Urbanization and depopulation in the Alps.

PubMed

Batzing, W; Perlik, M; Dekleva, M

1996-11-01

Demographic developments in the European Alpine region are analyzed over the period 1870-1990. The region is defined as including parts of Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland, and Slovenia. "Studies of growth, stagnation, decline, commune size, and altitude in almost 6,000 communes are presented on three colored maps.... It is apparent that two highly divergent processes are at work and, accordingly, statistical mean values reveal little of importance. Approximately one-half of Alpine Europe is undergoing general economic and demographic growth and has experienced significant increase in population since the end of the agricultural era. This development has taken place primarily in low-lying valleys and basins and in areas bordering the Alps that have good access to transport routes. Tourism is not as widespread as generally assumed and is usually characterized by a punctate pattern. Only in the western part of the Eastern Alps does tourism account for widespread population growth at higher altitudes; elsewhere the Alps have not been affected by modern development and the economy and population are declining, with some areas in danger of becoming completely abandoned. The results challenge the earlier concept of the Alps as a rural region, once populated by peasants, where tourism now plays a major role." (EXCERPT)

Possible future lakes resulting from continued glacier shrinkage in the Aosta Valley Region (Western Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viani, Cristina; Machguth, Horst; Huggel, Christian; Godio, Alberto; Perotti, Luigi; Giardino, Marco

2017-04-01

Aosta Valley (NW-Alps, Italy) is the region with the largest glaciarized area of Italy (133.73 km2). Like the other alpine regions it has shown a significant glacier retreat starting from the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA, ca. 1850 AD), by losing about 60% of its glaciarized area. As a direct consequence of glacier shrinkage, within glacially-sculpted landscapes, glacier-bed overdeepenings become exposed, offering suitable conditions for glacier lakes formation. In the Aosta Valley region, about 200 glacier lakes have been recognized in different time periods within LIA maximum extent boundaries, mainly dammed by bedrock landforms. With respect to human activities, glacier lakes represent both opportunities (e.g. Miage lake for tourism) and risks (e.g. outburst flood of the Gran Croux lake above Cogne in August 2016) in such a densely populated and developed region. The objective of this contribution is to assess locations of possible future glacier lakes in the Aosta Valley by using the GlabTop2 model (Glacier Bed Topography model version 2). Understanding where future lakes will appear is of fundamental importance for the identification of potential hazards and the interpretation of conditioning factors and dynamics. We first assessed ice thickness and consequently glacier bed topography over large glaciated areas of the region, by using both glaciers outlines related to 1999 (provided by the GlaRiskAlp project) and the regional DEM of 1990 (provided by the Aosta Valley Region) as input data. We performed several runs by varying different input parameters (e,g.: pixel size and basal shear stress). Then we compared modelled results on selected test glaciers (Rutor and Grand Etrèt) with available GPR data. As a validation, we also carried out a GPR survey during summer 2016 on the central area of Indren Glacier (Monte Rosa massif) where GlabTop2 shows the presence of a possible subglacial overdeepening morphology. We found that ice thickness and consequently the

The European Alps as an interrupter of the Earth's conductivity structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Halbouni, D.

2013-07-01

Joint interpretation of magnetotelluric and geomagnetic depth sounding results in the period range of 10-105 s in the Western European Alps offer new insights into the conductivity structure of the Earth's crust and mantle. This first large scale electromagnetic study in the Alps covers a cross-section from Germany to northern Italy and shows the importance of the alpine mountain chain as an interrupter of continuous conductors. Poor data quality due to the highly crystalline underground is overcome by Remote Reference and Robust Processing techniques and the combination of both electromagnetic methods. 3-D forward modeling reveals on the one hand interrupted dipping crustal conductors with maximum conductances of 4960 S and on the other hand a lithosphere thickening up to 208 km beneath the central Western Alps. Graphite networks arising from Palaeozoic sedimentary deposits are considered to be accountable for the occurrence of high conductivity and the distribution pattern of crustal conductors. The influence of huge sedimentary Molasse basins on the electromagnetic data is suggested to be minor compared with the influence of crustal conductors. Dipping direction (S-SE) and maximum angle (10.1°) of the northern crustal conductor reveal the main thrusting conditions beneath the Helvetic Alps whereas the existence of a crustal conductor in the Briançonnais supports theses about its belonging to the Iberian Peninsula. In conclusion the proposed model arisen from combined 3-D modeling of noise corrected electromagnetic data is able to explain the geophysical influence of various structural features in and around the Western European Alps and serves as a background for further upcoming studies.

A new species of Limnephilidae (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Western Alps (Insecta: Trichoptera)

PubMed Central

GRAF, WOLFRAM; VITECEK, SIMON

2016-01-01

A new species of the alpine caddisfly genus Consorophylax (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae, Stenophylacini) and the female of the recently described C. vinconi Graf & Malicky 2015 are described. The new species C. lepontiorum sp. nov. is a microendemic of the South-Western Alps and differs from its congeners in the shape of the superior and inferior appendages and the unique setation of the aedeagus, absent in all other Consorophylax species. The female of C. vinconi is characterized by the unique formation of the anal tube. Potential effects of alpine orogenesis, phenology and climatic oscillation on speciation of aquatic insects inhabiting high-altitude habitats are discussed. The description of C. lepontiorum sp. nov. accentuates the significance of the Western Alps as harbours of aquatic insect biodiversity, and demonstrates the necessity of faunal and taxonomic studies in Europe – a supposedly well-explored region. PMID:27069351

Eclogite nappe-stack in the Grivola-Urtier Ophiolites (Southern Aosta Valley, Western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tartarotti, Paola

2013-04-01

In the Western Alpine chain, ophiolites represent a section of the Mesozoic Tethys oceanic lithosphere, involved in subduction during the convergence between the paleo-Africa and paelo-Europe continents during the Cretaceous - Eocene. The Western Alpine ophiolites consist of several tectonic units, the most famous being the Zermatt-Saas and Combin nappes, and other major ophiolite bodies as the Voltri, Monviso, and Rocciavrè that show different rock assemblages and contrasting metamorphic imprints. The Grivola-Urtier (GU) unit is exposed in the southern Aosta Valley, covering an area of about 100 km2; it is tectonically sandwiched between the continentally-derived Pennidic Gran Paradiso Nappe below, and the Austroalpine Mount Emilius klippe above. This unit has been so far considered as part of the Zermatt-Saas nappe extending from the Saas-Fee area (Switzerland) to the Aosta Valley (Italy). The GU unit consists of serpentinized peridotites that include pods and boudinaged layers of eclogitic Fe-metagabbro and trondhjemite, rodingites and chloriteschists transposed in the main foliation together with calcschists and micaschists. All rocks preserve particularly fresh eclogitic mineral assemblages. The contact between the serpentinites and calcshists is marked by a tectonic mélange consisting of mylonitic marble and calcschist with stretched and boudinaged serpentinite blocks. Continentally-derived allochthonous blocks ranging in size from100 meters to meters are also included within the ophiolites. New field, petrographic and geochemical data reveal the complex nature of the fossil Tethyan oceanic lithosphere exposed in the southern Aosta Valley, as well as the extent and size of the continental-oceanic tectonic mélange. The geological setting of the GU unit is here inferred as a key tool for understanding the complex architecture of the ophiolites in the Western Alps.

Quantifying the Eocene to Pleistocene topographic evolution of the southwestern Alps, France and Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fauquette, Séverine; Bernet, Matthias; Suc, Jean-Pierre; Grosjean, Anne-Sabine; Guillot, Stéphane; van der Beek, Peter; Jourdan, Sébastien; Popescu, Speranta-Maria; Jiménez-Moreno, Gonzalo; Bertini, Adele; Pittet, Bernard; Tricart, Pierre; Dumont, Thierry; Schwartz, Stéphane; Zheng, Zhuo; Roche, Emile; Pavia, Giulio; Gardien, Véronique

2015-02-01

We evaluate the topographic evolution of the southwestern Alps using Eocene to Pleistocene pollen data combined with existing sedimentological, petrographic and detrital geo- and thermochronological data. We report 32 new pollen analyses from 10 sites completed by an existing dataset of 83 samples from 14 localities situated across the southwestern Alps, including both the pro- and the retro-foreland basins. The presence of microthermic tree pollen (mainly Abies, Picea) indicates that this part of the mountain belt attained elevations over 1900 m as early as the Oligocene. Inferred rapid surface uplift during the mid-Oligocene coincided with a previously documented brief phase of rapid erosional exhumation, when maximum erosion rates may have reached values of up to 1.5-2 km/Myr. Slower long-term average exhumation rates of ∼0.3 km/Myr since the Late Oligocene helped maintaining the high Alpine topography of the southwestern Alps until today. The relative abundances of meso-microthermic tree pollen (Cathaya, Cedrus and Tsuga) and microthermic tree pollen (Abies, Picea) in the pro- and retro-foreland basin deposits, indicate that the present-day asymmetric topography, with a relatively gentle western flank and steeper eastern flank, was established early in the southwestern Alps, at least since the Early Miocene, and possibly since the Oligocene or Late Eocene. Therefore, the high topography and asymmetric morphology of this part of the Alps has been maintained throughout the past ∼30 Ma.

Kinematics and Seismotectonics of the Montello Thrust Fault (Southeastern Alps, Italy) Revealed by Local GPS and Seismic Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serpelloni, E.; Anderlini, L.; Cavaliere, A.; Danesi, S.; Pondrelli, S.; Salimbeni, S.; Danecek, P.; Massa, M.; Lovati, S.

2014-12-01

The southern Alps fold-and-thrust belt (FTB) in northern Italy is a tectonically active area accommodating large part of the ~N-S Adria-Eurasia plate convergence, that in the southeastern Alps ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 mm/yr, as constrained by a geodetically defined rotation pole. Because of the high seismic hazard of northeastern Italy, the area is well monitored at a regional scale by seismic and GPS networks. However, more localized seismotectonic and kinematic features, at the scale of the fault segments, are not yet resolved, limiting our knowledge about the seismic potential of the different fault segments belonging to the southeastern Alps FTB. Here we present the results obtained from the analysis of data collected during local seismic and geodetic experiments conducted installing denser geophysical networks across the Montello-Bassano-Belluno system, a segment of the FTB that is presently characterized by a lower sismicity rate with respect to the surrounding domains. The Montello anticline, which is the southernmost tectonic features of the southeastern Alps FTB (located ~15 km south of the mountain front), is a nice example of growing anticline associated with a blind thrust fault. However, how the Adria-Alps convergence is partitioned across the FTB and the seismic potential of the Montello thrust (the area has been struck by a Mw~6.5 in 1695 but the causative fault is still largely debated) remained still unresolved. The new, denser, GPS data show that this area is undergoing among the highest geodetic deformation rates of the entire south Alpine chain, with a steep velocity gradient across the Montello anticline. The earthquakes recorded during the experiment, precisely relocated with double difference methods, and the new earthquake focal mechanisms well correlate with available information about sub-surface geological structures and highlight the seismotectonic activity of the Montello thrust fault. We model the GPS velocities using elastic

Mantle wedge anisotropy beneath the Western Alps: insights from Receiver Function analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piana Agostinetti, Nicola; Salimbeni, Simone; Pondrelli, Silvia; Malusa', Marco; Zhao, Liang; Eva, Elena; Solarino, Stefano; Paul, Anne; Guillot, Stéphane; Schwartz, Stéphane; Dumont, Thierry; Aubert, Coralie; Wang, Qingchen; Zhu, Rixiang

2017-04-01

Orogens and subductions zones are the locus where crustal materials are recycled into the upper mantle. Such rocks undergo to several metamorphic reactions during which their seismic properties vary due to the changes in P-T conditions. Metamorphic reactions can imply: (a) the formation of schist-like materials, and (b) a pronounced water flux from the subducted crust. Both these processes should generate highly anisotropic volumes at upper mantle depths. Thus, unveiling the presence of seismic anisotropy at such depth level can put constraints on the metamorphic reactions and the P-T conditions of the subducted materials. The Alpine orogen is composed of three main regions where different geodynamic processes shaped a highly heterogeneous mountain chain. Beneath the Alps, a high velocity body has been imaged sinking in the upper mantle, indicating the presence of a relict of subduction. Such subduction process has been probably terminated with the closure of the Piemont-Liguria Ocean, but evidence of continental subduction has been found beneath the Western Alps. Seismic anisotropy is likely to develop both in the subducted materials and in the mantle wedge, where serpentinized materials could be found due to the low T conditions. We analysed P receiver function (RF) from 46 seismic stations deployed along a linear array crossing the Western Alps, where previous studies revealed the presence of the subducted European lower crust to 80 km depth. RF is a widely used tool for reconstructing subsurface seismic structures, based on the recognition of P-to-S converted phases in teleseismic P-wave coda. The RF data-set is migrated at depth and decomposed into azimuthal harmonics. Computing the first, k=0, and the second, k=1, harmonics allows to separate the "isotropic" contribution, due to the change of the isotropic properties of the sampled materials (recorded on the k=0 harmonics), from the "anisotropic" contribution, where the energy is related to the propagation of

Hot Alps (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speranza, F.; Minelli, L.; Pignatelli, A.; Gilardi, M.

2013-12-01

Although it is frequently assumed that crust of Alpine orogens is hot due to the occurrence of thick and young (hence radiogenic) crust, evidence on the thermal ranking of orogens is contradictory. Heat flow measurements from shallow wells (depth ≤ 1 km) in the Alps yield a relatively cold thermal regime of 50-80 mW/m2, but data are likely biased by meteoric cold-water circulation. Here we report on the spectral analysis of the aeromagnetic residuals of northern Italy to derive the Curie point depth (CPD), assumed to represent the 600°C isotherm depth. Airborne magnetics were acquired on whole Italy during the 1970s by the national oil company AGIP (now Eni). Data were gathered by several surveys carried out at 1000-13,300 feet (300-4000 m) altitude, with flight line spacing of 2-10 km. Surveys of the Alps and Po Plain (northern Italy) were obtained both with a line spacing of 5 km (and 5 km tie lines), at an altitude of 4000-5000 and 13,300 feet, respectively. To evaluate CPDs we used the centroid method (routinely adopted in recent CPD studies on East Asia and central-southern Europe) on 72 square windows of 100-110 km edge, with a 50% degree of superposition. CPDs vary between 16 and 38 km (22 km on average) in the Po Plain, located south of the Alps and representing the Adriatic-African foreland area. Conversely, the Alps yield very shallow CPDs, ranging between 6 and 15 km (10 km on average). CPDs fall systematically above local Moho depths, implying that magnetic source bottoms documented in this study do not represent a lithological boundary over non-magnetic peridotitic mantle, but can be safely associated with CPDs and the 600°C isotherm. CPDs from the Po Plain are in rough agreement with reported heat flow values of 25-60 mW/m2, and imply and average thermal conductivity (k) of the Po Plain crust of 1.5 W/m°K, at the lower bound of k values measured and inferred for the crust. Conversely, the average 10 km CPD documented in the Alps translates into

Siderite deposits in northern Italy: Early Permian to Early Triassic hydrothermalism in the Southern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Silvana; Toffolo, Luca; Moroni, Marilena; Montorfano, Carlo; Secco, Luciano; Agnini, Claudia; Nimis, Paolo; Tumiati, Simone

2017-07-01

We present a minero-petrographic, geochemical and geochronological study of siderite orebodies from different localities of the Southern Alps (northern Italy). Siderite occurs as veins cutting the Variscan basement and the overlying Lower Permian volcano-sedimentary cover (Collio Fm.), and as both veins and conformable stratabound orebodies in the Upper Permian (Verrucano Lombardo and Bellerophon Fms.) and Lower Triassic (Servino and Werfen Fms.) sedimentary sequences of the Lombardian and the Venetian Alps. All types of deposits show similar major- and rare-earth (REE)-element patterns, suggesting a common iron-mineralizing event. The compositions of coexisting siderite, Fe-rich dolomite and calcite suggest formation from hydrothermal fluids at relatively high temperature conditions (≥ 250 °C). Geochemical modelling, supported by REE analyses and by literature and new δ13C and δ18O isotopic data, suggests that fluids responsible for the formation of siderite in the Variscan basement and in the overlying Lower Permian cover were derived from dominant fresh water, which leached Fe and C from volcanic rocks (mainly rhyolites/rhyodacites) and organic carbon-bearing continental sediments. On the basis of U-Th-Pb microchemical dating of uraninite associated with siderite in the Val Vedello and Novazza deposits (Lombardian Alps), the onset of hydrothermalism is constrained to 275 ± 13 Ma (Early-Mid Permian), i.e., it was virtually contemporaneous to the plutonism and the volcanic-sedimentary cycle reported in the same area (Orobic Basin). The youngest iron-mineralizing event is represented by siderite veins and conformable orebodies hosted in Lower Triassic shallow-marine carbonatic successions. In this case, the siderite-forming fluids contained a seawater component, interacted with the underlying Permian successions and eventually replaced the marine carbonates at temperatures of ≥ 250 °C. The absence of siderite in younger rocks suggests an Early Triassic

Metasomatic tourmalinite formation along basement-cover decollements, Orobic Alps, Italy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slack, J.F.; Passchier, C.W.; Zhang, J.S.

1996-01-01

Cryptocrystalline tourmalinites that occur discontinuously for ???30 km along basement-cover de??collements of the Orohic Alps (Italy) formed by the metasomatism of aluminous cataclasites derived from Permian conglomerates and/or feldspathic sandstones. Using Al as an immobile element monitor, calculations show that the majority of tourmalinites in the region formed through the addition of moderate to significant amounts of B, Mg, Na, Sr, and Be, and the loss of moderate to significant Mn, Ca, K, P, Rb, Ba, and Cr; minor Si, Ti, V, light REE, and Eu also were lost. Data tor relatively immobile Al, Zr, Th, Sc, Nb, and heavy REE indicate that, on average, these tourmalinites formed through ???12% net mass loss assuming an original conglomerate protolith, or through ???7% net mass loss assuming a sandstone protolith. The B and other introduced constituents in the tourmalinites were deposited by hydrothermal fluids focused along and near basement-cover de??collements. These fluids, believed to be associated with late Hercynian felsic magmatism, probably are related to fluids that formed the tourmaline-rich U-Mo-Zn deposits at the nearby Novazza mine and the U-Zn deposits at the nearby Val Vedello mine.

Lithospheric architecture of the South-Western Alps revealed by multiparameter teleseismic full-waveform inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beller, S.; Monteiller, V.; Operto, S.; Nolet, G.; Paul, A.; Zhao, L.

2018-02-01

The Western Alps, although being intensively investigated, remains elusive when it comes to determining its lithospheric structure. New inferences on the latter are important for the understanding of processes and mechanisms of orogeny needed to unravel the dynamic evolution of the Alps. This situation led to the deployment of the CIFALPS temporary experiment, conducted to address the lack of seismological data amenable to high-resolution seismic imaging of the crust and the upper mantle. We perform a 3-D isotropic full-waveform inversion (FWI) of nine teleseismic events recorded by the CIFALPS experiment to infer 3-D models of both density and P- and S-wave velocities of the Alpine lithosphere. Here, by FWI is meant the inversion of the full seismograms including phase and amplitude effects within a time window following the first arrival up to a frequency of 0.2 Hz. We show that the application of the FWI at the lithospheric scale is able to generate images of the lithosphere with unprecedented resolution and can furnish a reliable density model of the upper lithosphere. In the shallowest part of the crust, we retrieve the shape of the fast/dense Ivrea body anomaly and detect the low velocities of the Po and SE France sedimentary basins. The geometry of the Ivrea body as revealed by our density model is consistent with the Bouguer anomaly. A sharp Moho transition is followed from the external part (30 km depth) to the internal part of the Alps (70-80 km depth), giving clear evidence of a continental subduction event during the formation of the Alpine Belt. A low-velocity zone in the lower lithosphere of the S-wave velocity model supports the hypothesis of a slab detachment in the western part of the Alps that is followed by asthenospheric upwelling. The application of FWI to teleseismic data helps to fill the gap of resolution between traditional imaging techniques, and enables integrated interpretations of both upper and lower lithospheric structures.

Dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) assemblages in the western Italian Alps: benchmark data for land use monitoring.

PubMed

Tocco, Claudia; Villet, Martin H

2016-01-01

Traditional agro-pastoral practices are in decline over much of the Alps (MacDonald et al. 2000), leading to shrub and tree encroachment, and this represents one of the main threats for the conservation of alpine biodiversity, as many plant and animal species are dependent on the presence of semi-natural open habitats. However, quantifying this environmental change and assessing its impact on biodiversity may be difficult, especially in the context of sparse historical survey data. The accessibility of contemporary data about local biodiversity surveys in general, and indicator taxa in particular, is an essential consideration for planning future evaluations of conservation status in the Alps and for conservation plans that use ecological indicators to monitor temporal changes in biodiversity. Dung beetles are important ecosystem service providers (Nichols et al. 2008) that have been assessed as a good ecological indicator taxon in several studies (reviewed by Nichols and Gardner 2011), and although the Alps is perhaps one of the best-studied regions in respect of dung beetles, there are still only eight readily-accessible publications. We have augmented and comprehensively reviewed the data from these publications. We first provide data about changes on a temporal scale of seasons in a dung beetle community in the western Italian Alps, an issue that has to be addressed in the local assemblages because it would affect regional biomonitoring and conservation research. This survey of 12 099 individuals belonging to 22 species illustrates a distinct seasonal pattern at a single site. Second, we collate the results of 13 published surveys of the presence of 46 species of dung beetles in 11 valleys in the western Italian Alps in the period from 2005 to 2012, a period of accelerated change in land use that started around 1945 (MacDonald et al. 2000). Because ten of the surveys used baited pitfall traps and four more used manual collection of specimens, the abundance data

P wave anisotropic tomography of the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, Yuanyuan; Zhao, Dapeng; Xu, Yixian

2017-06-01

The first tomographic images of P wave azimuthal and radial anisotropies in the crust and upper mantle beneath the Alps are determined by joint inversions of arrival time data of local earthquakes and teleseismic events. Our results show the south dipping European plate with a high-velocity (high-V) anomaly beneath the western central Alps and the north dipping Adriatic plate with a high-V anomaly beneath the Eastern Alps, indicating that the subduction polarity changes along the strike of the Alps. The P wave azimuthal anisotropy is characterized by mountain chain-parallel fast-velocity directions (FVDs) in the western central Alps and NE-SW FVDs in the Eastern Alps, which may be caused by mantle flow induced by the slab subductions. Our results reveal a negative radial anisotropy (i.e., Vph < Vpv) within the subducting slabs and a positive radial anisotropy (i.e., Vph > Vpv) in the low-velocity mantle wedge, which may reflect the subvertical plate subduction and its induced mantle flow. The results of anisotropic tomography provide important new information on the complex mantle structure and dynamics of the Alps and adjacent regions.

Ice cap melting and low-viscosity crustal root explain the narrow geodetic uplift of the Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chéry, J.; Genti, M.; Vernant, P.

2016-04-01

More than 10 years of geodetic measurements demonstrate an uplift rate of 1-3 mm/yr of the high topography region of the Western Alps. By contrast, no significant horizontal motion has been detected. Two uplift mechanisms have been proposed: (1) the isostatic response to denudation responsible for only a fraction of the observed uplift and (2) the rebound induced by the Wurmian ice cap melting which predicts a broader uplifting region than the one evidenced by geodetic observations. Using a numerical model to fit the geodetic data, we show that a crustal viscosity contrast between the foreland and the central part of the Alps, the latter being weaker with a viscosity of 1021 Pa s, is needed. The vertical rates are enhanced if the strong uppermost mantle beneath the Moho is interrupted across the Alps, therefore allowing a weak vertical rheological anomaly over the entire lithosphere.

Dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) assemblages in the western Italian Alps: benchmark data for land use monitoring

PubMed Central

Villet, Martin H

2016-01-01

Abstract Background Traditional agro-pastoral practices are in decline over much of the Alps (MacDonald et al. 2000), leading to shrub and tree encroachment, and this represents one of the main threats for the conservation of alpine biodiversity, as many plant and animal species are dependent on the presence of semi-natural open habitats. However, quantifying this environmental change and assessing its impact on biodiversity may be difficult, especially in the context of sparse historical survey data. The accessibility of contemporary data about local biodiversity surveys in general, and indicator taxa in particular, is an essential consideration for planning future evaluations of conservation status in the Alps and for conservation plans that use ecological indicators to monitor temporal changes in biodiversity. Dung beetles are important ecosystem service providers (Nichols et al. 2008) that have been assessed as a good ecological indicator taxon in several studies (reviewed by Nichols and Gardner 2011), and although the Alps is perhaps one of the best-studied regions in respect of dung beetles, there are still only eight readily-accessible publications. We have augmented and comprehensively reviewed the data from these publications. New information We first provide data about changes on a temporal scale of seasons in a dung beetle community in the western Italian Alps, an issue that has to be addressed in the local assemblages because it would affect regional biomonitoring and conservation research. This survey of 12 099 individuals belonging to 22 species illustrates a distinct seasonal pattern at a single site. Second, we collate the results of 13 published surveys of the presence of 46 species of dung beetles in 11 valleys in the western Italian Alps in the period from 2005 to 2012, a period of accelerated change in land use that started around 1945 (MacDonald et al. 2000). Because ten of the surveys used baited pitfall traps and four more used manual

Interseismic coupling, seismic potential, and earthquake recurrence on the southern front of the Eastern Alps (NE Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheloni, D.; D'Agostino, N.; Selvaggi, G.

2014-05-01

Here we use continuous GPS observations to document the geodetic strain accumulation across the South-Eastern Alps (NE Italy). We estimate the interseismic coupling on the intracontinental collision thrust fault and discuss the seismic potential and earthquake recurrence. We invert the GPS velocities using the back slip approach to simultaneously estimate the relative angular velocity and the degree of interseismic coupling on the thrust fault that separates the Eastern Alps and the Venetian-Friulian plain. Comparison between the rigid rotation predicted motion and the shortening observed across the area indicates that the South-Eastern Alpine thrust front absorbs about 70% of the total convergence between the Adria and Eurasia plates. The coupling is computed on a north dipping fault following the continuous external seismogenic thrust front of the South-Eastern Alps. The modeled thrust fault is currently locked from the surface to a depth of ≈10 km. The transition zone between locked and creeping portions of the fault roughly corresponds with the belt of microseismicity parallel and to the north of the mountain front. The estimated moment deficit rate is 1.3 ± 0.4 × 1017 Nm/yr. The comparison between the estimated moment deficit and that released historically by the earthquakes suggests that to account for the moment deficit the following two factors or their combination should be considered: (1) a significant part of the observed interseismic coupling is released aseismically and (2) infrequent "large" events with long return period (> 1000 years) and with magnitudes larger than the value assigned to the largest historical events (Mw≈ 6.7).

The Ortles ice cores: uncovering an extended climate archive from the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreossi, Giuliano; Barbante, Carlo; Bertò, Michele; Carturan, Luca; De Blasi, Fabrizio; Gabrieli, Jacopo; Gabrielli, Paolo; Seppi, Roberto; Spolaor, Andrea; Stenni, Barbara; Zanoner, Thomas

2017-04-01

During the last half century, oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope content of ice cores has been extensively used for air temperature reconstructions. The most suitable glaciers of the Alpine area, most exclusively in the Western Alps, have been utilized for ice coring for more than four decades. The paleoclimatic potential of the Eastern Alps is still largely unexploited and was scarcely utilized in the past mainly because of the lower elevation (compared to Western Alps) and hence the difficulty to find glaciers in cold conditions. The warming temperature trend appears to be particularly pronounced in the Alps, threatening the preservation of the glaciated areas and creating a sense of urgency in retrieving climatic archives before it is too late. In autumn 2011, four deep cores were drilled on Mt Ortles, South Tyrol, Italy, at 3859 m a.s.l. An extensive reconstructed temperature record for the Ortles summit, based on the surrounding meteorological station data, is available for the last 150 years, while an automatic weather station had been operating from 2011 to 2015 in proximity of the drilling site. The new ice core chronology, based on 210Pb, tritium, beta emissions analysis and 14C measurements of the particulate organic carbon, indicates that the bottom ice is 7000 years old, making it the second most extended glaciological archive ever retrieved in the Alps. The three equally long ice cores have been analyzed for oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes throughout their length, and the goal is to create an Ortles stacked record for d18O and dD and compare the isotopic data to instrumental temperatures and to other Alpine records. Since 2008, several snow pits were dug in proximity of the drilling site during summer, when the temperature can often exceed the melting point. The isotopic profiles of the 2015 snow pit, dug at the end of an exceptionally warm summer, show how the isotope signal is now affected by the post-depositional processes that have occurred

Interseismic coupling, seismic potential and earthquake recurrence on the southern front of the Eastern Alps (NE Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheloni, Daniele; D'Agostino, Nicola; Selvaggi, Giulio

2014-05-01

The interaction of the African, Arabian, and Eurasia plates in the "greater" Mediterranean region yields to a broad range of tectonic processes including active subduction, continental collision, major continental strike-slip faults and "intra-plate" mountain building. In this puzzling region the convergence between Adria microplate and Eurasia plate is partly or entirely absorbed within the South-Eastern Alps, where the Adriatic lithosphere underthrusts beneath the mountain belt. Historical seismicity and instrumentally recorded earthquakes show thrust faulting on north-dipping low-angle faults in agreement with geological observations of active mountain building and active fold growing at the foothills of the South-Eastern Alps. In this study, we use continuous GPS observations to document the geodetic strain accumulation across the South-Eastern Alps (NE Italy). We estimate the pattern of interseismic coupling on the intra-continental collision north-dipping thrust faults that separate the Eastern Alps and the Venetian-Friulian plain using the back-slip approach and discuss the seismic potential and earthquake recurrence. Comparison between the rigid-rotation predicted motion and the shortening observed across the studied area indicates that the South-Eastern Alpine thrust front absorbs about 80% of the total convergence rate between the Adria microplate and Eurasia plate. The modelled thrust fault is currently locked from the surface to a depth of approximately 10 km. The transition zone between locked and creeping portions of the fault roughly corresponds with the belt of microseismicity parallel and to the north of the mountain front. The estimated moment deficit rate is 1.27±0.14×10^17 Nm/yr. The comparison between the estimated moment deficit and that released historically by the earthquakes suggests that to account for the moment deficit the following two factors or their combination should be considered: (1) a significant part of the observed

New biostratigraphic data on an Upper Hauterivian–Upper Barremian ammonite assemblage from the Dolomites (Southern Alps, Italy)

PubMed Central

Lukeneder, Alexander

2012-01-01

A biostratigraphic subdivision, based on ammonites, is proposed for the Lower Cretaceous pelagic to hemipelagic succession of the Puez area (Southern Alps, Italy). Abundant ammonites enable recognition of recently established Mediterranean ammonite zones from the upper Hauterivian Balearites balearis Zone (Crioceratites krenkeli Subzone) to the upper Barremian Gerhardtia sartousiana Zone (Gerhardtia sartousiana Subzone). Ammonites are restricted to the lowermost part of the Puez Formation, the Puez Limestone Member (ca. 50 m; marly limestones; Hauterivian–Barremian). Numerous ammonite specimens are documented for the first time from the Southern Alps (e.g., Dolomites). Ammonite abundances are clearly linked to sea-level changes from Late Hauterivian to mid Late Barremian times. Abundance and diversity peaks occur during phases of high sea-level pulses and the corresponding maximum flooding surfaces (P. mortilleti/P. picteti and G. sartousiana zones). The ammonite composition of the Puez Formation sheds light on the Early Cretaceous palaeobiogeography of the Dolomites. It also highlights the palaeoenvironmental evolution of basins and plateaus and provides insights into the faunal composition and distribution within the investigated interval. The intermittent palaeogeographic situation of the Puez locality during the Early Cretaceous serves as a key for understanding Mediterranean ammonite distribution. PMID:27087716

Ice cap melting and low viscosity crustal root explain narrow geodetic uplift of the Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chery, Jean; Genti, Manon; Vernant, Philippe

2016-04-01

More than 10 years of geodetic measurements demonstrate an uplift rate of 1-3 mm/yr of the high topography region of the Western Alps. By contrast, no significant horizontal motion has been detected. Three uplift mechanisms have been proposed so far: (1) the isostatic response to denudation. However this process is responsible for only a fraction of the observed uplift and (2) the rebound induced by the Wurmian ice cap melting. This process leads to a broader uplifting region than the one evidenced by geodetic observations. (3) a deep source motion associated with slab motion or some deep isostatic unbalance. Using a numerical model accounting for crustal and mantle rheology of the Alps and its foreland, we model the response to Wurmian ice cap melting. We show that a crustal viscosity contrast between the foreland and the central part of the Alps, the later being weaker with a viscosity of 1021 Pa.s, is needed to produce a narrow uplift. The vertical rates are enhanced if the strong uppermost mantle beneath the Moho is interrupted across the Alps, therefore allowing a weak vertical rheological anomaly thanks to the continuity between the low viscosity parts of the crust and mantle. References: Champagnac, J.-D., F. Schlunegger, K. Norton, F. von Blanckenburg, L. M. Abbühl, and M. Schwab (2009), Erosion-driven uplift of the modern Central Alps, Tectonophysics, 474(1-2), 236-249. Vernant, P., F. Hivert, J. Chéry, P. Steer, R. Cattin, and A. Rigo (2013), Erosion-induced isostatic rebound triggers extension in low convergent mountain ranges, geology, 41(4), 467-470.

New Zealand Southern Alps

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-06-20

This anaglyph from the MISR instrument aboard NASA Terra spacecraft shows the rugged Southern Alps extending some 650 kilometers along the western side of New Zealand South Island. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

Pleistocene permafrost features in soils in the South-western Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Amico, Michele; Catoni, Marcella; Bonifacio, Eleonora; Zanini, Ermanno

2015-04-01

Because of extensive Pleistocenic glaciations which erased most of the previously existing soils, slope steepness and climatic conditions favoring soil erosion, most soils observed on the Alps (and in other mid-latitude mountain ranges) developed only during the Holocene. However, in few sites, particularly in the outermost sections of the Alpine range, Pleistocene glaciers covered only small and scattered surfaces because of the low altitude reached in the basins, and ancient soils could be preserved for long periods of time on particularly stable surfaces. In some cases, these soils retain good memories of past periglacial activity. We described and sampled soils on stable surfaces in the Upper Tanaro valley, Ligurian Alps (Southwestern Piemonte, Italy). The sampling sites were between 600 to 1600 m of altitude, under present day lower montane Castanea sativa/Ostrya carpinifolia forests, montane Fagus sylvatica and Pinus uncinata forests or montane heath/grazed grassland, on different quartzitic substrata. The surface morphology often showed strongly developed, fossil periglacial patterned ground forms, such as coarse stone circles on flat surfaces, or stone stripes on steeper slopes. The stone circles could be up to 5 m wide, while the sorted stripes could be as wide as 12-15 m. A strong lateral cryogenic textural sorting characterized the fine fraction too, with sand dominating close to the stone rims of the patterned ground features and silt and clay the central parts. The surface 60-120 cm of the soils were podzolized during the Holocene; as a result of the textural lateral sorting, the thickness of the podzolic E and Bs horizons varied widely across the patterns. The lower boundary of the Holocene Podzols was abrupt, and corresponded with dense layers with thick coarse laminar structure and illuvial silt accumulation (Cjj horizons). Dense Cjj diapiric inclusions were sometimes preserved in the central parts of the patterns. Where cover beds were developed

Interactions between geomorphology and vegetation in the Western Swiss Alps: first investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giaccone, Elisa; Mariéthoz, Grégoire; Lambiel, Christophe

2017-04-01

The influence of earth surface processes can modify the microhabitat conditions and the species richness, composition and distribution patterns of plant communities. It is therefore important to understand how geomorphology affects the distribution of plant species to predict future vegetation evolution in a context of climate change. To better analyse the influence of geomorphology on vegetation growth in the alpine periglacial belt, we are studying various geomorphological processes (e.g. cryoturbation and solifluction), permafrost, nivation and ground surface characteristics at three focus sites of the Vaud Alps (Western Swiss Alps). The sites are located at an altitude range comprised between 2000 and 2600 m a.s.l. The geomorphology is characterized mainly by the presence of small glaciers, large moraine deposits, rock glaciers and debris slopes. Monitoring of the ground surface temperatures, permafrost mapping, vegetation survey and drone flights have been carried out to investigate in detail the environmental variables. Initial results show a heterogeneous vegetation cover depending on time since deglaciation, debris size, ground stability and soil age. Debris pioneer species are present on moraines, rock glaciers and debris slope; grassland are developed in zones not affected by LIA glacier advances or other interfering processes such as avalanches. The high-resolution images obtained from drone flights (5 cm/pixel) allow a detailed study of the granulometry. In order to use such geomorphological information on a wider area of interest, the local data acquired on focus sites have to be spatialized to a regional scale. This is accomplished by developing an approach based on remote sensing and multiple-point geostatistics that performs a semi-automated geomorphological mapping (SAGM). The SAGM is based on a training image composed by a geomorphological map yet existent, an orthophoto, the slope, the aspect, the curvature, the granulometry classification and

Wolf survival and population trend using non-invasive capture-recapture techniques in the Western Alps

Treesearch

Francesca Marucco; Daniel H. Pletscher; Luigi Boitani; Michael K. Schwartz; Kristy L. Pilgrim; Jean-Dominique Lebreton

2009-01-01

Population abundance and related parameters need to be assessed to implement effective wildlife management. These essential parameters are often very hard to obtain for rare, wide-ranging and elusive species, particularly those listed as endangered or threatened (IUCN 2001). In Italy, wolves Canis lupus Linnaeus 1758, now a fully protected species in Western Europe,...

