75 FR 31835 - Environmental Impact Statement: Calvert and St. Mary's Counties, MD

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-04

...: Calvert and St. Mary's Counties, MD AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of... project in Calvert and St. Mary's Counties, Maryland (Federal Register Vol. 72, No. 203; FR Doc. 07-5190... replacement of MD 4 from MD 2 to MD 235 in Calvert and St. Mary's Counties, a distance of approximately 4.1...

77 FR 69449 - Combined Notice of Filings #2

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-19

.... Applicants: Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC, R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC. Description: Notice of Non-Material Change in Status of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power...., Constellation Power Source Generation, Inc., Cow Branch Wind Power, L.L.C., CR Clearing, LLC, Criterion Power...

78 FR 16492 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-15

...-2181-017; ER10-2182-017. Applicants: Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC, R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC. Description: Notice of Non-Material Change in Status of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, et. al. Filed Date: 3/8/13. Accession Number: 20130308-5085...

78 FR 49742 - Combined Notice of Filings #2

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-15

...-2181-019; ER10-2182-019. Applicants: Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC, R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC. Description: Notice of Non-Material Change in Status of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, et al. Filed Date: 8/8/13. Accession Number: 20130808-5137...

76 FR 53673 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-29

.... Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC. Description: Notice of Change in Status of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, et al. Filed....17(b): Amendment to 1765R4 KCPL-GMO NITSA NOA to be effective 6/1/ 2011. Filed Date: 08/19/2011...

78 FR 26348 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-06

...: Docket Numbers: ER10-2179-018; ER10-2181-018; ER10-2182-018. Applicants: R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC. Description: Notice of Change in Status of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, et al. Filed Date: 4/26/13...

Particle size and X-ray analysis of Feldspar, Calvert, Ball, and Jordan soils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapman, R. S.

1977-01-01

Pipette analysis and X-ray diffraction techniques were employed to characterize the particle size distribution and clay mineral content of the feldspar, calvert, ball, and jordan soils. In general, the ball, calvert, and jordan soils were primarily clay size particles composed of kaolinite and illite whereas the feldspar soil was primarily silt-size particles composed of quartz and feldspar minerals.

77 FR 16278 - Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards: Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-20

..., 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. Thursday, April 12, 2012, Conference Room T2-B1, 11545....: Selected Chapters of the Safety Evaluation Report (SER) with Open Items Associated with the Calvert Cliffs... chapters of the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation Report (SER) with open items associated with the Calvert...

Estimate of cliff recession rates for the Baraga Cliffs.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-08-01

A section of highway US-41 seven miles north of Baraga, MI runs along a 100 foot high cliff overlooking Keweenaw : Bay. Since construction of the highway, cliff recession has advanced to a point where it is allowing the undercutting of : the guardrai...

The national assessment of shoreline change: a GIS compilation of vector cliff edges and associated cliff erosion data for the California coast

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hapke, Cheryl; Reid, David; Borrelli, Mark

2007-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey has generated a comprehensive data clearinghouse of digital vector cliff edges and associated rates of cliff retreat along the open-ocean California coast. These data, which are presented herein, were compiled as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Assessment of Shoreline Change Project. Cliff erosion is a chronic problem along many coastlines of the United States. As coastal populations continue to grow and community infrastructures are threatened by erosion, there is increased demand for accurate information including rates and trends of coastal cliff retreat. There is also a critical need for these data to be consistent from one region to another. One objective of this work is to a develop standard, repeatable methodology for mapping and analyzing cliff edge retreat so that periodic, systematic, and internally consistent updates of cliff edge position and associated rates of erosion can be made at a national scale. This data compilation for open-ocean cliff edges for the California coast is a separate, yet related study to Hapke and others, 2006 documenting shoreline change along sandy shorelines of the California coast, which is itself one in a series that includes the Gulf of Mexico and the Southeast Atlantic coast (Morton and others, 2004; Morton and Miller, 2005). Future reports and data compilations will include coverage of the Northeast U.S., the Great Lakes, Hawaii and Alaska. Cliff edge change is determined by comparing the positions of one historical cliff edge digitized from maps with a modern cliff edge derived from topographic LIDAR (light detection and ranging) surveys. Historical cliff edges for the California coast represent the 1920s-1930s time-period; the most recent cliff edge was delineated using data collected between 1998 and 2002. End-point rate calculations were used to evaluate rates of erosion between the two cliff edges. Please refer to our full report on cliff edge erosion along the California

77 FR 23710 - Combined Notice of Filings #2

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-20

..., Exelon Generation Company, LLC, Exelon Energy Company, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant LLC, CER Generation, LLC, Commonwealth Edison Company, Constellation NewEnergy, Inc., CER Generation II, LLC...

Dynamics of a cliff top dune

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasmussen, K. R.

2012-12-01

Morphological changes during more than 100 years have been investigated for a cliff-top dune complex at Rubjerg at the Danish North Sea coast. Here the lower 50 m of the cliff front is composed of Pleistocene steeply inclined floes of silt and clay with coarse sand in between which gives it a saw-tooth appearance. On top of this the dunes are found for several kilometres along the coastline. Due to erosion by the North Sea the cliff has retreated about 120 m between approximately 1880 and 1970 as indicated from two national surveys, and recent GPS-surveys indicate that erosion is continuing at a similar rate. Nevertheless the cliff top dune complex has survived, but its morphology has undergone some changed. The old maps indicate that around 1880 the dune complex was composed of several up to about 20 m high dunes streamlined in the East-West direction which is parallel to the prevailing wind direction. When protective planting started during the first half of the 20th Century the cliff top dunes gradually merged together forming a narrow, tall ridge parallel to the shore line with the highest part reaching about 90 m near 1970. In 1993 the highest points along the ridge was almost 95 m high, but then the protective planting was considerably reduced and recent annual GPS-surveys indicate that the dunes respond quickly to this by changing their morphology towards the original appearance. It is remarkable that despite the mass wasting caused by the constant erosion of the cliff front the dunes have remained more or less intact. Theoretical studies of hill flow indicate given the proper geometry of the cliff then suspension of even coarse grains can be a very effective agent for carrying sand from the exposed parts of the cliff front to and beyond the cliff-top. Mostly the sand grains are deposited within some hundred meters downwind of the cliff dune while silt is often carried more than 10 km inland. Field observations indicate that where the dislodged floes and

National assessment of shoreline change part 4: historical coastal cliff retreat along the California coast

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hapke, Cheryl J.; Reid, David

2007-01-01

Coastal cliff retreat, the landward migration of the cliff face, is a chronic problem along many rocky coastlines in the United States. As coastal populations continue to grow and community infrastructures are threatened by erosion, there is increased demand for accurate information regarding trends and rates of coastal cliff retreat. There is also a need for a comprehensive analysis of cliff retreat that is consistent from one coastal region to another. To meet these national needs, the U.S. Geological Survey is conducting an analysis of historical coastal cliff retreat along open-ocean rocky coastlines of the conterminous United States and parts of Hawaii, Alaska, and the Great Lakes. One purpose of this work is to develop standard repeatable methods for mapping and analyzing coastal cliff retreat so that periodic updates of coastal erosion can be made nationally that are systematic and internally consistent. This report on the California Coast is an accompaniment to a report on long-term sandy shoreline change for California. This report summarizes the methods of analysis, interprets the results, and provides explanations regarding long-term rates of cliff retreat. Neither detailed background information on the National Assessment of Shoreline Change Project nor detailed descriptions of the geology and geomorphology of the California coastline are presented in this report. The reader is referred to the shoreline change report (Hapke et al., 2006) for this type of background information. Cliff retreat evaluations are based on comparing one historical cliff edge digitized from maps, with a recent cliff edge interpreted from lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) topographic surveys. The historical cliff edges are from a period ranging from 1920-1930, whereas the lidar cliff edges are from either 1998 or 2002. Long-term (~70-year) rates of retreat are calculated using the two cliff edges. The rates of retreat presented in this report represent conditions from the 1930

Decadal-scale coastal cliff retreat in southern and central California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Adam P.

2018-01-01

Airborne LiDAR data collected in 1998 and 2009-2010 were used to measure coastal cliff erosion and retreat between the Mexico/California border and Bodega Head, California. Cliff erosion was detected along 44% of the 595 km of shoreline evaluated, while the remaining cliffs were relatively stable. The mean cliff top retreat rate was 0.12 m/yr, while mean retreat averaged over the entire cliff face was 0.04 m/yr. The maximum cliff top and face retreat rates were 4.2 and 3.8 m/yr, respectively. Historical ( 1930s to 1998) and recent retreat rates were significantly inversely correlated for areas with large historical or recent cliff retreat, such that locations with elevated historical retreat had low levels of recent retreat and locations with elevated recent retreat were preceded by low rates of historical retreat. The strength of this inverse correlation increased with cliff change magnitudes up to r2 of 0.91 for cliff top retreat rates > 2.9 m/yr. Mean recent retreat rates were 52-83% lower than mean historical retreat rates. Although beaches can protect cliffs against wave-driven erosion, cliffs fronted by beaches retreated 49% more than cliffs without beaches. On average, unarmored cliff faces retreated 0.05 m/yr between 1998 and 2009-2010, about three times faster than artificially armored cliffs. Alongshore metrics of wave-cliff impact, precipitation, and cliff hardness were generally not well correlated with recent cliff changes. A cliff hazard metric is used to detect cliff steepening and areas prone to future cliff top failures.

76 FR 67232 - Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS); Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on U.S...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-31

..., 2011--8:30 a.m. Until 5 p.m. The Subcommittee will review Chapters 7, ``Instrumentation and Controls... Chapter 7, ``Instrumentation and Controls,'' of the Calvert Cliffs RCOL SER with Open Items. The...

75 FR 54610 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-08

..., Handsome Lake Energy, LLC, Constellation Energy Commodities Group M, CER Generation, LLC, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, CER Generation II, LLC. Description: Notice of change in status and Q2 2010 land...

Gravity-induced stresses near a vertical cliff

USGS Publications Warehouse

Savage, W.Z.

1993-01-01

The exact solution for gravity-induced stresses beneath a vertical cliff presented here has application to the design of cut slopes in rock, compares favorably with published photoelastic and finite-element results for this problem, and satisfies the condition that shear and normal stresses vanish on the ground surface, except at the bottom corner where stress concentrations exist. The solution predicts that horizontal stresses are tensile away from the bottom of the cliff-effects caused by movement below the cliff in response to the gravity loading of the cliff. Also, it is shown that along the top of the cliff normal stresses reduce to those predicted for laterally constrained flat-lying topography. ?? 1993.

Sediment contribution from coastal-cliff erosion into the Nile's littoral cell and its significance to cliff-retreat mitigation efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, Oded; Mushkin, Amit; Crouvi, Onn; Alter, Samuel; Shemesh, Ran

2017-04-01

In 2013 the government of Israel initiated a national mitigation program aimed to prevent further collapse and retreat of the country's coastal cliffs, which occur along the northern termination of the Niles's littoral cell (NLC) in the eastern Mediterranean. The goals of this large-scale program are to protect infrastructure and property proximal to the cliff and to conduct long-term maintenance and monitoring of this highly dynamic and sensitive land-sea interface that spans 40 km of Israel's coast line. Here, we examine the possible impact of proposed cliff retreat mitigation efforts on long-shore sediment transport (LST) and coastal dynamics in the region. We used airborne LiDAR spanning a 9-year period between 2006 and 2015 to quantify the annual contribution of sediment eroded from a 20-km-long segment of Israel's coastal cliffs into the NLC. Our measurements reveal 282±85*103 m3 of sediment eroded from the cliff and delivered into the NLC during the studied period. Considering our study area comprises 50% of Israel's sea cliffs we infer an average contribution rate of 30,000-60,000 m^3/yr of cliff-derived sediment into the NLC prior to the planned broad-scale implementation of cliff-retreat mitigation measures. Previous studies report an average net LST flux of 80,000 - 90,000 m3 that reaches the northern termination of the NLC at Haifa Bay annually. Thus, our results suggest that Israel's actively eroding coastal cliffs are primary contributors (40-80%) to the LST budget along the northern termination of the NLC. It therefore appears that successful implementation of the coastal-cliff protection program along Israel's coastline will result in a significant sand deficit, which may drive LST in this part of the NLC out of its 'background' state. In the likely case that the energy/currents driving LST do not change, a possible outcome of this sediment deficit could be increased beach erosion along Israel's coast line to make up for the lost volumes of cliff

Sediment contribution from coastal-cliff erosion into the Nile's littoral cell and its significance to cliff-retreat mitigation efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, O.; Mushkin, A.; Crouvi, O.; Alter, S.; Shemesh, R.

2016-12-01

In 2013 the government of Israel initiated a national mitigation program aimed to prevent further collapse and retreat of the country's coastal cliffs, which occur along the northern termination of the Niles's littoral cell (NLC) in the eastern Mediterranean. The goals of this large-scale program are to protect infrastructure and property proximal to the cliff and to conduct long-term maintenance and monitoring of this highly dynamic and sensitive land-sea interface that spans 40 km of Israel's coast line. Here, we examine the possible impact of proposed cliff retreat mitigation efforts on long-shore sediment transport (LST) and coastal dynamics in the region. We used airborne LiDAR spanning a 9-year period between 2006 and 2015 to quantify the annual contribution of sediment eroded from a 20-km-long segment of Israel's coastal cliffs into the NLC. Our measurements reveal 282±85*103 m3 of sediment eroded from the cliff and delivered into the NLC during the studied period. Considering our study area comprises 50% of Israel's sea cliffs we infer an average contribution rate of 30,000-60,000 m3/yr of cliff-derived sediment into the NLC prior to the planned broad-scale implementation of cliff-retreat mitigation measures. Previous studies report an average net LST flux of 80,000 - 90,000 m3 that reaches the northern termination of the NLC at Haifa Bay annually. Thus, our results suggest that Israel's actively eroding coastal cliffs are primary contributors (40-80%) to the LST budget along the northern termination of the NLC. It therefore appears that successful implementation of the coastal-cliff protection program along Israel's coastline will result in a significant sand deficit, which may drive LST in this part of the NLC out of its `background' state. In the likely case that the energy/currents driving LST do not change, a possible outcome of this sediment deficit could be increased beach erosion along Israel's coast line to make up for the lost volumes of cliff

Geohydrology and simulation of ground-water flow in the aquifer system near Calvert City, Kentucky

USGS Publications Warehouse

Starn, J.J.; Arihood, L.D.; Rose, M.F.

1995-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, constructed a two-dimensional, steady-state ground-water-flow model to estimate hydraulic properties, contributing areas to discharge boundaries, and the average linear velocity at selected locations in an aquifer system near Calvert City, Ky. Nonlinear regression was used to estimate values of model parameters and the reliability of the parameter estimates. The regression minimizes the weighted difference between observed and calculated hydraulic heads and rates of flow. The calibrated model generally was better than alternative models considered, and although adding transmissive faults in the bedrock produced a slightly better model, fault transmissivity was not estimated reliably. The average transmissivity of the aquifer was 20,000 feet squared per day. Recharge to two outcrop areas, the McNairy Formation of Cretaceous age and the alluvium of Quaternary age, were 0.00269 feet per day (11.8 inches per year) and 0.000484 feet per day (2.1 inches per year), respectively. Contributing areas to wells at the Calvert City Water Company in 1992 did not include the Calvert City Industrial Complex. Since completing the fieldwork for this study in 1992, the Calvert City Water Company discontinued use of their wells and began withdrawing water from new wells that were located 4.5 miles east-southeast of the previous location; the contributing area moved farther from the industrial complex. The extent of the alluvium contributing water to wells was limited by the overlying lacustrine deposits. The average linear ground-water velocity at the industrial complex ranged from 0.90 feet per day to 4.47 feet per day with a mean of 1.98 feet per day.

75 FR 21372 - Calvert Social Investment Fund, et al.; Notice of Application

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-23

... Management Company, Inc. (``CAMCO'') and Calvert Distributors, Inc. (``CDI''). Filing Dates: The application... adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. CDI, a Delaware corporation, is a... entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with CAMCO or CDI that now or in the future...

Dynamics of Debris Supply and Removal from Coastal Cliffs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickson, M. E.; Vann Jones, E. C.; Payo, A.; Matsumoto, H.

2016-12-01

Progress in obtaining a morphodynamic understanding of rocky shores has been limited by slow rates of change and lack of preserved evidence of erosion processes. As a result we do not have a detailed understanding of the relative contributions of failure events across the magnitude-frequency spectrum. This talk describes field experiments, supported by simple stock-flow modelling, on a coastal cliff-face in eastern New Zealand. Key features of this site are that it is composed of near-homogenous rapidly eroding mudstone, and it is fronted by a wide intertidal rock platform that results in the cliff toe being exposed to waves every high tide. Several techniques were used to measure the cliff debris supply-removal system. Sediment traps at the cliff toe directly recorded rates of debris supply from the cliff-face at five discrete locations. Repeated high-resolution terrestrial laser scans over several consecutive low-tide stages documented changes in cliff-toe talus volumes along 50m of shoreline. Optical back-scatter sensors located on the rock shore platform in front of the cliff toe constrained the timing of talus-debris resuspension during tidal inundation of the cliff toe. Wave pressure gauges were used to characterise the wave field acting on the cliff. Results demonstrate that high-resolution (<5mm) laser scanning can meaningfully characterise rates of coastal cliff erosion at the very high-frequency low-magnitude end of the erosion spectrum. We find that rates of debris supply from the cliff face are dependent on the subaerial weathering system, in particular wetting and drying and associated expansion and contraction of clay minerals within the cliff rock. Rates of debris removal from the cliff toe depend on tide and wave conditions: even under low wave-energy conditions, waves at infragravity frequencies can access the cliff toe at high tide leading to sediment suspension. We explore the basic feedback structure of cliff, talus and debris removal using a

Nearshore wave-induced cyclical flexing of sea cliffs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adams, P.N.; Storlazzi, C.D.; Anderson, R. Scott

2005-01-01

[1] Evolution of a tectonically active coast is driven by geomorphically destructive energy supplied by ocean waves. Wave energy is episodic and concentrated; sea cliffs are battered by the geomorphic wrecking ball every 4-25 s. We measure the response of sea cliffs to wave assault by sensing the ground motion using near-coastal seismometers. Sea cliffs respond to waves in two distinct styles. High-frequency motion (20 Hz) reflects the natural frequency of the sea cliff as it rings in response to direct wave impact. Low-frequency motion in the 0.1-0.05 Hz (10-20 s) band consistently agrees with the dominant nearshore wave period. Integrating microseismic velocities suggests 50 ??m and 10 ??m displacements in horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. Displacement ellipsoids exhibit simultaneous downward and seaward sea cliff motion with each wave. Video footage corroborates the downward sea cliff flex in response to the imposed water load on the wave cut platform. Gradients in displacement amplitudes documented using multiple seismometers suggest longitudinal and shear strain of the flexing sea cliff on the order of 0.5-4 ?? strains during each wave loading cycle. As this sea cliff flexure occurs approximately 3 million times annually, it has the potential to fatigue the rock through cyclical loading. Local sea cliff retreat rates of 10 cm/yr imply that a given parcel of rock is flexed through roughly 109 cycles of increasing amplitude before exposure to direct wave attack at the cliff face. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.

Europa Ice Cliffs-High Resolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This view of the Conamara Chaos region on Jupiter's moon Europa shows cliffs along the edges of high-standing ice plates. The washboard texture of the older terrain has been broken into plates which are separated by material with a jumbled texture. The cliffs themselves are rough and broadly scalloped, and smooth debris shed from the cliff faces is piled along the base. For scale, the height of the cliffs and size of the scalloped indentations are comparable to the famous cliff face of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

This image was taken on December 16, 1997 at a range of 900 kilometers (540 miles) by the solid state imaging system (camera) on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. North is to the top right of the picture, and the sun illuminates the surface from the east. This image, centered at approximately 8 degrees north latitude and 273 degrees west longitude, covers an area approximately 1.5 kilometers by 4 kilometers (0.9 miles by 2.4 miles). The resolution is 9 meters (30 feet) per picture element.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ galileo.

Activity of southeastern bats along sandstone cliffs used for rock climbing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Loeb, Susan C.; Jodice, Patrick G. R.

2018-01-01

Bats in the eastern U.S. are facing numerous threats and many species are in decline. Although several species of bats commonly roost in cliffs, little is known about use of cliffs for foraging and roosting. Because rock climbing is a rapidly growing sport and may cause disturbance to bats, our objectives were to examine use of cliff habitats by bats and to assess the effects of climbing on their activity. We used radio-telemetry to track small-footed bats (Myotis leibii) to day roosts, and Anabat SD2 detectors to compare bat activity between climbed and unclimbed areas of regularly climbed cliff faces, and between climbed and unclimbed cliffs. Four adult male small-footed bats were tracked to nine day roosts, all of which were in various types of crevices including five cliff face roosts (three on climbed and two on unclimbed faces). Bat activity was high along climbed cliffs and did not differ between climbed and unclimbed areas of climbed cliffs. In contrast, overall bat activity was significantly higher along climbed cliffs than unclimbed cliffs; species richness did not differ between climbed and unclimbed cliffs or areas. Lower activity along unclimbed cliffs may have been related to lower cliff heights and more clutter along these cliff faces. Due to limited access to unclimbed cliffs of comparable size to climbed cliffs, we could not thoroughly test the effects of climbing on bat foraging and roosting activity. However, the high overall use of climbed and unclimbed cliff faces for foraging and commuting that we observed suggests that cliffs may be important habitat for a number of bat species. Additional research on bats' use of cliff faces will improve our understanding of the factors that affect their use of this habitat including the impacts of climbing.

Experimental infection of cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) with varying doses of West Nile virus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oesterle, P.T.; Nemeth, N.M.; VanDalen, Kaci K.; Sullivan, H.; Bentler, K.T.; Young, G.R.; McLean, R.G.; Clark, L.; Smeraski, C.; Hall, Jeffrey S.

2009-01-01

Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) were inoculated with differing doses of West Nile virus (WNV) to evaluate their potential role as reservoir hosts in nature. Swallows often nest in large colonies in habitats and months associated with high mosquito abundance and early WNV transmission in North America. Additionally, cliff swallow diet consists of insects, including mosquitoes, leading to an additional potential route of WNV infection. The average peak viremia titer among infected cliff swallows was 106.3 plaque-forming units (PFU)/mL serum and the reservoir competence index was 0.34. There was no correlation between dose and probability of becoming infected or viremia peak and duration. Oral shedding was detected from 2 to 14 days post-inoculation with an average peak titer of 1044 PFU/swab. These results suggest that cliff swallows are competent reservoir hosts of WNV and therefore, they may play a role in early seasonal amplification and maintenance of WNV. Copyright ?? 2009 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Conversations with Rep. Ken Calvert. Interview by Frank Sietzen Jr.

PubMed

Calvert, Ken

2005-07-01

Rep. Calvert, chair of the House aeronautics and space subcommittee of the Science Committee, answers questions related to priorities for space in the current congressional session: the Vision for Space Exploration, development of the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and other heavy-lift launch vehicles, entrepreneurial alliances in the space transportation industry, the U.S. aerospace industry, space tourism, entrepreneurs and NASA, U.S. aeronautics research, a service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, and priority military space programs.

Predicting coastal cliff erosion using a Bayesian probabilistic model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hapke, Cheryl J.; Plant, Nathaniel G.

2010-01-01

Regional coastal cliff retreat is difficult to model due to the episodic nature of failures and the along-shore variability of retreat events. There is a growing demand, however, for predictive models that can be used to forecast areas vulnerable to coastal erosion hazards. Increasingly, probabilistic models are being employed that require data sets of high temporal density to define the joint probability density function that relates forcing variables (e.g. wave conditions) and initial conditions (e.g. cliff geometry) to erosion events. In this study we use a multi-parameter Bayesian network to investigate correlations between key variables that control and influence variations in cliff retreat processes. The network uses Bayesian statistical methods to estimate event probabilities using existing observations. Within this framework, we forecast the spatial distribution of cliff retreat along two stretches of cliffed coast in Southern California. The input parameters are the height and slope of the cliff, a descriptor of material strength based on the dominant cliff-forming lithology, and the long-term cliff erosion rate that represents prior behavior. The model is forced using predicted wave impact hours. Results demonstrate that the Bayesian approach is well-suited to the forward modeling of coastal cliff retreat, with the correct outcomes forecast in 70–90% of the modeled transects. The model also performs well in identifying specific locations of high cliff erosion, thus providing a foundation for hazard mapping. This approach can be employed to predict cliff erosion at time-scales ranging from storm events to the impacts of sea-level rise at the century-scale.

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, was briefed by X-43A engineer Laurie Grindle during his tour of Dryden

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-06-02

Rep. Ken Calvert, (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, received an update on the mission of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center during a visit on June 2, 2005. Rep. Calvert, accompanied by several staff members, was briefed by center management on the Dryden's role as a flight research institution, and then reviewed some of the center's recent, current and upcoming flight research projects during a tour of the facility. During the afternoon, Rep. Calvert received similar briefings on a variety of projects at several aerospace development firms at the Civilian Flight Test Center in Mojave. Rep. Calvert's tour of NASA Dryden was the second in a series of visits to all 10 NASA field centers to better acquaint him with the roles and responsibilities of each center.

Mercury Long Cliffs

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-01-27

As NASA MESSENGER spacecraft team continued to study the high-resolution images taken during the Mercury flyby encounter on January 14, 2008, scarps cliffs that extend for long distances were discovered.

A quantitative analysis of rock cliff erosion environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, M.; Rosser, N.; Petley, D. N.; Norman, E. C.; Barlow, J.

2009-12-01

The spatial patterns and temporal sequencing of failures from coastal rock cliffs are complex and typically generate weak correlations with environmental variables such as tidal inundation, wave energy, wind and rain. Consequently, understanding of rock cliff behaviour, its response to predicted changes in environmental forcing and, more specifically, the interaction between marine and climatic factors in influencing failure processes has remained limited. This work presents the results from the first attempt to characterise and quantify the conditions on coastal cliffs that lead to accelerated rates of material detachment. The rate of change in an 80 m high section of coastal rock cliffs has been surveyed annually with high-resolution terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). The rockfall data have been analysed according to a simplified source geology that exhibit distinct magnitude-frequency distributions relating to the dominance of particular failure types. An integrated network of sensors and instrumentation designed to reflect the lithological control on failure has been installed to examine both the distinction between prevailing conditions and those affecting the local cliff environment and the physical response of different rock types to micro-climatic processes. The monitoring system records near-surface rock strain, temperature, moisture and micro-seismic displacement in addition to air temperature, humidity, radiation, precipitation, water-level and three-dimensional wind characteristics. A characteristic environmental signal, unique to the cliff face material, has been identified that differs substantially from that experienced by the surrounding area; suggesting that established methods of meteorological and tidal data collection are insufficient and inappropriate to represent erosive processes. The interaction between thermo- and hydro-dynamics of the cliff environment and the physical response of the rock highlights the composite environmental effects

Automated detection of ice cliffs within supraglacial debris cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herreid, Sam; Pellicciotti, Francesca

2018-05-01

Ice cliffs within a supraglacial debris cover have been identified as a source for high ablation relative to the surrounding debris-covered area. Due to their small relative size and steep orientation, ice cliffs are difficult to detect using nadir-looking space borne sensors. The method presented here uses surface slopes calculated from digital elevation model (DEM) data to map ice cliff geometry and produce an ice cliff probability map. Surface slope thresholds, which can be sensitive to geographic location and/or data quality, are selected automatically. The method also attempts to include area at the (often narrowing) ends of ice cliffs which could otherwise be neglected due to signal saturation in surface slope data. The method was calibrated in the eastern Alaska Range, Alaska, USA, against a control ice cliff dataset derived from high-resolution visible and thermal data. Using the same input parameter set that performed best in Alaska, the method was tested against ice cliffs manually mapped in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal. Our results suggest the method can accommodate different glaciological settings and different DEM data sources without a data intensive (high-resolution, multi-data source) recalibration.

75 FR 2531 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-15

... Power, LLC, Terra-Gen VG Wind, LLC, Terra-Gen 251 Wind, LLC, Chandler Wind Partners, LLC. Description... Power Source Generation, Inc., Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant LLC, Constellation Energy Commodities..., Inc., Constellation Energy Commodities Group Maine, LLC, R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, Raven One...

Projecting 21st century coastal cliff retreat in Southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limber, P. W.; Barnard, P.; Erikson, L. H.; Vitousek, S.

2016-12-01

In California, sea level is expected to rise over 1 m by 2100, with extreme projections approaching 3 m. Sea level rise (SLR) increases the frequency, severity, and duration of wave impacts on coastal cliffs, potentially accelerating cliff retreat rates. To assess the future risk to cliff-top infrastructure, densely populated Southern California cities like Los Angeles and San Diego require estimates of coastal retreat over long time (multi-decadal) and large spatial (>100 km) scales. We developed a suite of eight coastal cliff retreat models, ranging in complexity from empirical 1-D representations of cliff response to wave impacts to more intricate 2-D process-based models integrated with artificial neural networks. The ensemble produces a comprehensive estimate of time-averaged coastal cliff retreat with uncertainty, is applicable to different geological environments, and is flexible in application depending on processing power, available data, and/or available time (e.g. if processing power and time are limited, the fast 1-D models can be used as a `rapid assessment' tool). Global-to-local nested wave models provided the hindcasts (1980-2010) and forecasts (2010-2100) used to force the models, and waves were applied in combination with eight SLR scenarios ranging from 0.25 m to 2 m. In the more detailed models, tides, non-tidal residuals, and storm surge were included for the hindcast and forecast periods. For model calibration, a new automated cliff edge extraction routine was used to estimate historical cliff retreat rates from LiDAR data. Initial model application to Southern California suggests that 1 m of SLR during the 21st century will cause cliff retreat rates to increase on average by over 50% relative to historical rates. Model results also demonstrate how small-scale, episodic cliff failure events can coalesce through time into spatially uniform, long-term cliff retreat signals.

At Base of 'Burns Cliff'

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-11-11

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured this view from the base of "Burns Cliff" during the rover's 280th martian day (Nov. 6, 2004). This cliff in the inner wall of "Endurance Crater" displays multiple layers of bedrock for the rover to examine with its panoramic camera and miniature thermal emission spectrometer. The rover team has decided that the farthest Opportunity can safely advance along the base of the cliff is close to the squarish white rock near the center of this image. After examining the site for a few days from that position, the the rover will turn around and head out of the crater. The view is a mosaic of frames taken by Opportunity's navigation camera. The rover was on ground with a slope of about 30 degrees when the pictures were taken, and the view is presented here in a way that corrects for that tilt of the camera. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07039

What controls the survival of ice cliffs on debris-covered glaciers? An investigation into the aspect-dependent evolution of supraglacial cliffs in the Nepalese Himalaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellicciotti, F.; Buri, P.

2017-12-01

Supraglacial ice cliffs exist on debris-covered glaciers worldwide, but despite increasing evidence of their important role in the surface melt of debris-covered glaciers, their role and importance at the glacier scale is still little understood. Acting as windows of energy transfer through the debris, they can contribute to very large glacier mass losses. Their abundance and life cycle might thus explain the anomalous behavior of much higher than expected mass losses of the debris-covered glaciers of High Mountain Asia, a controversial finding of recent research in a region where glaciers are highly relevant as water sources for millions of people downstream. Cliffs' evolution in time and distribution in space will determine their total contribution to the mass balance of glaciers, but while spatial distribution has been recently inferred from remote sensing studies, their temporal evolution is largely unknown. Here, we make use of recent advancements in our ability to model these complex features and use a novel 3D numerical model of cliff backwasting and very high resolution topographic data to show that supraglacial ice cliffs existence is controlled by aspect. Because of lack of observed south-facing cliffs, we rotate north-facing cliff systems observed in high detail over the debris-covered Lirung glacier, in the Nepalese Himalaya, towards southerly aspects and use the model coupled to the very high resolution topography to simulate the continuous evolution of selected cliffs over one melt season. Cliffs facing south (in the Northern Hemisphere) do not survive the duration of an ablation season and disappear within few weeks to few months due to very strong solar radiation receipts. Our model shows a progressive, continuous flattening of southerly facing cliffs, which is a result of their vertical gradient of incoming solar radiation. We also show that there is a clear range of aspects (northwest to northeast) that allows cliff survival because of energy and

77 FR 64501 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-22

.... Applicants: Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC, R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC. Description: Notice of Non-Material Change in Status of Nine Mile Point Nuclear..., LLC, Shooting Star Wind Project, LLC, Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation, PECO Energy Company...

78 FR 42060 - Combined Notice of Filings #2

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-15

... Harbor Water Power Corporation, PECO Energy Company, Michigan Wind 1, LLC, Michigan Wind 2, LLC, Harvest... Clearing, LLC, Cow Branch Wind Power, L.L.C., Constellation Power Source Generation Inc., Constellation New..., Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Nine Mine Point Nuclear Station, LLC. Description: Revised...

75 FR 65294 - Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative: Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-22

... Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Environmental Assessment (EA) associated with the Holland Cliff to Hewitt Road 230 kV Transmission proposal in Calvert and St. Mary's Counties, Maryland. The EA was prepared..., Environmental Policies and Procedures). The purpose of the EA was to evaluate the potential environmental...

78 FR 23563 - LWD, Inc. Superfund Site; Calvert City, Marshall County, Kentucky; Notice of Settlement

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-19

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9805-2; CERCLA-04-2013-3751] LWD, Inc. Superfund Site... costs concerning the LWD, Inc., Superfund Site located in Calvert City, Marshall County, Kentucky. The... V. Painter. Submit your comments by Site name LWD, Inc., Superfund Site by one of the following...

Quantifying rock mass strength degradation in coastal rock cliffs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brain, Matthew; Lim, Michael; Rosser, Nick; Petley, David; Norman, Emma; Barlow, John

2010-05-01

Although rock cliffs are generally perceived to evolve through undercutting and cantilever collapse of material, the recent application of high-resolution three-dimensional monitoring techniques has suggested that the volumetric losses recorded from layers above the intertidal zone produce an equally significant contribution to cliff behaviour. It is therefore important to understand the controls on rockfalls in such layers. Here we investigate the progressive influence of subaerial exposure and weathering on the geotechnical properties of the rocks encountered within the geologically complex coastal cliffs of the northeast coast of England, UK. Through a program of continuous in situ monitoring of local environmental and tidal conditions and laboratory rock strength testing, we aim to better quantify the relationships between environmental processes and the geotechnical response of the cliff materials. We have cut fresh (not previously exposed) samples from the three main rock types (sandstone, mudstone and shale) found within the cliff to uniform size, shape and volume, thus minimizing variability and removing previous surface weathering effects. In order to characterise the intact strength of the rocks, we have undertaken unconfined compressive strength and triaxial strength tests using high pressure (400 kN maximum axial load; 64 MPa maximum cell pressure) triaxial testing apparatus. The results outline the peak strength characteristics of the unweathered materials. We then divided the samples of each lithology into different experimental groups. The first set of samples remained in the laboratory at constant temperature and humidity; this group provides our control. Samples from each of the three rock types were located at heights on the cliff face corresponding with the different lithologies: at the base (mudstone), in the mid cliff (shale) and at the top of the cliff (sandstone). This subjected them to the same conditions experienced by the in situ cliff

Regional beach/cliff system dynamics along the california coast

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hapke, C.J.; Reid, Don

2007-01-01

The coast of California is comprised of both sandy shorelines and cliffed coastline, and in many areas these features spatially coincide. In order to better understand the regional trends of change along the California coast, the U.S. Geological Survey is quantifying both sandy shoreline change and coastal cliff retreat for the state. The resulting database was used to examine the dynamics of the beach/cliff system. We found inconsistent evidence of a relationship between rates of cliff retreat and shoreline change on the spatial scale of 100-km cells. However, when the data are correlated within individual regions, a strong relationship exists between the geomorphology of the coast and the behavior of the beach/cliff system. Areas of high-relief coast show negative correlations, indicating that higher rates of cliff retreat correlate with lower rates of shoreline erosion. In contrast, low- to moderate-relief coasts show strong positive correlations.

78 FR 9903 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-12

...-2181-016; ER10-2182-016. Applicants: R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC. Description: Notice of Non-Material Change in... Wind Power, L.L.C., CR Clearing, LLC, Criterion Power Partners, LLC, Exelon Framingham, LLC, Exelon...

76 FR 1416 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-10

... Wind Farm LLC; State Line Energy, LLC; Kincaid Generation, L.L.C.; Virginia Electric and Power Company...: Constellation Energy Commodities Group, R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, AES NewEnergy, Inc., Baltimore Gas..., Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant LLC, CER Generation, LLC...

Ice-Cliff Failure via Retrogressive Slumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parizek, B. R.; Christianson, K.; Alley, R. B.; Voytenko, D.; Vankova, I.; Dixon, T. H.; Holland, D.

2016-12-01

The magnitude and rate of future sea-level rise from warming-induced ice-sheet shrinkage remain notably uncertain. Removal of most of an ice sheet by surface melting alone requires centuries to millennia. Oceanic warming may accelerate loss by removing buttressing ice shelves and thereby speeding flow of non-floating ice into the ocean, but, until recently, modeled timescales for major dynamic ice-sheet shrinkage were centuries or longer. Beyond certain thresholds, however, observations show that warming removes floating ice shelves, leaving grounded ice cliffs from which icebergs break off directly. Cliffs higher than some limit experience rapid structural failure. Recent parameterization of this process in a comprehensive ice-flow model produced much faster sea-level rise from future rapid warming than in previous modeling studies, through formation and retreat of tall ice cliffs. Fully physical representations of this process are not yet available, however. Here, we use modeling guided by terrestrial radar data from Helheim Glacier, Greenland to show that cliffs will fail by slumping and trigger rapid retreat at a threshold height that, in crevassed ice with surface melting, may be only slightly above the 100-m maximum observed today, but may be roughly twice that (180-275 m) in mechanically-competent ice under well-drained or low-melt conditions.

Cliffs of ice spied on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voosen, Paul

2018-01-01

Scientists have discovered eight cliffs of nearly pure water ice on Mars, some of which stand nearly 100 meters tall. The discovery points to large stores of underground ice buried only a meter or two below the surface at surprisingly low martian latitudes, in regions where ice had not yet been detected. Each cliff seems to be the naked face of a glacier, tantalizing scientists with the promise of a layer-cake record of past martian climates and space enthusiasts with a potential resource for future human bases. Scientists discovered the cliffs with a high-resolution camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, revisiting the sites to show their subsequent retreat as a result of vaporization, and their persistence in the martian summer. The hunt should now be on, scientists say, for similar sites closer to the equator.

Structure-Based Predictions of Activity Cliffs

PubMed Central

Husby, Jarmila; Bottegoni, Giovanni; Kufareva, Irina; Abagyan, Ruben; Cavalli, Andrea

2015-01-01

In drug discovery, it is generally accepted that neighboring molecules in a given descriptors' space display similar activities. However, even in regions that provide strong predictability, structurally similar molecules can occasionally display large differences in potency. In QSAR jargon, these discontinuities in the activity landscape are known as ‘activity cliffs’. In this study, we assessed the reliability of ligand docking and virtual ligand screening schemes in predicting activity cliffs. We performed our calculations on a diverse, independently collected database of cliff-forming co-crystals. Starting from ideal situations, which allowed us to establish our baseline, we progressively moved toward simulating more realistic scenarios. Ensemble- and template-docking achieved a significant level of accuracy, suggesting that, despite the well-known limitations of empirical scoring schemes, activity cliffs can be accurately predicted by advanced structure-based methods. PMID:25918827

Modelling Coastal Cliff Recession Based on the GIM-DDD Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Bin; Wang, Shanyong; Sloan, Scott William; Sheng, Daichao; Tang, Chun'an

2018-04-01

The unpredictable and instantaneous collapse behaviour of coastal rocky cliffs may cause damage that extends significantly beyond the area of failure. Gravitational movements that occur during coastal cliff recession involve two major stages: the small deformation stage and the large displacement stage. In this paper, a method of simulating the entire progressive failure process of coastal rocky cliffs is developed based on the gravity increase method (GIM), the rock failure process analysis method and the discontinuous deformation analysis method, and it is referred to as the GIM-DDD method. The small deformation stage, which includes crack initiation, propagation and coalescence processes, and the large displacement stage, which includes block translation and rotation processes during the rocky cliff collapse, are modelled using the GIM-DDD method. In addition, acoustic emissions, stress field variations, crack propagation and failure mode characteristics are further analysed to provide insights that can be used to predict, prevent and minimize potential economic losses and casualties. The calculation and analytical results are consistent with previous studies, which indicate that the developed method provides an effective and reliable approach for performing rocky cliff stability evaluations and coastal cliff recession analyses and has considerable potential for improving the safety and protection of seaside cliff areas.

78 FR 70078 - Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-22

... Pike, Rockville, Maryland. Wednesday, December 4, 2013, Conference Room T2-B1, 11545 Rockville Pike....: Selected Chapters of the Safety Evaluation Report (SER) With Open Items Associated With the Calvert Cliffs...)(4).] 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Topical Report and Selected Chapters of the Safety Evaluation Reports...

76 FR 81992 - PPL Bell Bend, LLC; Combined License Application for Bell Bend Nuclear Power Plant; Exemption

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-29

... License Application for Bell Bend Nuclear Power Plant; Exemption 1.0 Background PPL Bell Bend, LLC... for Nuclear Power Plants.'' This reactor is to be identified as Bell Bend Nuclear Power Plant (BBNPP... based upon the U.S. EPR reference COL (RCOL) application for UniStar's Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power...

77 FR 16543 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-21

...: Docket Numbers: ER10-2179-007; ER10-2181-007; ER10-2182-007. Applicants: R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC. Description.... Applicants: Pioneer Trail Wind Farm, LLC. Description: Application for Authorization Under Section 203 of the...

Update on Simulating Ice-Cliff Failure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parizek, B. R.; Christianson, K. A.; Alley, R. B.; Voytenko, D.; Vankova, I.; Dixon, T. H.; Walker, R. T.; Holland, D.

2017-12-01

Using a 2D full-Stokes diagnostic ice-flow model and engineering and glaciological failure criteria, we simulate the limiting physical conditions for rapid structural failure of subaerial ice cliffs. Previously, using a higher-order flowline model, we reported that the threshold height, in crevassed ice and/or under favorable conditions for hydrofracture or crack lubrication, may be only slightly above the 100-m maximum observed today and that under well-drained or low-melt conditions, mechanically-competent ice supports cliff heights up to 220 m (with a likely range of 180-275 m) before ultimately succumbing to tensional and compressive failure along a listric surface. However, proximal to calving fronts, bridging effects lead to variations in vertical normal stress from the background glaciostatic stress state that give rise to the along-flow gradients in vertical shear stress that are included within a full-Stokes momentum balance. When including all flowline stresses within the physics core, diagnostic solutions continue to support our earlier findings that slumping failure ultimately limits the upper bound for cliff heights. Shear failure still requires low cohesive strength, tensile failure leads to deeper dry-crevasse propagation (albeit, less than halfway through the cliff), and compressive failure drops the threshold height for triggering rapid ice-front retreat via slumping to 200 m (145-280 m).

Processes and mechanisms governing hard rock cliff erosion in western Brittany, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laute, Katja; Letortu, Pauline; Le Dantec, Nicolas

2017-04-01

The evolution of rocky coasts is controlled by the interplay between subaerial, marine as well as biological processes, and the geological context. In times of ongoing climate change it is difficult to predict how these erosional landscapes will respond for example to anticipated sea-level rise or to an increase in storminess. However, it can be expected that changes in the morphodynamics of rocky coasts will have a noticeable effect on society and infrastructure. Recent studies have proven that monitoring cliff micro-seismic ground motion has been very effective in exploring both marine and atmospheric actions on coastal cliffs. But only few studies have focused so far on the effects of wave loading and water circulation (runoff, infiltration, water table variations) on cliff stability and subsequent erosion, considering the interaction between subaerial and marine processes. This project focuses on the identification and quantification of environmental controls on hard rock cliff erosion with an emphasis on discriminating the relative contributions of subaerial and marine processes. We aim at relating different sources of mechanical stress (e.g. wave loading, direct wave impact, hydrostatic pressure, thermal expansion) to cliff-scale strain (cliff-top swaying and shaking) and micro-fracturing (generation, expansion and contraction of micro-cracks) with the objective to unravel and discriminate triggering mechanisms of cliff failure. A four-month monitoring field experiment during the winter period (February-May) of 2017 is carried out at a cliff face located in Porsmilin beach (western Brittany, France). The selected cliff section is exposed to Atlantic swell from the south/southwest with a significant wave height of ca. 1.5 m on average and, reaching up to 4 m during storm events. The cliff rises ca. 20 m above the beach and is mainly formed of orthogneiss with intrusions of granodiorite. The entire cliff is highly fractured and altered, which can promote slope

The White Cliffs of "Rover"

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-06-15

This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is reminiscent of the rugged and open terrain of a stark shore-line, perhaps of an island nation, such as the British Isles. A close-up in enhanced color produces a striking effect, giving the impression of a cloud-covered cliff edge with foamy waves crashing against it. The reality is that the surface of Mars is much dryer than our imaginations might want to suggest. This is only a tiny part of a much larger structure; an inverted crater -- a crater that has been infilled by material that is more resistant to erosion than the rocks around it -- surrounded by bluish basaltic dunes. The edge of these elevated light-toned deposits are degraded, irregular and cliff-forming. Dunes visible below the cliff, give the impression of an ocean surface, complete with foam capped waves crashing against the "shore line," demonstrating the abstract similarity between the nature of a turbulent ocean and a Martian dune field. Meridiani Planum has an overall smooth terrain, which starkly contrasts with the more common boulder- and crater-laden landscapes observed over much of the rest of Mars. This makes it relatively younger in character than many other areas of the planet. Meridiani is one of the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites, and, is known for its layers and sediments. The orbital detection of hematite was one of the main reasons for sending Opportunity to this area. Salt-bearing rocks -- also called sulphates -- were observed in the very first image from Opportunity, so perhaps it's apt that this HiRISE image reminds us of the turmoil and rugged beauty of a cliff-face, a coastline, being worn down by a relentless sea. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21760

How to explain variations in sea cliff erosion rate?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prémaillon, Melody; Regard, Vincent; Dewez, Thomas

2017-04-01

Every rocky coast of the world is eroding at different rate (cliff retreat rates). Erosion is caused by a complex interaction of multiple sea weather factors. While numerous local studies exist and explain erosion processes on specific sites, global studies lack. We started to compile many of those local studies and analyse their results with a global point of view in order to quantify the various parameters influencing erosion rates. In other words: is erosion more important in energetic seas? Are chalk cliff eroding faster in rainy environment? etc. In order to do this, we built a database based on literature and national erosion databases. It now contains 80 publications which represents 2500 cliffs studied and more than 3500 erosion rate estimates. A statistical analysis was conducted on this database. On a first approximation, cliff lithology is the only clear signal explaining erosion rate variation: hard lithologies are eroding at 1cm/y or less, whereas unconsolidated lithologies commonly erode faster than 10cm/y. No clear statistical relation were found between erosion rate and external parameters such as sea energy (swell, tide) or weather condition, even on cliff with similar lithology.

77 FR 73027 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-07

...-2179-013; ER10-2181-013; ER10-2182-013. Applicants: R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC. Description: Supplement to July 6, 2012...: Southwest Power Pool, Inc. Description: 2501 Waverly Wind Farm, LLC GIA to be effective 11/14/ 2012. Filed...

76 FR 16457 - Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-23

... Thursday, October 21, 2010 (74 FR 65038-65039). Thursday, April 7, 2011, Conference Room T2-B1, 11545....: Selected Chapters of the Safety Evaluation Report (SER) with Open Items Associated with the Calvert Cliffs... pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4).] Friday, April 8, 2011, Conference Room T2-B1, 11545 Rockville Pike...

75 FR 4369 - Combined Notice of Filings. #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-27

...; ER04-485-016; ER07-244-010; ER07-245-010; ER07-247-010. Applicants: R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC..., LLC, Constellation Energy Commodities Group M, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant LLC, Raven One, LLC..., Foote Creek IV, LLC, Ridge Crest Wind Partners, LLC, Oak Creek Wind Power, LLC, Foote Creek III, LLC...

Rocky coast processes: with special reference to the recession of soft rock cliffs

PubMed Central

SUNAMURA, Tsuguo

2015-01-01

Substantial progress in research on the recession of coastal cliffs composed of soft materials has been made in recent years and data with higher accuracy have been accumulated. This paper provides the state of the art review in the recession studies and highlights two new findings obtained from the reanalysis of existing data. The review topics are: episodic and localized nature of cliff recession; the development of cliffline; the relationship between cliff height and recession rate; mechanisms of cliff toe erosion by waves; a fundamental equation for wave-induced toe erosion; factors controlling toe erosion; and slope instabilities and mass movements. The findings are presented on (1) the temporal change in cliffline recession mode and (2) the effect of beach sediment at the cliff base on the cliff erosion. PMID:26568322

Rocky coast processes: with special reference to the recession of soft rock cliffs.

PubMed

Sunamura, Tsuguo

2015-01-01

Substantial progress in research on the recession of coastal cliffs composed of soft materials has been made in recent years and data with higher accuracy have been accumulated. This paper provides the state of the art review in the recession studies and highlights two new findings obtained from the reanalysis of existing data. The review topics are: episodic and localized nature of cliff recession; the development of cliffline; the relationship between cliff height and recession rate; mechanisms of cliff toe erosion by waves; a fundamental equation for wave-induced toe erosion; factors controlling toe erosion; and slope instabilities and mass movements. The findings are presented on (1) the temporal change in cliffline recession mode and (2) the effect of beach sediment at the cliff base on the cliff erosion.

North Polar Cliff

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

This full HiRISE image shows a cliff-face that has been eroded into the ice-rich polar layered deposits at the head of the large canyon, Chasma Boreale. In a similar way to layers in the Earth's ice caps, these Martian layers are thought to record variations in climate, which makes them very interesting to scientists. This particular cliff-face is several hundred meters high and the layers exposed here are the deepest (and so the oldest) in the polar layered deposits. The lower layers exposed in this scarp appear to be rich in dark sand, and erosion of these layers has produced the sand dunes that cover sections of this cliff-face. A close examination of the layers in the center of the image shows they have curved shapes and intersect each other. Scientists call this cross-bedding and it may indicate that these sandy layers were laid down as a large dunefield before being buried. At the bottom of the image, the floor of Chasma Boreale in this area appears to have been swept clean of sandy material. There is a complex history of erosion and deposition of material at this location. On the right of the image one can see a smooth material that covers the lower layers and which must have been deposited after the main cliff face was initially eroded. Closer to the center of the image, this smooth mantling material is in turn being eroded away to once again expose the layers beneath it.

Image PSP_001334_2645 was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on November 8, 2006. The complete image is centered at 84.4 degrees latitude, 343.5 degrees East longitude. The range to the target site was 317.4 km (198.4 miles). At this distance the image scale ranges from 31.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 63.5 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning). The image shown here has been map-projected to 25 cm/pixel. The image was taken at a local Mars time of 1:38 PM and the scene is illuminated from the

Resistivity tomography of Pointe du Hoc cliffs for stability assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udphuay, S.; Everett, M. E.; Warden, R.

2008-12-01

Pointe du Hoc WWII battlefield overlooking the English Channel in western Normandy, France, is an important cultural resource, being an integral component of the June 6 1944 D-Day invasion. Two major buildings, the forward observation post (OP) and Col. Rudder's command post (RCP), are now perched perilously close to the cliff's edge owing to six decades of cliff retreat. Geophysical surveys were carried out in March 2008 to investigate the risk of cliff failure and to inform possible geotechnical remediation strategies with a final goal toward re-opening the observation post that is now closed to visitors. The geophysical surveying is accomplished by high-resolution resistivity tomography, conducted in extreme topography and in the midst of dense cultural clutter. The results of the OP tomography indicate that the highest mass movement hazard is associated with the marine caverns at the base of the cliff at the point of strongest wave attack. These caverns occupy the future site of a sea arch which will threaten the OP building. There is a high probability of a soil wedge failure on the east facing cliff edge close to the OP building. Such a failure could damage or destroy the building. The possibility of a sudden catastrophic failure along any one of these fractures cannot be ruled out. The greatest risk at the RCP site, which is under less immediate threat, is associated with soil wedge failures at the top of the cliffs.

Wave induced coastal cliff top ground motions and infragravity wave dissipation under high energy wave conditions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Earlie, C. S.; le Dantec, N.; Young, A.

2016-12-01

Coastal cliff erosion is a widespread problem that threatens property and infrastructure globally. The prediction of this risk calls for robust understanding of the processes and mechanisms involved in causing coastal cliff failure. Over the last decade, a number of geomorphological studies have highlighted the importance of the relationship between the offshore wave climate and cliff-toe water levels, and the resultant coastal response in terms of cliff-top ground motion and erosion. Field-based studies of instantaneous cliff response to direct wave impact have shown that wave-induced loading of the foreshore leads to cliff-top ground motions that may have the potential to weaken the integrity of the rocks and prepare them for failure. In order to understand wave-cliff interaction and how beach morphodynamics influences cliff-top ground motion and cliff erosion, two field experiments were carried out simultaneously at two locations in Northern Brittany (France). This three-month long winter field campaign (Jan-Mar 2016) included, for the first time, a comparison of cliff-top ground motion and cliff erosion at sites fronted by different beach morphologies (reflective/dissipative), along with monitoring of hydrodynamic forcing and beach topography. The magnitude of cliff-top displacements at both sites were dependent on tidal stage and free water surface elevation at the cliff toe, with the greatest contributions of cliff-top ground motions found at infragravity frequencies (0.05-0.005 Hz). Vertical displacements at infragravity and incident sea-swell (0.1-0.5 Hz) frequencies were greater at the dissipative site, apart from during spring high tide and energetic wave conditions, where displacements were two times that at the reflective site. Combining these wave-cliff interaction data with beach morphology and nearshore bathymetry will be key to understanding the spatial variability in cliff erosion under a variety of environmental settings and forcing conditions.

Development of Waterfall Cliff Face: An Implication from Multitemporal High-definition Topographic Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayakawa, Y. S.; Obanawa, H.

2015-12-01

Bedrock knickpoints (waterfalls) often act as erosional front in bedrock rivers, whose geomorphological processes are various. In waterfalls with vertical cliffs, both fluvial erosion and mass movement are feasible to form the landscape. Although morphological changes of such steep cliffs are sometimes visually observed, quantitative and precise measurements of their spatiotemporal distribution have been limited due to poor accessibility to such cliffs. For the clarification of geomorphological processes in such cliffs, multi-temporal mapping of the cliff face at a high resolution can be advantaged by short-range remote sensing approaches. Here we carry out multi-temporal terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), as well as structure-from-motion multi-view stereo (SfM-MVS) photogrammetry based on unmanned aerial system (UAS) for accurate topographic mapping of cliffs around a waterfall. The study site is Kegon Falls in central Japan, having a vertical drop of surface water from top of its overhanging cliff and groundwater outflows from its lower portions. The bedrock consists of alternate layers of jointed andesite lava and conglomerates. The latest major rockfall in 1986 caused approximately 8-m recession of the waterfall lip. Three-dimensional changes of the rock surface were detected by multi-temporal measurements by TLS over years, showing the portions of small rockfalls and surface lowering in the bedrock. Erosion was frequently observed in relatively weak the conglomerates layer, whereas small rockfalls were often found in the andesite layers. Wider areas of the waterfall and cliff were also measured by UAS-based SfM-MVS photogrammetry, improving the mapping quality of the cliff morphology. Point clouds are also projected on a vertical plane to generate a digital elevation model (DEM), and cross-sectional profiles extracted from the DEM indicate the presence of a distinct, 5-10-m deep depression in the cliff face. This appears to have been formed by freeze-thaw and

Burns Cliff in Color Stereo

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-07-10

NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity captured a sweeping stereo image of Burns Cliff after driving right to the base of this southeastern portion of the inner wall of Endurance Crater in November 2004. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

Gravitational failure of sea cliffs in weakly lithified sediment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hampton, M.A.

2002-01-01

Gravitational failure of sea cliffs eroded into weakly lithified sediment at several sites in California involves episodic stress-release fracturing and cantilevered block falls. The principal variables that influence the gravitational stability are tensional stresses generated during the release of horizontal confining stress and weakening of the sediment with increased saturation levels. Individual failures typically comprise less than a cubic meter of sediment, but large areas of a cliff face can be affected by sustained instability over a period of several days. Typically, only the outer meter or so of sediment is removed during a failure episode. In-place sediment saturation levels vary over time and space, generally being higher during the rainy season but moderate to high year-round. Laboratory direct-shear tests show that sediment cohesion decreases abruptly with increasing saturation level; the decrease is similar for all tested sediment if the cohesion is normalized by the maximum, dry-sediment cohesion. Large failures that extend over most or all of the height of the sea cliff are uncommon, but a few large wedge-shaped failures sometimes occur, as does separation of large blocks at sea cliff-gully intersections.

Exploring the cliff retreat response to base level change using SFM photogrammetry and cosmogenic 36Cl, Coal Cliffs, Utah, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheehan, C.; Ward, D.

2015-12-01

The retreat of cliffbands is an important erosional process within the relatively undeformed sedimentary layers of the Colorado Plateau. Many iconic cliff landforms, including those of Monument Valley and Grand Canyon, are maintained by the interaction of these different rock types. A several kilometer thickness of incised sandstone and shale formations allow this region to act as a natural laboratory for studying the effects of variable lithologies on landscape evolution. Cliffband morphology and retreat on the plateau are controlled by several factors that may vary over time and space, including lithology, rate and distribution of rockfall debris, bedrock structure, baselevel, and climate. The relative importance of each factor in setting rates of cliff retreat are not entirely clear. Because regional headwaters are commonly sourced at cliff bases, these landforms are often the final and slowest areas to respond to baselevel changes, allowing rockfall and other local stochastic processes to overwhelm the erosional response to a baselevel forcing. The roles of these processes are difficult to assess because very few measurements of retreat rates over geomorphic timescales (103-106 years) have been produced, and thus changes in cliffband position through time have only been constrained by inferences made from the regional erosional history. Here, we control for climate and rock type by focusing on a continuous, 40-kilometer section of the lithologically consistent Coal Cliffs in Emery County, Utah. This area presents several natural experiments illustrating cliffband response to different forcings, including relict surfaces reflecting a baselevel change, drainage divides across which the adjustment to base level change may be asynchronous, a zone wherein the caprock layer has been removed by backscarp erosion, and a generally continuous gradient in cliff height from 50 to >200 meters along the cliffline. We employ terrestrial Cl36 exposure dating on terraces, talus

Rockfall activity of cliff inferred from deposit and cone method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaboyedoff, M.; Baillifard, F.; Rouiller, J.-D.

2003-04-01

Assuming that fresh scree slopes are significant indicators of recent rockfall activity, they can be used as activity indicators for a given rockfall source area. Using simple geometric rules and a DTM (digital elevation model), the propagation zone can be estimated by considering that each potential rockfall source cell (corresponding to the entire cliff) can generate a scree slope within a cone with a slope ranging from 27° to 37°. Thus, the count of pixels representing rockfall deposits that are contained in this cone represents a relative scale of recent rockfall activity. According to Evans and Hungr (1993), the source cell can be chosen at the bottom of the cliff, with lower angles. Choosing the entire cliff or the bottom of the cliff as source area depends on the morphology of the slope situated below the cliff. The cone can also be laterally limited in order to avoid the counting of illogical rock slope trajectories (+-20°). In Switzerland, the vectorized 1:25,000 topographic map (vector25) can provide scree slope and cliff area data sets. Results obtained using this method show good agreement with field observations, although it is evident that the highest topographic reliefs are favored by this method, as verified in the Alps. Compared to the method of Menendéz Duarte and Marquínez (2002), which uses GIS-calculated watersheds as propagation areas, the present method does not take small changes of topography into account. References Evans, S.G. and Hungr, O. The assessment of rockfall hazard at the base of talus slopes. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 30/4, 620-636, 1993. Menendéz Duarte, R. and Marquínez, J. The influence of environmental and lithologic factors on rockfall at a regional scale: an evaluation using GIS. Geomorphology, 43, 117-136, 2002.

Investigating ice cliff evolution and contribution to glacier mass-balance using a physically-based dynamic model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buri, Pascal; Miles, Evan; Ragettli, Silvan; Brun, Fanny; Steiner, Jakob; Pellicciotti, Francesca

2016-04-01

Supraglacial cliffs are a surface feature typical of debris-covered glaciers, affecting surface evolution, glacier downwasting and mass balance by providing a direct ice-atmosphere interface. As a result, melt rates can be very high and ice cliffs may account for a significant portion of the total glacier mass loss. However, their contribution to glacier mass balance has rarely been quantified through physically-based models. Most cliff energy balance models are point scale models which calculate energy fluxes at individual cliff locations. Results from the only grid based model to date accurately reflect energy fluxes and cliff melt, but modelled backwasting patterns are in some cases unrealistic, as the distribution of melt rates would lead to progressive shallowing and disappearance of cliffs. Based on a unique multitemporal dataset of cliff topography and backwasting obtained from high-resolution terrestrial and aerial Structure-from-Motion analysis on Lirung Glacier in Nepal, it is apparent that cliffs exhibit a range of behaviours but most do not rapidly disappear. The patterns of evolution cannot be explained satisfactorily by atmospheric melt alone, and are moderated by the presence of supraglacial ponds at the base of cliffs and by cliff reburial with debris. Here, we document the distinct patterns of evolution including disappearance, growth and stability. We then use these observations to improve the grid-based energy balance model, implementing periodic updates of the cliff geometry resulting from modelled melt perpendicular to the ice surface. Based on a slope threshold, pixels can be reburied by debris or become debris-free. The effect of ponds are taken into account through enhanced melt rates in horizontal direction on pixels selected based on an algorithm considering distance to the water surface, slope and lake level. We use the dynamic model to first study the evolution of selected cliffs for which accurate, high resolution DEMs are available

Sea-cliff erosion at Pacifica, California caused by 1997/98 El Niño storms

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snell, Charles B.; Lajoie, Kenneth R.; Medley, Edward W.

