tyrol ◽  
Daily Precipitation Data ◽  
Spatio Temporal

<p>Shallow landslides in alpine environments can constitute a serious threat to the exposed elements. The spatio-temporal occurrence of such slope movements is controlled by a combination of predisposing factors (e.g. topography), preparatory factors (e.g. wet periods, snow melting) and landslide triggers (e.g. heavy precipitation events).  </p><p>For large study areas, landslide assessments frequently focus either on the static predisposing factors to estimate landslide susceptibility using data-driven procedures, or exclusively on the triggering events to derive empirical rainfall thresholds. For smaller areas, dynamic physical models can reasonably be parameterized to simultaneously account for static and dynamic landslide controls.  </p><p>The recently accepted Proslide project aims to develop and test methods with the potential to improve the predictability of landslides for the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is envisaged to account for a variety of innovative input data at multiple spatio-temporal scales. In this context, we seek to exploit remote sensing data for the spatio-temporal description of landslide controlling factors (e.g. precipitation RADAR; satellite soil moisture) and to develop models that allow an integration of heterogeneous model inputs using both, data-driven approaches (regional scale) and physically-based models (catchment scale). This contribution presents the core ideas and methodical framework behind the Proslide project and its very first results (e.g. relationships between landslide observations and gridded daily precipitation data at regional scale). </p>

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