Potential toxicity of nonregulated asbestiform minerals: balangeroite from the western Alps. Part 2: Oxidant activity of the fibers.

PubMed

Turci, Francesco; Tomatis, Maura; Gazzano, Elena; Riganti, Chiara; Martra, Gianmario; Bosia, Amalia; Ghigo, Dario; Fubini, Bice

2005-01-08

The asbestiform mineral balangeroite [(Mg,Fe2+,Fe3+,Mn2+)42Si16O54(OH)36], whose toxic potential is unknown, is associated with chrysotile asbestos in the western Alps (Balangero mine, Piedmont, Italy). In order to examine whether such fibers may contribute to the oxidative damage produced by local asbestos dusts when inhaled, balangeroite was studied by means of both cell-free and cellular tests, comparing the results with those concerning the most pathogenic asbestos form, crocidolite. Similarly to the crocidolite surface, iron was mobilized from balangeroite by chelators, to a different extent: deferoxamine > ascorbic acid > ferrozine. Poorly coordinated surface ions, as evaluated from the adsorption of NO as a probe molecule (by both calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy), are even more abundant on balangeroite than on crocidolite. The spin trapping technique shows that surface iron-derived Fenton activity (HO* from H2O2) is similar for the two fiber types, while a pretreatment in ascorbic acid, by reducing previously oxidized surface iron, activates the potential to cleave a C-H bond (yielding *CO2- from formate anion). Balangeroite, like crocidolite, produces nitrite accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and NO synthase activation in a human lung epithelial cell line (A549). All these findings, regarded as features related to the toxic potential of asbestos, suggest that balangeroite may be a potentially hazardous fiber per se and could be partly responsible for lung diseases reported in epidemiological studies in exposed miners.

Climbing walls as multitasking sites of geo(morpho)logical interests: Italian examples from the Western Alps and Sardinia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bollati, Irene; Fossati, Maria; Panizza, Valeria; Pelfini, Manuela; Zanoletti, Enrico; Zucali, Michele

2015-04-01

Geosites and in particular geomorphosites have been recently more and more used as base for educational activities in Earth Sciences and to enhance the geodiversity of a territory. Their attributes acquire a greater value and become especially appreciable when associated with field and outdoor activities. Frequently rock walls represent key sites for geological and gemorphological researches due to the wide outcrops of rocks where mineralogical composition and structures are very evident as well as landforms deriving from the modeling of outcrops surfaces. Where the rock walls are equipped for climbing activities they may be considered open-air laboratories useful to get in touch with the different features of rocks that condition progression on climbing routes. Due to these two aspects, geohistorical importance and educational exemplarity contribute to the increase of the scientific value and, as a consequence, of the global value of these sites as geosites. Geomorphosites from climbing sites allow to realize educational projects with different goals: 1) Recent researches in the Western Italian Alps have been conducted to make a census of climbing rock cliffs along the Ossola Valley (Verbanio-Cusio-Ossola Province, Italy) and to operate a choice of the ones characterized by high educational value (considering easy accessibility, grades for experts and beginners and the good exposition of rock features), representativeness, geohistorical importance, high cultural and socio-economic values, in order to propose an educational project addressed to students of an Italian secondary school aimed at introducing the three great families of rocks (magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary); 2) The Eclogitic Micaschist Complex of the Austroalpine Domain (Montestrutto climbing wall, Turin Province, Italy) has been investigated in order to i) reconstruct the deformation stages at local scales along the sport climbing wall and the relationships between geological elements and

From the Western Alps across Central Europe: Postglacial recolonisation of the tufa stream specialist Rhyacophila pubescens (Insecta, Trichoptera)

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Dispersal rates, i.e. the effective number of dispersing individuals per unit time, are the product of dispersal capacity, i.e. a species physiological potential for dispersal, dispersal behaviour, i.e. the decision to leave a habitat patch in favour of another, and connectivity of occupied habitat. Thus, dispersal of species that are highly specialised to a certain habitat is limited by habitat availability. Species inhabiting very stable environments may also adopt a sedentary life-style. Both factors should lead to strong genetic differentiation in highly specialised species inhabiting stable environments. These two factors apply to our model species Rhyacophila pubescens a highly specialised freshwater insect that occurs in tufa springs, a very stable habitat. Results We examined the genetic population structure and phylogeography using range-wide mtCOI sequence and AFLP data from 333 individuals of R. pubescens. We inferred the location of Pleistocene refugia and postglacial colonisation routes of R. pubescens, and examined ongoing local differentiation. Our results indicate intraregional differentiation with a high number of locally endemic haplotypes, that we attributed to habitat specificity and low dispersal rates of R. pubescens. We observed high levels of genetic diversity south of the Alps and genetic impoverishment north of the Alps. Estimates of migrants placed the refugium and the source of the colonisation in the Dauphiné Alps (SW Alps). Conclusions This is the first example of an aquatic insect with a colonisation route along the western margin of the Alps to the Central European highlands. The study also shows that specialisation to a stable environment may have promoted a behavioural shift to decreased dispersal rates, leading to stronger local population differentiation than in less specialised aquatic insects. Alternatively, the occurrence of highly specialised tufa spring habitats may have been more widespread in the past, leading

Deciphering the driving forces of short-term erosion in glacially impacted landscapes, an example from the Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glotzbach, Christoph; van der Beek, Peter; Carcaillet, Julien; Delunel, Romain

2013-04-01

Tectonic uplift is the main driver of long-term erosion, but climate changes can markedly affect the link between tectonics and erosion, causing transient variations in short-term erosion rate. Here we study the driving forces of short-term erosion rates in the French Western Alps as estimated from in-situ produced cosmogenic 10Be and detrital apatite fission-track thermochronology analysis of stream sediments. Short-term erosion rates from 10Be analyses vary between ~0.27 and ~1.33 mm/yr, similar to rates measured in adjacent areas of the Alps. Part of the data scales positively with elevation, while the full dataset shows a significant positive correlation with steepness index of streams and normalized geophysical relief. Mean long-term exhumation and short-term erosion rates are comparable in areas that are exhuming rapidly (>0.4 km/Myr), but short-term rates are on average two-three (and up to six) times higher than long-term rates in areas where the latter are slow (<0.4 km/Myr). These findings are supported by detrital apatite fission-track age distributions that appear to require similar variations in erosion rates. Major glaciations strongly impacted the external part of the Alps, increasing both long-term exhumation rates as well as relief (e.g. Glotzbach et al. 2011; Häuselmann et al. 2007; Valla et al.). Based on our data, it seems that glacial impact in the more slowly eroding internal part is mainly restricted to relief, which is reflected in high transient short-term erosion rates. The data further reveal that normalized steepness index and ridgeline geophysical relief are well correlated with (and could be used as proxies for) short-term erosion, in contrast to slope, corroborating studies in purely fluvial landscapes. Our study demonstrates that climate change, e.g. through occurrence of major glaciations, can markedly perturb landscapes short-term erosion patterns in regions of tectonically controlled long-term exhumation. Glotzbach C., P.A. van

Last Glacial Maximum Dated by Means of 10Be in the Maritime Alps (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granger, D. E.; Spagnolo, M.; Federici, P.; Pappalardo, M.; Ribolini, A.; Cyr, A. J.

2006-12-01

Relatively few exposure dates of LGM moraines boulders are available for the European Alps, and none on the southern flank. Ponte Murato (PM) is a frontal moraine at 860 m asl in the Gesso Basin (Maritime Alps, SW European Alps). The PM moraine dams the 157 km2 Gesso della Barra Valley and it represents the lowermost frontal moraine of the entire Gesso Valley, near the outlet of the valley in the Po Plain. Its ELA, determined from the paleo- shape of the supposed Gesso della Barra glacier, is 1746 m asl. Tetti Bandito (TB) is a small and badly preserved glacial deposit, tentatively attributed to a lateral-frontal moraine, that is positioned 5 km downvalley from the PM deposit at 800 m asl. There are no other glacial deposits downvalley from the TB moraine in the Gesso Basin or farther NE in the piedmont region of the upper Po Plain. Boulders sampled on the PM and on the TB moraine crests gave a 10Be cosmogenic age of respectively 16300 ± 880 ka (average value) and 18798 ± 973 ka. This result constrains the PM frontal moraine within the LGM interval but also suggests that the maximum expansion of the Gesso Basin glacier was more downvalley at some point during the last glaciation. If the TB is a lateral-frontal moraine as supposed, the two TB and PM moraines would represent the outer and inner moraine crests of the same LGM stadial, with the outer moraine much less pronounced than the inner moraine, similarly to the maximalstand and the hochstand described in the Eastern Alps (Van Husen, 1997). Within this perspective, the PM and TB dates are consistent with a European Alps LGM corresponding to MIS 2 (Ivy-Ochs et al., 2004). This study of the Maritime Alps moraines is also in agreement with the Upper Würm climatic theory (Florineth and Schlüchter, 2000) of a stronger influence of the W and SW incoming humid airflows in the European Alps, differently from the nearby Vosges and Pyrenees mountain chains where more dry conditions were probably responsible for a very

Age and Prematurity of the Alps Derived from Topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hergarten, S.; Wagner, T.; Stüwe, K.

2010-09-01

The European Alps are one of the best studied mountain ranges on Earth, but yet the age of their topography is almost unknown. Even their relative stage of evolution is unclear: Are the Alps still growing, in a steady state or already decaying, and is there a significant difference between Western and Eastern Alps? Using a new geomorphic parameter we analyze the topography of the Alps and provide one of the first quantitative constraints demonstrating that the range is still in its infancy: In contrast to several other mountain ranges, the Alps have still more than half of their evolution to a geomorphic steady state to go. Combining our results with sediment budget data from the surrounding basins we infer that the formation of the present topography began only 5-6 million years ago. Our results question the apparent consensus that the topographic evolution is distributed over much of the Miocene and might give new impulses to the reconstruction of paleoclimate in Central Europe.

French Alps, Mont Blanc, French/Italian Border

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-04-02

In this southeast looking view, Mont Blanc, on the French/Italian border, (48.0N, 4.5E) the highest mountain peak in all of Europe, is just below and right of center (below the end of the prominent valley of the Aosta River, in the center of the photo. The rivers flow out of the Alps into Italy toward Turin. Chamonix, the famous resort town and center of Alpine mountain climbing, lies in the valley just below Mont Blanc.

Active deformation and seismicity in the Southern Alps (Italy): The Montello hill as a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danesi, Stefania; Pondrelli, Silvia; Salimbeni, Simone; Cavaliere, Adriano; Serpelloni, Enrico; Danecek, Peter; Lovati, Sara; Massa, Marco

2015-06-01

The Montello anticline is a morphotectonic feature of the east pede-mountain of the South Alpine Chain in northern Italy, which lies ca. 40 km northwest of Venice, Italy. The purpose of this study is to characterize the present-day crustal deformation and seismotectonics of the Montello area through multi-parametric geophysical observations. We used new data obtained from the installation of a temporary network of 12 seismic stations and 6 GPS sites. The GPS observations indicate that there is ~ 1 mm/yr shortening across the Montello thrust. Sites located north of the Montello thrust front deviate from the ~ NNW-ward Adria-Eurasia convergence direction, as they are constrained by a relative rotation pole in northwestern Italy that has a NNE-ward motion trend. Over 18 months, seismographic recordings allowed us to locate 142 local seismic events with Ml 0.5-3.5 with good reliability (rms < 0.5). After cross-correlation analysis, we classified 42 of these events into six clusters, with cross-correlation thresholds > 0.80. The source focal solutions indicate that: (i) there is thrusting seismic activity on the basal, sub-horizontal, portion of the Montello structure; and (ii) strike-slip source kinematics prevail on the western edge of the Montello hill. Our observations on the source mechanisms and the measured crustal deformation confirm that the Montello thrust is tectonically active.

Brittle/Ductile deformation at depth during continental crust eclogitization (Mont-Emilius klippe, Western Internal Alps).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hertgen, Solenn; Yamato, Philippe; Morales, Luiz; Angiboust, Samuel

2016-04-01

Eclogitic rocks are important for understanding tectonics at large scale as they provide key constraints on both the evolution (P-T-t-ɛ paths) and the deformation modes of the crust along the subduction interface. We herein focus our study on eclogitized mafic dykes remnants exposed within granulites from the continental basement silver of the Mt. Emilius klippe (Western Internal Alps, Italy). These eclogites exhibit highly deformed garnetite and clinopyroxenite levels. In some places, these rocks with a ± mylonitic aspect can be found as clasts within meter-thick brecciated fault rocks formed close to metamorphic peak conditions in eclogite facies. Especially, the garnet-rich levels tend to behave in a brittle fashion while deformation within clinopyroxene-rich levels is mostly accommodated by creep. This is evidenced by the presence of elongated grains, subgrain boundaries and intense grain size reduction close to rigid garnets. Crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) measurements in garnets indicate a quasi-random distribution. In most of the clinopyroxenes levels nevertheless, the CPO is relatively strong, with multiples of uniform distribution varying from 4 to 5.5 (value of 1 is random texture). This CPO is characterized by a strong alignment of poles (001) parallel to the lineation and (100) and [010] distributed along girdles cross-cutting the foliation plane. Our study thus attests that the materials along the subduction interface at P~2.0-2.5 GPa and T~500-550°C can locally be brittle where deformation is classically envisioned as ductile. In addition to this deformation analysis, we present a petrological study of these eclogites, from the outcrop to the microscopic scale, tracking the chemical evolution associated to the observed deformation. Based on all these data, we finally propose a tectono-metamorphic history for these rocks allowing to explain the co-existence of ductile and brittle features developed in the same metamorphic facies, and

The AlpArray-CASE project: temporary broadband seismic network deployment and characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasović, Iva; Molinari, Irene; Stipčević, Josip; Šipka, Vesna; Salimbeni, Simone; Jarić, Dejan; Prevolnik, Snježan; Kissling, Eduard; Clinton, John; Giardini, Domenico

2017-04-01

While the northern part of the Adriatic microplate will be accurately imaged within the AlpArray project, its central and southern parts deserve detailed studies to obtain a complete picture of its structure and evolution. The Adriatic microplate forms the upper plate in the Western and Central Alps whereas it forms the lower plate in the Apennines and the Dinarides. However, the tectonics of Adriatic microplate is not well constrained and remains controversial, especially with regard to its contact with the Dinarides. The primary goal of the Central Adriatic Seismic Experiment (CASE) is to provide high quality seismological data and to shed light on seismicity and 3D lithospheric structure of the central Adriatic microplate and its boundaries. The CASE project is an international AlpArray Complementary Experiment carried out by four institutions: Department of Earth Sciences and Swiss Seismological Service of ETH Zürich (CH), Department of Geophysics and Croatian Seismological Service of Faculty of Science at University of Zagreb (HR), Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Republic of Srpska (BIH) and Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (I). It establishes a temporary seismic network, expected to be operational at least for one year, composed by existing permanent and temporary seismic stations operated by the institutions involved and newly deployed temporary seismic stations, installed in November and December 2016, provided by ETH Zürich and INGV: five in Croatia, four in Bosnia and Herzegovina and two in Italy. In this work, we present stations sites and settings and discuss their characteristics in terms of site-effects and noise level of each station. In particular, we analyse the power spectral density estimates in order to investigate major sources of noise and background noise.

Evidence for brittle deformation events at eclogite-facies P-T conditions (example of the Mt. Emilius klippe, Western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hertgen, Solenn; Yamato, Philippe; Morales, Luiz F. G.; Angiboust, Samuel

2017-06-01

Eclogitic rocks are crucial for the understanding of tectonic processes as they provide key constraints on both the P-T-t evolutions and the deformation modes sustained by rocks in subduction zones. Here we focus on eclogitised and deformed mafic bodies that are exposed within granulites from the continental basement slice of the Mt. Emilius klippe (Western Alps, Italy). These eclogites exhibit highly deformed garnetite and clinopyroxenite layers. In some places, these deformed rocks (up to mylonitic grade) can be found as clasts within meter-thick brecciated fault rocks that formed close to the lawsonite-eclogite facies peak P-T conditions. Garnet-rich layers are dominated by brittle features, whereas deformation within clinopyroxene-rich layers is accommodated by both creep and fracturing. We present a petro-structural study of these eclogites, that allows to track the brittle deformation history associated with chemical evolution. Based on these data, we propose a new tectono-metamorphic model for these rocks, related to the alpine eclogitic stage. This model is consistent with the coexistence of both ductile and brittle features that developed at similar P-T conditions (i.e., at P 2.15-2.40 GPa and T 500-550 °C), and closely associated with fluid circulations. Our study demonstrates that crustal material, buried along the subduction interface at HP-LT conditions, can record several successive brittle events in places where deformation is classically envisioned as ductile. We suggest, based on our observations, that strain-rate increase along plate interface shear zones may trigger fracturing and fluid infiltration which in turn enables brittle-ductile instabilities along these deformation networks.

The AlpArray Seismic Network: current status and next steps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hetényi, György; Molinari, Irene; Clinton, John; Kissling, Edi

2016-04-01

The AlpArray initiative (http://www.alparray.ethz.ch) is a large-scale European collaboration to study the entire Alpine orogen at high resolution and in 3D with a large variety of geoscientific methods. The core element of the initiative is an extensive and dense broadband seismological network, the AlpArray Seismic Network (AASN), which complements the permanent seismological stations to ensure homogeneous coverage of the greater Alpine area. The some 260 temporary stations of the AlpArray Seismic Network are operated as a joint effort by a number of institutions from Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Switzerland. The first stations were installed in Spring 2015 and the full AASN is planned to be operational by early Summer 2016. In this poster we present the actual status of the deployment, the effort undertaken by the contributing groups, station performance, typical noise levels, best practices in installation as well as in data management, often encountered challenges, and planned next steps including the deployment of ocean bottom seismometers in the Ligurian Sea.

The lichens of the Alps – an annotated checklist

PubMed Central

Nimis, Pier Luigi; Hafellner, Josef; Roux, Claude; Clerc, Philippe; Helmut Mayrhofer; Martellos, Stefano; Bilovitz, Peter O.

2018-01-01

Abstract This is the first attempt to provide an overview of the lichen diversity of the Alps, one of the biogegraphically most important and emblematic mountain systems worldwide. The checklist includes all lichenised species, plus a set of non- or doubtfully lichenised taxa frequently treated by lichenologists, excluding non-lichenised lichenicolous fungi. Largely based on recent national or regional checklists, it provides a list of all infrageneric taxa (with synonyms) hitherto reported from the Alps, with data on their distribution in eight countries (Austria, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland) and in 42 Operational Geographic Units, mostly corresponding to administrative subdivisions within the countries. Data on the main substrates and on the altitudinal distribution are also provided. A short note points to the main ecological requirements of each taxon and/or to open taxonomic problems. Particularly poorly known taxa are flagged and often provided with a short description, to attract the attention of specialists. The total number of infrageneric taxa is 3,163, including 117 non- or doubtfully lichenised taxa. The richness of the lichen biota fairly well corresponds with the percent of the Alpine area occupied by each country: Austria (2,337 taxa), Italy (2,169), France (2,028), Switzerland (1,835), Germany (1,168), Slovenia (890) and Lichtenstein (152), no lichen having ever been reported from Monaco. The number of poorly known taxa is quite high (604, 19.1% of the total), which indicates that, in spite of the Alps being one of the lichenologically most studied mountain systems worldwide, much work is still needed to reach a satisfactory picture of their real lichen diversity. Thirteen new combinations are proposed in the genera Agonimia, Aspicilia, Bagliettoa, Bellemerea, Carbonea, Lepra, Miriquidica, Polysporina, Protothelenella, Pseudosagedia and Thelidium. PMID:29706791

Noninvasive molecular tracking of colonizing wolf (Canis lupus) packs in the western Italian Alps.

PubMed

Lucchini, V; Fabbri, E; Marucco, F; Ricci, S; Boitani, L; Randi, E

2002-05-01

We used noninvasive methods to obtain genetic and demographic data on the wolf packs (Canis lupus), which are now recolonizing the Alps, a century after their eradication. DNA samples, extracted from presumed wolf scats collected in the western Italian Alps (Piemonte), were genotyped to determine species and sex by sequencing parts of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region and ZFX/ZFY genes. Individual genotypes were identified by multilocus microsatellite analyses using a multiple tubes polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The performance of the laboratory protocols was affected by the age of samples. The quality of excremental DNA extracts was higher in samples freshly collected on snow in winter than in samples that were older or collected during summer. Preliminary mtDNA screening of all samples allowed species identification and was a good predictor of further PCR performances. Wolf, and not prey, DNA targets were preferentially amplified. Allelic dropout occurred more frequently than false alleles, but the probability of false homozygote determinations was always < 0.001. A panel of six to nine microsatellites would allow identification of individual wolf genotypes, also whether related, with a probability of identity of < 0.015. Genealogical relationships among individuals could be determined reliably if the number of candidate parents was 6-8, and most of them had been sampled and correctly genotyped. Genetic data indicate that colonizing Alpine wolves originate exclusively from the Italian source population and retain a high proportion of its genetic diversity. Spatial and temporal locations of individual genotypes, and kinship analyses, suggest that two distinct packs of closely related wolves, plus some unrelated individuals, ranged in the study areas. This is in agreement with field observations.

Local Environmental Factors Drive Divergent Grassland Soil Bacterial Communities in the Western Swiss Alps

PubMed Central

Pinto-Figueroa, Eric; Buri, Aline; Spangenberg, Jorge E.; Adatte, Thierry; Guisan, Antoine; van der Meer, Jan Roelof

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Mountain ecosystems are characterized by a diverse range of climatic and topographic conditions over short distances and are known to shelter a high biodiversity. Despite important progress, still little is known on bacterial diversity in mountain areas. Here, we investigated soil bacterial biogeography at more than 100 sampling sites randomly stratified across a 700-km2 area with 2,200-m elevation gradient in the western Swiss Alps. Bacterial grassland communities were highly diverse, with 12,741 total operational taxonomic units (OTUs) across 100 sites and an average of 2,918 OTUs per site. Bacterial community structure was correlated with local climatic, topographic, and soil physicochemical parameters with high statistical significance. We found pH (correlated with % CaO and % mineral carbon), hydrogen index (correlated with bulk gravimetric water content), and annual average number of frost days during the growing season to be among the groups of the most important environmental drivers of bacterial community structure. In contrast, bacterial community structure was only weakly stratified as a function of elevation. Contrasting patterns were discovered for individual bacterial taxa. Acidobacteria responded both positively and negatively to pH extremes. Various families within the Bacteroidetes responded to available phosphorus levels. Different verrucomicrobial groups responded to electrical conductivity, total organic carbon, water content, and mineral carbon contents. Alpine grassland bacterial communities are thus highly diverse, which is likely due to the large variety of different environmental conditions. These results shed new light on the biodiversity of mountain ecosystems, which were already identified as potentially fragile to anthropogenic influences and climate change. IMPORTANCE This article addresses the question of how microbial communities in alpine regions are dependent on local climatic and soil physicochemical variables. We benefit

Local Environmental Factors Drive Divergent Grassland Soil Bacterial Communities in the Western Swiss Alps.

PubMed

Yashiro, Erika; Pinto-Figueroa, Eric; Buri, Aline; Spangenberg, Jorge E; Adatte, Thierry; Niculita-Hirzel, Hélène; Guisan, Antoine; van der Meer, Jan Roelof

2016-11-01

Mountain ecosystems are characterized by a diverse range of climatic and topographic conditions over short distances and are known to shelter a high biodiversity. Despite important progress, still little is known on bacterial diversity in mountain areas. Here, we investigated soil bacterial biogeography at more than 100 sampling sites randomly stratified across a 700-km 2 area with 2,200-m elevation gradient in the western Swiss Alps. Bacterial grassland communities were highly diverse, with 12,741 total operational taxonomic units (OTUs) across 100 sites and an average of 2,918 OTUs per site. Bacterial community structure was correlated with local climatic, topographic, and soil physicochemical parameters with high statistical significance. We found pH (correlated with % CaO and % mineral carbon), hydrogen index (correlated with bulk gravimetric water content), and annual average number of frost days during the growing season to be among the groups of the most important environmental drivers of bacterial community structure. In contrast, bacterial community structure was only weakly stratified as a function of elevation. Contrasting patterns were discovered for individual bacterial taxa. Acidobacteria responded both positively and negatively to pH extremes. Various families within the Bacteroidetes responded to available phosphorus levels. Different verrucomicrobial groups responded to electrical conductivity, total organic carbon, water content, and mineral carbon contents. Alpine grassland bacterial communities are thus highly diverse, which is likely due to the large variety of different environmental conditions. These results shed new light on the biodiversity of mountain ecosystems, which were already identified as potentially fragile to anthropogenic influences and climate change. This article addresses the question of how microbial communities in alpine regions are dependent on local climatic and soil physicochemical variables. We benefit from a unique 700

Driving factors for torrential mass-movements occurrence in the Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiranti, Davide; Cremonini, Roberto; Asprea, Irene; Marco, Federica

2016-02-01

To understand the behaviour of torrential processes in the alpine environment, the conditions mainly responsiblefor the occurrence of these phenomena have to be identified and distinguished(classified) aspredisposing and triggering factors. In this regard, this study is aimed to understanding which factors lead to the occurrence of a given torrential processes in alpine catchments in the Western Alps, where information on past events are exhaustive and characterized by a long historical series. More than 769 documented torrential eventsoccurred from 1728 to 2015 within 78 catchments. Datasets concerning climate, geology and morphology, land use and the presence of historical landslide activity have been elaborated as input for multivariate statistical analysis to characterize the behaviour of the catchments. The results pinpoint the factors that mainly drive the type of torrential dominant process occurring in a given catchment, its occurrence probability, and its frequency. This study has demonstrated that catchments characterized by a significant percentage of outcropping rocks show a greater occurrence of torrential processes, especially hyperconcentrated flows and debris flows; on the contrary highly vegetated catchments are typically subject to water flows. This result can be a useful tool for the evaluation of hazards related to this specific phenomenon, making it possible to predict the most likely torrential processes that can be generated in a specific basin, given the characteristics of outcropping rock and vegetation cover.

Slab detachment under the Eastern Alps seen by seismic anisotropy

PubMed Central

Qorbani, Ehsan; Bianchi, Irene; Bokelmann, Götz

2015-01-01

We analyze seismic anisotropy for the Eastern Alpine region by inspecting shear-wave splitting from SKS and SKKS phases. The Eastern Alpine region is characterized by a breakdown of the clear mountain-chain-parallel fast orientation pattern that has been previously documented for the Western Alps and for the western part of the Eastern Alps. The main interest of this paper is a more detailed analysis of the anisotropic character of the Eastern Alps, and the transition to the Carpathian–Pannonian region. SK(K)S splitting measurements reveal a rather remarkable lateral change in the anisotropy pattern from the west to the east of the Eastern Alps with a transition area at about 12°E. We also model the backazimuthal variation of the measurements by a vertical change of anisotropy. We find that the eastern part of the study area is characterized by the presence of two layers of anisotropy, where the deeper layer has characteristics similar to those of the Central Alps, in particular SW–NE fast orientations of anisotropic axes. We attribute the deeper layer to a detached slab from the European plate. Comparison with tomographic studies of the area indicates that the detached slab might possibly connect with the lithosphere that is still in place to the west of our study area, and may also connect with the slab graveyard to the East, at the depth of the upper mantle transition zone. On the other hand, the upper layer has NW–SE fast orientations coinciding with a low-velocity layer which is found above a more-or-less eastward dipping high-velocity body. The anisotropy of the upper layer shows large-scale NW–SE fast orientation, which is consistent with the presence of asthenospheric flow above the detached slab foundering into the deeper mantle. PMID:25843968

Slab detachment under the Eastern Alps seen by seismic anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qorbani, Ehsan; Bianchi, Irene; Bokelmann, Götz

2015-01-01

We analyze seismic anisotropy for the Eastern Alpine region by inspecting shear-wave splitting from SKS and SKKS phases. The Eastern Alpine region is characterized by a breakdown of the clear mountain-chain-parallel fast orientation pattern that has been previously documented for the Western Alps and for the western part of the Eastern Alps. The main interest of this paper is a more detailed analysis of the anisotropic character of the Eastern Alps, and the transition to the Carpathian-Pannonian region. SK(K)S splitting measurements reveal a rather remarkable lateral change in the anisotropy pattern from the west to the east of the Eastern Alps with a transition area at about 12°E. We also model the backazimuthal variation of the measurements by a vertical change of anisotropy. We find that the eastern part of the study area is characterized by the presence of two layers of anisotropy, where the deeper layer has characteristics similar to those of the Central Alps, in particular SW-NE fast orientations of anisotropic axes. We attribute the deeper layer to a detached slab from the European plate. Comparison with tomographic studies of the area indicates that the detached slab might possibly connect with the lithosphere that is still in place to the west of our study area, and may also connect with the slab graveyard to the East, at the depth of the upper mantle transition zone. On the other hand, the upper layer has NW-SE fast orientations coinciding with a low-velocity layer which is found above a more-or-less eastward dipping high-velocity body. The anisotropy of the upper layer shows large-scale NW-SE fast orientation, which is consistent with the presence of asthenospheric flow above the detached slab foundering into the deeper mantle.

A 10,000 yr record of high-resolution Paleosecular Variation from a flowstone of Rio Martino Cave, Northwestern Alps, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanella, Elena; Tema, Evdokia; Lanci, Luca; Regattieri, Eleonora; Isola, Ilaria; Hellstrom, John C.; Costa, Emanuele; Zanchetta, Giovanni; Drysdale, Russell N.; Magrì, Federico

2018-03-01

Speleothems are potentially excellent archives of the Earth's magnetic field, capable of recording its past variations. Their characteristics, such as the continuity of the record, the possibility to be easily dated, the almost instantaneous remanence acquisition and the high time-resolution make them potentially unique high-quality Paleosecular Variation (PSV) recorders. Nevertheless, speleothems are commonly characterized by low magnetic intensities, which often limits their resolution. Here we present a paleomagnetic study performed on two cores from a flowstone from the Rio Martino Cave (Western Alps, Italy). U/Th dating indicates that the flowstone's deposition covers almost the entire Holocene, spanning the period ca. 0.5-9.0 ka, while an estimation of its mean growth rate is around 1 mm per 15 years. The flowstone is composed of columnar calcite, characterized by a highly magnetic detrital content from meta-ophiolites in the cave's catchment. This favorable geological context results in an intense magnetic signal that permits the preparation and measurement of thin (∼3 mm depth equivalent) samples, each representing around 45 yr. The Characteristic Remanent Magnetization (ChRM), isolated after systematic stepwise Alternating Field demagnetization, is well defined, with Maximum Angular Deviation (MAD) generally lower than 10°. Paleomagnetic directional data allow the reconstruction of the PSV path during the Holocene for the area. Comparison of the new data with archeomagnetic data from Italian archeological and volcanic records and using the predictions of the SHA.DIF.14k and pfm9k.1a global geomagnetic field models shows that the Rio Martino flowstone represents an excellent recorder of the Earth's magnetic field during the last 9,000 years. Our high resolution paleomagnetic record, anchored by a high-quality chronology, provides promising data both for the detection of short term geomagnetic field variations and for complementing existing regional PSV

Deep thermal disturbances related to the sub-surface groundwater flow (Western Alps, France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mommessin, Grégoire; Dzikowski, Marc; Menard, Gilles; Monin, Nathalie

2013-04-01

In mountain area, the bedrock of the valley side is affected by a thickness of decompressed rock in subsurface (decompressed zone). Groundwater flowing in this zone disrupts the depth geothermal gradients. The evolution of thermal gradients under the decompressed zone depends of groundwater temperature changes into the decompressed zone. In this study, the phenomenon is studied from data acquired in exploration drilling prior to the construction of the France - Italy transalpine tunnel (High Speed Line project between Lyon and Turin). The study area is located in the Vanoise siliceous series between Modane and Avrieux (Western Alps, France). Of 31 boreholes, we selected 14 wells showing a natural thermal disturbance (not due to the drilling) linked to the groundwater flow in decompressed zone. The drill holes have a length between 200 and 1380m and well logs were carried out (gamma log, acoustic log, temperature log, flowmeter log). The rocks are constituted mainly by quartzite with high thermal conductivity or by schist and gneiss with low thermal conductivity. The decompressed zone concerns the quartzite with thicknesses ranging from 50m to 750m where groundwater flow imposes a constant temperature throughout the rock thickness. In the very low permeability rocks under the decompressed zone, the thermal gradient shows variations with depth. These variations suggest a water temperature change in the decompressed zone probably due to a paleoclimate event. We used the derived of the equation describing the propagation of a temperature in a 1D semi-infinite, in response to a sudden temperature disturbance at the boundary of the medium, to estimate the age and the amplitude of temperature change in the decompressed zone. The medium under the decompressed zone is supposed to be initially in a steady state and only conductive. Numerical tests assess that the 1D model is applicable in the slope context. The results obtained from 13 wells data show a few warming degrees

New constraints on the thermochronologic evolution at the boundary between the Eastern and Western Alps - Vorarlberg, Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertrand, Audrey; Pomella, Hannah; Fügenschuh, Bernhard; Zerlauth, Michael; Ortner, Hugo

2013-04-01

The study area in the westernmost part of Austria is marked by the limit between the Western and the Eastern Alps that takes place along the Rhine Valley, south of the Lake Constance. The area is composed, form the north to the south and from lowermost to uppermost structural position, by the European basement together with its autochthonous Mesozoic cover, autochthonous Molasse, subalpine Molasse, the Helvetic and Ultra-Helvetic, the Penninic and the Austroalpine nappes. These units are stacked in a succession of nappes separated by large south-trending overthrusts. This study presenting new apatite and zircon fission track ages, together with a crustal-scale cross-section (Pomella et al., this session) addresses the thermotectonic evolution of this nappe stack. In comparison with similar studies from eastern Switzerland the boundary between Western and Eastern Alps should be enlightened. Zircon fissions track ages from the lower freshwater Molasse reveal different age populations. Since all zircon fission track ages are older than the stratigraphic age this clearly indicates that post-depositional temperatures were well below the zircon partial annealing zone (i.e. below 200 °C) and the different age populations can be attributed to different source areas derived from the coevally forming and eroding alpine chain. Preliminary fission track results on apatite from the lower freshwater Molasse indicate a strong dependence of apatite fission track single-grain ages on their annealing kinetics as inferred from Dpar analyses (Gleadow and Duddy, 1981). F-rich apatites systematically yielded younger ages compared to the Cl-rich grains. The younger ages derived from the F-rich apatites are consistently younger than the stratigraphic age and thus fully annealed while Cl-rich apatites display older ages than the stratigraphic one. The difference in annealing temperatures between Cl- and F-rich apatites (Ravenhurst and Donelick, 1992) thus constrains the maximum

Lake Geneva, France/Italy/Switzerland

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-09-30

STS068-243-076 (30 September-11 October 1994) --- Parts of the Swiss Cantons of Vaud and Valois, the French province of Chablis and parts of northwestern Italy are seen in this widely stretching image photographed from the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Pennine Alps, said to have been created 50 million years ago, have been reshaped by glaciers during Pleistocene. The glaciers created the wide valley of the Rhone River by scourting a pre-existing seam. The fertile Swiss Plateau runs northwest from the shore of Lake Geneva and is visible in lower left. The Franco-Swiss border is located in the center of the lake and follows a mountain divide east of Rhone Valley. Italy lies south of the Rhone.

Contribution of SAR interferometry (InSAR) to the study of alpine glaciers. The example of Forni Glacier (Central Alps, Italy): preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sterzai, P.; Mancini, F.; Corazzato, C.; D Agata, C.; Diolaiuti, G.

2003-04-01

Aiming at reconstructing superficial velocity and volumetric variations of alpine glaciers, SAR interferometry (InSAR) technique is, for the first time in Italy, applied jointly with the glaciological classic field methods. This methodology with its quantitative results provides, together with other space geodesy techniques like GPS, some fundamental elements for the estimation of the climate forcing and the evaluation of the future glacier trend. InSAR is usually applied to antarctic glaciers and to other wide extralpine glaciers, detectable by the SAR orbits; in the Italian Alps, the limited surface area of the glaciers and the deformation of radar images due to strong relief effect, reduce the applicability of this tecnique. The chosen glacier is suitable for this kind of study both for its large size and for the many field data collected and available for the interferometric results validation. Forni Glacier is the largest valley glacier in the Italian Alps and represents a good example of long term monitoring of a valley glacier in the Central Alps. It is a north facing valley glacier formed by 3 ice streams, located in Italian Lombardy Alps (46 23 50 N, 10 35 00 E). In 2002 its area was approximately 13 km2, extending from 2500 to 3684 m a.s.l., with a maximum width of approximately 7500 m and a maximum length of about 5000 m. Available data include mass-balance measurements on the glacier tongue (from the hydrological year 1992-1993 up to now), frontal variations data from 1925 up to now, topographical profiling by means of GPS techniques and profiles of the glacier bed by geoelectrical surveys (VES) (Guglielmin et alii, 1995) and by seismic surveys (Merlanti et alii, 2001). In order to apply radar interferometry on this glacier eight ERS SAR RAW images have been purchased, in addition to the Digital Elevation Model from IGM (Geographic Military Institute), and repeat pass interferometry used. Combining the different passes, differential interferograms are

Direct measurement of 3D elastic anisotropy on rocks from the Ivrea zone (Southern Alps, NW Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pros, Z.; Lokajíček, T.; Přikryl, R.; Klíma, K.