2000-01-01

Twelve homes were constructed in 1949 at the top of a sea cliff along Esplanade Drive in the City of Pacifica, located on the northern coast of San Mateo County, California. The rear yards of those properties were bounded by an approximately 20-meter (70-foot) high cliff that has retreated episodically at an average rate of 0.5 to 0.6 meter (1.5 to 2 feet) per year over the past 146 years. During the heavy storms of the 1997/1998 El Niño winter, a severe episode of cliff retreat undermined seven homes and threatened three others. All ten homes were condemned and demolished by the City of Pacifica. In this study we analyze geologic, tide, wave, rainfall and wind data in an attempt to determine the causes of this most recent erosion event. We identify the following possible contributory causes of the cliff retreat: 1) wave-induced undercutting of the cliff landward of an old revetment, 2) reduction in beach width over time, 3) reduction in cliff-face stability owing to infiltration from heavy rains, 4) erosion of the cliff face by groundwater piping, and 5) wind-induced erosion of loose dune sand at the top of the cliff. While these factors may explain the retreat of the cliff below the twelve homes along Esplanade Drive, the question remains as to why other geologically similar sites in the region were not severely eroded during the 1997/1998 El Niño winter.

Recent acceleration in coastal cliff retreat rates on the south coast of Great Britain.

PubMed

Hurst, Martin D; Rood, Dylan H; Ellis, Michael A; Anderson, Robert S; Dornbusch, Uwe

2016-11-22

Rising sea levels and increased storminess are expected to accelerate the erosion of soft-cliff coastlines, threatening coastal infrastructure and livelihoods. To develop predictive models of future coastal change we need fundamentally to know how rapidly coasts have been eroding in the past, and to understand the driving mechanisms of coastal change. Direct observations of cliff retreat rarely extend beyond 150 y, during which humans have significantly modified the coastal system. Cliff retreat rates are unknown in prior centuries and millennia. In this study, we derived retreat rates of chalk cliffs on the south coast of Great Britain over millennial time scales by coupling high-precision cosmogenic radionuclide geochronology and rigorous numerical modeling. Measured 10 Be concentrations on rocky coastal platforms were compared with simulations of coastal evolution using a Monte Carlo approach to determine the most likely history of cliff retreat. The 10 Be concentrations are consistent with retreat rates of chalk cliffs that were relatively slow (2-6 cm⋅y -1 ) until a few hundred years ago. Historical observations reveal that retreat rates have subsequently accelerated by an order of magnitude (22-32 cm⋅y -1 ). We suggest that acceleration is the result of thinning of cliff-front beaches, exacerbated by regional storminess and anthropogenic modification of the coast.

Identifying the behavioural characteristics of clay cliffs using intensive monitoring and geotechnical numerical modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinn, J. D.; Rosser, N. J.; Murphy, W.; Lawrence, J. A.

2010-08-01

Coastal monitoring is routinely undertaken to provide an archival record of cliff-line movement that can be used in the development and validation of predictive coast retreat and evolution models. However, coastal monitoring is often purely quantitative in nature, and financial necessity requires deployment over extensive coastal sections. As a result, for local site conditions in particular, only limited geomorphological data are available or included during the development of such predictive models. This has resulted in many current models incorporating a simplistic or generalised representation of cliff behaviour, an approach that progressively loses local credibility when deployed over extensive heterogeneous coastlines. This study addresses this situation at a site of extreme coastline retreat, Holderness, UK, through the application of intensive monitoring of six representative cliff sections nested within a general geomorphological appraisal of the wider coastline as a whole. The data from these surveys have been used to validate a finite difference-based geotechnical modelling assessment of clay cliff stability. Once validated, the geotechnical model was used to simulate a range of scenarios that were sufficient to represent the range of topographic, hydrogeological, geological, and littoral conditions exhibited throughout the region. Our assessment identified that the cliff retreat occurs through the combined influence of direct marine erosion of the cliff, with shallow, structurally controlled failures or substantial mass failures. Critically, the predisposition to any one of these failure mechanisms arises principally as a result of initial cliff height. The results of the numerical modelling have been combined into an empirical slope model that derives the rate of landslide-induced retreat that would arise from mass failures under various future scenarios. Results of this study can be used in the selection and development of retreat models at coastlines

The Cliff Reconnaissance Vehicle: a tool to improve astronaut exploration efficiency.

PubMed

Souchier, Alain

2014-05-01

The close examination of cliff strata on Mars may reveal important information about conditions that existed in the past on that planet. To have access to such difficult-to-reach locations, the Association Planète Mars (France) has, since 2001, been experimenting with designs of manually operated, instrumented vehicles capable of being lowered down the faces of cliffs. The latest tests in the series in which the Cliff Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV) or Cliffbot was used were conducted as part of the Austrian Space Forum's MARS2013 field analog project in Morocco in February 2013. Experimentation centered on vehicle configuration for maximum all-terrain capabilities; operational procedures, which included use while the operator was wearing an analog space suit; and imaging, mapping, and geological/biological feature detection capabilities. The exercise demonstrated that Cliffbot is capable of examining hard-to-reach rock strata in cliff faces but that it needs further mechanical modification to improve its ability to overcome some particular terrain obstacles and situational awareness by the operator.

Material strength on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and its influence on cliff stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofmann, Marc; Güttler, Carsten; Vincent, Jean-Baptiste; Prasanna Deshapriya, J. D.; Pajola, Maurizio; Tubiana, Cecilia; Feller, Clément; Barucci, Maria A.; Sierks, Holger

2017-04-01

The OSIRIS scientific camera system [1] on board ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has been observing comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko since its arrival in August 2014. Visible on the OSIRIS images are cliff structures with associated taluses at their bottom. It is likely that these taluses were created during a (partial) collapse of the neighboring cliff. Several of these taluses display individual boulders with different brightness and spectral slope than the rest of the boulders, indicating a varying content of volatiles. A possible cause for the collapse of cliffs is thermal stresses and heat that intensify the fracturing of possibly pre-fractured walls or form new fractures. This results in sublimation with a progressively eroding cliff. The direct consequence is the occurrence of gravitational events and formation of boulder fields at the foot of the cliffs [2,3]. Both of these processes serve to weaken the structural integrity of the cliff but it is unclear how large the relative contribution of these processes is. In this study we investigate how the depletion of volatiles and damage to the cliff structure introduced by cracks will change the integrity and stability of the cliff. We aim to derive limits to the material strength to be compared to those found from observed cliffs and cliff collapses [4,5] using the DEM software ESyS Particle [6]. Acknowledgements: OSIRIS was built by a consortium led by the Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Göttingen, Germany, in collaboration with CISAS, University of Padova, Italy, the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, France, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucia, CSIC, Granada, Spain, the Scientific Support Office of the European Space Agency, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Madrid, Spain, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain, the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Uppsala University, Sweden, and the Institut für Datentechnik und

X Marks the Plot: Can Cliffs Notes Help Students Find Literary Gold?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lilla, Rick

1998-01-01

Examines Villanova University's decision to stop selling Cliffs Notes in its bookstore and attitudes toward Cliffs Notes, highlighting honest work, shortcuts, serious research, critical thinking, and original thinking. Provides the following advice for librarians: avoid being parental; avoid unexamined judgments; and avoid undervaluing Cliffs…

Stability analysis of chalk sea cliffs using UAV photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barlow, John; Gilham, Jamie

2017-04-01

Cliff erosion and instability poses a significant hazard to communities and infrastructure located is coastal areas. We use point cloud and spectral data derived from close range digital photogrammetry to assess the stability of chalk sea cliffs located at Telscombe, UK. Data captured from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) were used to generate dense point clouds for a 712 m section of cliff face which ranges from 20 to 49 m in height. Generated models fitted our ground control network within a standard error of 0.03 m. Structural features such as joints, bedding planes, and faults were manually mapped and are consistent with results from other studies that have been conducted using direct measurement in the field. Kinematic analysis of these data was used to identify the primary modes of failure at the site. Our results indicate that wedge failure is by far the most likely mode of slope instability. An analysis of sequential surveys taken from the summer of 2016 to the winter of 2017 indicate several large failures have occurred at the site. We establish the volume of failure through change detection between sequential data sets and use back analysis to determine the strength of shear surfaces for each failure. Our results show that data capture through UAV photogrammetry can provide useful information for slope stability analysis over long sections of cliff. The use of this technology offers significant benefits in equipment costs and field time over existing methods.

Wave-flume experiments of soft-rock cliff erosion under monochromatic waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regard, Vincent; Astruc, Dominique; Caplain, Bastien

2017-04-01

We investigate how cliffs erode under wave attack. Rocky coast erosion works through cycles, each one corresponding to three successive phases: (i) notch creation at cliff toe by mechanical action of waves, (ii) cliff fracturation leading to collapse, and (iii) evacuation of scree aprons by waves and currents. We performed experiments in a 5m x 14cm x 25cm wave flume (15 cm water depth) to investigate how waves are eroding a rocky coast. The cliff is made of wet sand and models a relatively soft rock. We used 3 different grain size (D50 = 0.28-0.41-0.48 mm), changing the cliff rheology. Waves are monochromatic; their height and period differ for the various experiments. Actual wave parameters are estimated by capacitive probes located offshore. The experiments are monitored by two video cameras both on the side and above the flume. Pictures are taken at a rate of 1Hz during the first 4h and then the rate is decreased to 0.1Hz till the end of experiment (about 1 day). The monitoring ensure a confident characterization of experiments in terms of waves (surf similarity parameter ξ and the incident wave energy flux F) and in terms of sediment (Dean number Ω and Shields number θb at breakers). Experiments begin by an initial phase of quick cliff retreat. Then the system evolves with slower cliff retreat. We focus on bottom morphology which we characterize in function of wave forcing (ξ, F). We show that the bottom morphology mainly depends on ξ. For our reference sediment (Dm = 0.41 mm), we observed: (i) surging breakers on a steep terrace (type T1) for ξ > 0.65; (ii)collapsing breakers on a bared profile attached to the inner platform (type T2) for 0.55< ξ <0.6; (iii) spilling breakers on gentle terrace (type T3) for F < 1.3 W/m and 0.55< ξ <0.6. Another bottom morphology, type T4, displays two sub-systems, an outer system with a double-bar profile where breaking waves are plunging, and an inner system with a T1, T2 or T3 profile. Some of these bottom

Layers in Burns Cliff Examined by Opportunity

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-11-21

NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity studied layers in the Burns Cliff slope of Endurance Crater in 2004. The layers show different types of deposition of sulfate-rich sediments. Opportunity panoramic camera recorded this image.

Delineation of a collapse feature in a noisy environment using a multichannel surface wave technique

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xia, J.; Chen, C.; Li, P.H.; Lewis, M.J.

2004-01-01

A collapse developed at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Maryland, in early 2001. The location of the collapse was over a groundwater drainage system pipe buried at an elevation of +0??9 m (reference is to Chesapeake Bay level). The cause of the collapse was a subsurface drain pipe that collapsed because of saltwater corrosion of the corrugated metal pipe. The inflow/outflow of sea water and groundwater flow caused soil to be removed from the area where the pipe collapsed. To prevent damage to nearby structures, the collapse was quickly filled with uncompacted sand and gravel (???36000 kg). However, the plant had an immediate need to determine whether more underground voids existed. A high-frequency multichannel surface-wave survey technique was conducted to define the zone affected by the collapse. Although the surface-wave survey at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant was conducted at a noise level 50-100 times higher than the normal environment for a shallow seismic survey, the shear (S)-wave velocity field calculated from surface-wave data delineated a possible zone affected by the collapse. The S-wave velocity field showed chimney-shaped low-velocity anomalies that were directly related to the collapse. Based on S-wave velocity field maps, a potential zone affected by the collapse was tentatively defined.

The Glass Cliff: An Examination of the Female Superintendency in South Carolina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowles, Blanche Boyd

2013-01-01

South Carolina public school districts are confronted with a series of difficult circumstances and rely more on female superintendents than the national average. The investigation of female South Carolina superintendents was guided by the glass cliff conceptual framework. The glass cliff represents situations where females are promoted over males…

Recreation impacts to cliff resources in the Potomac Gorge: Final report, June 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marion, Jeffrey L.; Carr, C.; Davis, C.A.

2011-01-01

Managers of the National Park Service (NPS) are directed by law to accommodate appropriate types and amounts of visitation while ensuring that: any adverse impacts are the minimum necessary, unavoidable, cannot be further mitigated, and do not constitute impairment or derogation of park resources and values. (NPS 2006). The increasing popularity of the national park system presents substantial management challenges. High visitatation may cause unacceptable impacts to fragile natural and cultural resources, and may also cause crowding and other social impacts, which can also degrade the quality of visitor experiences. Responding to these concerns, NPS managers at Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (CHOH) and George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) sponsored this research within the upper Potomac Gorge portions of these parks to investigate visitation-related impacts to the park?s cliff resources. The cliffs and rocky areas within the Great Falls and Mather Gorge areas provide important habitats for numerous sensitive rare plants and plant communities. A recent General Management Planning process for Great Falls Park (GFP), a portion of GWMP, highlighted the potential impacts of cliff-associated recreational activities, including hiking, climbing, and fishing, on sensitive cliff resources. The planning process identified the need for development of a Climbing Management Plan and a Trail Plan to more specifically address site and visitor management actions needed to protect rare and sensitive natural and cultural resources. Good science to assess cliff-associated rare plants and communities and to determine the existing and potential effects of cliff-related recreational activities is required for these new planning efforts. This research is designed to specifically address these informational needs and to assist park managers on both sides of the river with current and future cliff and recreation management decisions.

Quantifying ice cliff contribution to debris-covered glacier mass balance from multiple sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brun, Fanny; Wagnon, Patrick; Berthier, Etienne; Kraaijenbrink, Philip; Immerzeel, Walter; Shea, Joseph; Vincent, Christian

2017-04-01

Ice cliffs on debris-covered glaciers have been recognized as a hot spot for glacier melt. Ice cliffs are steep (even sometimes overhanging) and fast evolving surface features, which make them challenging to monitor. We surveyed the topography of Changri Nup Glacier (Nepalese Himalayas, Everest region) in November 2015 and 2016 using multiple sensors: terrestrial photogrammetry, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry, Pléiades stereo images and ASTER stereo images. We derived 3D point clouds and digital elevation models (DEMs) following a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) workflow for the first two sets of data to monitor surface elevation changes and calculate the associated volume loss. We derived only DEMs for the two last data sets. The derived DEMs had resolutions ranging from < 5 cm to 30 m. The derived point clouds and DEMs are used to quantify the ice melt of the cliffs at different scales. The very high resolution SfM point clouds, together with the surface velocity field, will be used to calculate the volume losses of 14 individual cliffs, depending on their size, aspect or the presence of supra glacial lake. Then we will extend this analysis to the whole glacier to quantify the contribution of ice cliff melt to the overall glacier mass balance, calculated with the UAV and Pléiades DEMs. This research will provide important tools to evaluate the role of ice cliffs in regional mass loss.

Soft-Cliff Retreat, Self-Organized Critical Phenomena in the Limit of Predictability?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paredes, Carlos; Godoy, Clara; Castedo, Ricardo

2015-03-01

The coastal erosion along the world's coastlines is a natural process that occurs through the actions of marine and subaerial physico-chemical phenomena, waves, tides, and currents. The development of cliff erosion predictive models is limited due to the complex interactions between environmental processes and material properties over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. As a result of this erosive action, gravity driven mass movements occur and the coastline moves inland. Like other studied earth natural and synthetically modelled phenomena characterized as self-organized critical (SOC), the recession of the cliff has a seemingly random, sporadic behavior, with a wide range of yearly recession rate values probabilistically distributed by a power-law. Usually, SOC systems are defined by a number of scaling features in the size distribution of its parameters and on its spatial and/or temporal pattern. Particularly, some previous studies of derived parameters from slope movements catalogues, have allowed detecting certain SOC features in this phenomenon, which also shares the recession of cliffs. Due to the complexity of the phenomenon and, as for other natural processes, there is no definitive model of recession of coastal cliffs. In this work, various analysis techniques have been applied to identify SOC features in the distribution and pattern to a particular case: the Holderness shoreline. This coast is a great case study to use when examining coastal processes and the structures associated with them. It is one of World's fastest eroding coastlines (2 m/yr in average, max observed 22 m/yr). Cliffs, ranging from 2 m up to 35 m in height, and made up of glacial tills, mainly compose this coast. It is this soft boulder clay that is being rapidly eroded and where coastline recession measurements have been recorded by the Cliff Erosion Monitoring Program (East Riding of Yorkshire Council, UK). The original database has been filtered by grouping contiguous

The visual cliff's forgotten menagerie: rats, goats, babies, and myth-making in the history of psychology.

PubMed

Rodkey, Elissa N

2015-01-01

Eleanor Gibson and Richard Walk's famous visual cliff experiment is one of psychology's classic studies, included in most introductory textbooks. Yet the famous version which centers on babies is actually a simplification, the result of disciplinary myth-making. In fact the visual cliff's first subjects were rats, and a wide range of animals were tested on the cliff, including chicks, turtles, lambs, kid goats, pigs, kittens, dogs, and monkeys. The visual cliff experiment was more accurately a series of experiments, employing varying methods and a changing apparatus, modified to test different species. This paper focuses on the initial, nonhuman subjects of the visual cliff, resituating the study in its original experimental logic, connecting it to the history of comparative psychology, Gibson's interest in comparative psychology, as well as gender-based discrimination. Recovering the visual cliff's forgotten menagerie helps to counter the romanticization of experimentation by focusing on the role of extrascientific factors, chance, complexity, and uncertainty in the experimental process. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Means of Slope Retreat on the Na Pali Cliffs, Kauai, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osborn, G.; Sheardown, A.; Blay, C.

2016-12-01

The spectacular, 500 to 600 m high, deeply grooved escarpment referred to as the Na Pali cliffs, on the northwest coast of Kauai, requires a substrate competent enough to hold up high steep cliffs yet erodible enough to allow generation of wide, deep grooves. These opposing tendencies are afforded by weathering of originally strong basalt that keeps pace with erosion. The fluted cliffs maintain a rather consistent slope angle, generally 50-60°, whether they are close to the shoreline or have retreated some distance from it, indicating that the slopes are retreating parallel to themselves. Previous literature promotes groundwater sapping or waterfall-plunge-pool erosion as the chief means of valley-head retreat, but there is no evidence that either concept provides a general explanation for retreat of the fluted cliffs. The eroding cliffs maintain steepness because as much rock is eroded at the base as at the top, and transported sediment is washed completely out of the gully system. The thin-bedded basalts exposed in the steep flutes are decomposed into irregularly alternating fine sediment of low to moderate cohesion and thoroughly fractured beds or lenses of solid but chemically weathered rock, and covered with a veneer of sparse grass. Erosion proceeds by episodic removal of thin grass-covered surficial sheets of the weathering products. Some of this process may be facilitated by shallow mass movement, but probably most of the work is done by overland and channelized flow during intense rainstorms. The Na Pali coast experiences one-hour rainfalls of 2-2.5 inches (1 year recurrence interval) and 5-6 inches (100 year recurrence interval); experiments by others on basaltic soils in Molokai suggest such rain is more than enough to generate erosion-inducing overland flow. Between the deep grooves and the shoreline are slopes with lesser drainage densities and lesser slope angles. The rocks here are not distinguished from the rocks above in previous literature, and

Cliff Collapse Hazard from Repeated Multicopter Uav Acquisitions: Return on Experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewez, T. J. B.; Leroux, J.; Morelli, S.

2016-06-01

Cliff collapse poses a serious hazard to infrastructure and passers-by. Obtaining information such as magnitude-frequency relationship for a specific site is of great help to adapt appropriate mitigation measures. While it is possible to monitor hundreds-of-meter-long cliff sites with ground based techniques (e.g. lidar or photogrammetry), it is both time consuming and scientifically limiting to focus on short cliff sections. In the project SUAVE, we sought to investigate whether an octocopter UAV photogrammetric survey would perform sufficiently well in order to repeatedly survey cliff face geometry and derive rock fall inventories amenable to probabilistic rock fall hazard computation. An experiment was therefore run on a well-studied site of the chalk coast of Normandy, in Mesnil Val, along the English Channel (Northern France). Two campaigns were organized in January and June 2015 which surveyed about 60 ha of coastline, including the 80-m-high cliff face, the chalk platform at its foot, and the hinterland in a matter of 4 hours from start to finish. To conform with UAV regulations, the flight was flown in 3 legs for a total of about 30 minutes in the air. A total of 868 and 1106 photos were respectively shot with a Sony NEX 7 with fixed focal 16mm. Three lines of sight were combined: horizontal shots for cliff face imaging, 45°-oblique views to tie plateau/platform photos with cliff face images, and regular vertical shots. Photogrammetrically derived dense point clouds were produced with Agisoft Photoscan at ultra-high density (median density is 1 point every 1.7cm). Point cloud density proved a critical parameter to reproduce faithfully the chalk face's geometry. Tuning down the density parameter to "high" or "medium", though efficient from a computational point of view, generated artefacts along chalk bed edges (i.e. smoothing the sharp gradient) and ultimately creating ghost volumes when computing cloud to cloud differences. Yet, from a hazard point of

Flora of the Orange Cliffs of Utah

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shultz, L.M.; Neely, E.E.; Tuhy, J.S.

1987-04-30

The Orange Cliffs area, an area rich in oil sands deposits and defined here as part of the Colorado Plateau floristic province, harbors approximately 209 species in 123 genera and 49 families. Because of the potential of exploitation of the oil sands deposits in the area, a species checklist was made and a discussion of physical and floristic aspects of the region is given here. The flora is compared statistically to the San Rafael Swell flora, which is also a subset of the Colorado Plateau. They define six vegetation types and three edaphic communities; these are described and mapped. Ofmore » eleven endemic plant species in the Orange Cliffs, three are local and rare. Sites for Astragalus nidularius, A. moencoppensis, and Xylorhiza glabriuscula var. linearifolia are discussed and mapped. 24 references, 3 figures, 3 tables.« less

Assessing species habitat using Google Street View: a case study of cliff-nesting vultures.

PubMed

Olea, Pedro P; Mateo-Tomás, Patricia

2013-01-01

The assessment of a species' habitat is a crucial issue in ecology and conservation. While the collection of habitat data has been boosted by the availability of remote sensing technologies, certain habitat types have yet to be collected through costly, on-ground surveys, limiting study over large areas. Cliffs are ecosystems that provide habitat for a rich biodiversity, especially raptors. Because of their principally vertical structure, however, cliffs are not easy to study by remote sensing technologies, posing a challenge for many researches and managers working with cliff-related biodiversity. We explore the feasibility of Google Street View, a freely available on-line tool, to remotely identify and assess the nesting habitat of two cliff-nesting vultures (the griffon vulture and the globally endangered Egyptian vulture) in northwestern Spain. Two main usefulness of Google Street View to ecologists and conservation biologists were evaluated: i) remotely identifying a species' potential habitat and ii) extracting fine-scale habitat information. Google Street View imagery covered 49% (1,907 km) of the roads of our study area (7,000 km²). The potential visibility covered by on-ground surveys was significantly greater (mean: 97.4%) than that of Google Street View (48.1%). However, incorporating Google Street View to the vulture's habitat survey would save, on average, 36% in time and 49.5% in funds with respect to the on-ground survey only. The ability of Google Street View to identify cliffs (overall accuracy = 100%) outperformed the classification maps derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) (62-95%). Nonetheless, high-performance DEM maps may be useful to compensate Google Street View coverage limitations. Through Google Street View we could examine 66% of the vultures' nesting-cliffs existing in the study area (n = 148): 64% from griffon vultures and 65% from Egyptian vultures. It also allowed us the extraction of fine-scale features of cliffs

Modelling the contribution of supraglacial ice cliffs to the mass-balance of glaciers in the Langtang catchment, Nepalese Himalaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buri, P.; Steiner, J. F.; Miles, E.; Ragettli, S.; Pellicciotti, F.

2017-12-01

Supraglacial cliffs are typical surface features of debris-covered glaciers worldwide, affecting surface evolution, and mass balance by providing a direct ice-atmosphere interface where melt rates can be very high. As a result, ice cliffs act as windows of energy transfer from the atmosphere to the ice, and enhance melt and mass losses of otherwise insulated ice. However, their contribution to glacier mass balance has never been quantified at the glacier scale, and all inference has been obtained from upscaling results of point-scale models or observations at select individual cliffs. Here we use a 3D, physically-based backwasting model to estimate the volume losses associated with the melting and backwasting of supraglacial ice cliffs for the entire debris-covered glacier area of the Langtang catchment. We estimate mass losses for the 2014 melt season and compare them to recent values of glacier mass balance determined from geodetic and numerical modelling approached. Cliff outlines and topography are derived from high-resolution stereo SPOT6-imagery from April 2014. Meteorological data to force the model are provided by automatic weather stations on- and off-glacier within the valley. The model simulates ice cliff backwasting by considering the cliff-atmosphere energy-balance, reburial by debris and the effects of adjacent ponds. In the melt season of 2014, cliffs' distribution and patterns of mass losses vary considerably from glacier to glacier, and we relate rates of volume loss to both glaciers' and cliffs' characteristics. Only cliffs with a northerly aspect account for substantial losses. Uncertainty in our estimates is due to the quality of the stereo DEM, uncertainties in the cliff delineation and the fact that we use a conservative approach to cliff delineation and discard very small cliffs and those for which uncertainty in topography is high. Despite these uncertainties, our work presents the first estimate of the importance of supraglacial ice-cliffs

Nest-site characteristics and linear abundance of cliff-nesting American kestrels on San Clemente Island, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sullivan, Brian L.; Kershner, Eric L.; Finn, S.P.; Condon, Anne M.; Cooper, Douglass M.; Garcelon, David K.

2003-01-01

American Kestrels( Falco sparverius) are typically secondary-cavity nesters, and use of natural cliff cavities for nest sites is less-commonly reported. On San Clemente Island (SCI), California, however, American Kestrels nest primarily on cliffs in major canyons(93%), to a lesser extent on seacliffs(4%), as well as in man-made structures (3%). We located and mapped 99 American Kestrel territories on SCI, and recorded 11 nest-site characteristics at 40 cliff nests during 2001-02. Nest cliffs were typically fractured igneous rock with mean height of 16.1 m +_ 1.8 SE. Mean slope of nest cliffs was vertical (x=91 degrees). Nest cliffs and cavities were significantly oriented to the southeast, away from the prevailing wind direction(NW). In eight canyons, where we believe that we found all occupied American Kestrel territories, the mean linear abundance was 2.1 pairs/km, greater than most published estimates. Contrary to most previous studies, no American Kestrels nested in tree cavities despite their presence in SCI canyons. The absence of cavity-excavating breeding birds from the island likely restricts kestrels to nesting in naturally-formed cavities and man-made structures.

Lidar-Based Rock-Fall Hazard Characterization of Cliffs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Collins, Brian D.; Greg M.Stock,

2017-01-01

Rock falls from cliffs and other steep slopes present numerous challenges for detailed geological characterization. In steep terrain, rock-fall source areas are both dangerous and difficult to access, severely limiting the ability to make detailed structural and volumetric measurements necessary for hazard assessment. Airborne and terrestrial lidar survey methods can provide high-resolution data needed for volumetric, structural, and deformation analyses of rock falls, potentially making these analyses straightforward and routine. However, specific methods to collect, process, and analyze lidar data of steep cliffs are needed to maximize analytical accuracy and efficiency. This paper presents observations showing how lidar data sets should be collected, filtered, registered, and georeferenced to tailor their use in rock fall characterization. Additional observations concerning surface model construction, volumetric calculations, and deformation analysis are also provided.

Assessing Species Habitat Using Google Street View: A Case Study of Cliff-Nesting Vultures

PubMed Central

Olea, Pedro P.; Mateo-Tomás, Patricia

2013-01-01

The assessment of a species’ habitat is a crucial issue in ecology and conservation. While the collection of habitat data has been boosted by the availability of remote sensing technologies, certain habitat types have yet to be collected through costly, on-ground surveys, limiting study over large areas. Cliffs are ecosystems that provide habitat for a rich biodiversity, especially raptors. Because of their principally vertical structure, however, cliffs are not easy to study by remote sensing technologies, posing a challenge for many researches and managers working with cliff-related biodiversity. We explore the feasibility of Google Street View, a freely available on-line tool, to remotely identify and assess the nesting habitat of two cliff-nesting vultures (the griffon vulture and the globally endangered Egyptian vulture) in northwestern Spain. Two main usefulness of Google Street View to ecologists and conservation biologists were evaluated: i) remotely identifying a species’ potential habitat and ii) extracting fine-scale habitat information. Google Street View imagery covered 49% (1,907 km) of the roads of our study area (7,000 km2). The potential visibility covered by on-ground surveys was significantly greater (mean: 97.4%) than that of Google Street View (48.1%). However, incorporating Google Street View to the vulture’s habitat survey would save, on average, 36% in time and 49.5% in funds with respect to the on-ground survey only. The ability of Google Street View to identify cliffs (overall accuracy = 100%) outperformed the classification maps derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) (62–95%). Nonetheless, high-performance DEM maps may be useful to compensate Google Street View coverage limitations. Through Google Street View we could examine 66% of the vultures’ nesting-cliffs existing in the study area (n = 148): 64% from griffon vultures and 65% from Egyptian vultures. It also allowed us the extraction of fine-scale features of

Vascular Plant and Vertebrate Inventory of Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

USGS Publications Warehouse

Powell, Brian F.; Albrecht, Eric W.; Halvorson, William L.; Schmidt, Cecilia A.; Docherty, Kathleen; Anning, Pamela

2006-01-01

Executive Summary This report summarizes the results of the first comprehensive biological inventory of Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (NM) in western New Mexico. This project was part of a larger effort to inventory plants and vertebrates in eight National Park Service units in Arizona and New Mexico. Our surveys address many of the objectives that were set forth in the monument's natural resource management plan almost 20 years ago, but until this effort, those goals were never accomplished. From 2001 to 2003 we surveyed for vascular plants and vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) at Gila Cliff Dwellings NM to document presence of species within the boundaries of the monument. For all taxonomic groups that we studied, we collected 'incidental' sightings on U.S. Forest Service lands adjacent to the monument, and in a few cases we did formal surveys on those lands. Because we used repeatable study designs and standardized field techniques, these inventories can serve as the first step in a biological monitoring program for Gila Cliff Dwellings NM and surrounding lands. We recorded 552 species at Gila Cliff Dwellings NM and the surrounding lands (Table 1). We found no non-native species of reptiles, birds, or mammals, one non-native amphibian (American bullfrog), and 33 non-native plants. Particularly on lands adjacent to the monument we found that the American bullfrog was very abundant, which is a cause for significant management concern. Species of non-native plants that are of management concern include red brome, bufflegrass, and cheatgrass. For a park unit of its size and geographic location, we found the plant and vertebrate communities to be fairly diverse; for each taxonomic group we found representative species from a wide range of taxonomic orders and/or families. The monument's geographic location, with influences from the Rocky Mountain, Chihuahuan Desert, and Madrean ecological provinces, plays an important role in determining

Map showing coastal cliff retreat rates along the Big Sur coast, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hapke, Cheryl J.; Green, Krystal R.

2004-01-01

The average coastal cliff retreat rate along the Big Sur coast is 18 ? 6 cm/yr as measured over a 52-year time period. The erosion reference features measured as the cliff edge include the well-defined cliff edges common to marine terraces, slight breaks in the slope defining the upper edge of the active lower slope, and the road grade. Cliff erosion and retreat are focused in isolated erosion hotspots that account for most of the calculated average retreat.

Seismic precursory patterns before a cliff collapse and critical point phenomena

USGS Publications Warehouse

Amitrano, D.; Grasso, J.-R.; Senfaute, G.

2005-01-01

We analyse the statistical pattern of seismicity before a 1-2 103 m3 chalk cliff collapse on the Normandie ocean shore, Western France. We show that a power law acceleration of seismicity rate and energy in both 40 Hz-1.5 kHz and 2 Hz-10kHz frequency range, is defined on 3 orders of magnitude, within 2 hours from the collapse time. Simultaneously, the average size of the seismic events increases toward the time to failure. These in situ results are derived from the only station located within one rupture length distance from the rock fall rupture plane. They mimic the "critical point" like behavior recovered from physical and numerical experiments before brittle failures and tertiary creep failures. Our analysis of this first seismic monitoring data of a cliff collapse suggests that the thermodynamic phase transition models for failure may apply for cliff collapse. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.

Detection of morphological changes in cliff face surrounding a waterfall using terrestrial laser scanning and unmanned aerial system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayakawa, Yuichi S.; Obanawa, Hiroyuki

2015-04-01

Waterfall or bedrock knickpoint appears as an erosional front in bedrock rivers forming deep v-shaped valley downstream. Following the rapid fluvial erosion of waterfall, rockfalls and gravita-tional collapses often occur in surrounding steep cliffs. Although morphological changes of such steep cliffs are sometimes visually observed, quantitative and precise measurements of their spatio-temporal distribution have been limited due to the difficulties in direct access to such cliffs if with classical measurement methods. However, for the clarification of geomorphological processes oc-curring in the cliffs, multi-temporal mapping of the cliff face at a high resolution is necessary. Re-mote sensing approaches are therefore suitable for the topographic measurements and detection of changes in such inaccessible cliffs. To achieve accurate topographic mapping of cliffs around a wa-terfall, here we perform multi-temporal terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), as well as structure-from-motion multi-view stereo (SfM-MVS) photogrammetry based on unmanned aerial system (UAS). The study site is Kegon Falls in central Japan, having a vertical drop of surface water from top of its overhanging cliff, as well as groundwater outflows from its lower portions. The bedrock is composed of alternate layers of andesite lava and conglomerates. Minor rockfalls in the cliffs are often ob-served by local people. The latest major rockfall occurred in 1986, causing ca. 8-m upstream propa-gation of the waterfall lip. This provides a good opportunity to examine the changes in the surround-ing cliffs following the waterfall recession. Multi-time point clouds were obtained by TLS measure-ment over years, and the three-dimensional changes of the rock surface were detected, uncovering the locus of small rockfalls and gully developments. Erosion seems particularly frequent in relatively weak the conglomerates layer, whereas small rockfalls seems to have occurred in the andesite layers. Also, shadows in the

Landslides: Geomorphology and Sea Cliff Hazard Potential, Santa Barbara - Isla Vista, California J.F. Klath and E.A. Keller

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klath, J. F.; Keller, E. A.

2015-12-01

Coastal areas are often characterized by high population densities in an ever changing, dynamic environment. The world's coasts are often dominated by steeply sloping sea cliffs, the morphology of which reflects rock type, wave erosion, and surface erosion, as well as human activities such changing vegetation, urban runoff, and construction of coastal defenses. The Santa Barbara and Goleta area, with over 17 km of sea cliffs and beaches, extends from Santa Barbara Point west to the hamlet of Isla Vista. A deeper understanding of the local geology and the physical processes generating slope failure and, thus, landward cliff retreat is important for general public safety, as well as future development and planning. Our research objective includes assessment of landslide hazard potential through investigation of previous landslides and how these events relate to various physical variables and characteristics within the surrounding bedrock. How does landslide frequency, volume, and type relate to varying local bedrock and structure? Two geologic formations dominate the sea cliffs of the Santa Barbara area: Monterey shale (upper, middle, and lower) and Monterey Sisquoc shale. Geology varies from hard cemented shale and diatomaceous, low specific gravity shale to compaction shale. Variations in landslide characteristics are linked closely to the geology of a specific site that affects how easily rock units are weathered and eroded by wave erosion, naturally occurring oil and water seeps, burnt shale events, and landslide type and frequency on steeply dipped bedding planes/daylighting beds. Naturally occurring features linked to human processes often weaken bedrock and, thus, increase the likelihood of landslides. We categorize landslide frequency, type, and triggers; location of beach access, drainage pipes, and water; and oil and tar seeps in order to develop suggestions to minimize landslide potential. Lastly, using previously published erosion cliff retreat rates and

A floral survey of cliff habitats along Bull Run at Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia, 2014

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stroh, Esther D.; Struckhoff, Matthew A.; Grabner, Keith W.

2015-08-06

Isolated patches of native vegetation in human-modified landscapes are important reservoirs of biological diversity because they may be the only places in which rare or native species can persist. Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia, is an island embedded in a matrix of intensively modified lands; it is becoming increasingly isolated due to growth of the greater Washington, D.C. area. A series of cliffs along Bull Run support an eastern white pine community disjunct from its more typical range in the Appalachian Mountains. Cliffs frequently support vegetation communities that differ from surrounding habitat. In this ecological context, the cliffs along Bull Run are islands of specialized habitat within an island of natural and semi-natural communities (the park), surrounded by a human-dominated landscape. A floral survey of these cliffs was a top priority identified by the National Park Service National Capital Region via the National Resource Preservation Program; in 2014, we completed a floral survey of 11 cliffs in the park. We recorded 282 species in 194 genera and 83 families, including 23 newly documented species for the park.

Effects of long-term trampling on the above-ground forest vegetation and soil seed bank at the base of limestone cliffs.

PubMed

Rusterholz, Hans-Peter; Verhoustraeten, Christine; Baur, Bruno

2011-11-01

Exposed limestone cliffs in central Europe harbor a highly divers flora with many rare and endangered species. During the past few decades, there has been increasing recreational use of these cliffs, which has caused local environmental disturbances. Successful restoration strategies hinge on identifying critical limitations. We examined the composition of aboveground forest vegetation and density and species composition of seeds in the soil seed bank at the base of four limestone cliffs in mixed deciduous forests that are intensively disturbed by human trampling and at four undisturbed cliffs in the Jura Mountains in northwestern Switzerland. We found that long-term human trampling reduced total aboveground vegetation cover at the base of cliffs and caused a significant shift in the plant-species composition. Compared with undisturbed cliffs, total seed density was lower in disturbed cliffs. Human trampling also altered the species composition of seeds in the soil seed bank. Seeds of unintentionally introduced, stress-tolerant, and ruderal species dominated the soil seed bank at the base of disturbed cliffs. Our findings indicate that a restoration of degraded cliff bases from the existing soil seed bank would result in a substantial change of the original unique plant composition. Active seed transfer, or seed flux from adjacent undisturbed forest areas, is essential for restoration success.

Multi-temporal Terrestrial Laser Scanner monitoring of coastal instability processes at Coroglio cliff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caputo, Teresa; Somma, Renato; Marino, Ermanno; Matano, Fabio; Troise, Claudia; De Natale, Giuseppe

2016-04-01

The Coroglio cliff is a morphological evolution of the caldera rim of Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) in Campi Flegrei caldera (CFc) with an elevation of 150 m a.s.l. and a length of about 200 m. The lithology consists of NYT, extremely lithified, overlaid by less lithified recent products of the Phlegrean volcanism., These materials are highly erodible and, due to proximity to the sea, the sea wave and wind actions cause very strong erosion process. In the recent years Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) technique is used for environmental monitoring purposes through the creation of high resolution Digital Surface Model (DSM) and Digital Terrain Model (DTM). This method allows the reconstruction, by means of a dense cloud of points, of a 3D model for the entire investigated area. The scans need to be performed from different points of view in order to ensure a good coverage of the area, because a widespread problem is the occurrence of shaded areas. In our study we used a long-range laser scanner model RIEGL VZ1000®. Numerous surveys (April 2013, June 2014, February 2015) have been performed for monitoring coastal cliff morphological evolution. An additional survey was executed in March 2015, shortly after a landslide occurrence. To validate the multi-temporal monitoring of the laser scanner, a "quick" comparison of the acquired point clouds has been carried out using an algorithm cloud-to-cloud, in order to identify 3D changes. Then 2.5D raster images of the different scans has been performed in GIS environment, also in order to allow a map overlay of the produced thematic layer, both raster and vector data (geology, contour map, orthophoto, and so on). The comparison of multi-temporal data have evidenced interesting geomorphological processes on the cliff. It was observed a very intense (about 6 m) local moving back at the base of the cliff, mainly due to the sea wave action during storms, while in cliff sectors characterized by less compact lithologies widespread

Micro-seismic measurements of cliff motion under wave impact and implications for the development of near-horizontal shore platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickson, Mark E.; Pentney, Rachael

2012-05-01

Few high-resolution measurements of process-form interactions have been taken on rock coasts, but recent studies in California have shown that portable seismometers enable useful proxy measurements of wave-energy delivery to cliffs. Here we describe measurements over 20 days of high frequency ground motion of cliffs formed in sedimentary (flysch) rocks at Okakari Point, north of Auckland, New Zealand. Three sensors were located in a shore-normal array inland from the cliff top and a fourth sensor was bolted to a ledge 2 m above the cliff toe. The nearshore wave field in front of the cliff and shore platform was monitored using a shore-normal array of 5 wave gauges. The instrumentation provided measurements of wave-energy delivery and consequent ground motion, including the first observations of motion at the top and bottom of cliffs. Results showed that horizontal ground motion is dominant at the cliff top, whereas vertical motion is dominant at the cliff toe. Power spectra show that several high frequency peaks occur in data from the cliff toe, whereas a single, broader peak frequency occurs at the cliff top resulting from signal modification as seismic waves pass through tens of metres of cliff rock. A 100 m wide shore platform at the cliff toe fundamentally controls the patterns of observed energy delivery. The shore platform is nearly horizontal, elevated close to high water level, and abruptly plunges into water > 10 m deep at its seaward edge. As expected, the magnitude of ground motion at all sensors is greatest during larger waves. Measurements further show that ground motion, both at the bottom and top of the cliff, is strongest at low tide and weakest at high tide. This observation is opposite to that noted at Santa Cruz, where ground motion was greatest at high tide. At Okakari Point the most significant high frequency ground motions occur at low tide when waves are forced to break (sometimes violently) against the seaward edge of the shore platform

Dismantling the Prison-House of Colonial History in a Selection of Michelle Cliff's Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Labidi, Abid Larbi

2016-01-01

Most, if not all, writings by Jamaican writer Michelle Cliff are connected by a subterranean desire to re-write Afro-Caribbean history from new untold perspectives in reaction to the immense loss and/or distortions that marked the region's history for entire centuries. In this paper, I meticulously read four of Cliff's texts--"Abeng"…

Assessing recreation impacts to cliffs in Shenandoah National Park: Integrating visitor observation with trail and recreation site measurements

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wood, K.T.; Lawson, S.R.; Marion, J.L.

2006-01-01

The rock outcrops and cliffs of Shenandoah National Park provide habitat for several rare and endangered plant and animal species, including the federally endangered Shenandoah Salamander (Plethodon shenandoah; Ludwig et al., 1993). The location of the well-known park tour road, Skyline Drive, along the ridgeline provides exceptional access to many outcrops and cliffs throughout the park for a large number of the park?s 1.2 million annual visitors. Consequently, visitor use of cliff areas has led to natural resource impacts, including marked decreases in size and vigor of known rare plant populations. Despite the clear ecological value and potential threats to the natural resources at cliff areas, managers possess little information on visitor use of cliff sites and presently have no formal planning document to guide management. Thus, a park wide study of cliff sites was initiated during the 2005 visitor use season. As part of this research effort, our study used an integrative approach to study recreational use and visitor-caused resource impacts at one of the more heavily visited cliff sites in the park: Little Stony Man Cliffs (LSMC). In particular, this study integrated data from resource impact measurements and visitor use observation to help assess the effects of recreational use on the natural resources of LSMC. Procedures derived from campsite and trail impact studies were used to measure and characterize the amount of visitor-caused resource impacts on LSMC (Marion & Leung, 2001; Marion, 1995). Visitor use observations were conducted on top of LSMC to document and characterize the type and amount of recreational use the cliffs receive and the behaviors of recreationists that may contribute to cliff-top resource impacts. Resource impact measurement data show trampling disturbance present at LSMC, characterized by vegetation loss, exposed soil, and root exposure. Documentation of informal trails, soil erosion, tree damage, and tree stumps provide further

Forecasting sea cliff retreat in Southern California using process-based models and artificial neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limber, P. W.; Barnard, P.; Erikson, L. H.

2016-02-01

Modeling coastal geomorphic change over multi-decadal time and regional spatial scales (i.e. >20 km alongshore) is in high demand due to rising global sea levels and heavily populated coastal zones, but is challenging for several reasons: adequate geomorphic and oceanographic data often does not exist over the entire study area or time period; models can be too computationally expensive; and model uncertainty is high. In the absence of rich datasets and unlimited computer processing power, researchers are forced to leverage existing data, however sparse, and find analytical methods that minimize computation time without sacrificing (too much) model reliability. Machine learning techniques, such as artificial neural networks, can assimilate and efficiently extrapolate geomorphic model behavior over large areas. They can also facilitate ensemble model forecasts over a broad range of parameter space, which is useful when a paucity of observational data inhibits the constraint of model parameters. Here, we assimilate the behavior of two established process-based sea cliff erosion and retreat models into a neural network to forecast the impacts of sea level rise on sea cliff retreat in Southern California ( 400 km) through the 21st century. Using inputs such as historical cliff retreat rates, mean wave power, and whether or not a beach is present, the neural network independently reproduces modeled sea cliff retreat as a function of sea level rise with a high degree of confidence (R2 > 0.9, mean squared error < 0.1 m yr-1). Results will continuously improve as more model scenarios are assimilated into the neural network, and more field data (i.e., cliff composition and rock hardness) becomes available to tune the cliff retreat models. Preliminary results suggest that sea level rise rates of 2 to 20 mm yr-1 during the next century could accelerate historical cliff retreat rates in Southern California by an average of 0.10 - 0.56 m yr-1.

Accelerated recession of a desert cliff due to sewage water disposal, Sede Boqer, Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arkin, Yaacov; Karnieli, Arnon; Issar, Arie; Mtz.-Esparza, Javier Diaz

1986-12-01

Accelerated erosion of a desert cliff due to uncontrolled sewage water disposal was investigated at the Sede Boqer Campus in the Negev, Israel An erosional cirque formed by this water was studied as a model simulating natural processes. The cliffs consist of loess and conglomerate underlain by soft marl, clay, and chalk. The rate of erosion is of the order of 5% 8% of the volume of water discharged. The rate of incision ranges from 10 2 to 13.3 m/yr and is several orders higher than that expected under normal rainfall conditions The introduction of this new hydrological factor resulted in a severe disturbance of the morphological balance in the vicinity of the cliffs, accelerated erosion, and generated circular slides

Rates and trends of coastal change in california and the regional behavior of the beach and cliff system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hapke, C.J.; Reid, Don; Richmond, B.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an analysis of shoreline change and cliff retreat along the California coast. This is the first regional, systematic measurement of coastal change conducted for the West Coast. Long-term (-120 y) and short-term (-25 y) shoreline change rates were calculated for more than 750 km of coastline, and 70 year cliff-retreat rates were generated for 350 km of coast. Results show that 40% of California's beaches were eroding in the long term. This number increased to 66% in the short term, indicating that many beaches have shifted toward a state of chronic erosion. The statewide average net shoreline change rates for the long and short term were 0.2 m/y and -0.2 m/y, respectively. The long-term accretional signal is likely related to large coastal engineering projects in some parts of the state and to large fluxes of sediment from rivers in other areas. The cliff-retreat assessment yielded a statewide average of -0.3 m/y. It was found that Northern California has the highest overall retreat rates, which are influenced by erosion hot spots associated with large coastal landslides and slumps. The databases established as part of the shoreline change and cliff-retreat analyses were further investigated to examine the dynamics of the beach/cliff system. A correlation analysis identified a strong relationship between the geomorphology of the coast and the behavior of the beach/cliff system. Areas of high-relief coast show negative correlations, indicating that higher rates of cliff retreat correlate with lower rates of shoreline erosion. In contrast, low- to moderate-relief coasts show strong positive correlations, wherein areas of high shoreline change correspond to areas of high cliff retreat.

The glass cliff: when and why women are selected as leaders in crisis contexts.

PubMed

Bruckmüller, Susanne; Branscombe, Nyla R

2010-09-01

The glass cliff refers to women being more likely to rise to positions of organizational leadership in times of crisis than in times of success, and men being more likely to achieve those positions in prosperous times. We examine the role that (a) a gendered history of leadership and (b) stereotypes about gender and leadership play in creating the glass cliff. In Expt 1, participants who read about a company with a male history of leadership selected a male future leader for a successful organization, but chose a female future leader in times of crisis. This interaction--between company performance and gender of the preferred future leader--was eliminated for a counter-stereotypic history of female leadership. In Expt 2, stereotypically male attributes were most predictive of leader selection in a successful organization, while stereotypically female attributes were most predictive in times of crisis. Differences in the endorsement of these stereotypes, in particular with regard to the ascription of lower stereotypically female attributes to the male candidate mediated the glass cliff effect. Overall, results suggest that stereotypes about male leadership may be more important for the glass cliff effect than stereotypes about women and leadership.

Wave Shape and Impact Pressure Measurements at a Rock Coast Cliff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varley, S. J.; Rosser, N. J.; Brain, M.; Vann Jones, E. C.

2016-02-01

Rock coast research focuses largely on wave behaviour across beaches and shore platforms but rarely considers direct wave interaction with cliffs. Hydraulic action is one of the most important drivers of erosion along rock coasts. The magnitude of wave impact pressure has been shown by numerical and laboratory studies to be related to the wave shape. In deep water, a structure is only subjected to the hydrostatic pressure due to the oscillating clapotis. Dynamic pressures, related to the wave celerity, are exerted in shallower water when the wave is breaking at the point of impact; very high magnitude, short duration shock pressures are theorised to occur when the approaching wavefront is vertical. As such, wave shape may directly influence the potential of the impact to weaken rock and cause erosion. Measurements of impact pressure at coastal cliffs are limited, and the occurrence and influence of this phenomenon is currently poorly constrained. To address this, we have undertaken a field monitoring study on the magnitude and vertical distribution of wave impact pressures at the rocky, macro-tidal coastline of Staithes, North Yorkshire, UK. A series of piezo-resistive pressure transducers and a camera were installed at the base of the cliff during low tide. Transducers were deployed vertically up the cliff face and aligned shore-normal to capture the variation in static and dynamic pressure with height during a full spring tidal cycle. Five minute bursts of 5 kHz pressure readings and 4 Hz wave imaging were sampled every 30 minutes for six hours during high tide. Pressure measurements were then compensated for temperature and combined with wave imaging to produce a pressure time series and qualitative wave shape category for each wave impact. Results indicate the presence of a non-linear relationship between pressure impact magnitude, the occurrence of shock pressures, wave shape and tidal stage, and suggest that breaker type on impact (and controls thereof) may

The effect of weather on morphometric traits of juvenile cliff swallows

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roche, Erin A.; Brown, Mary Bomberger; Brown, Charles R.

2015-01-01

Episodes of food deprivation may change how nestling birds allocate energy to the growth of skeletal and feather morphological traits during development. Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are colonial, insectivorous birds that regularly experience brief periods of severe weather-induced food deprivation during the nesting season which may affect offspring development. We investigated how annual variation in timing of rearing and weather were associated with length of wing and tail, skeletal traits, and body mass in juvenile cliff swallows reared in southwestern Nebraska during 2001–2006. As predicted under conditions of food deprivation, nestling skeletal and feather measurements were generally smaller in cooler years. However, variability explained by weather was small, suggesting that morphometric traits of juvenile cliff swallows were not highly sensitive to weather conditions experienced during this study. Measurements of juvenile morphological traits were positively correlated with measurements taken as adults, meaning that any variation among juveniles in response to rearing conditions showed evidence of persisting into a bird’s first breeding season. Our results show that body size in this species is phenotypically plastic and influenced, in part, by weather variables.

78 FR 49292 - Northshore Mining Company, a Subsidiary of Cliffs Natural Resources, Including On-Site Leased...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-13

... Mining Company, a Subsidiary of Cliffs Natural Resources, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Vanhouse... Cliffs Natural Resources, Including On- Site Leased Workers From Vanhouse, Express Employment and Our... Natural Resources, including on-site leased workers from VanHouse and Express Employment, Silver Bay...

Ground-based LiDAR application to characterize sea cliff instability processes along a densely populated coastline in Southern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Giuseppe; Semaan, Fouad; Salvini, Riccardo; Troise, Claudia; Somma, Renato; Matano, Fabio; Sacchi, Marco

2017-04-01

Sea cliff retreatment along the coastline of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area (Southern Italy) is becoming a threat for public and private structures due to the massive urbanization occurred in the last few decades. In this area, geological features of the outcropping rocks represent one of the most important factors conditioning the sea cliff retreatment. In fact, pyroclastic deposits formed by pumices, scoria, ashes and lapilli are arranged in weakly to moderately welded layers of variable thicknesses, resulting very erodible and prone to landslide processes. Available methods to evaluate topographic changes and retreat rates of sea cliffs include a variety of geomatic techniques, like terrestrial and aerial photogrammetry and LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). By means of such techniques, it is in fact possible to obtain high resolution topography of sea cliffs and perform multi-temporal change detection analysis. In this contribution, we present an application of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS or ground-based LiDAR) aimed to identify and quantify instability processes acting along the Torrefumo coastal cliff, in the Campi Flegrei area. Specifically, we acquired a series of 3D point clouds on the years 2013 and 2016, and compared them through a cloud-to-cloud distance computation. Furthermore, a statistical analysis was applied to the change detection results. In this way, an inventory of the cliff failures occurred along the Torrefumo cliff in the 2013-2016 time span was created, as well as the spatial and volumetric distribution of these failures was evaluated. The volumetric analysis shows that large collapses occurred rarely, whereas the spatial analysis shows that the majority of failures occurred in the middle and upper parts of the cliff face. Results also show that both rock fall and surficial erosion processes contribute to the cliff retreatment, acting in turn according to the geological properties of the involved pyroclastic deposits. The presented

Main factors determining bioerosion patterns on rocky cliffs in a drowned valley estuary in the Colombian Pacific (Eastern Tropical Pacific)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cobo-Viveros, Alba Marina; Cantera-Kintz, Jaime Ricardo

2015-10-01

Bioerosion is an important process that destroys coastal rocks in the tropics. However, the rates at which this process occurs, the organisms involved, and the dynamics of rocky cliffs in tropical latitudes have been less studied than in temperate and subtropical latitudes. To contribute to the knowledge of the bioerosion process in rocky cliffs on the Pacific coast of Colombia (Eastern Tropical Pacific) we compared: 1) boring volume, 2) grain size distribution of the rocks, and 3) rock porosity, across three tidal zones of two cliffs with different wave exposure; these factors were related to the bioeroding community found. We observed that cliffs that were not exposed to wave action (IC, internal cliffs) exhibited high percentages of clays in their grain size composition, and a greater porosity (47.62%) and perforation (15.86%) than exposed cliffs (EC, external cliffs). However, IC also exhibited less diversity and abundance of bioeroding species (22 species and 314 individuals, respectively) compared to the values found in EC (41.11%, 14.34%, 32 and 491, respectively). The most abundant bioeroders were Petrolisthes zacae in IC and Pachygrapsus transversus in EC. Our findings show that the tidal zone is the common factor controlling bioerosion on both cliffs; in addition to the abundance of bioeroders on IC and the number of bioeroding species on EC. The integration of geology, sedimentology, and biology allows us to obtain a more comprehensive view of the patterns and trends in the process of bioerosion.

Sea-cliff erosion as a function of beach changes and extreme wave runup during the 1997-1998 El Nino

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sallenger, A.H.; Krabill, W.; Brock, J.; Swift, R.; Manizade, S.; Stockdon, H.

2002-01-01

Over time scales of hundreds to thousands of years, the net longshore sand transport direction along the central California coast has been driven to the south by North Pacific winter swell. In contrast, during the El Nin??o winter of 1997-1998, comparisons of before and after airborne lidar surveys showed sand was transported from south to north and accumulated on the south sides of resistant headlands bordering pocket beaches. This resulted in significant beach erosion at the south ends of pocket beaches and deposition in the north ends. Coincident with the south-to-north redistribution of sand, shoreline morphology became prominently cuspate with longshore wavelengths of 400-700 m. The width and elevation of beaches were least where maximum shoreline erosion occurred, preferentially exposing cliffs to wave attack. The resulting erosional hotspots typically were located in the embayments of giant cusps in the southern end of the pocket beaches. The observed magnitude of sea cliff retreat, which reached 14 m, varied with the number of hours that extreme wave runup exceeded certain thresholds representing the protective capacity of the beach during the El Nin??o winter. A threshold representing the width of the beach performed better than a threshold representing the elevation of the beach. The magnitude of cliff erosion can be scaled using a simple model based on the cross-shore distance that extreme wave runup exceeded the pre-winter cliff position. Cliff erosion appears to be a balance between terrestrial mass wasting processes, which tend to decrease the cliff slope, and wave attack, which removes debris and erodes the cliff base increasing the cliff slope. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

A model ensemble for projecting multi‐decadal coastal cliff retreat during the 21st century

USGS Publications Warehouse

Limber, Patrick; Barnard, Patrick; Vitousek, Sean; Erikson, Li

2018-01-01

Sea cliff retreat rates are expected to accelerate with rising sea levels during the 21st century. Here we develop an approach for a multi‐model ensemble that efficiently projects time‐averaged sea cliff retreat over multi‐decadal time scales and large (>50 km) spatial scales. The ensemble consists of five simple 1‐D models adapted from the literature that relate sea cliff retreat to wave impacts, sea level rise (SLR), historical cliff behavior, and cross‐shore profile geometry. Ensemble predictions are based on Monte Carlo simulations of each individual model, which account for the uncertainty of model parameters. The consensus of the individual models also weights uncertainty, such that uncertainty is greater when predictions from different models do not agree. A calibrated, but unvalidated, ensemble was applied to the 475 km‐long coastline of Southern California (USA), with 4 SLR scenarios of 0.5, 0.93, 1.5, and 2 m by 2100. Results suggest that future retreat rates could increase relative to mean historical rates by more than two‐fold for the higher SLR scenarios, causing an average total land loss of 19 – 41 m by 2100. However, model uncertainty ranges from +/‐ 5 – 15 m, reflecting the inherent difficulties of projecting cliff retreat over multiple decades. To enhance ensemble performance, future work could include weighting each model by its skill in matching observations in different morphological settings

Costs and benefits of late nesting in cliff swallows.

PubMed

Brown, Charles R; Roche, Erin A; O'Brien, Valerie A

2015-02-01

Many organisms of temperate latitudes exhibit declines in reproductive success as the breeding season advances. Experiments can delay the onset of reproduction for early breeders to investigate the consequences of late nesting, but it is rarely possible to observe a distinct second round of nesting in species that normally nest only once. The colonial cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) is a migratory songbird that has a relatively short breeding season in the western Great Plains, USA, with birds rarely nesting late in the summer. Previous work suggested that ectoparasitism is a primary reason why reproductive success in this species declines over the summer. At colony sites where nests were fumigated to remove ectoparasitic swallow bugs (Oeciacus vicarius), cliff swallows frequently undertook a distinct round of late nesting after previously fledging young that year. Mark-recapture revealed that late-nesting pairs at these colonies produced fewer offspring that survived to the next breeding season, and that survival of late-nesting adults was lower during the next year, relative to pairs nesting earlier in the season. These reproductive costs applied in the absence of ectoparasites and likely reflect other environmental costs of late nesting such as seasonal declines in food availability or a delayed start of fall migration. Despite the costs, the estimated fitness for perennial early-and-late nesters in the absence of ectoparasites was equivalent to that of birds that nested only early in the season. The collective disadvantages of late nesting likely constrain most cliff swallows to raising a single brood in the middle latitudes of North America.

Methods for excluding cliff swallows from nesting on highway structures.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-08-01

Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are colonially breeding migratory birds that frequently nest on highway : structures. Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, nesting control methods cannot harm swallows or active : nests. This c...

76 FR 3927 - Ameren Missouri; Combined License Application for Callaway Plant Unit 2; Exemption

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-21

... for a single unit of AREVA NP's U.S. EPR in accordance with the requirements of Title 10 of the Code... application is based upon and linked to the U.S. EPR reference COL (RCOL) application for UniStar's Calvert... U.S. EPR. 2.0 Request/Action The regulations specified in 10 CFR 50.71(e)(3)(iii) require that an...

Final Environmental Assessment to Renovate Fourth Cliff Recreational Area at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-17

Renovate Fourth Cliff Recreational Annex Grading and topography changes may be necessary to design an appropriate drainage system at the site...goals: 1) Increase safety for personnel and patrons at the site; 2) Provide protection of the exposed cliff face from rainwater runoff; 3) Provide...be followed. Drainage design must meet Massachusetts Stormwater Management Standards, as well as comply with the Federal Clean Water Act. Solid

77 FR 34093 - License Renewal for Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC's

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-08

... quality; water quality and use; geology and soils; ecology; noise; historical and cultural; scenic and... significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Therefore, preparation of an environmental impact...

Selected coal-related ground-water data, Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs area, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sumsion, C.T.

1979-01-01

The Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs%area as used in this report consists of about 8,000 square miles in east-central Utah. The major geographic features included in the area are the Wasatch Plateau, Book Cliffs, San Rafael Swell, Price River basin, and a small part of the Green River basin (pl. 1). The area is defined by approximate drainage-divide boundaries in the Wasatch Plateau and Book Cliffs, by an arbitrary boundary on the south, and by the Utah-Colorado State line on the east.The Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs area includes all the operating coal mines in Utah in 1978. Annual coal production in the area is expected to increase from the current (1978) rate of about 8 million tons to as much as 30 million tons within the next 10 years (J. W. Moffitt, U.S. Geological Survey, oral commun., 1978). Ground water is an important source of water supply in the area. As mining increases and mining-related municipalities grow, many sources of ground-water supply may be subjected to increased demands and possibly degradation of chemical quality.Waddell, Vickers, Upton, and Contratto (1978) reported some ground- water data after a reconnaissance of part of the area. The purpose of this report, which was prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, is to present a more detailed compilation of ground-water-related data that were collected and compiled during October 1976 to March 1978. The report is designed to make the data available in an orderly and usable form for local and regional water managers and other users of water data.

Long-term cliff retreat and erosion hotspots along the central shores of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, Laura J.; Griggs, Gary B.

2002-01-01

Quantification of cliff retreat rates for the southern half of Santa Cruz County, CA, USA, located within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, using the softcopy/geographic information system (GIS) methodology results in average cliff retreat rates of 7–15 cm/yr between 1953 and 1994. The coastal dunes at the southern end of Santa Cruz County migrate seaward and landward through time and display net accretion between 1953 and 1994, which is partially due to development. In addition, three critically eroding segments of coastline with high average erosion rates ranging from 20 to 63 cm/yr are identified as erosion ‘hotspots’. These locations include: Opal Cliffs, Depot Hill and Manresa. Although cliff retreat is episodic, spatially variable at the scale of meters, and the factors affecting cliff retreat vary along the Santa Cruz County coastline, there is a compensation between factors affecting retreat such that over the long-term the coastline maintains a relatively smooth configuration. The softcopy/GIS methodology significantly reduces errors inherent in the calculation of retreat rates in high-relief areas (e.g. erosion rates generated in this study are generally correct to within 10 cm) by removing errors due to relief displacement. Although the resulting root mean squared error for erosion rates is relatively small, simple projections of past erosion rates are inadequate to provide predictions of future cliff position. Improved predictions can be made for individual coastal segments by using a mean erosion rate and the standard deviation as guides to future cliff behavior in combination with an understanding of processes acting along the coastal segments in question. This methodology can be applied on any high-relief coast where retreat rates can be measured.

Inshore analyse of the morphostructural evolution of the coastal cliffs of Bessin, Basse-Normandie, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vioget, Alizée; Costa, Stéphane; Derron, Marc-Henri; Jaboyedoff, Michel; Maquaire, Olivier; Michoud, Clément

2014-05-01

The cliffs' retreat is a major issue for the management of coastal territories. Two coastal areas in "Calvados" and "Pays de Caux", French Normandy, are studied by the University of Caen for several years, and more recently assisted by the University of Lausanne. The studied section of the cliffs of Bessin is about 4.3 km long and lies between the World War II artillery batteries of Longues-sur-Mer and Arromanches-les-Bains. The site's lithology is mainly made of two formations: the limestones of Bessin that lie on top of the marls of Port. On the coastline, the cliff's height varies between 10 and 75 meters above sea level. The marl formation acts like an aquitard, as it is semi-impermeable. Therefore, more or less important water outflows are observable at the point of contact between the marls and the limestones. First, the study aims to create an up to date geomorphological map as well as a kinematic classification of the existing instabilities of the different cliff's profiles. This part is realized with on site field measurements. We observe several profiles depending on the type of cliff studied: sinking of limestone panels due to creeping marls at the base, overhang limestone formation, wave-cut notch, detachment, tilt, rotational slide, superficial separation etc. These several behaviours depend on the cliff's exposure to the Channel sea and weathering factors, morphology, presence of pebble beach etc. The coastline section is thus classified depending on the different morphological types observed, which influence the stability and erosion rates. Principal morphological types here are: overhang limestone formation near Cape Manvieux, creeping marls near le Chaos and graben near le Bouffay. Then, the cliffs' condition is compared to the diachronic analyse of the shoreline evolution supported by different photographic documents. This part of the study allows to refine the spatiotemporal occurrence of the different ground movements. However, cliffs

Climate change-driven cliff and beach evolution at decadal to centennial time scales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Erikson, Li; O'Neill, Andrea; Barnard, Patrick; Vitousek, Sean; Limber, Patrick

2017-01-01

Here we develop a computationally efficient method that evolves cross-shore profiles of sand beaches with or without cliffs along natural and urban coastal environments and across expansive geographic areas at decadal to centennial time-scales driven by 21st century climate change projections. The model requires projected sea level rise rates, extrema of nearshore wave conditions, bluff recession and shoreline change rates, and cross-shore profiles representing present-day conditions. The model is applied to the ~470-km long coast of the Southern California Bight, USA, using recently available projected nearshore waves and bluff recession and shoreline change rates. The results indicate that eroded cliff material, from unarmored cliffs, contribute 11% to 26% to the total sediment budget. Historical beach nourishment rates will need to increase by more than 30% for a 0.25 m sea level rise (~2044) and by at least 75% by the year 2100 for a 1 m sea level rise, if evolution of the shoreline is to keep pace with rising sea levels.

Cliff swallows Petrochelidon pyrrhonota as bioindicators of environmental mercury, Cache Creek Watershed, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hothem, Roger L.; Trejo, Bonnie S.; Bauer, Marissa L.; Crayon, John J.

2008-01-01

To evaluate mercury (Hg) and other element exposure in cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), eggs were collected from 16 sites within the mining-impacted Cache Creek watershed, Colusa, Lake, and Yolo counties, California, USA, in 1997-1998. Nestlings were collected from seven sites in 1998. Geometric mean total Hg (THg) concentrations ranged from 0.013 to 0.208 ??g/g wet weight (ww) in cliff swallow eggs and from 0.047 to 0.347 ??g/g ww in nestlings. Mercury detected in eggs generally followed the spatial distribution of Hg in the watershed based on proximity to both anthropogenic and natural sources. Mean Hg concentrations in samples of eggs and nestlings collected from sites near Hg sources were up to five and seven times higher, respectively, than in samples from reference sites within the watershed. Concentrations of other detected elements, including aluminum, beryllium, boron, calcium, manganese, strontium, and vanadium, were more frequently elevated at sites near Hg sources. Overall, Hg concentrations in eggs from Cache Creek were lower than those reported in eggs of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) from highly contaminated locations in North America. Total Hg concentrations were lower in all Cache Creek egg samples than adverse effects levels established for other species. Total Hg concentrations in bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) and foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii) collected from 10 of the study sites were both positively correlated with THg concentrations in cliff swallow eggs. Our data suggest that cliff swallows are reliable bioindicators of environmental Hg. ?? Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007.

A numerical study of tsunami wave impact and run-up on coastal cliffs using a CIP-based model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xizeng; Chen, Yong; Huang, Zhenhua; Hu, Zijun; Gao, Yangyang

2017-05-01

There is a general lack of understanding of tsunami wave interaction with complex geographies, especially the process of inundation. Numerical simulations are performed to understand the effects of several factors on tsunami wave impact and run-up in the presence of gentle submarine slopes and coastal cliffs, using an in-house code, a constrained interpolation profile (CIP)-based model. The model employs a high-order finite difference method, the CIP method, as the flow solver; utilizes a VOF-type method, the tangent of hyperbola for interface capturing/slope weighting (THINC/SW) scheme, to capture the free surface; and treats the solid boundary by an immersed boundary method. A series of incident waves are arranged to interact with varying coastal geographies. Numerical results are compared with experimental data and good agreement is obtained. The influences of gentle submarine slope, coastal cliff and incident wave height are discussed. It is found that the tsunami amplification factor varying with incident wave is affected by gradient of cliff slope, and the critical value is about 45°. The run-up on a toe-erosion cliff is smaller than that on a normal cliff. The run-up is also related to the length of a gentle submarine slope with a critical value of about 2.292 m in the present model for most cases. The impact pressure on the cliff is extremely large and concentrated, and the backflow effect is non-negligible. Results of our work are highly precise and helpful in inverting tsunami source and forecasting disaster.

UAS-enabled assessment of geohazards on coastal cliffs at Dawlish, UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabson, Oliver; Bellis, Alex; Moore, Roger

2017-04-01

The last few years have seen the widespread availability of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) - remotely-operated aerial vehicles which are being developed for use in a variety of commercial and recreational applications. The combination of these systems with off-the-shelf digital cameras and image processing software using well-established Structure-from-Motion techniques can produce 3D models with centimetric resolution and accuracy for sites covering several square kilometres. The geo-engineering community has been exploring the use of these systems for collecting data in environments where it may be hazardous or impossible to use more conventional means. Advantages of deployment of UAS have already been identified, which include cost, ease of survey in terms of access, rapid acquisition of data and repeatability, and reduction in the number of personnel directly exposed to geological hazards during site visits. As such, the technology continues to be an exciting tool to explore. At Dawlish, UK, weathering and erosion of the sea cliffs has resulted in numerous serious slope failures, with some notable examples over the last decade that were the focus of national media attention. This poses significant risk to Network Rail's Western Route: a stretch of rail built by Brunel in 1840, situated at the foot of these cliffs. CH2M was commissioned by Network Rail to explore options for improving the resilience of the line, but access constraints meant that sections of the cliff were difficult or impossible to access during site visits. As such, this paper describes the use of UAS to capture and assess this system. We find that the UAS technology offers new insight to the site, allowing for finer-resolution mapping and interpretation of sub-vertical cliffs. This has been an important study within a wider assessment of the site, and the survey has supplemented recommendations on how to best manage the coastal asset in order to ensure the operation of a safe and reliable

Uranophane at Silver Cliff mine, Lusk, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilmarth, Verl R.; Johnson, D.H.

1954-01-01

The uranium deposit at the Silver Cliff mine near Lusk, Wyo., consists primarily of uranophane which occurs as fracture fillings and small replacement pockets in faulted and fractured calcareous sandstone of Cambrian (?) age. The country rock in the vicinity of the mine is schist of pre-Cambrian age intruded by pegmatite dikes and is unconformably overlain by almost horizontal sandstone of Cambrian(?) age. The mine is on the southern end of the Lusk Dome, a local structure probably related to the Hartville uplift. In the immediate vicinity of the mine, the dome is cut by the Silver Cliff fault, a north-trending high-angle reverse fault about 1,200 feet in length with a stratigraphic throw of 70 feet. Uranophane, metatorbernite, pitchblende, calcite, native silver, native copper, chalcocite, azurite, malachite, chrysocolla, and cuprite have been deposited in fractured sandstone. The fault was probably mineralized throughout its length, but because of erosion, the mineralized zone is discontinuous. The principal ore body is about 800 feet long. The width and depth of the mineralized zone are not accurately known but are at least 20 feet and 60 feet respectively. The uranium content of material sampled in the mine ranges from 0.001 to 0.23 percent uranium, whereas dump samples range from 0.076 to 3.39 percent uranium.

Chiral Cliffs: Investigating the Influence of Chirality on Binding Affinity.

PubMed

Schneider, Nadine; Lewis, Richard A; Fechner, Nikolas; Ertl, Peter

2018-05-11

Chirality is understood by many as a binary concept: a molecule is either chiral or it is not. In terms of the action of a structure on polarized light, this is indeed true. When examined through the prism of molecular recognition, the answer becomes more nuanced. In this work, we investigated chiral behavior on protein-ligand binding: when does chirality make a difference in binding activity? Chirality is a property of the 3D structure, so recognition also requires an appreciation of the conformation. In many situations, the bioactive conformation is undefined. We set out to address this by defining and using several novel 2D descriptors to capture general characteristic features of the chiral center. Using machine-learning methods, we built different predictive models to estimate if a chiral pair (a set of two enantiomers) might exhibit a chiral cliff in a binding assay. A set of about 3800 chiral pairs extracted from the ChEMBL23 database was used to train and test our models. By achieving an accuracy of up to 75 %, our models provide good performance in discriminating chiral cliffs from non-cliffs. More importantly, we were able to derive some simple guidelines for when one can reasonably use a racemate and when an enantiopure compound is needed in an assay. We critically discuss our results and show detailed examples of using our guidelines. Along with this publication we provide our dataset, our novel descriptors, and the Python code to rebuild the predictive models. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Meet the 2008 Cliff Weiss Memorial Essay Contest Winners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Techniques: Connecting Education and Careers (J3), 2008

2008-01-01

This article presents the winners of the 2008 Cliff Weiss Memorial Essay Contest and their winning essays. The winners are Spencer Terry of Tulsa, Oklahoma (secondary), and Carrie Snyder-Renfro of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (postsecondary). The topic for secondary students is "How would you communicate the impact and importance of CTE related to your…

Rockfall hazard assessment of nearly vertical rhyolite tuff cliff faces by using terrestrial laser scanner, UAV and FEM analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Török, Ákos; Barsi, Árpád; Görög, Péter; Lovas, Tamás; Bögöly, Gyula; Czinder, Balázs; Vásárhelyi, Balázs; Molnár, Bence; József Somogyi, Árpád

2017-04-01

Nearly vertical rhyolite tuff cliff faces are located in NE-Hungary representing rock fall hazard in the touristic region of Sirok. Larger blocks of the cliff have fallen in recent years menacing tourists and human lives. The rhyolite tuff, that forms the Castle Hill was formed during Miocene volcanism and comprises of brecciated lapilli tuffs and tuffs with intercalating ignimbritic horizons. The paper focuses on the 3D mapping of cliff faces and modeling of rock fall hazard. The topography and 3D model of the cliff was obtained by using GNSS supported terrestrial laser scanner and UAV. With imaging techniques of UAV a Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) model was developed that contained triangles with 5-10 cm side lengths. GNSS supported terrestrial laser scanning allowed the observation with a resolution 1-5 cm of point spacing. The point clouds were further processed and with the combination of laser scanner and UAV data a 3D model of the studied cliff faces were obtained. Geological parameters for rock fall analyses included both field observations and laboratory tests. The lithotypes were identified on the field and were sampled for rock mechanical laboratory analyses. Joint- and fault system was mapped and visualized by using Rocscience Dip. EN test methods were used to obtain the density properties of various lithotypes of rhyolite tuff. Other standardized EN tests included ultrasonic pulse velocity, water absorption, indirect tensile strength (Brasilian), uniaxial compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of air dry and of water saturated samples. GSI values were denoted based on filed observations and rock mass properties. The stability analyses of cliff faces were made by using 2D FEM software (Phase 2). Cross sections were evaluated and global factor of safety was also calculated. The modeled displacements were in the order of few centimeters; however several locations were pinpointed where wedge failure and planar slip surfaces were identified

Slope mass movements on rocky sea-cliffs: A power-law distributed natural hazard on the Barlavento Coast, Algarve, Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixeira, Sebastião Braz

2006-06-01

The coast of the Central Algarve, Portugal, is dominated by sea-cliffs, cut on Miocene calcarenites; here, the main coastal geologic hazards result from the conflict between human occupation and sea-cliff recession. The evolution of this rocky coast occurs through an intermittent and discontinuous series of slope mass movements, along a 46 km cliff front. For the last 30 years, the increase of tourism occupation has amplified the risks to both people and buildings. In the last decade we have seen several accidents caused by cliff failure, which killed or wounded people and destroyed several buildings. The definition of buffer zones limited by hazard lines parallel to the cliff edge, where land use is restricted, is a widely used and effective preventive measure for mitigating risk. Rocky coasts typically show a slow cliff evolution. The process of gathering statistically significant field inventories of mass movements is, thus, very long. Although mass movement catalogues provide fundamental information on sea cliff evolution patterns and are an outstanding tool in hazard assessment, published data sets are still rare. In this work, we use two inventories of mass movement width, recorded on sea cliffs cut on Miocene calcarenites: a nine year long continuous field inventory (1995-2004) with 140 recorded events, and a 44 year long catalogue based on comparative analysis of aerial photographs (1947-1991), that includes 177 events. The cumulative frequency-width distributions of both data sets fit, above a critical width value corresponding to the threshold of full completeness of the inventories, to power-law distributions. The knowledge of the limits of the catalogues enabled the construction of a 53 year long record inventory over the range of mean width ⩾3 m ( n=167 events) and maximum width ⩾4 m ( n=155 events). The data assembled corresponds to a partial series and was converted to a return period-size distribution. Both return period-width distributions

A theropod dinosaur embryo and the affinities of the flaming cliffs dinosaur eggs.

PubMed

Norell, M A; Clark, J M; Demberelyin, D; Rhinchen, B; Chiappe, L M; Davidson, A R; McKenna, M C; Altangerel, P; Novacek, M J

1994-11-04

An embryonic skeleton of a nonavian theropod dinosaur was found preserved in an egg from Upper Cretaceous rocks in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Cranial features identify the embryo as a member of Oviraptoridae. Two embryo-sized skulls of dromaeosaurids, similar to that of Velociraptor, were also recovered in the nest. The eggshell microstructure is similar to that of ratite birds and is of a type common in the Djadokhta Formation at the Flaming Cliffs (Bayn Dzak). Discovery of a nest of such eggs at the Flaming Cliffs in 1923, beneath the Oviraptor philoceratops holotype, suggests that this dinosaur may have been a brooding adult.

White Cliffs: Operating Experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaneff, S.

1984-01-01

The fourteen dish white cliffs solar power station area is remote and subject to extreme environmental conditions, solution of the associated problems required careful and thoughtful attention and the application of resources. Notwithstanding the wide range and harshness of conditions, the difficulties caused by remoteness and the lack of a technological base and the need for relatively rapid demonstration of success, the project has had a very positive outcome. Qualitative and quantitative information and lessons are now available to enable considerable simplifications to be made for a new system, reducing both hardware and operation and maintenance costs. Experience and lessons are presented, particularly in relation to: system performance in various environmental conditions; design philosophies for collectors, the array, control systems, engine and plant; operation and maintenance strategies and cost reducing possibilities. Experience so far gives encouragement for the future of such paraboloidal dish systems in appropriate areas.

Rockfall monitoring of a poorly consolidated marly sandstone cliff by TLS and IR thermography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lefeuvre, Caroline; Guérin, Antoine; Carrea, Dario; Derron, Marc-Henri; Jaboyedoff, Michel

2017-04-01

The study area of La Cornalle (Vaud, Switzerland) is a 40 m high south-west facing cliff which is also part of a larger landslide (Bersier 1975 ; Parriaux, 1998). The cliff is formed by an alternation of marls and sandstones. The thicknesses of sandstone layers range from 0.5 to 4 meters. The rockfall activity of this cliff is high, with an average of one event per day. The aim of this study is to better understand the links between rockfall activity, cliff's structures, and weather and thermal conditions. The 3D surface evolution of the Cornalle cliff is monitored approximately every month since September 2012 using a Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) data in order to get a monthly inventory of rockfall events. Since November 2013, a weather station located 150 meters away from the cliff collects data such as temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, rain and solar radiation every 15 minutes. Furthermore, we also fixed a thermic probe in the sandstone at 10 cm deep which measures temperature every 10 minutes. A detailed analysis has been performed during a short period (01/29/2016-04/08/2016) and pointed out a correlation between daily rainfall and rockfall. We found that a fall occurred the day or the day after a cumulative daily rainfall of at least 10 mm/day.In parallel to this monthly monitoring, the northwest part of La Cornalle cliff (the most active part) was monitored for 24 consecutive hours in July 2016 (from 12:30 to 12:30) using infrared thermography and crackmeters with a precision of 0.01mm. We collected a series of thermal pictures every 20 minutes, and measured the opening of a crack in sandstone layers every hour. We observed that marls are more affected by external changes of temperature than sandstones. Their surface temperature rises (resp. falls) more with an increase (resp. decrease) of external temperature than sandstones. Crackmeters measured an opening of the crack with an increase of the rock temperature and the opposite displacement

Laboratory measurements of upwelled radiance and reflectance spectra of Calvert, Ball, Jordan, and Feldspar soil sediments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitlock, C. H.; Usry, J. W.; Witte, W. G.; Gurganus, E. A.

1977-01-01

An effort to investigate the potential of remote sensing for monitoring nonpoint source pollution was conducted. Spectral reflectance characteristics for four types of soil sediments were measured for mixture concentrations between 4 and 173 ppm. For measurements at a spectral resolution of 32 mm, the spectral reflectances of Calvert, Ball, Jordan, and Feldspar soil sediments were distinctly different over the wavelength range from 400 to 980 nm at each concentration tested. At high concentrations, spectral differences between the various sediments could be detected by measurements with a spectral resolution of 160 nm. At a low concentration, only small differences were observed between the various sediments when measurements were made with 160 nm spectral resolution. Radiance levels generally varied in a nonlinear manner with sediment concentration; linearity occurred in special cases, depending on sediment type, concentration range, and wavelength.

78 FR 64004 - Notice of Intent To Collect Fees on Public Lands in the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-25

... To Collect Fees on Public Lands in the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Washington County, UT... Intent to Collect Fees on Public Lands in the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Washington County, UT, which contained erroneous information regarding the use of the America the Beautiful passes at...

Slope, Scarp and Sea Cliff Instability Susceptibility Mapping for Planning Regulations in Almada County, Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marques, Fernando; Queiroz, Sónia; Gouveia, Luís; Vasconcelos, Manuel

2017-12-01

In Portugal, the modifications introduced in 2008 and 2012 in the National Ecological Reserve law (REN) included the mandatory study of slope instability, including slopes, natural scarps, and sea cliffs, at municipal or regional scale, with the purpose of avoiding the use of hazardous zones with buildings and other structures. The law also indicates specific methods to perform these studies, with different approaches for slope instability, natural scarps and sea cliffs. The methods used to produce the maps required by REN law, with modifications and improvements to the law specified methods, were applied to the 71 km2 territory of Almada County, and included: 1) Slope instability mapping using the statistically based Information Value method validated with the landslide inventory using ROC curves, which provided an AAC=0.964, with the higher susceptibility zones which cover at least 80% of the landslides of the inventory to be included in REN map. The map was object of a generalization process to overcome the inconveniences of the use of a pixel based approach. 2) Natural scarp mapping including setback areas near the top, defined according to the law and setback areas near the toe defined by the application of the shadow angle calibrated with the major rockfalls which occurred in the study area; 3) Sea cliffs mapping including two levels of setback zones near the top, and one setback zone at the cliffs toe, which were based on systematic inventories of cliff failures occurred between 1947 and 2010 in a large scale regional littoral monitoring project. In the paper are described the methods used and the results obtained in this study, which correspond to the final maps of areas to include in REN. The results obtained in this study may be considered as an example of good practice of the municipal authorities in terms of solid, technical and scientifically supported regulation definitions, hazard prevention and safe and sustainable land use management.

Cliff stability assessment using electrical resistivity tomography at the historic WWII D-Day invasion site, Pointe du Hoc, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Everett, M. E.; Udphuay, S.; Warden, R.

2007-05-01

The 1944 D-Day invasion site at Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, France is an important WWII battlefield and cultural resource but is at risk from chalk cliff collapse. The American Battle Monuments Commission tasked us to evaluate the geohazard to the observation post and other cliff-side buildings of historical significance. Geophysical multi-electrode resistivity profiling is used to study cliff stability and the condition of the observation- post foundations. Preliminary 2-D geological interpretations are provided of individual profiles. The copious steel, concrete and void spaces at the site renders hydrogeological interpretation challenging but tractable. The cliff face appears to be relatively intact and well-drained. Several routes taken by groundwater into fractures within the chalk were identified mainly on the western side of the site. The eastern side is drier and somewhat sheltered from the Atlantic storms but may contain large void spaces that could efficiently transmit groundwater flow during heavy precipitation events, thereby imperiling the major antiaircraft gun emplacement occupied by Col. Rudder in the early days of the Allied invasion. The forward German observation post perched close to the sea stack, which now hosts the U.S. Ranger memorial, may be moving with the soil and not securely anchored to bedrock. A complex failure mechanism is identified as a combination of groundwater dissolution of the fractured chalk and sea wave attack at the cliff base.

The origin and distribution of HAPs elements in relation to maceral composition of the A1 lignite bed (Paleocene, Calvert Bluff Formation, Wilcox Group), Calvert mine area, east-central Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crowley, Sharon S.; Warwick, Peter D.; Ruppert, Leslie F.; Pontolillo, James

1997-01-01

The origin and distribution of twelve potentially Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs; As, Be, Cd, Cr, Co, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, and U) identified in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments were examined in relation to the maceral composition of the A1 bed (Paleocene, Calvert Bluff Formation, Wilcox Group) of the Calvert mine in east-central Texas. The 3.2 m-thick A1 bed was divided into nine incremental channel samples (7 lignite samples and 2 shaley coal samples) on the basis of megascopic characteristics. Results indicate that As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Sb, and U are strongly correlated with ash yield and are enriched in the shaley coal samples. We infer that these elements are associated with inorganic constituents in the coal bed and may be derived from a penecontemporaneous stream channel located several kilometers southeast of the mining block. Of the HAPs elements studied, Mn and Hg are the most poorly correlated to ash yield. We infer an organic association for Mn; Hg may be associated with pyrite. The rest of the trace elements (Be, Co, and Se) are weakly correlated with ash yield. Further analytical work is necessary to determine the mode of occurrence for these elements. Overall, concentrations of the HAPs elements are generally similar to or less than those reported in previous studies of lignites of the Wilcox Group, east-central region, Texas. Petrographic analysis indicates the following ranges in composition for the seven lignite samples: liptinites (5–8%), huminites (88–95%), and inertinites (trace amounts to 7%). Samples from the middle portion of the A1 bed contain abundant crypto-eugelinite compared to the rest of the samples; this relationship suggests that the degradation of plant material was an important process during the development of the peat mire. With the exception of Hg and Mn, relatively low levels of the HAPs elements studied are found in the samples containing abundant crypto-eugelinite. We infer that the peat-forming environment for this

The 50s cliff: a decline in perceptuo-motor learning, not a deficit in visual motion perception.

PubMed

Ren, Jie; Huang, Shaochen; Zhang, Jiancheng; Zhu, Qin; Wilson, Andrew D; Snapp-Childs, Winona; Bingham, Geoffrey P

2015-01-01

Previously, we measured perceptuo-motor learning rates across the lifespan and found a sudden drop in learning rates between ages 50 and 60, called the "50s cliff." The task was a unimanual visual rhythmic coordination task in which participants used a joystick to oscillate one dot in a display in coordination with another dot oscillated by a computer. Participants learned to produce a coordination with a 90° relative phase relation between the dots. Learning rates for participants over 60 were half those of younger participants. Given existing evidence for visual motion perception deficits in people over 60 and the role of visual motion perception in the coordination task, it remained unclear whether the 50s cliff reflected onset of this deficit or a genuine decline in perceptuo-motor learning. The current work addressed this question. Two groups of 12 participants in each of four age ranges (20s, 50s, 60s, 70s) learned to perform a bimanual coordination of 90° relative phase. One group trained with only haptic information and the other group with both haptic and visual information about relative phase. Both groups were tested in both information conditions at baseline and post-test. If the 50s cliff was caused by an age dependent deficit in visual motion perception, then older participants in the visual group should have exhibited less learning than those in the haptic group, which should not exhibit the 50s cliff, and older participants in both groups should have performed less well when tested with visual information. Neither of these expectations was confirmed by the results, so we concluded that the 50s cliff reflects a genuine decline in perceptuo-motor learning with aging, not the onset of a deficit in visual motion perception.

3-D Resistivity Tomography for Cliff Stability Study at the D-Day Pointe du Hoc Historic Site in Normandy, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udphuay, S.; Everett, M. E.; Guenther, T.; Warden, R. R.

2007-12-01

The D-Day invasion site at Pointe du Hoc in Normandy, France is one of the most important World War II battlefields. The site remains today a valuable historic cultural resource. However the site is vulnerable to cliff collapses that could endanger the observation post building and U.S. Ranger memorial located just landward of the sea stack, and an anti-aircraft gun emplacement, Col. Rudder's command post, located on the cliff edge about 200 m east of the observation post. A 3-D resistivity tomography incorporating extreme topography is used in this study to provide a detailed site stability assessment with special attention to these two buildings. Multi-electrode resistivity measurements were made across the cliff face and along the top of the cliff around the two at-risk buildings to map major subsurface fracture zones and void spaces that could indicate possible accumulations and pathways of groundwater. The ingress of acidic groundwater through the underlying carbonate formations enlarges pre-existing tectonic fractures via limestone dissolution and weakens the overall structural integrity of the cliff. The achieved 3-D resistivity tomograms provide diagnostic subsurface resistivity distributions. Resistive zones associated with subsurface void spaces have been located. These void spaces constitute a stability geohazard as they become significant drainage routes during and after periods of heavy rainfalls.

Terrestrial ages of ordinary chondrites from the lewis cliff stranding area, East Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welten, K. C.; Lindner, L.; Alderliesten, C.; van der Borg, K.

1999-07-01

We determined terrestrial ages of ordinary chondrites from the Lewis Cliff stranding area, East Antarctica, on the basis of the concentrations of cosmogenic 10Be (t1/2 = 1.51 Ma), 26Al (t1/2 = 0.705 Ma) and 36Cl (t1/2 = 0.301 Ma). After an initial 26Al -ray survey of 91 meteorites suggested that many have terrestrial ages larger than 0.1 Ma, we selected 62 meteorites for 10Be and 26Al measurements by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and measured 36Cl in twelve of those. Low terrestrial ages (<0.1 Ma) were found for about 60% of the meteorites, whereas all others have ages between 0.1 and 0.5 Ma, except for one exceptional age of >2 Ma (Welten et al., 1997). Our major conclusions are: (1) The Lewis Cliff H-chondrites show similar ages as those from the Allan Hills Ice-fields, but the L-chondrites are about a factor of two younger than those from Allan Hills, which indicates that Lewis Cliff is a younger stranding area. (2) The terrestrial age distributions at different parts of the Lewis Cliff stranding area generally agree with simple meteorite concentration models, although differences in weathering rate may also play a role. (3) We confirm that meteorites with natural thermoluminescence (TL) levels >80 krad are associated with low terrestrial ages (Benoit et al., 1992), but conclude that natural TL levels <80 krad can not be used to calculate the terrestrial age of a meteorite. Natural TL levels do seem useful to estimate relative terrestrial ages of large groups of meteorites and to determine differences in surface exposure age of paired meteorite fragments. (4) Of the 62 meteorites measured with AMS, 31 were assigned to eleven different pairing groups, mainly on the basis of their cosmogenic nuclide record. The meteorites are estimated to represent between 42 and 52 distinct falls.

Systematic assessment of scaffold hopping versus activity cliff formation across bioactive compound classes following a molecular hierarchy.

PubMed

Stumpfe, Dagmar; Dimova, Dilyana; Bajorath, Jürgen

2015-07-01

Scaffold hopping and activity cliff formation define opposite ends of the activity landscape feature spectrum. To rationalize these events at the level of scaffolds, active compounds involved in scaffold hopping were required to contain topologically distinct scaffolds but have only limited differences in potency, whereas compounds involved in activity cliffs were required to share the same scaffold but have large differences in potency. A systematic search was carried out for compounds involved in scaffold hopping and/or activity cliff formation. Results obtained for compound data sets covering more than 300 human targets revealed clear trends. If scaffolds represented multiple but fewer than 10 active compounds, nearly 90% of all scaffolds were exclusively involved in hopping events. With increasing compound coverage, the fraction of scaffolds involved in both scaffold hopping and activity cliff formation significantly increased to more than 50%. However, ∼40% of the scaffolds representing large numbers of active compounds continued to be exclusively involved in scaffold hopping. More than 200 scaffolds with broad target coverage were identified that consistently represented potent compounds and yielded an abundance of scaffold hops in the low-nanomolar range. These and other subsets of scaffolds we characterized are of prime interest for structure-activity relationship (SAR) exploration and compound design. Therefore, the complete scaffold classification generated in the course of our analysis is made freely available. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sea cliff erosion in the eastern part of the North Aegean coastline, Northern Greece.

PubMed

Xeidakis, George S; Delimani, P K; Skias, S G

2006-01-01

The coastal zone is an area where many human activities are taking place. Erosion of the coast obstructs, in various ways, these activities creating occasionally serious socioeconomic and environmental problems. In this paper the coastal erosion problems encountered in the eastern Greek part of the North Aegean Sea Coast, a stretch of about 51 km long adjacent to the city of Alexandroupolis, are discussed. Given the observed type and location of erosion and other sea-action phenomena, the coast under study is divided in two parts/stretches. The western stretch, where the city of Alexandroupolis is presently extending, presents, mainly, cliff erosion problems and retreat of the coastline, very serious in some sections; whereas, the eastern stretch (to the east of the city) exhibits deposition and progression seawards due to the abundance of sediments supplied by Evros river delta. A classification of the coastline according to its relief, geologic material, erosion characteristics and rate, slope failure phenomena as well as the wave energy potential, is presented together with suggestions for case-appropriate mitigation and protection measures regarding the coastal erosion problems. The paper is focusing on the cliff erosion phenomena, since varying in height coastal cliffs made of soft rocks, cover the major part of the investigated coastline (western stretch).

Erosion processes in molassic cliffs: the role of the rock surface temperature and atmospheric conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrea, Dario; Abellán, Antonio; Guerin, Antoine; Jaboyedoff, Michel; Voumard, Jérémie

2014-05-01

The morphology of the Swiss Plateau is modeled by numerous steep cliffs of Molasse. These cliffs are mainly composed of sub-horizontal alternated layers of sandstone, shale and conglomerates deposed in the Alps foreland basin during the Tertiary period. These Molasse cliffs are affected by erosion processes inducing numerous rockfall events. Thus, it is relevant to understand how different external factors influence Molasse erosion rates. In this study, we focus on analyzing temperature variation during a winter season. As pilot study area we selected a cliff which is formed by a sub-horizontal alternation of outcropping sandstone and shale. The westward facing test site (La Cornalle, Vaud, Switzerland), which is a lateral scarp of a slow moving landslide area, is currently affected by intense erosion. Regarding data acquisition, we monitored both in-situ rock and air temperatures at 15 minutes time-step since October 2013: (1) on the one hand we measured Ground Surface Temperature (GST) at near-surface (0.1 meter depth) using a GST mini-datalogger M-Log5W-Rock model; (2) On the other hand we monitored atmospheric conditions using a weather station (Davis Vantage pro2 plus) collecting numerous parameters (i.e. temperature, irradiation, rain, wind speed, etc.). Furthermore, the area was also seasonally monitored by Ground-Based (GB) LiDAR since 2010 and monthly monitored since September 2013. In order to understand how atmospheric conditions (such as freeze and thaw effect) influence the erosion of the cliff, we modeled the temperature diffusion through the rock mass. To this end, we applied heat diffusion and radiation equation using a 1D temperature profile, obtaining as a result both temperature variations at different depths together with the location of the 0°C isotherm. Our model was calibrated during a given training set using both in-situ rock temperatures and atmospheric conditions. We then carried out a comparison with the rockfall events derived from the

Borax in the supraglacial moraine of the Lewis Cliff, Buckley Island quadrangle--first Antarctic occurrence

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fitzpatrick, J.J.; Muhs, D.R.

1989-01-01

During the 1987-1988 austral summer field season, membersof the south party of the antarctic search for meteorites south-ern team* working in the Lewis Cliff/Colbert Hills region dis-covered several areas of unusual mineralization within theLewis Cliff ice tongue and its associated moraine field (figure1). The Lewis Cliff ice tongue (84°15'S 161°25'E) is a meteorite-stranding surface of ablating blue ice, about 2.3 by 7.0 kilo-meters, bounded on the west by the Lewis Cliff, on the northand northeast by a large supraglacial moraine, and on the eastby the Colbert Hills. To the south it opens to the Walcott Névé.Because it is a meteorite-stranding surface, the major component of ice motion in the area is believed to be vertical(Whillans and Cassidy 1983). The presence of Thule-Baffinmoraines at the northern terminus of the blue ice tends tosupport the hypothesis that the area underlying the moraineis essentially stagnant and that ice arriving from the south ispiling up against it. Areas containing mineral deposits werefound within the moraine field to the north and east of theblue ice margin and also along the east margins of the blue iceitself. Subsequent X-ray diffraction analyses of these depositshave shown that they are composed predominantly of nah-colite (NaHCO3), trona [Na3(CO3)(HCO3) · 2H20], borax[Na2B405(OH)4 · 8H20], and a new hexagonal hydrous sulfatespecies. This paper reports the details of the borax occurrence,because it is the first known on the continent.

Avoidance of Heights on the Visual Cliff in Newly Walking Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witherington, David C.; Campos, Joseph J.; Anderson, David I.; Lejeune, Laure; Seah, Eileen

2005-01-01

Work with infants on the "visual cliff" links avoidance of drop-offs to experience with self-produced locomotion. Adolph's (2002) research on infants' perception of slope and gap traversability suggests that learning to avoid falling down is highly specific to the postural context in which it occurs. Infants, for example, who have…

Radionuclides in Chesapeake Bay sediments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cressy, P. J., Jr.

1976-01-01

Natural and manmade gamma-ray emitting radionuclides were measured in Chesapeake Bay sediments taken near the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant site. Samples represented several water depths, at six locations, for five dates encompassing a complete seasonal cycle. Radionuclide contents of dry sediments ranged as follows: Tl-208, 40 to 400 pCi/kg; Bi-214, 200 to 800 pCi/kg; K, 0.04 to 2.1 percent; Cs-137 5 to 1900 pCi/kg; Ru106, 40 to 1000 pCikg Co60, 1 to 27 pCi/kg. In general, radionuclide contents were positively correlated with each other and negatively correlated with sediment grain size.

30. Photocopy of photograph (Frank O. Braynard Collection, Sea Cliff, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

30. Photocopy of photograph (Frank O. Braynard Collection, Sea Cliff, NY), date and photographer unknown, probably c1935-40 VIEW NORTHWEST OF WEST 55TH ST. PIER INSHORE FACADE; QUEEN OF BERMUDA AND MONARCH OF BERMUDA MOORED ON EITHER SIDE. - West 55th Street & West 56th Street Piers, Hudson River at West Fifty-fifth & West Fifty-sixth Streets, Manhattan, New York County, NY

Rockfalls in cliffs surrounding waterfall revealed by high-definition topographic measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayakawa, Y. S.; Obanawa, H.

2017-12-01

Bedrock rivers of volcanic terrain often comprise numerous knickpoints. Erosion of bedrock at knickpoints is an essential process of fluvial dissection of volcanic landforms, which also affects the deformations of surrounding slopes. However, short term (less than decadal) changes in bedrock landforms have often been limited to examine in a spatiotemporal framework. Here we use terrestrial laser scanning and SfM-MVS photogrammetry to detect recent annual changes in the morphology of cliffs surrounding a waterfall (Kegon Falls) on jointed andesite lava and conglomerates. The amount of bedrock deformation caused by small rockfalls and surface lowering are assessed in volume, which often appears in a relatively lower portion of the cliff. Such the changes are supposed to be affected by the enhanced supply of water and weathering following the latest major rockfall in 1986 which caused 8-m recession of the waterfall lip. The three-dimensional point cloud data is also utilized to construct a 3D model using cardboards, which is useful for understanding the topography and its changes of the waterfall as educational resources.

Reconstructing 3D coastal cliffs from airborne oblique photographs without ground control points

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewez, T. J. B.

2014-05-01

Coastal cliff collapse hazard assessment requires measuring cliff face topography at regular intervals. Terrestrial laser scanner techniques have proven useful so far but are expensive to use either through purchasing the equipment or through survey subcontracting. In addition, terrestrial laser surveys take time which is sometimes incompatible with the time during with the beach is accessible at low-tide. By comparison, structure from motion techniques (SFM) are much less costly to implement, and if airborne, acquisition of several kilometers of coastline can be done in a matter of minutes. In this paper, the potential of GPS-tagged oblique airborne photographs and SFM techniques is examined to reconstruct chalk cliff dense 3D point clouds without Ground Control Points (GCP). The focus is put on comparing the relative 3D point of views reconstructed by Visual SFM with their synchronous Solmeta Geotagger Pro2 GPS locations using robust estimators. With a set of 568 oblique photos, shot from the open door of an airplane with a triplet of synchronized Nikon D7000, GPS and SFM-determined view point coordinates converge to X: ±31.5 m; Y: ±39.7 m; Z: ±13.0 m (LE66). Uncertainty in GPS position affects the model scale, angular attitude of the reference frame (the shoreline ends up tilted by 2°) and absolute positioning. Ground Control Points cannot be avoided to orient such models.

Rock billboards on the basaltic cliff along the Route 66 ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Rock billboards on the basaltic cliff along the Route 66 alignment, ca. 1926. The sign on the left is for "La Bajada Service Shop" (faint "da" visible), "Santa Fe Camp" in the center, and a petroglyph at far right. View facing northwest. - La Bajada Historic Trails and Roads, Approximately 1 mile East/Northeast of intersection of State Highway 16 and Indian Service Road 841, La Bajada, Santa Fe County, NM

Analysing the spatial patterns of erosion scars using point process theory at the coastal chalk cliff of Mesnil-Val, (Normandy, Northern France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohmer, J.; Dewez, D.

2014-09-01

Over the last decade, many cliff erosion studies have focused on frequency-size statistics using inventories of sea cliff retreat sizes. By comparison, only a few paid attention to quantifying the spatial and temporal organisation of erosion scars over a cliff face. Yet, this spatial organisation carries essential information about the external processes and the environmental conditions that promote or initiate sea-cliff instabilities. In this article, we use summary statistics of spatial point process theory as a tool to examine the spatial and temporal pattern of a rockfall inventory recorded with repeated terrestrial laser scanning surveys at the chalk coastal cliff site of Mesnil-Val (Normandy, France). Results show that: (1) the spatial density of erosion scars is specifically conditioned alongshore by the distance to an engineered concrete groin, with an exponential-like decreasing trend, and vertically focused both at wave breaker height and on strong lithological contrasts; (2) small erosion scars (10-3-10-2 m3) aggregate in clusters within a radius of 5 to 10 m, which suggests some sort of attraction or focused causative process, and disperse above this critical distance; (3) on the contrary, larger erosion scars (10-2-101 m3) tend to disperse above a radius of 1 to 5 m, possibly due to the spreading of successive failures across the cliff face; (4) large scars significantly occur albeit moderately, where previous large rockfalls have occurred during preceeding winter; (5) this temporal trend is not apparent for small events. In conclusion, this study shows, with a worked example, how spatial point process summary statistics are a tool to test and quantify the significance of geomorphological observation organisation.

Analysing the spatial patterns of erosion scars using point process theory at the coastal chalk cliff of Mesnil-Val, Normandy, northern France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohmer, J.; Dewez, T.

2015-02-01

Over the last decade, many cliff erosion studies have focused on frequency-size statistics using inventories of sea cliff retreat sizes. By comparison, only a few paid attention to quantifying the spatial and temporal organisation of erosion scars over a cliff face. Yet, this spatial organisation carries essential information about the external processes and the environmental conditions that promote or initiate sea-cliff instabilities. In this article, we use summary statistics of spatial point process theory as a tool to examine the spatial and temporal pattern of a rockfall inventory recorded with repeated terrestrial laser scanning surveys at the chalk coastal cliff site of Mesnil-Val (Normandy, France). Results show that: (1) the spatial density of erosion scars is specifically conditioned alongshore by the distance to an engineered concrete groyne, with an exponential-like decreasing trend, and vertically focused both at wave breaker height and on strong lithological contrasts; (2) small erosion scars (10-3 to 10-2 m3) aggregate in clusters within a radius of 5 to 10 m, which suggests some sort of attraction or focused causative process, and disperse above this critical distance; (3) on the contrary, larger erosion scars (10-2 to 101 m3) tend to disperse above a radius of 1 to 5 m, possibly due to the spreading of successive failures across the cliff face; (4) large scars significantly occur albeit moderately, where previous large rockfalls have occurred during preceding winter; (5) this temporal trend is not apparent for small events. In conclusion, this study shows, with a worked example, how spatial point process summary statistics are a tool to test and quantify the significance of geomorphological observation organisation.

New from the Old - Measuring Coastal Cliff Change with Historical Oblique Aerial Photos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warrick, J. A.; Ritchie, A.

2016-12-01

Oblique aerial photographs are commonly collected to document coastal landscapes. Here we show that these historical photographs can be used to develop topographic models with Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetric techniques if adequate photo-to-photo overlaps exist. Focusing on the 60-m high cliffs of Fort Funston, California, photographs from the California Coastal Records Project were combined with ground control points to develop topographic point clouds of the study area for five years between 2002 and 2010. Uncertainties in the results were assessed by comparing SfM-derived point clouds with airborne lidar data, and the differences between these data were related to the number and spatial distribution of ground control points used in the SfM analyses. With six or more ground control points the root mean squared error between the SfM and lidar data was less than 0.3 m (minimum = 0.18 m) and the mean systematic error was consistently less than 0.10 m. Because of the oblique orientation of the imagery, the SfM-derived point clouds provided coverage on vertical to overhanging portions of the cliff, and point densities from the SfM techniques averaged between 17 and 161 points/m2 on the cliff face. The time-series of topographic point clouds revealed many topographic changes, including landslides, rockfalls and the erosion of landslide talus along the Fort Funston beach. Thus, we concluded that historical oblique photographs, such as those generated by the California Coastal Records Project, can provide useful tools for mapping coastal topography and measuring coastal change.

Cliff top habitats provide important alternative feeding resources for wading birds of conservation importance wintering on non-estuarine coasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furnell, Julie; Hull, Susan L.

2014-02-01

Rocky shores and beaches are important over-wintering areas for non-estuarine waders but have rarely been studied. We examined cliff top habitat use by 6 species of wader over 75 km of coast to assess their potential value as alternative feeding sites to rocky and sandy shores. Both the regional and local survey showed that waders occurred on golf courses and recreational grasslands in higher frequencies than expected but arable and pasture use was lower than expected. We also compared local wader densities on rocky and sandy shores, pastures, golf courses, caravan parks and recreational grasslands over two winters. Sanderling predominantly fed on the beach whereas Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Turnstone and Redshank numbers significantly increased on golf courses and recreational grasslands over the winter period, with pasture being rarely used. General linear models were used to relate environmental factors to the presence and absence of each species on the cliff top habitats. Redshank was the only species that showed a higher probability of occurrence on cliff top habitats at high tide whereas the probability of Turnstone, Oystercatcher and Redshank occurring increased as temperatures declined. Using core sampling, we determined that invertebrate richness and abundance was significantly higher on the recreational grasslands and golf courses than on the pasture or the beach. Our data demonstrated that cliff top habitats are important alternative feeding areas for over-wintering waders in areas where the intertidal is bounded by cliffs. Current management creates short sward, open field habitats with a diverse and abundant invertebrate food supply exploited by waders. Any alterations to the land use of these areas should be carefully considered by planning authorities in light of the fact that they support species that are of conservation concern.

Recapture Heterogeneity in Cliff Swallows: Increased Exposure to Mist Nets Leads to Net Avoidance

PubMed Central

Roche, Erin A.; Brown, Charles R.; Brown, Mary Bomberger; Lear, Kristen M.

2013-01-01

Ecologists often use mark-recapture to estimate demographic variables such as abundance, growth rate, or survival for samples of wild animal populations. A common assumption underlying mark-recapture is that all animals have an equal probability of detection, and failure to meet or correct for this assumption–as when certain members of the population are either easier or more difficult to capture than other animals–can lead to biased and inaccurate demographic estimates. We built within-year and among-years Cormack-Jolly-Seber recaptures-only models to identify causes of capture heterogeneity for a population of colonially nesting cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) caught using mist-netting as a part of a 20-year mark-recapture study in southwestern Nebraska, U.S.A. Daily detection of cliff swallows caught in stationary mist nets at their colony sites declined as the birds got older and as the frequency of netting at a site within a season increased. Experienced birds’ avoidance of the net could be countered by sudden disturbances that startled them into a net, such as when we dropped a net over the side of a bridge or flushed nesting cliff swallows into a stationary net positioned at a colony entrance. Our results support the widely held, but seldom tested, belief that birds learn to avoid stationary mist nets over time, but also show that modifications of traditional field methods can reduce this source of recapture heterogeneity. PMID:23472138

Comment on: Lawrence, J.A., Mortimore, R.N., Stone, K.J., Busby, J.P., 2013. Sea saltwater weakening of chalk and the impact on cliff instability. Geomorphology 191, 14-22

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dornbusch, Uwe

2015-02-01

This comment relates to the conclusion of the recently published paper that "This work challenges the established view by identifying the role of salt from seawater in the degradation of porous rocks in coastal environments as a third and potentially the most important mechanism leading to chalk cliff collapse." (Lawrence et al., 2013: 15). The 'established view' relates to "Traditionally, the two main factors leading to cliff collapse have been considered to be (i) waves attacking and eroding the base of the cliff […] and (ii) water weakening as the chalk becomes saturated […]." (Lawrence et al., 2013: 14). The particular aspect of the paper of making surface weakening the primary process has been picked up more widely following publication under the headlines 'Salt causes chalk cliffs to collapse' in Jarlett (2013), 'Salt makes chalk cliffs collapse' in NERC (2013) and in the web resource 'How does salt make chalk cliffs collapse?' from Leeds University (2013).

Cliff or Step? Posture-Specific Learning at the Edge of a Drop-Off

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kretch, Kari S.; Adolph, Karen E.

2013-01-01

Infants require locomotor experience to behave adaptively at a drop-off. However, different experimental paradigms (visual cliff and actual gaps and slopes) have generated conflicting findings regarding what infants learn and the specificity of their learning. An actual, adjustable drop-off apparatus was used to investigate whether learning to…

Analysis of a creeping marls event in the coastal cliffs of Bessin, Basse-Normandie, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vioget, Alizée; Michoud, Clément; Jaboyedoff, Michel; Maquaire, Olivier; Costa, Stéphane; Davidson, Robert; Derron, Marc-Henri

2015-04-01

The cliffs' retreat is a major issue for the management of coastal territories. Two coastal areas in "Calvados" and "Pays de Caux", French Normandy, are studied. The Bessin cliff is about 4.3 km long and lies between the World War II artillery batteries of Longues-sur-Mer and Arromanches-les-Bains. On the coastline, the cliff's height varies between 10 and 75 meters above sea level. The site's lithology is mainly composed by two formations: the Bessin limestones lie on top of the Port marls, which act as an aquitard. More or less important water outflows are therefore observed at the contact between the marls and the limestone. For this communication, we aim to focus on a complex landslide that happened in May 2013 near Cape Manvieux, estimating volumes and modelling the landslide kinematics. For that purpose, some field observations and measurement have been made in order to make a realistic profile and to understand the steps which lead to this 27 m high and 110 m wide event. In addition, a terrestrial LiDAR (Optech Ilris3D) acquisition of the instability was performed in July 2013 and is compared with the Litto3D (the continued DEM over land and see) acquired in 2011 by the IGN. This comparison shows a maximum cliffs' retreat of about 27 m and 30'000 m3 and a deposit accumulation of about 8 m height. In addition, a limestone rock column of 2'000 m3 and 18 m height within the toppled deposits could still collapse in a short time. Up to now, these site-specific investigations, set in the context of instabilities within the entire study area, let us suppose that the current state of the instability was created by multiple successive events. The landslide could hence be caused by a complex mix of creeping marls conditioned by its water content and pressure induced by overlying formations and toppling of limestone destabilised by the formation of back subvertical crack due to limestone exhumation debuttressing.

Geologic map of the Gila Hot Springs 7.5' quadrangle and the Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Catron and Grant Counties, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ratté, James C.; Gaskill, David L.; Chappell, James R.

2014-01-01

The Gila Hot Springs quadrangle is of geologic interest with respect to four major features, which are: 1)\tThe caves of the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument 2)\tThe hot springs associated with the faults of the Gila Hot Springs graben 3)\tThe Alum Mountain rhyolite dome and eruptive center 4)\tA proposed segment of the southeastern wall of the Gila Cliff Dwellings caldera The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument consists of two tracts. The caves that were inhabited by the Mogollon people in the 14th century are in the main tract near the mouth of Cliff Dweller Canyon in the Little Turkey Park 7.5' quadrangle adjoining the northwest corner of the Gila Hot Springs quadrangle. The second tract includes the Cliff Dwellings National Monument Visitor Center at the confluence of the West and Middle Forks of the Gila River in the northwest corner of the Gila Hot Springs quadrangle. Both quadrangles are within the Gila National Forest and the Gila Wilderness except for a narrow corridor that provides access to the National Monument and the small ranching and residential community at Gila Center in the Gila River valley. The caves in Cliff Dweller Canyon were developed in the Gila Conglomerate of probable Miocene? and Pleistocene? age in this area by processes of lateral corrosion and spring sapping along the creek in Cliff Dweller Canyon. The hot springs in the Gila River valley are localized along faults in the deepest part of the Gila Hot Springs graben, which cuts diagonally northwest-southeast across the central part of the quadrangle. Some of the springs provide domestic hot water for space heating and agriculture in the Gila River valley and represent a possible thermal resource for development at the Cliff Dwellings National Monument. The Alum Mountain rhyolite dome and eruptive center in the southwestern part of the quadrangle is a colorful area of altered and mineralized rocks that is satellitic to the larger Copperas Canyon eruptive center, both being

Asymmetric crack propagation near waterfall cliff and its influence on the waterfall lip shape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vastola, G.

2011-11-01

By means of Finite Element Method (FEM) calculations and fatigue fracture mechanics analysis, we show that crack propagation in bedrocks close to the waterfall cliff is preferential towards the cliff face rather than upstream the river. Based on this effect, we derive the corresponding expression for the velocity of recession vr of the waterfall lip, and find that vr has a quadratic dependence on the hydrostatic pressure. Quantitatively, this erosion mechanism generates recession rates of the order of ~cm-dm/y, consistent with the recession rates of well-known waterfalls. We enclose our expression for vr into a growth model to investigate the time evolution of a waterfall lip subject to this erosional mechanism. Because of the dependence on hydrostatic pressure, the shape of the waterfall is influenced by the transverse profile of the river that generates the waterfall. If the river has a transverse concavity, the waterfall evolves a curved shape. Evolution for the case of meanders with asymmetric transverse profile is also given.

Toppling analysis of the Echo Cliffs precariously balanced rock

USGS Publications Warehouse

Veeraraghavan, Swetha; Hudnut, Kenneth W.; Krishnan, Swaminathan

2017-01-01

Toppling analysis of a precariously balanced rock (PBR) can provide insight into the nature of ground motion that has not occurred at that location in the past and, by extension, can constrain peak ground motions for use in engineering design. Earlier approaches have targeted 2D models of the rock or modeled the rock–pedestal contact using spring‐damper assemblies that require recalibration for each rock. Here, a method to model PBRs in 3D is presented through a case study of the Echo Cliffs PBR. The 3D model is created from a point cloud of the rock, the pedestal, and their interface, obtained using terrestrial laser scanning. The dynamic response of the model under earthquake excitation is simulated using a rigid‐body dynamics algorithm. The veracity of this approach is demonstrated through comparisons against data from shake‐table experiments. Fragility maps for toppling probability of the Echo Cliffs PBR as a function of various ground‐motion parameters, rock–pedestal interface friction coefficient, and excitation direction are presented. These fragility maps indicate that the toppling probability of this rock is low (less than 0.2) for peak ground acceleration (PGA) and peak ground velocity (PGV) lower than 3  m/s2 and 0.75  m/s, respectively, suggesting that the ground‐motion intensities at this location from earthquakes on nearby faults have most probably not exceeded the above‐mentioned PGA and PGV during the age of the PBR. Additionally, the fragility maps generated from this methodology can also be directly coupled with existing probabilistic frameworks to obtain direct constraints on unexceeded ground motion at a PBR’s location.

A prospective analysis of injury rates, patterns and causes in Cliff and Splash Diving.

PubMed

Ernstbrunner, Lukas; Runer, Armin; Siegert, Paul; Ernstbrunner, Matthäus; Becker, Johannes; Freude, Thomas; Resch, Herbert; Moroder, Philipp

2017-10-01

Information about injuries and its differences in Cliff Diving (CD) and Splash Diving (SD) are unknown. It was the aim to analyse (1) injury rates, patterns and causes; (2) differences (in injuries) between both disciplines; and to (3) identify targets for future injury prevention interventions. From April to November 2013, 81 cliff and 51 splash divers were prospectively surveyed with an encrypted, monthly e-mail-based questionnaire. During a total of 7857h diving with an average diving height of 13 (±7)m, an overall injury rate of 7.9 injuries/1000h of sport exposure was reported. Cliff divers most commonly suffered from injuries of the foot and ankle (18%; n=24) and neck and cervical spine (14%; n=19). In SD, the lower limb (52%; n=43) and lower back (23%; n=19) were most frequently involved. In 79% (n=49) of the cases, the injury happened while entering the water. Cliff divers were in 52% (n=15) of the injuries in a feet-first and in 14% (n=4) in a head-first position. Splash divers were in 45% (n=9) of the injuries in a back- or buttocks-first position. Most of the injuries were bruises (47%; n=104) and muscle strains (13%; n=28). The injury risk during practice was significantly higher than in competition (11.3 vs. 4.5 injuries/1000h; OR 2.5; p=0.001). The injury risk of experts (15.4/1000h exposure) was significantly higher than in professionals (6.3/1000h exposure; OR 2.4; 95% CI, 3.3-1.9; p<0.001), although the average diving height was significantly higher in professionals (19m±8 vs. 12m±6; p<0.001). Significantly more professionals performed dryland training compared to experts (p=0.006). Most of the injuries are related to the water entry. The entry position plays a key role in injury patterns with pursuant differences comparing CD with SD. Although most of the injuries involved soft-tissue only, severe injuries have been reported. Targets for future injury prevention strategies include protection for the increased impaction at entry; adaption of the

Dry calving processes at the ice cliff of an antarctic local glacier: the study case of Strandline Glacier (Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smiraglia, C.; Motta, M.; Vassena, G.; Diolaiuti, G.

2003-04-01

In Antartic coastal area, where the ice sheet and the large outlet glaciers do not reach the sea and where some rugged mountain chains are often present, many small glaciers can be found. They are the so called local or alpine type glaciers, which have their terminus ground-based such as the real alpine glaciers and rarely reach the main valley floors. They are practically isolated and independent from the supply flowing down from the plateau and their mass balance is mainly controlled by sublimation and aeolic erosion and accumulation. The glaciers closer to the coast are submitted to the melting as well, and when the terminus is cliff-shaped they are also affected by dry calving. The most known and studied Antarctic local glaciers are placed in the Dry Valleys region (Chinn, 1985), but this kind of glaciers is also diffused all along the Northern Victoria Land coastal region (Chinn and others, 1989). Since the first Italian Antarctic expedition (1985), many studies have been carried out on this type of glaciers, which can be usefull for detailed mass balance evaluations and for obtaining information about the effects of the present climatic dynamics on the Antarctic coastal environment (Baroni and Orombelli, 1987; Baroni and others, 1995; Meneghel, 1999; Vassena and others., 2001). The Strandline Glacier (74 41 S; 164 07 E), in particular is a small alpine glacier (0,79 kmq) on the coast of Terra Nova Bay, Northern Victoria Land; it is a cold glacier where accumulation and ablation basins are mainly controlled by wind processes. Its terminus forms in the central part a grounded ice cliff about 30 m high, about 130 m far from the sea. On that glacier mass balance, surface velocity and calving rate were measured. During the southern summer season 2000-2001 many topographycal profiles of the ice cliff were surveyed by using both classical topographical and glaciological methods (total station and stakes) and GPS technique. It was so possible to detect the short term

Characterization of Joint Sets Through UAV Photogrammetry on Sedimentary Rock Sea Cliffs and Abrasion Platforms in Northern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, P. C.; LU, A.; Yeh, C. H.; Huang, W. K.; Lin, H. H.; Lin, M. L.

2017-12-01

Rockfall hazards are very common in obsequent slope and oblique slope. In the coastal area of northern Taiwan, many sea cliffs are formed by obsequent slope and oblique slope. A famous case of rockfall failure happened on Aug. 31, 2013, a 150-ton rock block fell on the highway in Badouzi, Keelung, during a high intensity rainfall event which was caused by Typhoon No.15 (Kong-rey). To reduce this kind of rockfall hazard, it is important to characterize discontinuous planes in the bedrock because rock blocks are mainly divided from bedrock by two or more sets of discontinuous planes including joint planes and the bedding plane. For doing characterization of those fracture patterns of joint sets, it is necessary to do detailed field investigations. However, the survey of discontinuous planes, especially joint sets, are usually difficult and cannot get enough characterization data about joint sets. The first reason is that doing field investigations on the surface of sea cliffs is very dangerous and difficult for engineers or geologists to approach the upper part of outcrop. The second reason is the complexity of joint sets. In Badouzi area, each cliff is constituted by many different layers such as sandstone, shale, or alternations of sandstone and shale, and each layer has different fracture pattern of joint sets. In this study, we use UAV photogrammetry as a solution of these difficulties. UAV photogrammetry can produce a high-resolution digital surface model (DSM), orthophoto, and anaglyph of sea cliffs and abrasion platforms. Than we use self-developed geoprocessing toolsets to auto-trace joint planes with DSM data and produce fracture pattern of joint sets semi-automatically and systematically. Our method can provide basic information for rock mass rating on rock slope stability and rockfall hazards evaluation.