2003-07-01

Lower crustal and upper mantle rocks exposed at the earth's surface present direct possibility to measure their physical properties that must be, in other cases, interpreted using indirect methods. The results of these direct measurements can be then used for the corrections of models based on the indirect data. Elastic properties are among the most important parameters studied in geophysics and employed in many fields of earth sciences. In laboratory, dynamic elastic properties are commonly tested in three mutually perpendicular directions. The spatial distribution of P- and S-wave velocities are then computed using textural data, modal composition, density and elastic constants. During such computation, it is virtually impossible to involve all microfabric parameters like different types of microcracking, micropores, mineral alteration or quality of grain boundaries. In this study, complete 3D ultrasonic transmission of spherical samples in 132 independent directions at several levels of confining pressure up to 400 MPa has been employed for study of selected mafic and ultrabasic rocks sampled in and nearby Balmuccia ultrabasic massif (Ivrea zone, Southern Alps, NW Italy). This method revealed large directional variance of maximum P-wave velocity and different symmetries (orthorhombic vs. transversal isotropic) of elastic waves 3D distribution that has not been recorded on these rocks before. Moreover, one dunite sample exhibits P-wave velocity approaching to that of olivine single crystal being interpreted as influence of CPO.

Present vertical movements in Central and Northern Italy from GPS data: Possible role of natural and anthropogenic causes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenni, N.; Viti, M.; Baldi, P.; Mantovani, E.; Bacchetti, M.; Vannucchi, A.

2013-11-01

Insights into the present vertical kinematic pattern in Central and Northern Italy are gained by the analysis of GPS data acquired by a network of 262 permanent stations, working over various time intervals since 2001. Uplift is observed in the Alps (up to 5 mm/yr) and Apennines (1-2 mm/yr), whereas subsidence is recognized in the southern Venetian Plain (2-4 mm/yr) and the eastern Po Valley, where the highest rates are observed (up to 9 mm/yr between Reggio Emilia and Rimini). On the other hand, the western part of the Po Valley presents very low vertical rates. The boundary between subsiding and not subsiding Po Valley nearly corresponds to the Giudicarie tectonic discontinuity. It is argued that the different kinematic patterns of the eastern and western Padanian sectors may also be related to the underthrusting of the eastern domain beneath the western one. Some considerations are then reported on how the various causes of vertical movements (tectonic and sedimentological processes) may contribute to the observed kinematics.

High-pressure metamorphic age and significance of eclogite-facies continental fragments associated with oceanic lithosphere in the Western Alps (Etirol-Levaz Slice, Valtournenche, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fassmer, Kathrin; Obermüller, Gerrit; Nagel, Thorsten J.; Kirst, Frederik; Froitzheim, Nikolaus; Sandmann, Sascha; Miladinova, Irena; Fonseca, Raúl O. C.; Münker, Carsten

2016-05-01

The Etirol-Levaz Slice in the Penninic Alps (Valtournenche, Italy) is a piece of eclogite-facies continental basement sandwiched between two oceanic units, the blueschist-facies Combin Zone in the hanging wall and the eclogite-facies Zermatt-Saas Zone in the footwall. It has been interpreted as an extensional allochthon from the continental margin of Adria, emplaced onto ultramafic and mafic basement of the future Zermatt-Saas Zone by Jurassic, rifting-related detachment faulting, and later subducted together with the future Zermatt-Saas Zone. Alternatively, the Etirol-Levaz Slice could be derived from a different paleogeographic domain and be separated from the Zermatt-Saas Zone by an Alpine shear zone. We present Lu-Hf whole rock-garnet ages of two eclogite samples, one from the center of the unit and one from the border to the Zermatt-Saas Zone below. These data are accompanied by a new geological map of the Etirol-Levaz Slice and the surrounding area, as well as detailed petrology of these two samples. Assemblages, mineral compositions and garnet zoning in both samples indicate a clockwise PT-path and peak-metamorphic conditions of about 550-600 °C/20-25 kbar, similar to conditions proposed for the underlying Zermatt-Saas Zone. Prograde garnet ages of the two samples are 61.8 ± 1.8 Ma and 52.4 ± 2.1 Ma and reflect different timing of subduction. One of these is significantly older than published ages of eclogite-facies metamorphism in the Zermatt-Saas Zone and thus contradicts the hypothesis of Mesozoic emplacement. The occurrence of serpentinite and metagabbro bodies possibly derived from the Zermatt-Saas Zone inside the Etirol-Levaz Slice suggests that the latter is a tectonic composite. The basement slivers forming the Etirol-Levaz Slice and other continental fragments were subducted earlier than the Zermatt-Saas Zone, but nonetheless experienced similar pressure-temperature histories. Our results support the hypothesis that the Zermatt-Saas Zone and the

Differential Properties of Human ALP+ Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells vs Their ALP- Counterparts

PubMed Central

Tran, Quynh T; El-Ayachi, Ikbale; Bhatti, Fazal-Ur-Rehman; Bahabri, Rayan; Al-Habib, Mey; Huang, George TJ

2015-01-01

Characterizing subpopulations of stem cells is important to understand stem cell properties. Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is associated with mineral tissue forming cells as well as stem cells. Information regarding ALP subpopulation of human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) is limited. In the present study, we examined ALP+ and ALP− hPDLSC subpopulations, their surface markers STRO-1 and CD146, and the expression of stemness genes at various cell passages. We found that ALP+ subpopulation had higher levels of STRO-1 (30.6 ± 5.6%) and CD146 (90.4 ± 3.3%) compared to ALP− (STRO-1: 0.5 ± 0.1%; CD146: 75.3 ± 7.2%). ALP+ cells expressed significantly higher levels of stemness associated genes, NANOG, OCT4 and SOX than ALP− cells at low cell passages of 2-3 (p<0.05). ALP+ and ALP− cells had similar osteogenic, chondrogenic and neurogenic potential while ALP−, not ALP+ cells, lacked adipogenic potential. Upon continuous culturing and passaging, ALP+ continued to express higher stemness genes and STRO-1 and CD146 than ALP− cells at ≥passage 19. Under conditions (over-confluence and vitamin C treatment) when ALP+ subpopulation was increased, the stemness gene levels of ALP+ was no longer significantly higher than those in ALP− cells. In conclusion, ALP+ hPDLSCs possess differential properties from their ALP− counterparts. PMID:26807329

How steep are the Alps?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robl, Jörg; Prasicek, Günther; Stüwe, Kurt; Hergarten, Stefan

2014-05-01

time and process rates in transient landscapes are predominantly governed by the lithological inventory. Areas belonging to the same structural unit show similar characteristics in the slope-elevation distribution independent from their spatial position within the orogen (e.g. external massifs). These similarities are probably caused by the vertical position of the Pleistocene equilibrium line altitude - an observation well in line with the glacial "buzz saw" hypothesis. However, several non-glaciated regions at the eastern and south-western border of the Alps show a slope-elevation relation similar to formerly glaciated domains. However, in contrast to the glaciated realm, the inflection point in the slope-elevation distribution is located at various elevation levels and is consistent with a reported recent pulse of uplift with spatial and/or temporal variations in uplift rate and initiation. Therefore, we interpret the slope-elevation distribution of the European Alps to be mainly caused by glacial erosion. The morphological record of a recent uplift event in the Alps has probably been overprinted by Pleistocene glaciations and may therefore only be detectable in non-glaciated regions of the peripheral parts of the Alps and in subsurface structures.

Ice-borne prehistoric finds in the Swiss Alps reflect Holocene glacier fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grosjean, Martin; Suter, Peter J.; Trachsel, Mathias; Wanner, Heinz

2007-03-01

During the hot summer of 2003, reduction of an ice field in the Swiss Alps (Schnidejoch) uncovered spectacular archaeological hunting gear, fur, leather and woollen clothing and tools from four distinct windows of time: Neolithic Age (4900 to 4450 cal. yr BP), early Bronze Age (4100-3650 cal. yr BP), Roman Age (1st-3rd century AD), and Medieval times (8-9th century AD and 14-15th century AD). Transalpine routes connecting northern Italy with the northern Alps during these slots is consistent with late Holocene maximum glacier retreat. The age cohorts of the artefacts are separated which is indicative of glacier advances when the route was difficult and not used for transit. The preservation of Neolithic leather indicates permanent ice cover at that site from ca. 4900 cal. yr BP until AD 2003, implying that the ice cover was smaller in 2003 than at any time during the last 5000 years. Current glacier retreat is unprecedented since at least that time. This is highly significant regarding the interpretation of the recent warming and the rapid loss of ice in the Alps. Copyright

The initial superposition of oceanic and continental units in the southern Western Alps: constraints on geometrical restoration and kinematics of the continental subduction wedge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumont, Thierry; Schwartz, Stéphane; Matthews, Steve; Malusa, Marco; Jouvent, Marine

2017-04-01

The tectonic contact separating continental and oceanic units is preserved at outcrop in many locations within the Western Alps. The contact has experienced prolonged and progressive deformation during Oligocene collision and subsequent 'extrusive' contraction which is approximately westerly-directed (Dumont et al., 2012). Despite variable metamorphic grade, this tectonic contact displays a relative consistency of tectonostratigraphic and structural characteristics. Removal of the Oligocene and younger deformation is a critical requirement to allow assessment of the kinematic evolution during the Eocene continental subduction phase. The best preserved relationships are observed near the base of the Helminthoid Flysch nappes, in the footwall of the Penninic thrust, or in the external part of the Briançonnais zone. Here, the oceanic units are composed of detached Cretaceous sediments, but they are underlain locally by an olistostrome containing basaltic clasts. Further to the east, the internal boundary of the Briançonnais zone s.l. (including the 'Prepiedmont units'), is frequently marked by breccia or megabreccia, but is strongly affected by blueschist-facies metamorphism and by approximately easterly directed backfolding and backthrusting. At one locality, there is compelling evidence that the oceanic and continental units were already tectonically stacked and metamorphosed (together) 32Ma ago. Some megabreccias of mixed continental/oceanic provenance can be interpreted as a metamorphic equivalent of the external olistostrome, products of the initial pulses of tectonic stacking. The overlying units are composed dominantly of metasediments, containing distributed ophiolitic megaboudins (Tricart & Schwartz, 2006). Further east again, the tectonic contact separates the Dora-Maira continental basement from the Mt. Viso units which are predominantly composed of oceanic lithosphere. Both the Dora-Maira and Mt. Viso units are eclogitic, but the HP peak is apparently

Review of metamorphic and kinematic data from Internal Crystalline Massifs (Western Alps): PTt paths and exhumation history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasco, Ivano; Gattiglio, Marco; Borghi, Alessandro

2013-01-01

Detailed geological mapping combined with micro-structural and petrological investigation allowed to clarify the tectono-metamorphic relationships between continental and oceanic units transition in the Penninic domain of the Western Alps. The three study areas (Gressoney, Orco and Susa sections) take into consideration the same structural level across the axial metamorphic belt of the Western Italian Alps, i.e., a geological section across the Internal Crystalline Massifs vs Piedmont Zone boundary. The units outcropping in these areas can be grouped into two Tectonic Elements according to their tectono-metamorphic evolution. The Lower Tectonic Element (LTE) consists of the Internal Crystalline Massifs and the Lower Piedmont Zone (Zermatt-Saas like units), both showing well preserved eclogite facies relics. Instead, the Upper Tectonic Element (UTE) consists of the Upper Piedmont Zone (Combin like units) lacking evidence of eclogite facies relics. In the Lower Tectonic Element two main Alpine tectono-metamorphic stages were identified: M1/D1 developed under eclogite facies conditions and M2/D2 is related to the development of the regional foliation under greenschist to epidote-albite amphibolite facies conditions. In the Upper Tectonic Element the metamorphic stage M1/D1 developed under bluschist to greenschist facies conditions and M2/D2 stage under greenschist facies conditions. These two Tectonic Elements are separated by a tectonic contact of regional importance generally developed along the boundary between the Lower and the Upper Piedmont zone under greenschist facies conditions. PT data compared to geochronology indicate that the first exhumation of ICM can be explained by buoyancy forces acting along the subduction channel that occurred during the tectonic coupling between the continental and oceanic eclogite units. These buoyancy forces vanished at the base of the crust where the density difference between the subducted crustal units and the surroundings

Seismicity and velocity structures along the south-Alpine thrust front of the Venetian Alps (NE-Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anselmi, M.; Govoni, A.; De Gori, P.; Chiarabba, C.

2011-12-01

In this paper we show the seismicity and velocity structure of a segment of the Alpine retro-belt front along the continental collision margin of the Venetian Alps (NE Italy). Our goal is to gain insight on the buried structures and deep fault geometry in a "silent" area, i.e., an area with poor instrumental seismicity but high potential for future earthquakes, as indicated by historical earthquakes (1695 Me = 6.7 Asolo and 1936 Ms = 5.8 Bosco del Cansiglio). Local earthquakes recorded by a dense temporary seismic network are used to compute 3-D Vp and Vp/Vs tomographic images, yielding well resolved images of the upper crust underneath the south-Alpine front. We show the presence of two main distinct high Vp S-verging thrust units, the innermost coincides with the piedmont hill and the outermost is buried under a thick pile of sediments in the Po plain. Background seismicity and Vp/Vs anomalies, interpreted as cracked fluid-filled volumes, suggest that the NE portion of the outermost blind thrust and its oblique/lateral ramps may be a zone of high fluid pressure prone to future earthquakes. Three-dimensional focal mechanisms show compressive and transpressive solutions, in agreement with the tectonic setting, stress field maps and geodetic observations. The bulk of the microseismicity is clustered in two different areas, both in correspondence of inherited lateral ramps of the thrust system. Tomographic images highlight the influence of the paleogeographic setting in the tectonic style and seismic activity of the region.

The AlpArray Seismic Network: status and operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hetényi, György; Molinari, Irene; Clinton, John; Kissling, Edi

2017-04-01

The AlpArray initiative (http://www.alparray.ethz.ch) is a large-scale European collaboration to study the entire Alpine orogen at high resolution and in 3D with a large variety of geoscientific methods. The core element of the initiative is an extensive and dense broadband seismological network, the AlpArray Seismic Network (AASN). Over 300 temporary stations complement the permanent seismological stations to ensure homogeneous coverage of the greater Alpine area. The AASN has officially started operation in January 2016 and is now complete on land. It is operated in a joint effort by a number of institutions from Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Switzerland. In the Ligurian Sea, a 32-station OBS campaign is planned from June 2017 until March 2018. This will complete the coverage of the greater Alpine area at an unprecedented resolution. In this poster we present the actual status of the deployment, the effort undertaken by the contributing groups, station performance, best practices, data management as well as often encountered challenges, and provide a meeting and discussion point during the conference.

Evidences for the austroalpine - southalpine up-doming after the end of the variscan orogenesis (central and eastern alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, S.; Tumiati, S.

2003-04-01

): upper component of the Ivrea-Verbano crustal section; Southern Alps, North Italy and Ticino, Switzerland. Tectonophysics, 182: 103-118 CADEL G., COSI M., PENNACCHIONI G., SPALLA M.I. (1996) - A new map of the Permo-Carboniferous cover and Variscan metamorphic basement in the central Orobic Alps, Southern Alps, Italy: Structural and stratigraphical data. Mem. Sci. Geol., Padova, 48:1-53 CASSINIS G., MONTRASIO A., POTENZA R., VON RAUMER J.F., SACCHI R., ZANFERRARI A. (1974) - Tettonica ercinica nelle Alpi. Mem. Soc. Geol. Ital., Vol. XIII, suppl. 1, 289-318 CASSINIS G., PEROTTI C.R., VENTURINI C. (1997) - Examples of late Hercynian transtensional tectonics in the Southern Alps (Italy). In: Late Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic Circum Pacific Events and Their Global Correlation (Ed. Dickins J.M., Yang Z., Yin H., Lucas S.G., Acharyya S.K.), Cambridge University Press. DEL MORO A., NOTARPIETRO A. (1987) - Rb-Sr Geochemistry of some Hercynian granitoids overprinted by eo-Alpine metamorphism in the Upper Valtellina, Central Alps. Schweiz. Mineral. Petrogr. Mitt., 67: 295-306 FROITZHEIM N., MANATSCHAL G. (1996) - Kinematics of Jurassic rifting, mantle exhumation, and passive-margin formation in the Austroalpine and Penninic nappes (eastern Switzerland). GSA Bull., 108-9: 1120-1133 FURRER H. ed. (1985) - Field workshop on Triassic and Jurassic sediments in the Eastern Alps of Switzerland. Mitt. Geol. Inst. ETH u. Univ. Zürich, N.F., v. 248, 82 p. MARTIN S., ZATTIN M., DEL MORO A., MACERA P. (1996) - Chronologic constraints for the evolution of the Giudicarie belt (Eastern Alps, NE Italy). Annales Tectonicae, Vol. X, N. 1-2, 60-79 MOTTANA A., NICOLETTI M., PETRUCCIANI C., LIBORIO G., DE CAPITANI L., BOCCHIO R. (1985) - Pre-alpine and alpine eolution of the South-alpine basement of the Orobic Alps. Geol. Rundsch., 74-2: 353-366 NEUBAUER F., HANDLER R. (2000) - Variscan orogeny in the Eastern Alps and Bohemian Massif: How do these units correlate?. Mitt. Österr. Geol. Ges., 92

Seismic anisotropy and large-scale deformation of the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bokelmann, Götz; Qorbani, Ehsan; Bianchi, Irene

2013-12-01

Mountain chains at the Earth's surface result from deformation processes within the Earth. Such deformation processes can be observed by seismic anisotropy, via the preferred alignment of elastically anisotropic minerals. The Alps show complex deformation at the Earth's surface. In contrast, we show here that observations of seismic anisotropy suggest a relatively simple pattern of internal deformation. Together with earlier observations from the Western Alps, the SKS shear-wave splitting observations presented here show one of the clearest examples yet of mountain chain-parallel fast orientations worldwide, with a simple pattern nearly parallel to the trend of the mountain chain. In the Eastern Alps, the fast orientations do not connect with neighboring mountain chains, neither the present-day Carpathians, nor the present-day Dinarides. In that region, the lithosphere is thin and the observed anisotropy thus resides within the asthenosphere. The deformation is consistent with the eastward extrusion toward the Pannonian basin that was previously suggested based on seismicity and surface geology.

Thallium-rich pyrite ores from the Apuan Alps, Tuscany, Italy:constraints for their origin and environmental concerns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Orazio, Massimo; Biagioni, Cristian; Dini, Andrea; Vezzoni, Simone

2017-06-01

The southern sector of the Apuan Alps (AA) massif, Tuscany, Italy, is characterized by the occurrence of a series of baryte-pyrite-iron oxide orebodies whose Tl-rich nature was recognized only recently. The geochemistry of the pyrite ore was investigated through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. In addition, lead isotope data for selected pyrite ores from AA were collected. Pyrite ores are characterized by a complex geochemistry, with high concentrations of Tl (up to 1100 μg/g) coupled with high As and Sb contents; the Co/Ni ratio is always <1. Geochemical data of pyrite and marcasite ore samples from other mining districts of Tuscany have been collected in order to compare them with those from the AA. These samples usually have very low Tl content (less than 2 μg/g) and high to very high Co/Ni and As/Sb ratios. Only some samples from the Sb-Hg ore deposits showed very high Tl concentrations (up to 3900 μg/g). Another difference is related to the lead isotope composition, with pyrite ores from AA markedly less radiogenic than those from the other deposits from Tuscany. Geochemical data of pyrite ores from AA give new insights on the genesis of the baryte-pyrite-iron oxide orebodies, relating their formation to low-temperature hydrothermal systems active during early Paleozoic; in addition, these data play a fundamental role in assessing the environmental impact of these deposits.

White mica K-Ar geochronology of HP-UHP units in the Lago di Cignana area, western Alps, Italy: Tectonic implications for exhumation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouzu, Chitaro; Yagi, Koshi; Thanh, Ngo Xuan; Itaya, Tetsumaru; Compagnoni, Roberto

2016-04-01

High-pressure and ultra-high pressure (HP-UHP) blueschist- and eclogite-facies metabasaltic and metasedimentary rocks occur in four different tectonic units near Lago di Cignana, western Alps. We have determined K-Ar ages for white micas (matrix phengite and paragonite) from the Lago di Cignana UHP unit (LCU; 39-41 Ma); the lower and upper units of the Zermatt-Saas meta-ophiolite (LU and UU; 37-38 Ma and 38-41 Ma respectively), and the Combin unit (CU; 36-40 Ma). These K-Ar ages overlap with single-grain Ar-Ar plateau ages (36-42 Ma) previously determined for phengites from LCU metasediments. Matrix white micas have been severely deformed during exhumation, and their chemistries differ from those of micas included in garnet. Although individual mica grains in the matrix could have experienced different degrees of deformation which have reset their K-Ar systems, "bulk" white mica separates provide the average age of all the individual grains in the separate. The similarity of ages determined for white micas from the LCU, LU, UU and CU units, regardless of rock type and mineral species, suggests that these four units were metamorphosed together as part of a single metamorphic sequence in the Piemonte-Liguria paleosubduction zone and were subsequently exhumed together. However, present-day structural relationship among those units and the limited occurrence of UHP minerals in LCU suggests that the exhumation of LCU was more rapid than that for LU, UU and CU. The age gaps between the youngest value of white mica K-Ar ages in each unit and the inferred timing of the metamorphic peak (U-Pb age: 44 Ma) is 5, 7, 6 and 8 Myr for LCU, LU, UU and CU, respectively. These intervals are considerably shorter than that determined for the Sanbagawa HP metamorphic belt of Southwest Japan (> 31 Myr). The short interval observed for the Lago di Cignana units that we have studied is consistent with the model of rapid exhumation of the UHP-bearing metamorphic domain, suggesting the

Strategy for the deployment of a dense broadband temporary array in the Alps: lessons learnt from the CIFALPS experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coralie, Aubert; Anne, Paul; Stefano, Solarino; Sandrine, Roussel; Simone, Salimbeni; Pierre, Zangelmi; Glenn, Cougoulat; Yinshuang, Ai; Weiwei, Xu; Yumei, He; Liang, Zhao

2013-04-01

The CIFALPS (China-Italy-France Alps seismic survey) experiment is a common project of IGGCAS (China), ISTerre (France) and INGV (Italy). It aims at getting new high-resolution passive seismic data on the crustal and upper mantle structure of the southwestern Alps. In this framework, we have installed a temporary broadband seismic array across the southwestern Alps from the Rhône valley (France) to the Po plain (Italy). The main sub-array of CIFALPS is a 350-km long roughly linear profile of 46 stations trending WSW-ENE from Bollène (France) to north of Alessandria (Italy). The average station spacing is 10 km in the outer parts of the belt, and it reduces to 5 km in the internal Alps. Nine additional temporary stations located ~40 km to the north and south of the main profile complement the permanent broadband networks to improve the 3-D constraints on the deep structures. Stations are equipped with Nanometrics Taurus data acquisition systems, and Trillium 120P/A, CMG3-ESP or CMG40T broadband sensors. The array was installed in the summer of 2012 and will be operated at least to April 2013. Because our schedule was tight, we had to achieve site selections in only 3-4 months in spite of strong constraints on site location related to short interstation spacing. Most sites are located in basements of buildings for security reasons and mains power supply. As most sensors are true broadband (90s or 120s), we put much effort on vault design to insure good thermal insulation and low noise at long periods. The vaults also had to be easily and rapidly built and they should be easily and totally removed at the end of the experiment. We used the PQLX software for quality control of our sites and vault design. The performances of our vaults are good for the vertical component with noise levels at 100s period in the range -185 dB (low noise model) to -165 dB. They are less good for horizontal components (noise level close to high noise model at periods > 20s) due to

Molecular Investigation on the Presence of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in Wild Game in North-Western Italy.

PubMed

Serracca, Laura; Battistini, Roberta; Rossini, Irene; Mignone, Walter; Peletto, Simone; Boin, Claudia; Pistone, Giancarlo; Ercolini, Riccardo; Ercolini, Carlo

2015-09-01

Meat products from HEV-infected reservoir animal species are capable of transmitting HEV to humans and represent a public health concern. Human HEV cases have been linked to the consumption of raw or undercooked pig liver sausages, pork, and game meats, such as wild boars and deer worldwide. Direct exposure to swine or wild game species might also represent a source of HEV transmission especially for veterinarians, hunters, or butchers. A limited amount of data is available on HEV prevalence in wild boars in Italy and no data are available for other wild game species intended for human consumption. In this study, the circulation of HEV in four different animal species hunted in north-western Italy was evaluated to gain insight into the infection levels and the genetic diversity of the virus in such animal populations. Liver samples of 372 wild boars, 30 roe deer, 47 European hares and 38 coypus were analyzed for HEV RNA by real-time RT-PCR; positive samples were then sequenced and submitted to phylogenetic analysis. HEV RNA was detected in the livers of 7/372 (1.9%) wild boars tested, while no sample was positive for roe deer, European hare, and coypu. Phylogenetic analysis showed that wild boar HEV sequences belonged to HEV subtypes 3e, 3c, and 3f. Our results indicate that HEV is circulating only in wild boar among the considered game species in north-western Italy and suggest a potential zoonotic risk related to handling and/or consumption of raw or undercooked meat and products made of the liver from this species.

6-kyr record of flood frequency and intensity in the western Mediterranean Alps - Interplay of solar and temperature forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabatier, Pierre; Wilhelm, Bruno; Ficetola, Gentile Francesco; Moiroux, Fanny; Poulenard, Jérôme; Develle, Anne-Lise; Bichet, Adeline; Chen, Wentao; Pignol, Cécile; Reyss, Jean-Louis; Gielly, Ludovic; Bajard, Manon; Perrette, Yves; Malet, Emmanuel; Taberlet, Pierre; Arnaud, Fabien

2017-08-01

The high-resolution sedimentological and geochemical analysis of a sediment sequence from Lake Savine (Western Mediterranean Alps, France) led to the identification of 220 event layers for the last 6000 years. 200 were triggered by flood events and 20 by underwater mass movements possibly related to earthquakes that occurred in 5 clusters of increase seismicity. Because human activity could influence the flood chronicle, the presence of pastures was reconstructed through ancient DNA, which suggested that the flood chronicle was mainly driven by hydroclimate variability. Weather reanalysis of historical floods allow to identify that mesoscale precipitation events called "East Return" events were the main triggers of floods recorded in Lake Savine. The first part of this palaeoflood record (6-4 kyr BP) was characterized by increases in flood frequency and intensity in phase with Northern Alpine palaeoflood records. By contrast, the second part of the record (i.e., since 4 kyr BP) was phased with Southern Alpine palaeoflood records. These results suggest a palaeohydrological transition at approximately 4 kyr BP, as has been previously described for the Mediterranean region. This may have resulted in a change of flood-prone hydro-meteorological processes, i.e., in the balance between occurrence and intensity of local convective climatic phenomena and their influence on Mediterranean mesoscale precipitation events in this part of the Alps. At a centennial timescale, increases in flood frequency and intensity corresponded to periods of solar minima, affecting climate through atmospheric changes in the Euro-Atlantic sector.

The Grand St Bernard-Briançonnais Nappe System and the Paleozoic Inheritance of the Western Alps Unraveled by Zircon U-Pb Dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergomi, M. A.; Dal Piaz, G. V.; Malusà, M. G.; Monopoli, B.; Tunesi, A.

2017-12-01

The continental crust involved in the Alpine orogeny was largely shaped by Paleozoic tectono-metamorphic and igneous events during oblique collision between Gondwana and Laurussia. In order to shed light on the pre-Alpine basement puzzle disrupted and reamalgamated during the Tethyan rifting and the Alpine orogeny, we provide sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe U-Pb zircon and geochemical whole rock data from selected basement units of the Grand St Bernard-Briançonnais nappe system in the Western Alps and from the Penninic and Lower Austroalpine units in the Central Alps. Zircon U-Pb ages, ranging from 459.0 ± 2.3 Ma to 279.1 ± 1.1 Ma, provide evidence of a complex evolution along the northern margin of Gondwana including Ordovician transtension, Devonian subduction, and Carboniferous-to-Permian tectonic reorganization. Original zircon U-Pb ages of 371 ± 0.9 Ma and 369.3 ± 1.5 Ma, from calc-alkaline granitoids of the Grand Nomenon and Gneiss del Monte Canale units, provide the first compelling evidence of Late Devonian orogenic magmatism in the Alps. We propose that rocks belonging to these units were originally part of the Moldanubian domain and were displaced toward the SW by Late Carboniferous strike-slip faulting. The resulting assemblage of basement units was disrupted by Permian tectonics and by Mesozoic opening of the Alpine Tethys. Remnants of the Moldanubian domain became either part of the European paleomargin (Grand Nomenon unit) or part of the Adriatic paleomargin (Gneiss del Monte Canale unit), to be finally accreted into the Alpine orogenic wedge during the Cenozoic.

No erosional control on the lateral growth of the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenberg, C. L.; Berger, A.

2009-04-01

of the deformation front of the Jura Mountains (Nivière and Winter, 2000; Giamboni et al., 2004; Madritsch et al., 2008), the westward shift of the Chaines Subalpines (Lickorisch and Ford, 1998) on the western side of the orogen, and the southward migration of the active front in the eastern sector of the Southern Alps (Benedetti et al., 2000). The reduced erosional efficiency of the orogen, which started at 17 Ma and continued until the Messinian (Kuhlemann, 2000) also did not coincide to a phase of lateral growth of the orogen. Out-of sequence thrusting in the Southern Alps (Schönborn, 1992) reduced the width of the chain well before the Messinian crisis, i.e. during the phase of fading erosion efficiency. Therefore, erosion does not seem to have been the prime control on the changes of width of the orogen. Alternatively, the effect of erosion on the lateral growth of the orogen can be tested by comparing the timing and the type of shifts of the active deformation front from different parts of the orogen. If climate changes are inferred to control changes in the erosional efficiency of the Alps (Willett et al., 2006), the tectonic response to a given change of climate is expected to be coeval and of similar type in all parts of the chain. This is especially true for an orogen as small as the Alps, whose different portions are all affected by the same climatic conditions. However, the mode of exhumation of the Eastern Alps is very different than that of the Western and Central Alps. The exhumation front progressively shifted towards the foreland in the latter case, whereas it remained focused in the axial zone of the orogen in the former case (Rosenberg and Berger, 2009). As a consequence, a broad metamorphic belt, with cooling ages younging from the axial zone towards the foreland formed in the western Alps, and a narrow metamorphic belt with cooling ages younging towards the axial zone of the orogen formed in the Eastern Alps. These first-order differences

Predisposing factors and susceptibility assessment for deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs): a case study (NW Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo Russo, S.; Forno, M. G.; Taddia, G.; Gnavi, L.

2012-04-01

(low susceptibility). A case study of two DSGSDs located in the Rodoretto Valley (northwestern Alps, Italy) has been examined. After detailed field survey provided morphological identification of these features, the authors conducted a back-analysis to assess the susceptibility of the entire valley. Each main predisposing factor has been independently mapped, and the level of susceptibility to DSGSD has been identified through geographic information system (GIS) overlapping of the four maps. The results confirm the combined presence of four main predisposing factors for the examined DGSDs, indicating high susceptibility.

3-D structure of the crust and uppermost mantle at the junction between the Southeastern Alps and External Dinarides from ambient noise tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guidarelli, Mariangela; Aoudia, Abdelkrim; Costa, Giovanni

2017-12-01

We use ambient noise tomography to investigate the crust and the uppermost mantle structure beneath the junction between the Southern Alps, the Dinarides and the Po Plain. We obtained Rayleigh wave empirical Green's functions from cross-correlation of vertical component seismic recordings for three years (2010-2012) using stations from networks in Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Serbia and Switzerland. We measure group and phase velocity dispersion curves from the reconstructed Rayleigh waves in the period range 5-30 and 8-37 s, respectively, and we invert the surface wave velocities for tomographic images on a grid of 0.1° × 0.1°. After the tomography, the group velocities are then inverted to compute the 3-D shear wave velocity model of the crust and the upper mantle beneath the region. Our shear wave velocity model provides the 3-D image of the structure in the region between Northeastern Italy, Slovenia and Austria. The velocity variations at shallow depths correlate with known geological and tectonic domains. We find low velocities below the Po Plain, the northern tip of the Adriatic and the Pannonian Basin, whereas higher velocities characterize the Alpine chain. The vertical cross-sections reveal a clear northward increase of the crustal thickness with a sharp northward dipping of the Moho that coincides at the surface with the leading edge of the Alpine thrust front adjacent to the Friuli Plain in Northeastern Italy. This geometry of the Moho mimics fairly well the shallow north dipping geometry of the decollement inferred from permanent GPS velocity field where high interseismic coupling is reported. From the northern Adriatic domain up to the Idrija right lateral strike-slip fault system beneath Western Slovenia, the crustal thickness is more uniform. Right across Idrija fault, to the northeast, and along its strike, we report a clear change of the physical properties of the crust up to the uppermost mantle as reflected by the lateral distribution

Study geomorphology, past and present, linear trench, tectonics relationship between Pyrenees and Alps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guillemot, J. (Principal Investigator)

1974-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 images obviously show up some large linear features trending N 80 E or N 30 E common to both Alps and Pyrenees. One of them, the Ligurian Fault, had been previously forecast by Laubscher in an interpretation of the Alps by the plate tectonic theory, but it extends westward farthest from the Alps, cutting the Pyrenees axis. These lineaments have been interpreted as reflections of deep seated wrench faults in the surficial part of the sedimentary series. A large set of such lineaments is perceptible in western Europe, such as the Guadalquivir Fault in southern Spain, Ligurian Fault, Insubrian Fault, Northern-Jura Fault, Metz Fault. Perhaps these may be interpreted as transform faults of the mid-Atlantic ridge or of a paleo-rift seated in the Rhine-Rhone graben.

Constraints on the deep structure and dynamic processes beneath the Alps and adjacent regions from an analysis of gravity anomalies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyon-Caen, Helene; Molnar, Peter

1989-01-01

Gravity anomalies over the Alps and the Molasse Basin are examined, focusing on the relationship between the anomalies and the tectonic processes beneath the region. Bouguer gravity anomalies measured in France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland are analyzed. No large isostatic anomalies are observed over the Alps and an elastic model is unable to account for gravity anomalies over the Molasse Basin. These results suggest that the dynamic processes that flexed the European plate down, forming the Molasse Basin and building the Alpine chain, have waned. It is proposed that the late Cenozoic uplift of the region may be due to a diminution or termination of downwelling of mantle material.

Carbonate microfacies analysis of penecontemporaneous dolomites of the Carnian Travenanzes Formation (Southern Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niebergall, Simon Michael; Breda, Anna; Preto, Nereo; Habler, Gerlinde; Peckmann, Jörn; Meister, Patrick

2016-04-01

Abundant dolomite (MgCa(CO3)2) occurs in the Middle and Late Triassic carbonate record of the Tethys realm. Whereas dolomite formation is largely related to late diagenesis and/or hydrothermal activity, Preto et al. (2015) suggested a primary origin of dolomite beds and nodules intercalated in clay rich deposits of the Carnian Travenanzes Formation (Fm.; Dolomites, Venetian Alps) based on a transmission electron microscopy study. Thus, dolomites of the Travenanzes Fm. are supposed to have formed during or soon after deposition and its petrographic features may still be indicative of the geochemical conditions prevalent in the depositional setting. The Travenanzes Fm. records both carbonate and siliciclastic input, reflecting a transitional continental to shallow marine environment (Breda and Preto, 2011) with alternations of alluvial plains, sabkhas and/or ephemeral lakes. The goal of this study is to determine the microfacies of the dolomites of the Travenanzes Fm. and to discuss possible depositional environments and scenarios of penecontemporaneous dolomite formation. The samples were taken from the Dibona section described by Breda and Preto (2011). Optical microscopy documented three different types of dolomite: (1) Microcrystalline nodular dolomite shows abundant clay interlayers and fenestral pores filled with coelestine and barite. The homogenous microcrystalline dolomite was further investigated by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) mapping, revealing an anhedral to subhedral microstructure of grains ranging from 2 to 10 micrometers in diameter. Some dolomite grew as spherules within the clay matrix. (2) Dolomite pebbles show semi-rounded edges in a dolosparitic matrix. (3) Dolomite with mm- to cm-scale lamination shows regularly spaced undulation with the cuspate side directed upwards. The laminae are also commonly affected by brittle or plastic deformation. Based on the petrographic observations, the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) While the

Interannual variability of rock glacier surface velocities and its relationship to climatic conditions on a decadal scale: Some insights from the European Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kellerer-Pirklbauer, Andreas; Bodin, Xavier; Delaloye, Reynald; Fischer, Andrea; Gärtner-Roer, Isabelle; Hartl, Lea; Kaufmann, Viktor; Krainer, Karl; Lambiel, Christophe; Mair, Volkmar; Marcer, Marco; Morra di Cella, Umberto; Scapozza, Cristian; Schoeneich, Philippe; Staub, Benno

2017-04-01

Active, inactive and relict rock glaciers are widespread periglacial landforms in the European Alps as revealed by several inventories elaborated for Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and France. Rock glaciers indicate present or past permafrost conditions in mountain environments and hence have a high climatic or paleoclimatic relevance. The monitoring of surface velocities at active rock glaciers has a long tradition in the European Alps with first terrestrial photogrammetric surveys in the Swiss and Austrian Alps already in the 1920s. Since the 1990s velocity monitoring activities have been substantially expanded but also institutionalized. Today, several research groups carry out annual or even continuous monitoring of rock glacier creep at more than 30 rock glaciers in Austria, France, Italy, and Switzerland. In many cases such a kinematic monitoring is jointly accomplished with meteorological and ground temperature monitoring in order to better understand the rock glacier-climate relationships and the reaction of rock glacier behavior to climatic changes. In this contribution we present a synthesis of the main results from long-term monitoring of several rock glaciers in the European Alps with at least annually-repeated data. Similarities but also differences of the movement patterns at the different sites are discussed, while the spatio-temporal pattern of the surface displacement is looked at against the climate context. In general, rock glacier surface velocities in the European Alps have been rather low during the 1980s and 1990s and reached a first peak in 2003/04 followed by a drastic drop until c.2007/08. Since then rock glacier surface velocities increased again with new velocity records in 2015/16 superior to the first peak around 2003/04. These creep rate maxima coincide with the warmest permafrost temperatures ever measured in boreholes and are likely a result of the continuously warm conditions at the ground surface over the past seven years.