Holocene evolution of coastal chalk cliffs in Normandy (NW France) as evidenced by onshore-offshore high resolution geomorphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duguet, Timothée; Duperret, Anne; Costa, Stéphane; Regard, Vincent; Maillet, Grégoire

2017-04-01

Key words: erosion, rocky coast, cliffs, shore platform, watersheds, cosmogenic dating The chalk cliffs coastline extends to 120 km long in Normandy. It suffers from high erosion rates with a mean of about 0.15 m/y. The shore platforms extending from the cliff base to the sea, keep structural marks of the cliff erosion during long periods, i.e. the Holocene. Therefore it is essential to take an active interest in their morphology and their evolution to better understand cliff erosion timing. A land-sea Digital Elevation Model (DEM) has been produced for Mesnil-Val and Criel-sur-Mer sites (Seine Maritime), with the merge of topographic data (RGE alti, IGN) and shallow bathymetric data from three oceanographic Cruises, CROCOLIT-1 and 3 (Duperret, 2013) and SPLASHALIOT-2 (Maillet, 2014). Valleys that have more or less incised Turonian-Coniacian chalk cliffs occupy the landward part of study sites. The N130E V-shaped incised Mesnil-Val dry valley is elevated at 29 m high above the shore platform level, whereas the N175E Criel-sur-Mer flat valley, extending on 700 m wide and occupied by the Yères river, is directly connected to the shore platform. Offshore, the shore platform morphology varies from Criel-sur-Mer (North) to Mesnil-Val (South). Northern part of the study site is characterized by 1 km wide shore platform made of an overlay of flat steps controlled by normal faults. Southern part highlights a shore platform with a seaward edge located at about 500 m from the cliff face and strictly parallel oriented to the present-day coastline over a minimum distance of 5 km, without fracture control. The shore platform seaward edge is more or less steep and is always localized below the limit of the lowest tide level. Its origin could be related to the in-depth waves influence or to a past sea level stagnation. We aim to identify the origin of this seaward edge, using cosmogenic 10Be dating in order to develop a chalky shore platform evolution model. It is necessary to

Fluctuating viability selection on morphology of cliff swallows is driven by climate

PubMed Central

Brown, Charles R.; Brown, Mary Bomberger; Roche, Erin A.

2014-01-01

The extent to which fluctuating selection can maintain evolutionary stasis in most populations remains an unresolved question in evolutionary biology. Climate has been hypothesized to drive reversals in the direction of selection among different time periods and may also be responsible for intense episodic selection caused by rare weather events. We measured viability selection associated with morphological traits in cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) in western Nebraska, U.S.A., over a 14-year period following a rare climatic event. We used mark-recapture to estimate the annual apparent survival of over 26,000 individuals whose wing, tail, tarsus, and bill had been measured. The fitness functions associated with tarsus length and bill dimensions fluctuated depending on annual climate conditions on the birds’ breeding grounds. The oscillating yearly patterns may have slowed and occasionally reversed directional change in trait trajectories, although there was a trend over time for for all traits except tarsus to increase in size. The net positive directional selection on some traits, despite periodic climate-associated fluctuations, suggests that cliff swallow morphology in the population is likely to keep changing and supports recent work contending that selection in general does not fluctuate enough to be an effective driver of stasis. PMID:23510182

Aeolian cliff-top deposits and buried soils in the White River Badlands, South Dakota, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rawling, J. E.; Fredlund, G.G.; Mahan, S.

2003-01-01

Aeolian deposits in the North American Great Plains are important sources of Holocene palaeo-environmental records. Although there are extensive studies on loess and dune records in the region, little is known about records in aeolian cliff-top deposits. These are common on table (mesa) edges in the White River Badlands. These sediments typically have loam and sandy-loam textures with dominantly very fine sand, 0.5-1% organic carbon and 0.5-5% CaCO3. Some of these aeolian deposits are atypically coarse and contain granules and fine pebbles. Buried soils within these deposits are weakly developed with A-C and A-AC-C profiles. Beneath these are buried soils with varying degrees of pedogenic development formed in fluvial, aeolian or colluvial deposits. Thickness and number of buried soils vary. However, late-Holocene soils from several localities have ages of approximately 1300, 2500 and 3700 14C yrs BP. The 1300 14C yr BP soil is cumulic, with a thicker and lighter A horizon. Soils beneath the cliff-top deposits are early-Holocene (typically 7900 but as old as 10000 14C yrs BP) at higher elevation (???950 m) tables, and late-Holocene (2900 14C yrs BP) at lower (???830 m) tables. These age estimates are based on total organic matter 14C ages from the top 5 cm of buried soils, and agreement is good between an infrared stimulated luminescence age and bracketing 14C ages. Our studies show that cliff-top aeolian deposits have a history similar to that of other aeolian deposits on the Great Plains, and they are another source of palaeoenvironmental data.

Accurate 3D point cloud comparison and volumetric change analysis of Terrestrial Laser Scan data in a hard rock coastal cliff environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Earlie, C. S.; Masselink, G.; Russell, P.; Shail, R.; Kingston, K.

2013-12-01

Our understanding of the evolution of hard rock coastlines is limited due to the episodic nature and ';slow' rate at which changes occur. High-resolution surveying techniques, such as Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS), have just begun to be adopted as a method of obtaining detailed point cloud data to monitor topographical changes over short periods of time (weeks to months). However, the difficulties involved in comparing consecutive point cloud data sets in a complex three-dimensional plane, such as occlusion due to surface roughness and positioning of data capture point as a result of a consistently changing environment (a beach profile), mean that comparing data sets can lead to errors in the region of 10 - 20 cm. Meshing techniques are often used for point cloud data analysis for simple surfaces, but in surfaces such as rocky cliff faces, this technique has been found to be ineffective. Recession rates of hard rock coastlines in the UK are typically determined using aerial photography or airborne LiDAR data, yet the detail of the important changes occurring to the cliff face and toe are missed using such techniques. In this study we apply an algorithm (M3C2 - Multiscale Model to Model Cloud Comparison), initially developed for analysing fluvial morphological change, that directly compares point to point cloud data using surface normals that are consistent with surface roughness and measure the change that occurs along the normal direction (Lague et al., 2013). The surfaces changes are analysed using a set of user defined scales based on surface roughness and registration error. Once the correct parameters are defined, the volumetric cliff face changes are calculated by integrating the mean distance between the point clouds. The analysis has been undertaken at two hard rock sites identified for their active erosion located on the UK's south west peninsular at Porthleven in south west Cornwall and Godrevy in north Cornwall. Alongside TLS point cloud data, in

Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waddell, Kidd M.; Contratto, P. Kay; Sumsion, C.T.; Butler, John R.

1981-01-01

Data obtained during a hydrologic reconnaissance in 1975-77 in the Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area of Utah were correlated with existing long-term data. Maps were prepared showing average precipitation, average streamflow, stream temperature, ground- and surface-water quality, sediment yield, and geology. Recommendations were made for additional study and suggested approaches for continued monitoring in the coalfields areas.moDuring the 1931-75 water years, the minimum discharges for the five major streams that head in the area ranged from about 12,000 to 26,000 acre-feet per year, and the maximum discharges ranged from about 59,000 to 315,000 acre-feet per year. Correlations indicate that 3 years of low-flow records at stream sites in the Wasatch Plateau would allow the development of relationships with long-term sites that can be used to estimate future low-flow records within a standard error of about 20 percent.Most water-quality degradation in streams occurs along the flanks of the Wasatch Plateau and Book Cliffs. In the uplands, dissolved-solids concentrations generally ranged from less than 100 to about 250 milligrams per liter, and in the lowlands, the concentrations ranged from about 250 to more than 6,000 milligrams per liter.Most springs in the Wasatch Plateau and Book Cliffs discharge from the Star Point Sandstone or younger formations, and the water generally contains less than about 1,000 milligrams per liter of dissolved solids. The discharges of 65 springs ranged from about 0.2 to 200 gallons per minute. The Blackhawk Formation, which is the principal coal-bearing formation, produces water in many of the mines. The dissolved-solids concentration in water discharging from springs and mines in the Blackhawk ranged from about 60 to 800 milligrams per liter.In the lowland areas, the Ferron Sandstone Member of the Maneos Shale appears to have the most potential for subsurface development of water of suitable chemical quality for human

Coastal cliff geometry derived from structure-from-motion photogrammetry at Stara Ba\\vska, Krk Island, Croatia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ružić, Igor; Marović, Ivan; Benac, Čedomir; Ilić, Suzana

2014-12-01

The aim of this study was to examine the capability of structure-from-motion photogrammetry in defining the geometry of cliffs and undercuts in rocks of complex geomorphology. A case site was chosen along pocket beaches near the village of Stara Ba\\vska on the Adriatic Sea island of Krk, Gulf of Kvarner, Croatia, where cliff erosion of 5 m in breccias was identified by comparison of aerial photographs from 1960 and 2004. The 3D point cloud was derived from approx. 800 photos taken on 9 January 2014 by a single camera from various elevations and angles, and processed using the online software ReCap (Autodesk). Data acquisition was found to be quick and the method easy to implement. The difference between the georeferenced 3D cloud points and an RTK-GPS survey was 7 cm, i.e. within the limits of RTK-GPS precision. Quantifying the spatial variation in undercut geometries revealed that the deepest and largest (17 m3) undercut was in the south-eastern sector of the beach. Reconstructing the detailed geomorphology of this 3.8-m-deep undercut convincingly demonstrates the high efficiency of the method. Such assessments of spatiotemporal changes in undercut and overhang volumes can prove useful for evaluations of cliff erosion risk. Coupled with the low cost and relatively simple application, this is evidently an attractive technique for meaningful geotechnical and coastal engineering monitoring in the future on the island of Krk and, for that matter, also on other Adriatic islands and in similar settings worldwide.

Radon mitigation at Birch Cliff Public School.

PubMed

Moridi, R; Becker, E

1996-01-01

In 1991, Canadian Institute for Radiation Safety (CAIRS) conducted a radon screening program in all Metropolitan Toronto public schools. Birch Cliff Public School had a radon progeny level higher than the action level of 4.16 x 10(-7) Jm-3 (20 mWL). Follow-up radon testing was carried out at the school. Locations on the ground floor and in the basement were tested. All locations on the ground floor had radon progeny levels below the action level. Six locations in the basement had readings above the action level. All cracks and openings in the basement were sealed and a new heating/ventilating (HV) system for the basement was designed and installed. Then, the basement was tested again. Radon progeny levels are now well below the action level with an average of 7.43 x 10(-8) Jm-3 (3.57 mWL). This is about one fifth of the average radon progeny level found in the first stage of follow-up testing.

Three-dimensional resistivity tomography in extreme coastal terrain amidst dense cultural signals: application to cliff stability assessment at the historic D-Day site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udphuay, Suwimon; Günther, Thomas; Everett, Mark E.; Warden, Robert R.; Briaud, Jean-Louis

2011-04-01

Pointe du Hoc overlooking the English Channel in Normandy, France was host to one of the most important military engagements of World War II but is vulnerable to cliff collapses that threaten important German fortifications including the forward observation post (OP) and Rudder's command post. The objective of this study is to apply advanced 3-D resistivity tomography towards a detailed site stability assessment with special attention to the two at-risk buildings. 3-D resistivity tomography data sets at Pointe du Hoc in the presence of extreme topography and dense cultural clutter have been successfully acquired, inverted and interpreted. A cliff stability hazard assessment scheme has been designed in which regions of high resistivity are interpreted as zones of open, dry fractures with a moderate mass movement potential. Regions of low resistivity are zones of wet, clay-filled fractures with a high mass movement potential. The OP tomography results indicate that the highest mass movement hazard appears to be associated with the marine caverns at the base of the cliff that are positioned at the point of strongest wave attack. These caverns likely occupy the future site of development of a sea arch that will threaten the OP building. The mass movement potential at the Rudder's command post area is low to moderate. The greatest risk there is associated with soil wedge failures at the top of the cliffs.

Variation in age composition among colony sizes in Cliff Swallows.

PubMed

Brown, Charles R; Roche, Erin A; Brown, Mary Bomberger

2014-09-01

Variation in group size is characteristic of most social species. The extent to which individuals sort among group sizes based on age may yield insight into why groups vary in size and the age-specific costs and benefits of different social environments. We investigated the age composition of Cliff Swallow ( Petrochelidon pyrrhonota ) colonies of different sizes over 18 years at a long-term study site in western Nebraska, USA. Using years elapsed since banding as a relative measure of age for over 194,000 birds, we found that the proportion of age-class-1 swallows (birds banded as nestlings or juveniles or adults in the year of banding) of both sexes increased in larger colonies and at colony sites becoming active later in the summer. Age composition was unrelated to how often a particular colony site was used. The effect of colony size most likely reflected the fact that older birds return to the same colony site in successive years even when the colony size there decreases, and that yearlings and immigrants benefit more from larger colonies than do older, more experienced individuals. The date effect probably resulted in part from later spring arrival by younger and/or immigrant swallows. At fumigated sites where ectoparasitic swallow bugs ( Oeciacus vicarius ) had been removed, age composition did not vary with either colony size or colony initiation date. The patterns reported here appear to be driven partially by the presence of ectoparasites and suggest that the hematophagous bugs influence variation in Cliff Swallow group composition. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that variation in colony size reflects, in part, age-based sorting of individuals among groups.

Mobile Laser Scanning along Dieppe coastal cliffs: reliability of the acquired point clouds applied to rockfall assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michoud, Clément; Carrea, Dario; Augereau, Emmanuel; Cancouët, Romain; Costa, Stéphane; Davidson, Robert; Delacourt, Chirstophe; Derron, Marc-Henri; Jaboyedoff, Michel; Letortu, Pauline; Maquaire, Olivier

2013-04-01

Dieppe coastal cliffs, in Normandy, France, are mainly formed by sub-horizontal deposits of chalk and flintstone. Largely destabilized by an intense weathering and the Channel sea erosion, small and large rockfalls are regularly observed and contribute to retrogressive cliff processes. During autumn 2012, cliff and intertidal topographies have been acquired with a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) and a Mobile Laser Scanner (MLS), coupled with seafloor bathymetries realized with a multibeam echosounder (MBES). MLS is a recent development of laser scanning based on the same theoretical principles of aerial LiDAR, but using smaller, cheaper and portable devices. The MLS system, which is composed by an accurate dynamic positioning and orientation (INS) devices and a long range LiDAR, is mounted on a marine vessel; it is then possible to quickly acquire in motion georeferenced LiDAR point clouds with a resolution of about 15 cm. For example, it takes about 1 h to scan of shoreline of 2 km long. MLS is becoming a promising technique supporting erosion and rockfall assessments along the shores of lakes, fjords or seas. In this study, the MLS system used to acquire cliffs and intertidal areas of the Cap d'Ailly was composed by the INS Applanix POS-MV 320 V4 and the LiDAR Optech Ilirs LR. On the same day, three MLS scans with large overlaps (J1, J21 and J3) have been performed at ranges from 600 m at 4 knots (low tide) up to 200 m at 2.2 knots (up tide) with a calm sea at 2.5 Beaufort (small wavelets). Mean scan resolutions go from 26 cm for far scan (J1) to about 8.1 cm for close scan (J3). Moreover, one TLS point cloud on this test site has been acquired with a mean resolution of about 2.3 cm, using a Riegl LMS Z390i. In order to quantify the reliability of the methodology, comparisons between scans have been realized with the software Polyworks™, calculating shortest distances between points of one cloud and the interpolated surface of the reference point cloud. A Mat

Cliffs versus plains: Can ROSINA/COPS and OSIRIS data of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in autumn 2014 constrain inhomogeneous outgassing?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marschall, R.; Mottola, S.; Su, C. C.; Liao, Y.; Rubin, M.; Wu, J. S.; Thomas, N.; Altwegg, K.; Sierks, H.; Ip, W.-H.; Keller, H. U.; Knollenberg, J.; Kührt, E.; Lai, I. L.; Skorov, Y.; Jorda, L.; Preusker, F.; Scholten, F.; Vincent, J.-B.; Osiris Team; Rosina Team

2017-09-01

Context. This paper describes the modelling of gas and dust data acquired in the period August to October 2014 from the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft when it was in close proximity to the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Aims: With our 3D gas and dust comae models this work attempts to test the hypothesis that cliff activity on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko can solely account for the local gas density data observed by the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) and the dust brightnesses seen by the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) in the considered time span. Methods: The model uses a previously developed shape model of the nucleus. From this, the water sublimation rates and gas temperatures at the surface are computed. The gas expansion is modelled with a 3D Direct Simulation Monte Carlo algorithm. A dust drag algorithm is then used to compute dust volume number densities in the coma, which are then converted to brightnesses using Mie theory and a line-of-sight integration. Furthermore we have studied the impact of topographic re-radiation on the models. Results: We show that gas activity from only cliff areas produces a fit to the ROSINA/COPS data that is as statistically good as a purely insolation-driven model. In contrast, pure cliff activity does not reproduce the dust brightness observed by OSIRIS and can thus be ruled out. On the other hand, gas activity from the Hapi region in addition to cliff activity produces a statistically better fit to the ROSINA/COPS data than purely insolation-driven outgassing and also fits the OSIRIS observations rather well. We found that topographic re-radiation does not contribute significantly to the sublimation behaviour of H2O but plays an important role in how the gas flux interacts with the irregular shape of the nucleus. Conclusions: We demonstrate that fits to the observations are non-unique. We can conclude however that gas and dust

Thermal monitoring of a granitic exfoliation sheet and cliff in Yosemite Valley, California (USA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerin, Antoine; Matasci, Battista; Collins, Brian D.; Stock, Greg M.; Derron, Marc-Henri; Jaboyedoff, Michel

2015-04-01

In recent years, new remote sensing techniques such as Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) and Infrared Thermography (IRT) have been used in parallel for rock weathering and weakness detection in slope stability analysis. Nevertheless, the effects of thermal stresses on rock face deformation are still poorly quantified, especially for steep and inaccessible cliffs. To better understand how daily temperature fluctuations influence the behavior of exfoliation joints (i.e., fractures separating exfoliation sheets), we monitored a granitic exfoliation sheet in detail using TLS and IRT over a several day period and also compiled a single TLS-IRT thermal panorama of a larger nearby granitic cliff composed of hundreds to thousands of similar exfoliation sheets. The exfoliation sheet had been previously instrumented for 3.5 years beginning in May 2010 using crackmeters and temperature sensors (Collins and Stock, 2010 and 2012), thereby providing an important baseline to compare our IRT measurements. For several consecutive days, a series of infrared thermal images (collected every 20 min.) of the exfoliation flake (19 m by 4 m by 0.1 m) was taken with a long range IRISYS IRI 4040 thermal imager, as well as several ground-based LiDAR scans, collected at 4 mm point spacing. These pictures were draped on the TLS triangular meshes to quantify the lateral propagation of temperature during the warming and cooling periods. The evolution of vertical and horizontal temperature profiles was also investigated. Results show that the sheet edge undergoes the most significant temperature changes and that warming takes place from the inside part to the border of the flake; conversely cooling takes place from the outside-inwards. Furthermore, the comparison of point clouds indicates a maximum crack aperture of over 1 cm occurring in the afternoon (12:00 to 15:00), when temperatures are at their maximum. The thermal panoramic image of the cliff (600 m wide by 300 m tall) was created using over

Calculation of the rockwall recession rate of a limestone cliff, affected by rockfalls, using cosmogenic chlorine-36. Case study of the Montsec Range (Eastern Pyrenees, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domènech, Guillem; Corominas, Jordi; Mavrouli, Olga; Merchel, Silke; Abellán, Antonio; Pavetich, Stefan; Rugel, Georg

2018-04-01

Cliff erosion may be a major problem in settled areas affecting populations and producing economic and ecological losses. In this paper we present a procedure to calculate the long-term retreat rate of a cliff affected by rockfalls in the Montsec Range, Eastern Pyrenees (Spain). It is composed of low, densely fractured limestones; and the rockwall is affected by rockfalls of different sizes. The rockfall scars are clearly distinguishable by their regular boundaries and by their orange colour, which contrast with the greyish old reference surface (S0) of the cliff face. We have dated different stepped surfaces of the rockwall, including S0, using cosmogenic 36Cl. The total amount of material released by rockfall activity was calculated using a high definition point cloud of the slope face obtained with a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). The present rockwall surface has been subtracted from the reconstructed old cliff surface. This has allowed the calculation of the total volume released by rockfalls and of the retreat rate. The latter ranges from 0.31 to 0.37 mm·a- 1. This value is of the same order of magnitude as that obtained by other researchers in neighbouring regions in Spain, having similar geology and affected by rockfalls.

The Early Oligocene Copperas Creek Volcano and geology along New Mexico Higway 15 between Sapillo Creek and the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Grant and Catron Counties, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ratté, James C.; Mack, Greg; Witcher, James; Lueth, Virgil W.

2008-01-01

The section of New Mexico Highway 15 between the intersection of NM-15 and NM 35 (aka Sapillo junction) at the south and the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument at the north end of NM –15 occupies an approximately 18 mile long, mile wide, corridor through the eastern part of the Gila Wilderness (Fig. 1). Whereas most of the Gila Wilderness is dominated by silicic, caldera-forming supervolcanoes of Eocene to Oligocene age, this part of NM-15 traverses a volcanic terrain of similar age, but composed mainly of intermediate composition lava flows and minor associated rhyolitic intrusions and pyroclastic rocks, which are related to the here-named Copperas Creek volcano. This volcanic complex is bounded by Basin and Range structures: on the south by the Sapillo Creek graben, and on the north by the Gila Hot Springs graben, both of which are filled with Gila Conglomerate of late Tertiary to Pleistocene(?) age. Hot springs in the Gila River valley are localized along faults in the deepest part of the Gila Hot Springs graben. The cliff dwellings of the National Monument were constructed in caves in Gila Conglomerate in the western part of the Gila Hot Springs graben. The eastern edge of the Gila Cliff Dwellings caldera is buried by younger rocks east of the cliff dwellings, but spectacular cliffs of Bloodgood Canyon Tuff, which fills the caldera, can be viewed along the West Fork of the Gila River from the trail starting at the cliff dwellings. Although this is not intended as a formal road log, highway mileage markers (MM) will be used to locate geologic features more or less progressively from south to north along NM-15.

Molecular Phylogeny of the Cliff Ferns (Woodsiaceae: Polypodiales) with a Proposed Infrageneric Classification

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xianchun; Xiang, Qiaoping

2015-01-01

The cliff fern family Woodsiaceae has experienced frequent taxonomic changes at the familial and generic ranks since its establishment. The bulk of its species were placed in Woodsia, while Cheilanthopsis, Hymenocystis, Physematium, and Protowoodsia are segregates recognized by some authors. Phylogenetic relationships among the genera of Woodsiaceae remain unclear because of the extreme morphological diversity and inadequate taxon sampling in phylogenetic studies to date. In this study, we carry out comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of Woodsiaceae using molecular evidence from four chloroplast DNA markers (atpA, matK, rbcL and trnL–F) and covering over half the currently recognized species. Our results show three main clades in Woodsiaceae corresponding to Physematium (clade I), Cheilanthopsis–Protowoodsia (clade II) and Woodsia s.s. (clade III). In the interest of preserving monophyly and taxonomic stability, a broadly defined Woodsia including the other segregates is proposed, which is characterized by the distinctive indument and inferior indusia. Therefore, we present a new subgeneric classification of the redefined Woodsia based on phylogenetic and ancestral state reconstructions to better reflect the morphological variation, geographic distribution pattern, and evolutionary history of the genus. Our analyses of the cytological character evolution support multiple aneuploidy events that have resulted in the reduction of chromosome base number from 41 to 33, 37, 38, 39 and 40 during the evolutionary history of the cliff ferns. PMID:26348852

Degrees of Consciousness in the Communication of Actions and Events on the Visual Cliff. No. 58.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bierschenk, Bernhard

The consciousness of dizygotic twins in their communication of actions and events as seen in the visual cliff pictures published by E. J. Gibson and R. D. Walk (1960) was studied in Sweden. In the process of communication, many different state spaces are generated. The methodology demonstrates that ecological and biophysical properties of language…

Familiarity with breeding habitat improves daily survival in colonial cliff swallows

PubMed Central

BROWN, CHARLES R.; BROWN, MARY BOMBERGER; BRAZEAL, KATHLEEN R.

2008-01-01

One probable cost of dispersing to a new breeding habitat is unfamiliarity with local conditions such as the whereabouts of food or the habits of local predators, and consequently immigrants may have lower probabilities of survival than more experienced residents. Within a breeding season, estimated daily survival probabilities of cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) at colonies in southwestern Nebraska were highest for birds that had always nested at the same site, followed by those for birds that had nested there in some (but not all) past years. Daily survival probabilities were lowest for birds that were naïve immigrants to a colony site and for yearling birds that were nesting for the first time. Birds with past experience at a colony site had monthly survival 8.6% greater than that of naïve immigrants. All colonies where experienced residents did better than immigrants were smaller than 750 nests in size, and in colonies greater than 750 nests, naïve immigrants paid no survival costs relative to experienced residents. Removal of nest ectoparasites by fumigation resulted in higher survival probabilities for all birds, on average, and diminished the differences between immigrants and past residents, probably by improving bird condition to the extent that effects of past experience were relatively less important and harder to detect. The greater survival of experienced residents could not be explained by condition or territory quality, suggesting that familiarity with a local area confers survival advantages during the breeding season for cliff swallows. Colonial nesting may help to moderate the cost of unfamiliarity with an area, likely through social transfer of information about food sources and enhanced vigilance in large groups. PMID:19802326

76 FR 22935 - Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation; Notice of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-25

... accordance with the NRC E-Filing rule (72 FR 49139, August 28, 2007). The E-Filing process requires... requirements of E-Filing, at least ten (10) days prior to the filing deadline, the participant should contact... may attempt to use other software not listed on the Web site, but should note that the NRC's E-Filing...

75 FR 60147 - Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation; Notice of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-29

... NRC E-Filing rule, which the NRC promulgated on August 28, 2007 (72 FR 49139). All documents filed in... submission of a request for hearing or petition to intervene, must be filed in accordance with the E-Filing rule. The E-Filing rule requires participants to submit and serve all adjudicatory documents over the...

FIB preparation of a NiO Wedge-Lamella and STEM X-ray microanalysis for the determination of the experimental k(O-Ni) Cliff-Lorimer coefficient.

PubMed

Armigliato, Aldo; Frabboni, Stefano; Gazzadi, Gian Carlo; Rosa, Rodolfo

2013-02-01

A method for the fabrication of a wedge-shaped thin NiO lamella by focused ion beam is reported. The starting sample is an oxidized bulk single crystalline, <100> oriented, Ni commercial standard. The lamella is employed for the determination, by analytical electron microscopy at 200 kV of the experimental k(O-Ni) Cliff-Lorimer (G. Cliff & G.W. Lorimer, J Microsc 103, 203-207, 1975) coefficient, according to the extrapolation method by Van Cappellen (E. Van Cappellen, Microsc Microstruct Microanal 1, 1-22, 1990). The result thus obtained is compared to the theoretical k(O-Ni) values either implemented into the commercial software for X-ray microanalysis quantification of the scanning transmission electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectrometry equipment or calculated by the Monte Carlo method. Significant differences among the three values are found. This confirms that for a reliable quantification of binary alloys containing light elements, the choice of the Cliff-Lorimer coefficients is crucial and experimental values are recommended.

Occurrence of morphological and anatomical adaptive traits in young and adult plants of the rare Mediterranean cliff species Primula palinuri Petagna.

PubMed

De Micco, Veronica; Aronne, Giovanna

2012-01-01

Cliffs worldwide are known to be reservoirs of relict biodiversity. Despite the presence of harsh abiotic conditions, large endemic floras live in such environments. Primula palinuri Petagna is a rare endemic plant species, surviving on cliff sites along a few kilometres of the Tyrrhenian coast in southern Italy. This species is declared at risk of extinction due to human impact on the coastal areas in question. Population surveys have shown that most of the plants are old individuals, while seedlings and plants at early stages of development are rare. We followed the growth of P. palinuri plants from seed germination to the adult phase and analysed the morphoanatomical traits of plants at all stages of development. Our results showed that the pressure of cliff environmental factors has been selected for seasonal habitus and structural adaptive traits in this species. The main morphoanatomical modifications are suberized cell layers and accumulation of phenolic compounds in cell structures. These features are strictly related to regulation of water uptake and storage as well as defence from predation. However, we found them well established only in adult plants and not in juvenile individuals. These findings contribute to explain the rare recruitment of the present relict populations, identifying some of the biological traits which result in species vulnerability.

Hot spring deposits on a cliff face: A case study from Jifei, Yunnan Province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Brian; Peng, Xiaotong

2014-04-01

A cliff face in the Jifei karst area, southwest China, is covered by a spectacular succession of precipitates that formed from the hot spring water that once flowed down its surface. This layered succession is formed of aragonite layers that are formed largely of “fountain dendrites”, calcite layers that are formed mostly of “cone dendrites”, and microlaminated layers that contain numerous microbes and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Many of the aragonite crystals are hollow due to preferential dissolution of their cores. The calcite cone dendrites are commonly covered with biofilms, reticulate Si-Mg coatings, and other precipitates. The microbial layers include dodecahedral calcite crystals and accessory minerals that include opal-A, amorphous Si-Mg coatings, trona, barite, potassium sulfate crystals, mirabillite, and gaylussite. Interpretation of the δ18O(calcite) and δ18O(aragonite) indicates precipitation from water with a temperature of 54 to 66 °C. The active hot spring at the top of the cliff presently ejects water at a temperature of 65 °C. Layers, 1 mm to 6 cm thick, record temporal changes in the fluids from which the precipitates formed. This succession is not, however, formed of recurring cycles that can be linked to diurnal or seasonal changes in the local climate. Indeed, it appears that the climatic contrast between the wet season and the dry season had little impact on precipitation from the spring waters that flowed down the cliff face. Integration of currently available evidence suggests that the primary driving force was aperiodic changes in the CO2 content of the spring waters because that seems to be the prime control on the saturation levels that underpinned precipitation of the calcite and aragonite as well as the dissolution of the aragonite. Such variations in the CO2 content of the spring water were probably due to changes that took place in the subterranean plumbing system of the spring.

Evidence of marine ice-cliff instability in Pine Island Bay from iceberg-keel plough marks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wise, Matthew G.; Dowdeswell, Julian A.; Jakobsson, Martin; Larter, Robert D.

2017-10-01

Marine ice-cliff instability (MICI) processes could accelerate future retreat of the Antarctic Ice Sheet if ice shelves that buttress grounding lines more than 800 metres below sea level are lost. The present-day grounding zones of the Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers in West Antarctica need to retreat only short distances before they reach extensive retrograde slopes. When grounding zones of glaciers retreat onto such slopes, theoretical considerations and modelling results indicate that the retreat becomes unstable (marine ice-sheet instability) and thus accelerates. It is thought that MICI is triggered when this retreat produces ice cliffs above the water line with heights approaching about 90 metres. However, observational evidence confirming the action of MICI has not previously been reported. Here we present observational evidence that rapid deglacial ice-sheet retreat into Pine Island Bay proceeded in a similar manner to that simulated in a recent modelling study, driven by MICI. Iceberg-keel plough marks on the sea-floor provide geological evidence of past and present iceberg morphology, keel depth and drift direction. From the planform shape and cross-sectional morphologies of iceberg-keel plough marks, we find that iceberg calving during the most recent deglaciation was not characterized by small numbers of large, tabular icebergs as is observed today, which would produce wide, flat-based plough marks or toothcomb-like multi-keeled plough marks. Instead, it was characterized by large numbers of smaller icebergs with V-shaped keels. Geological evidence of the form and water-depth distribution of the plough marks indicates calving-margin thicknesses equivalent to the threshold that is predicted to trigger ice-cliff structural collapse as a result of MICI. We infer rapid and sustained ice-sheet retreat driven by MICI, commencing around 12,300 years ago and terminating before about 11,200 years ago, which produced large numbers of icebergs smaller than the

Patent cliff mitigation strategies: giving new life to blockbusters.

PubMed

Kakkar, Ashish Kumar

2015-01-01

With several blockbuster drugs on the brink of another significant patent expiry cliff, innovator pharmaceutical firms are at risk of losing billions of dollars in sales to generic competition. With issues such as staggering R&D costs, reduced productivity and increasing governmental emphasis on pharmacoeconomics, timely planning and implementation of product lifecycle management strategies is becoming indispensable. A variety of strategies designed to mitigate the post-patent expiry revenue loss exist. These approaches range from fairly straightforward measures, such as strategic price cuts and launching own or authorized generics, to complex and lengthy ones, such as new formulations and indications that require companies to reinvent their pharmaceuticals. As patent expiries loom and product pipelines continue to remain thin, proactive planning for generic entry will be critical for pharma companies to drive growth and earnings in a sustainable manner.

Increase of Coastal Cliff Rockfall Trigerred By Rainfall On The Chalk Coast of NW France During The Year 2001

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duperret, A.; Genter, A.; Daigneault, M.; Mortimore, R. N.

Coastal chalk cliffs exposed on each part of the English Channel suffer numerous collapses, with mean volumes varying between 10 000 and 100 000 cubic meters. Between October 1998 and October 2001, a minimum of 52 collapses have been ob- served along 120 km of the French chalk coastline located in Upper-Normandy and Picardy. The chalk coastline has evidenced 4 collapses in 1999 and 6 collapses in 2000 (winter and spring), whereas 28 collapses with volume greater than 1000 m3 was recorded in 2001 (winter, spring and summer). The increase of large-scale collapses during 2001 is interpreted as an excess of rainfalls recorded previously. Most of these collapses extend all over the vertical cliff height and are mainly controlled by ground- water infiltration. The modality of water circulation through the chalk rock depends on the chalk lithology and the hydrogeological properties of pre-existing fractures. In the framework of the European scientific project named ROCC (Risk of Cliff Col- lapse), the chalk lithology and the pre-existing fracture pattern have been investigated in order to determine the response of the rock mass to subaerial and marine solicita- tions, including rainfall conditions. Such data have been reported in a GIS system in order to determine the degree of cliff sensibility to collapses. Some rainfall-triggered collapses will be presented to illustrate the diversity of the rock mass response to rain- fall excess, in terms of rock mass characteristics and time delay: (1) a collapse was witnessed at Puys, the 17th May 2000, after two periods of intense rainfall inducing floods, during the two previous months. The occurrence of impervious marl seams levels within the chalk and its low fracture content may have generated water over- pressure and consequently stress concentration on the marl seams, which conduct to the rupture. The delay between rainfall and the rupture may be explained by the low velocity of groundwater through a poorly fractured porous

A research program in determination of heavy metals in sediments and benthic species in relation to nuclear power plant operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phelps, H. L.

1984-01-01

Heavy metals in the estuarine environment can be toxic to fish and shellfish early life history stages and concentrations build up to levels of concern in marketable shellfish. The present survey was begun just before startup in 1974 of the 1900 megawatt Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant on the Chesapeake Bay in order to assess and understand factors relating to heavy metal accumulation in estuarine biota. Oysters were collected in large numbers at test and reference sites in June 1974 to 77 and individually analyzed for copper and zinc. Oyster copper and zinc concentrations were correlated with salinity read at time of collection. The relationship of oyster age to metal concentration was examined with two sets of oysters of known age and genetic origin (laboratory spawned). Copper sorption by typical mid Bay sediments, and field studies on cadmium concentrations in sediments were examined.

Politics and the Glass Cliff: Evidence that Women Are Preferentially Selected to Contest Hard-to-Win Seats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Michelle K.; Haslam, S. Alexander; Kulich, Clara

2010-01-01

Recent archival and experimental research has revealed that women are more likely than men to be appointed to leadership positions when an organization is in crisis. As a result, women often confront a "glass cliff" in which their position as leader is precarious. Our first archival study examined the 2005 UK general election and found…

Hydrogeology of the Pictured Cliffs Sandstone in the San Juan structural basin, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dam, William L.; Kernodle, J.M.; Thorn, C.R.; Levings, G.W.; Craigg, S.D.

1990-01-01

This report is one in a series resulting from the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer System Analysis (RASA) study of the San Juan structural basin that began in October 1984. The purposes of the study (Welder, 1986) are to: (1) Define and evaluate the aquifer system; (2) assess the effects of past, present, and potential ground-water use on aquifers and streams, and (3) determine the availability and quality of ground water. Previous reports in this series describe the hydrogeology of the Dakota Sandstone (Craigg and others, 1989), Gallup Sandstone (Kernodle and others, 1989), Morrison Formation (Dam and others, 1990), Point Lookout Sandstone (Craigg and others, 1990), Kirtland Shale and Fruitland Formation (Kernodle and others, 1990), Menefee Formation (Levings and others, 1990), Cliff House Sandstone (Thorn and others, 1990), and Ojo Alamo Sandstone (Thorn and others, 1990) in the San Juan structural basin. This report summarizes information on the geology and the occurrence and quality of water in the Pictured Cliffs Sandstone, one of the primary water-bearing units in the regional aquifer system. Data used in this report were collected during the RASA study or derived from existing records in the U.S. Geological Survey's computerized National Water Information System (NWIS) data base, the Petroleum Information Corporation's data base, and the Dwight's ENERGYDATA Inc. BRIN database. Although all data available for the Pictured Cliffs Sandstone were considered in formulating the discussions in the text, not all those data could be plotted on the illustrations. The San Juan structural basin in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah has an area of about 21,600 square miles (fig. 1). The structural basin is about 140 miles wide and about 200 miles long. The study area is that part of the structural basin that contains rocks of Triassic and younger age; therefore, the study area is less extensive than the structural basin. Triassic through Tertiary

The potential of low-cost RPAS for multi-view reconstruction of rock cliffs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ettore Guccione, Davide; Thoeni, Klaus; Santise, Marina; Giacomini, Anna; Roncella, Riccardo; Forlani, Gianfranco

2016-04-01

RPAS, also known as drones or UAVs, have been used in military applications for many years. Nevertheless, the technology has become accessible to everyone only in recent years (Westoby et al., 2012; Nex and Remondino, 2014). Electric multirotor helicopters or multicopters have become one of the most exciting developments and several off-the-shelf platforms (including camera) are now available. In particular, RPAS can provide 3D models of sub-vertical rock faces, which for instance are needed for rockfall hazard assessments along road cuts and very steep mountains. The current work investigates the potential of two low-cost off-the-shelf quadcopters equipped with digital cameras for multi-view reconstruction of sub-vertical rock cliffs. The two platforms used are a DJI Phantom 1 (P1) equipped with a Gopro Hero 3+ (12MP) and a DJI Phantom 3 Professional (P3). The latter comes with an integrated 12MP camera mounted on a 3-axis gimbal. Both platforms cost less than 1.500€ including camera. The study area is a small rock cliff near the Callaghan Campus of the University of Newcastle (Thoeni et al., 2014). The wall is partly smooth with some evident geological features such as non-persistent joints and sharp edges. Several flights were performed with both cameras set in time-lapse mode. Hence, images were taken automatically but the flights were performed manually since the investigated rock face is very irregular which required adjusting the yaw and roll for optimal coverage since the flights were performed very close to the cliff face. The digital images were processed with a commercial SfM software package. Thereby, several processing options and camera networks were investigated in order to define the most accurate configuration. Firstly, the difference between the use of coded ground control targets versus natural features was studied. Coded targets generally provide the best accuracy but they need to be placed on the surface which is not always possible as rock

Cliff-edge model of obstetric selection in humans.

PubMed

Mitteroecker, Philipp; Huttegger, Simon M; Fischer, Barbara; Pavlicev, Mihaela

2016-12-20

The strikingly high incidence of obstructed labor due to the disproportion of fetal size and the mother's pelvic dimensions has puzzled evolutionary scientists for decades. Here we propose that these high rates are a direct consequence of the distinct characteristics of human obstetric selection. Neonatal size relative to the birth-relevant maternal dimensions is highly variable and positively associated with reproductive success until it reaches a critical value, beyond which natural delivery becomes impossible. As a consequence, the symmetric phenotype distribution cannot match the highly asymmetric, cliff-edged fitness distribution well: The optimal phenotype distribution that maximizes population mean fitness entails a fraction of individuals falling beyond the "fitness edge" (i.e., those with fetopelvic disproportion). Using a simple mathematical model, we show that weak directional selection for a large neonate, a narrow pelvic canal, or both is sufficient to account for the considerable incidence of fetopelvic disproportion. Based on this model, we predict that the regular use of Caesarean sections throughout the last decades has led to an evolutionary increase of fetopelvic disproportion rates by 10 to 20%.

Coastal cliffs, rock-slope failures and Late Quaternary transgressions of the Black Sea along southern Crimea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pánek, Tomáš; Lenart, Jan; Hradecký, Jan; Hercman, Helena; Braucher, Règis; Šilhán, Karel; Škarpich, Václav

2018-02-01

Rock-slope failures represent a significant hazard along global coastlines, but their chronology remains poorly documented. Here, we focus on the geomorphology and chronology of giant rockslides affecting the Crimean Mountains along the Black Sea coast. Geomorphic evidence suggests that high (>100 m) limestone cliffs flanking the southern slopes of the Crimean Mountains are scarps of rockslides nested within larger deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs). Such pervasive slope failures originated due to lateral spreading of intensively faulted Late Jurassic carbonate blocks moving atop weak/plastic Late Triassic flysch and tuff layers. By introducing a dating strategy relying on the combination of the uranium-thorium dating (U-Th) of exposed calcareous speleothems covering the landslide scarps with the 36Cl exposure dating of rock walls, we are able to approximate the time interval between the origin of incipient crevices and the final collapse of limestone blocks that exposed the cliff faces. For the three representative large-scale rockslides between the towns of Foros and Yalta, the initiation of the DSGSDs as evidenced by the widening of crevices and the onset of speleothem accumulation was >300 ka BP, but the recent cliff morphology along the coast is the result of Late Pleistocene/Holocene failures spanning ∼20-0.5 ka BP. The exposures of rockslide scarps occurred mostly at ∼20-15, ∼8, ∼5-4 and ∼2-0.5 ka, which substantially coincide with the last major Black Sea transgressions and/or more humid Holocene intervals. Our study suggests that before ultimate fast and/or catastrophic slope failures, the relaxation of rock massifs correlative with karstification, cracks opening, and incipient sliding lasted on the order of 104-105 years. Rapid Late Glacial/Holocene transgressions of the Black Sea likely represented the last impulse for the collapse of limestone blocks and the origin of giant rockslides, simultaneously affecting the majority

Study of cliff activity dominating the gas and dust comae of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during the early phase of the Rosetta mission using ROSINA/COPS and OSIRIS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marschall, Raphael; Su, Cheng-Chin; Liao, Ying; Rubin, Martin; Wu, Jong-Shinn; Thomas, Nicolas; altwegg, kathrin; Sierks, Holger; OSIRIS, ROSINA

2016-10-01

The study by [1] has proposed the idea that the cometary dust jets in the northern hemisphere of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko arise mainly from rough cliff like terrain. Using our 3D gas and dust dynamics coma model [2] we have run simulations targeting the question whether areas with high gravitational slopes alone can indeed account for both the ROSINA/COPS and the OSIRIS data obtained for mid August to end October 2014.The basis of our simulations is the shape model "SHAP4S" of [3]. Surface temperatures have been defined using a simple 1-D thermal model (including insolation, shadowing, thermal emission, sublimation but neglecting conduction) computed for each facet of the shape model allowing a consistent and known description of the gas flux and its initial temperature. In a next step we use the DSMC program PDSC++ [4] to calculate the gas properties in 3D space. The gas solution can be compared with the in situ measurements by ROSINA/COPS. In a subsequent step dust particles are introduced into the gas flow to determine dust densities and with a column integrator and Mie theory dust brightnesses that can be compared to OSIRIS data.To examine cliff activity we have divided the surface into two sets. One with gravitational slopes larger than 30° which we call cliffs and one with slopes less than 30° which we shall call plains. We have set up two models, "cliff only" and "plains only" where the respective set of areas are active and the others inert. The outgassing areas are assumed to be purely insolation driven. The "cliffs only" model is a statistically equally good fit to the ROSINA/COPS data as the global insolation driven model presented in [2]. The "plains only" model on the other hand is statistically inferior to the "cliffs only" model. We found in [2] that increased activity in the Hapi region (called inhomogeneous model) of the comet improves the fit of the gas results significantly. We can show in this study that a "cliffs + Hapi" model fits the

Influence in times of crisis: how social and financial resources affect men's and women's evaluations of glass-cliff positions.

PubMed

Rink, Floor; Ryan, Michelle K; Stoker, Janka I

2012-01-01

In two scenario-based studies, we found that women and men evaluate glass-cliff positions (i.e., precarious leadership positions at organizations in crisis) differently depending on the social and financial resources available. Female and male participants evaluated a hypothetical leadership position in which they would have both social and financial resources, financial resources but no social resources, or social resources but no financial resources. Women evaluated the position without social resources most negatively, whereas men evaluated the position without financial resources most negatively. In study 2, we found that women and men considered different issues when evaluating these leadership positions. Women's evaluations and expected levels of influence as leaders depended on the degree to which they expected to be accepted by subordinates. In contrast, men's evaluations and expected levels of acceptance by subordinates depended on the degree to which they expected to be influential in the position. Our findings have implications for the understanding of the glass-cliff phenomenon and gendered leadership stereotypes.

Cenozoic stratigraphy and structure of the Chesapeake Bay region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Powars, David S.; Edwards, Lucy E.; Kidwell, Susan M.; Schindler, J. Stephen

2015-01-01

The Salisbury embayment is a broad tectonic downwarp that is filled by generally seaward-thickening, wedge-shaped deposits of the central Atlantic Coastal Plain. Our two-day field trip will take us to the western side of this embayment from the Fall Zone in Washington, D.C., to some of the bluffs along Aquia Creek and the Potomac River in Virginia, and then to the Calvert Cliffs on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. We will see fluvial-deltaic Cretaceous deposits of the Potomac Formation. We will then focus on Cenozoic marine deposits. Transgressive and highstand deposits are stacked upon each other with unconformities separating them; rarely are regressive or lowstand deposits preserved. The Paleocene and Eocene shallow shelf deposits consist of glauconitic, silty sands that contain varying amounts of marine shells. The Miocene shallow shelf deposits consist of diatomaceous silts and silty and shelly sands. The lithology, thickness, dip, preservation, and distribution of the succession of coastal plain sediments that were deposited in our field-trip area are, to a great extent, structurally controlled. Surficial and subsurface mapping using numerous continuous cores, auger holes, water-well data, and seismic surveys has documented some folds and numerous high-angle reverse and normal faults that offset Cretaceous and Cenozoic deposits. Many of these structures are rooted in early Mesozoic and/or Paleozoic NE-trending regional tectonic fault systems that underlie the Atlantic Coastal Plain. On Day 1, we will focus on two fault systems (stops 1–2; Stafford fault system and the Skinkers Neck–Brandywine fault system and their constituent fault zones and faults). We will then see (stops 3–5) a few of the remaining exposures of largely unlithified marine Paleocene and Eocene strata along the Virginia side of the Potomac River including the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum boundary clay. These exposures are capped by fluvial-estuarine Pleistocene terrace

Comparison of Cliff-Lorimer-Based Methods of Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) Quantitative X-Ray Microanalysis for Application to Silicon Oxycarbides Thin Films.

PubMed

Parisini, Andrea; Frabboni, Stefano; Gazzadi, Gian Carlo; Rosa, Rodolfo; Armigliato, Aldo

2018-06-01

In this work, we compare the results of different Cliff-Lorimer (Cliff & Lorimer 1975) based methods in the case of a quantitative energy dispersive spectrometry investigation of light elements in ternary C-O-Si thin films. To determine the Cliff-Lorimer (C-L) k-factors, we fabricated, by focused ion beam, a standard consisting of a wedge lamella with a truncated tip, composed of two parallel SiO2 and 4H-SiC stripes. In 4H-SiC, it was not possible to obtain reliable k-factors from standard extrapolation methods owing to the strong CK-photon absorption. To overcome this problem, an extrapolation method exploiting the shape of the truncated tip of the lamella is proposed herein. The k-factors thus determined, were then used in an application of the C-L quantification procedure to a defect found at the SiO2/4H-SiC interface in the channel region of a metal-oxide field-effect-transistor device. As in this procedure, the sample thickness is required, a method to determine this quantity from the averaged and normalized scanning transmission electron microscopy intensity is also detailed. Monte Carlo simulations were used to investigate the discrepancy between experimental and theoretical k-factors and to bridge the gap between the k-factor and the Watanabe and Williams ζ-factor methods (Watanabe & Williams, 2006).

Laboratory measurements of selected optical, physical, chemical, and remote-sensing properties of five water mixtures containing Calvert clay and a nonfluorescing dye

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Usry, J. W.; Whitlock, C. H.; Poole, L. R.; Witte, W. G., Jr.

1981-01-01

Total suspended solids concentrations ranged from 6.1 ppm to 24.3 ppm and sizes ranged between 1.5 micrometers and 10 micrometers with the most frequently occurring size less than 2 micrometers. Iron concentration was less than 1 percent of the total suspended solids. Nonfluorescing dye concentrations of the two mixtures were 20 ppm and 40 ppm. Attenuation coefficient for the five mixtures ranged from 4.8/m to 21.3/m. Variations in volume scattering function with phase angle were typical. Variations in attenuation and absorption coefficient with wavelength were similar for the mixtures without the dye. Attenuation coefficient of the mixtures with the dye increased for wavelengths less than 600 nm due to the dye's strong absorption peak near 500 nm. Reflectance increased as the concentration of Calvert clay increased and peaked near 600 nm. The nonfluorescent dye decreased the magnitude of the peak, but had practically no effect on the variation for wavelengths greater than 640 nm. At wavelengths less than 600 nm, the spectral variations of the mixtures with the dye were significantly different from those mixtures without the dye.

Reply to comment on: Lawrence, J.A., Mortimore, R.N., Stone, K.J., and Busby, J.P., 2013. Sea saltwater weakening of chalk and the impact on cliff instability. Geomorphology 191, 14-22

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawrence, James A.; Mortimore, Rory N.

2015-02-01

We are grateful to Dornbusch (2014) for the opportunity to clarify the role we propose for salt water weakening of the chalk and its potential importance as a mechanism contributing to cliff instability. Dornbusch's argument is based largely on a single comment "This work challenges the established view by identifying the role of salt from seawater in the degradation of porous rocks in coastal environments as a third and potentially the most important mechanism leading to chalk cliff collapse" (Lawrence et al., 2013: 15). This was not intended as a "conclusion" as suggested by Dornbusch (2014) but is rather a qualitative introductory statement highlighting the potential importance of the salt water weakening process in coastal cliff instability. The actual conclusions of the work are not challenged by Dornbusch (2014).

Edge modulation of electronics and transport properties of cliff-edge phosphorene nanoribbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Caixia; Wang, Tianxing; Xia, Congxin; Liu, Yufang

2017-12-01

Based on the first-principles calculations, we study the electronic structures and transport properties of cliff-like edge phosphorene nanoribbons (CPNRs), considering different types of edge passivation. The band structures of bare CPNRs possess the metallic features; while hydrogen (H), fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl) and oxygen (O) atoms-passivated CPNRs are semiconductor materials, and the band gap values monotonically decrease when the ribbon width increases. Moreover, the H and F-passivated CPNRs exhibit the direct band gap characteristics, while the Cl and O-passivated cases show the features of indirect band gap. In addition, the edge passivated CPNRs are more energetically stable than bare edge case. Meanwhile, our results also show that the transport properties of the CPNRs can be obviously influenced by the different edge passivation.

Detection probability of cliff-nesting raptors during helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft surveys in western Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Booms, T.L.; Schempf, P.F.; McCaffery, B.J.; Lindberg, M.S.; Fuller, M.R.

2010-01-01

We conducted repeated aerial surveys for breeding cliff-nesting raptors on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR) in western Alaska to estimate detection probabilities of Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus), and also Common Ravens (Corvus corax). Using the program PRESENCE, we modeled detection histories of each species based on single species occupancy modeling. We used different observers during four helicopter replicate surveys in the Kilbuck Mountains and five fixed-wing replicate surveys in the Ingakslugwat Hills near Bethel, AK. During helicopter surveys, Gyrfalcons had the highest detection probability estimate (p^;p^ 0.79; SE 0.05), followed by Golden Eagles (p^=0.68; SE 0.05), Common Ravens (p^=0.45; SE 0.17), and Rough-legged Hawks (p^=0.10; SE 0.11). Detection probabilities from fixed-wing aircraft in the Ingakslugwat Hills were similar to those from the helicopter in the Kilbuck Mountains for Gyrfalcons and Golden Eagles, but were higher for Common Ravens (p^=0.85; SE 0.06) and Rough-legged Hawks (p^=0.42; SE 0.07). Fixed-wing aircraft provided detection probability estimates and SEs in the Ingakslugwat Hills similar to or better than those from helicopter surveys in the Kilbucks and should be considered for future cliff-nesting raptor surveys where safe, low-altitude flight is possible. Overall, detection probability varied by observer experience and in some cases, by study area/aircraft type.

77 FR 1748 - Atomic Safety and Licensing Board; Calvert Cliffs 3 Nuclear Project, LLC, and UniStar Nuclear...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-11

... observe this evidentiary hearing. However, all signs, banners, posters, demonstrations, and displays are... required by NRC policy, signs, banners, posters, and displays not larger than 18 x 18 will be permitted at..., banner, poster or display affixed to a stick, or similar device, will not be permitted at the oral...

78 FR 33121 - Staff Requirements-SECY-12-0168-Calvert Cliffs 3 Nuclear Project, LLC & UniStar Nuclear Operating...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-03

...The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is conducting an assessment, and is seeking stakeholder views, on issues relating to foreign ownership, control, or domination (FOCD) of commercial nuclear power plants. The results and conclusions of this assessment, including any recommendations on any proposed modifications to guidance or practice on FOCD that may be warranted, will be provided in a voting paper for Commission review and approval.

New techniques to measure cliff change from historical oblique aerial photographs and structure-from-motion photogrammetry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warrick, Jonathan; Ritchie, Andy; Adelman, Gabrielle; Adelman, Ken; Limber, Patrick W.

2017-01-01

Oblique aerial photograph surveys are commonly used to document coastal landscapes. Here it is shown that adequate overlap may exist in these photographic records to develop topographic models with Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetric techniques. Using photographs of Fort Funston, California, from the California Coastal Records Project, imagery were combined with ground control points in a four-dimensional analysis that produced topographic point clouds of the study area’s cliffs for 5 years spanning 2002 to 2010. Uncertainty was assessed by comparing point clouds with airborne LIDAR data, and these uncertainties were related to the number and spatial distribution of ground control points used in the SfM analyses. With six or more ground control points, the root mean squared errors between the SfM and LIDAR data were less than 0.30 m (minimum 1⁄4 0.18 m), and the mean systematic error was less than 0.10 m. The SfM results had several benefits over traditional airborne LIDAR in that they included point coverage on vertical- to-overhanging sections of the cliff and resulted in 10–100 times greater point densities. Time series of the SfM results revealed topographic changes, including landslides, rock falls, and the erosion of landslide talus along the Fort Funston beach. Thus, it was concluded that SfM photogrammetric techniques with historical oblique photographs allow for the extraction of useful quantitative information for mapping coastal topography and measuring coastal change. The new techniques presented here are likely applicable to many photograph collections and problems in the earth sciences.

Giving perspective to cliff exposures with ground penetrating radar: Devonian lacustrine shore zone architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrews, Steven; Moreau, Julien; Archer, Stuart

2015-04-01

The orbitally-controlled cyclic lacustrine successions of the Middle Devonian in Northern Scotland contains repeated developments of shore zone sandstones. However, due to the cliff-forming nature of the succession and the attitude of the sections through these sandstones, interpretation of this facies has been problematic. To better understand the shore zone systems, we carried out very high resolution sedimentary logging and constructed photo-panels which were combined with high resolution GPR profiling (250 MHz). To ensure close ties between the sedimentary logs and the GPR data, the cliffs were accessed using rope access techniques while GPR grids were shot directly above. The profiles were shot mainly in the strike direction of what was thought to be the shore elongation every 5-10 m and every 20-30 m in the dip direction. Shore zone systems of 3 different sequences have been imaged for a total of 1155 m of GPR profile collected. This configuration has allowed 3D visualisation of the architecture of the shore zone systems and, in combination with detailed sedimentology, provided insights into the generation of the dynamic shore zone environments. The coastal cliffs of northern Scotland expose sedimentary cycles on average 16-m-thick which record deep lake, perennial lake and playa environments. The shore zone deposits reach 2 to 3.5 m in thickness. Loading and discrete channel forms are recognised in both the GPR data and sedimentary logs through the lower portion of the lake shore zone successions. Up-section the sandstone beds appear to become amalgamated forming subtle low angle accretionary bar complexes which although visible in outcrop, after careful investigation, can be fully visualised and examined in the GPR data. The 3D visualisation allowed mapping the architecture and distribution of the bars . The orientation of these features, recognised from the survey, is consistent with extensive palaeocurrent measurements from oscillation ripples. Further

Inaccessible Biodiversity on Limestone Cliffs: Aster tianmenshanensis (Asteraceae), a New Critically Endangered Species from China.

PubMed

Zhang, Guo-Jin; Hu, Hai-Hua; Zhang, Cai-Fei; Tian, Xiao-Juan; Peng, Hui; Gao, Tian-Gang

2015-01-01

Aster tianmenshanensis G. J. Zhang & T. G. Gao, a new species of Asteraceae from southern China is described and illustrated based on evidence from morphology, micromorphology and molecular phylogeny. The new species is superficially similar to Aster salwinensis Onno in having rosettes of spatulate leaves and a solitary, terminal capitulum, but it differs by its glabrous leaf margins, unequal disc floret lobes and 1-seriate pappus. The molecular phylogenetic analysis, based on nuclear sequences ITS, ETS and chloroplast sequence trnL-F, showed that the new species was nested within the genus Aster and formed a well supported clade with Aster verticillatus (Reinw.) Brouillet et al. The new species differs from the latter in having unbranched stems, much larger capitula, unequal disc floret lobes, beakless achenes and persistent pappus. In particular, A. tianmenshanensis has very short stigmatic lines, only ca. 0.18 mm long and less than 1/3 of the length of sterile style tip appendages, remarkably different from its congeners. This type of stigmatic line, as far as we know, has not been found in any other species of Aster. The very short stigmatic lines plus the unequal disc floret lobes imply that the new species may have a very specialized pollination system, which may be a consequence of habitat specialization. The new species grows only on the limestone cliffs of Mt. Tianmen, Hunan Province, at the elevation of 1400 m. It could only be accessed when a plank walkway was built across the cliffs for tourists. As it is known only from an area estimated at less than 10 km2 and a walkway passes through this location, its habitat could be easily disturbed. This species should best be treated as Critically Endangered based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List Categories and Criteria B2a.

Inaccessible Biodiversity on Limestone Cliffs: Aster tianmenshanensis (Asteraceae), a New Critically Endangered Species from China

PubMed Central

Tian, Xiao-Juan; Peng, Hui; Gao, Tian-Gang

2015-01-01

Aster tianmenshanensis G. J. Zhang & T. G. Gao, a new species of Asteraceae from southern China is described and illustrated based on evidence from morphology, micromorphology and molecular phylogeny. The new species is superficially similar to Aster salwinensis Onno in having rosettes of spatulate leaves and a solitary, terminal capitulum, but it differs by its glabrous leaf margins, unequal disc floret lobes and 1-seriate pappus. The molecular phylogenetic analysis, based on nuclear sequences ITS, ETS and chloroplast sequence trnL-F, showed that the new species was nested within the genus Aster and formed a well supported clade with Aster verticillatus (Reinw.) Brouillet et al. The new species differs from the latter in having unbranched stems, much larger capitula, unequal disc floret lobes, beakless achenes and persistent pappus. In particular, A. tianmenshanensis has very short stigmatic lines, only ca. 0.18 mm long and less than 1/3 of the length of sterile style tip appendages, remarkably different from its congeners. This type of stigmatic line, as far as we know, has not been found in any other species of Aster. The very short stigmatic lines plus the unequal disc floret lobes imply that the new species may have a very specialized pollination system, which may be a consequence of habitat specialization. The new species grows only on the limestone cliffs of Mt. Tianmen, Hunan Province, at the elevation of 1400 m. It could only be accessed when a plank walkway was built across the cliffs for tourists. As it is known only from an area estimated at less than 10 km2 and a walkway passes through this location, its habitat could be easily disturbed. This species should best be treated as Critically Endangered based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List Categories and Criteria B2a. PMID:26308863

Selected hydrologic data, 1931-77, Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waddell, K.M.; Vickers, H.L.; Upton, Robbin T.; Contratto, P. Kay

1978-01-01

The Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area in east-central Utah includes a significant part of the State's coal resources and is currently (1977) the most active coal-mining area in the State.This report presents data gathered by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of a hydrologic reconnaissance carried out during the period July 1975-September 1977 in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, as well as selected information for water-years 1931-75. The data were obtained in the field or from private, State, and other Federal agencies. The purpose of this report is to make the data available to those engaged in coal mining, to those assessing water resources that may possibly be affected by coal mining, and to supplement an interpretive report that will be published at a later date.

Iceberg Ploughmarks Indicate Past Rapid Iceberg Calving and Retreat of Pine Island-Thwaites Ice Stream due to Marine Ice-Cliff Instability Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wise, M.; Dowdeswell, J. A.; Larter, R. D.; Jakobsson, M.

2016-12-01

Seafloor ploughmarks provide evidence of past and present iceberg dimensions and drift direction. Today, Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, which account for 35% of mass loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), calve mainly large, tabular icebergs, which, when grounded, produce `toothcomb-like' multi-keeled ploughmarks. High-resolution multi-beam swath bathymetry of the mid-shelf Pine Island Trough and adjacent banks, reveals many linear-curvilinear depressions interpreted as iceberg-keel ploughmarks, the majority of which are single-keeled in form. From measurements of ploughmark planform and cross-sections, we find iceberg calving from the palaeo-Pine Island-Thwaites Ice Stream was not characterised by small numbers of large, tabular icebergs, but instead, by a large number of `smaller' icebergs with v-shaped keels. Geological evidence of ploughmark form and water-depth distribution indicates calving-margin thicknesses ( 950 m) and subaerial ice-cliff elevations ( 100 m) equivalent to the theoretical threshold recently predicted to trigger ice-cliff structural collapse through Marine Ice Cliff Instability (MICI) processes. Significantly, our proposed period of iceberg ploughing predates the early Holocene climate optimum, and likely occurred in an absence of widespread surface melt. We therefore provide the first observational evidence of rapid retreat of the Palaeo-Pine Island-Thwaites ice stream from the crest of a large, mid-shelf sedimentary depocentre or grounding-zone wedge, to a restabilising position 112 km offshore of the December 2013 calving line, driven by MICI processes commencing 12.3 cal. ka BP. We emphasise the effective operation of MICI processes without extensive surface melt and induced hydrofracture, and conclude that such processes are unlikely to be confined to the past, given the steep, retrograde bed-slope which the modern grounding lines of Pine Island and Thwaites Glaciers are approaching, and the absence of any discernible

Rare earth elements in Angra dos Reis and Lewis Cliff 86010, two meteorites with similar but distinct magma evolutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crozaz, Ghislaine; Mckay, Gordon

1990-01-01

Data are presented on ion microprobe measurements of REE and selected trace element abundances in individual grains of merrillite, fassaite, olivine, kirschsteinite, and plagioclase of Lewis Cliff 86010 (LEW 86010) meteorite and in merrillite and fassaite grains of Angra dos Reis (ADOR). Results show a close relationship between the two meteorites and support a magmatic origin for LEW 86010. However, the measurements indicate that, despite numerous common characteristics, the two meteorites must have been produced in separate magmatic events involving similar but distinct processes and parent melts.

The mechanics and behavior of cliff swallows during tandem flights.

PubMed

Shelton, Ryan M; Jackson, Brandon E; Hedrick, Tyson L

2014-08-01

Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are highly maneuverable social birds that often forage and fly in large open spaces. Here we used multi-camera videography to measure the three-dimensional kinematics of their natural flight maneuvers in the field. Specifically, we collected data on tandem flights, defined as two birds maneuvering together. These data permit us to evaluate several hypotheses on the high-speed maneuvering flight performance of birds. We found that high-speed turns are roll-based, but that the magnitude of the centripetal force created in typical maneuvers varied only slightly with flight speed, typically reaching a peak of ~2 body weights. Turning maneuvers typically involved active flapping rather than gliding. In tandem flights the following bird copied the flight path and wingbeat frequency (~12.3 Hz) of the lead bird while maintaining position slightly above the leader. The lead bird turned in a direction away from the lateral position of the following bird 65% of the time on average. Tandem flights vary widely in instantaneous speed (1.0 to 15.6 m s(-1)) and duration (0.72 to 4.71 s), and no single tracking strategy appeared to explain the course taken by the following bird. © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Simplified failure sequence evaluation of reactor pressure vessel head corroding in-core instrumentation assembly

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McVicker, J.P.; Conner, J.T.; Hasrouni, P.N.

1995-11-01

In-Core Instrumentation (ICI) assemblies located on a Reactor Pressure Vessel Head have a history of boric acid leakage. The acid tends to corrode the nuts and studs which fasten the flanges of the assembly, thereby compromising the assembly`s structural integrity. This paper provides a simplified practical approach in determining the likelihood of an undetected progressing assembly stud deterioration, which would lead to a catastrophic loss of reactor coolant. The structural behavior of the In-Core Instrumentation flanged assembly is modeled using an elastic composite section assumption, with the studs transmitting tension and the pressure sealing gasket experiencing compression. Using the abovemore » technique, one can calculate the flange relative deflection and the consequential coolant loss flow rate, as well as the stress in any stud. A solved real life example develops the expected failure sequence and discusses the exigency of leak detection for safe shutdown. In the particular case of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (CCNPP) it is concluded that leak detection occurs before catastrophic failure of the ICI flange assembly.« less

[Ecological basis of epiphytic Dendrobium officinale growth on cliff].

PubMed

Liu, Xiu-Juan; Zhu, Yan; Si, Jin-Ping; Wu, Ling-Shang; Cheng, Xue-Liang

2016-08-01

In order to make Dendrobium officinale return to the nature, the temperature and humidity in whole days of the built rock model with different slopes and aspects in the natural distribution of wild D. officinale in Tianmu Mountain were recorded by MH-WS01 automatic recorder. The results showed that the slope has a significant impact on the extreme temperature on the surface of the rocks. In summer, the extreme temperature on the surface of horizontal or soft rock can reach to 69.4 ℃, while the temperatures were lower than 50 ℃ on the vertical rock. In winter, the temperatures on the surface of vertical rock were higher and the low temperature duration was shorter than those on the horizontal or soft rock. Also, the humidity of the rocks was significantly influenced by the slope. The monthly average humidity on the surface of vertical rock was above 80%RH. Furthermore, the aspect had a significant impact on the temperature and humidity on the surface of the rocks, but had no significant effect on the daily mean temperature and extreme temperature on the surface of vertical rock. Therefore, the slope affects the survival of D. officinale by affecting the extreme temperature of rocks and affects the growth of D. officinale by affecting the humidity. The choice of slope is the key to the success of cliff epiphytic cultivation for D. officinale. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Habitat specificity of a threatened and endemic, cliff-dwelling halophyte

PubMed Central

Caperta, Ana D.; Espírito-Santo, M. Dalila; Silva, Vasco; Ferreira, Ana; Paes, Ana P.; Róis, Ana S.; Costa, José C.; Arsénio, Pedro

2014-01-01

Coastal areas and other saline environments are major contributors to regional and global biodiversity patterns. In these environments, rapidly changing gradients require highly specialized plants like halophytes. In European coastal cliff-tops, rocky and sandy seashores, and saltmarshes, typical halophytes from the genus Limonium are commonly found. Among them, the aneuploid tetraploid (2n = 4x = 35, 36, 37) Limonium multiflorum, endemic to the west coast of Portugal, is an interesting case study for investigating the ecology and conservation of a halophyte agamospermic species. Although it is listed in the IUCN red list of threatened species, information on its population size or rarity, as well as its ecology, in some respects is still unknown. Field surveys in the largest known population were performed (Raso cape, Portugal) in order to determine habitat requirements and conservation status. A total of 88 quadrats were monitored, 43 of which contained at least one L. multiflorum individual. For each sampled quadrat, four abiotic and four biotic variables as well as two spatially derived variables were recorded. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis showed narrow habitat specificity for this species which appeared to be intolerant to competition with invasive alien plants. We conclude that in situ conservation in a local ‘hotspot’ of this rare and vulnerable species emerges as a priority in order to ensure that biodiversity is not lost. PMID:24942513

Airborne laser study quantifies El Niño-induced coastal change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sallenger, Asbury H.; Krabill, William; Brock, John H.; Swift, Robert; Jansen, Mark; Manizade, Serdar; Richmond, Bruce; Hampton, Monty; Eslinger, David

1999-01-01

Winter storms during the 1997–1998 El Niño caused extensive changes to the beaches and cliffs of the west coast of the United States, a NASA-NOAA-USGS investigation using a scanning airborne laser has found. For example, near Pacifica in central California, the cliff eroded locally as much as 10–13 m landward during the El Niño winter, at least 40 times the long term average erosion rate. However, only several hundred meters away the cliff was stable. This variability in cliff response may be related to differences in local beach changes where an accreting beach protected part of the cliff and an eroding beach exposed another part to attack by waves.

46 CFR 42.03-35 - U.S.-flag vessels and Canadian vessels navigating on sheltered waters of Puget Sound and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Island, and of a line from Hope Island, British Columbia, to Cape Calvert, Calvert Island, British... the 1960 International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea, those passenger vessels navigating on the...

Microaneurysms detection with the radon cliff operator in retinal fundus images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giancardo, Luca; Mériaudeau, Fabrice; Karnowski, Thomas P.; Tobin, Kenneth W.; Li, Yaqin; Chaum, Edward

2010-03-01

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of blindness in the industrialized world. Early detection is the key in providing effective treatment. However, the current number of trained eye care specialists is inadequate to screen the increasing number of diabetic patients. In recent years, automated and semi-automated systems to detect DR with color fundus images have been developed with encouraging, but not fully satisfactory results. In this study we present the initial results of a new technique for the detection and localization of microaneurysms, an early sign of DR. The algorithm is based on three steps: candidates selection, the actual microaneurysms detection and a final probability evaluation. We introduce the new Radon Cliff operator which is our main contribution to the field. Making use of the Radon transform, the operator is able to detect single noisy Gaussian-like circular structures regardless of their size or strength. The advantages over existing microaneurysms detectors are manifold: the size of the lesions can be unknown, it automatically distinguishes lesions from the vasculature and it provides a fair approach to microaneurysm localization even without post-processing the candidates with machine learning techniques, facilitating the training phase. The algorithm is evaluated on a publicly available dataset from the Retinopathy Online Challenge.

Estimating rates of coastal cliff erosion in a small island using terrestrial laser scanning and RPAS-based SfM-MVS photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayakawa, Yuichi S.; Obanawa, Hiroyuki

2017-04-01

Rapid erosion of coastal cliffs has been historically observed to be more than 1 m/y in the outer Boso Peninsula area, eastern Japan. However, due to the modern work of coastal protection, the erosion rates of the coastal cliffs have significantly decreased. This caused coastal erosion in the nearby sand beach, to which sands had been supplied from the formerly eroded rocky coast. In order to assess the relationships between erosion and protection in both rocky and sandy coasts, quantitative evaluation of erosion rates by natural processes would be necessary. The Suzume-jima Island, a small coastal island in the outer Boso Peninsula area, is an ideal site, which is located outside of the coastal protection and natural processes of erosion can still be observed. Here we carried out multiple measurements of the entire shape of the island using remotely piloted aerial system (RPAS) and structure-from-motion multi-view stereo (SfM-MVS) photogrammetry. Terrestrial laser scanning is also performed for the accuracy assessment. The high-frequency (3 times a year) and high-resolution (cm) measurements of the small island for 3 years revealed spatially variable rockfalls and wave erosion, whose volume of mass has been quantitatively revealed from the 3-D point cloud obtained. The relatively short-term measurements are also compared with the long-term 2-D topographic changes in the island by aerial photographs for 50 years.

Integration of ambient seismic noise monitoring, displacement and meteorological measurements to infer the temperature-controlled long-term evolution of a complex prone-to-fall cliff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colombero, C.; Baillet, L.; Comina, C.; Jongmans, D.; Larose, E.; Valentin, J.; Vinciguerra, S.

2018-06-01

Monitoring the temporal evolution of resonance frequencies and velocity changes detected from ambient seismic noise recordings can help in recognizing reversible and irreversible modifications within unstable rock volumes. With this aim, the long-term ambient seismic noise data set acquired at the potentially unstable cliff of Madonna delSasso (NW Italian Alps) was analysed in this study, using both spectral analysis and cross-correlation techniques. Noise results were integrated and compared with direct displacement measurements and meteorological data, to understand the long-term evolution of the cliff. No irreversible modifications in the stability of the site were detected over the monitored period. Conversely, daily and seasonal air temperature fluctuations were found to control resonance frequency values, amplitudes and directivities and to induce reversible velocity changes within the fractured rock mass. The immediate modification in the noise parameters due to temperature fluctuations was interpreted as the result of rock mass thermal expansion and contraction, inducing variations in the contact stiffness along the fractures isolating two unstable compartments. Differences with previous case studies were highlighted in the long-term evolution of noise spectral amplitudes and directivities, due to the complex 3-D fracture setting of the site and to the combined effects of the two unstable compartments.

Coal geology of the Paleocene-Eocene Calvert Bluff Formation (Wilcox Group) and the Eocene Manning Formation (Jackson Group) in east-central Texas; field trip guidebook for the Society for Organic Petrology, Twelfth Annual Meeting, The Woodlands, Texas, August 30, 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warwick, Peter D.; Crowley, Sharon S.

1995-01-01

The Jackson and Wilcox Groups of eastern Texas (fig. 1) are the major lignite producing intervals in the Gulf Region. Within these groups, the major lignite-producing formations are the Paleocene-Eocene Calvert Bluff Formation (Wilcox) and the Eocene Manning Formation (Jackson). According to the Keystone Coal Industry Manual (Maclean Hunter Publishing Company, 1994), the Gulf Coast basin produces about 57 million short tons of lignite annually. The state of Texas ranks number 6 in coal production in the United States. Most of the lignite is used for electric power generation in mine-mouth power plant facilities. In recent years, particular interest has been given to lignite quality and the distribution and concentration of about a dozen trace elements that have been identified as potential hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) by the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. As pointed out by Oman and Finkelman (1994), Gulf Coast lignite deposits have elevated concentrations of many of the HAPs elements (Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Hg, Mn, Se, U) on a as-received gm/mmBtu basis when compared to other United States coal deposits used for fuel in thermo-electric power plants. Although regulations have not yet been established for acceptable emissions of the HAPs elements during coal burning, considerable research effort has been given to the characterization of these elements in coal feed stocks. The general purpose of the present field trip and of the accompanying collection of papers is to investigate how various aspects of east Texas lignite geology might collectively influence the quality of the lignite fuel. We hope that this collection of papers will help future researchers understand the complex, multifaceted interrelations of coal geology, petrology, palynology and coal quality, and that this introduction to the geology of the lignite deposits of east Texas might serve as a stimulus for new ideas to be applied to other coal basins in the U.S. and abroad.

The Development of the Role of Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) as a Reflection of Mass Media Uses and Functions in the United States Federal Government.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-06

activities during the same day. A military issue, censorship of tactical information, became a problem. Military leaders not only needed to be wary of a...Center, Effective Public Relations (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1971), p. 418. 6. Willia. G. McNamara, "A Critical Analysis of the Formation...Public Law 253 of the United States. The effective date was September 17, 1947, when Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal was sworn in as the first

Pluripotency of embryo-derived stem cells from rodents, lagomorphs, and primates: Slippery slope, terrace and cliff.

PubMed

Savatier, Pierre; Osteil, Pierre; Tam, Patrick P L

2017-03-01

The diverse cell states and in vitro conditions for the derivation and maintenance of the mammalian embryo-derived pluripotent stem cells raise the questions of whether there are multiple states of pluripotency of the stem cells of each species, and if there are innate species-specific variations in the pluripotency state. We will address these questions by taking a snapshot of our knowledge of the properties of the pluripotent stem cells, focusing on the maintenance of pluripotency and inter-conversion of the different types of pluripotent stem cells from rodents, lagomorphs and primates. We conceptualize pluripotent stem cells acquiring a series of cellular states represented as terraces on a slope of descending gradient of pluripotency. We propose that reprogramming pluripotent stem cells from a primed to a naive state is akin to moving upstream over a steep cliff to a higher terrace. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Role of Corporations in Ensuring Biodiversity

PubMed

KELLY; HODGE

1996-11-01

/ Corporations own approximately 25% of all private land in the United States and, therefore, play an essential role in protecting biodiversity and maintaining natural habitats. The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) is a unique joint venture between conservation organizations and corporations to utilize corporate lands for ensuring biodiversity. The following case studies demonstrate how corporations have helped ensure healthy ecosystems and provided critical leadership in regional efforts. Amoco Chemical Company's Cooper River Plant has been instrumental in developing a cooperative project that involves numerous corporations, plantation owners, private citizens, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and community groups to develop a comprehensive, ecosystem-based management plan for part of the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. The second case focuses on the Morie Company, a national sand quarry operator headquartered in southern New Jersey, USA. Morie Company is working with WHC, community groups, the Pinelands Commission, and other state regulatory agencies to explore sustainable development opportunities for companies within the Pinelands regulations. The third case takes us to DuPont Company's Asturias, Spain, site. A win-win success story of improved habitat and cost savings is the result of DuPont's concern for the environment, ability to work with a variety of groups, and willingness to consider innovative restoration techniques. The fourth case discusses Consumers Power Company's Campbell Plant in West Olive, Michigan, USA. In addition to implementing projects that contribute to biodiversity, Consumers Power has developed an environmental education field station to teach others about the importance of natural habitats. The final case highlights Baltimore Gas & Electric Company's efforts to maintain habitat for endangered species at their Calvert Cliffs site in Maryland.KEY WORDS: Partnerships; Stewardship; International; Habitats

Performance of Deep and Shallow Neural Networks, the Universal Approximation Theorem, Activity Cliffs, and QSAR.

PubMed

Winkler, David A; Le, Tu C

2017-01-01

Neural networks have generated valuable Quantitative Structure-Activity/Property Relationships (QSAR/QSPR) models for a wide variety of small molecules and materials properties. They have grown in sophistication and many of their initial problems have been overcome by modern mathematical techniques. QSAR studies have almost always used so-called "shallow" neural networks in which there is a single hidden layer between the input and output layers. Recently, a new and potentially paradigm-shifting type of neural network based on Deep Learning has appeared. Deep learning methods have generated impressive improvements in image and voice recognition, and are now being applied to QSAR and QSAR modelling. This paper describes the differences in approach between deep and shallow neural networks, compares their abilities to predict the properties of test sets for 15 large drug data sets (the kaggle set), discusses the results in terms of the Universal Approximation theorem for neural networks, and describes how DNN may ameliorate or remove troublesome "activity cliffs" in QSAR data sets. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Parent–offspring resemblance in colony-specific adult survival of cliff swallows

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, Charles R.; Roche, Erin A.; Brown, Mary Bomberger

2015-01-01

Survival is a key component of fitness. Species that occupy discrete breeding colonies with different characteristics are often exposed to varying costs and benefits associated with group size or environmental conditions, and survival is an integrative net measure of these effects. We investigated the extent to which survival probability of adult (≥1-year old) cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) occupying different colonies resembled that of their parental cohort and thus whether the natal colony had long-term effects on individuals. Individuals were cross-fostered between colonies soon after hatching and their presence as breeders monitored at colonies in the western Nebraska study area for the subsequent decade. Colony-specific adult survival probabilities of offspring born and reared in the same colony, and those cross-fostered away from their natal colony soon after birth, were positively and significantly related to subsequent adult survival of the parental cohort from the natal colony. This result held when controlling for the effect of natal colony size and the age composition of the parental cohort. In contrast, colony-specific adult survival of offspring cross-fostered to a site was unrelated to that of their foster parent cohort or to the cohort of non-fostered offspring with whom they were reared. Adult survival at a colony varied inversely with fecundity, as measured by mean brood size, providing evidence for a survival–fecundity trade-off in this species. The results suggest some heritable variation in adult survival, likely maintained by negative correlations between fitness components. The study provides additional evidence that colonies represent non-random collections of individuals.

A giant Late Triassic ichthyosaur from the UK and a reinterpretation of the Aust Cliff ‘dinosaurian’ bones

PubMed Central

De la Salle, Paul; Massare, Judy A.; Gallois, Ramues

2018-01-01

The largest reported ichthyosaurs lived during the Late Triassic (~235–200 million years ago), and isolated, fragmentary bones could be easily mistaken for those of dinosaurs because of their size. We report the discovery of an isolated bone from the lower jaw of a giant ichthyosaur from the latest Triassic of Lilstock, Somerset, UK. It documents that giant ichthyosaurs persisted well into the Rhaetian Stage, and close to the time of the Late Triassic extinction event. This specimen has prompted the reinterpretation of several large, roughly cylindrical bones from the latest Triassic (Rhaetian Stage) Westbury Mudstone Formation from Aust Cliff, Gloucestershire, UK. We argue here that the Aust bones, previously identified as those of dinosaurs or large terrestrial archosaurs, are jaw fragments from giant ichthyosaurs. The Lilstock and Aust specimens might represent the largest ichthyosaurs currently known. PMID:29630618

1. Historic American Buildings Survey Rephotographed from an old photograph ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Historic American Buildings Survey Re-photographed from an old photograph in possession of the Whyte family. E. H. Pickering, Photographer September 1936 STREET FRONT 616 NORTH CALVERT STREET (NOW DEMOLISHED), HOME OF WILLIAM PINKNEY, AMBASSADOR TO ENGLAND. BIRTH PLACE OF GOVERNOR WILLIAM PINKNEY WHYTE. - 616 North Calvert Street (Row House), Baltimore, Independent City, MD

Hydrogeology of the Cliff House Sandstone in the San Juan structural basin, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thorn, Conde R.; Levings, G.W.; Craigg, S.D.; Dam, W.L.; Kernodle, J.M.

1990-01-01

This report is one in a series resulting from the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) study of the San Juan structural basin that began in October 1984. Previous reports in the series describe the hydrogeology of the Dakota Sandstone (Craigg and others, 1989), Point Lookout Sandstone (Craigg and others, 1990), Morrison Formation (Dam and others, 1990), Gallup Sandstone (Kernodle and others, 1989), and Menefee Formation (Levings and others, 1990) in the San Juan structural basin. The purposes of the RASA (Welder, 1986) are to: (1) Define and evaluate the aquifer system; (2) assess the effects of past, present, and potential ground-water use on aquifers and streams; and (3) determine the availability and quality of ground water. This report summarizes information on the geology and the occurrence and quality of water in the Cliff House Sandstone, one of the primary water-bearing units in the regional aquifer system. Data used in this report were collected during the study or were derived from existing records in the U.S. Geological Survey's computerized National Water Information System (NWIS) data base, the Petroleum Information Corporation's data base, and the Dwight's ENERGYDATA Inc. BRIN data base. Although all data available for the Cliff House Sandstone were considered in formulating the discussions in the text, not all those data could be plotted on the illustrations. The San Juan structural basin is in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah and has an area of about 21,600 square miles (fig. 1). The structural basin is about 140 miles wide and about 200 miles long. The study area is that part of the structural basin that contains rocks of Triassic or younger age and, therefore, is less extensive than the structural basin. Triassic through Tertiary sedimentary rocks are emphasized in this study because the major aquifers in the basin are present in these rocks. The study area is about 140 miles wide (about the same as the

Potentiometric surface and water-level difference maps of selected confined aquifers of Southern Maryland and Maryland's Eastern Shore, 1975-2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtin, Stephen E.; Andreasen, David C.; Staley, Andrew W.

2012-01-01

Groundwater is the principal source of freshwater supply in most of Southern Maryland and Maryland's Eastern Shore. It is also the source of freshwater supply used in the operation of the Calvert Cliffs, Chalk Point, and Morgantown power plants. Increased groundwater withdrawals over the last several decades have caused groundwater levels to decline. This report presents potentiometric surface maps of the Aquia, Magothy, upper Patapsco, lower Patapsco, and Patuxent aquifers using water levels measured during September 2011. Water-level difference maps also are presented for the first four of these aquifers. The water-level differences in the Aquia aquifer are shown using groundwater-level data from 1982 and 2011, whereas the water-level differences in the Magothy aquifer are presented using data from 1975 and 2011. Water-level difference maps in both the upper Patapsco and lower Patapsco aquifers are presented using data from 1990 and 2011. These maps show cones of depression ranging from 25 to 198 feet (ft) below sea level centered on areas of major withdrawals. Water levels have declined by as much as 112 ft in the Aquia aquifer since 1982, 85 ft in the Magothy aquifer since 1975, and 47 and 71 ft in the upper Patapsco and lower Patapsco aquifers, respectively, since 1990.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Olsen, C.R.; Larsen, I.L.; Lowry, P.D.

Radionuclides released into the Susquehanna--Chesapeake System from the Three Mile Island, Peach Bottom, and Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plants are partitioned among dissolved, particulate, and biological phases and may thus exist in a number of physical and chemical forms. In this project, we have measured the dissolved and particulate distributions of fallout /sup 137/Cs; reactor-released /sup 137/Cs, /sup 134/Cs, /sup 65/Zn, /sup 60/Co, and /sup 58/Co; and naturally occurring /sup 7/Be and /sup 210/Pb in the lower Susquehanna River and Upper Chesapeake Bay. In addition, we chemically leached suspended particles and bottom sediments in the laboratory to determine radionuclide partitioningmore » among different particulate-sorbing phases to complement the site-specific field data. This information has been used to document the important geochemical processes that affect the transport, sorption, distribution, and fate of reactor-released radionuclides (and by analogy, other trace contaminants) in this river-estuarine system. Knowledge of the mechanisms, kinetic factors, and processes that affect radionuclide distributions is crucial for predicting their biological availability, toxicity, chemical behavior, physical transport, and accumulation in aquatic systems. The results from this project provide the information necessary for developing accurate radionuclide-transport and biological-uptake models. 76 refs., 12 figs.« less

Unit Testing and Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-04-01

Suzanne Woolf performed the library searches, and Dana Textbooks 14 Hausman spent many hours typing abstracts and annota- tions. Suggested Schedules 14...SE-1, 2 (June 1975), 156-173. Reprinted in [Miller8l a]. Gerhart76 Abstract: This paper examines the theoretical ard Gerhart, Susan L., and Lawrence ...of the Summer School on Corn- Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1981. puter Program Testing Held at SOGESTA, Urbino, This book delves deeply

Preliminary study of the water-temperature regime of the North Santiam River downstream from Detroit and Big Cliff dams, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Laenen, Antonius

1985-01-01

A riverine-temperature model and associated data-collection system were developed to help the Corps of engineers determine cost benefits of selective-withdrawal structures for future use with dams on the Willamette River System. A U.S. Geological Survey Lagrangian reference frame, digital computer model was used to simulate stream temperatures on the North Santiam River downstream of the multipurpose Detroit dam and a reregulating dam (Big Cliff), from river mile 45.6 to 2.9. In simulation, only available air-temperature and windspeed information from a nearby National Weather Service station at Salem, Oregon were used. This preliminary investigation found that the model predicted mean daily temperatures to within 0.4 C standard deviation. Analysis of projected selective-withdrawal scenarios showed that the model has the sensitivity to indicate water-temperature changes 42.7 miles downstream on the North Santiam River. (USGS)

The Invisible Cliff: Abrupt Imposition of Malthusian Equilibrium in a Natural-Fertility, Agrarian Society

PubMed Central

Puleston, Cedric; Tuljapurkar, Shripad; Winterhalder, Bruce

2014-01-01

Analysis of a natural fertility agrarian society with a multi-variate model of population ecology isolates three distinct phases of population growth following settlement of a new habitat: (1) a sometimes lengthy copial phase of surplus food production and constant vital rates; (2) a brief transition phase in which food shortages rapidly cause increased mortality and lessened fertility; and (3) a Malthusian phase of indefinite length in which vital rates and quality of life are depressed, sometimes strikingly so. Copial phase duration declines with increases in the size of the founding group, maximum life expectancy and fertility; it increases with habitat area and yield per hectare; and, it is unaffected by the sensitivity of vital rates to hunger. Transition phase duration is unaffected by size of founding population and area of settlement; it declines with yield, life expectancy, fertility and the sensitivity of vital rates to hunger. We characterize the transition phase as the Malthusian transition interval (MTI), in order to highlight how little time populations generally have to adjust. Under food-limited density dependence, the copial phase passes quickly to an equilibrium of grim Malthusian constraints, in the manner of a runner dashing over an invisible cliff. The three-phase pattern diverges from widely held intuitions based on standard Lotka-Verhulst approaches to population regulation, with implications for the analysis of socio-cultural evolution, agricultural intensification, bioarchaeological interpretation of food stress in prehistoric societies, and state-level collapse. PMID:24498131

75 FR 11228 - Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee March 2010 Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-10

..., 2010. Time: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Location: 8th Floor Boardroom, United States Mint, 801 9th Street, NW... CONTACT: Cliff Northup, United States Mint Liaison to the CCAC; 801 9th Street, NW.; Washington, DC 20220...

76 FR 2754 - Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-14

.... Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Location: 8th Floor Board Room, United States Mint, 801 9th Street, NW... CONTACT: Cliff Northup, United States Mint Liaison to the CCAC; 801 9th Street, NW.; Washington, DC 20220...

75 FR 70363 - Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee; Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-17

.... Time: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Location: 8th Floor Board Room, United States Mint, 801 9th Street, NW... CONTACT: Cliff Northup, United States Mint Liaison to the CCAC; 801 9th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20220...

Think crisis-think female: the glass cliff and contextual variation in the think manager-think male stereotype.

PubMed

Ryan, Michelle K; Haslam, S Alexander; Hersby, Mette D; Bongiorno, Renata

2011-05-01

The "think manager-think male" (TMTM) association underlies many gender inequalities in the workplace. However, research into the "glass cliff" has demonstrated that the suitability of male and female managers varies as a function of company performance such that in times of poor performance people may "think female" (Ryan & Haslam, 2005, 2007). Three studies examined gender and managerial stereotypes in the context of companies that are doing well or doing badly. Study 1 reproduced TMTM associations for descriptions of managers of successful companies but demonstrated a reversal for managers of unsuccessful companies. Study 2 examined the prescriptive nature of these stereotypes. No TMTM relationship was found for ideal managers of successful companies, but ideal managers of unsuccessful companies were associated with the female stereotype. Study 3 suggested that women may be favored in times of poor performance, not because they are expected to improve the situation, but because they are seen to be good people managers and can take the blame for organizational failure. Together, the studies illustrate the importance of context as a moderator of the TMTM association. Practical and theoretical implications for gender discrimination in the workplace are discussed.

Antarctic Mirabilite Mounds as Mars Analogs: The Lewis Cliffs Ice Tongue Revisited

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Socki, Richard A.; Sun, Tao; Niles, Paul B.; Harvey, Ralph P.; Bish, David L.; Tonui, Eric

2012-01-01

It has been proposed, based on geomorphic and geochemical arguments, that subsurface water has played an important role in the history of water on the planet Mars [1]. Subsurface water, if present, could provide a protected and long lived environment for potential life. Discovery of gullies [2] and recurring slopes [3] on Mars suggest the potential for subsurface liquid water or brines. Recent attention has also focused on small (< approx. 1km dia.) mound-like geomorphic features discovered within the mid to high latitudes on the surface of Mars which may be caused by eruptions of subsurface fluids [4, 5]. We have identified massive but highly localized Na-sulfate deposits (mirabilite mounds, Na2SO4 .10H2O) that may be derived from subsurface fluids and may provide insight into the processes associated with subsurface fluids on Mars. The mounds are found on the end moraine of the Lewis Cliffs Ice Tongue (LCIT) [6] in the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica, and are potential terrestrial analogs for mounds observed on the martian surface. The following characteristics distinguish LCIT evaporite mounds from other evaporite mounds found in Antarctic coastal environments and/or the McMurdo Dry Valleys: (1) much greater distance from the open ocean (approx.500 km); (2) higher elevation (approx.2200 meters); and (3) colder average annual temperature (average annual temperature = -30 C for LCIT [7] vs. 20 C at sea level in the McMurdo region [8]. Furthermore, the recent detection of subsurface water ice (inferred as debris-covered glacial ice) by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter [9] supports the use of an Antarctic glacial environment, particularly with respect to the mirabilite deposits described in this work, as an ideal terrestrial analog for understanding the geochemistry associated with near-surface martian processes. S and O isotopic compositions.

Mineralogy and stratigraphy of the Gale crater rim, wall, and floor units

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buz, Jennifer; Ehlmann, Bethany L.; Pan, Lu; Grotzinger, John P.

2017-05-01

The Curiosity rover has detected diverse lithologies in float rocks and sedimentary units on the Gale crater floor, interpreted to have been transported from the rim. To understand their provenance, we examine the mineralogy and geology of Gale's rim, walls, and floor, using high-resolution imagery and infrared spectra. While no significant differences in bedrock spectral properties were observed within most Thermal Emission Imaging System and Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) scenes, some CRISM scenes of rim and wall rocks showed olivine-bearing bedrock accompanied by Fe/Mg phyllosilicates. Hydrated materials with 2.48 μm absorptions in Gale's eastern walls are spectrally similar to the sulfate unit in Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons). Sedimentary strata on the Gale floor southwest of the landing site, likely coeval with the Bradbury units explored by Curiosity, also are hydrated and/or have Fe/Mg phyllosilicates. Spectral properties of these phyllosilicates differ from the Al-substituted nontronite detected by CRISM in Mount Sharp, suggesting formation by fluids of different composition. Geologic mapping of the crater floor shows that the hydrated or hydroxylated materials are typically overlain by spectrally undistinctive, erosionally resistant, cliff-forming units. Additionally, a 4 km impact crater exposes >250 m of the Gale floor, including finely layered units. No basement rocks are exposed, thus indicating sedimentary deposits ≥250 m beneath strata studied by Curiosity. Collectively, the data indicate substantial sedimentary infill of Gale crater, including some materials derived from the crater rim. Lowermost thin layers are consistent with deposition in a lacustrine environment; interbedded hydrated/hydroxylated units may signify changing environmental conditions, perhaps in a drying or episodically dry lake bed.

Children as consumers: advertising and marketing.

PubMed

Calvert, Sandra L

2008-01-01

Marketing and advertising support the U.S. economy by promoting the sale of goods and services to consumers, both adults and children. Sandra Calvert addresses product marketing to children and shows that although marketers have targeted children for decades, two recent trends have increased their interest in child consumers. First, both the discretionary income of children and their power to influence parent purchases have increased over time. Second, as the enormous increase in the number of available television channels has led to smaller audiences for each channel, digital interactive technologies have simultaneously opened new routes to narrow cast to children, thereby creating a growing media space just for children and children's products. Calvert explains that paid advertising to children primarily involves television spots that feature toys and food products, most of which are high in fat and sugar and low in nutritional value. Newer marketing approaches have led to online advertising and to so-called stealth marketing techniques, such as embedding products in the program content in films, online, and in video games. All these marketing strategies, says Calvert, make children younger than eight especially vulnerable because they lack the cognitive skills to understand the persuasive intent of television and online advertisements. The new stealth techniques can also undermine the consumer defenses even of older children and adolescents. Calvert explains that government regulations implemented by the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission provide some protection for children from advertising and marketing practices. Regulators exert more control over content on scarce television airwaves that belong to the public than over content on the more open online spaces. Overall, Calvert concludes, children live and grow up in a highly sophisticated marketing environment that influences their preferences and behaviors.

Knickpoint formation, rapid propagation, and landscape response following coastal cliff retreat at last-interglacial sea-level highstand: Kaua'i, Hawai'i

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamb, Michael; Mackey, Ben; Scheingross, Joel; Farley, Ken

2013-04-01

The propagation of knickpoints through a landscape is recognized as a highly efficient mechanism of channel incision, and exerts a first-order control in communicating changes in base level throughout a landscape. However, few settings allow reconstruction of the long-term rate of knickpoint retreat. Here, we use cosmogenic 3He exposure dating of olivine within basalt to document the retreat rate of a waterfall in Ka'ula'ula Valley, a small catchment on the Na Pali coast of Kaua'i, Hawai'i. We constrained the exposure age of 18 features (in-channel boulders, stable boulders on terraces, and in-channel bedrock) along the length of the channel that allow us to discriminate between models of knickpoint propagation. Cosmogenic exposure ages are oldest near the coast (120 ka) and systematically decrease with upstream distance towards the waterfall (<10 ka). Upstream of the knickpoint, cosmogenic ages are approximately constant (10-20 ka). This data indicates that the waterfall has migrated 4 km up valley over the past 120 ka at an average rate of 33 mm/yr. Steady-state vertical erosion appears to dominate upstream of the waterfall, where the channel has incised ~100 m into the original surface of the shield volcano. Our results indicate the lateral rate of knickpoint retreat exceeds rates of vertical channel incision by three orders of magnitude, and that knickpoints may be the primary driver of relief generation in Hawaiian catchments. Submarine landslides have been proposed as the cause of knickpoints in Kaua'i streams; however, the bathymetry off the northwest Kaua'i coast lacks evidence for large submarine flank collapse. Alternatively, we propose substantial cliff erosion during the last interglacial sea-level highstand generated a waterfall at the coast, which has subsequently propagated inland. Superimposing Kaua'i's subsidence history and Pleistocene sea level fluctuations indicate that the only time waves could have eroded cliffs at Ka'ula'ula Valley's entrance

Map Showing Seacliff Response to Climatic and Seismic Events, Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hapke, Cheryl J.; Richmond, Bruce M.; D'Iorio, Mimi M.

2002-01-01

the type or style of slope failure. Seabright Beach extends 0.9 km from San Lorenzo Point on the west to the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor on the east. The cliffs at Seabright Beach are completely protected from wave attack by a wide beach. The protective beach is a relatively recent feature that formed after the emplacement of the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor jetty in 1963-1964. Prior to the completion of the jetty, the cliffs at Seabright Beach were subject to daily wave attack. The data in this study are post-jetty construction; therefore, the sea cliff failures and cliff retreat are the result of nonmarine processes (rainfall, groundwater and seismic shaking). The 8 to 15 m high cliffs at Seabright Beach are composed of the Miocene to Pliocene Purisima Formation, which is overlain by unconsolidated Pleistocene terrace deposits. The relative thickness of these units varies along the length of the cliff. At the west end of Seabright Beach, including San Lorenzo Point, nearly the entire cliff section is composed of Purisima Formation and is capped by less than 2 m of terrace deposits. In this exposure, the Purisima Formation is a moderately weathered, moderately indurated massive sandstone. The height of the cliffs and the thickness of the Purisima Formation decrease to the east. In the cliffs immediately adjacent to the harbor, the entire exposure is composed of terrace deposits. Toe-slope debris and wind-blown sand form a nearly continuous fan along the cliff base that obscure the lower portion of the cliff. This study documents the impacts of earthquakes and large storms to the sea cliffs in the Seabright Beach section. The first event is the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, a M7.1 earthquake that caused widespread damage to the area stretching from Santa Cruz to the San Francisco Bay. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, approximately 9 km inland from the coast. Extensive block and debris falls, induced by the seismic shaking, occ

Rock cliffs hazard analysis based on remote geostructural surveys: The Campione del Garda case study (Lake Garda, Northern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrero, A. M.; Migliazza, M.; Roncella, R.; Segalini, A.

2011-02-01

The town of Campione del Garda (located on the west coast of Lake Garda) and its access road have been historically subject to rockfall phenomena with risk for public security in several areas of the coast. This paper presents a study devoted to the determination of risk for coastal cliffs and the design of mitigation measures. Our study was based on statistical rockfall analysis performed with a commercial code and on stability analysis of rock slopes based on the key block method. Hazard from block kinematics and rock-slope failure are coupled by applying the Rockfall Hazard Assessment Procedure (RHAP). Because of the huge dimensions of the slope, its morphology and the geostructural survey were particularly complicated and demanding. For these reasons, noncontact measurement methods, based on aerial photogrammetry by helicopter, were adopted. A special software program, developed by the authors, was applied for discontinuity identification and for their orientation measurements. The potentially of aerial photogrammetic survey in rock mechanic application and its improvement in the rock mass knowledge is analysed in the article.

Population genetics of self-incompatibility in a clade of relict cliff-dwelling plant species

PubMed Central

Silva, Jose L.; Brennan, Adrian C.; Mejías, José A.

2016-01-01

The mating systems of species in small or fragmented populations impact upon their persistence. Small self-incompatible (SI) populations risk losing S allele diversity, responsible for the SI response, by drift thereby limiting mate availability and leading to population decline or SI system breakdown. But populations of relict and/or endemic species have resisted these demographic conditions over long periods suggesting their mating systems have adapted. To address a lack of empirical data on this topic, we studied the SI systems of three relict cliff-dwelling species of Sonchus section Pustulati (Asteraceae): S. masguindalii, S. fragilis and S. pustulatus in the western Mediterranean region. We performed controlled pollinations within and between individuals to measure index of SI (ISI) expression and identify S alleles in multiple population samples. Sonchus masguindalii and S. pustulatus showed strong SI (ISI = 0.6–1.0) compared to S. fragilis (ISI = 0.1–0.7). Just five S alleles were estimated for Spanish S. pustulatus and a moderate 11-15 S alleles for Moroccan S. pustulatus and S. fragilis, respectively. The fact that autonomous fruit set was generally improved by active self-pollination in self-compatible S. fragilis suggests that individuals with weak SI can show a wide range of outcrossing levels dependent on the degree of self or outcross pollen that pollinators bear. We conclude that frequent S allele dominance interactions that mask the incompatibility interactions of recessive S alleles leading to higher mate availability and partial breakdown of SI leading to mixed mating, both contribute to reproductive resilience in this group. PMID:27154621

Map showing outcrop of the coal-bearing units and land use in the Gulf Coast region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warwick, Peter D.; SanFilipo, John R.; Crowley, Sharon S.; Thomas, Roger E.; Freid, John; Tully, John K.

1997-01-01

Rouge, Louisiana. The correlation of map units and formation names generally follow Galloway and others (1991). We have placed the Paleocene-Eocene boundary in the middle of the Calvert Bluff Formation in Texas based on unpublished pollen biostratigraphy reports (N.O. Fredericksen, unpublished data, 1993; D.J. Nichols, unpublished data, 1996).

High frequency seismic monitoring of debris flows at Chalk Cliffs (CO), USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coviello, Velio; Kean, Jason; Smith, Joel; Coe, Jeffrey; Arattano, Massimo; McCoy, Scott

2015-04-01

A growing number of studies adopt passive seismic monitoring techniques to investigate slope instabilities and landslide processes. These techniques are attractive and convenient because large areas can be monitored from a safe distance. This is particularly true when the phenomena under investigation are rapid and infrequent mass movements like debris flows. Different types of devices are used to monitor debris flow processes, but among them ground vibration detectors (GVDs) present several, specific advantages that encourage their use. These advantages include: (i) the possibility to be installed outside the channel bed, (ii) the high adaptability to different and harsh field conditions, and (iii) the capability to detect the debris flow front arrival tens of seconds earlier than contact and stage sensors. Ground vibration data can provide relevant information on the dynamics of debris flows such as timing and velocity of the main surges. However, the processing of the raw seismic signal is usually needed, both to obtain a more effective representation of waveforms and to decrease the amount of data that need to be recorded and analyzed. With this objective, the methods of Amplitude and Impulses are commonly adopted to transform the raw signal to a 1-Hz signal that allows for a more useful representation of the phenomenon. In that way, peaks and other features become more visible and comparable with data obtained from other monitoring devices. In this work, we present the first debris flows seismic recordings gathered in the Chalk Cliffs instrumented basin, central Colorado, USA. In May 2014, two 4.5-Hz, three-axial geophones were installed in the upper part of the catchment. Seismic data are sampled at 333 Hz and then recorded by a standalone recording unit. One geophone is directly installed on bedrock, the other one mounted on a 1-m boulder partially buried in colluvium. This latter sensor integrates a heavily instrumented cross-section consisting of a 225 cm2

Fine-Grained Rims in the Allan Hills 81002 and Lewis Cliff 90500 CM2 Meteorites: Their Origin and Modification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hua, X.; Wang, J.; Buseck, P. R.

2002-01-01

Antarctic CM meteorites Allan Hills (ALH) 8 1002 and Lewis Cliff (LEW) 90500 contain abundant fine-grained rims (FGRs) that surround a variety of coarse-grained objects. FGRs from both meteorites have similar compositions and petrographic features, independent of their enclosed objects. The FGRs are chemically homogeneous at the 10 m scale for major and minor elements and at the 25 m scale for trace elements. They display accretionary features and contain large amounts of volatiles, presumably water. They are depleted in Ca, Mn, and S but enriched in P. All FGRs show a slightly fractionated rare earth element (REE) pattern, with enrichments of Gd and Yb and depletion of Er. Gd is twice as abundant as Er. Our results indicate that those FGRs are not genetically related to their enclosed cores. They were sampled from a reservoir of homogeneously mixed dust, prior to accretion to their parent body. The rim materials subsequently experienced aqueous alteration under identical conditions. Based on their mineral, textural, and especially chemical similarities, we conclude that ALH 8 1002 and LEW 90500 likely have a similar or identical source.

Lithofacies control of lignite distribution and ground-water quality, Wilcox group (Eocene), east-central Texas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ayers, W.B. Jr.; Lewis, A.H.

1984-04-01

Deep lignite resources (200-2000 ft; 61-610 m) were evaluated regionally using 1470 geophysical well logs to interpret lithofacies, lignite occurrence, and resistivity (water quality). The regional distribution of lithofacies indicates that in the region, the Wilcox Group is a fluvial-deltaic system. The primary fluvial system entered the Wilcox coastal plain west of Waco, Texas, trended southeast, and supplied a 75-mi (120-km) wide fluvial-deltaic system comparable in size to the Mississippi system. Lignites are most abundant in the Calvert Bluff Formation (upper Wilcox). Lower Calvert Bluff lignites are thickest and most extensive southwest of the Navasota River, whereas those of themore » upper Calvert Bluff are thickest northeast of the Brazos River. In the shallow subsurface, Calvert Bluff lignites are found in dip-elongate low-sand areas (flood plains) between channel-sand belts. Basinward, laterally continuous lignites coincide with high net sand areas comprise of distributary channel sands indicative of a delta-plain setting. The wilcox Group is a major aquifer. Maps of resistivity values show that Wilcox channel sands are conduits for ground-water flow. High values of formation resistivity (low total dissolved solids) exist in recharge areas at outcrop and around salt domes. Elongate trends of high resistivity values extend tens of miles basinward and coincide with axes of major sands. Resistivity values decrease basinward and the 20 ohm-m contour delineates the downdip limit of fresh water. Lithofacies and lignite occurrence maps are guides to exploration for deep lignite. Resistivity maps can be used to explore for ground-water resources.« less

Identification of potential rockfall source areas at a regional scale using a DEM-based geomorphometric analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loye, A.; Jaboyedoff, M.; Pedrazzini, A.

2009-10-01

The availability of high resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEM) at a regional scale enables the analysis of topography with high levels of detail. Hence, a DEM-based geomorphometric approach becomes more accurate for detecting potential rockfall sources. Potential rockfall source areas are identified according to the slope angle distribution deduced from high resolution DEM crossed with other information extracted from geological and topographic maps in GIS format. The slope angle distribution can be decomposed in several Gaussian distributions that can be considered as characteristic of morphological units: rock cliffs, steep slopes, footslopes and plains. A terrain is considered as potential rockfall sources when their slope angles lie over an angle threshold, which is defined where the Gaussian distribution of the morphological unit "Rock cliffs" become dominant over the one of "Steep slopes". In addition to this analysis, the cliff outcrops indicated by the topographic maps were added. They contain however "flat areas", so that only the slope angles values above the mode of the Gaussian distribution of the morphological unit "Steep slopes" were considered. An application of this method is presented over the entire Canton of Vaud (3200 km2), Switzerland. The results were compared with rockfall sources observed on the field and orthophotos analysis in order to validate the method. Finally, the influence of the cell size of the DEM is inspected by applying the methodology over six different DEM resolutions.

Geology of Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frank, E.F.; Wicks, Carol M.; Mylroie, J.; Troester, J.; Alexander, E.C.; Carew, J.L.

1998-01-01

Isla de Mona is a carbonate island located in the Mona Passage 68 km west of Puerto Rico. The tectonically uplifted island is 12 km by 5 km, with an area of 55 km2, and forms a raised flat-topped platform or meseta. The meseta tilts gently to the south and is bounded by near vertical cliffs on all sides. These cliffs rise from 80 m above sea level on the north to 20 m above the sea on the southern coast. Along the southwestern and western side of the island a three- to six-meter-high Pleistocene fossil reef abuts the base of the cliff to form a narrow coastal plain. The meseta itself consists of two Mio-Pliocene carbonate units, the lower Isla de Mona Dolomite and the upper Lirio Limestone. Numerous karst features, including a series of flank margin caves primarily developed at the Lirio Limestone/Isla de Mona Dolomite contact, literally ring the periphery of the island.

The Role of Source Material in Basin Sedimentation, as Illustrated within Eureka Valley, Death Valley National Park, CA.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawson, M. J.; Yin, A.; Rhodes, E. J.

2015-12-01

Steep landscapes are known to provide sediment to sink regions, but often petrological factors can dominate basin sedimentation. Within Eureka Valley, in northwestern Death Valley National Park, normal faulting has exposed a steep cliff face on the western margin of the Last Chance range with four kilometers of vertical relief from the valley floor and an angle of repose of nearly 38 degrees. The cliff face is composed of Cambrian limestone and dolomite, including the Bonanza King, Carrara and Wood Canyon formations. Interacting with local normal faulting, these units preferentially break off the cliff face in coherent blocks, which result in landslide deposits rather than as finer grained material found within the basin. The valley is well known for a large sand dune, which derives its sediment from distal sources to the north, instead of from the adjacent Last Chance Range cliff face. During the Holocene, sediment is sourced primary from the northerly Willow Wash and Cucomungo canyon, a relatively small drainage (less than 80 km2) within the Sylvan Mountains. Within this drainage, the Jurassic quartz monzonite of Beer Creek is heavily fractured due to motion of the Fish Valley Lake - Death Valley fault zone. Thus, the quartz monzonite is more easily eroded than the well-consolidated limestone and dolomite that forms the Last Change Range cliff face. As well, the resultant eroded material is smaller grained, and thus more easily transported than the limestone. Consequently, this work highlights an excellent example of the strong influence that source material can have on basin sedimentation.

75 FR 28630 - Maryland; Major Disaster and Related Determinations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-21

..., Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George's, Queen Anne's, Saint Mary's, Talbot, Washington, and Wicomico..., Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Montgomery, Prince George's...

Modeling granular material flows: The angle of repose, fluidization and the cliff collapse problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holsapple, Keith A.

2013-07-01

I discuss theories of granular material flows, with application to granular flows on the earth and planets. There are two goals. First, there is a lingering belief of some that the standard continuum plasticity Mohr-Coulomb and/or Drucker-Prager models are not adequate for many large-scale granular flow problems. The stated reason for those beliefs is the fact that the final slopes of the run-outs in collapse, landslide problems, and large-scale cratering are well below the angle of repose of the material. That observation, combined with the supposition that in those models flow cannot occur with slopes less than the angle of repose, has led to a number of researchers suggesting a need for lubrication or fluidization mechanisms and modeling. That issue is investigated in detail and shown to be false. A complete analysis of slope failures according to the Mohr-Coulomb model is presented, with special attention to the relations between the angle of repose and slope failures. It is shown that slope failure can occur for slope angles both larger than and smaller than the angle of repose. Second, to study the details of landslide run-outs, finite-difference continuum code simulations of the prototypical cliff collapse problem, using the classical plasticity models, are presented, analyzed and compared to experiments. Although devoid of any additional fluidization models, those simulations match experiments in the literature extremely well. The dynamics of this problem introduces additional important features relating to the run-out and final slope angles. The vertical free surface begins to fall at the initial 90° and flow continues to a final slope less than 10°. The detail in the calculation is examined to show why flow persists at slope angles that appear to be less than the angle of repose. The motions include regions of solid-like, fluid-like, and gas-like flows without invoking any additional models.

78 FR 71643 - Certain Wireless Consumer Electronics Devices and Components Thereof; Commission Determination To...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-29

... Electronics Devices and Components Thereof; Commission Determination To Review in Part A Final Initial... sale within the United States after importation of certain wireless consumer electronics devices and... Electronics, Inc. of Seoul, Korea and LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc. of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey...

MICROBIAL ECOLOGY OF POLLUTION ABATEMENT

EPA Science Inventory

My career started with Cliff Dahm at the University of New Mexico. The western United States had been experiencing a new “gold rush” using cyanide to mine previously unextractable, low-grade ore and we studied the potential to stimulate native cyanide-degrading micro...

1. Historic American Buildings Survey E. H. Pickering, photographer September ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Historic American Buildings Survey E. H. Pickering, photographer September 1936 EXTERIOR VIEW - St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church, Calvert & Pleasant Streets, Baltimore, Independent City, MD

Influence of habitat heterogeneity on distribution, occupancy patterns, and productivity of breeding peregrine falcons in central west Greenland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wightman, C.; Fuller, Mark R.

2006-01-01

We used occupancy and productivity data collected at 67 cliffs used for nesting from 1972 to 1999 to assess patterns of distribution and nest-site selection in an increasing population of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) in central West Greenland. Peregrine Falcons breeding at traditionally occupied cliffs used for nesting had significantly lower variation in productivity and thus these cliffs were better quality sites. This indicates that Peregrine Falcons occupied cliffs according to a pattern of despotic distribution. Falcons breeding at cliffs that were consistently occupied during the breeding season had higher average productivity and lower variation in productivity than falcons at inconsistently occupied cliffs, and thus consistent occupancy also was indicative of cliff quality. Features of high quality habitat included tall cliffs, greater change in elevation from the lowest point within 3 km of the cliff to the cliff top (elevation gain), and protection from weather on the eyrie ledge. Spacing of suitable and occupied cliffs also was an important feature, and the best cliffs generally were more isolated. Increased spacing was likely a mechanism for reducing intraspecific competition. Our results suggest that Peregrine Falcons use a resource defense strategy to compete for better quality habitats and may use spacing and physical features of a nest site to identify good quality breeding habitat.

Influence of habitat heterogeneity on distribution, occupancy patterns, and productivity of breeding peregrine falcons in central West Greenland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wightman, C.S.; Fuller, M.R.

2006-01-01

We used occupancy and productivity data collected at 67 cliffs used for nesting from 1972 to 1999 to assess patterns of distribution and nest-site selection in an increasing population of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) in central West Greenland. Peregrine Falcons breeding at traditionally occupied cliffs used for nesting had significantly lower variation in productivity and thus these cliffs were better quality sites. This indicates that Peregrine Falcons occupied cliffs according to a pattern of despotic distribution. Falcons breeding at cliffs that were consistently occupied during the breeding season had higher average productivity and lower variation in productivity than falcons at inconsistently occupied cliffs, and thus consistent occupancy also was indicative of cliff quality. Features of high quality habitat included tall cliffs, greater change in elevation from the lowest point within 3 km of the cliff to the cliff top (elevation gain), and protection from weather on the eyrie ledge. Spacing of suitable and occupied cliffs also was an important feature, and the best cliffs generally were more isolated. Increased spacing was likely a mechanism for reducing intraspecific competition. Our results suggest that Peregrine Falcons use a resource defense strategy to compete for better quality habitats and may use spacing and physical features of a nest site to identify good quality breeding habitat. ?? The Cooper Ornithological Society 2006.

76 FR 32857 - Great Outdoors Month, 2011

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-07

... Outdoors Month, 2011 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation For generations... through stone-faced cliffs. During Great Outdoors Month, we rededicate ourselves to experiencing and... natural heritage. This month, let each of us resolve to protect our great outdoors; discover their wonders...

75 FR 23670 - Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Countervailing Duty Order

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-04

... Calvert or Jun Jack Zhao, AD/CVD Operations, Office 6, Import Administration, International Trade..., convenience, department, specialty retail, discount stores, and restaurants to their customers to package and...

Petrology and geochemistry of Patuxent Range 91501, a clast-poor impact-melt from the L chondrite parent body, and Lewis Cliff 88663, an L7 chondrite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mittlefehldt, David W.; Lindstrom, Marilyn M.

2001-03-01

We have performed petrologic and geochemical studies of Patuxent Range 91501 and Lewis Cliff 88663. PAT 91501, originally classified as an L7 chondrite, is rather a unique, near total impact-melt from the L chondrite parent body. Lewis Cliff 88663 was originally classified as an "achondrite (?)," but we find that it is a very weakly shocked L7 chondrite. PAT 91501 is an unshocked, homogeneous, igneous-textured ultramafic rock composed of euhedral to subhedral olivine, low-Ca pyroxene, augite and chrome-rich spinels with interstitial albitic plagioclase and minor silica-alumina-alkali-rich glass. Only ~10% relict chondritic material is present. Olivine grains are homogeneous (Fa25.2-26.8). Low-Ca pyroxene (Wo1.9-7.2En71.9-78.2Fs19.9-20.9) and augite (Wo29.8-39.0En49.2-55.3Fs11.8-14.9) display a strong linear TiO2-Al2O3 correlations resulting from igneous fractionation. Plagioclase is variable in composition; Or3.0-7.7Ab79.8-84.1An8.2-17.2. Chrome-rich spinels are variable in composition and zoned from Cr-rich cores to Ti-Al-rich rims. Some have evolved compositions with up to 7.9 wt% TiO2. PAT 91501 bulk silicate has an L chondrite lithophile element composition except for depletions in Zn and Br. Siderophile and chalcophile elements are highly depleted due to sequestration in cm-size metal-troilite nodules. The minerals in LEW 88663 are more uniform in composition than those in PAT 91501. Olivine grains have low CaO and Cr2O3 contents similar to those in L5-6 chondrites. Pyroxenes have high TiO2 contents with only a diffuse TiO2-Al2O3 correlations. Low-Ca pyroxenes are less calcic (Wo1.6-3.1En76.5-77.0Fs20.4-21.4), while augites (Wo39.5-45.6En46.8-51.1Fs7.6-9.4) and plagioclases (Or2.6-5.7Ab74.1-83.1An11.2-23.3) are more calcic. Spinels are homogeneous and compositionally similar to those in L6 chondrites. LEW 88663 has an L chondrite bulk composition for lithophile elements, and only slight depletions in siderophile and chalcophile elements that are plausibly due

Two cases of contact dermatitis resulting from use of body wash as a skin moisturizer.

PubMed

Miller, Michael A; Borys, Doug; Riggins, Michele; Masneri, David C; Levsky, Marc E

2008-02-01

The use of liquid skin cleanser or body wash has become common in the United States. We report 2 cases of contact dermatitis secondary to the application of Dove Body Wash (Unilever US, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ) with the consumer misconception that the product was a skin moisturizing cream.

36 CFR 261.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... beneath the surface of the earth or within a cliff or ledge and which is large enough to permit a person... of the United States, national forest lands and waters acquired through purchase, exchange, donation... General Prohibitions § 261.2 Definitions. The following definitions apply to this part: Administrative...

The Online Learning Imperative: A Solution to Three Looming Crises in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wise, Bob

2010-01-01

Currently, K-12 education in the United States is dealing with three major challenges: (1) global skill demands versus educational attainment; (2) the funding cliff; and (3) a looming teacher shortage. Independently, these factors present significant challenges. In combination, they create a national imperative for swift action to create a more…

Oyster shell conveyor used to lift shells from the dock ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Oyster shell conveyor used to lift shells from the dock into the receiving room housed in the 1965 concrete block addition. - J.C. Lore Oyster House, 14430 Solomons Island Road, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Calvert City Power Combustion Turbine Facility

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.

Measurement of historical cliff-top changes and estimation of future trends using GIS data between Bridlington and Hornsea - Holderness Coast (UK)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castedo, Ricardo; de la Vega-Panizo, Rogelio; Fernández-Hernández, Marta; Paredes, Carlos

2015-02-01

A key requirement for effective coastal zone management is good knowledge of historical rates of change and the ability to predict future shoreline evolution, especially for rapidly eroding areas. Historical shoreline recession analysis was used for the prediction of future cliff shoreline positions along a section of 9 km between Bridlington and Hornsea, on the northern area of the Holderness Coast, UK. The analysis was based on historical maps and aerial photographs dating from 1852 to 2011 using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) 4.3, extension of ESRI's ArcInfo 10.×. The prediction of future shorelines was performed for the next 40 years using a variety of techniques, ranging from extrapolation from historical data, geometric approaches like the historical trend analysis, to a process-response numerical model that incorporates physically-based equations and geotechnical stability analysis. With climate change and sea-level rise implying that historical rates of change may not be a reliable guide for the future, enhanced visualization of the evolving coastline has the potential to improve awareness of these changing conditions. Following the IPCC, 2013 report, two sea-level rise rates, 2 mm/yr and 6 mm/yr, have been used to estimate future shoreline conditions. This study illustrated that good predictive models, once their limitations are estimated or at least defined, are available for use by managers, planners, engineers, scientists and the public to make better decisions regarding coastal management, development, and erosion-control strategies.

Environmental Inventory: Little South Fork Cumberland River.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-01

coal and clay shale. The contact between the Mississippian strata (Pennington Formation ) and...these formations include the Barren Fork coal bed and the Stearns coal zone. In addition to these there are several unnamed coal beds. Number and...Cindy Cliff, Coal Cliff, Sand Cliff and Balls Cliff are being mined by the Greenwood Land and Mining Company of Somerset and Parkers Lake, Kentucky

ADMINISTRATIVE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AND ORDER ON CONSENT FOR REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION/FEASIBILITY STUDY, B.F. GOODRICH. CERCLA DOCKET NO. 04-2010-3761.