Interdependency of fission yeast Alp14/TOG and coiled coil protein Alp7 in microtubule localization and bipolar spindle formation.

PubMed

Sato, Masamitsu; Vardy, Leah; Angel Garcia, Miguel; Koonrugsa, Nirada; Toda, Takashi

2004-04-01

The Dis1/TOG family plays a pivotal role in microtubule organization. In fission yeast, Alp14 and Dis1 share an essential function in bipolar spindle formation. Here, we characterize Alp7, a novel coiled-coil protein that is required for organization of bipolar spindles. Both Alp7 and Alp14 colocalize to the spindle pole body (SPB) and mitotic spindles. Alp14 localization to these sites is fully dependent upon Alp7. Conversely, in the absence of Alp14, Alp7 localizes to the SPBs, but not mitotic spindles. Alp7 forms a complex with Alp14, where the C-terminal region of Alp14 interacts with the coiled-coil domain of Alp7. Intriguingly, this Alp14 C terminus is necessary and sufficient for mitotic spindle localization. Overproduction of either full-length or coiled-coil region of Alp7 results in abnormal V-shaped spindles and stabilization of interphase microtubules, which is induced independent of Alp14. Alp7 may be a functional homologue of animal TACC. Our results shed light on an interdependent relationship between Alp14/TOG and Alp7. We propose a two-step model that accounts for the recruitment of Alp7 and Alp14 to the SPB and microtubules.

Geological hazard zonation in a marble exploitation area (Apuan Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francioni, M.; Salvini, R.; Riccucci, S.

2011-12-01

The present paper describes the hazard mapping of an exploitation area sited in the Apuan Alps marble district (Italy) carried out by the integration of various survey and analysis methodologies. The research, supported by the Massa and Carrara Local Sanitary Agency responsible for workplace health and safety activities, aimed to reduce the high degree hazard of rock fall caused by the presence of potentially unstable blocks located on slopes overhanging the marble quarries. The study of rocky fronts bases on the knowledge of both the structural setting and the physical-mechanical properties of intact material and its discontinuities. In this work the main difficulty in obtaining this information was the inaccessibility of the slope overhanging the area (up to 500 meters high). For this reason, the structural and geological-engineering surveys were integrated by outcomes from digital photogrammetry carried out through terrestrial stereoscopic photos acquired from an aerostatic balloon and a helicopter. In this way, it was possible to derive the geometrical characteristics of joints (such as discontinuities dip, dip direction, spacing and persistence), blocks volumes and slopes morphology also in inaccessible areas. This information, combined with data coming from the geological-engineering survey, was used to perform the stability analysis of the slope. Subsequently, using the topographic map at the scale of 1:2,000, the Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of the slopes and several topographic profiles along it were produced. Assuming that there is a good correspondence between travelling paths and maximum down slope angle, probable trajectories of rock fall along the slope were calculated on the DTM by means of a GIS procedure which utilizes the ArcHydro module of EsriTM ArcMap software. When performing such a 2D numerical modelling of rock falls, lateral dispersion of trajectories has often been hampered by the "a priori" choice of the travelling path. Such a choice can

The Central-Western Mediterranean: Anomalous igneous activity in an anomalous collisional tectonic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lustrino, Michele; Duggen, Svend; Rosenberg, Claudio L.

2011-01-01

The central-western Mediterranean area is a key region for understanding the complex interaction between igneous activity and tectonics. In this review, the specific geochemical character of several 'subduction-related' Cenozoic igneous provinces are described with a view to identifying the processes responsible for the modifications of their sources. Different petrogenetic models are reviewed in the light of competing geological and geodynamic scenarios proposed in the literature. Plutonic rocks occur almost exclusively in the Eocene-Oligocene Periadriatic Province of the Alps while relatively minor plutonic bodies (mostly Miocene in age) crop out in N Morocco, S Spain and N Algeria. Igneous activity is otherwise confined to lava flows and dykes accompanied by relatively greater volumes of pyroclastic (often ignimbritic) products. Overall, the igneous activity spanned a wide temporal range, from middle Eocene (such as the Periadriatic Province) to the present (as in the Neapolitan of southern Italy). The magmatic products are mostly SiO 2-oversaturated, showing calcalkaline to high-K calcalcaline affinity, except in some areas (as in peninsular Italy) where potassic to ultrapotassic compositions prevail. The ultrapotassic magmas (which include leucitites to leucite-phonolites) are dominantly SiO 2-undersaturated, although rare, SiO 2-saturated (i.e., leucite-free lamproites) appear over much of this region, examples being in the Betics (southeast Spain), the northwest Alps, northeast Corsica (France), Tuscany (northwest Italy), southeast Tyrrhenian Sea (Cornacya Seamount) and possibly in the Tell region (northeast Algeria). Excepted for the Alpine case, subduction-related igneous activity is strictly linked to the formation of the Mediterranean Sea. This Sea, at least in its central and western sectors, is made up of several young (< 30 Ma) V-shaped back-arc basins plus several dispersed continental fragments, originally in crustal continuity with the European

A neighborhood revealed by geophysical prospection: An example of urbanization at the Phoenician-Punic settlement of Mozia (western Sicily, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Mauro, D.; Alfonsi, L.; Sapia, V.; Urbini, S.

2014-05-01

The archaeological site of Mozia, a small island in front of the western coast of Sicily (Italy), is one of the most important Phoenician-Punic settlements in the Mediterranean; it preserves important vestiges and remains, located in an uncontaminated site, inhabited and car-free. The remains are still partially hidden under vegetation and vineyards.

Soils evolution and treeline fluctuations under late Holocene climatic changes: an integrated approach from Valle d'Aosta (Western European Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masseroli, Anna; Leonelli, Giovanni; Verrecchia, Eric P.; Sebag, David; Pozzi, Emanuele D.; Pelfini, Manuela; Maggi, Valter; Trombino, Luca

2017-04-01

The treeline ecotone, defined as the transition belt in mountain vegetation between the closed forest (timberline) and the alpine grasslands, is one of the most distinctive features of mountain environments and it is widely considered as a climatic boundary. Treeline altitudinal fluctuations may be considered to assess past and ongoing climatic and environmental changes. Although the ecological dynamics of the alpine treeline ecotone is mainly influenced by climate, especially by soil temperature, climatic parameters are not the only factors that influence the treeline position. In fact, the treeline altitude may be locally influenced by environmental factors, geomorphological processes, soil development, and human activities. This study aims at the reconstruction of late Holocene soil evolution and environmental changes at the treeline on the SW slope of the Becca di Viou Mountain in Valle d'Aosta (Western Italian Alps). First, we performed a detailed reconstruction of the treeline altitudinal dynamics. In addition, field (including air and soil temperatures) and laboratory (of both mineral and organic compounds) characterizations have been performed along two transects of seven soil profiles developing at an altitude ranging from 2100 m a.s.l. (closed forest) to 2400 m a.s.l. (treeline ecotone), in order to understand the relationships between colonization by trees and soil development under the ongoing climate change. The upward shift of the treeline was assessed analyzing tree age distribution along the slope by means of a tree-ring based approach. The reconstruction of the treeline altitudinal dynamics (based on years at which the trees reached 2 m in height) at the study site reveals an upward shift of 115 m over the period 1901-2000, reaching the altitude of 2515 m a.s.l. in 2008. The recent treeline shift and the acceleration of tree colonization rates in the alpine belt can be mainly attributed to a climatic input, and particularly to an increasing

ALPS - A LINEAR PROGRAM SOLVER

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Viterna, L. A.

1994-01-01

Linear programming is a widely-used engineering and management tool. Scheduling, resource allocation, and production planning are all well-known applications of linear programs (LP's). Most LP's are too large to be solved by hand, so over the decades many computer codes for solving LP's have been developed. ALPS, A Linear Program Solver, is a full-featured LP analysis program. ALPS can solve plain linear programs as well as more complicated mixed integer and pure integer programs. ALPS also contains an efficient solution technique for pure binary (0-1 integer) programs. One of the many weaknesses of LP solvers is the lack of interaction with the user. ALPS is a menu-driven program with no special commands or keywords to learn. In addition, ALPS contains a full-screen editor to enter and maintain the LP formulation. These formulations can be written to and read from plain ASCII files for portability. For those less experienced in LP formulation, ALPS contains a problem "parser" which checks the formulation for errors. ALPS creates fully formatted, readable reports that can be sent to a printer or output file. ALPS is written entirely in IBM's APL2/PC product, Version 1.01. The APL2 workspace containing all the ALPS code can be run on any APL2/PC system (AT or 386). On a 32-bit system, this configuration can take advantage of all extended memory. The user can also examine and modify the ALPS code. The APL2 workspace has also been "packed" to be run on any DOS system (without APL2) as a stand-alone "EXE" file, but has limited memory capacity on a 640K system. A numeric coprocessor (80X87) is optional but recommended. The standard distribution medium for ALPS is a 5.25 inch 360K MS-DOS format diskette. IBM, IBM PC and IBM APL2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Interdependency of Fission Yeast Alp14/TOG and Coiled Coil Protein Alp7 in Microtubule Localization and Bipolar Spindle FormationD⃞

PubMed Central

Sato, Masamitsu; Vardy, Leah; Angel Garcia, Miguel; Koonrugsa, Nirada; Toda, Takashi

2004-01-01

The Dis1/TOG family plays a pivotal role in microtubule organization. In fission yeast, Alp14 and Dis1 share an essential function in bipolar spindle formation. Here, we characterize Alp7, a novel coiled-coil protein that is required for organization of bipolar spindles. Both Alp7 and Alp14 colocalize to the spindle pole body (SPB) and mitotic spindles. Alp14 localization to these sites is fully dependent upon Alp7. Conversely, in the absence of Alp14, Alp7 localizes to the SPBs, but not mitotic spindles. Alp7 forms a complex with Alp14, where the C-terminal region of Alp14 interacts with the coiled-coil domain of Alp7. Intriguingly, this Alp14 C terminus is necessary and sufficient for mitotic spindle localization. Overproduction of either full-length or coiled-coil region of Alp7 results in abnormal V-shaped spindles and stabilization of interphase microtubules, which is induced independent of Alp14. Alp7 may be a functional homologue of animal TACC. Our results shed light on an interdependent relationship between Alp14/TOG and Alp7. We propose a two-step model that accounts for the recruitment of Alp7 and Alp14 to the SPB and microtubules. PMID:14742702

First-order similarities and differences between Alps, Dinarides, Hellenides and Anatolides-Taurides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, Stefan M.; Bernoulli, Daniel; Fügenschuh, Bernhard; Matenco, Liviu; Schefer, Senecio; Oberhänsli, Roland; van Hinsbergen, Douwe; Ustaszewski, Kamil

2013-04-01

We correlated tectonic units across several circum-Mediterranean orogen strands between the Alps, Carpathians, the Balkan Peninsula, the Aegean and Western Turkey. Our compilation allows discussing fundamental along-strike similarities and differences. One first-order difference is that Dinarides-Hellenides, Anatolides and Taurides represent orogens of opposite subduction polarity and age with respect to the Alps and Carpathians. The internal Dinarides are linked to the Alps and Western Carpathians along the Mid-Hungarian fault zone, a suspected former trench-trench transform fault; its lithospheric root was obliterated during Neogene back-arc extension that formed the Pannonian Basin. Dinarides and Hellenides alike consist of far-travelled nappes detached from the Adriatic continental margin along décollement horizons in Paleozoic or younger stratigraphic levels during Cretaceous and Cenozoic orogeny. The more internal nappes (i.e. Jadar-Kopaonik, Drina-Ivanjica, East Bosnian-Durmitor and their Pelagonian and Almopias equivalents in the Hellenides) are composite nappes whereby the allochthonous Adriatic margin sequences passively carry ophiolites (Western Vardar Ophiolitic Unit) obducted during the latest Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous. These obducted ophiolitic units, as well as ophiolites obducted onto Europe-derived units presently found in the East Carpathians (Eastern Vardar Ophiolitic Unit obducted onto the Dacia continental block), root in one single Neotethys ocean that started closing with the initiation of obduction in the latest Jurassic; final suturing occurred during Cretaceous times, terminating with the formation of the Sava-Izmir-Ankara suture in the latest Cretaceous. Ophiolitic "massifs" found outside the Sava-Izmir-Ankara suture zone do not mark oceanic sutures, nor do the Drina-Ivanjica and Pelagonian "massifs" represent independent continental fragments (terranes). The same logic applies to Western Turkey with the difference that the ophiolites

Episodic exhumation and relief growth in the Mont Blanc massif, Western Alps from numerical modelling of thermochronology data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glotzbach, C.; van der Beek, P. A.; Spiegel, C.

2011-04-01

The Pliocene-Quaternary exhumational and topographic evolution of the European Alps and its potential climatic and tectonic controls remain a subject of controversy. Here, we apply inverse numerical thermal-kinematic modelling to a spatially dense thermochronological dataset (apatite fission-track and (U-Th)/He) of both tunnel and surface samples across the Mont Blanc massif in the Western Alps, complemented by new zircon fission-track data, in order to better quantify its Neogene exhumation and relief history. Age-elevation relationships and modelling results show that an episodic exhumation scenario best fits the data. Initiation of exhumation in the Mont Blanc massif at 22 ± 2 Ma with a rate of 0.8 ± 0.15 km/Myr is probably related to NW-directed thrusting during nappe emplacement. Exhumation rates decrease at 6 ± 2 Ma to values of 0.15 ± 0.65 km/Myr, which we interpret to be the result of a general decrease in convergence rates and/or extensive exposure of less erodible crystalline basement rocks from below more easily erodible Mesozoic sediments. Finally, local exhumation rates increase up to 2.0 ± 0.6 km/Myr at 1.7 ± 0.8 Ma. Modelling shows that this recent increase in local exhumation can be explained by valley incision and the associated increase in relief at 0.9 ± 0.8 Ma, leading to erosional unloading, isostatic rebound and additional rock uplift and exhumation. Given the lack of tectonic activity as evidenced by constant thermochronological ages along the tunnel transect, we suggest that the final increase in exhumation and relief in the Mont Blanc massif is the result of climate change, with the initiation of mid-Pleistocene glaciations leading to rapid valley incision and related local exhumation.

Human impact on the karst of the Venetian Fore-Alps, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauro, U.

1993-06-01

People have been exploiting the limestone massifs of the Venetian Fore-Alps since prehistory. The fluviokarstic style of the relief and the location of springs were important controls of settlement and land use. Six principal types of exploitation are recognized and overlapped in time: (1) hunting and early farming, Paleolithic to Iron Age, with the first soil erosion; (2) general deforestation for timber, charcoal, and fuel, Roman to early modern; (3) farm enclosure and improvement, with stone clearing, medieval to modern; (4) trench warfare in World War I; (5) quarrying and specialized farming (dairy, poultry, pigs) since 1950; and (6) developmnent of modern summer and winter tourist facilities. Soil erosion effects from many centuries can still be recognized, war damage remains visible and continues to pollute aquifers, and modern pressure on the karst land and water resources is often severe.

The exhumation of the (U)HP rocks of the Central and Western Penninic Alps: comparison study between thermo-mechanical models and field data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schenker, Filippo Luca; Schmalholz, Stefan M.; Baumgartner, Lukas P.; Pleuger, Jan

2015-04-01

The Central and Western Penninic (CWP) Alps form an orogenic wedge of imbricate tectonic nappes. Orogenic wedges form typically at depths < 60 km. Nevertheless, a few nappes and massifs (i.e. Adula/Cima Lunga, Dora-Maira, Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso, Zermatt-Saas) exhibit High- and Ultra-High-Pressure (U)HP metamorphic rocks suggesting that they were buried by subduction to depths >60 km and subsequently exhumed into the accretionary wedge. Mechanically, the exhumation of the (U)HP rocks from mantle depths can be explained by two contrasting buoyancy-driven models: (1) overall return flow of rocks in a subduction channel and (2) upward flow of individual, lighter rock units within a heavier material (Stokes flow). In this study we compare published numerical exhumation models of (1) and (2) with structural and metamorphic data of the CWP Alps. Model (1) predicts the exhumation of large volumes of (U)HP rocks within a viscous channel (1100-500 km2 in a 2D cross-section through the subduction zone). The moderate volume (e.g. ~7 km2 in a geological cross-section of the UHP unit of the Dora-Maira) and the coherent architecture of the (U)HP nappes suggests that the exhumation through (1) is unlikely for (U)HP nappes of the CWP Alps. Model (2) predicts the exhumation of appropriate volumes of (U)HP rocks, but generally the (U)HP rocks exhume vertically in the overriding plate and are not incorporated into the orogenic wedge. Nevertheless, the exhumation through (2) is feasible either with a vertical or with an extremely viscous and dense subduction channel. Whether these characteristics are applicable to the CWP UHP nappes will be discussed in light of field observations.

Lower Cretaceous dinoflagellate cyst and acritarch stratigraphy of the Cismon APTICORE (Southern Alps, Italy).

PubMed

Torricelli

2000-02-01

A pelagic sedimentary succession, virtually complete from the Upper Hauterivian to the Upper Aptian and unconformably overlain by the Middle-Upper Albian p.p., was continuously cored in the Belluno Basin (southern Alps, NE Italy) as part of the APTICORE Program. APTICORE at Cismon Valley penetrated 131.8m of limestones, marls and black shales, with 100% recovery of good quality cored material.One hundred and forty-six samples recovered from the marl and shale beds of the Cismon core were processed and analyzed for palynomorphs. Most of them yielded relatively rich and fairly well preserved assemblages of marine and terrestrially-derived palynomorphs.The results of a qualitative study of dinoflagellate cysts and acritarchs are presented and discussed. The distributions of 150 taxa are tabulated against the chronostratigraphy independently established on the basis of original litho-, bio-, chemo-, magnetostratigraphic investigations and of correlations with extensively studied sections outcropping in the vicinity of the Cismon drill site.The acritarch Pinocchiodinium erbae gen. et sp. nov. is described. Due to its distinctive morphology and extremely constant occurrence also in the black shales of the Selli Level, it is proposed as a marker species for the Aptian sediments of the Tethys.The dinoflagellate cysts Kallosphaeridium dolomiticum sp. nov. and Nexosispinum hesperus brevispinosum subsp. nov. are described from the Upper Hauterivian. Additional taxonomic remarks are made about other dinoflagellate cyst species, including the emendations of Tanyosphaeridium magneticum Davies 1983 and Bourkidinium granulatum Morgan 1975.The biostratigraphic value of selected taxa is discussed and compared with data known both from the Tethyan and Boreal realms. In particular, the extinction of Bourkidinium granulatum emend. is proposed as the best dinoflagellate cyst event for the delimitation of the Hauterivian-Barremian boundary in the Northern Hemisphere. The first appearance

Younger Dryas equilibrium line altitudes and precipitation patterns in the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerschner, Hanns; Moran, Andrew; Ivy-Ochs, Susan

2016-04-01

Moraine systems of the "Egesen Stadial" are widespread and easily identifiable features in the Alps. Absolute dating with terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclides shows that the maximum extent was reached during the early Younger Dryas (YD), probably as a reaction to the intense climatic downturn subsequent to Lateglacial Interstadial. In recent years, several new studies and the availability of high-quality laser-scan hillshades and orthophotos allowed a significant extension of the database of YD glaciers as "palaeoprecipitation gauges" to large hitherto unmapped regions in the Austrian and Swiss Alps. The equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of the glaciers and its lowering relative to the Little Ice Age ELA (dELA) shows a distinct and systematic spatial pattern. Along the northern slope of the Alps, dELAs are usually large (around 400 m and perhaps even more), while dELAs range around 200 m in the well sheltered areas of the central Alps, e.g. in the Engadine and in western Tyrol. Both stochastic glacier-climate models (e.g. Ohmura et al. 1992) and the heat- and mass balance equation (Kuhn 1981) allow the reconstruction of precipitation change under the assumption of a spatially constant summer temperature depression, which in turn can be estimated from biological proxies. This allows to draw the spatial pattern of precipitation change with considerable detail. Precipitation change is clearly controlled by the local relief like high mountain chains, deeply incised and long valleys and mountain passes. Generally the contrast between the northern fringe of the Alps and the interior was more pronounced than today. Climate in the Northern and and Northwestern Alps was rather wet with precipitation totals eventually exceeding modern annual sums. The central Alps received 20 - 30% less precipitation than today, mainly due to reduced winter precipitation. In the southern Alps, still scarce spatial information points to precipitation sums which were approximately similar to

The internal structure of eclogite-facies ophiolite complexes: Implications from the Austroalpine outliers within the Zermatt-Saas Zone, Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Sebastian; Martinez, Raul

2016-04-01

The Western Alpine Penninic domain is a classical accretionary prism that formed after the closure of the Penninic oceans in the Paleogene. Continental and oceanic nappes were telescoped into the Western Alpine stack associated with continent-continent collision. Within the Western Alpine geologic framework, the ophiolite nappes of the Zermatt-Saas Zone and the Tsate Unit are the remnants of the southern branch of the Piemonte-Liguria ocean basin. In addition, a series of continental basement slices reported as lower Austroalpine outliers have preserved an eclogitic high-pressure imprint, and are tectonically sandwiched between these oceanic nappes. Since the outliers occur at an unusual intra-ophiolitic setting and show a polymetamorphic character, this group of continental slices is of special importance for understanding the tectono-metamorphic evolution of Western Alps. Recently, more geochronological data from the Austroalpine outliers have become available that make it possible to establish a more complete picture of their complex geological history. The Lu-Hf garnet-whole rock ages for prograde growth of garnet fall into the time interval of 52 to 62 Ma (Weber et al., 2015, Fassmer et al. 2015), but are consistently higher than the Lu-Hf garnet-whole rock ages from several other locations throughout the Zermatt-Saas zone that range from 52 to 38 Ma (Skora et al., 2015). This discrepancy suggests that the Austroalpine outliers may have been subducted earlier than the ophiolites of the Zermatt-Saas Zone and therefore have been tectonically emplaced into their present intra-ophiolite position. This points to the possibility that the Zermatt-Saas Zone consists of tectonic subunits, which reached their respective pressure peaks over a prolonged time period, approximately 10-20 Ma. The pressure-temperature estimates from several members of the Austroalpine outliers indicate a complex distribution of metamorphic peak conditions, without ultrahigh

Ophiolitic detritus in Kimmeridgian resedimented limestones and its provenance from an eroded obducted ophiolitic nappe stack south of the Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gawlick, Hans-Jürgen; Aubrecht, Roman; Schlagintweit, Felix; Missoni, Sigrid; Plašienka, Dušan

2015-12-01

The causes for the Middle to Late Jurassic tectonic processes in the Northern Calcareous Alps are still controversially discussed. There are several contrasting models for these processes, formerly designated "Jurassic gravitational tectonics". Whereas in the Dinarides or the Western Carpathians Jurassic ophiolite obduction and a Jurassic mountain building process with nappe thrusting is widely accepted, equivalent processes are still questioned for the Eastern Alps. For the Northern Calcareous Alps, an Early Cretaceous nappe thrusting process is widely favoured instead of a Jurassic one, obviously all other Jurassic features are nearly identical in the Northern Calcareous Alps, the Western Carpathians and the Dinarides. In contrast, the Jurassic basin evolutionary processes, as best documented in the Northern Calcareous Alps, were in recent times adopted to explain the Jurassic tectonic processes in the Carpathians and Dinarides. Whereas in the Western Carpathians Neotethys oceanic material is incorporated in the mélanges and in the Dinarides huge ophiolite nappes are preserved above the Jurassic basin fills and mélanges, Jurassic ophiolites or ophiolitic remains are not clearly documented in the Northern Calcareous Alps. Here we present chrome spinel analyses of ophiolitic detritic material from Kimmeridgian allodapic limestones in the central Northern Calcareous Alps. The Kimmeridgian age is proven by the occurrence of the benthic foraminifera Protopeneroplis striata and Labyrinthina mirabilis, the dasycladalean algae Salpingoporella pygmea, and the alga incertae sedis Pseudolithocodium carpathicum. From the geochemical composition the analysed spinels are pleonastes and show a dominance of Al-chromites (Fe3+-Cr3+-Al3+ diagram). In the Mg/(Mg+ Fe2+) vs. Cr/(Cr+ Al) diagram they can be classified as type II ophiolites and in the TiO2 vs. Al2O3 diagram they plot into the SSZ peridotite field. All together this points to a harzburgite provenance of the analysed

Reconstructing the Alps-Carpathians-Dinarides as a key to understanding switches in subduction polarity, slab gaps and surface motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handy, Mark R.; Ustaszewski, Kamil; Kissling, Eduard

2015-01-01

Palinspastic map reconstructions and plate motion studies reveal that switches in subduction polarity and the opening of slab gaps beneath the Alps and Dinarides were triggered by slab tearing and involved widespread intracrustal and crust-mantle decoupling during Adria-Europe collision. In particular, the switch from south-directed European subduction to north-directed "wrong-way" Adriatic subduction beneath the Eastern Alps was preconditioned by two slab-tearing events that were continuous in Cenozoic time: (1) late Eocene to early Oligocene rupturing of the oppositely dipping European and Adriatic slabs; these ruptures nucleated along a trench-trench transfer fault connecting the Alps and Dinarides; (2) Oligocene to Miocene steepening and tearing of the remaining European slab under the Eastern Alps and western Carpathians, while subduction of European lithosphere continued beneath the Western and Central Alps. Following the first event, post-late Eocene NW motion of the Adriatic Plate with respect to Europe opened a gap along the Alps-Dinarides transfer fault which was filled with upwelling asthenosphere. The resulting thermal erosion of the lithosphere led to the present slab gap beneath the northern Dinarides. This upwelling also weakened the upper plate of the easternmost part of the Alpine orogen and induced widespread crust-mantle decoupling, thus facilitating Pannonian extension and roll-back subduction of the Carpathian oceanic embayment. The second slab-tearing event triggered uplift and peneplainization in the Eastern Alps while opening a second slab gap, still present between the Eastern and Central Alps, that was partly filled by northward counterclockwise subduction of previously unsubducted Adriatic continental lithosphere. In Miocene time, Adriatic subduction thus jumped westward from the Dinarides into the heart of the Alpine orogen, where northward indentation and wedging of Adriatic crust led to rapid exhumation and orogen-parallel escape of

Crustal structure of northern Italy from the ellipticity of Rayleigh waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berbellini, Andrea; Morelli, Andrea; G. Ferreira, Ana M.

2017-04-01

Northern Italy is a diverse geological region, including the wide and thick Po Plain sedimentary basin, which is bounded by the Alps and the Apennines. The seismically slow shallow structure of the Po Plain is difficult to retrieve with classical seismic measurements such as surface wave dispersion, yet the detailed structure of the region greatly affects seismic wave propagation and hence seismic ground shaking. Here we invert Rayleigh wave ellipticity measurements in the period range 10-60 s for 95 stations in northern Italy using a fully non linear approach to constrain vertical vS,vP and density profiles of the crust beneath each station. The ellipticity of Rayleigh wave ground motion is primarily sensitive to shear-wave velocity beneath the recording station, which reduces along-path contamination effects. We use the 3D layering structure in MAMBo, a previous model based on a compilation of geological and geophysical information for the Po Plain and surrounding regions of northern Italy, and employ ellipticity data to constrain vS,vP and density within its layers. We show that ellipticity data from ballistic teleseismic wave trains alone constrain the crustal structure well. This leads to MAMBo-E, an updated seismic model of the region's crust that inherits information available from previous seismic prospection and geological studies, while fitting new seismic data well. MAMBo-E brings new insights into lateral heterogeneity in the region's subsurface. Compared to MAMBo, it shows overall faster seismic anomalies in the region's Quaternary, Pliocene and Oligo-Miocene layers and better delineates the seismic structures of the Po Plain at depth. Two low velocity regions are mapped in the Mesozoic layer in the western and eastern parts of the Plain, which seem to correspond to the Monferrato sedimentary basin and to the Ferrara-Romagna thrust system, respectively.

ALPS: A Linear Program Solver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferencz, Donald C.; Viterna, Larry A.

1991-01-01

ALPS is a computer program which can be used to solve general linear program (optimization) problems. ALPS was designed for those who have minimal linear programming (LP) knowledge and features a menu-driven scheme to guide the user through the process of creating and solving LP formulations. Once created, the problems can be edited and stored in standard DOS ASCII files to provide portability to various word processors or even other linear programming packages. Unlike many math-oriented LP solvers, ALPS contains an LP parser that reads through the LP formulation and reports several types of errors to the user. ALPS provides a large amount of solution data which is often useful in problem solving. In addition to pure linear programs, ALPS can solve for integer, mixed integer, and binary type problems. Pure linear programs are solved with the revised simplex method. Integer or mixed integer programs are solved initially with the revised simplex, and the completed using the branch-and-bound technique. Binary programs are solved with the method of implicit enumeration. This manual describes how to use ALPS to create, edit, and solve linear programming problems. Instructions for installing ALPS on a PC compatible computer are included in the appendices along with a general introduction to linear programming. A programmers guide is also included for assistance in modifying and maintaining the program.

Endolithic microbial communities in carbonate precipitates from serpentinite-hosted hyperalkaline springs of the Voltri Massif (Ligurian Alps, Northern Italy).

PubMed

Quéméneur, Marianne; Palvadeau, Alexandra; Postec, Anne; Monnin, Christophe; Chavagnac, Valérie; Ollivier, Bernard; Erauso, Gaël

2015-09-01

The Voltri Massif is an ophiolitic complex located in the Ligurian Alps close to the city of Genova (Northern Italy) where several springs discharge high pH (up to 11.7), low salinity waters produced by the active serpentinization of the ultramafic basement. Mixing of these hyperalkaline waters with the river waters along with the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide forms brownish carbonate precipitates covering the bedrock at the springs. Diverse archaeal and bacterial communities were detected in these carbonate precipitates using 454 pyrosequencing analyses of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Archaeal communities were dominated by members of potential methane-producing and/or methane-oxidizing Methanobacteriales and Methanosarcinales (Euryarchaeota) together with ammonia-oxidizing Nitrososphaerales (Thaumarchaeota) similar to those found in other serpentinization-driven submarine and terrestrial ecosystems. Bacterial communities consisted of members of the Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Verrucomicrobia phyla, altogether accounting for 92.2% of total retrieved bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences. Amongst Bacteria, potential chemolithotrophy was mainly associated with Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria classes, including nitrogen-fixing, methane-oxidizing or hydrogen-oxidizing representatives of the genera Azospirillum, Methylosinus, and Hydrogenophaga/'Serpentinomonas', respectively. Besides, potential chemoorganotrophy was attributed mainly to representatives of Actinobacteria and Planctomycetales phyla. The reported 16S rRNA gene data strongly suggested that hydrogen, methane, and nitrogen-based chemolithotrophy can sustain growth of the microbial communities inhabiting the carbonate precipitates in the hyperalkaline springs of the Voltri Massif, similarly to what was previously observed in other serpentinite-hosted ecosystems.

The western submerged sector of the Ischia volcanic island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): new insights into its volcano-tectonic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passaro, Salvatore; de Alteriis, Giovanni; Milano, Girolamo; Fedi, Maurizio; Florio, Giovanni

2010-05-01

The Island of Ischia is a volcanic complex located in the northern boundary of the Gulf of Naples (south-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). The island represents only the 30% of a larger, E-W trending, volcanic ridge and likely controlled by a regional tectonic lineament. Despite the many geo-volcanological and geophysical investigations conducted on the island since long time, still little is the knowledge of its offshore. Several marine surveys have been carried out over the past 10 years from IAMC - CNR research institute (Naples, Italy) mostly in the frame of INGV and GNV projects, funded by Italy Civil Protection Department. Such surveys have largely improved the knowledge of the entire volcanic complex. Multibeam bathymetry surveys has revealed several, previously unexpected, morphological and morphostructural features. Moreover some structural patterns and volcano alignments offshore show similarities with those occurring at a regional scale in the Campania region and, locally, between the island of Procida and Phlegrean Fields. Here we report the joint interpretation of geophysical data focused on the western underwater sector of the island. Interpretation was chiefly based on processing/inversion of magnetic data in turn constrained by bathymetry and seismic reflection profiles. Magnetic data, acquired by the IAMC during two different cruises in 2000 and 2002 onboard of the Urania R/V oceanographic vessel, put in evidence that the western seafloor of Ischia is characterized by the presence of a strong residual magnetic anomaly field of complex behaviour, somewhere correlated to local bathymetry. These two last methods allowed to define and distinguish between undersea and subsurface magnetic (i.e. magmatic) basement. Interpretation was also constrained by seismological data.

Mantle xenoliths hosted in alkali basalts in subduction environment: the example of the SE Alps (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasperini, D.; Maffei, K.; Bosch, D.; Braga, R.; Macera, P.; Morten, L.

2003-04-01

We present petrographic, geochemical, and isotopic (Sr, Nd, and Pb) data of a representative suite of spl-peridotite xenoliths (mg# >88) hosted in alkali basalts from numerous outcrops in the Tertiary Veneto Volcanic Province (VVP; SE Alps, Italy), compared to various world-wide mafic inclusions (French Massif, Australia, China, Philippines, Russia, Kerguelen). The VVP spl-harzburgites and -lherzolites carry textures ranging from protogranular, porphyroclastic, granuloblastic to pyrometamorfic. These samples are characterized by a continuous depletion trend from the cpx-rich lherzolites to harzburgites, with CaO, Al_2O_3, TiO_2, and Na_2O contents decreasing with mg# increasing (Morten, 1987; Beccaluva et al., 2001). Then, the VVP xenoliths spinels show a strong Cr/(Cr+Al) ratio increase at a slight Mg/(Mg+Fe2+) ratio decrease, thus reflecting a variably depleted mantle source. The VVP xenoliths display a large range of enrichment in LREE, K, Rb, Sr and P, suggesting post depletion metasomatic episodes (Morten et al., 2002). Whereas most of the VVP xenoliths' multi-element spectra, incompatible element and isotope ratios are similar to the VVP host basalts, thus with a strong HIMU signature (Macera et al. submitted), some depleted samples show geochemical features typical of crust derived material. These characteristics cannot be related to significant interaction with the local lower continental crust, as represented by several analyzed gabbroic xenoliths. Nevertheless negative Nb and Ta anomalies in analogous peridotitic samples have been previously ascribed to metasomatism inferred by plume rising material in the upper mantle (Bedini et al., 1997). Comparing the VVP peridotites with several mafic xenoliths from various geodynamical environments, we suggest that this crust affinity could be alternatively explained by the presence of a not perfectly homogenized upper crustal component in the source region, probably induced by subduction related episode(s). In this

Influence of Prescribed Herbal and Western Medicine on Patients with Abnormal Liver Function Tests: A Retrospective Quasi-Experimental Study

PubMed Central

Lee, Ah-Ram; Yim, Je-Min; Kim, Won-Il

2012-01-01

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and the efficacy of Korean herbal, western and combination medicine use in patients with abnormal liver function tests. Methods: We investigated nerve disease patients with abnormal liver function tests who were treated with Korean herbal, western and combination medicine at Dong-Eui University Oriental Hospital from January 2011 to August 2011. We compared aspartic aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin (T-bil) levels before and after taking medicine and excluded patients who had liver-related disease when admitted. Results: AST and ALT were decreased significantly in patients who had taken herbal, western medicine. AST, ALT and ALP were decreased significantly in patients who had taken combination medicine. Compare to herbal medicine, AST, ALT and ALP were decreased significantly in patients who had taken western medicine, and ALT and ALP were decreased significantly in patients who had taken combination medicine. There were no significant differences between western and combination medicine. Conclusions: This study suggests that prescribed Korean herbal medicine, at least, does not injure liver function for patients’, moreover, it was shown to be effective in patients with abnormal liver function tests. PMID:25780634

Sedimentary connection between rock glaciers and torrential channels: definition, inventory and quantification from a test area in the south-western Swiss Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kummert, Mario; Barboux, Chloé; Delaloye, Reynald

2017-04-01

order to validate these estimations, the resulting sediment transfer rates are compared to transfer rates calculated from repeated terrestrial LiDAR surveys on selected study cases. This contribution presents results from the application of this methodology in a test study area in the south-western Swiss Alps. The methodology reveals itself suitable to identify rock glaciers connected to the torrential network. For each of the detected rock glaciers, an estimation of the sediment yield is proposed. The transfer rates range from tens of cubic meters per year for some slow moving and/or partially connected landforms, to several thousands of cubic meters per year. References: Delaloye R. (2004). Contribution à l'étude du pergélisol de montagne en zone marginale. GeoFocus vol. 10, Thèse, Département de Géosciences/Géographie, Université de Fribourg. Delaloye, R., Lambiel, C., Gärtner-Roer, I. (2010). Overview of rock glacier kinematics research in the Swiss Alps. Seasonal rhythm, interannual variations and trends over several decades. Geogr. Helv., 65: 2, 135-145. Delaloye, R., Morard, S., Barboux, C., Abbet, D., Gruber, V., Riedo, M. & Gachet, S. (2013). Rapidly moving rock glaciers in Mattertal. In: Graf, C. (Eds). Mattertal - ein Tal in Bewegung. Publikation zur Jahrestagung der Schweizerischen Geomorphologischen Gesellschaft 29. Juni - 1. Juli 2011, St. Niklaus, Birmensdorf, Eidg. Forschungsanstalt WSL, 113 - 124. Gärtner-Roer, I. (2012). Sediment transfer rates of two active rockglaciers in the Swiss Alps. Geomorphology, 167-168, 45-50. Lugon, R. & Stoffel, M. (2010). Rock glacier dynamics and magnitude-frequency relations of debris flows in a high-elevation watershed : Ritigraben, Swiss Alps. Global and Planetary Change, 73, 202-210.