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

legal agreement about the B. F. Goodrich Superfund Site Calvert City, Marshall County, Kentucky between EPA and Goodrich Corporation, PolyOne Corporation, and Westlake Vinyls, Inc. Region ID: 04 DocID: 10453129, DocDate: 12-09-2009

Industrial Relations in Canada: Contemporary Comparisons and Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blyton, Paul; Goodman, John, Eds.

1990-01-01

Includes "Canadian Industrial Relations: An Introductory Overview" (Blyton, Goodman); "Overview of Canadian Labour Law" (Miller); "Industrial Conflict and Resolution in Canada and Britain" (Haiven); "Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector in Canada" (Calvert); "Canadian Automobile Industry: Work…

Observations of debris flows at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA: Part 2, changes in surface morphometry from terrestrial laser scanning in the summer of 2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Staley, Dennis M.; Wasklewicz, Thad A.; Coe, Jeffrey A.; Kean, Jason W.; McCoy, Scott W.; Tucker, Greg E.

2011-01-01

High resolution topographic data that quantify changes in channel form caused by sequential debris flows in natural channels are rare at the reach scale. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) techniques are utilized to capture morphological changes brought about by a high-frequency of debris-flow events at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the topographic response of a natural channel to the documented debris-flow events. TLS survey data allowed for the generation of high-resolution (2-cm) digital terrain models (DTM) of the channel. A robust network of twelve permanent control points permitted repeat scanning sessions that provided multiple DTM to evaluate fine-scale topographic change associated with three debris-flow events. Difference surfaces from the DTM permit the interpretations of spatial variations in channel morphometry and net volume of material deposited and eroded within and between a series of channel reaches. Each channel reach experienced erosion, deposition, and both net volumetric gains and losses were measured. Analysis of potential relationships between erosion and deposition magnitudes yielded no strong correlations with measures of channel-reach morphometry, suggesting that channel reach-specific predictions of potential erosion or deposition locations or rates cannot be adequately derived from statistical analyses of pre-event channel-reach morphometry.

DETAIL OF SPARE CONICAL CRUSHER AND GRINDING BURR WHEELS REMOVED ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

DETAIL OF SPARE CONICAL CRUSHER AND GRINDING BURR WHEELS REMOVED FROM THE MILLING MACHINE. - F. & H. Benning Company Oyster Mill, 14430 Solomons Island Road (moved from 1014 Benning Road, Galesville, Anne Arundel County, Maryland), Solomons, Calvert County, MD

23. VIEW SHOWING FORECASTLE BULKHEAD, MAST STEP, AND FORWARD END ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

23. VIEW SHOWING FORECASTLE BULKHEAD, MAST STEP, AND FORWARD END OF HATCH COAMING; LETTERING INSCRIBED IN DECK BEAM READS: 'TO NS 25 54/100No. 141457' - Bugeye "Louise Travers", Intersection of Routes 2 & 4, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Interior of main shucking room. The castiron pot belly stove ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Interior of main shucking room. The cast-iron pot belly stove at center heated the room. Note the concrete tables and shucking stands lining the walls. - J.C. Lore Oyster House, 14430 Solomons Island Road, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

6. VIEW OF BOW OF VESSEL FROM STARBOARD SIDE, SHOWING ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

6. VIEW OF BOW OF VESSEL FROM STARBOARD SIDE, SHOWING DOCKING CREW PREPARING TO REMOVE FOREFOOT FROM VESSEL'S STEM IN ORDER TO DRAW VESSEL OFF LIFT DOCK - Bugeye "Louise Travers", Intersection of Routes 2 & 4, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Surficial Geologic Map of Mesa Verde National Park, Montezuma County, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carrara, Paul E.

2012-01-01

Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado was established in 1906 to preserve and protect the artifacts and dwelling sites, including the famous cliff dwellings, of the Ancestral Puebloan people who lived in the area from about A.D. 550 to A.D. 1300. In 1978, the United Nations designated the park as a World Heritage Site. The geology of the park played a key role in the lives of these ancient people. For example, the numerous (approximately 600) cliff dwellings are closely associated with the Cliff House Sandstone of Late Cretaceous age, which weathers to form deep alcoves. In addition, the ancient people farmed the thick, red loess (wind-blown dust) deposits on the mesa tops, which because of its particle size distribution has good moisture retention properties. The soil in this loess cover and the seasonal rains allowed these people to grow their crops (corn, beans, and squash) on the broad mesa tops. Today, geology is still an important concern in the Mesa Verde area because the landscape is susceptible to various forms of mass movement (landslides, debris flows, rockfalls), swelling soils, and flash floods that affect the park's archeological sites and its infrastructure (roads, septic systems, utilities, and building sites). The map, which encompasses an area of about 100 mi2 (260 km2), includes all of Mesa Verde National Park, a small part of the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation that borders the park on its southern and western sides, and some Bureau of Land Management and privately owned land to the north and east. Surficial deposits depicted on the map include: artificial fills, alluvium of small ephemeral streams, alluvium deposited by the Mancos River, residual gravel on high mesas, a combination of alluvial and colluvial deposits, fan deposits, colluvial deposits derived from the Menefee Formation, colluvial deposits derived from the Mancos Shale, rockfall deposits, debris flow deposits, earthflow deposits, translational and rotational landslide

Holocene debris flows on the Colorado Plateau: The influence of clay mineralogy and chemistry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Webb, R.H.; Griffiths, P.G.; Rudd, L.P.

2008-01-01

Holocene debris flows do not occur uniformly on the Colorado Plateau province of North America. Debris flows occur in specific areas of the plateau, resulting in general from the combination of steep topography, intense convective precipitation, abundant poorly sorted material not stabilized by vegetation, and the exposure of certain fine-grained bedrock units in cliffs or in colluvium beneath those cliffs. In Grand and Cataract Canyons, fine-grained bedrock that produces debris flows contains primarily single-layer clays - notably illite and kaolinite - and has low multilayer clay content. This clay-mineral suite also occurs in the colluvium that produces debris flows as well as in debris-flow deposits, although unconsolidated deposits have less illite than the source bedrock. We investigate the relation between the clay mineralogy and major-cation chemistry of fine-grained bedrock units and the occurrence of debris flows on the entire Colorado Plateau. We determined that 85 mapped fine-grained bedrock units potentially could produce debris flows, and we analyzed clay mineralogy and major-cation concentration of 52 of the most widely distributed units, particularly those exposed in steep topography. Fine-grained bedrock units that produce debris flows contained an average of 71% kaolinite and illite and 5% montmorillonite and have a higher concentration of potassium and magnesium than nonproducing units, which have an average of 51% montmorillonite and a higher concentration of sodium. We used multivariate statistics to discriminate fine-grained bedrock units with the potential to produce debris flows, and we used digital-elevation models and mapped distribution of debris-flow producing units to derive a map that predicts potential occurrence of Holocene debris flows on the Colorado Plateau. ?? 2008 Geological Society of America.

Rockslide susceptibility and hazard assessment for mitigation works design along vertical rocky cliffs: workflow proposal based on a real case-study conducted in Sacco (Campania), Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pignalosa, Antonio; Di Crescenzo, Giuseppe; Marino, Ermanno; Terracciano, Rosario; Santo, Antonio

2015-04-01

The work here presented concerns a case study in which a complete multidisciplinary workflow has been applied for an extensive assessment of the rockslide susceptibility and hazard in a common scenario such as a vertical and fractured rocky cliffs. The studied area is located in a high-relief zone in Southern Italy (Sacco, Salerno, Campania), characterized by wide vertical rocky cliffs formed by tectonized thick successions of shallow-water limestones. The study concerned the following phases: a) topographic surveying integrating of 3d laser scanning, photogrammetry and GNSS; b) gelogical surveying, characterization of single instabilities and geomecanichal surveying, conducted by geologists rock climbers; c) processing of 3d data and reconstruction of high resolution geometrical models; d) structural and geomechanical analyses; e) data filing in a GIS-based spatial database; f) geo-statistical and spatial analyses and mapping of the whole set of data; g) 3D rockfall analysis; The main goals of the study have been a) to set-up an investigation method to achieve a complete and thorough characterization of the slope stability conditions and b) to provide a detailed base for an accurate definition of the reinforcement and mitigation systems. For this purposes the most up-to-date methods of field surveying, remote sensing, 3d modelling and geospatial data analysis have been integrated in a systematic workflow, accounting of the economic sustainability of the whole project. A novel integrated approach have been applied both fusing deterministic and statistical surveying methods. This approach enabled to deal with the wide extension of the studied area (near to 200.000 m2), without compromising an high accuracy of the results. The deterministic phase, based on a field characterization of single instabilities and their further analyses on 3d models, has been applied for delineating the peculiarity of each single feature. The statistical approach, based on geostructural

High genetic diversity and insignificant interspecific differentiation in Opisthopappus Shih, an endangered cliff genus endemic to the Taihang Mountains of China.

PubMed

Guo, Rongmin; Zhou, Lihua; Zhao, Hongbo; Chen, Fadi

2013-01-01

Opisthopappus Shih is endemic to the Taihang Mountains, China. It grows in the crevice of cliffs and is in fragmented distribution. This genus consists of two species, namely, O. taihangensis (Ling) Shih and O. longilobus Shih, which are both endangered plants in China. This study adopted intersimple sequence repeat markers (ISSR) to analyze the genetic diversity and genetic structure from different levels (genus, species, and population) in this genus. A total of 253 loci were obtained from 27 primers, 230 of which were polymorphic loci with a proportion of polymorphic bands (PPB) of up to 90.91% at genus level. At species level, both O. taihangensis (PPB = 90.12%, H = 0.1842, and I = 0.289) and O. longilobus (PPB = 95.21%, H = 0.2226, and I = 0.3542) have high genetic diversity. Their respective genetic variation mostly existed within the population. And genetic variation in O. longilobus (84.95%) was higher than that in O. taihangensis (80.45%). A certain genetic differentiation among populations in O. taihangensis was found (G(st) = 0.2740, Φ(st) = 0.196) and genetic differentiation in O. longilobus was very small (G(st) = 0.1034, Φ(st) = 0.151). Gene flow in different degrees (N(m) = 1.325 and 4.336, resp.) and mating system can form the existing genetic structures of these two species. Furthermore, genetic differentiation coefficient (G(st) = 0.0453) between species and the clustering result based on the genetic distance showed that interspecific differentiation between O. taihangensis and O. longilobus was not significant and could occur lately.

Honeycomb development on Alexander Island, glacial history of George VI Sound and palaeoclimatic implications (Two Step Cliffs/Mars Oasis, W Antarctica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

André, Marie-Françoise; Hall, Kevin

2005-02-01

Analysis of three generations of glacial deposits and of a range of geomorphic features including widespread honeycombs and tafonis at Two Step Cliffs/Mars Oasis (71°52‧S, 68°15‧W) provides new insights into the geomorphological evolution of West Antarctica, with special respect to alveolar weathering. At Two Step Terrace, indicators of the inherited character of cavernous weathering were found, such as 97% non-flaking and varnished backwalls, and 80% tafoni floors that are till-covered and/or sealed by lithobiontic coatings. Based on the NE predominant aspect of the alveolized boulder faces, tafoni initiation is attributed to coastal salt spray weathering by halite coming from the George VI Sound during the 6.5 ka BP open water period. The present-day activity of these inherited cavities is restricted to roof flaking attributed to a combination of processes involving thermal stresses. This 6.5 ka BP phase of coastal alveolization is the first step of a six-stage Holocene geomorphological scenario that includes alternatively phases of glacial advance or stationing, and phases of vegetal colonization and/or rock weathering and aeolian abrasion on the deglaciated outcrops. This geomorphic scenario is tentatively correlated with the available palaeoenvironmental record in the Antarctic Peninsula region, with two potential geomorphic indicators of the Holocene Optimum being identified: (1) clusters of centimetric honeycombs facing the sound (marine optimum at 6.5 ka BP); (2) salmon-pink lithobiontic coatings preserved inside cavities and at the boulder surface (terrestrial optimum at 4 3 ka BP).

VIEW ALONG RAW MATERIAL CONVEYOR AT RIGHT WITH CRUSHED SHELL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

VIEW ALONG RAW MATERIAL CONVEYOR AT RIGHT WITH CRUSHED SHELL CONVEYOR ABOVE. ENGINE AND RADIATOR AT LOWER LEFT. - F. & H. Benning Company Oyster Mill, 14430 Solomons Island Road (moved from 1014 Benning Road, Galesville, Anne Arundel County, Maryland), Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Sequence stratigraphic re-interpretation of [open quotes]stray[close quotes] sandstones in the Cretaceous Mancos Shale, Book Cliffs, Utah: Implications for exploration models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hampson, G.J.; Howell, J.A.; Flint, S.S.

1996-01-01

The Mancos Shale, Book Cliffs, eastern Utah, represents the open marine mudstones of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway and contains a number of detached sandstone bodies ([open quotes]Mancos B[close quotes]) which are located 30-150 km down depositional dip from contemporaneous highstand shoreline deposits in the Blackhawk Formation. Examination of these [open quotes]stray[close quotes] sandstones reveals that they do not represent deep water deposition, as previously supposed, but instead comprise three shallow marine facies associations; (1) tidally-influenced fluvial channel fills, (2) fluvially-dominated delta front successions and (3) low-energy shorelines. Tidally-influenced fluvial channel fills are commonly stacked into multistorey bodies at discretemore » stratigraphic levels, thereby defining incised valley fill (IVF) networks. Fluvially-dominated deltas are eroded into by, and lie at the down-dip terminations of, IVFs and are therefore interpreted as falling stage and lowstand shorelines. Low-energy shorelines are inferred to lie along strike from these deltas. The above shallow marine deposits have been mapped at five discrete stratigraphic horizons, which can be either traced or projected up-dip to previously-documented IVFs in the Blackhawk Formation. Their paleocurrents imply that falling stage and lowstand shoreline trends were sub-parallel to mapped highstand shorelines, although there is evidence for a perpendicular lowstand shoreline trend in the east of the study area. This facies and sequence stratigraphic re-interpretation enables predictive exploration modelling of subsurface [open quotes]Mancos B[close quotes] gas reservoir sandstones.« less

Sequence stratigraphic re-interpretation of {open_quotes}stray{close_quotes} sandstones in the Cretaceous Mancos Shale, Book Cliffs, Utah: Implications for exploration models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hampson, G.J.; Howell, J.A.; Flint, S.S.

1996-12-31

The Mancos Shale, Book Cliffs, eastern Utah, represents the open marine mudstones of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway and contains a number of detached sandstone bodies ({open_quotes}Mancos B{close_quotes}) which are located 30-150 km down depositional dip from contemporaneous highstand shoreline deposits in the Blackhawk Formation. Examination of these {open_quotes}stray{close_quotes} sandstones reveals that they do not represent deep water deposition, as previously supposed, but instead comprise three shallow marine facies associations; (1) tidally-influenced fluvial channel fills, (2) fluvially-dominated delta front successions and (3) low-energy shorelines. Tidally-influenced fluvial channel fills are commonly stacked into multistorey bodies at discrete stratigraphic levels, thereby definingmore » incised valley fill (IVF) networks. Fluvially-dominated deltas are eroded into by, and lie at the down-dip terminations of, IVFs and are therefore interpreted as falling stage and lowstand shorelines. Low-energy shorelines are inferred to lie along strike from these deltas. The above shallow marine deposits have been mapped at five discrete stratigraphic horizons, which can be either traced or projected up-dip to previously-documented IVFs in the Blackhawk Formation. Their paleocurrents imply that falling stage and lowstand shoreline trends were sub-parallel to mapped highstand shorelines, although there is evidence for a perpendicular lowstand shoreline trend in the east of the study area. This facies and sequence stratigraphic re-interpretation enables predictive exploration modelling of subsurface {open_quotes}Mancos B{close_quotes} gas reservoir sandstones.« less

75 FR 16428 - Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Final Affirmative...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-01

... Calvert or Jun Jack Zhao, AD/CVD Operations, Office 6, Import Administration, International Trade... Operations, Office 6, ``Verification of the Questionnaire Responses Submitted by Chin Sheng Company, Ltd... concerning banking in Vietnam. See Memorandum to Barbara E. Tillman, Director, AD/ CVD Operations, Office 6...

Preventing Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities: Proceedings of a Seminar.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Dept. of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Columbus. Div. of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

Included are edited transcripts of three presentations by P. Ackerman, Jr. ("A National Perspective on Prevention in the Year 2001"), A. Eaton ("Ohio Prevention Strategies"), and G. Calvert ("The Lost Continent of Prevention"). Abstracted are workshops on the following topics: parent preventive strategies, genetic…

11. VIEW OF STARBOARD ELEVATION OF STERN (WITHOUT SCALE STICK), ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

11. VIEW OF STARBOARD ELEVATION OF STERN (WITHOUT SCALE STICK), SHOWING WHEELHOUSE, DUCKTAIL, AND RUDDER ASSEMBLY; CRANE AT LEFT POSITIONED FOR REMOVAL OF WHEELHOUSE; UNFINISHED FERRO-CONCRETE HULL OF UNKNOWN VESSEL IN BACKGROUND - Bugeye "Louise Travers", Intersection of Routes 2 & 4, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

22. VIEW SHOWING CREW'S QUARTERS IN FORECASTLE, LOOKING FORWARD FROM ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

22. VIEW SHOWING CREW'S QUARTERS IN FORECASTLE, LOOKING FORWARD FROM DOOR IN PORT SIDE OF BULKHEAD; BUNK FRAME, (LEFT IN VIEW), REMAINS OF SMALL CAST IRON STOVE NEAR DECK STANCHION (CENTER OF VIEW) - Bugeye "Louise Travers", Intersection of Routes 2 & 4, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Elevation of waterfront facade looking west. The twostory structure at ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Elevation of waterfront facade looking west. The two-story structure at the left houses the F. & H. Benning Company Mill and is not part of the J.C. Lore Oyster House. - J.C. Lore Oyster House, 14430 Solomons Island Road, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Elevation of south facade. The twostory structure to the right ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Elevation of south facade. The two-story structure to the right of the J.C. Lore Oyster House houses the F. & H. Benning Company Oyster Mill, see HAER No. MD-135. - J.C. Lore Oyster House, 14430 Solomons Island Road, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

76 FR 76941 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Final Results of Antidumping Duty...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-09

... Results). DATES: Effective Date: December 9, 2011. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gene Calvert or Emily Halle, AD/CVD Operations, Office 6, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S... that it would not be responding to the Department's questionnaire and that it would not be...

78 FR 33349 - Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From Indonesia: Negative Preliminary Countervailing Duty...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-04

... CONTACT: Gene Calvert, Jun Jack Zhao, or Emily Halle, AD/CVD Operations, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW... Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Import Administration's...

75 FR 70206 - Certain Coated Paper Suitable for High-Quality Print Graphics Using Sheet-Fed Presses From...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-17

... Suitable for High-Quality Print Graphics Using Sheet-Fed Presses From Indonesia: Countervailing Duty Order... Indonesia. DATES: Effective Date: November 17, 2010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gene Calvert or... from Indonesia. See Certain Coated Paper Suitable for High-Quality Print Graphics Using Sheet-Fed...

Total Quality Management (TQM) Awareness Seminar. Revision 8

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-18

in the United States and abroad, including Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Dr. Joseph Juran, Philip Crosby, Genichi Taguchi, Kaoru Ishikawa , and Armand...Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07022. 1985 Ishikawa , Kaoru , Guide to Quality Control, Tokyo; Asian Productivity Organization, 1976 (Available from...Random House Business Division, 201 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022. � Ishikawa , Karou, What is Total Quality Control?: The Japanese Way, Prentice

Landslide overview map of the conterminous United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Radbruch-Hall, Dorothy H.; Colton, Roger B.; Davies, William E.; Lucchitta, Ivo; Skipp, Betty A.; Varnes, David J.

1982-01-01

The accompanying landslide overview map of the conterminous United States is one of a series of National Environmental Overview Maps that summarize geologic, hydrogeologic, and topographic data essential to the assessment of national environmental problems. The map delineates areas where large numbers of landslides exist and areas which are susceptible to landsliding. It was prepared by evaluating the geologic map of the United States and classifying the geologic units according to high, medium, or low landslide incidence (number) and high, medium, or low susceptibility to landsliding. Rock types, structures, topography, precipitation, landslide type, and landslide incidence are mentioned for each physical subdivision of the United States. The differences in slope stability between the Colorado Plateau, the Appalachian Highlands, the Coast Ranges of California, and the Southern Rocky Mountains are compared in detail, to illustrate the influence of various natural factors on the types of landsliding that occur in regions having different physical conditions. These four mountainous regions are among the most landslide-prone areas in the United States. The Colorado Plateau is a deformed platform where interbedded sedimentary rocks of varied lithologic properties have been gently warped and deeply eroded. The rocks are extensively fractured. Regional fracture systems, joints associated with individual geologic structures, and joints parallel to topographic surfaces, such as cliff faces, greatly influence slope stability. Detached blocks at the edges of mesas, as well as columns, arched recesses, and many natural arches on the Colorado Plateau, were formed wholly or in part by mass movement. In the Appalachian Highlands, earth flows, debris flows, and debris avalanches predominate in weathered bedrock and colluvium. Damaging debris avalanches result when persistent steady rainfall is followed by a sudden heavy downpour. Landsliding in unweathered bedrock is controlled

Development and Application of a Methodology for Evaluating Type II expired Shelf Life Hazardous Material Generation in the United States Air Force

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

Air Force Institute of Technology. EPA Perspective, Handout for ENV 022 - Pollution Prevention, 1992. 2. Chiras , Daniel D. Environmental Science : Action...Technology Air University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Engineering and Environmental Management...4 August 1993. 19. Masters, Gilbert M. Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science . Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1991 20. Messenger

Measuring the Effect of Management on Performance: A Modern Biblical Paradigm

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Corcoran, W.R.

1999-11-14

The ability to measure the effect of management on performance enables higher management and regulators to prescribe measures to ensure that actual management practices are compatible with results important to stakeholders. The principal stakeholders of higher management are the owners, and the principal stakeholders of the regulators are the public. Extended shutdowns and confirmatory action letters over the past decade or so at Cook, Millstone, Zion, Haddam Neck, Clinton, South Texas, Calvert Cliffs, Pilgrim, and other stations strongly suggest that neither higher management nor regulators have a firm grasp of the measurement of the effect of management on performance. Effortsmore » in the past have focused on attributes of effective management rather than data. For example, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission uses Appendix B, and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations uses its ''Excellence in Human Performance'' among other guidance. In both cases, assessment focuses on the observation of what is going on in an organization and comparing it with the criteria. In this paper, the emphasis is on data, not attributes. The data of concern here are results (consequences, events, precursors). The biblical paradigm is that a good tree bears good fruit. It does not take a botanist to tell that the apples are firm and tasty. ''Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts'' is a popular defense of attribute-driven assessment. The validity of attribute-driven assessment is not disputed, but this paper explores data-driven assessment that is becoming more practical as information technology advances rapidly. This paper does not address a complete management effect measurement system but only explores one aspect of such a system. The aspect chosen is regulatory violation performance.« less

INTERIOR VIEW WITH GRINDING MILL AND CONVEYOR EXTENDING UP TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

INTERIOR VIEW WITH GRINDING MILL AND CONVEYOR EXTENDING UP TO SORTING DRUM. DRIVE ENGINE AT LOWER LEFT. RADIATOR FOR ENGINE AT RIGHT. - F. & H. Benning Company Oyster Mill, 14430 Solomons Island Road (moved from 1014 Benning Road, Galesville, Anne Arundel County, Maryland), Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Interior of the shipping room with doorway leading to processing ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Interior of the shipping room with doorway leading to processing room. A pass-through window with conveyor allowed the fresh packed oysters to be sent from the processing room into the shipping room. - J.C. Lore Oyster House, 14430 Solomons Island Road, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Observed Melt Season Seismicity of Taylor Glacier, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carmichael, J. D.; Pettit, E. C.; Creager, K. C.

2006-12-01

Sufficient evidence exists to suggest that interaction of crevasses and meltwater accelerates ice cliff disintegration of tidewater glaciers. It is not clear what role meltwater plays in calving characteristics from dry- based polar glaciers. We have obtained seismic data from a six-sensor seismic array deployed in October of 2004 near the terminus cliffs of Taylor Glacier, West Antarctica, to analyze near-cliff seismicity throughout a melt season. Discharge data from the adjacent Lawson stream suggests that dramatic increases in meltwater volume temporally correlate with changes in seismic character near ice cliffs. We calculated source-locations for ice-quake during hours of melting and re-freezing and found most large energy events to be located near the ice cliffs. The associated spectra and waveform characteristics are indicative of literature descriptions of crevassing events.

GEOLOGICAL-GEOMORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE REGION OF GUADALAJARA, MEXICO AND ITS RELATION WITH SUBSIDENCE HAZARDS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suarez-Plascencia, C.; Delgado-Argote, L. A.; Nunez-Cornu, F. J.

2009-12-01

growth of the MAG on its N, W, and NW sectors until the 1940 decade. Starting the 1950 decade, however, urban developers began to slowly modify the relief units and to build landfills on los Colomos and Alcalde Barranquitas cliffs as well as to build one and two-storey houses. During the mid 1980 decade there began to appear reports of affectation of variable magnitude caused by sinking of buildings and infrastructures on this area of the city. These problems have forced the different municipal governments and private owners to pump large funds for the mitigation and prevention of damage, but the sinking is recurrent at the time of this writing. More than 1,100 sites of sinking were observed and related directly to areas where the relief has been modified for urban use.

Pediatric-Inspired Treatment Regimens for Adolescents and Young Adults With Philadelphia Chromosome-Negative Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Review.

PubMed

Siegel, Stuart E; Stock, Wendy; Johnson, Rebecca H; Advani, Anjali; Muffly, Lori; Douer, Dan; Reed, Damon; Lewis, Mark; Freyer, David R; Shah, Bijal; Luger, Selina; Hayes-Lattin, Brandon; Jaboin, Jerry J; Coccia, Peter F; DeAngelo, Daniel J; Seibel, Nita; Bleyer, Archie

2018-05-01

The incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) in adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients (age range, 15-39 years) in the United States is increasing at a greater rate than in younger or older persons. Their optimal treatment has been increasingly debated as pediatric regimens have become more widely used in the age group. This review compares the basic features of pediatric and adult chemotherapy regimens for ALL and LBL, recognizes and describes the challenges of the pediatric regimen, and suggests strategies to facilitate its adoption for AYAs with ALL and LBL. All but 2 of 25 published comparisons of outcomes with pediatric and adult regimens for ALL and LBL in AYAs and 1 meta-analysis favor the pediatric regimen. After more than a half-century of clinical trials of the pediatric regimens, including at least 160 phase 3 trials in the United States, the pediatric regimens have become far more complex than most adult regimens. Asparaginase, a critical component of the pediatric regimens, is more difficult to administer to AYAs (and older patients) but nonetheless has a favorable benefit to toxicity ratio for AYAs. A dramatic reduction in outcome of ALL and LBL during the AYA years (the "survival cliff") is coincident with similar reductions in proportions of AYAs referred to academic centers and enrolled on clinical trials (the "accrual cliff" and "referral cliff"). The accumulating data increasingly support treating AYAs with ALL and LBL with a pediatric-inspired regimen or an approved institutional or national clinical trial tailored for this patient group. A need to develop clinical trials specifically for AYAs and to encourage their participation is paramount, with a goal to improve both the quantity and quality of survival.

40 CFR 80.70 - Covered areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... following Illinois counties: (i) Cook; (ii) Du Page; (iii) Kane; (iv) Lake; (v) McHenry; (vi) Will; (2... counties: (i) Calvert; (ii) Charles; (iii) Frederick; (iv) Montgomery; (v) Prince Georges; (vi) Queen Anne...) Manassas; (viii) Manassas Park; (ix) Prince William County; (x) Stafford County; (xi) Charles City County...

Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) Vehicles: Background and Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-29

note that almost 80% of roadside attacks against HMMWVs from January 2009 through the end of July 2010 killed vehicle occupants. Attacks against MRAP...2009. 24 Ibid. 25 Scott Calvert, “Aberdeen Tests Military’s Cougar ,” Baltimore Sun, July 12, 2009. Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) Vehicles

Twin solution calorimeter determines heats of formation of alloys at high temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darby, J. B., Jr.; Kleb, R.; Kleppa, O. J.

1968-01-01

Calvert-type, twin liquid metal solution calorimeter determines the heats of formation of transition metal alloys at high temperatures. The twin differential calorimeter measures the small heat effects generated over extended periods of time, has maximum operating temperature of 1073 degrees K and an automatic data recording system.

Inspiring Confidence and Professional Growth in Leadership: Student Perspectives on University- District Partnership Master's Academies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mejía, Pilar; Devin, Samrie; Calvert, Heather

2016-01-01

School leadership matters when discussing teacher effectiveness and student performance, and preparation programs need to graduate principals with the skills necessary to lead schools for tomorrow. The traditional approach to preparing educational leaders is no longer getting the job done. In this article, Meija, Devin and Calvert, students who…

78 FR 65278 - Monosodium Glutamate From the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of Indonesia...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-31

... Glutamate From the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of Indonesia: Initiation of Antidumping Duty...: Jun Jack Zhao (the People's Republic of China (PRC)) or Gene Calvert (the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesia)) at (202) 482-1396 or (202) 482-3586, respectively, AD/CVD Operations, Office VII, Enforcement...

75 FR 17692 - Foreign-Trade Zone 82; Application for Subzone Authority; ThyssenKrupp Steel and Stainless USA...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-07

... use FTZ procedures for their operations, the structure of many existing U.S. steel plants could make...; Application for Subzone Authority; ThyssenKrupp Steel and Stainless USA, LLC; Invitation for Public Comment on...Krupp Steel and Stainless USA, LLC (ThyssenKrupp) facility in Calvert, Alabama. The staff's preliminary...

Interior of processing room. Scale is in front of windows ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Interior of processing room. Scale is in front of windows for weighing shuckers' buckets of oyster meat. Blow tank for thoroughly cleaning the oyster meat and two skimming tables for rinsing and draining can also be seen. - J.C. Lore Oyster House, 14430 Solomons Island Road, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Wolfcampian brachiopods from the Bird Spring Group, Wamp Spring area, Las Vegas Range, Clark County, Nevada ( USA).

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mills, P.C.; Langenheim, R.L.

1987-01-01

The Wamp Spring section of the Bird Spring Group is subdivided into a basal platy limestone member, lower cliff-forming member, and upper cliff-forming member. Triticites, Schwagerina, and Schubertella kingi in the platy limestone member indicate an early Wolfcampian age. Schwagerina, Schubertella kingi, and a distinctive assemblage of brachiopods, similar to the West Texas fauna, indicate that the upper cliff-forming member is late Wolfcampian. The lower cliff-forming member is tentatively assigned to the middle Wolfcampian. The Wamp Spring sequence correlates temporally with the BSe 'formation' of the Bird Spring Group. The fossil-rich upper cliff-forming limestone member includes the new species Pontisia boodi, Crurithyris wampensis, and Calliprotonia(?) n. sp. A, as well as Hustedia culcitula, Crenispirifer(?) sp., Cenorhynchia(?) sp., Kutorginella(?) sp., marginiferids, lyssacine hexactinellid sponges, pleurotomarid and bellerophontid gastropods, cidaroid echinoids, rugose corals, cylindrical cryptostome bryozoans, and nuculids. -from Authors

Conspecific reproductive success and breeding habitat selection: Implications for the study of coloniality

USGS Publications Warehouse

Danchin, E.; Boulinier, T.; Massot, M.

1998-01-01

Habitat selection is a crucial process in the life cycle of animals because it can affect most components of fitness. It has been proposed that some animals cue on the reproductive success of conspecifics to select breeding habitats. We tested this hypothesis with demographic and behavioral data from a 17-yr study of the Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), a cliff-nesting seabird. As the hypothesis assumes, the Black-legged Kittiwake nesting environment was patchy, and the relative quality of the different patches (i.e., breeding cliffs) varied in time. The average reproductive success of the breeders of a given cliff was predictable from one year to the next, but this predictability faded after several years. The dynamic nature of cliff quality in the long term is partly explained by the autocorrelation of the prevalence of an ectoparasite that influences reproductive success. As predicted by the performance-based conspecific attraction hypothesis, the reproductive success of current breeders on a given cliff was predictive of the reproductive success of new recruits on the cliff in the following year. Breeders tended to recruit to the previous year's most productive cliffs and to emigrate from the least productive ones. Consequently, the dynamics of breeder numbers on the cliffs were explained by local reproductive success on a year-to-year basis. Because, on average, young Black-legged Kittiwakes first breed when 4 yr old, such a relationship probably results from individual choices based on the assessment of previous-year local quality. When breeders changed breeding cliffs between years, they selected cliffs of per capita higher reproductive success. Furthermore, after accounting for the potential effects of age and sex as well as between-year variations, the effect of individual breeding performance on breeding dispersal was strongly influenced by the average reproductive success of other breeders on the same cliff. Individual breeding performance did

Children as Consumers: Advertising and Marketing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calvert, Sandra L.

2008-01-01

Marketing and advertising support the U.S. economy by promoting the sale of goods and services to consumers, both adults and children. Sandra Calvert addresses product marketing to children and shows that although marketers have targeted children for decades, two recent trends have increased their interest in child consumers. First, both the…

76 FR 30837 - Suspension of Community Eligibility

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-27

..., Susp. Subiaco, Town of, Logan 050288 March 23, 1976, ......do Do. County. Emerg; July 5, 1978, Reg... February 24, ......do Do. County. 1975, Emerg; March 16, 1989, Reg; June 2, 2011, Susp. Clayton County... September 22, ......do Do. County. 1972, Emerg; March 15, 1977, Reg; June 2, 2011, Susp. Calvert City, City...

An Evaluation of the WSSC (Weapon System Support Cost) Cost Allocation Algorithms. II. Installation Support.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

S XX3OXX, or XX37XX is found. As a result, the following two host-financed tenant support accounts currently will be treated as unit operations costs ... Horngren , Cost Accounting : A Managerial Emphasis, Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1972. 10. D. B. Levine and J. M. Jondrow, "The...WSSC COST ALLOCATION Technical Report ~ALGORITHMS II: INSTALLATION SUPPORT 6. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMBER 7. AUTHOR( S ) 9. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER

3/4 view of waterfront facade looking southwest from across the ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3/4 view of waterfront facade looking southwest from across the creek. Note the 1965 concrete block addition to the main oyster house. Lifting derrick can be seen at left in front of the building and next to the hoist house. - J.C. Lore Oyster House, 14430 Solomons Island Road, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Coastal knickpoints and the competition between fluvial and wave-driven erosion on rocky coastlines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limber, Patrick W.; Barnard, Patrick L.

2018-04-01

Active margin coastlines are distinguished by rock erosion that acts in two different directions: waves erode the coast horizontally or landwards, a process that creates sea cliffs; and rivers and streams erode the landscape vertically via channel incision. The relative rates of each process exert a dominant control on coastline morphology. Using a model of river channel incision and sea-cliff retreat, we explore how terrestrial and marine erosion compete to shape coastal topography, and specifically what conditions encourage the development of coastal knickpoints (i.e., a river or stream channels that end at a raised sea-cliff edge). We then compare results to actual landscapes. Model results and observations show that coastal knickpoint development is strongly dependent on drainage basin area, where knickpoints typically occur in drainage basins smaller than 5 × 105-6 × 106 m2, as well as channel geometry and sea-cliff retreat rate. In our study area, coastal knickpoints with persistent flow (waterfalls) are uncommon and form only within a small morphological window when 1) drainage basin area is large enough to sustain steady stream discharge, but not large enough to out-compete sea-cliff formation, 2) sea-cliff retreat is rapid, and 3) channel concavity is low so that channel slopes at the coast are high. This particular geomorphic combination can sustain sea-cliff formation even when streams tap into larger drainage basins with greater discharge and more stream power, and provides an initial explanation of why persistent coastal waterfalls are, along many coastlines, relatively rare features.

Coastal knickpoints and the competition between fluvial and wave-driven erosion on rocky coastlines

USGS Publications Warehouse

Limber, Patrick; Barnard, Patrick

2018-01-01

Active margin coastlines are distinguished by rock erosion that acts in two different directions: waves erode the coast horizontally or landwards, a process that creates sea cliffs; and rivers and streams erode the landscape vertically via channel incision. The relative rates of each process exert a dominant control on coastline morphology. Using a model of river channel incision and sea-cliff retreat, we explore how terrestrial and marine erosion compete to shape coastal topography, and specifically what conditions encourage the development of coastal knickpoints (i.e., a river or stream channels that end at a raised sea-cliff edge). We then compare results to actual landscapes. Model results and observations show that coastal knickpoint development is strongly dependent on drainage basin area, where knickpoints typically occur in drainage basins smaller than 5 × 105–6 × 106 m2, as well as channel geometry and sea-cliff retreat rate. In our study area, coastal knickpoints with persistent flow (waterfalls) are uncommon and form only within a small morphological window when 1) drainage basin area is large enough to sustain steady stream discharge, but not large enough to out-compete sea-cliff formation, 2) sea-cliff retreat is rapid, and 3) channel concavity is low so that channel slopes at the coast are high. This particular geomorphic combination can sustain sea-cliff formation even when streams tap into larger drainage basins with greater discharge and more stream power, and provides an initial explanation of why persistent coastal waterfalls are, along many coastlines, relatively rare features.

The Virginia Coastal Plain Hydrogeologic Framework

USGS Publications Warehouse

McFarland, Randolph E.; Scott, Bruce T.

2006-01-01

and Exmore matrix confining units, and the Chickahominy confining unit. Piney Point aquifer sediments of early Eocene to middle Miocene age overlie most of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater and beyond, but are a locally significant ground-water supply resource only outside of the crater across the middle reaches of the Northern Neck, Middle, and York-James Peninsulas. Sediments of middle Miocene to late Miocene age that compose the Calvert confining unit and overlying Saint Marys confining unit effectively separate the underlying Piney Point aquifer and deeper aquifers from overlying shallow aquifers. Saint Marys aquifer sediments of late Miocene age separate the Calvert and Saint Marys confining units across two limited areas only. Sediments of the Yorktown-Eastover aquifer of late Miocene to late Pliocene age form the second most heavily used ground-water supply resource. The Yorktown confining zone approximates a transition to the overlying late Pliocene to Holocene sediments of the surficial aquifer, which extends across the entire land surface in the Virginia Coastal Plain and is a moderately used supply. The Yorktown-Eastover aquifer and the eastern part of the surficial aquifer are closely associated across complex and extensive hydraulic connections and jointly compose a shallow, generally semiconfined ground-water system that is hydraulically separated from the deeper system. Vertical faults extend from the basement upward through most of the hydrogeologic units but may be more widespread and ubiquitous than recognized herein, because areas of sparse boreholes do not provide adequate spatial control. Hydraulic conductivity probably is decreased locally by disruption of depositional intergranular structure by fault movement in the generally incompetent sediments. Localized fluid flow in open fractures may be unique in the Chickahominy confining unit. Some hydrogeologic units are partly to wholly truncated where displacements are large rela

Geomorphological control on podzolisation - An example from a tropical barrier island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Pedro; Buurman, Peter; Lopes-Mazzetto, Josiane Millani; Giannini, Paulo César Fonseca; Schellekens, Judith; Vidal-Torrado, Pablo

2018-05-01

We investigated how the geomorphology of coastal barrier islands impacts soil hydrology and drainage at the landscape scale. Ilha Comprida is a Holocene barrier island with a 2.5 km-long cliff that is perpendicular to the coastal shore which provides an ideal condition to study the relation between age, relief, hydrology, and podzol morphology. Five geomorphic units were identified that differed in surface morphology and alignment of ridges and swales. Optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating showed that these geomorphic units had growth phases that decreased in age from west to east (Units I-V, from 5250 ± 820 to 325 ± 31 years ago, respectively). The geomorphic units were studied in two parallel 3 km transects on the southern part of the island. Along transect A-B, about 1 km from the southern shore, deep augerings were used to study sedimentary sequence and soil development, while on transect C-D on the southern shore, the continuous cliff exposure allowed more detailed morphological investigation. On all geomorphic units excluding the youngest, podzolisation has been the main soil-forming process. Groundwater level was monitored monthly for two years in 14 deep wells along transect A-B. Groundwater level during the formation of the B horizon was ascertained by determination of Fe. Podzol morphology (color of B horizon and its boundary with the E horizon) generally showed correlation to groundwater levels for both transects, except for the podzols in southwestern part of the island (Unit II). The podzols of Unit II showed an extremely thick (3 m) Bhm horizon devoid of Fe, indicating that they were formed under poor drainage conditions. However, soil morphology (undulating EB horizon boundary) and measured groundwater levels (below the B horizons) demonstrated that drainage has been improved. The extremely thick B horizon (3 m) in those podzols, which was formed in approximately 3000 years, and its genesis is explained by concentrated lateral flow of DOM

Unimolecular Reactions of Nitrites and Nitrates.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-04-01

02 and in the presence of excess NO. A ’similar conclusion was drawn by Kabasakalian and Townley [69) from Iphotolysis of octyl nitrite. McMillan [70...Pimentel, J. Chem. Phys., 29, 883 (1958). 68. P.L. Hanst and J.G. Calvert, 3. Phys. Chem., 63, 2071 (1959). 69. P. Kabasakalian and E.R. Townley , J. Am

Interior of processing room showing the passthrough window from the ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Interior of processing room showing the pass-through window from the shucking room. Tally board on the wall was used to keep track of the output of each shucker. Skimming table for rinsing the oyster meat is located under the pass-through window. - J.C. Lore Oyster House, 14430 Solomons Island Road, Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Chemical landscape analysis with the OpenTox framework.

PubMed

Jeliazkova, Nina; Jeliazkov, Vedrin

2012-01-01

The Structure-Activity Relationships (SAR) landscape and activity cliffs concepts have their origins in medicinal chemistry and receptor-ligand interactions modelling. While intuitive, the definition of an activity cliff as a "pair of structurally similar compounds with large differences in potency" is commonly recognized as ambiguous. This paper proposes a new and efficient method for identifying activity cliffs and visualization of activity landscapes. The activity cliffs definition could be improved to reflect not the cliff steepness alone, but also the rate of the change of the steepness. The method requires explicitly setting similarity and activity difference thresholds, but provides means to explore multiple thresholds and to visualize in a single map how the thresholds affect the activity cliff identification. The identification of the activity cliffs is addressed by reformulating the problem as a statistical one, by introducing a probabilistic measure, namely, calculating the likelihood of a compound having large activity difference compared to other compounds, while being highly similar to them. The likelihood is effectively a quantification of a SAS Map with defined thresholds. Calculating the likelihood relies on four counts only, and does not require the pairwise matrix storage. This is a significant advantage, especially when processing large datasets. The method generates a list of individual compounds, ranked according to the likelihood of their involvement in the formation of activity cliffs, and goes beyond characterizing cliffs by structure pairs only. The visualisation is implemented by considering the activity plane fixed and analysing the irregularities of the similarity itself. It provides a convenient analogy to a topographic map and may help identifying the most appropriate similarity representation for each specific SAR space. The proposed method has been applied to several datasets, representing different biological activities. Finally

Rock fall simulation at Timpanogos Cave National Monument, American Fork Canyon, Utah, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harp, E.L.; Dart, R.L.; Reichenbach, P.

2011-01-01

Rock fall from limestone cliffs at Timpanogos Cave National Monument in American Fork Canyon east of Provo, Utah, is a common occurrence. The cave is located in limestone cliffs high on the southern side of the canyon. One fatality in 1933 led to the construction of rock fall shelters at the cave entrance and exit in 1976. Numerous rock fall incidents, including a near miss in 2000 in the vicinity of the trail below the cave exit, have led to a decision to extend the shelter at the cave exit to protect visitors from these ongoing rock fall events initiating from cliffs immediately above the cave exit. Three-dimensional rock fall simulations from sources at the top of these cliffs have provided data from which to assess the spatial frequencies and velocities of rock falls from the cliffs and to constrain the design of protective measures to reduce the rock fall hazard. Results from the rock fall simulations are consistent with the spatial patterns of rock fall impacts that have been observed at the cave exit site. ?? 2011 Springer-Verlag.

Rock fall simulation at Timpanogos Cave National Monument, American Fork Canyon, Utah, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harp, Edwin L.; Dart, Richard L.; Reichenbach, Paola

2011-01-01

Rock fall from limestone cliffs at Timpanogos Cave National Monument in American Fork Canyon east of Provo, Utah, is a common occurrence. The cave is located in limestone cliffs high on the southern side of the canyon. One fatality in 1933 led to the construction of rock fall shelters at the cave entrance and exit in 1976. Numerous rock fall incidents, including a near miss in 2000 in the vicinity of the trail below the cave exit, have led to a decision to extend the shelter at the cave exit to protect visitors from these ongoing rock fall events initiating from cliffs immediately above the cave exit. Three-dimensional rock fall simulations from sources at the top of these cliffs have provided data from which to assess the spatial frequencies and velocities of rock falls from the cliffs and to constrain the design of protective measures to reduce the rock fall hazard. Results from the rock fall simulations are consistent with the spatial patterns of rock fall impacts that have been observed at the cave exit site.

Study of Army Design Hover Criteria

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

SPECIAL REPORT RDMR-AE-17-02 STUDY OF ARMY DESIGN HOVER CRITERIA Douglas V. Horacek Command Analysis Directorate Aviation...OF THE ARMY POSITION UNLESS SO DESIGNATED BY OTHER AUTHORIZED DOCUMENTS. TRADE NAMES USE OF TRADE NAMES OR MANUFACTURERS IN THIS REPORT...Study of Army Design Hover Criteria 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Douglas V. Horacek and Mark E. Calvert 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION

Progressive failure of sheeted rock slopes: the 2009–2010 Rhombus Wall rock falls in Yosemite Valley, California, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stock, Greg M.; Martel, Stephen J.; Collins, Brian D.; Harp, Edwin L.

2012-01-01

Progressive rock-fall failures in natural rock slopes are common in many environments, but often elude detailed quantitative documentation and analysis. Here we present high-resolution photography, video, and laser scanning data that document spatial and temporal patterns of a 15-month-long sequence of at least 14 rock falls from the Rhombus Wall, a sheeted granitic cliff in Yosemite Valley, California. The rock-fall sequence began on 26 August 2009 with a small failure at the tip of an overhanging rock slab. Several hours later, a series of five rock falls totaling 736 m3progressed upward along a sheeting joint behind the overhanging slab. Over the next 3 weeks, audible cracking occurred on the Rhombus Wall, suggesting crack propagation, while visual monitoring revealed opening of a sheeting joint adjacent to the previous failure surface. On 14 September 2009 a 110 m3 slab detached along this sheeting joint. Additional rock falls between 30 August and 20 November 2010, totaling 187 m3, radiated outward from the initial failure area along cliff (sub)parallel sheeting joints. We suggest that these progressive failures might have been related to stress redistributions accompanying propagation of sheeting joints behind the cliff face. Mechanical analyses indicate that tensile stresses should occur perpendicular to the cliff face and open sheeting joints, and that sheeting joints should propagate parallel to a cliff face from areas of stress concentrations. The analyses also account for how sheeting joints can propagate to lengths many times greater than their depths behind cliff faces. We posit that as a region of failure spreads across a cliff face, stress concentrations along its margin will spread with it, promoting further crack propagation and rock falls.

Zooming in and out: Scale dependence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors affecting salt marsh erosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Heng; van der Wal, Daphne; Li, Xiangyu; van Belzen, Jim; Herman, Peter M. J.; Hu, Zhan; Ge, Zhenming; Zhang, Liquan; Bouma, Tjeerd J.

2017-07-01

Salt marshes are valuable ecosystems that provide important ecosystem services. Given the global scale of marsh loss due to climate change and coastal squeeze, there is a pressing need to identify the critical extrinsic (wind exposure and foreshore morphology) and intrinsic factors (soil and vegetation properties) affecting the erosion of salt marsh edges. In this study, we quantified rates of cliff lateral retreat (i.e., the eroding edge of a salt marsh plateau) using a time series of aerial photographs taken over four salt marsh sites in the Westerschelde estuary, the Netherlands. In addition, we experimentally quantified the erodibility of sediment cores collected from the marsh edge of these four marshes using wave tanks. Our results revealed the following: (i) at the large scale, wind exposure and the presence of pioneer vegetation in front of the cliff were the key factors governing cliff retreat rates; (ii) at the intermediate scale, foreshore morphology was partially related to cliff retreat; (iii) at the local scale, the erodibility of the sediment itself at the marsh edge played a large role in determining the cliff retreat rate; and (iv) at the mesocosm scale, cliff erodibility was determined by soil properties and belowground root biomass. Thus, both extrinsic and intrinsic factors determined the fate of the salt marsh but at different scales. Our study highlights the importance of understanding the scale dependence of the factors driving the evolution of salt marsh landscapes.

Superstorms at the end of the Last Interglacial (MIS 5e)? Modeling paleo waves and the transport of giant boulders.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rovere, Alessio; Harris, Daniel; Casella, Elisa; Lorscheid, Thomas; Stocchi, Paolo; Nandasena, Napayalage; Sandstrom, Michael; D'Andrea, William; Dyer, Blake; Raymo, Maureen

2017-04-01

We present the results of high-resolution field surveys and wave models along the cliffs of the northern part of the Island of Eleuthera, Bahamas. Previous studies have proposed that cliff top mega-boulders were emplaced at the end of the Last Interglacial (MIS 5e, 128-116 ka) by giant swells caused by super-storms that find no counterpart in the Holocene (including historical times). Our results suggest that these boulders could have instead been transported from the cliff face to the top of the cliff by a storm analogous to the 1991 'Perfect Storm', if sea level during MIS 5e sea was more than 4 meters higher than today. We remark that the data-model approach used here is essential to interpreting the geologic evidence of extreme storms during past warm periods, which in turn, is an important tool for predicting the intensity of extreme storm events in future climates. Our results indicate that even without an increase in storm intensity, cliffs and hard coastal barriers might be subject to significant increases wave-generated stresses under conditions of sea levels modestly higher than present.

Desert varnish (Permeon) evaluation : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-08-01

In 1997, the Oregon Department of Transportation mitigated a rock fall hazard on the historic Columbia River Highway. Loose rock was removed from the overhanging cliff while the sandstone near the base of the cliff was covered with shotcrete to preve...

Desert varnish Dabney state park

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-04-01

In 1997, ODOT mitigated a rock fall hazard on the Historic Columbia River Highway. Loose rock was removed from the overhanging cliff while the sandstone near the base of the cliff was covered with shotcrete to prevent erosion. The shotcrete was then ...

Climatic and hydrologic perturbations in eastern North America during the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eley, Y.; Hren, M. T.; Super, J. R.

2017-12-01

The Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO, 15-17 Ma) was the warmest period of the Neogene, punctuating the long-term Cenozoic cooling trend of the last 50 million years. Temperatures during the MMCO are thought to have reached 4-5 °C higher than modern, despite relatively modest atmospheric pCO2 concentrations of 300-500 ppm. Similarity between Miocene pCO2 levels and those forecast for the next century make the MMCO a key interval for understanding the potential impacts of anthropogenic pCO2 forcing. Evaluation of the climatic drivers and environmental consequences of this transient warming event is challenging, however, due to the limited number of high resolution proxy records of temperature and hydrologic change through the MMCO, particularly from terrestrial sites. Here, we present a new organic molecular record from the Calvert Cliffs formation in Maryland, to investigate terrestrial and near-shore environmental conditions during the MMCO. We observe small-scale fluctuations of 2 °C in isoprenoidal glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) TEX86-derived sea surface temperatures (SSTs), however these are superimposed on a long-term gradual warming trend that raises SSTs by 5 °C between 16.5 Ma and 14 Ma. In contrast, the MBT'-CBT soil temperature proxy, based on terrestrially sourced branched GDGTs, suggests mean annual temperatures rose by 3 °C between 16.5 and 15.9 Ma. Over the same interval, leaf wax n-alkane hydrogen isotopes show a rapid positive shift of 40‰, which we attribute to the influence of these warmer temperatures on the condensation of precipitation. A coeval negative excursion of 2‰ in carbon isotopes is indicative of an increase in rainfall during this mid-Miocene warming. The timing of biomarker-derived terrestrial climatic and hydrologic perturbations closely match reconstructed shifts in atmospheric pCO2, illustrating the tight coupling between terrestrial environmental change and carbon cycling during the middle Miocene.

VIEW IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION AS MD1351 AND MD1352. RAW MATERIAL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

VIEW IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION AS MD-135-1 AND MD-135-2. RAW MATERIAL CONVEYOR AT LEFT DEPOSITS SHELL INTO MILLING MACHINE AT LOWER LEFT. ENGINE IS AT LOWER RIGHT AND RADIATOR AT LOWER CENTER. ROLLER SORTER IS AT TOP OF CONVEYOR. - F. & H. Benning Company Oyster Mill, 14430 Solomons Island Road (moved from 1014 Benning Road, Galesville, Anne Arundel County, Maryland), Solomons, Calvert County, MD

Rand Arroyo Center 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-01

field effective command and control sys- tems within the framework of current policies and processes. Cost Considerations in Cloud Computing ...www.rand.org/t/PE113 Finds that cloud provider costs can vary compared with tradi- tional information system alternatives because of different cost structures...for analysts evaluating new cloud investments. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Calvert FOCUS ON Capabilities Development and Acquisition

Sources of Sulfate Found in Mounds and Lakes at the Lewis Cliffs Ice Tongue, Transantarctic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Socki, Richard; Sun, Tao; Harvey, Ralph P.; Bish, David L.; Tonui, Eric; Bao, Huiming; Niles, Paul B.

2012-01-01

Massive but highly localized Na-sulfate mounds (mirabilite, Na2SO4.10H2O) have been found at the terminal moraine of the Lewis Cliffs Ice Tongue (LCIT), Antarctica. (Sigma)34S and (Sigma)18O values of LCIT mirabilite range from +48.8 to +49.3% (CDT), and -16.6 to -17.1% (V-SMOW), respectively, while (Delta)17O average -0.37% (V-SMOW). LCIT mirabilite mounds are isotopically different from other mirabilite mounds found in coastal regions of Antarctica, which have isotope values close to seawater compositions. (Sigma)18O and (Delta)17O values suggest the incorporation of isotopically light glacial water. Data point to initial sulfate formation in an anoxic water body, either as a stratified anoxic deep lake on the surface, a sub-glacial water reservoir, or a sub-glacial lake. Several surface lakes of varying size are also present within this region of the LCIT, and in some cases are adjacent to the mirabilite mounds. O and D isotope compositions of surface lakes confirm they are derived from a mixture of glacial ice and snow that underwent moderate evaporation. (Sigma)18O and (Sigma)D (V-SMOW) values of snow, ice, and lake water range from -64.2 to -29.7%, and -456.0 to -231.7%, respectively. However, the isotope chemistry of these surface lakes is extremely different from the mounds. Dissolved SO4-2 (Sigma)34S and (Sigma)18O values range from +12.0 to +20.0% and -12.8 to -22.2% (the most negative (Sigma)18O of terrestrial sulfate ever reported), respectively, with sulfate (Delta)17O ranging from +0.93 to 2.24%. Ion chromatography data show that lake water is fresh to brackish in origin, with TDS less than 1500 ppm, and sulfate concentration less than 431 ppm. Isotope and chemical data suggest that these lakes are unlikely the source of the mirabilite mounds. We suggest that lake water sulfate is potentially composed of a mixture of atmospheric sulfate and minor components of sulfate of weathering origin, much like the sulfate in the polar plateau soils of the Mc

Networks - The Air Force’s Newest Weapon Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-02-17

Force networks. Marshall T. Rose, The Simple Book: An Introduction to Management of TCP/IP based internets, (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice...18 November 2005 19. Rose, Marshall T. The Simple Book: An Introduction to Management of TCP/IP based internets, (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

78 FR 64637 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Endangered Species Status for 15...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-29

..., and 1 picture-wing fly) are found in 10 ecosystem types: anchialine pool, coastal, lowland dry, lowland mesic, lowland wet, montane dry, montane mesic, montane wet, dry cliff, and wet cliff (Table 2.... hillebrandiana. Lowland Dry Bidens micrantha ssp. ctenophylla. Lowland Mesic Pittosporum hawaiiense...

Discriminating Sediment Supply versus Accommodation Controls on Late Cretaceous Foreland Basin Stratigraphic Architecture in the Book Cliffs, Utah using Detrital Zircon Double Dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartschi, N.; Saylor, J. E.

2016-12-01

Middle to late Campanian strata of the Book Cliffs, Utah record the Late Cretaceous deposition of three clastic wedges in the North American Cordilleran foreland basin east of the Sevier thrust-belt. Variations in wedge geometries provide an opportunity to evaluate the effects of sediment supply versus accommodation on foreland basin stratal architecture. There is a significant increase in eastward progradation rate from the Lower to the Upper Castlegate Sandstone. However, the progradation rate decreases in the overlying Bluecastle and Price River formations, as well as the laterally equivalent Farrer and Tuscher formations. Rapid progradation during Upper Castlegate deposition may be caused by increased sediment supply from either rapid exhumation of the Sevier thrust-belt or introduction of a new sediment source. Alternatively, reduced accommodation within the proximal foreland basin from uplifts associated with Laramide deformation, or a transition from flexural to dynamic subsidence, could produce the observed rapid wedge progradation. Changes in sediment provenance and source-area exhumation rate can be identified using a combination of detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and (U-Th)/He thermochronology. Quantitative comparisons between collected samples and published provenance data indicates an upsection increase in a new sediment source, revealing a significant overall shift in provenance between wedge boundaries. This change in provenance is coupled by an upsection decrease in lag time between the Lower and Upper Castlegate, consistent with an increase in exhumation rate. Conversely, there is no change in lag time between the Upper Castlegate and overlying Price River Formation, suggesting a relatively constant exhumation rate. Near-zero lag times during the Upper Castlegate is consistent with rapid exhumation associated with increased thrusting of the Sevier thrust-belt. Therefore, progradation of the Upper Castlegate can be attributed to an increase in

Geologic map of the Tuba City 30' x 60' quadrangle, Coconino County, northern Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Billingsley, George H.; Stoffer, Philip W.; Priest, Susan S.

2012-01-01

The Tuba City 30’ x 60’ quadrangle encompasses approximately 5,018 km² (1,920 mi²) within Coconino County, northern Arizona. It is characterized by nearly flat lying to gently dipping sequences of Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata that overly tilted Precambrian strata or metasedimentary and igneous rocks that are exposed at the bottom of Grand Canyon. The Paleozoic rock sequences from Cambrian to Permian age are exposed in the walls of Grand Canyon, Marble Canyon, and Little Colorado River Gorge. Mesozoic sedimentary rocks are exposed in the eastern half of the quadrangle where resistant sandstone units form cliffs, escarpments, mesas, and local plateaus. A few Miocene volcanic dikes intrude Mesozoic rocks southwest, northwest, and northeast of Tuba City, and Pleistocene volcanic rocks representing the northernmost extent of the San Francisco Volcanic Field are present at the south-central edge of the quadrangle. Quaternary deposits mantle much of the Mesozoic rocks in the eastern half of the quadrangle and are sparsely scattered in the western half. Principal folds are the north-south-trending, east-dipping Echo Cliffs Monocline and the East Kaibab Monocline. The East Kaibab Monocline elevates the Kaibab, Walhalla, and Coconino Plateaus and parts of Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon erosion has exposed the Butte Fault beneath the east Kaibab Monocline, providing a window into the structural complexity of monoclines in this part of the Colorado Plateau. Rocks of Permian and Triassic age form the surface bedrock of Marble Plateau and House Rock Valley between the East Kaibab and Echo Cliffs Monoclines. The Echo Cliffs Monocline forms a structural boundary between the Marble Plateau to the west and the Kaibito and Moenkopi Plateaus to the east. Jurassic rocks of the Kaibito and Moenkopi Plateaus are largely mantled by extensive eolian sand deposits. A small part of the northeast-dipping Red Lake Monocline is present in the northeast corner of the quadrangle. A broad and

78 FR 32013 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Endangered Status for 38 Species...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-28

... recently published paper, Koyama et al. (2010, pp. 29-30) found that based on spikelet and achene...) are found in 10 ecosystem types: Coastal, lowland dry, lowland mesic, lowland wet, montane dry, montane wet, montane mesic, subalpine, dry cliff, and wet cliff (Table 3). [[Page 32017

77 FR 48533 - Notice of Inventory Completion: The Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology, Phillips Academy...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-14

... Portage Band, Leech Lake Band, White Earth Band); Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin; and the Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Wisconsin. History and Description of the Remains On an... Lake Band, Mille Lacs Band, White Earth Band); Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of...

Vascular Plant and Vertebrate Inventory of Montezuma Castle National Monument

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmidt, Cecilia A.; Drost, Charles A.; Halvorson, William Lee

2006-01-01

Executive Summary We summarize past inventory efforts for vascular plants and vertebrates at Montezuma Castle National Monument (NM) in Arizona. We used data from previous research to compile complete species lists for the monument and to assess inventory completeness. There have been 784 species recorded at Montezuma Castle NM, of which 85 (11%) are non-native. In each taxon-specific chapter we highlight areas of resources that contributed to species richness or unique species for the monument. Of particular importance are Montezuma Well and Beaver and Wet Beaver creeks and the surrounding riparian vegetation, which are responsible for the monument having one of the highest numbers of bird species in the Sonoran Desert Network of park units. Beaver Creek is also home to populations of federally-listed fish species of concern. Other important resources include the cliffs along the creeks and around Montezuma Well (for cliff and cave roosting bats). Based on the review of past studies, we believe the inventory for most taxa is nearly complete, though some rare or elusive species will be added with additional survey effort. We recommend additional inventory, monitoring and research studies.