Steady-State ALPS for Real-Valued Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hornby, Gregory S.

2009-01-01

The two objectives of this paper are to describe a steady-state version of the Age-Layered Population Structure (ALPS) Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) and to compare it against other GAs on real-valued problems. Motivation for this work comes from our previous success in demonstrating that a generational version of ALPS greatly improves search performance on a Genetic Programming problem. In making steady-state ALPS some modifications were made to the method for calculating age and the method for moving individuals up layers. To demonstrate that ALPS works well on real-valued problems we compare it against CMA-ES and Differential Evolution (DE) on five challenging, real-valued functions and on one real-world problem. While CMA-ES and DE outperform ALPS on the two unimodal test functions, ALPS is much better on the three multimodal test problems and on the real-world problem. Further examination shows that, unlike the other GAs, ALPS maintains a genotypically diverse population throughout the entire search process. These findings strongly suggest that the ALPS paradigm is better able to avoid premature convergence then the other GAs.

13 CFR 120.840 - Accredited Lenders Program (ALP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... (ALP). (a) General. Under the ALP program, SBA designates qualified CDCs as ALP CDCs, gives them... approval and servicing actions. (b) Application. A CDC must apply for ALP status to the Lead SBA Office.... (c) Eligibility. In order for a CDC to be eligible to receive ALP status, its application must show...

13 CFR 120.840 - Accredited Lenders Program (ALP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... (ALP). (a) General. Under the ALP program, SBA designates qualified CDCs as ALP CDCs, gives them... approval and servicing actions. (b) Application. A CDC must apply for ALP status to the Lead SBA Office.... (c) Eligibility. In order for a CDC to be eligible to receive ALP status, its application must show...

13 CFR 120.840 - Accredited Lenders Program (ALP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... (ALP). (a) General. Under the ALP program, SBA designates qualified CDCs as ALP CDCs, gives them... approval and servicing actions. (b) Application. A CDC must apply for ALP status to the Lead SBA Office.... (c) Eligibility. In order for a CDC to be eligible to receive ALP status, its application must show...

13 CFR 120.840 - Accredited Lenders Program (ALP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... (ALP). (a) General. Under the ALP program, SBA designates qualified CDCs as ALP CDCs, gives them... approval and servicing actions. (b) Application. A CDC must apply for ALP status to the Lead SBA Office.... (c) Eligibility. In order for a CDC to be eligible to receive ALP status, its application must show...

13 CFR 120.840 - Accredited Lenders Program (ALP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... (ALP). (a) General. Under the ALP program, SBA designates qualified CDCs as ALP CDCs, gives them... approval and servicing actions. (b) Application. A CDC must apply for ALP status to the Lead SBA Office.... (c) Eligibility. In order for a CDC to be eligible to receive ALP status, its application must show...

New Zealand's Southern Alps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

The rugged Southern Alps extend some 650 kilometers along the western side of New Zealand's South Island. The mountains are often obscured by clouds, which is probably why the Maoris called New Zealand 'Aotearoa', the long white cloud. The higher peaks are snow-covered all year round. Westerly winds bring clouds that drop over 500 centimeters of rain annually on luxuriant rain forest along the west coast. The drier eastern seaboard is home to the majority of the island's population.

This pair of MISR images is from April 13, 2000 (Terra orbit 1712). The upper image is a natural color view from the instrument's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera. It is presented at a resolution of 550 meters per pixel. The lower image is a stereo anaglyph generated from the instrument's 46-degree and 26-degree forward-viewing cameras, and is presented at 275-meter per pixel resolution to show the portion of the image containing the Southern Alps in greater detail. Viewing the anaglyph in 3-D requires the use of red/blue glasses with the red filter over your left eye. To facilitate stereoscopic viewing, both images have been oriented with north at the left.

The tallest mountain in the Southern Alps is Mt. Cook, at an elevation of 3754 meters. Its snow-covered peak is visible to the left of center in each of these MISR images. From the high peaks, glaciers have gouged long, slender mountain lakes and coastal fiords. Immediately to the southeast of Mt. Cook (to the right in these images), the glacial pale-blue water of Lake Pukaki stands out. Further to the south in adjacent valleys you can easily see Lakes Hawea and Wanaka, between which (though not visible here) is the Haast Pass Road, the most southerly of the few links between the east and west coast road systems. Further to the south is the prominent 'S' shape of Lake Wakatipu, 83 kilometers long, on the northern shore of which is Queenstown, the principal resort town of the island. The remote and spectacular Fiordland National

Orogen-scale anticline revealed in the Southern Alps of New Zealand by structural thermochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Renjie; Brandon, Mark

2017-04-01

A dense set of cooling ages from the Southern Alps reveals an orogen-scale anticline of cooling-age isosurfaces (isochrones) and provides an interesting example of structural thermochronology, where isochrones are used as structural markers. The isochrone concept is an integral aspect of the age-elevation method, but the latter implicitly assumes that all isochrones are horizontal. Our experience in New Zeland and elsewhere is that isochrones are commonly tilted after formation. We use a more general approach that solves for orientation of the isochrone surfaces, and also the slope of the age-elevation trend, where "elevation" is measured normal to the isochrone surfaces. In New Zealand, collision and convergence between the Pacific and Australian plates have resulted in the formation and continuing growth of the Southern Alps, a prototypical orogenic wedge. In the western side, the Southern Alps is bounded by the Alpine fault, along with deeply exhumed rocks from depths up to 25 km. There are 150 apatite and 200 zircon fission-track (AFT, ZFT) ages that cover the vast region of the South Island of New Zealand from Lake Summer to Lake Wanaka. The AFT ages range from <0.5 to 140 Ma, and the ZFT ages, from <0.5 to 400 Ma. Our approach was initiated by McPhillips and Brandon (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2010, doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2010.05.022). We use a least-squares method to solve for a best-fit sequence of dipping isochrone surfaces. The solution specifies the strike, dip and spacing of the parallel isochrones, the last of which indicates the velocity of the isochrones passing through the closure depth. We find that the calculation of the entire dataset failed to yield reasonable results, implying nonplanar structures at the regional scale. Using subsets of data, we observed three distinct zones of isochrones from E to W across the South Island. 1) The large area east of the Southern Alps in the central South Island contains ZFT isochrones that dip shallowly

Pressure variations in the Monte Rosa nappe, Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luisier, Cindy; Vaughan-Hammon, Joshua; Baumgartner, Lukas; Schmalholz, Stefan

2017-04-01

The Monte Rosa nappe is part of the Penninic nappe stack of the Western Alps. It represents the southern-most European continental basement involved in the alpine orogeny. It consists of a pre-Variscan basement complex, made of mostly metapelites and paragneisses, which were intruded by a Permian-age granitic body (Pawlig, 2001). The nappe is heterogeneously deformed, with localized high strain domains separating low strain domains. The metamorphic record is tightly linked to deformation. Different thermodynamic data bases and approaches were used in the past to estimate the peak alpine metamorphic conditions. They range from 1.2 to 2.7 GPa and 490 to 650˚C, based on metagranite, metapelite, metamafic and whiteschist assemblages. The peak alpine metamorphic assemblage of zoisite, phengite and albite symplectites pseudomorphing magmatic plagioclase is preserved only in the less deformed portions of the nappe. Phengite, garnet and titanite coronas surrounding biotite, quartz and igneous K-feldspar make up the rest of the rock. The metagranite locally grades into 10 to 50 meters whiteschist bodies, consisting of talc-chloritoid-kyanite-phengite-quartz, which can contain carbonate and garnet. Their chemistry is interpreted as a metasomatic product of the late magmatic hydrothermal alteration of the granite, whereas their mineralogy results from the alpine high pressure metamorphism (Pawlig and Baumgartner, 2001; Luisier et al., 2015). We performed a phase petrology and textural study to consistently estimate peak alpine metamorphic conditions in the granite and the related whiteschists. Textural observations were used to select the best-preserved high-pressure metagranite samples. Inherited magmatic feldspar textures indicate that jadeite was never formed in these granites, confirmed independently by Si in phengite barometer (1.2 to 1.5 GPa). Note that the granite contains the phengite buffer assemblage of Massonne and Schreyer (1987). Thermodynamic calculations using

External micro-PIXE analysis of fluid inclusions: Test of the LABEC facility on samples of quartz veins from Apuan Alps (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Massi, M.; Calusi, S.; Giuntini, L.; Ruggieri, G.; Dini, A.

2008-05-01

Fluid inclusions are small portions, usually smaller than 100 μm, of fluid trapped within minerals during or after growth. Their characteristics provide therefore fundamental information on nature and evolution of fluids present in the past in different geological environments. At the LABEC laboratory in Firenze, high-salinity fluid inclusions in quartz crystals, coming from the Apuan Alps metamorphic complex, were analysed at the external scanning microbeam. Results, although still preliminary, have already provided us with hints on fluid-rock interaction processes during the metamorphism of the Apuan Alps.

Saharan dust particles in snow samples of Alps and Apennines during an exceptional event of transboundary air pollution.

PubMed

Telloli, Chiara; Chicca, Milvia; Pepi, Salvatore; Vaccaro, Carmela

2017-12-21

Southern European countries are often affected in summer by transboundary air pollution from Saharan dust. However, very few studies deal with Saharan dust pollution at high altitudes in winter. In Italy, the exceptional event occurred on February 19, 2014, colored in red the entire mountain range (Alps and Apennines) and allowed to characterize the particulate matter deposited on snow from a morphological and chemical point of view. Snow samples were collected after this event in four areas in the Alps and one in the Apennines. The particulate matter of the melted snow samples was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). These analyses confirmed the presence of Saharan dust particle components in all areas with similar percentages, supported also by the positive correlations between Mg-Ca, Al-Ca, Al-Mg, and Al-K in all samples.

Fission track ages and Exhumation mechanisms of the Tauern Window, Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertrand, Audrey; Rosenberg, Claudio; Garcia, Sebastian

2010-05-01

The Tauern Window (TW) is a thermal and structural dome which exposes Penninic basement, its cover units as well as parts of the overlying Austroalpine basement in the central part of the Eastern Alps. The peak of metamorphism was attained approximately at 30Ma (Selverstone et .al, 1992), followed by cooling and exhumation throughout Miocene time. Most of the tertiary exhumation of the Eastern Alps was localized in the TW, from Early Oligocene to late Miocene time. A current debate centers on the exhumation mechanisms of Penninic rocks in the core of the TW, namely to assess whether orogen-parallel extension (e.g., Selverstone, 1988) or a combination of folding and erosion (eg., Rosenberg et al., 2004) with subordinate extension were the controlling processes. E-W extension is well documented at the western (Brenner Fault) and eastern (Katschberg Fault) margins of the window (e.g., Behrmann, 1988; Selverstone, 1988; Genser and Neubauer, 1989). In contrast, upright folding dominates the internal structure of the dome, and in particular along its western part, where fold amplitudes, mostly eroded during folding, attained up to 10 km. This study attempts to assess the relative importance of folding and erosion and of orogen-parallel extension during exhumation by analyzing the spatial and temporal cooling patterns of apatite and zircon fission track ages. The compilation of published apatite and zircon fission track ages indicates a concentric younging of both the apatite and zircon ages toward the core of the TW. The concentric isochrones follow the map trace of the axial planes of the upright folds of the western and eastern TW. This cooling pattern is in contrast to the one expected by a process of extensional unroofing, which in map view would results in isochrons parallel to the extensional faults and progressively younging towards them (e.g., Foster et al., 2001). We therefore propose that folding and erosion were primarily responsible for exhuming the Penninic

Hepatitis E Virus Genotype 4 Outbreak, Italy, 2011

PubMed Central

Garbuglia, Anna R.; Scognamiglio, Paola; Petrosillo, Nicola; Mastroianni, Claudio Maria; Sordillo, Pasquale; Gentile, Daniele; La Scala, Patrizia; Girardi, Enrico

2013-01-01

During 2011, 5 persons in the area of Lazio, Italy were infected with a monophyletic strain of hepatitis E virus that showed high sequence homology with isolates from swine in China. Detection of this genotype in Italy parallels findings in other countries in Europe, signaling the possible spread of strains new to Western countries. PMID:23260079

Effects of large deep-seated landslides on hillslope morphology, western Southern Alps, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korup, Oliver

2006-03-01

Morphometric analysis and air photo interpretation highlight geomorphic imprints of large landslides (i.e., affecting ≥1 km2) on hillslopes in the western Southern Alps (WSA), New Zealand. Large landslides attain kilometer-scale runout, affect >50% of total basin relief, and in 70% are slope clearing, and thus relief limiting. Landslide terrain shows lower mean local relief, relief variability, slope angles, steepness, and concavity than surrounding terrain. Measuring mean slope angle smoothes out local landslide morphology, masking any relationship between large landslides and possible threshold hillslopes. Large failures also occurred on low-gradient slopes, indicating persistent low-frequency/high-magnitude hillslope adjustment independent of fluvial bedrock incision. At the basin and hillslope scale, slope-area plots partly constrain the effects of landslides on geomorphic process regimes. Landslide imprints gradually blend with relief characteristics at orogen scale (102 km), while being sensitive to length scales of slope failure, topography, sampling, and digital elevation model resolution. This limits means of automated detection, and underlines the importance of local morphologic contrasts for detecting large landslides in the WSA. Landslide controls on low-order drainage include divide lowering and shifting, formation of headwater basins and hanging valleys, and stream piracy. Volumes typically mobilized, yet still stored in numerous deposits despite high denudation rates, are >107 m3, and theoretically equal to 102 years of basin-wide debris production from historic shallow landslides; lack of absolute ages precludes further estimates. Deposit size and mature forest cover indicate residence times of 101-104 years. On these timescales, large landslides require further attention in landscape evolution models of tectonically active orogens.

Discovery of a landscape-wide drape of late-glacial aeolian silt in the western Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria): First results and implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gild, Charlotte; Geitner, Clemens; Sanders, Diethard

2018-01-01

Aeolian deposits record palaeoenvironmental conditions and may coin soil properties. Whereas periglacial loess is extensively investigated for 200 years, the study of the intramontane wind-blown deposits of the Alps has just stuttered along. Herein, we describe a drape of polymictic siliciclastic silt interpreted as an aeolian deposit that veneers extensive areas in the western Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA), from kames terraces near valley floors up to last-glacial nunataks. The NCA - part of the Eastern Alps mountain range - consist mainly of Triassic carbonate rocks; these are overlain by deposits of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and its deglacial-paraglacial aftermath (e.g., glacial tills, fluvio-lacustrine successions, alluvial fans, scree slopes) - and a regional drape of polymictic silt newly described herein. The drape is typically a few decimeters in thickness and slightly modified by soil formation; it consists mainly of well-sorted silt of quartz, feldspars, phyllosilicates (muscovite, chlorite, biotite), amphiboles and, rarely, calcite or dolomite. The drape is unrelated to the substrate: it overlies carbonate bedrock and - in lateral continuity - abandoned deposystems such as colluvial slopes of redeposited till, kames, alluvial fans, scree slopes, and rock avalanche deposits. The drape was spotted from near the present valley floors up to LGM nunataks, over a vertical range of some 2000 m; it is also present in catchments of the NCA that were not overridden by far-travelled ice streams and that lack metamorphic rock fragments. Two OSL quartz ages of the drape from two distinct locations (18.77 ± 1.55 ka; 17.81 ± 1.68 ka) fall into the early Alpine late-glacial interval shortly after the collapse of pleniglacial ice streams; this fits with geological and geomorphological evidence, respectively, that the drape should be of early late-glacial age, and that it accumulated during a specific interval of time. In the NCA, localized minor deposition of

Climate Change and Human Disturbance Can Lead to Local Extinction of Alpine Rock Ptarmigan: New Insight from the Western Italian Alps

PubMed Central

Imperio, Simona; Bionda, Radames; Viterbi, Ramona; Provenzale, Antonello

2013-01-01

Alpine grouses are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to their adaptation to extreme conditions and to their relict distributions in the Alps where global warming has been particularly marked in the last half century. Grouses are also currently threatened by habitat modification and human disturbance, and an assessment of the impact of multiple stressors is needed to predict the fate of Alpine populations of these birds in the next decades. We estimated the effect of climate change and human disturbance on a rock ptarmigan population living in the western Italian Alps by combining an empirical population modelling approach and stochastic simulations of the population dynamics under the a1B climate scenario and two different disturbance scenarios, represented by the development of a ski resort, through 2050.The early appearance of snow-free ground in the previous spring had a favorable effect on the rock ptarmigan population, probably through a higher reproductive success. On the contrary, delayed snowfall in autumn had a negative effect possibly due to a mismatch in time to molt to white winter plumage which increases predation risk. The regional climate model PROTHEUS does not foresee any significant change in snowmelt date in the study area, while the start date of continuous snow cover is expected to be significantly delayed. The net effect in the stochastic projections is a more or less pronounced (depending on the model used) decline in the studied population. The addition of extra-mortality due to collision with ski-lift wires led the population to fatal consequences in most projections. Should these results be confirmed by larger studies the conservation of Alpine populations would deserve more attention. To counterbalance the effects of climate change, the reduction of all causes of death should be pursued, through a strict preservation of the habitats in the present area of occurrence. PMID:24260581

Climate change and human disturbance can lead to local extinction of Alpine rock ptarmigan: new insight from the western Italian Alps.

PubMed

Imperio, Simona; Bionda, Radames; Viterbi, Ramona; Provenzale, Antonello

2013-01-01

Alpine grouses are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to their adaptation to extreme conditions and to their relict distributions in the Alps where global warming has been particularly marked in the last half century. Grouses are also currently threatened by habitat modification and human disturbance, and an assessment of the impact of multiple stressors is needed to predict the fate of Alpine populations of these birds in the next decades. We estimated the effect of climate change and human disturbance on a rock ptarmigan population living in the western Italian Alps by combining an empirical population modelling approach and stochastic simulations of the population dynamics under the a1B climate scenario and two different disturbance scenarios, represented by the development of a ski resort, through 2050.The early appearance of snow-free ground in the previous spring had a favorable effect on the rock ptarmigan population, probably through a higher reproductive success. On the contrary, delayed snowfall in autumn had a negative effect possibly due to a mismatch in time to molt to white winter plumage which increases predation risk. The regional climate model PROTHEUS does not foresee any significant change in snowmelt date in the study area, while the start date of continuous snow cover is expected to be significantly delayed. The net effect in the stochastic projections is a more or less pronounced (depending on the model used) decline in the studied population. The addition of extra-mortality due to collision with ski-lift wires led the population to fatal consequences in most projections. Should these results be confirmed by larger studies the conservation of Alpine populations would deserve more attention. To counterbalance the effects of climate change, the reduction of all causes of death should be pursued, through a strict preservation of the habitats in the present area of occurrence.

Turin, Italy 2006

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-06

City lights at night along the France-Italy border, Europe are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 23 crew member on the International Space Station (ISS). The brightly lit metropolitan areas of Torino (Italy), Lyon, and Marseille (both in France) stand out amidst numerous smaller urban areas in this dramatic photograph. The image captures the night time appearance of the France-Italy border area between the mountainous Alps to the north (not shown) and the island of Corsica in the Ligurian Sea to the south (top). The full moon reflects brightly on the water surface and also illuminates the tops of low patchy clouds over the border (center). This image was taken by an ISS crew member at approximately 11:55 p.m. local time when the station was located over the France-Belgium border near Luxembourg. Crew members orbiting Earth frequently collect images that include sunglint, or sunlight that reflects off a water surface at such an angle that it travels directly back towards the observer. Sunglint typically lends a mirror-like appearance to the water surface. During clear sky conditions reflected light from the moon can produce the same effect (moon glint) as illustrated in this view. The observer was looking towards the southeast at an oblique viewing angle at the time the image was taken; in other words, looking outwards from the ISS, not straight down towards Earth. Credit: NASA NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

A low-temperature ductile shear zone: The gypsum-dominated western extension of the brittle Fella-Sava Fault, Southern Alps.

PubMed

Bartel, Esther Maria; Neubauer, Franz; Heberer, Bianca; Genser, Johann

2014-12-01

Based on structural and fabric analyses at variable scales we investigate the evaporitic gypsum-dominated Comeglians-Paularo shear zone in the Southern Alps (Friuli). It represents the lateral western termination of the brittle Fella-Sava Fault. Missing dehydration products of gypsum and the lack of annealing indicate temperatures below 100 °C during development of the shear zone. Despite of such low temperatures the shear zone clearly exhibits mylonitic flow, thus evidencing laterally coeval activity of brittle and viscous deformation. The dominant structures within the gypsum rocks of the Lower Bellerophon Formation are a steeply to gently S-dipping foliation, a subhorizontal stretching lineation and pure shear-dominated porphyroclast systems. A subordinate simple shear component with dextral displacement is indicated by scattered σ-clasts. Both meso- and microscale structures are characteristic of a subsimple shear type of deformation with components of both coaxial and non-coaxial strain. Shortening in a transpressive regime was accommodated by right-lateral displacement and internal pure shear deformation within the Comeglians-Paularo shear zone. The shear zone shows evidence for a combination of two stretching faults, where stretching occurred in the rheologically weaker gypsum member and brittle behavior in enveloping lithologies.

Lower Oligocene Alpine geodynamic change: tectonic and sedimentary evidences in the western arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumont, T.; Rolland, Y.; Simon-Labric, T.

2009-04-01

The formation of the western Alpine arc started during the earliest Oligocene, after a drastic kinematic change in the collisional regime. (A) Previously, south-southeast dipping subduction of the European lithosphere (including Briançonnais) underneath Adria resulted in an underfilled flexural basin propagating towards the north-northwest on the European foreland, which had already been moderately deformed due to the Iberian microplate motion. This propagation appears consistent with the Africa-Europe relative motion (Rosenbaum et al., 2002). During this early stage of collision, some oceanic units were obducted over the southern part of European continent (Corsica, Briançonnais). (B) From the early Oligocene on, the western Alps kinematics were dominated by lateral (westward) escape of the Internal Alps indenter, whose displacement with anticlockwise rotation progressively formed the arc. The structures of this mature stage of collision crosscut the buildup issued from (A), and its kinematics were probably more driven by local lithospheric forces of the Mediterranean domain (Jolivet et al., 1999) than by Africa-Europe convergence. The western and southern parts of the western Alpine arc display many evidences for this major syn-collisional change: - Structural interferences are found at various scales. For example, the circular-shape Pelvoux massif resulted in part from crossed shortening stages (SE-NW and E-W; Dumont et al., 2008). It is located in the footwall of two nappes stacks having propagated northwestwards and west- to southwestwards, respectively. The latter crosscuts the former south of Briançon city. - Tectonic transport directions are strongly variable both in the external and in the internal zones, but they consistently display anticlockwise rotation through time. The most important changes are found in the southern part of the western Alps, giving birth to a radial distribution propagating into the external zone. - Instead of beeing gradual, the

Mapping Asbestos-Cement Roofing with Hyperspectral Remote Sensing over a Large Mountain Region of the Italian Western Alps

PubMed Central

Frassy, Federico; Candiani, Gabriele; Rusmini, Marco; Maianti, Pieralberto; Marchesi, Andrea; Nodari, Francesco Rota; Via, Giorgio Dalla; Albonico, Carlo; Gianinetto, Marco

2014-01-01

The World Health Organization estimates that 100 thousand people in the world die every year from asbestos-related cancers and more than 300 thousand European citizens are expected to die from asbestos-related mesothelioma by 2030. Both the European and the Italian legislations have banned the manufacture, importation, processing and distribution in commerce of asbestos-containing products and have recommended action plans for the safe removal of asbestos from public and private buildings. This paper describes the quantitative mapping of asbestos-cement covers over a large mountainous region of Italian Western Alps using the Multispectral Infrared and Visible Imaging Spectrometer sensor. A very large data set made up of 61 airborne transect strips covering 3263 km2 were processed to support the identification of buildings with asbestos-cement roofing, promoted by the Valle d'Aosta Autonomous Region with the support of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency. Results showed an overall mapping accuracy of 80%, in terms of asbestos-cement surface detected. The influence of topography on the classification's accuracy suggested that even in high relief landscapes, the spatial resolution of data is the major source of errors and the smaller asbestos-cement covers were not detected or misclassified. PMID:25166502

Relationships between botanical and chemical composition of forages: a multivariate approach to grasslands in the Western Italian Alps.

PubMed

Ravetto Enri, Simone; Renna, Manuela; Probo, Massimiliano; Lussiana, Carola; Battaglini, Luca M; Lonati, Michele; Lombardi, Giampiero

2017-03-01

Plant composition of species-rich mountain grasslands can affect the sensorial and chemical attributes of dairy and meat products, with implications for human health. A multivariate approach was used to analyse the complex relationships between vegetation characteristics (botanical composition and plant community variables) and chemical composition (proximate constituents and fatty acid profile) in mesophilic and dry vegetation ecological groups, comprising six different semi-natural grassland types in the Western Italian Alps. Mesophilic and dry grasslands were comparable in terms of phenology, biodiversity indices and proportion of botanical families. The content of total fatty acids and that of the most abundant fatty acids (alpha-linolenic, linoleic and palmitic acids) were mainly associated to nutrient-rich plant species, belonging to the mesophilic grassland ecological group. Mesophilic grasslands showed also higher values of crude protein, lower values of fibre content and they were related to higher pastoral values of vegetation compared to dry grasslands. The proximate composition and fatty acid profile appeared mainly single species dependent rather than botanical family dependent. These findings highlight that forage from mesophilic grasslands can provide higher nutritive value for ruminants and may be associated to ruminant-derived food products with a healthier fatty acid profile. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Low temperature thermochronology in the Eastern Alps: Implications for structural and topographic evolution

PubMed Central

Wölfler, Andreas; Stüwe, Kurt; Danišík, Martin; Evans, Noreen J.

2012-01-01

According to new apatite fission track, zircon- and apatite (U–Th)/He data, we constrain the near-surface history of the southeastern Tauern Window and adjacent Austrolapine units. The multi-system thermochronological data demonstrate that age-elevation correlations may lead to false implications about exhumation and cooling in the upper crust. We suggest that isothermal warping in the Penninic units that are in the position of a footwall, is due to uplift, erosion and the buildup of topography. Additionally we propose that exhumation rates in the Penninic units did not increase during the Middle Miocene, thus during the time of lateral extrusion. In contrast, exhumation rates of the Austroalpine hangingwall did increase from the Paleogene to the Neogene and the isotherms in this unit were not warped. The new zircon (U–Th)/He ages as well as zircon fission track ages from the literature document a Middle Miocene exhumation pulse which correlates with a period of enhanced sediment accumulation during that time. However, enhanced sedimentation- and exhumation rates at the Miocene/Pliocene boundary, as observed in the Western- and Central Alps, cannot be observed in the Eastern Alps. This contradicts a climatic trigger for surface uplift, and makes a tectonic trigger and/or deep-seated mechanism more obvious to explain surface uplift in the Eastern Alps. In combination with already published geochronological ages, our new data demonstrate Oligocene to Late Miocene fault activity along the Möll valley fault that constitutes a major shear zone in the Eastern Alps. In this context we suggest a geometrical and temporal relationship of the Katschberg-, Polinik–Möll valley- and Mur–Mürz faults that define the extruding wedge in the eastern part of the Eastern Alps. Equal deformation- and fission track cooling ages along the Katschberg–Brenner- and Simplon normal faults demonstrate overall Middle Miocene extension in the whole alpine arc. PMID:27065501

Micronucleus monitoring of a floriculturist population from western Liguria, Italy.

PubMed

Bolognesi, Claudia; Perrone, Emanuela; Landini, Eleonora

2002-09-01

A biomonitoring study was carried out to investigate whether exposure to complex pesticide mixtures in ornamental crop production represents a potential genotoxic risk. Exposed and control subjects were selected in western Liguria (Italy). The area was chosen for its intensive use of pesticides. The main crops produced were roses, mimosas, carnations and chrysanthemums, as ornamental non-edible plants, and tomato, lettuce and basil, as edible ones. The levels of micronuclei (MN) were analysed in peripheral blood lymphocytes of 107 floriculturists (92 men and 15 women) and 61 control subjects (42 men and 19 women). A statistically significant increase in binucleated cells with micronuclei (BNMN) was detected in floriculturists with respect to the control population (4.41 +/- 2.14 MN/1000 cells versus 3.04 +/- 2.14, P < 0.001). The mean number of BNMN varied as a function of sex and age. Smoking habit had no effect on MN frequency. A positive correlation between years of farming and MN frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes was observed (r = 0.30, P = 0.02). The conditions of exposure were also associated with an increase in cytogenetic damage, with a 28% higher MN frequency in greenhouse workers compared with subjects working only outdoors in fields. Workers not using protective measures during high exposure activities showed an increase in MN frequency. Our findings suggest a potential genotoxic risk due to pesticide exposure.

Preliminary comparative study of middle Anisian vertebrate ichnoassociation from South-Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valdiserri, D.; Todesco, R.; Avanzini, M.

2009-04-01

Pelsonian ichno-association seem to corroborate the hypothesis of two different ichoassemblages in the late Middle Triassic (Lucas, 2007). Further studies could allow a better understanding of the evolution of the Chirotherian tracks group and the systematics of the Rhynchosauroidae ichnofamily. References Abel, O. 1926. Der erste Fund einer Tetrapodenfährte in den unteren alpinen Trias. Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 7: 22-24. Avanzini, M., Mietto, P. 2008. Lower and Middle Triassic footprint-based Biochronology in the Italian Southern Alps. Oryctos, Vol. 8, 2008: 3-13. Avanzini, M., Wachtler, M., Dellantonio, E. & Todesco, R. 2007. A new Late Anisian vertebrate ichnosite from Dolomites (Val Duron, Val di Fassa). Geoitalia 2007, Abstract Vol. 10.1474/ Epitome 02.1081. Lucas, S. G. 2007. Tetrapod Footprint Biostratigraphy and Biochronology, Ichnos, 14,1:5-38 Todesco, R. 2007. Studio paleontologico delle orme di rettili triassici (Pelsonico) nel Conglomerato di Voltago (Valle di Prissiano, Trentino-Alto Adige). Degree thesis, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Todesco, R.; Wachtler, M; Kustatscher, E. & Avanzini, M. 2008. Preliminary reporton a new vertebrate track and flora site from Piz da Peres (Anisian-Illyrian): Olang Dolomites, Northern Italy. Geo. Alp, 5: 121-137 Valdiserri, D. & Avanzini, M. 2006: A tetrapod ichnoassociation from the Middle Triassic (Anisian, Pelsonian) of Northern Italy. Ichnos, 14: 105-116.

Duration of a large Mafic intrusion and heat transfer in the lower crust: A SHRIMP U-Pb zircon Study in the Ivrea-Verbano Zone (Western Alps, Italy)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peressini, G.; Quick, J.E.; Sinigoi, S.; Hofmann, A.W.; Fanning, M.

2007-01-01

The Ivrea-Verbano Zone in the western Italian Alps contains one of the world's classic examples of ponding of mantle-derived, mafic magma in the deep crust. Within it, a voluminous, composite mafic pluton, the Mafic Complex, intruded lower-crustal, high-grade paragneiss of the Kinzigite Formation during Permian-Carboniferous time, and is now exposed in cross-section as a result of Alpine uplift. The age of the intrusion is still debated because the results of geochronological studies in the last three decades on different rock types and with various dating techniques range from 250 to about 300 Ma. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon age determinations on 12 samples from several locations within the Mafic Complex were performed to better constrain the age of the igneous event. The results indicate a long history of magma emplacement and cooling, which reconciles the spread in previously published ages. The main intrusive phase took place at 288 ?? 4 Ma, causing a perturbation of the deep-crustal geotherm, which relaxed to the Sm-Nd closure temperature in garnet-free mafic rocks after about 15-20 Myr of sub-solidus cooling at c. 270 Ma. These results suggest that large, deep crustal plutons, such as those identified geophysically at depths of 10-20 km within extended continental crust (e.g. Yellowstone, Rio Grande Rift, Basin and Range) may have formed rapidly but induced a prolonged thermal perturbation. In addition, the data indicate that a significant thermal event affected the country rock of the Mafic Complex at about 310 Ma. The occurrence of an upper amphibolite- to granulite-facies thermal event in the Kinzigite Formation prior to the main intrusive phase of the Mafic Complex has been postulated by several workers, and is corroborated by other geochronological investigations. However, it remains uncertain whether this event (1) was part of a prolonged perturbation of the deep-crustal geotherm, which started long before the onset of

The ALP miracle: unified inflaton and dark matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daido, Ryuji; Takahashi, Fuminobu; Yin, Wen

2017-05-01

We propose a scenario where both inflation and dark matter are described by a single axion-like particle (ALP) in a unified manner. In a class of the minimal axion hilltop inflation, the effective masses at the maximum and mimimum of the potential have equal magnitude but opposite sign, so that the ALP inflaton is light both during inflation and in the true vacuum. After inflation, most of the ALPs decay and evaporate into plasma through a coupling to photons, and the remaining ones become dark matter. We find that the observed CMB and matter power spectrum as well as the dark matter abundance point to an ALP of mass mphi = Script O(0.01) eV and the axion-photon coupling gphi γ γ = Script O(10-11) GeV-1: the ALP miracle. The suggested parameter region is within the reach of the next generation axion helioscope, IAXO, and high-intensity laser experiments in the future. Furthermore, thermalized ALPs contribute to hot dark matter and its abundance is given in terms of the effective number of extra neutrino species, Δ Neff simeq 0.03, which can be tested by the future CMB and BAO observations. We also discuss a case with multiple ALPs, where the coupling to photons can be enhanced in the early Universe by an order of magnitude or more, which enlarges the parameter space for the ALP miracle. The heavy ALP plays a role of the waterfall field in hybrid inflation, and reheats the Universe, and it can be searched for in various experiments such as SHiP.

Prevalence of Paget's disease of bone in Italy.

PubMed

Gennari, Luigi; Di Stefano, Marco; Merlotti, Daniela; Giordano, Nicola; Martini, Giuseppe; Tamone, Cristina; Zatteri, Roberto; De Lucchi, Roberto; Baldi, Carlo; Vattimo, Angelo; Capoccia, Silvia; Burroni, Luca; Geraci, Simone; De Paola, Vincenzo; Calabrò, Anna; Avanzati, Annalisa; Isaia, Giancarlo; Nuti, Ranuccio

2005-10-01

We examined the prevalence of PDB in Italy from radiological, scintigraphic, and biochemical surveys in two Italian towns. Prevalence rates varied from 0.7% to 2.4%, were higher in males than in females, and slightly differed between the two towns. Unlike previous studies in populations of British descent, no secular trend for a decreasing prevalence emerged. Clinical, radiological, and necropsy data from different countries suggested pronounced geographical variations in the prevalence of Paget's disease of bone (PDB). Despite the impact of the disease on the population, there are limited data on the prevalence of PDB in Italy. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of PDB in the district of Siena (Central Italy) and Turin (Northern Italy) from radiological, biochemical, and scintigraphic surveys. We examined a sample of 1778 consecutive pelvic radiographs performed between 1999 and 2000 at the Hospital Radiology Unit in Siena and 6609 pelvic radiographs performed in 1986-1987, 1992-1993, and 1999-2002 from the Radiology Department of Molinette Hospital in Turin. In Siena, 7906 consecutive (99m)TC-MDP bone scans performed over a 4-year period (January 2000 to May 2004) were also screened for the presence of PDB, and the prevalence of elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels (>300 UI/liter) was estimated from 7449 computerized medical records over a 3-year period (January 2000 to February 2003). The finding of PDB on the pelvic radiograph and bone scan was based on standardized radiological criteria. At the end of the radiological surveys, 16/1778 pelvic PDB cases (8 males and 8 females) were observed in Siena and 41/6609 (27 males and 14 females) in Turin. The crude prevalence of the disease was 0.89% in Siena and 0.62% in Turin. Given that pelvic involvement is commonly described in 60-90% of PDB patients, the estimated overall prevalence of PDB ranged from 1.0% to 1.5% in Siena and from 0.7% to 1.0% in Turin. No decrease in the prevalence

The rock avalanche of the Mt. Peron (Eastern Alps, Italy): new insights from 36Cl exposure dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Silvana; Ivy-ochs, Susan; Alfimov, Vasili; Vockenhuber, %Christof; Surian, Nicola; Campedel, Paolo; Rigo, Manuel; Viganò, Alfio; De Zorzi, Manuel

2016-04-01

In the Late Pleistocene, in the southern side of the Eastern Alps (Veneto region, Italy), when the glacier tongues retreated from the end moraine system areas towards the Dolomitic region, large rock avalanches took place. In the Belluno Valley, occupied by the Piave river, the left side is represented by the Belluno Prealps range, corresponding to the northern flank of a km-scale WSW-ENE oriented alpine syncline formed by rocks from Late Triassic to Late Tertiary in age. The Mt. Peron, belonging to this mountain range, shows its southern lower slope covered by debris cones with scattered boulders and its higher slope, corresponding to the scarp, made of vertical rock strata. At the foot of Mt. Peron, at a distance varying from 500 to 4500 m, there is a 4.5 km2 fan like area delimited by a perimeter of about 15 km. This is a hilly area of poortly sorted, chaotic deposits composed of heterogeneous debris, sandy and silty gravels, angular blocks and very large boulders of carbonatic rocks up to 20 m in diameter. The average thickness of the deposit was estimated to be 80 m, with maximum of 120 m. According to previous works, the main event occurred during the first phases of deglaciation, between 17,000 and 15,000 years BP. Popular stories narrate about two legendary villages destroyed by a mass of stones rolling down in the valley. This is confirmed by archeological findings in the Piave valley which indicate the presence of almost one pre-historic settlement dating 40000-20000 years a B.P., (i.e. before the Last Glacial Maximum).. Recent 36Cl exposure dating have yielded historical ages for both the boulders at the foot of the Mt Peron and those located a few km far from the main scarp. According to these exposure ages we can not exclude the hypothesis that earthquakes related to the Venetian faults could have played a key role for triggering of the rock avalanche and that the main gravitational event took place in historical times rather than during the

Age and prematurity of the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hergarten, Stefan; Stüwe, Kurt; Wagner, Thomas

2010-05-01

Although the Alps are among the best studied mountain ranges on Earth, the age of their topography is almost unknown. Even their relative stage of evolution is unclear: Are the Alps still growing, in a steady state or even decaying? Using the mean slope at given catchment size as a new geomorphic parameter we analyse the topography of the Alps. Our analysis provides one of the first quantitative constraints that shows that the range is still in its infancy: In contrast to several other mountain ranges, the Alps have still more than half of their evolution to a geomorphic steady state to go. Combining our results with sediment data from the surrounding accumulation spaces we infer that the formation of substantial topography began only 5-6 million years ago. Our results challenge a general consensus that the topographic evolution is distributed over much of the Miocene.

Interpreting Intra-site Spatial Patterns in Seasonal Contexts: an Ethnoarchaeological Case Study from the Western Alps.

PubMed

Carrer, Francesco

2017-01-01

This paper deals with the ethnoarchaeological analysis of the spatial pattern of artefacts and ecofacts within two traditional pastoral huts (a dwelling and a seasonal dairy) in the uplands of Val Maudagna (Cuneo province, Italian western Alps). The composition of the ethnoarchaeological assemblages of the two huts was studied and compared; point pattern analysis was applied to identify spatial processes mirrored in the interactions between objects; Moran's I correlogram and empirical variogram were used to investigate the effects of trampling on the displacement of objects on the floor. The results were compared with information provided by the herder who still used the huts. The quantitative and ethnographical data enabled inferences to be made that can help in the interpretation of archaeological seasonal sites. The function of a seasonal site can be recognized, as can the impact of delayed curation on the composition of the assemblage and the importance of the intensity of occupation compared with the frequency of occupation. The spatial organization of activities is reflected in the spatial patterns of objects, with clearer identification of activity areas in intensively occupied sites, and there is evidence for the behaviour behind the spatial segregation of activities. Trampling is a crucial post-depositional factor in the displacement of artefacts and ecofacts, especially in non-intensively exploited sites. From a methodological point of view, this research is another example that highlights the importance of integrating quantitative methods (especially spatial analysis and geostatistical methods) and ethnoarchaeological data in order to improve the interpretation of archaeological sites and assemblages.

Pre-Alpine (Variscan) Inheritance: A Key for the Location of the Future Valaisan Basin (Western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballèvre, M.; Manzotti, P.; Dal Piaz, G. V.

2018-03-01

The boundary between the Helvetic and the Penninic (=Briançonnais) Zones has long been recognized as a major fault ("Penninic Front") in the Western Alps. A narrow oceanic domain has been postulated at least along part of this boundary (the Valaisan Basin). However, the information provided by the pre-Triassic basement has not been fully exploited and will be discussed here in detail. The igneous and metamorphic history of the pre-Triassic basement shows significant differences between the External Massifs from the Helvetic Zone, with abundant Late Carboniferous granites, and the basement of the Briançonnais Zone, including the Internal Massifs (Dora-Maira, Gran Paradiso, and Monte Rosa), devoid of Carboniferous granites. A major coal-bearing basin, the "Zone Houillère," opened along this boundary. This limnic intramontane basin has never been properly investigated. The Zone Houillère is not comparable with the external, paralic, flexural, basins on both sides of the Variscan belt but shows similarities with the Saar-Saale Basin. Like the latter, we interpret the Zone Houillère as a transtensional basin opened along a major, crustal-scale, fault zone, namely, the East Variscan Shear Zone. The Permian magmatism and sedimentation displays contrasting distributions, being absent or very localized in the Helvetic Zone, and widespread in the Penninic Zone. The above data indicate that the structural inheritance from the Variscan belt plays a major role in defining the future location of the Valaisan Basin, that is, the boundary between the European paleomargin and the Briançonnais microcontinent.

Contrasting environmental memories by ancient soils on different parent rocks in the South-western Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Amico, Michele; Catoni, Marcella; Bonifacio, Eleonora; Zanini, Ermanno

2014-05-01

Ancient soils (pre-Holocenic paleosols and vetusols) are uncommon on the Alps, because of the extensive Pleistocenic glaciations which erased most of the previously existing soils, the slope steepness and climatic conditions favoring soil erosion. However, in few sites, particularly in the outermost sections of the Alpine range, Pleistocene glaciers covered only small and scattered surfaces because of the low altitude reached in the basins, and ancient soils could be preserved for long periods of time on particularly stable surfaces. We described and sampled soils on 11 stable surfaces in the Upper Tanaro valley, Ligurian Alps (Southwestern Piemonte, Italy). The sampling sites were characterized by low steepness and elevation between 600 to 1600 m, under present day lower montane Castanea sativa/Ostrya carpinifolia forests, montane Fagus sylvatica and Pinus uncinata forests or montane heath/grazed grassland, on different substrata. In particular, we sampled soils developed on dolomite, limestone, quartzite, gneiss and shales. The soils were always well representative of the pedogenic trends active on the respective parent materials, i.e. the skeletal fraction in each soil was always composed of just one rock type, despite the proximity of lithological boundaries and the small dimensions of the different outcrops, often coexisting on the same stable surface. All the considered profiles showed signs of extremely long pedogenesis and/or different phases of intense pedogenesis interrupted by the deposition of periglacial cover beds in the steepest sites. Up to four phases of intense pedogenesis were recognized where cover beds were developed, presumably during cold Pleistocene phases, as present-day climate is not cold enough to create such periglacial morphologies. In such cases, each cover bed underwent similar pedogenesis, strongly dependent on the parent material: on quartzite, podzols with thick E horizons and well developed placic ones were formed in all phases

A Development Testbed for ALPS-Based Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-10-01

alloted to tile application because of size or power constraints). Given an underlying support ALPS architecture such as the d-ALPS architecture, a...resource on which it is assigned at runtime. A second representation problem is that most graph analysis algorithms treat either graphs with weighted links...subtask) associated with it but is treated like other links. In d-ALPS, as a priority precedence link, it would cause the binding of a pro- cessor: as a

Ductile extension of syn-magmatic lower crusts, with application to volcanic passive margins: the Ivrea Zone (Southern Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bidault, Marie; Geoffroy, Laurent; Arbaret, Laurent; Aubourg, Charles

2017-04-01

Deep seismic reflection profiles of present-day volcanic passive margins often show a 2-layered lower crust, from top to bottom: an apparently ductile 12 km-thick middle-lower layer (LC1) of strong folded reflectors and a 4 km-thick supra-Moho layer (LC2) of horizontal and parallel reflectors. Those layers appear to be structurally disconnected and to develop at the early stages of margins evolution. A magmatic origin has been suggested by several studies to explain those strong reflectors, favoring mafic sills intrusion hypothesis. Overlying mafic and acidic extrusives (Seaward Dipping Reflectors sequences) are bounded by continentward-dipping detachment faults rooting in, and co-structurated with, the ductile part of the lower crust (LC1). Consequently the syn-rift to post-rift evolution of volcanic passive margins (and passive margins in general) largely depends on the nature and the properties of the lower crust, yet poorly understood. We propose to investigate the properties and rheology of a magma-injected extensional lower crust with a field analogue, the Ivrea Zone (Southern Alps, Italy). The Ivrea Zone displays a complete back-thrusted section of a Variscan continental lower crust that first underwent gravitational collapse, and then lithospheric extension. This Late Paleozoic extension was apparently associated with the continuous intrusion of a large volume of mafic to acid magma. Both the magma timing and volume, and the structure of the Ivrea lower crust suggest that this section represents an adequate analogue of a syn-magmatic in-extension mafic rift zone which aborted at the end of the Permian. Notably, we may recognize the 2 layers LC1 and LC2. From a number of tectonic observations, we reconstitute the whole tectonic history of the area, focusing on the strain field evolution with time, in connection with mafic magma injection. We compare those results with available data from extensional mafic lower crusts at rifts and margins.

A new late glacial to early Holocene palaeobotanical and archaeological record in the Eastern Pre-Alps: the Palughetto basin (Cansiglio Plateau, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avigliano, Roberto; di Anastasio, Giulio; Improta, Salvatore; Peresani, Marco; Ravazzi, Cesare

2000-12-01

A late glacial to early Holocene lacustrine and peat succession, rich in conifer remains and including some palaeolithic flint artefacts, has been investigated in the Palughetto intermorainic basin (Venetian Pre-Alps). The geomorphological and stratigraphical relationships, 14C dates and pollen analyses allow a reconstruction of the environmental history of the basin and provide significant insights into the reforestation and peopling of the Pre-Alps. The onset of peat accumulation is dated to 14.4-14.1 kyr cal. BP, coinciding with reforestation at middle altitudes that immediately post-dates the immigration of Larix decidua and Picea abies subsp. europaea. Plant macrofossils point to the expansion of spruce about 14.3 kyr cal. BP, so far one of the earliest directly dated in the late glacial period of southern Europe. The previous hypothesis of an early Holocene spruce immigration in the Southern Alps from Slovenia needs reconsideration. Organic sedimentation stopped at the end of the Younger Dryas and was followed by the evolution of hydromorphic soils containing lithic artefacts, anthropic structures and wood charcoal. The typological features of the flint implements refer human occupation of the site to the end of the recent Epigravettian. Charcoals yielded dates either consistent with, or younger than, the archaeological chronology, in the early and middle Holocene.

"Fast pedogenesis" on proglacial areas: examples from the north-western Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Amico, Michele; Freppaz, Michele; Zanini, Ermanno

2013-04-01

Climate changes have huge impacts on alpine ecosystems. One of the most visible effects is glacial retreat since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA: 190-190 years ago), which caused the exposure of previously glaciated surfaces. These surfaces are open-air laboratories, verifying theories regarding ecosystem and soil development. In order to increase our knowledge on the effect of time and vegetation primary succession on soil development in proglacial areas, we sampled soils and surveyed plant communities on stable points on the proglacial areas of the Lys and Verra Grande glaciers, in the Italian north-western Alps (Valle d'Aosta). Sampling sites were located on dated sites (6-260 years), on the basis of literature or historical photographs). Glacial till is attacked by weathering processes immediately after deposition and stabilization, such as loss of soluble compounds, acidification, primary mineral weathering. The speed of these processes are largely increased after the establishment of a continuous vegetation cover, thanks to surface stabilization, organic matter accumulation caused by litter input and root decomposition below the soil surface. On sialic glacial tills (Lys forefield), below timberline and under a larch - Rhododendron forest, a fast and steady decrease in pH values, increase in organic matter content and horizon differentiation were observed. In particular, genetic eluvial horizons formed in just 60 years, while diagnostic albic horizons were developed after ca. 90 years, evidencing an early start of the podzolization processes. Cheluviation of Fe and, secondarily, Al were analytically verified. However, illuviation of Fe, Al and organic matter in incipient B horizons was not sufficient to obtain diagnostic spodic horizons on LIA materials. Under grazed grassland below timberline and alpine prairie above timberline, acidification and weathering were slightly slower, and no redistribution with depth of Fe and Al oxi-hydroxides was observed. A

Three-dimensional geometry and tectonostratigraphy of the Pennine zone, Central Alps, Switzerland and Northern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maxelon, Michael; Mancktelow, Neil S.

2005-08-01

Continental collision during Alpine orogenesis entailed a polyphase deformation history (D 1-D 5) in the Pennine zone of the Central Alps. The regional tectonostratigraphy was basically developed during D 1 and D 2, characterised by isoclinal, typically north-closing recumbent anticlines, separated by pinched-in synclines, on the scale of tens of kilometres. Later deformation phases (D 3 and D 4) warped the stack into wavy to open folds. Exhumation of this zone resulted locally in later vertical shortening and folding of already steep fabrics (D 5). Three-dimensional models of the nappe pile were constructed, based on geostatistical assessment of the regional foliation field and considering the abundant structural field data. These models indicate the existence of five principal tectonostratigraphic levels developed during D 1 and thus equivalent to nappe units s. str.: the Gotthard, the Leventina-Antigorio, the Maggia-Simano (and probably the Monte Leone as well as the Composite Lepontine Series), Lebendun-Soja and Adula-Cima Lunga levels. All these tectonic units formed part of the passive continental margin of Europe prior to the onset of the Alpine orogenesis. Individual isoclinal post-nappe folds reflect relative displacements on the order of 40 km or more. The most prominent D 2 post-nappe structure is the Wandfluhhorn Fold, structurally equivalent to the northern closure of the Leventina-Lucomagno Antiform. The Lebendun and Monte Leone folds are of similar magnitudes and also affect the whole nappe pile, whereas the smaller Mogno and Molare synforms only refold the Maggia-Simano nappe internally. Principal D 3 and D 4 structures are the tight Mergoscia Synform directly north of the Insubric Fault between Bellinzona and Locarno (Southern Steep Belt), the Maggia Steep Zone, forming the steep western limb of the Campo Tencia Synform and subdividing the Lepontine dome into the Simplon and Ticino subdomes, the Chiéra Synform steepening the dominant foliation in

Cretaceous to Tertiary paleogeographic reconstructions of the Alps-Pyrenees linking zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frasca, Gianluca; Dielforder, Armin; Ford, Mary; Vergés, Jaume

2017-04-01

The northwestern Mediterranean subduction systems underwent an important phase of reorganization between Late Cretaceous and Eocene. The mode and timing of this reorganization are still under debate. Great uncertainties mainly derive from the poorly preserved record of the early phases of orogenic evolution in both the Alps and Pyrenees and the distruction of the orogenic system between the Pyrenees and Alps by the Oligo-Miocene opening of the Gulf of Lion due to backarc rifting. Vestiges are nevertheless preserved in the Pyreneo-Provençal fold-and-thrust belt and associated basins in southern France and Corsica-Sardinia. In this work we first review published plate kinematic models for Iberia, Apulia and Europe from 83 Ma, focusing in particular on the restoration of the Corso-Sardinia block using the free software GPlates. Second, we characterize the Upper Cretaceous to Eocene depositional systems at the junction between the Alps, Pyrenees and Apennines, reviewing previous paleogeographic restorations for the Western Alpine and Eastern Pyrenean foreland basins. Last, we compare the kinematic models with reconstructed basin dynamics. We critically assess the implications of newly proposed paleogeographic reconstructions (at 83, 65, 50, 37 and 30 Ma) for the validity of various plate kinematic models. The information derived from the sedimentary basins help to define the mode and timing of the subduction reorganization that occurred between 83 and 30 Ma in the northwestern Mediterranean. This study is part of the Orogen research program funded by Total, the BRGM (Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières), the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique).

Paleotopographic control of landslides in lacustrine deposits (Trièves plateau, French western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bièvre, Grégory; Kniess, Ulrich; Jongmans, Denis; Pathier, Erwan; Schwartz, Stéphane; van Westen, Cees J.; Villemin, Thierry; Zumbo, Vilma

2011-01-01

Paleotopography in Quaternary sedimentary environments can be an important factor that controls landslide movement. This study investigates the relation between paleotopography and landslide activity in two adjacent landslides in glaciolacustrine sediments located in the Trièves area (French western Alps). Although both are in slopes underlain by the same lacustrine deposits, the Avignonet and Harmalière landslides exhibit major differences in morphology and displacement rates. Through a combination of geological mapping, airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, aerial photographs, global positioning system (GPS), and seismic noise measurements, a three-dimensional impression was made of both landslides. The analysis reveals that the difference in kinematics between the two mass movements can be traced back to at least 50 years ago. The results show that the Harmalière slide, which failed catastrophically in 1981, is still much more active than the Avignonet landslide. The fear was that the Avignonet landslide might develop in a similar catastrophic manner, threatening a number of houses constructed on the landslide. A geophysical survey based on ambient noise measurements allowed us to map the base of the lacustrine clays, and the results indicate the presence of a N-S ridge of hard sediments (Jurassic bedrock and/or compact alluvial layers) on the eastern side of the Avignonet landslide. This ridge disappears when approaching the Harmalière landslide and makes a place to what can be interpreted as a NW-SE oriented paleovalley of the river Drac. We proposed that the ridge acts as a buttress that could mechanically prevent the Avignonet landslide from evolving as fast as the Harmalière. Furthermore, the NW-SE paleovalley located under the Harmalière landslide corresponds to the motion direction of the slide. Therefore, the different behaviour of the two landslides is partly controlled by the paleotopographic setting of Lake Trièves during the last

Alpine ethnobotany in Italy: traditional knowledge of gastronomic and medicinal plants among the Occitans of the upper Varaita valley, Piedmont

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

A gastronomic and medical ethnobotanical study was conducted among the Occitan communities living in Blins/Bellino and Chianale, in the upper Val Varaita, in the Piedmontese Alps, North-Western Italy, and the traditional uses of 88 botanical taxa were recorded. Comparisons with and analysis of other ethnobotanical studies previously carried out in other Piemontese and surrounding areas, show that approximately one fourth of the botanical taxa quoted in this survey are also known in other surrounding Occitan valleys. It is also evident that traditional knowledge in the Varaita valley has been heavily eroded. This study also examined the local legal framework for the gathering of botanical taxa, and the potential utilization of the most quoted medicinal and food wild herbs in the local market, and suggests that the continuing widespread local collection from the wild of the aerial parts of Alpine wormwood for preparing liqueurs (Artemisia genipi, A. glacialis, and A. umbelliformis) should be seriously reconsidered in terms of sustainability, given the limited availability of these species, even though their collection is culturally salient in the entire study area. PMID:19895681

Lithospheric structure of the Western Alps as seen by full-waveform inversion of CIFALPS teleseismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beller, Stephen; Monteiller, Vadim; Operto, Stéphane; Nolet, Guust; Paul, Anne; Zhao, Liang

2017-04-01

Full-waveform inversion (FWI) is a powerful but constitutionally intensive technique that aims to recover 3D multiparameter images of the subsurface by minimising the waveform difference between the full recorded and modelled seismograms. This method has recently been adapted and successfully applied in lithospheric settings by tackling teleseismic waveform modelling with hybrid methods. For each event, a global scale simulation is performed once and for all to store the wavefield solutions on the edges of the lithospheric target. Then, for each modelling involved in the FWI process, these global scale solutions are injected within the lithospheric medium from the boundaries. We present the results of the application of teleseismic FWI to the data acquired by the CIFALPS experiment that was conducted in the Western Alps to gain new insights its lithospheric structure and geodynamic evolution of the alpine range. Nine teleseismic events were inverted to infer 3D models of density, P-wave velocity and S-wave velocity of the crust and the upper-mantle down to 200 km depth. Our models show clear evidences of continental subduction during the alpine orogeny. They outline a dipping European Moho down to 75 km depth and finely delineate the geometry of the Ivrea body at the suture between European and Adriatic plates. Deeper, in the mantle a slow S-wave velocity anomaly might indicate the location of the European slab detachment. Overall, FWI models give access to new seismic images that fill the resolution gap between smooth tomographic model and sharp receiver function images of the lithosphere and enable integrated interpretations of crustal and upper-mantle structures.

Potential toxicity of nonregulated asbestiform minerals: balangeroite from the western Alps. Part 1: Identification and characterization.

PubMed

Groppo, Chiara; Tomatis, Maura; Turci, Francesco; Gazzano, Elena; Ghigo, Dario; Compagnoni, Roberto; Fubini, Bice

2005-01-08

In the Italian western Alps, asbestos mineralization (both chrysotile and tremolite amphibole) takes place from serpentinites, together with other less common asbestiform minerals not regulated by the current legislation. In the context of a study on the evaluation of the asbestos risk in this area, the possible role played by the associated asbestiform minerals in the overall toxicity of the airborne fraction has been examined. The first mineral investigated was balangeroite [(Mg,Fe2+,Fe3+,Mn2+)42Si16O54(OH)36], an iron-rich asbestiform contaminant of chrysotile from the Balangero mine (Piedmont), which crystallizes as rigid and brittle fibers. In order to prepare a sample in a form appropriate for chemical and cellular tests, the fibers were separated from the rock and comminuted without damage to their crystalline structure and surface state (as confirmed by X-ray diffraction [XRD] and ultraviolet-visible [UV-Vis] spectroscopy). The first properties examined were durability in simulated body fluids (Gamble's solution) and toxicity to epithelial cells. When compared to UICC crocidolite (the amphibole blue asbestos, regarded as the most pathogenic form), balangeroite appears even more durable than crocidolite. Balangeroite and UICC crocidolite showed a similar in vitro cytotoxic effect on a human epithelial cell line, as evidenced by leakage of intracellular lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, which, observed after a 24-h incubation, was dose dependent and maximal at 12 microg/cm2 for each fiber type. Data show that chemical composition, form, durability, and cell toxicity indicate balangeroite as a potentially harmful fibrous mineral that needs to be examined by further chemical and cellular tests.

Brittle deformation and exhumation mechanisms in the core of the Eastern Alps, The Tauern Window

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertrand, Audrey; Garcia, Sebastian; Rosenberg, Claudio

2010-05-01

. Taken together, our results suggest that the brittle crust of the TW was mostly affected by a strike-slip state of stress, which grades into extension at the eastern and western margins of the dome. This suggests that the inverse regime associated with the upright folds terminated before these structures entered the brittle field. Hence, the strike-slip regime postdates in a short time-span the reverse one. The brittle crust of the TW affected by the pure-compressional regime may have been eroded or perhaps there was never any compression after the crust was exhumed to above the ductile-brittle transition. References Grundmann, G., and Morteani, G., 1985, The young uplift and thermal history of the central Eastern Alps (Austria/Italy), evidence from apatite fission track ages. Jahrb. der Geo. Bundesanstalt, 128, 197-216. Ratschbacher, L., Frisch, W., Neubauer, F., Schmid, S. M., and Neugebauer, J., 1989, Extension in compressional orogenic belts: The eastern Alps. Geology, 17, 404-407. Rosenberg, C. L., Brun, J.-P., and Gapais, D., 2004, An indentation model of the Eastern Alps and the origin of the Tauern Window. Geology, 32, 997-1000. Schneider, S., Bertrand, A. & Rosenberg, C.L. The Jaufental Fault: a kinematic link between the Tauern Window and south-Alpine Indentation. Abstract EGU2010. Selverstone, J., 1988, Evidence for East-West crustal extension in the eastern Alps: implications for the unroofing history of the Tauern Window. Tectonics, 7, 87-105. Selverstone, J., Franz, G., Thomas, S., Getty, S., 1992. Fluid variability in 2 GPa eclogites as an indicator of fluid behavior during subduction. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 112, 341-357.

A magnetotelluric feasibility study of the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritter, O.; Weckmann, U.

2016-12-01

The Alps are a famous and extensive mountain range system in central Europe. The mountains were formed as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided and they have been a prime target for geological and geophysical investigations since the beginning of modern geosciences. Consequently, the Alps have been investigated with active and passive seismological methods and extensive sets of potential field data exist. Hardly anything is known, however, about the deep electrical conductivity structure, as it has been notoriously difficult to acquire magnetotelluric (MT) data in the Alps. The Alps are densely populated and a lot of infrastructure for tourism has been built over the years. MT measurements, which rely on natural variations of the electromagnetic background fields, are severely hampered by this man-made noise. Here, we report on a feasibility study to acquire MT data in the Alps, where all stations are deployed outside the valleys, on high mountain ranges and alpine pastures. Overall we recorded MT data at 7 stations, along an approximately north-south profile centred on Mayrhofen in the Austrian Alps. The average station spacing was 5 kilometers. The data were processed using robust remote-reference processing and the results clearly show that MT measurements are feasible. We used Mare2DEM for 2D inversion to include a somewhat realistic topography. The 2D section indicates moderate resistivity for the top 2 - 5 km, consistent with the regional geology, which suggests (meta-) sedimentary sequences. From depths of 5 km and below resistivities exceed 5,000 Ohmm. This means we can sense very deep with MT but also, that we should be cautious with an interpretation of this short profile. The data also clearly indicate 3D effects. We therefore propose to deploy an array of stations covering the entire Alps in USArray style, e.g. with a station spacing of approximately 50 km, to derive a 3D model of the deep electrical resistivity structure of the Alps. Such a

The "green stones" of Valtellina and Valchiavenna (central Alps, northern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavallo, Alessandro

2015-04-01

Valtellina and Val Chiavenna (Sondrio, Central Alps, northern Italy) are traditionally areas of production of building and ornamental stones (e.g. Serizzo Ghiandone, Serizzo Valmasino, San Fedelino Granite), and among these the "green stones" have a leading position. These stones had an extensive use in Lombardy, as well as abroad (e.g Switzerland). The "green stones" are related to the two mafic-ultramafic bodies of Valmalenco and Chiavenna, where the two largest quarrying districts of the Province of Sondrio are located. Until the early decades of the XX century, serpentinites (and other lithologies from Valtellina) were also extracted from the erratic boulders of Brianza (north of Milan), but at present time the law protects the few remaining boulders. The extracted and processed materials are various: serpentinites, ophicalcites, soapstones. Even the "Stone of Tresivio", used in the past in important monuments of Valtellina, could be classified among the "green stones" in a broad sense: it is a green chloritic schist with scarce and thin ferriferous calcitic veins, pertaining to the sedimentary "Servino" Formation. In recent times, the ancient quarries of this stone were rediscovered near the homonymous village, a few kilometers from Sondrio. There are also historic reports about other "green stones", used in ancient times, such as the "Stone of Grosio", a chloritic schist, and the "Bormio Prasinite". Currently the extraction and processing of "green stones" occurs mostly in Valmalenco, with 22 active serpentinite quarries and a gross volume of 70000 m3 extracted per year, with a yield of about 50%. The Malenco serpentinite (interpreted as sub-continental mantle rocks) forms a 1-2 km thick tabular body, outcropping over an area of about 170 km2, almost entirely confined within the boundaries of the valley. The antigoritic serpentinites (with variable amounts of olivine, clinopyroxene, chlorite and magnetite) are moderately up to strongly foliated, sometimes

The role of nitrogen deposition in the recent nitrate decline in lakes and rivers in Northern Italy.

PubMed

Rogora, Michela; Arisci, Silvia; Marchetto, Aldo

2012-02-15

Deposition of inorganic nitrogen (N) in north-western Italy is around 20-25 kg N ha(-1)y(-1), and has remained constant during the last 30 years. This flux of N caused saturation of terrestrial catchments and increasing levels of nitrate (NO(3)) in surface waters. Recently, monitoring data for both rivers and lakes have shown a reversal in NO(3) trends. This change was widespread, affecting high-altitude lakes in the Alps and subalpine lakes and rivers, and occurred at almost the same time at all sites. The seasonal pattern of NO(3) concentrations in running waters has shown a change in the last few years, with a tendency towards slightly lower leaching of NO(3) during the growing season. Atmospheric input of N has also shown a recent decrease, mainly due to decreasing emissions and partly to the lower amount of precipitation occurring between 2003 and 2009. Surface waters are probably responding to these changing N inputs, but a further decrease of N deposition, especially reduced N, will be required to achieve full recovery from N saturation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Italy: An Open Air Museum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pizzorusso, Ann

2016-04-01

Imagine if you could see the River Styx, bathe in the Fountain of Youth, collect water which enhances fertility, wear a gem that heals bodily ailments, understand how our health is affected by geomagnetic fields, venture close to the flames of Hell on Earth and much, much, more. Know something? These things exist - on Earth - today - in Italy and you can visit them because Italy is an open air museum. Ann C. Pizzorusso, in her recent book, reveals how Italy's geology has affected its art, literature, architecture, religion, medicine and just about everything else. She explores the geologic birth of the land, describing the formation of the Alps and Apennines, romantic bays of Tuscany and Lazio, volcanoes of the south and Caribbean-like beaches of Puglia. But that's not all, from the first pages of this visually stunning book, the reader has the impression of being in an art museum, where one can wander from page to page to satisfy one's curiosity-- guided from time to time by the Etruscan priests, Virgil, Dante, Goethe or Leonardo da Vinci himself. Pizzorusso stitches together widely diverse topics - such as gemology, folk remedies, grottoes, painting, literature, physics and religion - using geology as a thread. Quoting everyone from Pliny the Elder to NASA physicist Friedemann Freund, the work is solidly backed scholarship that reads as easily as a summer novel. Wonderfully illustrated with many photos licensed from Italian museums, HRH Elizabeth II and the Ministero Beni Culturali the book highlights the best works in Italian museums and those outside in the "open air museums." This approach can be used in any other country in the world and can be used for cultural tourism (a tour following the book has been organized for cultural and university groups), an ideal way of linking museums to the surrounding landscape.

QUANTIFICATION OF GLACIAL EROSION IN THE ALPS USING VERY LOW-TEMPERATURE THERMOCHRONOLOGY (OSL & AHe)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Champagnac, J.; Herman, F.; Rhodes, E. J.; Fellin, M.; Jaiswal, M.; Schwenninger, J.; Reverman, R. L.

2009-12-01

The impact of glaciations on the topography of the Alps is still unclear: Long-term denudation rate determined by low-T thermochronology are in the range of 0.2 to 1 mm/yr, and increased during the Plio-Quaternary by 3 fold (Vernon et al., 2008). Such an increase is also documented by peri-alpine sediment budget (Kuhleman, 2000), with a similar increase in sediment yields since 5-3 Ma. This increase was considered as evidence of a climatically-driven surface process change, attributed to increased precipitation (Cederbom et al., 2004) and erosion by glacial processes (Champagnac et al., 2007). The timing of the onset of intense glacial erosion as well as its rates are still ambiguous. The glacial erosion seems to have accelerated around 0.9 Ma as suggested by the ten fold increase of incision rates of a valley in the Central Alps (Häuselmann et al., 2007), and by information about vegetation and sedimentologic changes (Muttoni et al., 2003). There is however no direct quantification of topographic change during the Plio-Quaternary. We present here how we use OSL-thermochronology, a new thermochronometer of exceptionally low closure temperature (about 30°-40°C) (Herman et al subm.), new {U-Th}/He on apatites data, and a glacial erosion model (Herman and Braun 2008) to estimate topographic changes in the Alps in response to glaciations. Because of their low closure temperature, OSL and AHe thermochronology enables quantification of events of less than 1 Ma at very small wavelength of the topography. We collected two vertical profiles, one in the Zermatt Valley (Valais) and one in Maurienne Valley (Savoy). We infer from these results changes in topography, date and quantify relief creation under glacial-interglacial cycles. Cederbom, C.E, et al., Climate induced rebound and exhumation of the European Alps. Geology 32, 709-712 (2000). Champagnac, J.-D., et al., Quaternary erosion-induced isostatic rebound in the western Alps. Geology 35, 195-198 (2007). Ha

Extragalactic photon-ALP conversion at CTA energies

DOE PAGES

Kartavtsev, A.; Raffelt, G.; Vogel, H.

2017-01-12

Magnetic fields in extragalactic space between galaxy clusters may induce conversions between photons and axion-like particles (ALPs), thereby shielding the photons from absorption on the extragalactic background light. For TeV gamma rays, the oscillation length (l osc) of the photon-ALP system becomes inevitably of the same order as the coherence length of the magnetic field l and the length over which the field changes significantly (transition length l t) due to refraction on background photons. We derive exact statistical evolution equations for the mean and variance of the photon and ALP transfer functions in the non-adiabatic regime (l osc ~more » l >> l t). We also make analytical predictions for the transfer functions in the quasi-adiabatic regime (l osc ALP masses.« less

Plant-wax D/H ratios in the southern European Alps record multiple aspects of climate variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wirth, Stefanie B.; Sessions, Alex L.

2016-09-01

We present a Younger Dryas-Holocene record of the hydrogen isotopic composition of sedimentary plant waxes (δDwax) from the southern European Alps (Lake Ghirla, N-Italy) to investigate its sensitivity to climatic forcing variations in this mid-latitude region (45°N). A modern altitudinal transect of δD values of river water and leaf waxes in the Lake Ghirla catchment is used to test present-day climate sensitivity of δDwax. While we find that altitudinal effects on δDwax are minor at our study site, temperature, precipitation amount, and evapotranspiration all appear to influence δDwax to varying extents. In the lake-sediment record, δDwax values vary between -134 and -180‰ over the past 13 kyr. The long-term Holocene pattern of δDwax parallels the trend of decreasing temperature and is thus likely forced by the decline of northern hemisphere summer insolation. Shorter-term fluctuations, in contrast, may reflect both temperature and moisture-source changes. During the cool Younger Dryas and Little Ice Age (LIA) periods we observe unexpectedly high δDwax values relative to those before and after. We suggest that a change towards a more D-enriched moisture source is required during these intervals. In fact, a shift from northern N-Atlantic to southern N-Atlantic/western Mediterranean Sea sources would be consistent with a southward migration of the Westerlies with climate cooling. Prominent δDwax fluctuations in the early and middle Holocene are negative and potentially associated with temperature declines. In the late Holocene (<4 kyr BP), excursions are partly positive (as for the LIA) suggesting a stronger influence of moisture-source changes on δDwax variation. In addition to isotopic fractionations of the hydrological cycle, changes in vegetation composition, in the length of the growing season, and in snowfall amount provide additional potential sources of variability, although we cannot yet quantitatively assess these in the paleo-record. We

Update on the epidemiology of tuberculosis in Italy.

PubMed

Conversano, Michele

2014-05-01

As in many countries in Western Europe, in Italy tuberculosis (TB) is a relatively rare disease. In the last decade its incidence has remained constant at under 10 cases/100,000 inhabitants, the threshold considered to define a country as low prevalence. The epidemiological picture, however, is very different in the countries of Eastern Europe and in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where the incidence of TB continues to increase and in some cases is accompanied by the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant TB. The present review describes the epidemiology of TB in Italy. In 2008, the incidence rate was 3.8 cases per 100,000 for people born in Italy, and 50-60 cases per 100,000 for those born abroad. There was an increase in cases from Eastern Europe. The crude mortality rate for TB in 2006 was 0.7 deaths per 100,000 residents. Although TB is a low-prevalence disease in Italy, its epidemiology is changing. Since 1955, more than 160,000 people in Italy have died from this potentially preventable and curable disease.

Reconstructing temperatures in the Maritime Alps, Italy, since the Last Glacial Maximum using cosmogenic noble gas paleothermometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremblay, Marissa; Spagnolo, Matteo; Ribolini, Adriano; Shuster, David

2016-04-01

The Gesso Valley, located in the southwestern-most, Maritime portion of the European Alps, contains an exceptionally well-preserved record of glacial advances during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Detailed geomorphic mapping, geochronology of glacial deposits, and glacier reconstructions indicate that glaciers in this Mediterranean region responded to millennial scale climate variability differently than glaciers in the interior of the European Alps. This suggests that the Mediterranean Sea somehow modulated the climate of this region. However, since glaciers respond to changes in temperature and precipitation, both variables were potentially influenced by proximity to the Sea. To disentangle the competing effects of temperature and precipitation changes on glacier size, we are constraining past temperature variations in the Gesso Valley since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using cosmogenic noble gas paleothermometry. The cosmogenic noble gases 3He and 21Ne experience diffusive loss from common minerals like quartz and feldspars at Earth surface temperatures. Cosmogenic noble gas paleothermometry utilizes this open-system behavior to quantitatively constrain thermal histories of rocks during exposure to cosmic ray particles at the Earth's surface. We will present measurements of cosmogenic 3He in quartz sampled from moraines in the Gesso Valley with LGM, Bühl stadial, and Younger Dryas ages. With these 3He measurements and experimental data quantifying the diffusion kinetics of 3He in quartz, we will provide a preliminary temperature reconstruction for the Gesso Valley since the LGM. Future work on samples from younger moraines in the valley system will be used to fill in details of the more recent temperature history.

The dilemma of gaps in carbonate stratigraphic sequences: A case history from the Jurassic of the Venetian Alps, Italy

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

Zempolich, W.G.

The Lower Ammonitico Rosso (L.A.R.) of the western Venetian Alps is a thin, red nodular limestone that overlies a thick Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic (Aalenian) shallow-water platform sequence. It is thought to represent a Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) drowning event whereby the Trento Platform became a submerged plateau. The L.A.R. is problematic in that it (1) is rich in ammonites and other pelagic fauna; (2) contains stromatolites, oncolites, and shallow-water sedimentary structures; and (3) directly overlies platform sediments that contain complex brecciated fabrics filled by cement and Bajocian-age sediment. These seemingly contradictory features have generated much debate as to themore » sequence stratigraphy of the Trento Platform. New evidence suggests that the L.A.R. was deposited in a shallow-water environment following a period of subaerial exposure. In an east-west transect from the platform edge to platform interior, a clear transition is exhibited from high- and low-energy open-marine facies to restricted lagoonal facies. High-energy open-marine facies include well-sorted skeletal- and peloidal-rich sands possessing low-angle to planar cross stratification and thin, fairly sorted ammonite- and belemnite-rich gravels. Sands include both shallow-water and pelagic fauna; gravels commonly contain ripup clasts from underlying sediments. Low-energy open-marine facies consist of buff colored wackestones and packstones that contain ammonites, belemnites, pelagic bivalves, and peloids. With respect to paleogeography, the abrupt transition from open-marine facies at the platform edge to lagoonal facies in the platform interior indicates that thrombolites, stromatolites, and oncolites accumulated in a shallow restricted environment.« less

Kinematics, seismotectonics and seismic potential of the eastern sector of the European Alps from GPS and seismic deformation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serpelloni, E.; Vannucci, G.; Anderlini, L.; Bennett, R. A.