77 FR 57647 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Status for 23 Species on Oahu and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-18

... Wildlife Service Web site and Field Office set out above, and may also be included in the preamble or at...: coastal, lowland dry, lowland mesic, lowland wet, montane wet, dry cliff, and wet cliff (Table 1). Table 1... amplectens. Lowland Dry Plants: Bidens amplectens, Doryopteris takeuchii, Pleomele forbesii. Lowland Mesic...

Study of geomorphological changes by high quality DEMs, obtained from UAVs-Structure from Motion in highest continental cliffs of Europe: A Capelada (Galicia, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz Narciso, Efrén; García, Horacio; Sierra Pernas, Chema; Pérez-Alberti, Augusto

2017-04-01

This study analyses the geomorphological evolution of a highly dynamic coastal environment, one of the higher cliffs in Continental Europe (A Capelada, NW Spain), using Structure from Motion-Multi View Stereoscan techniques (hereafter referred to as SfM-MVS). Comparing orthoimages from the last 10 years we observed several topographical changes in one specific valley (Teixidelo). Interestingly, these changes were caused by 2 different processes: (i) heavy coastal erosion and (ii) slow complex landslides, working in opposite directions. The main challenge was obtaining high quality topographical data for quantifying the changes during the last few years using low cost-high quality techniques in remote areas. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle platforms (drones, hereafter referred to as UAVs) and SFM-MVS offer ultrahigh-density topographical data. Furthermore, the use of drones and SfM-MVS close range images requires new applications in geomorphology for understanding the workflow and limitations. In this paper we present the 2 main results: (i) a centimeter spatial resolution DEM from august 2016 was obtained using a @DJI Phantom 3 advanced model drone. The pictures were processed in Agisoft PhotoScan Pro 1.2.6 version by SfM-MVS techniques, generating a high-density point cloud (i.e. ˜2000 points/m2) with 3mm of RMSE (i.e. the point cloud was georeferenced in a geographical coordinates system using ˜40 Ground Control Points obtained from differential RTK-GPS and a Total Station network) and (ii) a DEM of Differences, which compares official freely available 2010 LiDAR data (i.e. ˜2 points/m2) with a 2016 DEM derived by UAVs-SfM, where we have observed meter-scale elevation changes (i.e. sediment and erosion processes). During this time, 75% of the sediment has been mobilized. The novel UAVs and SfM-MVS techniques prove to be great for advancing the study of geomorphological processes in remote areas.

Relationships between the stable isotopic signatures of living and fossil foraminifera in Monterey Bay, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Jonathan B.; Day, Shelley A.; Rathburn, Anthony E.; Perez, M. Elena; Mahn, Chris; Gieskes, Joris

2004-04-01

Fossil foraminifera are critical to paleoceanographic reconstructions including estimates of past episodes of methane venting. These reconstructions rely on benthic foraminifera incorporating and retaining unaltered the ambient isotopic compositions of pore fluids and bottom waters. Comparisons are made here of isotopic compositions of abundant live and fossil foraminifera (Uvigerina peregrina, Epistominella pacifica, Bulimina mexicana, and Globobulimina pacifica) collected in Monterey Bay, CA from two cold seeps (Clam Flats and Extrovert Cliffs) and from sediments ˜5 m outside of the Clam Flats seep. Clam Flats has steep δ13CDIC gradients (to <-45‰), but DIC at Extrovert Cliffs is less enriched in 12C (to approximately -22‰). Oxygen isotope values of fossil foraminifera at Clam Flats are ˜1.5‰ enriched in 18O over the living foraminifera, as well as those of both live and fossil foraminifera at Extrovert Cliffs, suggesting they may have lived during the last glacial maximum. Statistical comparisons (Student's t and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests) of δ13C and δ18O values indicate that live and fossil foraminifera come from different populations at both Clam Flats and Extrovert Cliffs. At Clam Flats, the difference appears to result from alteration enriching some fossil foraminifera in 12C over live foraminifera. At Extrovert Cliffs, the fossil foraminifera are enriched in 13C over the live foraminifera, suggesting they lived prior to the onset of venting and thus that venting began recently. The short time of venting at Extrovert Cliffs may be responsible for the less alteration there compared with Clam Flats. These results indicate that preservation of foraminifera is likely to be poor within long-lived cold seeps, but that foraminifera living in the surrounding sediment may incorporate and preserve broad basin-wide changes in isotopic compositions of the ambient water.

Observations of debris flows at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA: Part 1, in-situ measurements of flow dynamics, tracer particle movement and video imagery from the summer of 2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCoy, Scott W.; Coe, Jeffrey A.; Kean, Jason W.; Tucker, Greg E.; Staley, Dennis M.; Wasklewicz, Thad A.

2011-01-01

Debris flows initiated by surface-water runoff during short duration, moderate- to high-intensity rainfall are common in steep, rocky, and sparsely vegetated terrain. Yet large uncertainties remain about the potential for a flow to grow through entrainment of loose debris, which make formulation of accurate mechanical models of debris-flow routing difficult. Using a combination of in situ measurements of debris flow dynamics, video imagery, tracer rocks implanted with passive integrated transponders (PIT) and pre- and post-flow 2-cm resolution digital terrain models (terrain data presented in a companion paper by STALEY et alii, 2011), we investigated the entrainment and transport response of debris flows at Chalk Cliffs, CO, USA. Four monitored events during the summer of 2009 all initiated from surface-water runoff, generally less than an hour after the first measurable rain. Despite reach-scale morphology that remained relatively constant, the four flow events displayed a range of responses, from long-runout flows that entrained significant amounts of channel sediment and dammed the main-stem river, to smaller, short-runout flows that were primarily depositional in the upper basin. Tracer-rock travel-distance distributions for these events were bimodal; particles either remained immobile or they travelled the entire length of the catchment. The long-runout, large-entrainment flow differed from the other smaller flows by the following controlling factors: peak 10-minute rain intensity; duration of significant flow in the channel; and to a lesser extent, peak surge depth and velocity. Our growing database of natural debris-flow events can be used to develop linkages between observed debris-flow transport and entrainment responses and the controlling rainstorm characteristics and flow properties.

77 FR 34285 - Safety Zone; 2012 Ironman U.S. Championship Swim, Hudson River, Fort Lee, NJ

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-11

...-AA00 Safety Zone; 2012 Ironman U.S. Championship Swim, Hudson River, Fort Lee, NJ AGENCY: Coast Guard... safety zone on the navigable waters of the Hudson River in the vicinity of Englewood Cliffs and Fort Lee... the Hudson River in the vicinity of Englewood Cliffs and Fort Lee, New Jersey. This swim event poses...

Symposium on New Materials for Nonlinear Optics

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

C. B. Aakeroy, N. Azoz, P. D. Calvert, M. Kadim, A. J. McCaffery, and K. R. Seddon 35 . Clathrasils: New Materials for Nonlinear Optical...of Quantum Confined Semiconductor Structures - D.S. Chemla 2: 35 Preparation and Characterization of Small Semiconductor Particulates - Norman Herron 3...presiding 2:00 Opening Remarks - John Sohn 2:05 Approaches for the Design of Materials for Nonlinear Optics - M. Lahav 2: 35 Control of Symmetry and Asymmetry

Design of Advanced Blading for a High-Speed HP Compressor Using an S1-S2 Flow Calculation System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-11-01

Howell multistage compressor speed squared) and pressure ratio for the initial prediction method (7), with an arbitrary increase of design are given in...improved performance of axial compressors with leading designs to be produced with the current SI-S2 edge normal shock waves, system. However, it is...performance of the new (7) Howell A R and Calvert W J, A new stage- design was extremely encouraging, with a peak stacking technique for axial -flow

Holocene Evolution of Incised Coastal Channels on the Isle of Wight, UK: Interpretation via Numerical Simulation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leyland, J.; Darby, S. E.

2006-12-01

Incised coastal channels are found in numerous locations around the world where the shoreline morphology consists of cliffs. The incised coastal channels found on the Isle of Wight, UK, are known locally as `Chines' and debouche (up to 45m) through the soft cliffs of the south west coast, maintaining steep side walls subject to deep-seated mass wasting. These canyons offer sheltered locations and bare substrate, providing habitat for plant (Philonotis marchica, Anthoceros punctatos) and invertebrate (Psen atratinus, Baris analis, Melitaea cinxi) species of international importance. The base level of the Chines is highly dynamic, with episodes of sea cliff erosion causing the rejuvenation of the channel network. Consequently a key factor in Chine evolution is the relative balance between rates of cliff retreat and headwards incision caused by knickpoint migration. Specifically, there is concern that if contemporary coastal retreat rates are higher than the corresponding rates of knickpoint recession, there will be long-term a reduction in the overall extent of the Chines and their associated habitats. In an attempt to provide a long-term context for these issues, in this poster we explore the Holocene erosional history of the Chines using a numerical landscape evolution model. The model includes a stochastic cliff recession function that controls the position of the outlet boundary. Knickpoint recession rates are simulated using a detachment-limited channel erosion law wherein erosion rate is a power function of drainage area and stream gradient with model parameters defined using empirically- derived data. Simulations are undertaken for a range of imposed boundary conditions representing different scenarios of long-term cliff retreat forced by Holocene sea-level rise, plausible scenarios corresponding to cases where simulated and observed Chine and landscape forms match. The study provides an example of how a landscape evolution model could be used to reconstruct

Terrestrial Laser Scanner for assessing rockfall susceptibility in the Cilento rocky coast (Southern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sorrentino, Valerio; Matasci, Battista; Abellan, Antonio; Jaboyedoff, Michel; Marino, Ermanno; Pignalosa, Antonio; Santo, Antonio

2016-04-01

Rockfalls and other types of landslides are the dominant processes causing a retreat of sea cliffs. The coastal areas constitute an important tourist attraction and a large number of people rest beneath the cliffs on a daily basis, considerably increasing the risk associated to rockfalls. We present an approach to assess rockfall susceptibility at the cliff scale based on terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) point clouds. The test area is a coastal cliff situated in the southern part of the Cilento (Centola Municipality, Campania Region), in which a natural arch was formed. This cliff is constituted by heavy fractured carbonate rock mass with a strong structural control. In June 2015 TLS data were acquired with long-range scanner RIEGL VZ1000®. The structural analysis of the cliff was performed in the field and using Coltop 3D software on the point cloud. As a result, 10 discontinuity sets (joint, faults and bedding planes) were individuated and the different characteristics such as orientation, spacing and persistence were measured. The kinematically unstable areas were highlighted using a script that computes an index of susceptibility to rockfalls based on the spatial distribution of failure mechanisms. The susceptibility index computation is based on the average surface that every joint set (or combinations of two joint sets in the case of wedge failure) forms on the topography according to its spacing, trace length, and incidence angle. This susceptibility index also depends on the steepness of the joint set (or of the intersection line in the case of wedge failure). As a result the most important discontinuity sets in terms of potential planar failure, wedge failure and toppling were individuated and an assessment of rockfall susceptibility at the cliff scale was achieved. Results show that the kinematically feasible failures are not equally distributed along the cliff but concentrated on certain areas. The most susceptible areas for planar failure are related to

Obituary: Clifford G. Toner (1959-2009)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, Frank

2011-12-01

images to a relative precision of 0.01% by determining the zero points of the Hankel transform of the image. As a by-product of the algorithm, the modulation transfer function (MTF) of each image was also obtained, and this led Toner to develop a merging scheme based on the MTF of every image. It proved to be a very effective approach, and both the radii measurement and the merging algorithm remain in daily use in the GONG processing pipeline. However, there was one remaining challenge to assembling the GONG time series in a seamless manner. Each of the six GONG instruments is slightly and unavoidably misaligned with geographic North, producing an angular misregistration of the solar image between sites. Cliff Toner developed a sophisticated optimization scheme that determined a network-wide solution to the relative orientations of the images, and then pinned down the absolute value with drift scans. He further refined the solutions to compensate for gear irregularities in the camera rotator units at the sites. As a result of these algorithms, Toner was able to co-align all of the GONG images to a precision and accuracy of 0.02∘, as verified by his observations of the transits of Mercury and Venus. Without this complex and clever strategy and these extremely important algorithms, it would have been impossible for the GONG data to be merged into a single uniform time series of adequate accuracy for precision helioseismology. Cliff Toner's tireless, selfless, and generally unseen work behind the scenes was essential for the success of GONG. Toner also developed the scheme for merging together the GONG high-cadence magnetograms, and was working on determining the radii of the forthcoming GONG Ha data at the time of his untimely death. Cliff Toner was a very tall man, and colleagues at Hawai'i enjoyed the sight of him riding around the campus on a small moped. Everyone who met him loved him for his patience and willingness to help out. One of his colleagues from his stay

New species of the damselfly genus Argia from Mexico, Central America and Ecuador with an emphasis on Costa Rica (Insecta: Odonata: Coenagrionidae).

PubMed

Garrison, Rosser W; Ellenrieder, Natalia VON

2017-02-20

Seven new species of Argia are described, five of which occur in Costa Rica: Argia calverti n. sp. (Holotype ♂, Costa Rica, Cartago Prov., Tapantí Reserve, 1,310 m, 6 vii 1963, F. G. Thompson leg., in FSCA); Argia carolus n. sp. (Holotype ♂, Costa Rica, San José Prov., El Rodeo Biological Reserve, 7 km W of Villa Colón, 9°54' N, 84°16' W, 561 m, 10-13 vii 1990, T. W. Donnelly leg., in FSCA); Argia elongata n. sp. (Holotype ♂, Costa Rica, Cartago Prov., Reventazón river, SE of Turrialba by highway 10, 9°52'56'' N, 83°38'49'' W, 561 m, 10 viii 1979, R. W. & J. A. Garrison leg., in CSCA); Argia haberi n. sp. (Holotype ♂, Costa Rica, San José Prov., Bosque del Tolomuco, km 118 on Pan American highway, in seeps and trickles through brushy pasture on forested hillside, 9°28'18'' N, 83°41'48'' W, 1,710 m, 27 iii 2006, F. Sibley leg., in FSCA); Argia schorri n. sp. (Holotype ♂, Costa Rica, Puntarenas Prov., 2.8 mi E of Golfito, 8°39' N, 83°7' W, 35 m, 4 vii 1967, O. S. Flint, Jr. & M. A. Ortiz B. leg., in USNM), and two which are so far only known from Mexico and Ecuador respectively: Argia rudolphi n. sp. (Holotype ♂, Mexico, Puebla State, Zihuateutla, Sierra de Huauchinango, La Unión, in drainage area, 20°14'25'' N, 97°53'38'' W, 596 m, 21 v 1987, R. Novelo & A. Gómez leg., in CSCA) and Argia schneideri n. sp. (Holotype ♂, Ecuador, Napo Prov., Las Palmas, on Anzu river in Napo river watershed, 11 xii 1936, W. Clark-MacIntyre leg., in UMMZ). All the new species, as well as closely related species needed for diagnosis including A. anceps Garrison, A. cupraurea Calvert, A. cuprea (Hagen), A. extranea (Hagen), A. fissa Selys, A. fulgida Navás, A. oenea Hagen in Selys, A. popoluca Calvert, A. rhoadsi Calvert, and A. westfalli Garrison, are illustrated and diagnosed from their congeners and their known distribution areas are mapped.

Predation by ants controls swallow bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae: Oeciacus vicarius) infestations.

PubMed

Brown, Charles R; Page, Catherine E; Robison, Grant A; O'Brien, Valerie A; Booth, Warren

2015-06-01

The swallow bug (Oeciacus vicarius) is the only known vector for Buggy Creek virus (BCRV), an alphavirus that circulates in cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in North America. We discovered ants (Crematogaster lineolata and Formica spp.) preying on swallow bugs at cliff swallow colonies in western Nebraska, U.S.A. Ants reduced the numbers of visible bugs on active swallow nests by 74-90%, relative to nests in the same colony without ants. Ant predation on bugs had no effect on the reproductive success of cliff swallows inhabiting the nests where ants foraged. Ants represent an effective and presumably benign way of controlling swallow bugs at nests in some colonies. They may constitute an alternative to insecticide use at sites where ecologists wish to remove the effects of swallow bugs on cliff swallows or house sparrows. By reducing bug numbers, ant presence may also lessen BCRV transmission at the spatial foci (bird colony sites) where epizootics occur. The effect of ants on swallow bugs should be accounted for in studying variation among sites in vector abundance. © 2015 The Society for Vector Ecology.

Immune Responses of a Native and an Invasive Bird to Buggy Creek Virus (Togaviridae: Alphavirus) and Its Arthropod Vector, the Swallow Bug (Oeciacus vicarius)

PubMed Central

Fassbinder-Orth, Carol A.; Barak, Virginia A.; Brown, Charles R.

2013-01-01

Invasive species often display different patterns of parasite burden and virulence compared to their native counterparts. These differences may be the result of variability in host-parasite co-evolutionary relationships, the occurrence of novel host-parasite encounters, or possibly innate differences in physiological responses to infection between invasive and native hosts. Here we examine the adaptive, humoral immune responses of a resistant, native bird and a susceptible, invasive bird to an arbovirus (Buggy Creek virus; Togaviridae: Alphavirus) and its ectoparasitic arthropod vector (the swallow bug; Oeciacus vicarius). Swallow bugs parasitize the native, colonially nesting cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and the introduced house sparrow (Passer domesticus) that occupies nests in cliff swallow colonies. We measured levels of BCRV-specific and swallow bug-specific IgY levels before nesting (prior to swallow bug exposure) and after nesting (after swallow bug exposure) in house sparrows and cliff swallows in western Nebraska. Levels of BCRV-specific IgY increased significantly following nesting in the house sparrow but not in the cliff swallow. Additionally, house sparrows displayed consistently higher levels of swallow bug-specific antibodies both before and after nesting compared to cliff swallows. The higher levels of BCRV and swallow bug specific antibodies detected in house sparrows may be reflective of significant differences in both antiviral and anti-ectoparasite immune responses that exist between these two avian species. To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare the macro- and microparasite-specific immune responses of an invasive and a native avian host exposed to the same parasites. PMID:23460922

Marketing Analysis and Strategy for a Small Business in the Beekeeping Industry.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-18

segment has opportunities associated with it that may be profitably 2Philip Kotler , "Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control," Prentice...I I I162 I I BIBLIOGRAPHY IB Abel, Derek and John Hammond. Strategic Market Planning. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice- Hall, Inc., 1979. Kotler ... Philip . Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1976. Ott, Hyman. Introduction to Statistical

SI units.

PubMed

Lehmann, H P

1979-01-01

The development of the International System of Units (Systeme International d'Unites--SE Units), based on seven fundamental quantities--length, mass, time, electric current, thermodynamic temperature, luminous intensity, and amount of substance is described. Units (coherent and noncoherent) for other measurable quantities that are derived from the seven basic quantities are reviewed. The rationale for the use of SE units in medicine, primarily as applied to clinical laboratory data, is discussed, and arguments are presented for the rigid adoption of SI units in medicine and for exceptions. Tables are given for the basic and derived SI units used in medicine and for conversion factors from the quantities and units in current use to those in SI units.

Rock fall dynamics and deposition: an integrated analysis of the 2009 Ahwiyah Point rock fall, Yosemite National Park, USA.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Valerie L. Zimmer,; Collins, Brian D.; Greg M. Stock,; Nicholas Sitar,

2012-01-01

We analyzed a combination of airborne and terrestrial LiDAR, high-resolution photography, seismic, and acoustic data in order to gain insights into the initiation, dynamics, and talus deposition of a complex rock fall. A large (46 700 m3) rock fall originated from near Ahwiyah Point in eastern Yosemite Valley and fell a total of 730 m to the valley floor on 28 March 2009. Analyses of remote sensing, seismic, and acoustic data were integrated to reconstruct the rock fall, which consisted of (1) the triggering of a 25 400 m3 rock block in an area of intersecting and sometimes highly weathered joint planes, (2) the sliding and subsequent ballistic trajectory of the block from a steeply dipping ledge, (3) dislodging of additional rock from the cliff surface from beneath the rock fall source area, (4) a mid-cliff ledge impact that detached a volume of rock nearly equivalent in volume to the initial block, (5) sliding of the deteriorating rock mass down the remainder of the cliff, and (6) final impact at the base of the cliff that remobilized the existing talus downward and outward and produced an airblast that knocked down hundreds of trees. The depositional geomorphology indicates that the porosity of the fresh talus is significantly lower than that expected for typical blocky talus slopes, likely because the rock debris from this event was pulverized into smaller, more poorly sorted fragments and densified via dynamic compaction when compared to less energetic, fragmental-type rock falls. These results suggest that accumulation of individual rock-fall boulders tends to steepen talus slopes, whereas large, energetic rock falls tend to flatten them. Detachment and impact signals were recorded by seismic and acoustic instruments and highlight the potential use of this type of instrumentation for generalized rock fall monitoring, while LiDAR and photography data were able to quantify the cliff geometry, rock fall volume, source and impact locations, and

Short Note on Units: Planetary Units

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huggins, Elisha

2010-01-01

While the emphasis on SI units in introductory physics textbooks has mercifully eliminated the use of English units, the exclusion of other systems of units is not necessary. For years physicists have simplified calculations by doing things like setting [h-bar] = c = 1. We could not imagine putting 4[pi][epsilon][subscript 0] into the formulas for…

Averting the Fiscal Cliff Act

THOMAS, 112th Congress

Rep. Jordan, Jim [R-OH-4

2012-12-19

House - 12/19/2012 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. (All Actions) Notes: For further action, see H.R.8, which became Public Law 112-240 on 1/2/2013. Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Landscape development in an hyperarid sandstone environment along the margins of the Dead Sea fault: Implications from dated rock falls

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matmon, A.; Shaked, Y.; Porat, N.; Enzel, Y.; Finkel, R.; Lifton, N.; Boaretto, E.; Agnon, A.

2005-01-01

In this study, we explored the spatial and temporal relations between boulders and their original in-situ locations on sandstone bedrock cliffs. This was accomplished by combining field observations with dating methods using cosmogenic isotopes (10Be and 14C) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). Our conclusions bear both on the landscape evolution and cliff retreat process in the hyperarid region of Timna and on the methodology of estimating exposure ages using cosmogenic isotopes. We recognize three discrete rock fall events, at 31 ka, 15 ka, and 4 ka. In this hyperarid region, the most plausible triggering mechanism for rock fall events is strong ground acceleration caused by earthquakes generated by the nearby Dead Sea fault (DSF). Our record, however, under represents the regional earthquake record implying that ongoing development of detachment cracks prior to the triggering event might be slower than the earthquake cycle. Cliff retreat rates calculated using the timing of rock fall events and estimated thickness of rock removed in each event range between 0.14 m ky-1 and 2 m ky-1. When only full cycles are considered, we derive a more realistic range of 0.4 m ky-1 to 0.7 m ky-1. These rates are an order of magnitude faster than the calculated rate of surface lowering in the area. We conclude that sandstone cliffs at Timna retreat through episodic rock fall events that preserve the sharp, imposing, landscape characteristic to this region and that ongoing weathering of the cliff faces is minor. A 10%-20% difference in the 10Be concentrations in samples from matching boulder and cliff faces that have identical exposure histories and are located only a few meters apart indicates that cosmogenic nuclide production rates are sensitive to shielding and vary spatially over short distances. However, uncertainties associated with age calculations yielded boulder and matching cliff face ages that are similar within 1 ??. The use of external constraints in the

Rock face stability analysis and potential rockfall source detection in Yosemite Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matasci, B.; Stock, G. M.; Jaboyedoff, M.; Oppikofer, T.; Pedrazzini, A.; Carrea, D.

2012-04-01

Rockfall hazard in Yosemite Valley is especially high owing to the great cliff heights (~1 km), the fracturing of the steep granitic cliffs, and the widespread occurrence of surface parallel sheeting or exfoliation joints. Between 1857 and 2011, 890 documented rockfalls and other slope movements caused 15 fatalities and at least 82 injuries. The first part of this study focused on realizing a structural study for Yosemite Valley at both regional (valley-wide) and local (rockfall source area) scales. The dominant joint sets were completely characterized by their orientation, persistence, spacing, roughness and opening. Spacing and trace length for each joint set were accurately measured on terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) point clouds with the software PolyWorks (InnovMetric). Based on this fundamental information the second part of the study aimed to detect the most important failure mechanisms leading to rockfalls. With the software Matterocking and the 1m cell size DEM, we calculated the number of possible failure mechanisms (wedge sliding, planar sliding, toppling) per cell, for several cliffs of the valley. Orientation, spacing and persistence measurements directly issued from field and TLS data were inserted in the Matterocking calculations. TLS point clouds are much more accurate than the 1m DEM and show the overhangs of the cliffs. Accordingly, with the software Coltop 3D we developed a methodology similar to the one used with Matterocking to identify on the TLS point clouds the areas of a cliff with the highest number of failure mechanisms. Exfoliation joints are included in this stability analysis in the same way as the other joint sets, with the only difference that their orientation is parallel to the local cliff orientation and thus variable. This means that, in two separate areas of a cliff, the exfoliation joint set is taken into account with different dip direction and dip, but its effect on the stability assessment is the same. Areas with a high

31 CFR 515.321 - United States; continental United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 515.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including the Trust Territory of...

31 CFR 535.321 - United States; continental United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 535.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof including the Trust Territory of...

31 CFR 535.321 - United States; continental United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 535.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof including the Trust Territory of...

31 CFR 535.321 - United States; continental United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 535.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof including the Trust Territory of...

31 CFR 515.321 - United States; continental United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 515.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including the Trust Territory of...

31 CFR 515.321 - United States; continental United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 515.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including the Trust Territory of...

31 CFR 500.321 - United States; continental United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 500.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including U.S. trust territories...

31 CFR 515.321 - United States; continental United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 515.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including the Trust Territory of...

31 CFR 535.321 - United States; continental United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 535.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof including the Trust Territory of...

31 CFR 535.321 - United States; continental United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 535.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof including the Trust Territory of...

31 CFR 515.321 - United States; continental United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false United States; continental United... General Definitions § 515.321 United States; continental United States. The term United States means the United States and all areas under the jurisdiction or authority thereof, including the Trust Territory of...

Nations United: The United Nations, the United States, and the Global Campaign Against Terrorism. A Curriculum Unit & Video for Secondary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houlihan, Christina; McLeod, Shannon

This curriculum unit and 1-hour videotape are designed to help students understand the purpose and functions of the United Nations (UN) and explore the relationship between the United Nations and the United States. The UN's role in the global counterterrorism campaign serves as a case study for the unit. The students are asked to develop a basic…

Unit cost of Mohs and Dermasurgery Unit.

PubMed

Wanitphakdeedecha, R; Nguyen, T H; Chen, T M

2010-04-01

Appropriate pricing for medical services of not-for-profit hospital is necessary. The prices should be fair to the public and should be high enough to cover the operative costs of the organization. The purpose of this study was to determine the cost and unit cost of medical services performed at the Mohs and Dermasurgery Unit (MDU), Department of Dermatology, The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX from the healthcare provider's perspective. MDU costs were retrieved from the Financial Department for fiscal year 2006. The patients' statistics were acquired from medical records for the same period. Unit cost calculation was based on the official method of hospital accounting. The overall unit cost for each patient visit was $673.99 United States dollar (USD). The detailed unit cost of nurse visit, new patient visit, follow-up visit, consultation, Mohs and non-Mohs procedure were, respectively, $368.27, $580.09, $477.82, $585.52, $1,086.12 and $858.23 USD. With respect to a Mohs visit, the unit cost per lesion and unit cost per stage were $867.89 and $242.30 USD respectively. Results from this retrospective study provide information that may be used for pricing strategy and resource allocation by the administrative board of MDU.

Interpretation of recent alpine landscape system evolution using geomorphic mapping and L-band InSAR analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imaizumi, Fumitoshi; Nishiguchi, Takaki; Matsuoka, Norikazu; Trappmann, Daniel; Stoffel, Markus

2018-06-01

Alpine landscapes are typically characterized by inherited features of past glaciations and, for the more recent past, by the interplay of a multitude of types of geomorphic processes, including permafrost creep, rockfalls, debris flows, and landslides. These different processes usually exhibit large spatial and temporal variations in activity and velocity. The understanding of these processes in a wide alpine area is often hindered by difficulties in their surveying. In this study, we attempt to disentangle recent changes in an alpine landscape system using geomorphic mapping and L-band DInSAR analyses (ALOS-PALSAR) in the Zermatt Valley, Swiss Alps. Geomorphic mapping points to a preferential distribution of rock glaciers on north-facing slopes, whereas talus slopes are concentrated on south-facing slopes. Field-based interpretation of ground deformation in rock glaciers and movements in talus slopes correlates well with the ratio of InSAR images showing potential ground deformation. Moraines formed during the Little Ice Age, rock glaciers, and talus slopes on north-facing slopes are more active than landforms on south-facing slopes, implying that the presence of permafrost facilitates the deformation of these geomorphic units. Such deformations of geomorphic units prevail also at the elevation of glacier termini. For rock cliffs, the ratio of images indicating retreat is affected by slope orientation and elevation. Linkages between sediment supply from rock cliffs and sediment transport in torrents are different among tributaries, affected by relative locations between sediment supply areas and the channel network. We conclude that the combined use of field surveys and L-band DInSAR analyses can substantially improve process understanding in steep, high-mountain terrain.

Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic framework of upper Campanian strata (Neslen and Mount Garfield formations, Bluecastle Tongue of the Castlegate sandstone, and Mancos shale), Eastern Book cliffs, Colorado and Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kirschbaum, Mark A.; Hettinger, Robert D.

2004-01-01

Facies and sequence-stratigraphic analysis identifies six high-resolution sequences within upper Campanian strata across about 120 miles of the Book Cliffs in western Colorado and eastern Utah. The six sequences are named after prominent sandstone units and include, in ascending order, upper Sego sequence, Neslen sequence, Corcoran sequence, Buck Canyon/lower Cozzette sequence, upper Cozzette sequence, and Cozzette/Rollins sequence. A seventh sequence, the Bluecastle sequence, is present in the extreme western part of the study area. Facies analysis documents deepening- and shallowing- upward successions, parasequence stacking patterns, downlap in subsurface cross sections, facies dislocations, basinward shifts in facies, and truncation of strata.All six sequences display major incision into shoreface deposits of the Sego Sandstone and sandstones of the Corcoran and Cozzette Members of the Mount Garfield Formation. The incised surfaces represent sequence-boundary unconformities that allowed bypass of sediment to lowstand shorelines that are either attached to the older highstand shorelines or are detached from the older highstand shorelines and located southeast of the main study area. The sequence boundary unconformities represent valley incisions that were cut during successive lowstands of relative sea level. The overlying valley-fill deposits generally consist of tidally influenced strata deposited during an overall base level rise. Transgressive surfaces can be traced or projected over, or locally into, estuarine deposits above and landward of their associated shoreface deposits. Maximum flooding surfaces can be traced or projected landward from offshore strata into, or above, coastal-plain deposits. With the exception of the Cozzette/Rollins sequence, the majority of coal-bearing coastal-plain strata was deposited before maximum flooding and is therefore within the transgressive systems tracts. Maximum flooding was followed by strong progradation of

Panel data models with spatial correlation: Estimation theory and an empirical investigation of the United States wholesale gasoline industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapoor, Mudit

The first part of my dissertation considers the estimation of a panel data model with error components that are both spatially and time-wise correlated. The dissertation combines widely used model for spatial correlation (Cliff and Ord (1973, 1981)) with the classical error component panel data model. I introduce generalizations of the generalized moments (GM) procedure suggested in Kelejian and Prucha (1999) for estimating the spatial autoregressive parameter in case of a single cross section. I then use those estimators to define feasible generalized least squares (GLS) procedures for the regression parameters. I give formal large sample results concerning the consistency of the proposed GM procedures, as well as the consistency and asymptotic normality of the proposed feasible GLS procedures. The new estimators remain computationally feasible even in large samples. The second part of my dissertation employs a Cliff-Ord-type model to empirically estimate the nature and extent of price competition in the US wholesale gasoline industry. I use data on average weekly wholesale gasoline price for 289 terminals (distribution facilities) in the US. Data on demand factors, cost factors and market structure that affect price are also used. I consider two time periods, a high demand period (August 1999) and a low demand period (January 2000). I find a high level of competition in prices between neighboring terminals. In particular, price in one terminal is significantly and positively correlated to the price of its neighboring terminal. Moreover, I find this to be much higher during the low demand period, as compared to the high demand period. In contrast to previous work, I include for each terminal the characteristics of the marginal customer by controlling for demand factors in the neighboring location. I find these demand factors to be important during period of high demand and insignificant during the low demand period. Furthermore, I have also considered spatial

SI Units to be Used in Place of Imperial Units and Old Metric Units

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian Science Teachers Journal, 1975

1975-01-01

A table lists the following quantities in imperial units, old metric units, and SI units: mass, force, energy, torque, power, pressure, temperature, thermal conductivity, frequency, dynamic viscosity, and kinematic viscosity. (MLH)

Roles of Thermophiles and Fungi in Bitumen Degradation in Mostly Cold Oil Sands Outcrops

PubMed Central

Wong, Man-Ling; An, Dongshan; Caffrey, Sean M.; Soh, Jung; Dong, Xiaoli; Sensen, Christoph W.; Oldenburg, Thomas B. P.; Larter, Steve R.

2015-01-01

Oil sands are surface exposed in river valley outcrops in northeastern Alberta, where flat slabs (tablets) of weathered, bitumen-saturated sandstone can be retrieved from outcrop cliffs or from riverbeds. Although the average yearly surface temperature of this region is low (0.7°C), we found that the temperatures of the exposed surfaces of outcrop cliffs reached 55 to 60°C on sunny summer days, with daily maxima being 27 to 31°C. Analysis of the cooccurrence of taxa derived from pyrosequencing of 16S/18S rRNA genes indicated that an aerobic microbial network of fungi and hydrocarbon-, methane-, or acetate-oxidizing heterotrophic bacteria was present in all cliff tablets. Metagenomic analyses indicated an elevated presence of fungal cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in these samples. This network was distinct from the heterotrophic community found in riverbeds, which included fewer fungi. A subset of cliff tablets had a network of anaerobic and/or thermophilic taxa, including methanogens, Firmicutes, and Thermotogae, in the center. Long-term aerobic incubation of outcrop samples at 55°C gave a thermophilic microbial community. Analysis of residual bitumen with a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer indicated that aerobic degradation proceeded at 55°C but not at 4°C. Little anaerobic degradation was observed. These results indicate that bitumen degradation on outcrop surfaces is a largely aerobic process with a minor anaerobic contribution and is catalyzed by a consortium of bacteria and fungi. Bitumen degradation is stimulated by periodic high temperatures on outcrop cliffs, which cause significant decreases in bitumen viscosity. PMID:26209669

Potential effects of environmental contaminants on P450 aromatase activity and DNA damage in swallows from the Rio Grande and Somerville, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sitzlar, M.A.; Mora, M.A.; Fleming, J.G.W.; Bazer, F.W.; Bickham, J.W.; Matson, C.W.

2009-01-01

Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and cave swallows (P. fulva) were sampled during the breeding season at several locations in the Rio Grande, Texas, to evaluate the potential effects of environmental contaminants on P450 aromatase activity in brain and gonads and DNA damage in blood cells. The tritiated water-release aromatase assay was used to measure aromatase activity and flow cytometry was used to measure DNA damage in nucleated blood cells. There were no significant differences in brain and gonadal aromatase activities or in estimates of DNA damage (HPCV values) among cave swallow colonies from the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) and Somerville. However, both brain and gonadal aromatase activities were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in male cliff swallows from Laredo than in those from Somerville. Also, DNA damage estimates were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in cliff swallows (males and females combined) from Laredo than in those from Somerville. Contaminants of current high use in the LRGV, such as atrazine, and some of the highly persistent organochlorines, such as toxaphene and DDE, could be potentially associated with modulation of aromatase activity in avian tissues. Previous studies have indicated possible DNA damage in cliff swallows. We did not observe any differences in aromatase activity or DNA damage in cave swallows that could be associated with contaminant exposure. Also, the differences in aromatase activity and DNA damage between male cliff swallows from Laredo and Somerville could not be explained by contaminants measured at each site in previous studies. Our study provides baseline information on brain and gonadal aromatase activity in swallows that could be useful in future studies. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Historic bluff retreat and stabilization at Flag Harbor, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Inga; Larsen, Curtis E.; McRae, Michele

2002-01-01

Studies of bluff erosion and slope stability along the western shore of Chesapeake Bay suggest relative evolution from steep, eroding coastal bluffs to stable slopes at angles of repose ca. 35 degrees over decades. Because of the dating methods in those studies, it was impossible to precisely define rates of change. The present study provides historic age control. A pair of small harbor structures were constructed in the early 1950's at Chesapeake Beach, MD to maintain a dredged channel to a small marina occupying a ravine in the Calvert Cliffs. Prior to construction, this section of shoreline was comprised of eroding steep bluffs cut into Miocene-age sediments. Downdrift erosion is now apparent south of the structures as is updrift deposition behind the northern jetty. Since construction the updrift sand body has prograded northward and progressively deposited protective beaches along the toes of the bluffs. Former eroding bluffs nearest the harbor are now stable, vegetated slopes at angles near 35 degrees. Slope angles widen to the north and to the northern limit of the sand body. Beyond this are eroding bluffs standing at angles of 70-80 degrees. The relative time required for eroding bluffs to reach stability is estimated by interpolating the distance and time for the sand body to prograde northward since harbor construction. We measured slope angles at intervals northward from the updrift structure for a distance of 2000 feet. A least squares regression of slope angle vs distance showed progressive decrease in angle from north to south. Actively eroding 70-80 degree bluffs gave way to vegetated, but slumping slopes, and finally to stable 35-degree slopes at the harbor. A relationship between time and distance along the shore allowed us to estimate a stabilization time for this location of 35-40 years. The shortness of this time scale allows us to suggest that attempts to artificially stabilize eroding bluffs along this coast is not a simple task of protecting

Community Structure and Survival of Tertiary Relict Thuja sutchuenensis (Cupressaceae) in the Subtropical Daba Mountains, Southwestern China

PubMed Central

Tang, Cindy Q.; Yang, Yongchuan; Ohsawa, Masahiko; Momohara, Arata; Yi, Si-Rong; Robertson, Kevin; Song, Kun; Zhang, Shi-Qiang; He, Long-Yuan

2015-01-01

A rare coniferous Tertiary relict tree species, Thuja sutchuenensis Franch, has survived in the Daba Mountains of southwestern China. It was almost eliminated by logging during the past century. We measured size and age structures and interpreted regeneration dynamics of stands of the species in a variety of topographic contexts and community associations. Forest communities containing T. sutchuenensis were of three types: (1) the Thuja community dominated by T. sutchuenensis, growing on cliffs; (2) the Thuja-Quercus-Cyclobalanopsis community dominated by T. sutchuenensis, Quercus engleriana and Cyclobalanopsis oxyodon, along with Fagus engleriana and Carpinus fargesiana, on steep slopes; (3) the Thuja-Tsuga-Quercus community dominated by T. sutchuenensis, Tsuga chinensis, and Quercus spinosa, on crest ridges. The established seedlings/saplings were found in limestone crevices, on scarred cliff-faces, cliff-edges, fallen logs, canopy gaps and forest margins. The radial growth rate was 0.5-1.1 mm per year. Its growth forms were distorted. It had strong sprouting ability after disturbances. The T. sutchuenensis population thrives on cliffs where there is little competition from other species because of harsh conditions and rockslide disturbances. It is shade-intolerant but stress-tolerant. Its regeneration has depended on natural disturbances. PMID:25928845

Hybrid digital-analog video transmission in wireless multicast and multiple-input multiple-output system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yu; Lin, Xiaocheng; Fan, Nianfei; Zhang, Lin

2016-01-01

Wireless video multicast has become one of the key technologies in wireless applications. But the main challenge of conventional wireless video multicast, i.e., the cliff effect, remains unsolved. To overcome the cliff effect, a hybrid digital-analog (HDA) video transmission framework based on SoftCast, which transmits the digital bitstream with the quantization residuals, is proposed. With an effective power allocation algorithm and appropriate parameter settings, the residual gains can be maximized; meanwhile, the digital bitstream can assure transmission of a basic video to the multicast receiver group. In the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, since nonuniform noise interference on different antennas can be regarded as the cliff effect problem, ParCast, which is a variation of SoftCast, is also applied to video transmission to solve it. The HDA scheme with corresponding power allocation algorithms is also applied to improve video performance. Simulations show that the proposed HDA scheme can overcome the cliff effect completely with the transmission of residuals. What is more, it outperforms the compared WSVC scheme by more than 2 dB when transmitting under the same bandwidth, and it can further improve performance by nearly 8 dB in MIMO when compared with the ParCast scheme.

Does size matter? Animal units and animal unit months

Treesearch

Lamar Smith; Joe Hicks; Scott Lusk; Mike Hemmovich; Shane Green; Sarah McCord; Mike Pellant; John Mitchell; Judith Dyess; Jim Sprinkle; Amanda Gearhart; Sherm Karl; Mike Hannemann; Ken Spaeth; Jason Karl; Matt Reeves; Dave Pyke; Jordan Spaak; Andrew Brischke; Del Despain; Matt Phillippi; Dave Weixelmann; Alan Bass; Jessie Page; Lori Metz; David Toledo; Emily Kachergis

2017-01-01

The concepts of animal units, animal unit months, and animal unit equivalents have long been used as standards for range management planning, estimating stocking rates, reporting actual use, assessing grazing fees, ranch appraisal, and other purposes. Increasing size of cattle on rangelands has led some to suggest that the definition of animal units and animal unit...

Along Endurance Crater's Inner Wall (Left Eye)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This view from the base of 'Burns Cliff' in the inner wall of 'Endurance Crater' combines several frames taken by Opportunity's navigation camera during the NASA rover's 280th martian day (Nov. 6, 2004). It is the left-eye member of a stereo pair, presented in a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric seam correction. The cliff dominates the left and right portions of the image, while the central portion looks down into the crater. The 'U' shape of this mosaic results from the rover's tilt of about 30 degrees on the sloped ground below the cliff. Rover wheel tracks in the left half of the image show some of the slippage the rover experienced in making its way to this point. The site from which this image was taken has been designated as Opportunity's Site 37.

Calving of Talyor Glacier, Dry Valleys, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carmichael, J. D.; Pettit, E. C.; Creager, K. C.; Hallet, B.

2007-12-01

Calving of tide-water glaciers has received considerable attention, with seismic arrays in Alaska, Greenland, and Antarctica devoted to their observation. In these environments, ice cliffs are directly coupled to oceanic temperatures. The land-based polar glaciers of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica represent a simpler environment unaffected directly by water contact where other factors can be isolated. In particular, summer calving events of Taylor Glacier are observed to consist of precursory activity including crack growth, cliff overhang, and active seismicity at least 1 hour before collapse. We propose that collapse occurs only after a stress threshold has been crossed, evident from 'pre-calving' of ice from the cliff base 1-3 days prior to the major event. We provide photographic, seismic, and temperature data to illustrate the thermal and stress landscape for land-based calving of polar glaciers.

Geologic columns for the ICDP-USGS Eyreville A and C cores, Chesapeake Bay impact structure: Postimpact sediments, 444 to 0 m depth

USGS Publications Warehouse

Edwards, L.E.; Powars, D.S.; Browning, J.V.; McLaughlin, P.P.; Miller, K.G.; ,; Kulpecz, A.A.; Elbra, T.

2009-01-01

A 443.9-m-thick, virtually undisturbed section of postimpact deposits in the Chesapeake Bay impact structure was recovered in the Eyreville A and C cores, Northampton County, Virginia, within the "moat" of the structure's central crater. Recovered sediments are mainly fine-grained marine siliciclastics, with the exception of Pleistocene sand, clay, and gravel. The lowest postimpact unit is the upper Eocene Chickahominy Formation (443.9-350.1 m). At 93.8 m, this is the maximum thickness yet recovered for deposits that represent the return to "normal marine" sedimentation. The Drummonds Corner beds (informal) and the Old Church Formation are thin Oligocene units present between 350.1 and 344.7 m. Above the Oligocene, there is a more typical Virginia coastal plain succession. The Calvert Formation (344.7-225.4 m) includes a thin lower Miocene part overlain by a much thicker middle Miocene part. From 225.4 to 206.0 m, sediments of the middle Miocene Choptank Formation, rarely reported in the Virginia coastal plain, are present. The thick upper Miocene St. Marys and Eastover Formations (206.0-57.8 m) appear to represent a more complete succession than in the type localities. Correlation with the nearby Kiptopeke core indicates that two Pliocene units are present: Yorktown (57.8-32.2 m) and Chowan River Formations (32.2-18.3 m). Sediments at the top of the section represent an upper Pleistocene channel-fill and are assigned to the Butlers Bluff and Occohannock Members of the Nassawadox Formation (18.3-0.6 m). ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Rapanos v. United States & Carabell v. United States

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Documents associated with guidance for implementing the definition of waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act following the Rapanos v. United States, and Carabell v. United States Supreme Court decision.

Geologic Map of the House Rock Valley Area, Coconino County, Northern Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Billingsley, George H.; Priest, Susan S.

2010-01-01

This geologic map is a cooperative effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest Service to provide a geologic database for resource management officials and visitor information services. This map was produced in response to information needs related to a proposed withdrawal of three segregated land areas near Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, from new hard rock mining activity. House Rock Valley was designated as the east parcel of the segregated lands near the Grand Canyon. This map was needed to provide connectivity for the geologic framework of the Grand Canyon segregated land areas. This geologic map of the House Rock Valley area encompasses approximately 280 mi2 (85.4 km2) within Coconino County, northern Arizona, and is bounded by longitude 111 degrees 37'30' to 112 degrees 05' W. and latitude 36 degrees 30' to 36 degrees 50' N. The map area is in the eastern part of the Arizona Strip, which lies within the southern Colorado Plateaus geologic province (herein Colorado Plateau). The Arizona Strip is the part of Arizona lying north of the Colorado River. The map is bound on the east by the Colorado River in Marble Canyon within Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, on the south and west by the Kaibab National Forest and Grand Canyon National Game Preserve, and on the north by the Vermilion Cliffs Natural Area, the Paria Canyon Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area, and the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. House Rock State Buffalo Ranch also bounds the southern edge of the map area. The Bureau of Land Management Arizona Field Office in St. George, Utah, manages public lands of the Vermilion Cliffs Natural Area, Paria Canyon - Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. The North Kaibab Ranger District in Fredonia, Arizona, manages U.S. Forest Service land along the west edge of the map area and House Rock State Buffalo Ranch

Automatic Seismic Signal Processing Research.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-01

be used. We then rave mD(k) AT(k) + b (11) S2 aT S SD(k) - a(k) a so Equation (9) becomes ( Gnanadesikan , 1977, p. 83; Young and Calvert, 1974, Equation... Gnanadesikan (1977, p. 196), "The main function of statistical data analysis is to extricate and explicate the informational content of a body of...R. C. Goff (1980), "Evaluation of the MARS Seismic Event Detector," Systems, Science and Software Report SSS-R-81-4656, August. Gnanadesikan , R

Population changes in bats from central Arizona: 1972 and 1997

USGS Publications Warehouse

O'Shea, T.J.; Vaughan, T.A.

1999-01-01

Prompted by concern about declining bat populations in the southwestern United States, we surveyed for changes in populations between 1972 and 1997 at a study area in central Arizona. We duplicated earlier searches of ancient Indian dwellings and crevices in surrounding cliffs for diurnally roosting bats during the time of year when maternity colonies should have been present, and repeated mist-netting to capture bats in flight along the cliffs at night. Antrozous pallidus was gone. A maternity colony of Myotis velifer no longer existed. Tadarida brasiliensis was rare in 1997 compared to 1972; aggregations of Myotis yumanensis seen in 1972 were missing in 1997. Breeding Corynorhinus townsendii were found in 1997, but were unknown at this location in 1972. Small numbers of Eptesicus fuscus, Myotis californicus, and Pipistrellus hesperus occupied the site in both 1972 and 1997. Additionally, museum records show that most of the bats we documented at this site also were present in 1931. Surrounding habitat did not appear substantially different between 1972 and 1997, and a reconstruction of possible impacts from bat biologists did not suggest that researchers caused the local extinctions we document. The most obvious change over 25 years was a dramatic increase in recreational use of the area. We believe that disturbances associated with recreationists resulted in the observed population changes, primarily through roost abandonment.

Water and processes of degradation in the Martian landscape.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Milton, D. J.

1973-01-01

Some large channels on Mars show features, notably bars and braiding, that indicate an origin by the action of running water. Smaller channels on steep slopes may have been produced by runoff of precipitation. Dendritic canyon systems suggest ground water sapping, which may have been an effective agent in cliff retreat generally. Extensive plains developed as cliffs retreated and, although modified by later wind action, may be regarded as relict landforms from a fluvial stage of Martian history.

Renewed uplift of the Central Andes Forearc revealed by coastal evolution during the Quaternary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regard, Vincent; Saillard, Marianne; Martinod, Joseph; Audin, Laurence; Carretier, Sébastien; Pedoja, Kevin; Riquelme, Rodrigo; Paredes, Paola; Hérail, Gérard

2010-08-01

Most of the Pacific coast of the Central Andes, between 15°S and 30°S, display a wide (a couple of kilometres) planar feature, gently dipping oceanwards and backed by a cliff. This morphology, usually of marine origin, is called rasa, and argues for a recent and spatially continuous uplift of the margin over the 1500-km-long coastal region we describe. The cliff foot is found at a similar elevation (˜ 110 m amsl) all over the studied area, with the exception of peninsulas such as the Mejillones Peninsula. The compilation of published chronological data and the extrapolation of re-appraised uplift rates provide evidence for a common cliff foot age of around 400 ka (i.e., Marine Isotopic Stage MIS 11). This, together with other geological constraints, indicates a Quaternary renewal of uplift in the Central Andes Forearc after a late Pliocene quiescence or subsidence.

Influence of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events on the evolution of central California's shoreline

USGS Publications Warehouse

Storlazzi, Curt D.; Griggs, Gary B.

2000-01-01

Significant sea-cliff erosion and storm damage occurred along the central coast of California during the 1982–1983 and 1997–1998 El Niño winters. This generated interest among scientists and land-use planners in how historic El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) winters have affected the coastal climate of central California. A relative ENSO intensity index based on oceanographic and meteorologic data defines the timing and magnitude of ENSO events over the past century. The index suggests that five higher intensity (relative values 4–6) and 17 lower intensity (relative values 1–3) ENSO events took place between 1910 and 1995. The ENSO intensity index correlates with fluctuations in the time series of cyclone activity, precipitation, detrended sea level, wave height, sea-surface temperature, and sea-level barometric pressure. Wave height, sea level, and precipitation, which are the primary external forcing parameters in sea-cliff erosion, increase nonlinearly with increasing relative ENSO event intensity. The number of storms that caused coastal erosion or storm damage and the historic occurrence of large-scale sea-cliff erosion along the central coast also increase nonlinearly with increasing relative event intensity. These correlations and the frequency distribution of relative ENSO event intensities indicate that moderate- to high-intensity ENSO events cause the most sea-cliff erosion and shoreline recession over the course of a century.

Geologic map of the Glen Canyon Dam 30’ x 60’ quadrangle, Coconino County, northern Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Billingsley, George H.; Priest, Susan S.

2013-01-01

The Glen Canyon Dam 30’ x 60’ quadrangle is characterized by nearly flat lying to gently dipping Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary strata that overlie tilted Proterozoic strata or metasedimentary and igneous rocks similar to those exposed at the bottom of Grand Canyon southwest of the quadrangle. Mississippian to Permian rocks are exposed in the walls of Marble Canyon; Permian strata and minor outcrops of Triassic strata form the surface bedrock of House Rock Valley and Marble Plateau, southwestern quarter of the quadrangle. The Paleozoic strata exposed in Marble Canyon and Grand Canyon south of the map are likely present in the subsurface of the entire quadrangle but with unknown facies and thickness changes. The Mesozoic sedimentary rocks exposed along the Vermilion and Echo Cliffs once covered the entire quadrangle, but Cenozoic erosion has removed most of these rocks from House Rock Valley and Marble Plateau areas. Mesozoic strata remain over much of the northern and eastern portions of the quadrangle where resistant Jurassic sandstone units form prominent cliffs, escarpments, mesas, buttes, and much of the surface bedrock of the Paria, Kaibito, and Rainbow Plateaus. Jurassic rocks in the northeastern part of quadrangle are cut by a sub-Cretaceous regional unconformity that bevels the Entrada Sandstone and Morrison Formation from Cummings Mesa southward to White Mesa near Kaibito. Quaternary deposits, mainly eolian, mantle much of the Paria, Kaibito, and Rainbow Plateaus in the northern and northeastern portion of the quadrangle. Alluvial deposits are widely distributed over parts of House Rock Valley and Marble Plateau in the southwest quarter of the quadrangle. The east-dipping strata of the Echo Cliffs Monocline forms a general north-south structural boundary through the central part of the quadrangle, separating Marble and Paria Plateaus west of the monocline from the Kaibito Plateau east of the monocline. The Echo Cliffs Monocline continues north of

Foaling rates in feral horses treated with the immunocontraceptive porcine zona pellucida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ransom, J.I.; Roelle, J.E.; Cade, B.S.; Coates-Markle, L.; Kane, A.J.

2011-01-01

Locally abundant feral horses (Equus caballus) can rapidly deplete available resources. Fertility control agents present promising nonlethal tools for reducing their population growth rates. We tested the effect of 2 forms of the immunocontraceptive porcine zona pellucida (PZP) on foaling rates in 3 populations of feral horses in the western United States. A liquid form requiring annual boosters was administered at Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range, Mesa County (CO), and Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, Bighorn County (WY) and Carbon County (MT), and a time-release pellet form designed to produce 2 yr of infertility was administered at McCullough Peaks Herd Management Area, Park County (WY). Average foaling rates (foals born/mare-yr) from direct observation of untreated and treated female horses (mares), 2004-2008, were 60.1% (n = 153 mare-yr) versus 6.6% (n = 91 mare-yr) at Little Book Cliffs, and 62.8% (n = 129 mare-yr) versus 17.7% (n = 79 mare-yr) at Pryor Mountain, respectively. At McCullough Peaks, mean annual foaling rates from 2006 to 2008 were 75.0% (n = 48 mare-yr) for untreated mares and 31.7% (n = 101 mare-yr) for treated mares. Controlling for age of mares and pretreatment differences in fertility, PZP reduced foaling rates in all 3 herds. The pellets used at McCullough Peaks (produced by cold evaporation) were less effective than pellets used in a previous trial and produced by heat extrusion. Immunocontraception with PZP may be a useful tool in reducing fertility rates in some western United States feral horse herds, but population growth reduction will depend on timely access to mares for inoculation and the proportion of mares that can be successfully treated. ?? 2011 The Wildlife Society.

Habitone analysis of quaking aspen in the Utah Book Cliffs: Effects of site water demand and conifer cover

Treesearch

Joseph O. Sexton; R. Douglas Ramsey; Dale L. Bartos

2006-01-01

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is the most widely distributed tree species in North America, but its presence is declining across much of the Western United States. Aspen decline is complex, but results largely from two factors widely divergent in temporal scale: (1) Holocene climatic drying of the region has led to water limitation of aspen seedling...

Herbicide treatment of invasive Vinca major growing with endangered Galium buxifolium, an island endemic

USGS Publications Warehouse

McEachern, Kathryn; Chess, Katie; Flagg, Karen; Niessen, Ken; Owen,; Thompson,

2010-01-01

Galium buxifolium E. Greene [Rubiaceae] (sea-cliff bedstraw) is a small shrub restricted to San Miguel and Santa Cruz Islands, in the California Channel Islands. Almost all of the 26 known populations grow on vertical north-facing sea cliffs in native scrub, sandwiched between the sea below and non-native annual grasslands on the terraces above. A notable exception is a popula?tion at Pelican Bay on Santa Cruz Island, growing on the cliff and on thin terrace soils above the cliff in a stand of coastal bluff scrub that is recovering from more than a century of sheep grazing (Figure 1). Ironically, this stand is near the location of the historic Eaton Resort, a charismatic inn frequented by Hollywood glitterati in the early 1900s. Several landscape ornamentals planted there persist today in the area of the Galium population. Italian stone pine (Pinus pinaea) and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.) tower over the site while the invasive groundcover Vinca major L. [Apocynaceae] (greater periwinkle) forms dense mats at the cliff edge that are spreading into the developing native plant stand. Wherever the Galium is found it is intermixed with other native scrub plants in dense communities on moist ocean bluffs. Historic notes and herbarium collections indicate that it may have been more widespread on nearshore terraces adjacent to sea-cliff populations before conversion to grassland. Since Pelican Bay is the only site that we know of where Galium is spreading onto the nearby terrace, we wanted to know whether the Vinca posed a roadblock to upslope population expansion. In 2005 we mapped Vinca and Galium at the site. We also measured Galium individuals to see where the smaller, younger plants were to better understand where the population is expanding. We observed that 1) both the Galium and the Vinca appear to be spreading from the cliff face upslope onto a series of rock outcrops, stone walls and benches, 2) the native scrub community is recovering at the site and 3) the Vinca

Simulation of motor unit recruitment and microvascular unit perfusion: spatial considerations.

PubMed

Fuglevand, A J; Segal, S S

1997-10-01

Muscle fiber activity is the principal stimulus for increasing capillary perfusion during exercise. The control elements of perfusion, i.e., microvascular units (MVUs), supply clusters of muscle fibers, whereas the control elements of contraction, i.e., motor units, are composed of fibers widely scattered throughout muscle. The purpose of this study was to examine how the discordant spatial domains of MVUs and motor units could influence the proportion of open capillaries (designated as perfusion) throughout a muscle cross section. A computer model simulated the locations of perfused MVUs in response to the activation of up to 100 motor units in a muscle with 40,000 fibers and a cross-sectional area of 100 mm2. The simulation increased contraction intensity by progressive recruitment of motor units. For each step of motor unit recruitment, the percentage of active fibers and the number of perfused MVUs were determined for several conditions: 1) motor unit fibers widely dispersed and motor unit territories randomly located (which approximates healthy human muscle), 2) regionalized motor unit territories, 3) reversed recruitment order of motor units, 4) densely clustered motor unit fibers, and 5) increased size but decreased number of motor units. The simulations indicated that the widespread dispersion of motor unit fibers facilitates complete capillary (MVU) perfusion of muscle at low levels of activity. The efficacy by which muscle fiber activity induced perfusion was reduced 7- to 14-fold under conditions that decreased the dispersion of active fibers, increased the size of motor units, or reversed the sequence of motor unit recruitment. Such conditions are similar to those that arise in neuromuscular disorders, with aging, or during electrical stimulation of muscle, respectively.

The United Links for the United States Intermodal Workshop

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-07-01

On July 14 - 16, 1993, the United States Department of Transportation and The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey co-sponsored an Intermodal Workshop in New York City. The United Links For The United States workshop was the largest of several i...

Evolution of coastal and marine environments during the Holocene transgression. Ría de Vigo (Galicia, Spain).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clemente, F.; Pérez-Arlucea, M.; Méndez, G.; Francés, G.; Alejo, I.; González, D.; Nombela, M.

2003-04-01

Coastal deposits are not prominent in the Ria de Vigo, high cliffs dominate the coast line, but several well-preserved sedimentary areas are observed. Beach and aeolian sand dunes are preserved in protected bays along margins between low cliffs, as Playa America, Patos and Samil. Several rivers form prominent estuaries such as the Verdugo-Oitaven, the Minor and the Lagares. Tidal flats are well preserved in the San Simon embayment and small areas of tidal flats and marshes can be found elsewhere associated with estuaries and protected by sandy spits as the Ramallosa tidal Complex, Moaña and San Simón. Four sedimentary areas were selected to study vertical sediment distribution. 6 cores were obtained. Sediment thicknesses range between 4.0m and 26.0 m. Vertical sediment distributions show 6 different lithologic units from basal fluvial (A), estuarine (B), tidal flat and peat fens (C), muddy subtidal bay (D), estuarine (E) and beach barrier (F). 10 14C age determinations were obtained from the longest core (Ladeira N) located at the Ramallosa beach barrier-lagoon complex. The oldest sample located at 22 m yields an age of 8177 y. BP in unit (B) allowing to constrain most of sediment evolution in the holocene transgressive context. The lower unit (A) composed mainly of fluvial gravels, and deposited in a palaeovalley, is attributed to the Younger Dryas although the LST could be also represented in these deposits. Units B, C and D configure the TST showing an initial rapid increase in water depth at 8177 y. BP and subsequent shallowing conditions due to progressive aggradation until 4809 y BP. Units E and F mark the HST eustatic stage being characterised by progradational shallow marine conditions and beach barrier progressive enclosing of the complex. Sedimentation rates were calculated at 7 intervals. An upward decrease is observed from 8177 y BP to 2001 y. BP, followed by a strong sudden increase, mostly in the last 500 years. Hydrology and geomorphology of river

Concerning Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wadlinger, Robert L.