2016-10-01

We present a first synoptic view of the seismotectonics and kinematics of the eastern sector of the European Alps using geodetic and seismological data. The study area marks the boundary between the Adriatic and the Eurasian plates, through a wide zone of deformation including a variety of tectonic styles within a complex network of crustal and lithospheric faults. A new dense GPS velocity field, new focal mechanisms and seismic catalogues, with uniformly re-calibrated magnitudes (from 1005), are used to estimate geodetic and seismic deformation rates and to develop interseismic kinematic and fault locking models. Kinematic indicators from seismological and geodetic data are remarkably consistent at different spatial scales. In addition to large-scale surface motion, GPS velocities highlight more localized deformation features revealing a complex configuration of interacting tectonic blocks, for which new constraints are provided in this work accounting for elastic strain build up at faults bonding rotating blocks. The geodetic and seismological data highlight two belts of higher deformation rates running WSW-ENE along the Eastern Southern Alps (ESA) in Italy and E-W in Slovenia, where deformation is more distributed. The highest geodetic strain-rates are observed in the Montello-Cansiglio segment of the ESA thrust front, for which the higher density of the GPS network provides indications of limited interseismic locking. Most of the dextral shear between the Eastern Southern Alps and the Eastern Alps blocks is accommodated along the Fella-Sava fault rather than the Periadriatic fault. In northern Croatia and Slovenia geodetic and seismological data allow constraining the kinematics of the active structures bounding the triangular-shaped region encompassing the Sava folds, which plays a major role in accommodating the transition from Adria- to Pannonian-like motion trends. The analysis of the seismic and geodetic moment rates provides new insights into the seismic

Systematic detection and classification of earthquake clusters in Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, P.; Ben-Zion, Y.; Zaliapin, I. V.

2017-12-01

We perform a systematic analysis of spatio-temporal clustering of 2007-2017 earthquakes in Italy with magnitudes m>3. The study employs the nearest-neighbor approach of Zaliapin and Ben-Zion [2013a, 2013b] with basic data-driven parameters. The results indicate that seismicity in Italy (an extensional tectonic regime) is dominated by clustered events, with smaller proportion of background events than in California. Evaluation of internal cluster properties allows separation of swarm-like from burst-like seismicity. This classification highlights a strong geographical coherence of cluster properties. Swarm-like seismicity are dominant in regions characterized by relatively slow deformation with possible elevated temperature and/or fluids (e.g. Alto Tiberina, Pollino), while burst-like seismicity are observed in crystalline tectonic regions (Alps and Calabrian Arc) and in Central Italy where moderate to large earthquakes are frequent (e.g. L'Aquila, Amatrice). To better assess the variation of seismicity style across Italy, we also perform a clustering analysis with region-specific parameters. This analysis highlights clear spatial changes of the threshold separating background and clustered seismicity, and permits better resolution of different clusters in specific geological regions. For example, a large proportion of repeaters is found in the Etna region as expected for volcanic-induced seismicity. A similar behavior is observed in the northern Apennines with high pore pressure associated with mantle degassing. The observed variations of earthquakes properties highlight shortcomings of practices using large-scale average seismic properties, and points to connections between seismicity and local properties of the lithosphere. The observations help to improve the understanding of the physics governing the occurrence of earthquakes in different regions.

Gene Expression of Lytic Endopeptidases AlpA and AlpB from Lysobacter sp. XL1 in Pseudomonads.

PubMed

Tsfasman, Irina M; Lapteva, Yulia S; Krasovskaya, Ludmila A; Kudryakova, Irina V; Vasilyeva, Natalia V; Granovsky, Igor E; Stepnaya, Olga A

2015-01-01

Development of an efficient expression system for (especially secreted) bacterial lytic enzymes is a complicated task due to the specificity of their action. The substrate for such enzymes is peptidoglycan, the main structural component of bacterial cell walls. For this reason, expression of recombinant lytic proteins is often accompanied with lysis of the producing bacterium. This paper presents data on the construction of an inducible system for expression of the lytic peptidases AlpA and AlpB from Lysobacter sp. XL1 in Pseudomonas fluorescens Q2-87, which provides for the successful secretion of these proteins into the culture liquid. In this system, the endopeptidase gene under control of the T7lac promoter was integrated into the bacterial chromosome, as well as the Escherichia coli lactose operon repressor protein gene. The T7 pol gene under lac promoter control, which encodes the phage T7 RNA polymerase, is maintained in Pseudomonas cells on the plasmids. Media and cultivation conditions for the recombinant strains were selected to enable the production of AlpA and AlpB by a simple purification protocol. Production of recombinant lytic enzymes should contribute to the development of new-generation antimicrobial drugs whose application will not be accompanied by selection of resistant microorganisms. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Climate anomalies associated with the occurrence of rockfalls at high-elevation in the Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paranunzio, Roberta; Laio, Francesco; Chiarle, Marta; Nigrelli, Guido; Guzzetti, Fausto

2016-09-01

Climate change is seriously affecting the cryosphere in terms, for example, of permafrost thaw, alteration of rain / snow ratio, and glacier shrinkage. There is concern about the increasing number of rockfalls at high elevation in the last decades. Nevertheless, the exact role of climate parameters in slope instability at high elevation has not been fully explored yet. In this paper, we investigate 41 rockfalls listed in different sources (newspapers, technical reports, and CNR IRPI archive) in the elevation range 1500-4200 m a.s.l. in the Italian Alps between 1997 and 2013 in the absence of an evident trigger. We apply and improve an existing data-based statistical approach to detect the anomalies of climate parameters (temperature and precipitation) associated with rockfall occurrences. The identified climate anomalies have been related to the spatiotemporal distribution of the events. Rockfalls occurred in association with significant temperature anomalies in 83 % of our case studies. Temperature represents a key factor contributing to slope failure occurrence in different ways. As expected, warm temperatures accelerate snowmelt and permafrost thaw; however, surprisingly, negative anomalies are also often associated with slope failures. Interestingly, different regional patterns emerge from the data: higher-than-average temperatures are often associated with rockfalls in the Western Alps, while in the Eastern Alps slope failures are mainly associated with colder-than-average temperatures.

Chrysotile asbestos quantification in serpentinite quarries: a case study in Valmalenco, central Alps, northern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavallo, Alessandro

2013-04-01

Outcrops of serpentinites are usually strongly fractured and cataclastic, and the rock can only be used as ballast. However, in rare cases, like in Valmalenco (Central Alps, Northern Italy), fractures are regular and well spaced, and the rock mass has good geotechnical quality, ideal conditions for the extraction of dimension stone blocks. The Valmalenco Serpentinite is marketed worldwide as dimension and decorative stone, with remarkable mechanical properties and pleasing colours and textures. However, the same area was once subject to chrysotile asbestos mining, in the form of discrete veins along the main discontinuities of the rock mass. For this reason, airborne asbestos contamination can occur during the extraction and processing cycle of the rocks, therefore it is essential to locate and quantify asbestos in the rock mass, to reduce as much as possible the exposure risk. The first step was a detailed geostructural survey of each quarry, in order to characterize the main discontinuities (orientation, spacing, linear persistence, opening, filling), with special attention to the identification of fibrous minerals. The surveys was followed by extensive sampling of massive rocks, mineralized veins and fillings of fractures, and the cutting sludge derived from diamond wire cutting. Preliminary qualitative XRPD was performed on all samples, while quantitative analysis was carried out on the most representative samples of the main rock mass discontinuities. On the other hand, XRPD is not effective in the identification of asbestos percentages of less than 2% by weight, and the accurate distinction among the various serpentine polymorphs (antigorite, lizardite, chrysotile) is very difficult (if not impossible) when they are simultaneously present, due to their very similar basic structure and the strong structural disorder. The same samples were then analyzed by SEM-EDS (fiber counting after filtration on a polycarbonate filter), for a better distinction between

The major mass movements of the Western Dolomites (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostermann, Marc; Gruber, Alfred

2014-05-01

Major gravitational slope deformations are widely disseminated in the Dolomite Mountains (NE-Italy), one of the world's most conspicuous landscapes and part of the UNESCO world heritage list. Because of their unique geological composition the Dolomites provide a natural laboratory where nearly all kind of mass wasting processes, in all dimensions, can be investigated. Simplified there are thick, rigid carbonatic successions (Triassic-Jurassic) resting on and interfingering with relatively weak successions of shallow marine clastic and of pelagic sediments. In some areas even volcanic successions and crystalline basement rocks are outcropped. Hugh rockslides and long run-out rock avalanches are limited to the carbonates and volcanic rocks. The superposition of Middle and Upper Triassic reefs, showing brittle deformation behaviour, above weak successions of evaporites, clays and marls, characterised by ductile deformation behaviour, leads to a classical "hard on soft" situation. The observable results are rockslides and rock avalanches of several hundred millions of m³ in volume, large scale rock toppling and rock flows and deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSD). Within the weak successions slow moving rotational landslides and large dimensional earthflows are very common. We focused our research on an area of about 40*40km within the Western and Northern Dolomites, where an inventory of the major gravitational mass movements has been compiled. We combined detailed geological maps with high resolution DEMs and extensive fieldwork data within a GIS-system. The different processes have been characterised and classified based on kinematic criteria, dimension and involved material. Altogether the database consists of 186 entries. Most frequently are landslides and earthflows (146) followed by catastrophic rockslides and rock avalanches (26) and DSGSDs (14). The spatial distribution of the mapped processes has been analysed in terms of the main

Isotopic composition of sulfate accumulations, Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bojar, Ana-Voica; Halas, Stanislaw; Bojar, Hans-Peter; Trembaczowski, Andrzej

2015-04-01

isotopic compositon of 14 sulfides as galena, sphalerite, pyrite and native sulfure were determined as well, with values ranging between -17.5 and 2.8 ‰ (CDT). For the investigated sulfates, the sulfur isotopic values show generally low values, which are characteristic for the late Permian. The broad distribution of sulfide values point toward bacterial reduction, fact also reflected by some higher isotopic values of sulfates. The oxygen values show a larger scatter from 9 to 23‰, which is even larger than that found for the Zechstein anhydrites of northern Germany, north-eastern Italian Alps or western Poland. The associated carbonates, as calcite, dolomite and magnesite are in disequilibrium with the sulfates indicating rather primary marine isotopic signature than re-equlibration with the sulfates at higher temperatures. References Leitner, C., Neubauer, F., Genser, J., Borojevic-Sostaric, B., Rantitsch, G., 2013. 40Ar/39Ar ages of recrystallization of rock-forming polyhalite in Alpine rocksalt deposits. In Jordan, F., Mark, D.F., Verati C. (eds.) Advances in 40Ar/39Ar Dating: from Archaeology to Planetary Sciences. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 378, 207-244. Kirchner, E., 1987: Die Mineral- und Gesteinsvorkommen in den Gipslagerstätten der Lammermasse, innerhalb der Hallstattzone, Salzburg. Jahrbuch Haus der Natur. 10, 156-167. Postl, W., 1990. Enargit und Parnauit aus dem Gips- und Anhydritbergbau Tragöß-Oberort, Steiermark. In: Niedermayr, G. et al. (1990): Neue Mineralfunde aus Österreich XXXIX. Carinthia II, 180/100, 277. Tollmann, A., 1977. Geologie von Österreich. Band 1. Die Zentralalpen. Deuticke, Wien, 766 pp.

The XMAP215 Ortholog Alp14 Promotes Microtubule Nucleation in Fission Yeast.

PubMed

Flor-Parra, Ignacio; Iglesias-Romero, Ana Belén; Chang, Fred

2018-06-04

The organization and number of microtubules (MTs) in a cell depend on the proper regulation of MT nucleation. Currently, the mechanism of nucleation is the most poorly understood aspect of MT dynamics. XMAP215/chTOG/Alp14/Stu2 proteins are MT polymerases that stimulate MT polymerization at MT plus ends by binding and releasing tubulin dimers. Although these proteins also localize to MT organizing centers and have nucleating activity in vitro, it is not yet clear whether these proteins participate in MT nucleation in vivo. Here, we demonstrate that in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the XMAP215 ortholog Alp14 is critical for efficient MT nucleation in vivo. In multiple assays, loss of Alp14 function led to reduced nucleation rate and numbers of interphase MT bundles. Conversely, activation of Alp14 led to increased nucleation frequency. Alp14 associated with Mto1 and γ-tubulin complex components, and artificially targeting Alp14 to the γ-tubulin ring complexes (γ-TuRCs) stimulated nucleation. In imaging individual nucleation events, we found that Alp14 transiently associated with a γ-tubulin particle shortly before the appearance of a new MT. The transforming acidic coiled-coil (TACC) ortholog Alp7 mediated the localization of Alp14 at nucleation sites but not plus ends, and was required for efficient nucleation but not for MT polymerization. Our findings provide the strongest evidence to date that Alp14 serves as a critical MT nucleation factor in vivo. We suggest a model in which Alp14 associates with the γ-tubulin complex in an Alp7-dependent manner to facilitate the assembly or stabilization of the nascent MT. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gneiss wastes as secondary raw material for the ceramic industry: an example from the Verbano Cusio Ossola district (Piedmont, north-western Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavallo, Alessandro

2015-04-01

The Verbano Cusio Ossola province (VCO, Piedmont, north-western Italy) is one of the most important Italian quarrying districts, due to the peculiarity and variety of its exploited rock types, mainly orthogneisses such as Serizzo and Beola, and subordinately granites, marbles and other rocks. The most important and extensively exploited ornamental stone from the VCO province is surely the Serizzo, commercialized in four main varieties, and representing about 70% of all the stone production from the VCO area. The protholith of the Serizzo is a Permian granite - granodiorite metamorphosed during the alpine events, and the rock-forming minerals are mainly quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase (andesine), biotite, with variable amounts of muscovite and epidote (allanite). The other important ornamental stone of the VCO province is the Beola, a series of heterogeneous materials (mainly orthogneisses) with marked (mylonitic) foliation and strong mineralogical lineation, occurring in the median Ossola Valley; its production (15% of the whole stones of the VCO) is subordinated with respect to that of Serizzo. The mineralogical composition of the Beola varieties is similar to Serizzo, consisting of quite homogeneous quartz, K-feldspar (orthoclase or microcline), plagioclase, biotite and muscovite. The main differences relate to the grain size, the rock fabric (generally mylonitic) and to the presence of accessory/secondary minerals. Recent regulatory developments and the growing environmental awareness, require an increasing reuse of wastes deriving from the extraction and processing of dimension stones (up to 50 % of the extracted gross volume). Granite wastes from the VCO (Baveno pink granite and Montorfano white granite), after specific industrial treatments (crushing, sieving, drying, magnetic separation of biotite and hornblende), are used successfully as quartz-feldspars mix in the ceramic industry, with very low FeOtot content. On the other hand, other quartzose

Mantle wedge exhumation beneath the Dora-Maira (U)HP dome unravelled by local earthquake tomography (Western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solarino, Stefano; Malusà, Marco G.; Eva, Elena; Guillot, Stéphane; Paul, Anne; Schwartz, Stéphane; Zhao, Liang; Aubert, Coralie; Dumont, Thierry; Pondrelli, Silvia; Salimbeni, Simone; Wang, Qingchen; Xu, Xiaobing; Zheng, Tianyu; Zhu, Rixiang

2018-01-01

In continental subduction zones, the behaviour of the mantle wedge during exhumation of (ultra)high-pressure [(U)HP] rocks provides a key to distinguish among competing exhumation mechanisms. However, in spite of the relevant implications for understanding orogenic evolution, a high-resolution image of the mantle wedge beneath the Western Alps is still lacking. In order to fill this gap, we perform a detailed analysis of the velocity structure of the Alpine belt beneath the Dora-Maira (U)HP dome, based on local earthquake tomography independently validated by receiver function analysis. Our results point to a composite structure of the mantle wedge above the subducted European lithosphere. We found that the Dora-Maira (U)HP dome lays directly above partly serpentinized peridotites (Vp 7.5 km/s; Vp/Vs = 1.70-1.72), documented from 10 km depth down to the top of the eclogitized lower crust of the European plate. These serpentinized peridotites, possibly formed by fluid release from the subducting European slab to the Alpine mantle wedge, are juxtaposed against dry mantle peridotites of the Adriatic upper plate along an active fault rooted in the lithospheric mantle. We propose that serpentinized mantle-wedge peridotites were exhumed at shallow crustal levels during late Eocene transtensional tectonics, also triggering the rapid exhumation of (U)HP rocks, and were subsequently indented under the Alpine metamorphic wedge in the early Oligocene. Our findings suggest that mantle-wedge exhumation may represent a major feature of the deep structure of exhumed continental subduction zones. The deep orogenic levels here imaged by seismic tomography may be exposed today in older (U)HP belts, where mantle-wedge serpentinites are commonly associated with coesite-bearing continental metamorphic rocks.

Anthocyanin Profile in Berries of Wild and Cultivated Vaccinium spp. along Altitudinal Gradients in the Alps.

PubMed

Zoratti, Laura; Jaakola, Laura; Häggman, Hely; Giongo, Lara

2015-10-07

Vaccinium spp. berries provide some of the best natural sources of anthocyanins. In the wild bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), a clear increasing trend in anthocyanin biosynthesis has been reported toward northern latitudes of Europe, but studies related to altitude have given contradictory results. The present study focused on the anthocyanin composition in wild bilberries and highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. cv. Brigitta Blue) growing along altitudinal gradients in the Alps of northern Italy. Our results indicate an increasing accumulation of anthocyanins in bilberries along an altitudinal gradient of about 650 m. The accumulation was due to a significant increase in delphinidin and malvidin glycosides, whereas the accumulation of cyanidin and peonidin glycosides was not affected by altitude. Seasonal differences, especially temperature, had a major influence on the accumulation of anthocyanins in blueberries.

SALMON-TRINITY ALPS WILDERNESS, CALIFORNIA.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hotz, Preston E.; Thurber, Horace K.

1984-01-01

The Salmon-Trinity Alps Wilderness in the Klamath Mountains province occupies an area of about 648 sq mi in parts of Trinity, Siskiyou, and Humboldt Counties, northwestern California. As a result of field studies it was determined that the Salmon-Trinity Alps Wilderness has an area with substantiated potential for gold resources in known lode deposits. Small amounts of quicksilver have been produced from one mine but there is little promise for the discovery of additional mercury resources. Geochemical sampling showed that anomalously high amounts of several other metals occur in a few places, but there is little promise for the discovery of energy or mineral resources other than mercury and gold.

Any Light Particle Search (ALPS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spector, Aaron; Any Light Particle Search (ALPS) Collaboration

2016-03-01

High power laser fields enabled by technologies developed for ground-based gravitational-wave observatories open up new opportunities for fundamental physics studies. One of these options is the search for axions and axion-like particles in a pure laboratory experiment. The axion is a solution to the strong CP-problem and a potential dark matter candidate. The axion has also been proposed as an additional channel to cool stars as well as a potential explanation for the TeV transparency problem. The German-US ALPS collaboration is setting up a light-shining-through-walls (LSW) experiment at DESY. LSW experiments are based on the simple idea that a high power laser field traversing a static magnetic field will transform partly into a relativistic axion field. This axion field will travel through an opaque wall into a second static magnetic field region where it turns partly back into an electromagnetic wave field with the same frequency as the laser. The ALPS collaboration is working towards a large scale LSW experiment at DESY in Hamburg, Germany. I will report on the status of the ALPS experiment. This work is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, PRISMA, the Helmholtz Association, the National Science Foundation and the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Fission yeast Alp14 is a dose-dependent plus end–tracking microtubule polymerase

PubMed Central

Al-Bassam, Jawdat; Kim, Hwajin; Flor-Parra, Ignacio; Lal, Neeraj; Velji, Hamida; Chang, Fred

2012-01-01

XMAP215/Dis1 proteins are conserved tubulin-binding TOG-domain proteins that regulate microtubule (MT) plus-end dynamics. Here we show that Alp14, a XMAP215 orthologue in fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, has properties of a MT polymerase. In vivo, Alp14 localizes to growing MT plus ends in a manner independent of Mal3 (EB1). alp14-null mutants display short interphase MTs with twofold slower assembly rate and frequent pauses. Alp14 is a homodimer that binds a single tubulin dimer. In vitro, purified Alp14 molecules track growing MT plus ends and accelerate MT assembly threefold. TOG-domain mutants demonstrate that tubulin binding is critical for function and plus end localization. Overexpression of Alp14 or only its TOG domains causes complete MT loss in vivo, and high Alp14 concentration inhibits MT assembly in vitro. These inhibitory effects may arise from Alp14 sequestration of tubulin and effects on the MT. Our studies suggest that Alp14 regulates the polymerization state of tubulin by cycling between a tubulin dimer–bound cytoplasmic state and a MT polymerase state that promotes rapid MT assembly. PMID:22696680

Geodiversity and geohazards of the Susa Valley (W-Alps, Italy): combining scientific research and new technologies for enhanced knowledge and proactive management of geoheritage in mountain regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giardino, Marco; Bacenetti, Marco; Perotti, Luigi; Giordano, Enrico; Ghiraldi, Luca; Palomba, Mauro

2013-04-01

Mountain regions have a range of geological and geomorphological features that make them very attractive for tourism activities. As a consequence, increased human "pressure" causes impacts on geoheritage sites and higher geomorphological risks. These effects are magnified by active geomorphic processes characterizing mountains areas, highly sensitive to climate change. In term of "human sensitivity", several sociological surveys have shown that "perceived risk", not "real risk", influences people's behavior towards natural hazards. The same approach can be applied to geodiversity and geoheritage. Based on these assumptions, we considered the possible strategic roles played by diffusion of scientific research and application of new technologies: 1) to enhance awareness, either of geodiversity or environmental dynamics and 2) to improve knowledge, both on geoheritage management and natural risk reduction. Within the activities of the "ProGEO-Piemonte Project" (Progetti d'Ateneo 2011, cofunded by Universita? degli Studi di Torino and Compagnia di San Paolo Bank Foundation), we performed a systematic review of geodiversity and natural hazards information in the Piemonte Region (NW-Italy). Then we focused our attention on the Susa Valley, an area of the Western Alps where the geoheritage is affected by very active morphodynamics, as well as by a growing tourism, after the 2006 winter Olympics. The Susa Valley became one of the 9 strategic geothematic areas have been selected to represent the geodiversity of the Piemonte region, each characterized by high potential for enhancement of public understanding of science, and recreation activities supported by local communities. Then we contributed to the awareness-raising communication strategy of the "RiskNat project" (Interreg Alcotra 2007-2013, Action A.4.3) by synthesizing geoscience knowledge on the Susa Valley and information on slope instabilities and models/prevention measures/warning systems. Visual representations

Structural and exhumational response to oroclinal bending at the Eastern Alps - Western Carpathian transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heberer, Bianca; Neubauer, Franz

2017-04-01

Curvature is an intriguing feature within many mountain belts worldwide. Several proposals have been made for deciphering the origin of curvature, however, there is still significant debate about the bend-forming mechanisms, the consequences as well as on how bending is accommodated within the lithosphere. Only few of the worldwide oroclines have been studied in detail and a variety of alternative controlling factors, such as the role of inherited structures, the rheological coupling between lower and upper plates, the presence of a basement promontory in the foreland and its particular geometry, and lateral orogen-parallel extrusion are likely underestimated or not considered at all. This study focuses on oroclinal bending at the transition from the W-E trending Eastern Alps to the SW-NE oriented Western Carpathians. There, the orogenic front is concave towards the Alpine foreland and the greatest degree of curvature (ca. 55°) is found adjacent to the Bohemian massif. The oroclinal axis runs from the Bohemian promontory to the South Burgenland high. Various competing mechanisms occurred, i.e. rotation around a stiff foreland promontory and lateral extrusion induced by tectonic escape due to the indentation of a microplate and extensional collapse due to slab-rollback beneath the Carpathians. Little is known for such cases, where bending around as well as overriding of a promontory occurs, particularly on how it controls the exhumational and structural architecture within the orogen itself. Based on a synthesis of low-T thermochronology and structural data we find a significant impact of oroclinal bending on exhumation and structures: Highest amounts of erosion occur in the immediate vicinity of the Bohemian promontory and along its prolongation in the South Burgenland high, corroborating that shortening and exhumation are most pronounced there and should decrease along-strike of the orogenic front. In the outer bend strong Miocene extensional thinning parallel to

A Bi-hemispheric perspective on the last glacial termination from the Southern Alps of New Zealand and the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strand, P.; Putnam, A. E.; Schaefer, J. M.; Denton, G.; Putnam, D.; Barrell, D.; Schwartz, R.; Sambuu, O.

2016-12-01

The last glacial termination ( 18,000 - 11,000 yrs ago) represents the last great global warming and the last time CO2 rose by a substantial amount before the industrial period. Understanding the processes that drove this glacial to interglacial transition will help refine the global climate system sensitivity to CO2 and will place ongoing global warming into a paleoclimatic context. Here, we test possible drivers of the last glacial termination by comparing chronologies of mountain glacier recession in the middle latitudes of both polar hemispheres. Extra-polar mountain glaciers are highly sensitive to changes in atmospheric temperature. Thus glacier landforms, such as moraine ridges constructed along glacier margins, afford quantitative insight into past climate conditions. We present 10Be surface-exposure chronologies and glacial geomorphologic maps of mountain glacier recession since the Last Glacial Maximum in the Southern Alps of New Zealand (44°S, 170°E) and in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia (49°N, 88°E). On the basis of these chronologies from opposing hemispheres, we will evaluate the relative roles of rising atmospheric CO2, local insolation forcing, and ocean-atmosphere reorganizations in driving the warming that ended the last ice age.

Kinematics of syn- and post-exhumational shear zones at Lago di Cignana (Western Alps, Italy): constraints on the exhumation of Zermatt-Saas (ultra)high-pressure rocks and deformation along the Combin Fault and Dent Blanche Basal Thrust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirst, Frederik; Leiss, Bernd

2017-01-01

Kinematic analyses of shear zones at Lago di Cignana in the Italian Western Alps were used to constrain the structural evolution of units from the Piemont-Ligurian oceanic realm (Zermatt-Saas and Combin zones) and the Adriatic continental margin (Dent Blanche nappe) during Palaeogene syn- and post-exhumational deformation. Exhumation of Zermatt-Saas (U)HP rocks to approximately lower crustal levels at ca. 39 Ma occurred during normal-sense top-(S)E shearing under epidote-amphibolite-facies conditions. Juxtaposition with the overlying Combin zone along the Combin Fault at mid-crustal levels occurred during greenschist-facies normal-sense top-SE shearing at ca. 38 Ma. The scarcity of top-SE kinematic indicators in the hanging wall of the Combin Fault probably resulted from strain localization along the uppermost Zermatt-Saas zone and obliteration by subsequent deformation. A phase of dominant pure shear deformation around 35 Ma affected units in the direct footwall and hanging wall of the Combin Fault. It is interpreted to reflect NW-SE crustal elongation during updoming of the nappe stack as a result of underthrusting of European continental margin units and the onset of continental collision. This phase was partly accompanied and followed by ductile bulk top-NW shearing, especially at higher structural levels, which transitioned into semi-ductile to brittle normal-sense top-NW deformation due to Vanzone phase folding from ca. 32 Ma onwards. Our structural observations suggest that syn-exhumational deformation is partly preserved within units and shear zones exposed at Lago di Cignana but also that the Combin Fault and Dent Blanche Basal Thrust experienced significant post-exhumational deformation reworking and overprinting earlier structures.

Younger Dryas Age advance of Franz Josef Glacier in the Southern Alps of New Zealand

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

Denton, G.H.; Hendy, C.H.

1994-06-03

A corrected radiocarbon age of 11,050 [+-] 14 years before present for an advance of the Franz Josef Glacier to the Waiho Loop terminal moraine on the western flank of New Zealand's Southern Alps shows that glacier advance on a South Pacific island was synchronous with initiation of the Younger Dryas in the North Atlantic region. Hence, cooling at the beginning of the Younger Dryas probably reflects global rather than regional forcing. The source for Younger Dryas climatic cooling may thus lie in the atmosphere rather than in a North Atlantic thermohaline switch. 36 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

One microplate - three orogens: Alps, Dinarides, Apennines and the role of the Adriatic plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ustaszewski, Kamil; Le Breton, Eline; Balling, Philipp; Handy, Mark R.; Molli, Giancarlo; Tomljenović, Bruno

2017-04-01

The motion of the Adriatic microplate with respect to the Eurasian and African plates is responsible for the Mesozoic to present tectonic evolution of the Alps, Carpathians, the Dinarides and Hellenides as well as the Apennines. The classical approach for reconstructing plate motions is to assume that tectonic plates are rigid, then apply Euler's theorem to describe their rotation on an ideally spherical Earth by stepwise restorations of magnetic anomalies and fracture zones in oceanic basins. However, this approach is inadequate for reconstructing the motion of Mediterranean microplates like Adria, which, at present, is surrounded by convergent margins and whose oceanic portions have by now been entirely subducted. Most constraints on the motion of the Adriatic microplate come either from palaeomagnetics or from shortening estimates in the Alps, i.e., its northern margin. This approach renders plate tectonic reconstructions prone to numerous errors, yielding inadmissible misfits in the Ionian Sea between southern Italy and northern Greece. At the same time, Adria's western and eastern margins in the Apennines and in the Dinarides have hitherto not been appropriately considered for improving constraints on the motion of Adria. This presentation presents new results of ongoing collaborative research that aims at improving the relative motion path for the Adriatic microplate for the Cenozoic by additionally quantifying and restoring the amount of shortening and extension in a set of geophysical-geological transects from the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Apennines and the Dinarides. Already now, our approach yields an improved motion path for the Adriatic microplate for the last 20 Ma, which minimizes misfits in previous reconstructions. The currently largest challenge in our reconstructions is to reconcile amount and age of shortening in the Dinarides fold-and-thrust belt. For one thing, we see good agreement between the cross-sectional length of subducted material (c. 135 km

Detecting glacier-bed overdeepenings for glaciers in the Western Italian Alps using the GlabTop2 model: the test site of the Rutor Glacier, Aosta Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viani, Cristina; Machguth, Horst; Huggel, Christian; Perotti, Luigi; Giardino, Marco

2016-04-01

detecting the overdeepenings (6 were identified) and their location. Regarding their size, it seems to be influenced by the resolution of input data: the total overdeepended area covers about 1,3 km2 in the case of 25m pixel size and about 0,6 km2 in the 75m one. Based on the results obtained with model application and verification at Rutor Glacier, GlapTop2 will be applied over larger areas of the Western Italian Alps (Piemonte and Aosta Valley) in order to assess locations of possible future lakes to facilitate identification of potentially hazardous conditions and dynamics.

Submarine slope instability offshore western Calabria, Italy: possible triggering of tsunamigenic landslides by seismic load

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ausilia Paparo, Maria; Armigliato, Alberto; Pagnoni, Gianluca; Zaniboni, Filippo; Gallotti, Glauco; Tinti, Stefano

2017-04-01

The Eastern Tyrrhenian margin offshore western Calabria (Italy) has experienced several mass movements involving varying volumes and shapes, as revealed by several geological surveys identifying slide scars and massive deposits. The hypothesis that at least some of these mass movements was tsunamigenic sounds perfectly reasonable. In this study, we focus on the continental edge offshore the Santa Eufemia Gulf and the Paola Basin, because the area experienced several strong earthquakes (Mw up to 7), some of them in the last centuries (see, for example, the 1905 earthquake and the late shocks of the 1783 sequence). Our aim is to study the seismic load as the trigger mechanism of mass failures: not all earthquakes generate tsunamis, but the conjunction of definite factors as seafloor shaking and pore water pressure could temporarily reduce soil shear stress, inducing failures and submarine tsunamigenic landslides. We have selected several sections of the Calabrian margin with different gradients and studied their slope stability by using the Minimum Lithostatic Deviation (MLD) method. We have applied typical Peak Ground Accelerations (PGAs) obtained from local historical earthquakes by means of regression laws, determining the potentially unstable sectors, as well as the volumes of the material that can be set in motion. This in turn can be used as input for future tsunami modelling and hazard assessment. This work is a contribution to assess local hazard and risk in western Calabrian coast where earthquakes can trigger tsunamigenic submarine mass movements: the impact and the effects of such phenomena could be disastrous for coastal infrastructures and populations without the proper mitigation measures. This work was carried out in the frame of the EU Project called ASTARTE - Assessment, STrategy And Risk Reduction for Tsunamis in Europe (Grant 603839, 7th FP, ENV.2013.6.4-3).

Palaeoglaciology of the Central European Uplands - a link between the former ice masses over the Alps and Scandinavia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauzenberger, B.; Fickert, T.

2009-04-01

The Central European Uplands are located northeast of the Alps along the western edge of the Czech border. A horseshoe shaped range of low mountains contains the Bavarian Forest Mountains, the Fichtel Mountains, the Erz Mountains and the Giant Mountains, with highest summit altitudes ranging from 1051 m a.s.l. (Fichtel Mountains) to 1603 m a.s.l. (Giant Mountains). The location north of the Alps makes these mountains highly interesting as a possible link between the Scandinavian ice sheet and the Alps. Although the glacial traces of the Central European Uplands have been investigated for more than 100 years, the glacial history is still elusive. While the highest mountains (the Bavarian Forest and the Giant Mountains) hold evidence of valley glaciers, the lower mountains (the Fichtel and the Erz Mountains) lack unambiguous glacial traces. As a first step towards a palaeoglaciological reconstruction for the Central European Uplands, we present a digital map of glacier termini with elevation data from the SRTM elevation model, compiled from previous investigations of the area. The glacial map of the Central European Uplands presents the pattern of glacial traces over an extensive area in central Europe and forms the basis for reconstructing the extent of former glaciers. We compare the glacial evidence with modern day climate data (from the high resolution WorldClim database), from which we can estimate the climate change needed to produce Central European Upland glaciers. The glacial traces of the Central European Uplands hold information on past climate of the region and this may be a key to link the glacial record of the Alps with the Scandinavian ice sheet.

Structure of Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) Efforts, 2000-01.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baenen, Nancy; Yaman, Kimberly

This report focuses on the structure of instructional assistance available through the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) to students who show low achievement in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina. Context information is also provided on other programs available to these students. Reports on ALP student participation,…

Investigation of the Sultan Alp Arslan tomb with geophysical methods, in the historical Merv city (Turkestan)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadioglu, Selma; Kagan Kadioglu, Yusuf

2016-04-01

Sultan Alp Arslan (1029-1072) was the second Sultan of the Seljuq Empire and great-grandson of Seljuq the eponymous founder of the dynasty. Sultan Alp Arslan's victories changed the balance in near Asia completely in favour of the Seljuq Turks and Sunni Muslims. His victory at Manzikert (26 August 1071) is often cited as the beginning of the end of Byzantine power in Anatolia, and the beginning of Turkish identity in Anatolia. Sultan Alp Arslan eliminated theobstacles to the conquest of Anatolia and played a major role in making this territory a homeland for the Seljuqs. By taking the Emperor captive, Sultan Alp Arslan gained great fame but in 1072, on an expedition to Western Turkestan, he met with death in an unexpected way and at a relatively early age, in his 42nd year. There have been found different stories of the death of this great Turkish Sultan in certain sources. Unfortunately, there has not been found The Sultan's resting place until now. This paper is concerned with the investigation of the Sultan Alp Arslan Tomb in the historical Merv (Marv) city in Turkestan, by using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and gradiometer methods. The GPR and gradiometer surveys have been realized in Gavur Fortress, Sultan Fortress, Er Fortress districts and between two big Fortresses in old Merv city in selected nine study areas. We also gathered data in and around Sultan Sancar Tomb. GPR surveys were performed during January 2014 employing Ramac CU-II system equipped with a 250 MHz shielded antenna, on one meter spaced profiles. Similarly a Geoscan system was used to take magnetic data. The results of all these investigation revealed that there were possible traces for the buried tomb of the Sultan Alparslan in Gavur Kale around Cuma Mosque and around Sultan Sancar Tomb in the study region. However, the project team was changed after our study, and the new team did not excavated our determined areas. Acknowledgement This project has been supported by Republic of Turkey

Assessing water resources under climate change in high-altitude catchments: a methodology and an application in the Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aili, T.; Soncini, A.; Bianchi, A.; Diolaiuti, G.; D'Agata, C.; Bocchiola, D.