1983-01-01

SI units come in two distinct types: fundamental (kilogram, meter) and descriptive (atom, molecule). Proper/improper uses of atom/molecule from historical cases are presented followed by a re-introduction of a light "wave (cycle)" unit and the clearly defined photon model which is deduced. Also examines omission of the fundamental unit "radon."…

Ridges and Cliffs on Mercury Surface

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-01-20

A complex history of geological evolution is recorded in this frame from the Narrow Angle Camera NAC, part of the Mercury Dual Imaging System MDIS instrument, taken during NASA MESSENGER close flyby of Mercury on January 14, 2008.

State Budgets, Unit Allocations, and Unit Emissions Rates

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This Technical Support Document (TSD) provides information that supports EPA’s determination of state emissions budgets, unit-level allocations, direct control rate limits, and new unit set-asides for the Transport Rule proposal.

Photosynthetic Units

PubMed Central

Schmid, Georg H.; Gaffron, Hans

1968-01-01

Leaf tissues of aurea mutants of tobacco and Lespedeza have been shown to have higher photosynthetic capacity per molecule of chlorophyll, a higher saturation intensity, a simpler lamellar structure, and the same quantum yield as their dark green parents. Here we report on the values of photosynthetic units for both types of plants and some algae. The unit has been assumed to be about as uniform and steady in the plant world as the quantum efficiency. The number on which all theoretical discussions have been based so far is 2400 per O2 evolved or CO2 reduced. With dark green plants and algae our determinations of units by means of 40 µsec flashes superimposed on a steady rate of background photosynthesis at 900 ergs cm-2 sec-1 of red light yielded mostly numbers between 2000 and 2700. However, the photosynthetic unit turned out to be very variable, even in these objects. In aurea mutants the unit was distinctly smaller, averaging 600 chl/CO2. By choosing the right combination of colors for flash and background light, units as low as 300 chl/CO2 or 40 chl/e- could be measured consistently. We found five well-defined groups of units composed of multiples of its smallest member. These new findings are discussed in terms of structural entities that double or divide under the influence of far-red light. PMID:5672002

Akpatok Island

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

January 1st, 2001: Description: Akpatok Island lies in Ungava Bay in northern Quebec, Canada. Accessible only by air, Akpatok Island rises out of the water as sheer cliffs that soar 500 to 800 feet (150 to 243m) above the sea surface. The island is an important sanctuary for cliff-nesting seabirds. Numerous ice floes around the island attract walrus and whales, making Akpatok a traditional hunting ground for native Inuit people. Source: Landsat 7 To learn more about the Landsat satellite go to: landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/

HydroUnits: A Python-based Physical Units Management Tool in Hydrologic Computing Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Celicourt, P.; Piasecki, M.

2015-12-01

While one objective of data management systems is to provide the units when annotating the collected data, another is that the units must be correctly manipulated during conversion steps. This is not a trivial task however and the units conversion time and errors for large datasets can be quite expensive. To date, more than a dozen Python modules have been developed to deal with units attached to quantities. However, they fall short in many ways and also suffer from not integrating with a units controlled vocabulary. Moreover, none of them permits the encoding of some complex units defined in the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences, Inc.'s Observations Data Model (CUAHSI ODM) as a vectorial representation for storage demand reduction and does not incorporate provision to accommodate unforeseen standards-based units. We developed HydroUnits, a Python-based units management tool for three specific purposes: encoding of physical units in the Transducer Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS) as defined in the IEEE 1451.0 standard, performing dimensional analysis and on-the-fly conversion of time series allowing users to retrieve data from a data source in a desired equivalent unit while accommodating unforeseen and user-defined units. HydroUnits differentiates itself to existing tools by a number of factors including the implementation approach adopted, the adoption of standard-based units naming conventions and more importantly the emphasis on units controlled vocabularies which are a critical aspect of units treatment. Additionally, HydroUnits supports unit conversion for quantities with additive scaling factor, and natively supports time series conversion and takes leap years into consideration for units consisting of the time dimension (e.g., month, minute). Due to its overall implementation approach, HydroUnits exhibits a high level of versatility that no other tool we are aware of has achieved.

Application of topography survey on the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) conservation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Yuan-Yu; Lo, Liu-Chih; Peng, Kuan-Chieh

2017-04-01

Taiwan is located in the Western Pacific monsoon region, typhoon is one of the common natural disasters. Taiwan is hit by typhoons 6 times on average each year, and 2016 have 5. Typhoon not only caused the loss of nature environment in Taiwan but also decreased the endangered species- green sea turtle's breeding success rate. In Wangan island, Penghu, green sea turtle nesting beach's slop is too steep to form the dune cliff, block the way which green sea turtle should nesting above the vegetation line. Nesting under the dune cliff is disturbed easily by the swell from typhoon, Leading to the whole nest was emptied or hatching rate decreased due to water content changed. In order to reduce the threat of typhoon on the green sea turtle, and promote the success of green sea turtle reproduction, we used LiDAR(Light Detection And Ranging) to monitor the topographic change of the green sea turtle nesting habitat and compare the invasion and deposition of the green sea turtle nests before and after the occurrence of typhoons. The results showed that the breeding success rate before the typhoon (2016/09/12) was 93%, which was not affected by the swell. The breeding success rate at the higher position after the typhoon was 95%, and under the dune cliff, 10 nests reproduction failed due to the swell changing the sand layer thickness. The production of dune cliffs is formed by the roots of coastal sand-fixation plants. In the past, the residents collected the coastal plants for fuel, after collecting, sparse vegetation is good to form the flat beach, and to promote green sea turtle nesting on the higher position from the disturbance of typhoon. In the future, to protect the success of green sea turtle's reproduction, should increase the human intervention that disturb the nesting beach's vegetation appropriately, Or cutting the roots directly to reduce the dune cliffs before the nesting season, help the green sea turtle nesting in a higher beach, improve the green sea turtle

Examining Pharmacy Workforce Issues in the United States and the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Covvey, Jordan R.; Cohron, Peter P.

2015-01-01

Objective. To examine available data and actions surrounding current pharmacy workforce issues in the United States and United Kingdom. Methods. Published pharmacy workforce data from the United States and United Kingdom were gathered from various sources, including PUBMED, Internet search engines, and pharmacy organization websites. Data was collated from additional sources including scientific literature, internal documents, news releases, and policy positions. Results. The number of colleges and schools of pharmacy has expanded by approximately 50% in both the United States and United Kingdom over the previous decade. In the United States, continued demand for the pharmacy workforce has been forecasted, but this need is based on outdated supply figures and assumptions for economic recovery. In the United Kingdom, workforce modeling has predicted a significant future oversupply of pharmacists, and action within the profession has attempted to address the situation through educational planning and regulation. Conclusion. Workforce planning is an essential task for sustaining a healthy profession. Recent workforce planning mechanisms in the United Kingdom may provide guidance for renewed efforts within the profession in the United States. PMID:25861098

Assessment of Aeolis Palus stratigraphic relationships based on bench-forming strata in the Kylie and the Kimberley regions of Gale crater, Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Rebecca M. E.; Malin, Michael C.; Stack, Kathryn M.; Rubin, David M.

2018-07-01

The stratigraphic context of rock layers is a critical piece of information needed for accurate reconstruction of their geologic history. Although sedimentary rocks are widespread in Gale crater, efforts to deduce stratigraphic relationships of rocks were challenging early in the Mars Science Laboratory mission because vertical bedrock exposures were relatively rare along the first ∼3 km the rover traversed across Aeolis Palus. Potential insights into the three-dimensional configuration of rock layers were made once the rover passed Dingo Gap, especially in the informally-named Kylie and Kimberley regions. Here, the terrain exhibits low relief ( < 10 m) cliffs, some of which are continuous over lengths > 75 m. Curiosity Mastcam and Navcam images show that the cliffs are capped by resistant, bench-forming rock layers corresponding to two facies: a poorly sorted, weakly stratified pebble conglomerate, and a massive, dark-toned, vuggy sandstone. In places, the inclination of the topographic surface (northward ∼2° to 3°) is similar to the apparent dip of the underlying strata, suggesting the presence of dip slopes in an area inferred to be generally flat-lying, conformable rock units. Further, we assessed potential strata correlations via plane-fitting exercises and a regional comparison to other capping strata. We speculate that bench-forming strata in the study region could be part of a widespread package of draping strata (the Siccar Point group) that post-dates deposition and exhumation of the lower strata of Mount Sharp.

Geostatistical analysis of ground-penetrating radar data: A means of describing spatial variation in the subsurface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rea, Jane; Knight, Rosemary

1998-03-01

We have investigated the use of ground-penetrating radar (GFR) as a means of characterizing the heterogeneity of the subsurface. Radar data were collected at several sites in southwestern British Columbia underlain by glaciodeltaic sediments. A cliff face study was conducted in which geostatistical analysis of a digitized photograph of the face and the radar image of the face showed excellent agreement in the maximum correlation direction and the correlation length determined from these two data sets. Other two-dimensional (2-D) sections of radar data were divided into sedimentary architectural elements on the basis of the distinct radar appearance of these sedimentary units. Examples of four sedimentary units were used to obtain semivariograms from the radar data and resulted in maximum correlation lengths between 0.5 and 4.8 m. A 3-D radar survey, collected over a package of gravel and sand foresets, was analyzed to determine the paleoflow direction; a correlation length of 4 m was found in that direction.

Sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of the Lower Jurassic Kayenta Formation, Colorado Plateau, United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanabria, Diego Ignacio

2001-07-01

Detailed outcrop analysis of the Lower Jurassic Kayenta Formation provides the basis for the formulation of a new sequence stratigraphic model for arid to semi-arid continental deposits and the generation of a comprehensive set of sedimentologic criteria for the recognition of ephemeral stream deposits. Criteria for the recognition of ephemeral deposits in the ancient record were divided into three categories according to the scale of the feature being considered. The first category takes into account sedimentary structures commonly found in the record of ephemeral stream deposits including hyperconcentrated and debris flow deposits, planar parallel bedding, sigmoidal cross-bedding, hummocky cross-bedding, climbing ripple lamination, scour-and-fill structures, convolute bedding, overturned cross-bedding, ball-and-pillow structures, pocket structures, pillars, mud curls, flaser lamination, algal lamination, termite nests, and vertebrate tracks. The second category is concerned with the mesoscale facies architecture of ephemeral stream deposits and includes waning flow successions, bedform climb, downstream accretion, terminal wadi splays, and channel-fill successions indicating catastrophic flooding. At the large-scale facies architecture level, the third category, ephemeral stream deposits are commonly arranged in depositional units characterized by a downstream decrease in grain size and scale of sedimentary structures resulting from deposition in terminal fan systems. Outcrops of the Kayenta Formation and its transition to the Navajo Sandstone along the Vermilion and Echo Cliffs of Northern Arizona indicate that wet/dry climatic cyclicity exerted a major control on regional facies architecture. Two scales of wet/dry climatic cyclicity can be recognized in northern Arizona. Three sequence sets composed of rocks accumulated under predominantly dry or wet conditions are the expression of long-term climatic cyclicity. Short-term climatic cyclicity, on the other hand

Whitson and Fincke in MCC during House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics hearing

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-06-14

JSC2005-E-22363 (14 June 2005) --- Astronauts Peggy A. Whitson (left) and Edward M. (Mike) Fincke, former Station residents, share a laugh during the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics hearing chaired by Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), as current Station astronaut John L. Phillips, Expedition 11 NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, testifies via video screen in the background. Phillips was approximately 220 statute miles above Earth, but his radio transmissions were routed to a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) in geostationary orbit at an altitude of about 22,300 miles. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.

Mycobacterium chimaera in Heater-Cooler Units in Denmark Related to Isolates from the United States and United Kingdom.

PubMed

Svensson, Erik; Jensen, Elsebeth Tvenstrup; Rasmussen, Erik Michael; Folkvardsen, Dorte Bek; Norman, Anders; Lillebaek, Troels

2017-03-01

Mycobacterium chimaera was present at high rates (>80%) in heater-cooler units (HCUs) from all 5 thoracic surgery departments in Denmark. Isolates were clonal to HCU-associated isolates from the United States (including some from patients) and United Kingdom. However, M. chimaera from 2 brands of HCU were genetically distinct.

Towards a geology training and outreach centre in western Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacchia, Anthea; Haughton, Peter; Shannon, Patrick

2017-04-01

An outreach and education centre is in the initial phases of development for the coastal area of County Clare, western Ireland. The high Carboniferous sea cliffs of the Loop Head area provide a rich training ground for geoscientists from industry and academia. The cliffs offer a unique, margin-scale perspective of a sedimentary basin fill succession that developed during the height of the Late Palaeozoic glaciation. The rocks, about which there is a long legacy of research, record several glacial cycles, associated with significant eustatic changes in sea level. For geoscientists working with or in industry, the value of the area lies in its analogy with hydrocarbon-bearing, deltaic to deep-water sedimentary successions on several continental margins, such as Miocene and Pliocene successions in the Gulf of Mexico. A programme of behind-outcrop drilling involving UCD and Statoil has acquired over 1350 m of core from 12 boreholes behind the sea cliffs. This core is already being used in training and research both in UCD and at Statoil. The coastal cliffs are also visited by tourists and special interest groups, such as birdwatchers. It is envisioned that the centre will involve the local community and wider public, facilitating links between geoscience, energy and environment. Transport of cores and training materials to the centre, where they will be made available to visiting field parties, is planned for this year. Progress to date, including public engagement activities with schools and at conferences as well as audience research and public consultation, and future plans will be outlined.

Judicial Process, Grade Eight. Resource Unit (Unit V).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Project Social Studies Curriculum Center.

This resource unit, developed by the University of Minnesota's Project Social Studies, introduces eighth graders to the judicial process. The unit was designed with two major purposes in mind. First, it helps pupils understand judicial decision-making, and second, it provides for the study of the rights guaranteed by the federal Constitution. Both…

REACH. Heating Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanfield, Carter; And Others

As a part of the REACH (Refrigeration, Electro-Mechanical, Air-Conditioning, Heating) electromechanical cluster, this student manual contains individualized units in the area of heating. The instructional units focus on electric heating systems, gas heating systems, and oil burning systems. Each unit follows a typical format that includes a unit…

Geochemical survey of the Devil's Den Roadless Area, Rutland and Windsor counties, Vermont

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slack, J.F.; Atelsek, P.J.; Grosz, A.E.

1985-01-01

The Devils Den area is named for a large undercut cliff (Dale, 1915, p. 21) developed in Precambrian basement rocks. This undercut cliff forms a broad natural cave immediately west of and below Forest Service Road 10, at the head of Mt. Tabor Brook. Another much smaller cave is present in dolomite of probable Paleozoic (Early Cambrian) age on the east side of the same road. This smaller cave apparently is of artificial origin, having been made during early mining of the dolomite (Dale, 1915, p. 21). This man-made cave is the only evidence of previous mining activity within the study area.

Kasei Valles

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-14

Kasei Valles is a valley system was likely carved by some combination of flowing water and lava. In some areas, erosion formed cliffs along the flow path resulting in water or lava falls. In some areas, erosion formed cliffs along the flow path resulting in water or lava falls. The flowing liquid is gone but the channels and "dry falls" remain. Since its formation, Kasei Valles has suffered impacts-resulting in craters-and has been mantled in dust, sand, and fine gravel as evidenced by the rippled textures. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20004

Akpatok Island

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Akpatok Island lies in Ungava Bay in northern Quebec, Canada. Accessible only by air, Akpatok Island rises out of the water as sheer cliffs that soar 500 to 800 feet (150 to 243 m) above the sea surface. The island is an important sanctuary for cliff-nesting seabirds. Numerous ice floes around the island attract walrus and whales, making Akpatok a traditional hunting ground for native Inuit people. This image was acquired by Landsat 7's Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) sensor on January 22, 2001. Image provided by the USGS EROS Data Center Satellite Systems Branch

Investigating Mars: Candor Chasma

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-01-19

This image shows part of eastern Candor Chasma. At the top of the image is the steep cliff between the upper surface elevation and the depths of Candor Chasma. The bottom of the image is the cliff side of a large mesa. The two cliff faces have very different appearances. The cliff face between the top of the canyon and the bottom is likely layers of volcanic flows from the nearby Tharsis volcanoes. The mesa, however, is probably layers of sediments deposited in the canyon from wind, water and gravity driven erosion and deposition. These layered materials are much more easily eroded than the solid rock of the canyon sides. There is a landslide that originate from the northern cliff face and ran out into the canyon floor, visible as the lobate "tongue" at the right near the center of the image. Candor Chasma is one of the largest canyons that make up Valles Marineris. It is approximately 810 km long (503 miles) and has is divided into two regions - eastern and western Candor. Candor is located south of Ophir Chasma and north of Melas Chasma. The border with Melas Chasma contains many large landslide deposits. The floor of Candor Chasma includes a variety of landforms, including layered deposits, dunes, landslide deposits and steep sided cliffs and mesas. Many forms of erosion have shaped Chandor Chasma. There is evidence of wind and water erosion, as well as significant gravity driven mass wasting (landslides). The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north

Legislative Process, Grade Eight. Resource Unit (Unit IV).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Project Social Studies Curriculum Center.

This resource unit, developed by the University of Minnesota's Project Social Studies, introduces eighth graders to the legislative process. The unit uses case studies such as the Civil Rights Acts of 1960 and 1964 and attempts to change the Rules Committee in 1961. It also uses much data on background of congressmen and on distribution of…

Unit Cells

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olsen, Robert C.; Tobiason, Fred L.

1975-01-01

Describes the construction of unit cells using clear plastic cubes which can be disassembled, and one inch cork balls of various colors, which can be cut in halves, quarters, or eighths, and glued on the inside face of the cube, thus simulating a unit cell. (MLH)

REACH. Electricity Units. Secondary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Gene; Sappe, Hoyt

As a part of the REACH (Refrigeration, Electro-Mechanical, Air-Conditioning, Heating) electromechanical cluster, this student manual contains individualized instructional units in the area of electricity. The instructional units focus on electricity fundamentals and electric motors. Each unit follows a typical format that includes a unit sheet,…

Environmental Engineering Unit Operations and Unit Processes Laboratory Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, John T., Ed.

This manual was prepared for the purpose of stimulating the development of effective unit operations and unit processes laboratory courses in environmental engineering. Laboratory activities emphasizing physical operations, biological, and chemical processes are designed for various educational and equipment levels. An introductory section reviews…

One-Unit versus Two-Unit Cord-Blood Transplantation for Hematologic Cancers

PubMed Central

Wagner, John E.; Eapen, Mary; Carter, Shelly; Wang, Yanli; Schultz, Kirk R.; Wall, Donna A.; Bunin, Nancy; Delaney, Colleen; Haut, Paul; Margolis, David; Peres, Edward; Verneris, Michael R.; Walters, Mark; Horowitz, Mary M.; Kurtzberg, Joanne

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND Umbilical-cord blood has been used as the source of hematopoietic stem cells in an estimated 30,000 transplants. The limited number of hematopoietic cells in a single cord-blood unit prevents its use in recipients with larger body mass and results in delayed hematopoietic recovery and higher mortality. Therefore, we hypothesized that the greater numbers of hematopoietic cells in two units of cord blood would be associated with improved outcomes after transplantation. METHODS Between December 1, 2006, and February 24, 2012, a total of 224 patients 1 to 21 years of age with hematologic cancer were randomly assigned to undergo double-unit (111 patients) or single-unit (113 patients) cord-blood transplantation after a uniform myeloablative conditioning regimen and immunoprophylaxis for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The primary end point was 1-year overall survival. RESULTS Treatment groups were matched for age, sex, self-reported race (white vs. nonwhite), performance status, degree of donor–recipient HLA matching, and disease type and status at transplantation. The 1-year overall survival rate was 65% (95% confidence interval [CI], 56 to 74) and 73% (95% CI, 63 to 80) among recipients of double and single cord-blood units, respectively (P = 0.17). Similar outcomes in the two groups were also observed with respect to the rates of disease-free survival, neutrophil recovery, transplantation-related death, relapse, infections, immunologic reconstitution, and grade II–IV acute GVHD. However, improved platelet recovery and lower incidences of grade III and IV acute and extensive chronic GVHD were observed among recipients of a single cord-blood unit. CONCLUSIONS We found that among children and adolescents with hematologic cancer, survival rates were similar after single-unit and double-unit cord-blood transplantation; however, a single-unit cord-blood transplant was associated with better platelet recovery and a lower risk of GVHD. PMID:25354103

Walnut Springs Interest Unit, Fairmount Avenue School. Primary Unit--Team I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

State College Area School District, PA.

This environmental education teaching guide was designed for primary teachers who may want to develop their own environmental education units or who may wish to integrate the units contained in the guide into their own curriculum. The units in the guide were developed by primary teachers and reflect the experiences of the Fairmont Avenue School…

Pressure vessel sliding support unit and system using the sliding support unit

DOEpatents

Breach, Michael R.; Keck, David J.; Deaver, Gerald A.

2013-01-15

Provided is a sliding support and a system using the sliding support unit. The sliding support unit may include a fulcrum capture configured to attach to a support flange, a fulcrum support configured to attach to the fulcrum capture, and a baseplate block configured to support the fulcrum support. The system using the sliding support unit may include a pressure vessel, a pedestal bracket, and a plurality of sliding support units.

UNIT, PETROLOGY.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louisiana Arts and Science Center, Baton Rouge.

THIS TEACHER'S GUIDE FOR A UNIT ON PETROLOGY IS SUITABLE FOR ADAPTATION AT EITHER THE UPPER ELEMENTARY OR THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL LEVELS. THE UNIT BEGINS WITH A STORY THAT INTRODUCES VOLCANIC ACTION AND IGNEOUS ROCK FORMATION. SELECTED CONCEPTS ARE LISTED FOLLOWED BY SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES. A BIBLIOGRAPHY, FILM LIST, VOCABULARY LIST, AND QUESTION AND…

The West. Grade Five (Unit V). Resource Unit. Project Social Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Project Social Studies Curriculum Center.

This resource unit for 5th graders includes three case studies and a sub-unit on the West as a region. Three sequent occupance case studies which are suggestive, rather than prescriptive, comprise the first part of the unit. Teachers may decide to select only one for an in-depth study or may decide to design a case study modeled after this…

Robotic End Effectors for Hard-Rock Climbing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Brett; Leger, Patrick

2004-01-01

Special-purpose robot hands (end effectors) now under development are intended to enable robots to traverse cliffs much as human climbers do. Potential applications for robots having this capability include scientific exploration (both on Earth and other rocky bodies in space), military reconnaissance, and outdoor search and rescue operations. Until now, enabling robots to traverse cliffs has been considered too difficult a task because of the perceived need of prohibitively sophisticated planning algorithms as well as end effectors as dexterous as human hands. The present end effectors are being designed to enable robots to attach themselves to typical rock-face features with less planning and simpler end effectors. This advance is based on the emulation of the equipment used by human climbers rather than the emulation of the human hand. Climbing-aid equipment, specifically cams, aid hooks, and cam hooks, are used by sport climbers when a quick ascent of a cliff is desired (see Figure 1). Currently two different end-effector designs have been created. The first, denoted the simple hook emulator, consists of three "fingers" arranged around a central "palm." Each finger emulates the function of a particular type of climbing hook (aid hook, wide cam hook, and a narrow cam hook). These fingers are connected to the palm via a mechanical linkage actuated with a leadscrew/nut. This mechanism allows the fingers to be extended or retracted. The second design, denoted the advanced hook emulator (see Figure 2), shares these features, but it incorporates an aid hook and a cam hook into each finger. The spring-loading of the aid hook allows the passive selection of the type of hook used. The end effectors can be used in several different modes. In the aid-hook mode, the aid hook on one of the fingers locks onto a horizontal ledge while the other two fingers act to stabilize the end effector against the cliff face. In the cam-hook mode, the broad, flat tip of the cam hook is

Hydrologic unit maps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Seaber, Paul R.; Kapinos, F. Paul; Knapp, George L.

1987-01-01

A set of maps depicting approved boundaries of, and numerical codes for, river-basin units of the United States has been developed by the U.S . Geological Survey. These 'Hydrologic Unit Maps' are four-color maps that present information on drainage, culture, hydrography, and hydrologic boundaries and codes of (1) the 21 major water-resources regions and the 222 subregions designated by the U.S . Water Resources Council, (2) the 352 accounting units of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Data Network, and (3) the 2,149 cataloging units of the U.S . Geological Survey's 'Catalog of information on Water Data:' The maps are plotted on the Geological Survey State base-map series at a scale of 1 :500,000 and, except for Alaska, depict hydrologic unit boundaries for all drainage basins greater than 700 square miles (1,813 square kilometers). A complete list of all the hydrologic units, along with their drainage areas, their names, and the names of the States or outlying areas in which they reside, is contained in the report. These maps and associated codes provide a standardized base for use by water-resources organizations in locating, storing, retrieving, and exchanging hydrologic data, in indexing and inventorying hydrologic data and information, in cataloging water-data acquisition activities, and in a variety of other applications. Because the maps have undergone extensive review by all principal Federal, regional, and State water-resource agencies, they are widely accepted for use in planning and describing water-use and related land-use activities, and in geographically organizing hydrologic data . Examples of these uses are given in the report . The hydrologic unit codes shown on the maps have been approved as a Federal Information Processing Standard for use by the Federal establishment.

UNIT, ALASKA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louisiana Arts and Science Center, Baton Rouge.

THE UNIT DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOKLET DEALS WITH THE GEOGRAPHY OF ALASKA. THE UNIT IS PRESENTED IN OUTLINE FORM. THE FIRST SECTION DEALS PRINCIPALLY WITH THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF ALASKA. DISCUSSED ARE (1) THE SIZE, (2) THE MAJOR LAND REGIONS, (3) THE MOUNTAINS, VOLCANOES, GLACIERS, AND RIVERS, (4) THE NATURAL RESOURCES, AND (5) THE CLIMATE. THE…

Dynamics of a recovering Arctic bird population: the importance of climate, density dependence, and site quality

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bruggeman, Jason E.; Swem, Ted; Andersen, David E.; Kennedy, Patricia L.; Nigro, Debora A.

2015-01-01

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect vital rates and population-level processes, and understanding these factors is paramount to devising successful management plans for wildlife species. For example, birds time migration in response, in part, to local and broadscale climate fluctuations to initiate breeding upon arrival to nesting territories, and prolonged inclement weather early in the breeding season can inhibit egg-laying and reduce productivity. Also, density-dependent regulation occurs in raptor populations, as territory size is related to resource availability. Arctic Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus tundrius; hereafter Arctic peregrine) have a limited and northern breeding distribution, including the Colville River Special Area (CRSA) in the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska, USA. We quantified influences of climate, topography, nest productivity, prey habitat, density dependence, and interspecific competition affecting Arctic peregrines in the CRSA by applying the Dail-Madsen model to estimate abundance and vital rates of adults on nesting cliffs from 1981 through 2002. Arctic peregrine abundance increased throughout the 1980s, which spanned the population's recovery from DDT-induced reproductive failure, until exhibiting a stationary trend in the 1990s. Apparent survival rate (i.e., emigration; death) was negatively correlated with the number of adult Arctic peregrines on the cliff the previous year, suggesting effects of density-dependent population regulation. Apparent survival and arrival rates (i.e., immigration; recruitment) were higher during years with earlier snowmelt and milder winters, and apparent survival was positively correlated with nesting season maximum daily temperature. Arrival rate was positively correlated with average Arctic peregrine productivity along a cliff segment from the previous year and initial abundance was positively correlated with cliff height. Higher cliffs with documented higher productivity (presumably

Group Size and Nest Spacing Affect Buggy Creek Virus (Togaviridae: Alphavirus) Infection in Nestling House Sparrows

PubMed Central

O'Brien, Valerie A.; Brown, Charles R.

2011-01-01

The transmission of parasites and pathogens among vertebrates often depends on host population size, host species diversity, and the extent of crowding among potential hosts, but little is known about how these variables apply to most vector-borne pathogens such as the arboviruses (arthropod-borne viruses). Buggy Creek virus (BCRV; Togaviridae: Alphavirus) is an RNA arbovirus transmitted by the swallow bug (Oeciacus vicarius) to the cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and the introduced house sparrow (Passer domesticus) that has recently invaded swallow nesting colonies. The virus has little impact on cliff swallows, but house sparrows are seriously affected by BCRV. For house sparrows occupying swallow nesting colonies in western Nebraska, USA, the prevalence of BCRV in nestling sparrows increased with sparrow colony size at a site but decreased with the number of cliff swallows present. If one nestling in a nest was infected with the virus, there was a greater likelihood that one or more of its nest-mates would also be infected than nestlings chosen at random. The closer a nest was to another nest containing infected nestlings, the greater the likelihood that some of the nestlings in the focal nest would be BCRV-positive. These results illustrate that BCRV represents a cost of coloniality for a vertebrate host (the house sparrow), perhaps the first such demonstration for an arbovirus, and that virus infection is spatially clustered within nests and within colonies. The decreased incidence of BCRV in sparrows as cliff swallows at a site increased reflects the “dilution effect,” in which virus transmission is reduced when a vector switches to feeding on a less competent vertebrate host. PMID:21966539

Post-eruptive Submarine Terrace Development of Capelinhos, Azores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhongwei Zhao, Will; Mitchell, Neil; Quartau, Rui; Tempera, Fernando; Bricheno, Lucy

2017-04-01

Erosion of the coasts of volcanic islands by waves creates shallow banks, but how erosion proceeds with time to create them and how it relates to wave climate is unclear. In this study, historical and recent marine geophysical data collected around the Capelinhos promontory (western Faial Island, Azores) offer an unusual opportunity to characterize how a submarine terrace developed after the eruption. The promontory was formed in 1957/58 during a Surtseyan eruption that terminated with extensive lava forming new rocky coastal cliffs. Historical measurements of coastline position are supplemented here with coastlines measured from 2004 and 2014 Google Earth images in order to characterize coastline retreat rate and distance for lava- and tephra-dominated cliffs. Swath mapping sonars were used to characterize the submarine geometry of the resulting terrace (terrace edge position, gradient and morphology). Limited photographs are available from a SCUBA dive and drop-down camera deployments to ground truth the submarine geomorphology. The results reveal that coastal retreat rates have decreased rapidly with the time after the eruption, possibly explained by the evolving resistance to erosion of cliff base materials. Surprisingly, coastline retreat rate decreases with terrace width in a simple inverse power law with terrace width. We suspect this is only a fortuitous result as wave attenuation over the terrace will not obviously produce the variation, but nevertheless it shows how rapidly the retreat rate declines. Understanding the relationship between terrace widening shelf and coastal cliff retreat rate may be more widely interesting if they can be used to understand how islands evolve over time into abrasional banks and guyots.

One-unit versus two-unit cord-blood transplantation for hematologic cancers.

PubMed

Wagner, John E; Eapen, Mary; Carter, Shelly; Wang, Yanli; Schultz, Kirk R; Wall, Donna A; Bunin, Nancy; Delaney, Colleen; Haut, Paul; Margolis, David; Peres, Edward; Verneris, Michael R; Walters, Mark; Horowitz, Mary M; Kurtzberg, Joanne

2014-10-30

Umbilical-cord blood has been used as the source of hematopoietic stem cells in an estimated 30,000 transplants. The limited number of hematopoietic cells in a single cord-blood unit prevents its use in recipients with larger body mass and results in delayed hematopoietic recovery and higher mortality. Therefore, we hypothesized that the greater numbers of hematopoietic cells in two units of cord blood would be associated with improved outcomes after transplantation. Between December 1, 2006, and February 24, 2012, a total of 224 patients 1 to 21 years of age with hematologic cancer were randomly assigned to undergo double-unit (111 patients) or single-unit (113 patients) cord-blood transplantation after a uniform myeloablative conditioning regimen and immunoprophylaxis for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The primary end point was 1-year overall survival. Treatment groups were matched for age, sex, self-reported race (white vs. nonwhite), performance status, degree of donor-recipient HLA matching, and disease type and status at transplantation. The 1-year overall survival rate was 65% (95% confidence interval [CI], 56 to 74) and 73% (95% CI, 63 to 80) among recipients of double and single cord-blood units, respectively (P=0.17). Similar outcomes in the two groups were also observed with respect to the rates of disease-free survival, neutrophil recovery, transplantation-related death, relapse, infections, immunologic reconstitution, and grade II-IV acute GVHD. However, improved platelet recovery and lower incidences of grade III and IV acute and extensive chronic GVHD were observed among recipients of a single cord-blood unit. We found that among children and adolescents with hematologic cancer, survival rates were similar after single-unit and double-unit cord-blood transplantation; however, a single-unit cord-blood transplant was associated with better platelet recovery and a lower risk of GVHD. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the

Major off-axis hydrothermal activity on the northern Gorda Ridge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rona, Peter A.; Denlinger, Roger P.; Fisk, M. R.; Howard, K. J.; Taghon, G. L.; Klitgord, Kim D.; McClain, James S.; McMurray, G. R.; Wiltshire, J. C.

1990-01-01

The first hydrothermal field on the northern Gorda Ridge, the Sea Cliff hydrothermal field, was discovered and geologic controls of hydrothermal activity in the rift valley were investigated on a dive series using the DSV Sea Cliff. The Sea Cliff hydrothermal field was discovered where predicted at the intersection of axis-oblique and axis-parallel faults at the south end of a linear ridge at mid-depth (2700 m) on the east wall. Preliminary mapping and sampling of the field reveal: a setting nested on nearly sediment-free fault blocks 300 m above the rift valley floor 2.6 km from the axis; a spectrum of venting types from seeps to black smokers; high conductive heat flow estimated to be equivalent to the convective flux of multiple black smokers through areas of the sea floor sealed by a caprock of elastic breccia primarily derived from basalt with siliceous cement and barite pore fillings; and a vent biota with Juan de Fuca Ridge affinites. These findings demonstrate the importance of off-axis hydrothermal activity and the role of the intersection of tectonic lineations in controlling hydrothermal sites at sea-floor spreading centers.

Description and mineralogy of Tertiary volcanic ash partings and their relationship to coal seams, near Homer, Alaska

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reinink-Smith, L.M.

1985-04-01

Outcrops of Tertiary coal-bearing units in sea cliffs of the Kenai Peninsula provide an excellent study area for volcanic ash partings in coals. Twenty mid-to late-Miocene, 50-cm to 3-m thick coal seams exposed in the sea cliffs about 10 km west of Homer contain an average of 10 volcanic ash or lapilli tuff partings each. The bedding relationships of the coal with any one parting cannot be predicted, and the contacts of the partings with the coal range from very sharp to predominantly gradational. These bedding relationships provide clues about the surface on which the ashes fell and on whichmore » the coal was accumulating. For example, some ashes fell in standing water, others on irregular subaerial surfaces. The partings are in various stages of alteration to kaolinite and bentonite, and vary in thickness from a few millimeters to about 10 cm. The consistency and texture of the partings depend on the degree of alteration; the less altered partings display visible pumice fragments and euhedral feldspars, commonly within a finer grained matrix. Separate pumice fragments, excluding matrix, can also occur as partings in the coal. The more altered partings may be wet and plastic, or they may be well indurated claystones; the colors range from gray-yellow to dark brown. The indurated prints are more common in older part of the section. The coal seams may be capped by volcanic ash partings and are commonly underlain by a pencil shale of nonvolcanic origin.« less

Geology and oil and gas assessment of the Fruitland Total Petroleum System, San Juan Basin, New Mexico and Colorado: Chapter 6 in Geology and Oil and Gas Assessment of the Fruitland Total Petroleum System, San Juan Basin, New Mexico and Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ridgley, J.L.; Condon, S.M.; Hatch, J.R.

2013-01-01

Four assessment units (AU) were defined in the Fruitland TPS. Of the four AUs, one consists of conventional gas accumulations and the other three are continuous-type gas accumulations: Tertiary Conventional Gas AU, Pictured Cliffs Continuous Gas AU, Basin Fruitland Coalbed Gas (CBG) AU, and Fruitland Fairway CBG AU. No oil resources that have the potential for additions to reserves in the next 30 years were estimated for this TPS. Gas resources that have the potential for additions to reserves in the next 30 years are estimated at a mean of 29.3 trillion cubic feet of gas (TCFG). Of this amount, 23.58 TCFG will come from coal-bed gas accumulations and 83.1 percent of this total is estimated to come from the Basin Fruitland CBG AU. The remaining 5.72 TCFG is allocated to continuous-type gas accumulations (5.64 TCFG) and conventional gas accumulations (0.08 TCFG). Although the Fruitland Fairway CBG AU has produced the most significant amount of coal-bed gas to date, the area of the AU is limited. New potentially productive wells will come from infill drilling, and the number of these wells will be limited by effective drainage area. Total natural gas liquids (NGL) that have the potential for additions to reserves in the next 30 years are estimated at a mean of 17.76 million barrels. Of this amount, 16.92 million barrels will come from the Pictured Cliffs Continuous Gas AU and the remainder from the Tertiary Conventional Gas AU.

Three conceptual units for behavior

PubMed Central

Moxley, Roy

1987-01-01

Three generic units for behavior are examined in terms of their background: an if-then unit for stimulus and response (S-R), a holistic unit for Kantor's behavior segment, and an AB-because-of-C unit for Skinner's three-term contingency. The units are distinguished in terms of their respective historical backgrounds, causal modes, advantages, and disadvantages. The ways in which these units may be compatible are discussed. PMID:22477957

UNIT, TIBET.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louisiana Arts and Science Center, Baton Rouge.

THE UNIT OF STUDY DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOKLET DEALS WITH THE GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY OF TIBET. THE UNIT COVERS SOME OF THE GENERAL FEATURES OF THE COUNTRY AND THEIR EFFECT UPON THE LIVES OF THE TIBETAN PEOPLE. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ARE INSERTED TO STIMULATE THOUGHT. THE RELIGION OF TIBET IS DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO ITS INFLUENCE ON THE ART AND CULTURE…

Strategic Analysis for the MER Cape Verde Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaines, Daniel; Belluta, Paolo; Herman, Jennifer; Hwang, Pauline; Mukai, Ryan; Porter, Dan; Jones, Byron; Wood, Eric; Grotzinger, John; Edgar, Lauren;

Satellite View of Opportunity Journey around Victoria Crater

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-01-23

Three years after embarking on a historic exploration of the red planet and six miles away from its landing site, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is traversing "Victoria Crater" ridge by ridge, peering at layered cliffs in the interior. To identify various alcoves and cliffs along the way, science team members are using names of places visited by the 16th-century Earth explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew aboard the ship Victoria, who proved the Earth is round. (All names are unofficial unless approved by the International Astronomical Union.) This orbital view of "Victoria Crater" was taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09116

Voltage verification unit

DOEpatents

Martin, Edward J [Virginia Beach, VA

2008-01-15

A voltage verification unit and method for determining the absence of potentially dangerous potentials within a power supply enclosure without Mode 2 work is disclosed. With this device and method, a qualified worker, following a relatively simple protocol that involves a function test (hot, cold, hot) of the voltage verification unit before Lock Out/Tag Out and, and once the Lock Out/Tag Out is completed, testing or "trying" by simply reading a display on the voltage verification unit can be accomplished without exposure of the operator to the interior of the voltage supply enclosure. According to a preferred embodiment, the voltage verification unit includes test leads to allow diagnostics with other meters, without the necessity of accessing potentially dangerous bus bars or the like.

The Executive Process, Grade Eight. Resource Unit (Unit III).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Project Social Studies Curriculum Center.

This resource unit, developed by the University of Minnesota's Project Social Studies, introduces eighth graders to the executive process. The unit uses case studies of presidential decision making such as the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the Cuba Bay of Pigs and quarantine decisions, and the Little Rock decision. A case study of…

10 CFR 35.615 - Safety precautions for remote afterloader units, teletherapy units, and gamma stereotactic...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Safety precautions for remote afterloader units, teletherapy units, and gamma stereotactic radiosurgery units. 35.615 Section 35.615 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION MEDICAL USE OF BYPRODUCT MATERIAL Photon Emitting Remote Afterloader Units, Teletherapy Units, and...

10 CFR 35.615 - Safety precautions for remote afterloader units, teletherapy units, and gamma stereotactic...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Safety precautions for remote afterloader units, teletherapy units, and gamma stereotactic radiosurgery units. 35.615 Section 35.615 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION MEDICAL USE OF BYPRODUCT MATERIAL Photon Emitting Remote Afterloader Units, Teletherapy Units, and...

10 CFR 35.615 - Safety precautions for remote afterloader units, teletherapy units, and gamma stereotactic...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Safety precautions for remote afterloader units, teletherapy units, and gamma stereotactic radiosurgery units. 35.615 Section 35.615 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION MEDICAL USE OF BYPRODUCT MATERIAL Photon Emitting Remote Afterloader Units, Teletherapy Units, and...

10 CFR 35.615 - Safety precautions for remote afterloader units, teletherapy units, and gamma stereotactic...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Safety precautions for remote afterloader units, teletherapy units, and gamma stereotactic radiosurgery units. 35.615 Section 35.615 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION MEDICAL USE OF BYPRODUCT MATERIAL Photon Emitting Remote Afterloader Units, Teletherapy Units, and...

Larva of Palaemnema brasiliensis Machado (Odonata: Platystictidae), from Amazonas, Brazil.

PubMed

Neiss, Ulisses Gaspar; Hamada, Neusa

2016-02-09

The larva of Palaemnema brasiliensis Machado, 2009 is described and illustrated based on last-instar larvae and exuviae of reared larvae collected in a blackwater stream in Barcelos and Presidente Figueiredo municipalities, Amazonas state, Brazil. The larva of P. brasiliensis can be distinguished from the two South American species of the genus with described larvae (P. clementia Selys and P. mutans Calvert), mainly by presence of a single obtuse cusp on the labial palp, the presence and configuration of setae in the caudal lamellae, and the proportional length of terminal filaments of the caudal lamellae. The family is recorded here for the first time in Brazilian state of Amazonas.

Mathematical structure of unit systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitano, Masao

2013-05-01

We investigate the mathematical structure of unit systems and the relations between them. Looking over the entire set of unit systems, we can find a mathematical structure that is called preorder (or quasi-order). For some pair of unit systems, there exists a relation of preorder such that one unit system is transferable to the other unit system. The transfer (or conversion) is possible only when all of the quantities distinguishable in the latter system are always distinguishable in the former system. By utilizing this structure, we can systematically compare the representations in different unit systems. Especially, the equivalence class of unit systems (EUS) plays an important role because the representations of physical quantities and equations are of the same form in unit systems belonging to an EUS. The dimension of quantities is uniquely defined in each EUS. The EUS's form a partially ordered set. Using these mathematical structures, unit systems and EUS's are systematically classified and organized as a hierarchical tree.

DTV Cliff Effect Assistance Act of 2009

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [R-ME

2009-04-27

Senate - 04/27/2009 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

DTV Cliff Effect Assistance Act of 2009

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Michaud, Michael H. [D-ME-2

2009-06-16

House - 06/17/2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Outcome of appendicectomy in children performed in paediatric surgery units compared with general surgery units.

PubMed

Tiboni, S; Bhangu, A; Hall, N J

2014-05-01

Appendicectomy for acute appendicitis in children may be performed in specialist centres by paediatric surgeons or in general surgery units. Service provision and outcome of appendicectomy in children may differ between such units. This multicentre observational study included all children (aged less than 16 years) who had an appendicectomy at either a paediatric surgery unit or general surgery unit. The primary outcome was normal appendicectomy rate (NAR). Secondary outcomes included 30-day adverse events, use of ultrasound imaging and laparoscopy, and consultant involvement in procedures. Appendicectomies performed in 19 paediatric surgery units (242 children) and 54 general surgery units (461 children) were included. Children treated in paediatric surgery units were younger and more likely to have a preoperative ultrasound examination, a laparoscopic procedure, a consultant present at the procedure, and histologically advanced appendicitis than children treated in general surgery units. The unadjusted NAR was significantly lower in paediatric surgery units (odds ratio (OR) 0.37, 95 per cent confidence interval 0.23 to 0.59; P < 0.001), and the difference persisted after adjusting for age, sex and use of preoperative ultrasound imaging (OR 0.34, 0.21 to 0.57; P < 0.001). Female sex and preoperative ultrasonography, but not age, were significantly associated with normal appendicectomy in general surgery units but not in paediatric surgery units in this adjusted model. The unadjusted 30-day adverse event rate was higher in paediatric surgery units than in general surgery units (OR 1.90, 1.18 to 3.06; P = 0.011). When adjusted for case mix and consultant presence at surgery, no statistically significant relationship between centre type and 30-day adverse event rate existed (OR 1.59, 0.93 to 2.73; P = 0.091). The NAR in general surgery units was over twice that in paediatric surgery units. Despite a more severe case mix, paediatric surgery units had a

Special physical examination tests for superior labrum anterior-posterior shoulder tears: an examination of clinical usefulness.

PubMed

Sandrey, Michelle A

2013-01-01

Calvert E, Chambers GK, Regan W, Hawkins RH, Leith JM. Special physical examination tests for superior labrum anterior-posterior shoulder injuries are clinically limited and invalid: a diagnostic systematic review. J Clin Epidemiol. 2009;62(5):558-563. The systematic review focused on diagnostic accuracy studies to determine if evidence was sufficient to support the use of superior labrum anterior-posterior (SLAP) physical examination tests as valid and reliable. The primary question was whether there was sufficient evidence in the published literature to support the use of SLAP physical examination tests as valid and reliable diagnostic test procedures. Studies published in English were identified through database searches on MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane database (1970-2004) using the search term SLAP lesions. The medical subject headings of arthroscopy, shoulder joint, and athletic injuries were combined with test or testing, physical examination, and sensitivity and specificity to locate additional sources. Other sources were identified by rereviewing the reference lists of included studies and review articles. Studies were eligible based on the following criteria: (1) published in English, (2) focused on the physical examination of SLAP lesions, and (3) presented original data. A study was excluded if the article was limited to a clinical description of 1 or more special tests without any research focus to provide clinical accuracy data or if it did not focus on the topic. The abstracts that were located through the search strategies were reviewed, and potentially relevant abstracts were selected. Strict epidemiologic methods were used to obtain and collate all relevant studies; the authors developed a study questionnaire to record study name, year of publication, study design, sample size, and statistics. Validity of the diagnostic test study was determined by applying the 5 criteria proposed by Calvert et al. If the study met the inclusion and validity

Intermediate SCDC Spanish Curricula Units. Science/Health, Unit 1, Kits 1-4, Teacher's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spanish Curricula Development Center, Miami Beach, FL.

Unified by the theme "our community", this unit, part of nine basic instructional units for intermediate level, reflects the observations of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans in various regions of the United States. Comprised of Kits 1-4, the unit extends the following basic and interpreted science processes: observing, communicating,…

Composite stabilizer unit

DOEpatents

Ebaugh, Larry R.; Sadler, Collin P.; Carter, Gary D.

1992-01-01

An improved fin stabilized projectile including multiple stabilizer fins upon a stabilizer unit situated at the aft end of the projectile is provided, the improvement wherein the stabilizer fins are joined into the stabillizer unit by an injection molded engineering grade polymer.

REACH. Refrigeration Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snow, Rufus; And Others

As a part of the REACH (Refrigeration, Electro-Mechanical, Air-Conditioning, Heating) electromechanical cluster, this student manual contains individualized instructional units in the area of refrigeration. The instructional units focus on refrigeration fundamentals, tubing and pipe, refrigerants, troubleshooting, window air conditioning, and…

Becquerel Crater Deposit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

(Released 28 May 2002) The finely layered deposit in Becquerel crater, seen in the center of this THEMIS image, is slowly being eroded away by the action of windblown sand. Dark sand from a source north of the bright deposit is collecting along its northern edge, forming impressive barchan style dunes. These vaguely boomerang-shaped dunes form with their two points extending in the downwind direction, demonstrating that the winds capable of moving sand grains come from the north. Grains that leave the dunes climb the eroding stair-stepped layers, collecting along the cliff faces before reaching the crest of the deposit. Once there, the sand grains are unimpeded and continue down the south side of the deposit without any significant accumulation until they fall off the steep cliffs of the southern margin. The boat-hull shaped mounds and ridges of bright material called yardangs form in response to the scouring action of the migrating sand. To the west, the deposit has thinned enough that the barchan dunes extend well into the deeply eroded north-south trending canyons. Sand that reaches the south side collects and reforms barchan dunes with the same orientation as those on the north side of the deposit. Note the abrupt transition between the bright material and the dark crater floor on the southern margin. Steep cliffs are present with no indication of rubble from the obvious erosion that produced them. The lack of debris at the base of the cliffs is evidence that the bright material is readily broken up into particles that can be transported away by the wind. The geological processes that are destroying the Becquerel crater deposit appear active today. But it is also possible that they are dormant, awaiting a particular set of climatic conditions that produces the right winds and perhaps even temperatures to allow the erosion to continue.

Genetic Fingerprinting of Germplasm Accessions as an Aid for Species Conservation: A Case Study with Borderea chouardii (Dioscoreaceae), One of the Most Critically Endangered Iberian Plants

PubMed Central

SEGARRA-MORAGUES, JOSÉ GABRIEL; IRIONDO, JOSÉ MARÍA; CATALÁN, PILAR

2005-01-01

• Background and Aims Molecular markers have changed previous expectations about germplasm collections of endangered plants, as new perspectives aim at holding a significant representation of all the genetic diversity in the studied species to accomplish further conservation initiatives successfully. Borderea chouardii is a critically endangered allotetraploid dioecious member of Dioscoreaceae, known from a single population in the Iberian pre-Pyrenees. This population was reported to be highly structured into two genetically distinct groups of individuals corresponding to their spatial separation along the vertical cliff where it grows. In 1999, the Spanish Government of Aragón launched the first conservation programme for the ex situ preservation of this species, and since then a seed collection has been conserved at the Germplasm Bank of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. However, as some seed samples had not been labelled clearly at the time of collection, their origin was uncertain. • Methods Genetic variation in germplasm accessions of B. chouardii was investigated using microsatellite (simple sequence repeat; SSR) markers. • Key Results The 17 primer pairs used detected 62 SSR alleles in the 46 samples analysed from five different germplasm stocks. Eight alleles scored from the wild population were not detected in the germplasm samples analysed. The relatedness of the germplasm samples to the wild subpopulations through neighbour-joining clustering, principal coordinates analysis (PCO) and assignment tests revealed a biased higher representation of the genetic diversity of the lower cliff (43 samples) subpopulation than that of the upper cliff (three samples). • Conclusions The collection of additional samples from the upper cliff is recommended to achieve a better representation of the genetic diversity of this subpopulation. It is also recommended that these stocks should be managed separately according to their distinct microspatial origin

Multibeam Mapping of Cretaceous-Paleogene Meteorite Impact Deposits on the Campeche Escarpment, YUCATÁN , MÉXICO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gwiazda, R.; Paull, C. K.; Caress, D. W.; Rebolledo-Vieyra, M.; Fucugauchi, J. U.; Canales, I.; Sumner, E. J.; Tubau Carbonell, X.; Lundsten, E. M.; Anderson, K.

2013-12-01

The Chicxulub crater in the Yucatán Peninsula, México, at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary, is believed to have been created by the impact of a meteorite ~65 million years ago. Ejecta from the impact were deposited beyond the crater site and are now buried under >1 km of Cenozoic carbonate sediments. Outcrops of the ejecta are believed to be exposed on the Campeche escarpment, which is the dramatically steep northern edge of the Yucatán Peninsula. A seafloor-mapping cruise aboard the R/V Falkor, equipped with Kongsberg EM302 30 kHz and EM710 70-100 kHz multibeam sonars, was conducted in March 2013 to produce a detailed map of the escarpment. Surveys were conducted along the escarpment face for 612 km, targeting the water depth range between 400 m and the escarpment base at ≤ 3,700 m. Segments with two distinctive reliefs are observed in the escarpment face: The first type of relief is a continuous slope over the entire surveyed depth, with numerous v-shaped gullies and intervening ridges. In contrast, the second type of relief is characterized by slopes of 5° above ~2-2.5 km depth with an abrupt change to 25° slopes below. As many as 80 submarine canyons are present along this relief. The canyons are topped with semicircular amphitheaters of gentler slopes above ~2-2.5 km but rimmed with 500 m high cliffs on the steep slope section below. The steep cliffs appear free from sediment drape and can be traced laterally for large segments of the escarpment, suggesting that these are horizontal units with outcropping strata. The location of the K-Pg boundary on the escarpment can be inferred from its identification on DSDP Leg 17 Site 86, drilled on a terrace at 1,462 m depth, and 200 m from the edge of the escarpment, and on DSDP Leg 17 Site 94, drilled in 1,793 m depth, 5.5 km from the edge of the platform. Based on the biostratigraphy of core cuttings recovered from both boreholes the base of the Tertiary in Site 86 is placed at between 2,016 and 2,081 m

7 CFR 1160.104 - United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false United States. 1160.104 Section 1160.104 Agriculture... Definitions § 1160.104 United States. United States means the 48 contiguous states in the continental United States and the District of Columbia, except that United States means the 50 states of the United States...

7 CFR 1160.104 - United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false United States. 1160.104 Section 1160.104 Agriculture... Definitions § 1160.104 United States. United States means the 48 contiguous states in the continental United States and the District of Columbia, except that United States means the 50 states of the United States...

7 CFR 1160.104 - United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2014-01-01 2013-01-01 true United States. 1160.104 Section 1160.104 Agriculture... Definitions § 1160.104 United States. United States means the 48 contiguous states in the continental United States and the District of Columbia, except that United States means the 50 states of the United States...

7 CFR 1160.104 - United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false United States. 1160.104 Section 1160.104 Agriculture... Definitions § 1160.104 United States. United States means the 48 contiguous states in the continental United States and the District of Columbia, except that United States means the 50 states of the United States...

7 CFR 1160.104 - United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true United States. 1160.104 Section 1160.104 Agriculture... Definitions § 1160.104 United States. United States means the 48 contiguous states in the continental United States and the District of Columbia, except that United States means the 50 states of the United States...

10. UNITS 35 AND 36 ('HOUSE UNITS') DIABLO POWERHOUSE AS ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

10. UNITS 35 AND 36 ('HOUSE UNITS') DIABLO POWERHOUSE AS VIEWED FROM GENERATOR FLOOR LOOKING SOUTH. THE BRIDGE CRANE TO THE TOP LEFT WAS THE HIGHEST RATED CAPACITY BRIDGE CRANE IN THE WORLD WHEN IT WAS ORDERED IN 1930, 1989. - Skagit Power Development, Diablo Powerhouse, On Skagit River, 6.1 miles upstream from Newhalem, Newhalem, Whatcom County, WA

California Groundwater Units

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Tyler D.; Belitz, Kenneth

2014-01-01

The California Groundwater Units dataset classifies and delineates areas within the State of California into one of three groundwater-based polygon units: (1) those areas previously defined as alluvial groundwater basins or subbasins, (2) highland areas that are adjacent to and topographically upgradient of groundwater basins, and (3) highland areas not associated with a groundwater basin, only a hydrogeologic province. In total, 938 Groundwater Units are represented. The Groundwater Units dataset relates existing groundwater basins with their newly delineated highland areas which can be used in subsequent hydrologic studies. The methods used to delineate groundwater-basin-associated highland areas are similar to those used to delineate a contributing area (such as for a lake or water body); the difference is that highland areas are constrained to the immediately surrounding upslope (upstream) area. Upslope basins have their own delineated highland. A geoprocessing tool was created to facilitate delineation of highland areas for groundwater basins and subbasins and is available for download.

Map showing scenic features and recreation facilities of the Salina quadrangle, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Paul L.; Covington, Harry R.

1973-01-01

This map is intended as a guide for those who enjoy outdoor recreation in magnificent scenic settings.The Salina quadrangle lies in the heart of the Colorado Plateau, a sparsely populated land of unique and outstanding scenic beauty. The eastern half of the quadrangle is a great desert, partly blanketed by sand dunes, but  mostly an area of badlands multicolored cliffs and benches of virtually barren rock, and deeply incised canyons. In the west half of the quadrangle, rugged tree-covered foothills flank high forested plateaus rimmed by cliffs. On these High Plateaus, dense coniferous forest is interspersed with wide grassy parks, grazed in summer by sheep and cattle. Valleys between the plateaus contain irrigated crop lands.

Strategic analysis for the MER Cape Verde approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gaines, D.; Belluta, P.; Herman, J.; Hwang, P.; Mukai, R.; Porter, D.; Jones, B.; Wood, E.; Grotzinger, J.; Edgar, L.; Hayes, A.; Hare, T.; Squyres, S.

2009-01-01

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has recently completed a two year campaign studying Victoria Crater. The campaign culminated in a close approach of Cape Verde in order to acquire high resolution imagery of the exposed stratigraphy in the cliff face. The close approach to Cape Verde provided significant challenges for every subsystem of the rover as the rover needed to traverse difficult, uncharacterised terrain and approach a cliff face with the potential of blocking out solar energy and communications with Earth. In this paper we describe the strategic analyses performed by the science and engineering teams so that we could successfully achieve the science objectives while keeping the rover safe. ??2009 IEEE.

The Past, Present and Future of Geodemographic Research in the United States and United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Singleton, Alexander D.; Spielman, Seth E.

2014-01-01

This article presents an extensive comparative review of the emergence and application of geodemographics in both the United States and United Kingdom, situating them as an extension of earlier empirically driven models of urban socio-spatial structure. The empirical and theoretical basis for this generalization technique is also considered. Findings demonstrate critical differences in both the application and development of geodemographics between the United States and United Kingdom resulting from their diverging histories, variable data economies, and availability of academic or free classifications. Finally, current methodological research is reviewed, linking this discussion prospectively to the changing spatial data economy in both the United States and United Kingdom. PMID:25484455

Conflict Resolution Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busselle, Tish

This 7-day unit, intended for use with secondary students, contains a statement of rationale and objectives, lesson plans, class assignments, teacher and student bibliographies, and suggestions for instructional materials on conflict resolution between individuals, groups, and nations. Among the six objectives listed for the unit are: 1) explain…

The Units Ontology: a tool for integrating units of measurement in science

PubMed Central

Gkoutos, Georgios V.; Schofield, Paul N.; Hoehndorf, Robert

2012-01-01

Units are basic scientific tools that render meaning to numerical data. Their standardization and formalization caters for the report, exchange, process, reproducibility and integration of quantitative measurements. Ontologies are means that facilitate the integration of data and knowledge allowing interoperability and semantic information processing between diverse biomedical resources and domains. Here, we present the Units Ontology (UO), an ontology currently being used in many scientific resources for the standardized description of units of measurements. PMID:23060432

Some aspects of lithological and exogenic control of sandstone morphology, the Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mts. case study, Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Jan; Górnik, Marek

2017-10-01

Various morphologies of cliffs built of different quartzose rocks in the Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mts. (upland region, central Poland) - from Cambrian quartzites and Devonian quartzitic sandstones to Triassic and Jurassic porous sandstones - were described in order to examine the constraints of their lithological and spatial occurrence. The quantitative study of the occurrence of these morphologies on cliffs makes it possible to distinguish two principal groups of morphologies: angular relief produced by rock splitting (crumbling), typical of quartzites indurated in silica and of open porosity less than 1.5%, and morphologies developed due to granular disintegration and exfoliation of sandstones of open porosity higher than 1.5%. Among the relief types of this second group, morphology reflecting sedimentary and diagenetic structures as well as smooth surfaces are the most common and are referred to sandstones of a wide range of porosity, whereas honeycombs and surfaces suffering fast granular decay and scaling are characteristic of rocks of specific porosity (respectively: 5-8% and 3.5-8%). The occurrence of honeycombs on rock surfaces is also conditioned by exogenic factors: sun, wind and rain, since this morphology tends to occur on cliffs with aspects ranging from south-east, through south, to west-north-west.

Individualized texting for adherence building (iTAB): improving antiretroviral dose timing among HIV-infected persons with co-occurring bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Moore, David J; Poquette, Amelia; Casaletto, Kaitlin B; Gouaux, Ben; Montoya, Jessica L; Posada, Carolina; Rooney, Alexandra S; Badiee, Jayraan; Deutsch, Reena; Letendre, Scott L; Depp, Colin A; Grant, Igor; Atkinson, J Hampton

2015-03-01

HIV+ persons with co-occurring bipolar disorder (HIV+/BD+) have elevated rates of medication nonadherence. We conducted a 30-day randomized controlled trial of a two-way, text messaging system, iTAB (n = 25), compared to an active comparison (CTRL) (n = 25) to improve antiretroviral (ARV) and psychotropic (PSY) adherence and dose timing. Both groups received medication adherence psychoeducation and daily texts assessing mood. The iTAB group additionally received personalized medication reminder texts. Participants responded to over 90 % of the mood and adherence text messages. Mean adherence, as assessed via electronic monitoring caps, was high and comparable between groups for both ARV (iTAB 86.2 % vs. CTRL 84.8 %; p = 0.95, Cliff's d = 0.01) and PSY (iTAB 78.9 % vs. CTRL 77.3 %; p = 0.43, Cliff's d = -0.13) medications. However, iTAB participants took ARVs significantly closer to their intended dosing time than CTRL participants (iTAB: 27.8 vs. CTRL: 77.0 min from target time; p = 0.02, Cliff's d = 0.37). There was no group difference on PSY dose timing. Text messaging interventions may represent a low-burden approach to improving timeliness of medication-taking behaviors among difficult-to-treat populations. The benefits of improved dose timing for long-term medication adherence require additional investigation.

Labour Studies Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Eric; And Others

The nine units highlight the history, activities, values, and aspirations of the Canadian labor force. The program's purpose is to help secondary school social studies students develop a more objective appreciation of labor and of labor's role in Canadian social history. The first unit, "Union Today," analyzes contemporary union activity…