2018-01-01

Assessment of the future water resources in the Italian Alps under climate change is required, but the hydrological cycle of the high-altitude catchments therein is poorly studied and little understood. Hydrological monitoring and modeling in the Alps is difficult, given the lack of first hand, site specific data. Here, we present a method to model the hydrological cycle of poorly monitored high-altitude catchments in the Alps, and to project forward water resources availability under climate change. Our method builds on extensive experience recently and includes (i) gathering data of climate, of cryospheric variables, and of hydrological fluxes sparsely available; (ii) robust physically based glacio-hydrological modeling; and (iii) using glacio-hydrological projections from GCM models. We apply the method in the Mallero River, in the central (Retiche) Alps of Italy. The Mallero river covers 321 km2, with altitude between 310 and 4015 m a.s.l., and it has 27 km2 of ice cover. The glaciers included in the catchment underwent large mass loss recently, thus Mallero is largely paradigmatic of the present situation of Alpine rivers. We set up a spatially explicit glacio-hydrological model, describing the cryospheric evolution and the hydrology of the area during a control run CR, from 1981 to 2007. We then gather climate projections until 2100 from three Global Climate Models of the IPCC AR5 under RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5. We project forward flow statistics, flow components (rainfall, snow melt, ice melt), ice cover, and volume for two reference decades, namely 2045-2054 and 2090-2099. We foresee reduction of the ice bodies from - 62 to - 98% in volume (year 2100 vs year 1981), and subsequent large reduction of ice melt contribution to stream flows (from - 61 to - 88%, 2100 vs CR). Snow melt, now covering 47% of the stream flows yearly, would also be largely reduced (from - 19 to - 56%, 2100 vs CR). The stream flows will decrease on average at 2100 (from + 1 to - 25

End of the Little Ice Age in the Alps forced by industrial black carbon

PubMed Central

Painter, Thomas H.; Flanner, Mark G.; Kaser, Georg; Marzeion, Ben; VanCuren, Richard A.; Abdalati, Waleed

2013-01-01

Glaciers in the European Alps began to retreat abruptly from their mid-19th century maximum, marking what appeared to be the end of the Little Ice Age. Alpine temperature and precipitation records suggest that glaciers should instead have continued to grow until circa 1910. Radiative forcing by increasing deposition of industrial black carbon to snow may represent the driver of the abrupt glacier retreats in the Alps that began in the mid-19th century. Ice cores indicate that black carbon concentrations increased abruptly in the mid-19th century and largely continued to increase into the 20th century, consistent with known increases in black carbon emissions from the industrialization of Western Europe. Inferred annual surface radiative forcings increased stepwise to 13–17 W⋅m−2 between 1850 and 1880, and to 9–22 W⋅m−2 in the early 1900s, with snowmelt season (April/May/June) forcings reaching greater than 35 W⋅m−2 by the early 1900s. These snowmelt season radiative forcings would have resulted in additional annual snow melting of as much as 0.9 m water equivalent across the melt season. Simulations of glacier mass balances with radiative forcing-equivalent changes in atmospheric temperatures result in conservative estimates of accumulating negative mass balances of magnitude −15 m water equivalent by 1900 and −30 m water equivalent by 1930, magnitudes and timing consistent with the observed retreat. These results suggest a possible physical explanation for the abrupt retreat of glaciers in the Alps in the mid-19th century that is consistent with existing temperature and precipitation records and reconstructions. PMID:24003138

End of the Little Ice Age in the Alps forced by industrial black carbon.

PubMed

Painter, Thomas H; Flanner, Mark G; Kaser, Georg; Marzeion, Ben; VanCuren, Richard A; Abdalati, Waleed

2013-09-17

Glaciers in the European Alps began to retreat abruptly from their mid-19th century maximum, marking what appeared to be the end of the Little Ice Age. Alpine temperature and precipitation records suggest that glaciers should instead have continued to grow until circa 1910. Radiative forcing by increasing deposition of industrial black carbon to snow may represent the driver of the abrupt glacier retreats in the Alps that began in the mid-19th century. Ice cores indicate that black carbon concentrations increased abruptly in the mid-19th century and largely continued to increase into the 20th century, consistent with known increases in black carbon emissions from the industrialization of Western Europe. Inferred annual surface radiative forcings increased stepwise to 13-17 W⋅m(-2) between 1850 and 1880, and to 9-22 W⋅m(-2) in the early 1900s, with snowmelt season (April/May/June) forcings reaching greater than 35 W⋅m(-2) by the early 1900s. These snowmelt season radiative forcings would have resulted in additional annual snow melting of as much as 0.9 m water equivalent across the melt season. Simulations of glacier mass balances with radiative forcing-equivalent changes in atmospheric temperatures result in conservative estimates of accumulating negative mass balances of magnitude -15 m water equivalent by 1900 and -30 m water equivalent by 1930, magnitudes and timing consistent with the observed retreat. These results suggest a possible physical explanation for the abrupt retreat of glaciers in the Alps in the mid-19th century that is consistent with existing temperature and precipitation records and reconstructions.

Geochronologic Constraints on Duration of Magma Emplacement and Heat Transfer in the Deep Crust: new data from the Ivrea Zone, Western Alps, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peressini, G.; Quick, J. E.; Poller, U.; Todt, W.; Mayer, A.; Sinigoi, S.; Hofmann, A. W.

2002-12-01

The Mafic Complex (MC) of the Ivrea Zone is one of the largest gabbro bodies in the Alps (ca 8 km thick and 30 km long); it intruded the already metamorphic volcano-sedimentary sequence of the Kinzigite Formation (KF) at a depth of more than 20 km during the Late Paleozoic. New geochronologic data constrain the duration of the intrusion. The crustal section, uplifted, tilted and exposed in Alpine time, is tectonically bounded, but essentially undisturbed by Alpine tectonics; the internal structure of the MC and its relations with the KF are well preserved. Intrusion of the MC in extending continental crust is suggested by pre-Triassic, high-T, extensional shear zones in the Ivrea Zone, and is consistent with the internal arcuate structure of the MC, which is defined by high-T foliation and banding, that are discordant to the roof of the intrusion. Rocks in the roof of the MC attain upper-amphibolite grade and show evidence of partial melting within about 2 km of the MC. The country rock was melted as a consequence of heat released by the crystallizing mafic body; the chemistry of the mafic rocks was affected by up to 30% crustal contamination that occurred partially in situ, by mixing of the basaltic melts with anatectic melts derived from depleted crustal rocks. A thin (less than 20 m) seam of leucogranite crystallized from anatectic melt is present at the MC-KF contact. Syntectonic intrusion of leucogranite along shear zones within the KF demonstrates migration of anatectic melts to higher crustal levels. U/Pb SHRIMP ages on magmatic zircons range from 295+4 and 287+4 Ma for the MC, and 280+4 Ma for syntectonic leucogranites in the KF. Thus, intrusion of the MC may have taken as long as 10-15 Ma. Nd-Sm mineral isochrones for the MC range from 244 to 274, indicating that the Complex cooled to temperatures below 750C within about 40 Ma of final crystallization. The heat of crystallization of the MC was accommodated by anatexis and assimilation, and syntectonic

On the age of sinistral shearing along the southern border of the Tauern Window (Eastern Alps).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitzig, C.; Schneider, S.; Hammerschmidt, K.

2009-04-01

undeformed tonalites yield an age of 26.4±0.1 Ma and of 11.1±0.1 Ma, the strongly foliated tonalitic gneiss yields an age of 19.8±0.1 Ma, which is close to the age of the outcrop-scale shear zone of 18.0±0.1 Ma. It is difficult to interpret the 11 Ma age of one undeformed sample, because it is significantly younger than the ages obtained from zircon fission tracks from neighbouring areas. The older age of 26 Ma for the undeformed tonalite sample is interpreted as cooling age below the closure temperature of biotite, based on the following arguments: 1) This age is consistent with the inferred regional thermochronological distribution of cooling (Luth and Willingshofer, 2008); 2) The rock fabric is undeformed; 3) The age is older than the two deformed samples collected within a distance of a few hundreds of meters. The mineral assemblage of the deformed samples (green biotite and albite crystallisation) differs from the one of the undeformed rocks (red-brown biotite and K-feldspar clasts). Therefore, the albite-biotite isochrons of the deformed samples are inferred to date the deformation event. This age of deformation is consistent with the age determination of Glodny et al. (2008) from deformed marbles of the Schieferhülle, and with previous dating of sinistral shearing along the northern border of the western Tauern Window (Schneider et al., 2007), which yielded an average (n=5) age of 21.9±1.6 Ma. Therefore, sinistral deformation appears to have affected contemporaneously both the northern and the southern margins of the Zentral Gneiss in the western Tauern Window. References: Barnes, J. D., Selverstone, J. & Sharp, Z.D., 2004. Interactions between serpentinite devolatilization, metasomatism and strike-slip strain localization during deep-crustal shearing in the Eastern Alps. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 22, 283-300. Glodny, J., Ring, U. Kühn. A., 2008. Coeval high-pressure metamorphism, thrusting, strike slip, and extensional shearing in the Tauern Window

Phylogeography and recolonization of the Swiss Alps by the Valais shrew (Sorex antinorii), inferred with autosomal and sex-specific markers.

PubMed

Yannic, G; Basset, P; Hausser, J

2008-09-01

Using one male-inherited, one female-inherited and eight biparentally inherited markers, we investigate the population genetic structure of the Valais shrew (Sorex antinorii) in the Swiss Alps. Bayesian analysis on autosomal microsatellites suggests a clear genetic differentiation between two groups of populations. This geographically based structure is consistent with two separate postglacial recolonization routes of the species into Switzerland from Italian refugia after the last Pleistocene glaciations. Sex-specific markers also confirm genetic structuring among western and eastern areas, since very few haplotypes for either Y chromosome or mtDNA genome are shared between the two regions. Overall, these results suggest that two already well-differentiated genetic lineages colonized the Swiss Alps and came into secondary contact in the Rhône Valley. Low level of admixture between the two lineages is likely explained by the mountainous landscape structure of lateral valleys orthogonal to the main Rhône valley.

Mature vs. Active Deep-Seated Landslides: A Comparison Through Two Case Histories in the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delle Piane, Luca; Perello, Paolo; Baietto, Alessandro; Giorza, Alessandra; Musso, Alessia; Gabriele, Piercarlo; Baster, Ira

2016-06-01

Two case histories are presented, concerning the still poorly known alpine deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSD) located nearby Lanzada (central Italian Alps), and Sarre (north-western Italian Alps). The Lanzada DSD is a constantly monitored, juvenile, and active phenomenon, partly affecting an existing hydropower plant. Its well-developed landforms allow a precise field characterization of the instability-affected area. The Sarre DSD is a mature, strongly remodeled phenomenon, where the only hazard factor is represented by secondary instability processes at the base of the slope. In this case, the remodeling imposed the adoption of complementary analytical techniques to support the field work. The two presented studies had to be adapted to external factors, namely (a) available information, (b) geological and geomorphological setting, and (c) final scope of the work. The Lanzada case essentially relied upon accurate field work; the Sarre case was mostly based on digital image and DTM processing. In both cases a sound field structural analysis formed the necessary background to understand the mechanisms leading to instability. A back-analysis of the differences between the study methods adopted in the two cases is finally presented, leading to suggestions for further investigations and design.

The Western Tauern Window (Eastern Alps): Timing and Interplay of Folds and Sinistral Shear Zones as Result of South-Alpine Indentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Susanne; Rosenberg, Claudio; Hammerschmidt, Konrad

2010-05-01

The Tauern Window (TW) is the only domain within the Eastern Alps where deep crustal, Tertiary metamorphic rocks were exhumed to surface. The window is bounded by large-scale faults, partly considered to be responsible for its exhumation (e.g., Selverstone 1988, Fügenschuh 1997), and it is also cross cut internally by large-scale shear zones, whose significance in terms of type and timing of deformation, exhumation, and large-scale kinematic links is the subject of our investigation. These shear zones (Ahorn, Olperer, Greiner, Ahrntal) are widespread throughout the western TW, from the mm- to the km-scale. They are sinistral and located in the steep limbs of upright antiforms, forming a mylonitic foliation, that strikes parallel to the axial planes of these upright folds. We present new structural and geochronological data, obtained by in-situ dating of microstructurally defined syn- and postkinematic grains, to constrain the duration and termination of folding and sinistral shearing. Previous dating suggested initiation of shearing contemporaneous to nappe stacking between 32-and 30Ma, ongoing until 15Ma (Glodny et al., 2008). However, the fabric of the dated grains was not related to deformation phases defined from structural overprinting relationships, and the classical separation technique did not allow to separate synkinematic from pre- and post- kinematic grains. The northern margin of the western TW is pervasively overprinted by the Ahorn Shear Zone (Rosenberg & Schneider 2008), which shows S-side up kinematic indicators in addition to the sinistral ones, and a pronounced southward increase in metamorphic grade from lower greenschist facies to amphibolite facies conditions, within 2km. Phengites of the mylonitic foliation dated with the Rb/Sr in-situ technique, yield formation ages of 14-24Ma . The southern margin of the western TW is overprinted by the sinistral Ahrntal Fault (Schneider et al. 2009), which cuts discordantly several nappes from the

Morphological expression of active tectonics in the Southern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robl, Jörg; Heberer, Bianca; Neubauer, Franz; Hergarten, Stefan

2015-04-01

rates are not well constrained for the entire domain. Despite of that, extensive karstification in some areas limits the validity of a morphometric analysis in particular of the upper reaches of the drainage system and leads to a long term persistence of landforms (e.g. plateaus). In this study we focus on the drainage pattern of the eastern Southern Alps and the adjacent southern foreland basin. We use a high-resolution digital elevation model and a novel numerical approach to extract characteristic parameters of the morphology for the entire eastern Southern Alps with a high spatial resolution. We explore deviations in the steepness of channels from an equilibrium state and knick-points in longitudinal channel profiles and interpret these features in terms of (a) active tectonics, and variable uplift rates, (b) lithological effects like erodibility contrasts and karstification, and (c) base level lowering caused by glacial erosion and Messinian preconditioning. The drainage system of the Adige shows the most significant deviations from a fluvial equilibrium. This is documented in the normalized steepness index of the main channel and all tributaries as well as in the longitudinal channel profile. The main channel shows several sections of downstream steepening and extremely low channel gradients in the lower reach. Similar deviations are also observed in the Brenta catchment situated east of the Adige drainage system. In contrast to the two large western catchments of the study region, the Piave and particularly the Tagliamento catchment show well graded channel profiles and uniform normalized steepness indices despite of the glacial history. This clear west to east trend from highly disturbed to overall well graded channels has never been documented before and may be explained in the light of increased uplift rates in the east and differences in onset and timing of topography formation between the western and eastern sector of the study region.

A Chronologic Dual-Hemisphere Approach to the Last Glacial Termination from the Southern Alps of New Zealand and the Altai Mountains of Western Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strand, P.; Putnam, A. E.; Schaefer, J. M.; Denton, G.; Barrell, D.; Putnam, D.; Schwartz, R.; Sambuu, O.; Radue, M. J.; Lindsay, B. J.; Stevens, J.

2017-12-01

Understanding the processes that drove the last glacial termination in the tropics and mid-latitudes is a major unresolved problem in paleoclimate. The most recent glacial to interglacial transition represents the last great global warming and the last time CO2 rose by a substantial amount before the industrial period. Determining the speed of this warming will help refine the global climate system sensitivity to CO2 and will place ongoing global warming into a paleoclimatic context. Here, we test possible drivers of the last glacial termination by comparing chronologies of mountain glaciers, which are highly sensitive to changes in atmospheric temperature, in the middle latitudes of both polar hemispheres. The dating of glacier landforms, such as moraine ridges constructed along glacier margins, affords quantitative insight into past climate conditions. We present 10Be surface-exposure chronologies and glacial geomorphologic maps of mountain glacier recession since the Last Glacial Maximum in the Southern Alps of New Zealand (44°S, 170°E) and in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia (49°N, 88°E). On the basis of these chronologies from opposing hemispheres, we evaluate the relative roles of rising atmospheric CO2, local insolation forcing, and ocean-atmosphere reorganizations in driving the global warming that ended the last ice age.

Syndepositional tectonics recorded by soft-sediment deformation and liquefaction structures (continental Lower Permian sediments, Southern Alps, Northern Italy): Stratigraphic significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berra, F.; Felletti, F.

2011-04-01

The Lower Permian succession of the Central Southern Alps (Lombardy, Northern Italy) was deposited in fault-controlled continental basins, probably related to transtensional tectonics. We focussed our study on the stratigraphic record of the Lower Permian Orobic Basin, which consists of a 1000 m thick succession of prevailing continental clastics with intercalations of ignimbritic flows and tuffs (Pizzo del Diavolo Formation, PDV) resting on the underlying prevailing pyroclastic flows of the Cabianca Volcanite. The PDV consists of a lower part (composed of conglomerates passing laterally to sandstones and distally to silt and shales), a middle part (pelitic, with carbonates) and an upper part (alternating sandstone, silt and volcanic flows). Syndepositional tectonics during the deposition of the PDV is recorded by facies distribution, thickness changes and by the presence of deformation and liquefaction structures interpreted as seismites. Deformation is recorded by both ductile structures (ball-and-pillow, plastic intrusion, disturbed lamination, convolute stratification and slumps) and brittle structures (sand dykes and autoclastic breccias). Both the sedimentological features and the geodynamic setting of the depositional basin confidently support the interpretation of the described deformation features as related to seismic shocks. The most significant seismically-induced deformation is represented by a slumped horizon (about 4 m thick on average) which can be followed laterally for more than 5 km. The slumped bed consists of playa-lake deposits (alternating pelites and microbial carbonates, associated with mud cracks and vertebrate tracks). The lateral continuity and the evidence of deposition on a very low-angle surface along with the deformation/liquefaction of the sediments suggest that the slump was triggered by a high-magnitude earthquake. The stratigraphic distribution of the seismites allows us to identify time intervals of intense seismic activity

Conservation of brown bear in the Alps: space use and settlement behavior of reintroduced bears

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preatoni, Damiano; Mustoni, Andrea; Martinoli, Adriano; Carlini, Eugenio; Chiarenzi, Barbara; Chiozzini, Simonetta; Van Dongen, Stefan; Wauters, Luc A.; Tosi, Guido

2005-11-01

Large carnivores typically need large home ranges containing habitats patches of different quality. Consequently, their conservation requires habitat protection and management at the landscape scale. In some cases, reintroduction might be used to support remnant or restore extinct populations. This is the case for the brown bear ( Ursus arctos) in the Italian Alps. We monitored spacing behavior and settlement of reintroduced brown bears in Adamello-Brenta Natural Park, North-Italy, using radio-tracking. Habitat use, dispersion and survival were studied to evaluate the success of reintroduction and possible conflicts with man. All three males and five of seven females settled in the study area. Most bears roamed widely the first months after release, exploring the new habitat. Patterns of home range overlap between seasons and years revealed that home range use stabilized the year after first hibernation. Home ranges were larger in the mating season (May-July) than in spring or autumn. Home ranges varied between 34 and 1813 km 2 the year after release, but core-areas, where feeding activity was concentrated, were much smaller. Some bears had exclusive core-areas in summer and autumn, but most showed considerable core-area overlap with animals of the same and/or the opposite sex. Bears selected deciduous forests, mixed and conifer forests were used according to availability, and areas with anthropogenic disturbance were avoided. Most bears settled and some reproduced successfully at the release site, causing high initial population growth, suggesting that reintroduction can help to re-establish a brown bear population in the Italian Alps.

Constraints on the Miocene landscape evolution of the Eastern Alps from the Kalkspitze region, Niedere Tauern (Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dertnig, Florian; Stüwe, Kurt; Woodhead, Jon; Stuart, Finlay M.; Spötl, Christoph

2017-12-01

In order to unravel aspects of the Miocene landscape evolution of the eastern European Alps, we present geomorphic and isotopic data from the western Niedere Tauern region (Austria). The region is critical for such interpretations, because it is one of the few regions along the topographic axis of the Eastern Alps where the highest peaks (up to 2500 m a.s.l.) are dominated by limestone. As such, the region contains a record of Miocene landscape-forming events that survived the Pleistocene glaciations, not preserved elsewhere in the central Eastern Alps. This record includes karst caves, karstified planation surfaces and crystalline fluvial pebbles (Augenstein Formation) preserved on planation surfaces and in karst caves. Caves in the region occur in three distinct levels that correlate with well-known cave levels in the Northern Calcareous Alps, although they are somewhat higher in the Niedere Tauern. In part, these cave elevations also correlate with three planation surfaces and knickpoints of major streams draining the region, testifying their pre-glacial origin. We report details of a karst cave (Durchgangshöhle) from the highest cave level located at 2340 m a.s.l. In this cave, allochthonous fluvial gravels are present, overgrown by speleothems. One speleothem yielded an early middle Pleistocene U-Pb age (682 ± 17 ka). We regard this as a minimum age for the erosion of the fluvial cave deposits during Marine Isotope Stages 17 or 16. Carbon and oxygen isotope data of these speleothems imply a climate that is consistent with this interpretation. Cosmogenic 21Ne data of fluvial quartz clasts collected from the surface on plateaus of the Northern Calcareous Alps suggest minimum exposure durations of 115 and 262 ka. They probably reflect successive exposure since removal of the sediment cover of the Oligocene Augenstein Formation during the Pleistocene. While our geochronological data fail to record aspects of the earlier Miocene uplift history, they are

Holocene vegetation changes through Lac Ledro sediments (Trentino, Italy).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joannin, Sebastien; Vannière, Boris; Galop, Didier; Magny, Michel; Gilli, Adrian; Chapron, Emmanuel; Wirth, Stéfanie; Anselmetti, Flavio; Desmet, Marc

2010-05-01

Lake Ledro is part of the French program ANR LAMA (coordinators: M. Magny and N. Combourieu Nebout) which aims to link Holocene paleoenvironmental changes along a north-south transect in Italy. Lake Ledro (652 m a.s.l.; Trentino, north-eastern Italy) is the northward component of the transect. It is located on the southern slope of the Alps and its catchment area covers 131 km2 with mountains culminating at 1500-2000 m. A multi-proxy approach based on biotic and abiotic indicators (lake-level, palynology, geochemistry and geophysic) was developed from deep and littoral cores, including sediment sequences in Early and Middle Bronze Age lake-shore archaeological sites. We aim reconstructing paleoenvironmental changes resulting from both climate and anthropic influences trough the entire Holocene. A deep master core was built after extracting twin cores from a non disturbed sediment zone recognised by seismic-reflexion investigations. The age-depth model is based on 13 AMS 14C ages measured on terrestrial plant macrofossils and the mean temporal resolution for analyses is ca 60 years. Palynological study shows the usual vegetation succession for the southern slope of the Alps. During the first part of the Holocene, abrupt changes are observed in pollen assemblages in relation to changes in other proxies (XRF and Magnetic Susceptibility) and correlate with cold events associated to the deglaciation in the North-Atlantic area. Cool episodes corresponding to the PreBoreal Oscillation (ca 11.3 ka cal BP) and 8.2 ka event are respectively characterized by stopping afforestation and a strong development of Abies in the local ecosystem. During the second part of the Holocene, two declines of arboreal pollen abundance are observed in relation with occurrences in both cereal and anthropic pollen indicators. These two phases are confirmed by increase in soil erosion as indicated by abiotic proxies. They give evidence of two successive steps for human settlement (Early

Nuclear translocation of the cytoskeleton-associated protein, smALP, upon induction of skeletal muscle differentiation

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

Cambier, Linda; Pomies, Pascal, E-mail: pascal.pomies@crbm.cnrs.fr

2011-06-17

Highlights: {yields} The cytoskeleton-associated protein, smALP, is expressed in differentiated skeletal muscle. {yields} smALP is translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of C2C12 myoblasts upon induction of myogenesis. {yields} The differentiation-dependent nuclear translocation of smALP occurs in parallel with the nuclear accumulation of myogenin. {yields} The LIM domain of smALP is essential for the nuclear accumulation of the protein. {yields} smALP might act in the nucleus to control some critical aspect of the muscle differentiation process. -- Abstract: The skALP isoform has been shown to play a critical role in actin organization and anchorage within the Z-discs of skeletalmore » muscles, but no data is available on the function of the smALP isoform in skeletal muscle cells. Here, we show that upon induction of differentiation a nuclear translocation of smALP from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of C2C12 myoblasts, concomitant to an up-regulation of the protein expression, occurs in parallel with the nuclear accumulation of myogenin. Moreover, we demonstrate that the LIM domain of smALP is essential for the nuclear translocation of the protein.« less

Epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus infection in blood donations in Europe and Italy.

PubMed

Suligoi, Barbara; Raimondo, Mariangela; Regine, Vincenza; Salfa, Maria Cristina; Camoni, Laura

2010-07-01

The safety of blood with regards to transmission of infectious diseases is guaranteed by European laws that regulate both the selection of donors through pre-donation questionnaires and serological screening. However, variability in the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in different countries and some differences in the selection of donors can influence the efficacy (with regards to the safety of blood) of these processes. In this study we compared the prevalence of HIV in blood donations in the three macro-areas of Europe and in various western European countries, analysed the criteria of selection and rewarding of donors in western European countries, and studied the trend in the prevalence of HIV in Italy from to 1995 and 2006. European data were derived from the European Centre for the Surveillance of HIV; Italian data were obtained from the Transfusion-Transmitted Infections Surveillance System and National and Regional Register of blood and plasma. The information on eligibility criteria and rewarding offered to donors was derived from international sources. The prevalence of HIV in blood donations was highest in eastern Europe, followed by central Europe and western Europe. Among the western European countries, Spain, Italy and Israel had the highest prevalences; the prevalence was noted to be higher in countries which did not offer any rewarding to the donor. In Italy the prevalence of HIV was 3.8 cases per 100,000 donations in 2006 and increased between 1995 and 2006, both among donations from repeat donors and first time donors. The data highlight the need to continue improving the selection of donors and the coverage of the surveillance systems for HIV infection in transfusion services.

Algorithms used in the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nagle, David B.; Wright, C. Wayne

2016-05-23

The Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS) analyzes Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) data—digitized laser-return waveforms, position, and attitude data—to derive point clouds of target surfaces. A full-waveform airborne lidar system, the EAARL seamlessly and simultaneously collects mixed environment data, including submerged, sub-aerial bare earth, and vegetation-covered topographies.ALPS uses three waveform target-detection algorithms to determine target positions within a given waveform: centroid analysis, leading edge detection, and bottom detection using water-column backscatter modeling. The centroid analysis algorithm detects opaque hard surfaces. The leading edge algorithm detects topography beneath vegetation and shallow, submerged topography. The bottom detection algorithm uses water-column backscatter modeling for deeper submerged topography in turbid water.The report describes slant range calculations and explains how ALPS uses laser range and orientation measurements to project measurement points into the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system. Parameters used for coordinate transformations in ALPS are described, as are Interactive Data Language-based methods for gridding EAARL point cloud data to derive digital elevation models. Noise reduction in point clouds through use of a random consensus filter is explained, and detailed pseudocode, mathematical equations, and Yorick source code accompany the report.

Climate warming and the recent treeline shift in the European alps: the role of geomorphological factors in high-altitude sites.

PubMed

Leonelli, Giovanni; Pelfini, Manuela; di Cella, Umberto Morra; Garavaglia, Valentina

2011-05-01

Global warming and the stronger regional temperature trends recently recorded over the European Alps have triggered several biological and physical dynamics in high-altitude environments. We defined the present treeline altitude in three valleys of a region in the western Italian Alps and reconstructed the past treeline position for the last three centuries in a nearly undisturbed site by means of a dendrochronological approach. We found that the treeline altitude in this region is mainly controlled by human impacts and geomorphological factors. The reconstruction of the altitudinal dynamics at the study site reveals that the treeline shifted upwards of 115 m over the period 1901-2000, reaching the altitude of 2505 m in 2000 and 2515 m in 2008. The recent treeline shift and the acceleration of tree colonization rates in the alpine belt can be mainly ascribed to the climatic input. However, we point out the increasing role of geomorphological factors in controlling the future treeline position and colonization patterns in high mountains.

Si3 AlP: A New Promising Material for Solar Cell Absorber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jihui; Zhai, Yingteng; Liu, Hengrui; Xiang, Hongjun; Gong, Xingao; Wei, Suhuai

2014-03-01

First-principles calculations are performed to study the structural and optoelectronic properties of the newly synthesized nonisovalent and lattice-matched (Si2)0.6(AlP)0.4 alloy [T. Watkins et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 16212.] The most stable structure of Si3AlP is a superlattice along the <111>direction with separated AlP and Si layers, which has a similar optical absorption spectrum to silicon. The ordered C1c1-Si3AlP is found to be the most stable one among all the structures with -AlPSi3- motifs, in agreement with the experimental suggestions. We predict that C1c1-Si3AlP has good optical properties, i.e., it has a larger fundamental band gap and a smaller direct band gap than Si, thus it has much higher absorption in the visible light region, making it a promising candidate for improving the performance of the existing Si-based solar cells.

Spatial organization of seismicity and fracture pattern at the boundary between Alps and Dinarides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bressan, Gianni; Ponton, Maurizio; Rossi, Giuliana; Urban, Sandro

2016-04-01

The paper affords the study of the spatial organization of seismicity in the easternmost region of the Alps (Friuli, in NE Italy and W Slovenia), dominated by the interference between the Alpine and the Dinaric tectonic systems. Two non-conventional methods of spatial analysis are used: fractal analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). The fractal analysis helps to discriminate the cases in which hypocentres clearly define a plane, from the ones in which hypocenter distribution tends to the planarity, without reaching it. The PCA analysis is used to infer the orientation of planes fitting through earthquake foci, or the direction of propagation of the hypocentres. Furthermore, we study the spatial seismicity pattern at the shallow depths in the context of a general damage model, through the crack density distribution. The results of the three methods concur to a complex and composite model of fracturing in the region. The hypocentre pattern fills only partially a plane, i.e. has a fractal dimension close to 2. The three exceptions regard planes with Dinaric trend, without interference with Alpine lineaments. The shallowest depth range (0-10 km depth) is characterized by the activation of planes with variable orientations, reflecting the interference between the Dinaric and the Alpine tectonic structures, and closely bound to the variation of the mechanical properties of the crust. The seismicity occurs mostly in areas characterized by a variation from low to moderate crack density, indicating the sharp transition from zones of low damage to zones of moderate damage. Low crack density indicates the presence of more competent rocks capable of sustaining high strain energy while high crack density areas pertain to highly fractured rocks that cannot store high strain energy. Brittle failure, i.e. seismic activity, is favoured within the sharp transitions from low to moderate crack density zones. The orientation of the planes depicting the seismic activity

10Be exposure dating of the timing of Neoglacial glacier advances in the Ecrins-Pelvoux massif, southern French Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Roy, Melaine; Deline, Philip; Carcaillet, Julien; Schimmelpfennig, Irene; Ermini, Magali; Aster Team

2017-12-01

Alpine glacier variations are known to be reliable proxies of Holocene climate. Here, we present a terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN)-based glacier chronology relying on 24 new 10Be exposure ages, which constrain maximum Neoglacial positions of four small to mid-sized glaciers (Rateau, Lautaret, Bonnepierre and Etages) in the Ecrins-Pelvoux massif, southern French Alps. Glacier advances, marked by (mainly lateral) moraine ridges that are located slightly outboard of the Little Ice Age (LIA, c. 1250-1860 AD) maximum positions, were dated to 4.25 ± 0.44 ka, 3.66 ± 0.09 ka, 2.09 ± 0.10 ka, c. 1.31 ± 0.17 ka and to 0.92 ± 0.02 ka. The '4.2 ka advance', albeit constrained by rather scattered dates, is to our knowledge exposure-dated here for the first time in the Alps. It is considered as one of the first major Neoglacial advance in the western Alps, in agreement with other regional paleoclimatological proxies. We further review Alpine and Northern Hemisphere mid-to-high latitude evidence for climate change and glacier activity concomitant with the '4.2 ka event'. The '2.1 ka advance' was not extensively dated in the Alps and is thought to represent a prominent advance in early Roman times. Other Neoglacial advances dated here match the timing of previously described Alpine Neoglacial events. Our results also suggest that a Neoglacial maximum occurred at Etages Glacier 0.9 ka ago, i.e. during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA, c. 850-1250 AD). At Rateau Glacier, discordant results are thought to reflect exhumation and snow cover of the shortest moraine boulders. Overall, this study highlights the need to combine several sites to develop robust Neoglacial glacier chronologies in order to take into account the variability in moraine deposition pattern and landform obliteration and conservation.

Low temperature thermochronology in the Easter Alps. New data, interpretations and perspectives.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wölfler, Andreas

2015-04-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate new and published low temperature thermochronological data of the Eastern Alps in terms of its Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonic evolution and the possible connection with deep seated lithospheric processes. In the Eastern Alps, the tectonic units that originate from the Penninic domain are buried beneath the Austroalpine nappe stack. Overthrusting of the Austroalpine nappes over the Penninic units occurred throughout the Cretaceous and lasted until the Eocene. During lateral tectonic extrusion in Oligocene to Miocene times the footwall penninic units exposed in the Tauern Window, were tectonically exhumed from below the Austroalpine hanging wall. This is well documented by Miocene to Pliocene zircon- and apatite fission track (ZFT, AFT) and (U-Th)/He data. However, the Austroalpine hanging wall shows a more complex age pattern. Late Cretaceous ZFT data reflect post-metamorphic exhumational cooling after Eo-Alpine metamorphism that goes along with an extensional phase that affected large parts of the Eastern Alps. Paleogene AFT and apatite (U-Th)/He data of the Austroalpine units to the east of the Tauern Window reflect exhumation of this area that supplied clastic material, the so-called Augenstein formation. Exhumation and erosion of the area left a probably hilly surface in Early Miocene times that was only moderately uplifted since then. These areas are well known for paleosurfaces exposed in the Gurktal- Kor- and Seckauer Alps to the east of the Tauern Window and in the central and eastern Northern Calcareous Alps. However, distinct parts of the Austroalpine hanging wall experienced substantial exhumation and surface uplift in the Miocene, contemporaneous to the exhumation of Penninic units and lateral extrusion of the Eastern Alps. These areas are restricted to the south and northeast of the Tauern Window and are characterized by steep and rugged reliefs that contrast the hilly and moderately shaped reliefs of the

Topography of the Central Alps in the light of Tertiary collisional tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenberg, Claudio; Garcia, Sebastian

2013-04-01

observed correlation between shortening and relief is the result of past, but still active tectonics or a well preserved relict of Miocene teconic activity. References: Champagnac, J.-D., P. Molnar, C. Sue, and F. Herman (2012), Tectonics, climate, and mountain topography, J. Geophys. Res., 117, B02403, doi:10.1029/2011JB008348. Hurtez, J._E., Lucazeau, F., Lavé, J., and Avouac, J.-P. (1999), Investigation of the relationships between basin morphology, tectonic uplift, and denudation from the study of an active fold belt in the Siwalik Hills, central Nepal. J. Geophys. Res., 104, NO. B6, PAGES 12,779-12,796 Nocquet, J.-M. and Calais, E. (2004), Geodetic measurements of crustal deformation in the Western Mediterranean and Europe. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 161, 661-681, doi:10.1007/s00024-003-2468-z Rosenberg, C.L. and Kissling, E. (2013), 3D Structure of collision in the Central Alps: lower-plate or upper-plate indentation? EGU Abstract volume, EGU2013-ASC-2013-7946.

In A Queer Place in Time: Fictions of Belonging in Italy 1890-2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atwood, Christopher Burke

In a Queer Place in Time: Fictions of Belonging in Italy 1890-2010 maps the "elsewheres"---spatial, temporal and intertextual--- that authorize same-sex desire in modern Italy. Tracing a genealogy that spans from nineteenth century travel writing about Italy to contemporary Italian novels, I argue that texts exported from the Northern Europe and the U.S. function as vital site of affiliation and vexing points of discrepancy for Italy's queers. Pier Vittorio Tondelli's Camere separate (1989), for instance, cites the British novelist Christopher Isherwood as proof that -- somewhere else -- silence did not yoke homosexuality. Rather than defining sexuality as a constant set of desires, I demonstrate it to be a retroactive fiction. It is the fleeting affinity that the reading of inherited texts can evoke. In examining the reception of transnational gay narratives in the national context of Italy, this dissertation argues that the concept of "Western" homosexuality is internally riven. Ultimately, In a Queer Place in Time illuminates how local histories -- including affective differences like shame, estrangement and backwardness -- continue to haunt gay culture's global fictions. !

Responses of birds to the natural re-establishment of wilderness in montane beechwoods of North-western Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laiolo, Paola; Rolando, Antonio; Valsania, Valentina

2004-03-01

Habitat structure and its effect on bird communities in logged and abandoned montane beechwoods of North-western Italy were analysed to assess bird responses to natural regenerative aspects of succession. In the study area three seral and management types of beechwoods were identified: up to 15 years old beech coppices, 30-50 years old stands where small scale selective cutting still occurs, and natural regenerating 30-50 years old stands located in a wilderness preserve (Val Grande National Park). Bird species richness, abundance and diversity were significantly greater in naturally regenerating stands, whereas little differences existed between the two managed stands. This suggests that bird diversity of beechwoods younger than 50 years might depend on management-policy more than on the successional stages. Species-specific logistic regression models and canonical correspondence analysis indicated that micro-habitat features such as the amount of snags and the presence of edges were important predictors of bird community composition. In our study area, natural habitat recovery appears sufficiently robust to achieve 'passive' restoration of wilderness without intervention. Our results indicate that simple measures could be taken to improve biodiversity in the managed landscapes.

Epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus infection in blood donations in Europe and Italy

PubMed Central

Suligoi, Barbara; Raimondo, Mariangela; Regine, Vincenza; Salfa, Maria Cristina; Camoni, Laura

2010-01-01

Background The safety of blood with regards to transmission of infectious diseases is guaranteed by European laws that regulate both the selection of donors through pre-donation questionnaires and serological screening. However, variability in the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in different countries and some differences in the selection of donors can influence the efficacy (with regards to the safety of blood) of these processes. In this study we compared the prevalence of HIV in blood donations in the three macro-areas of Europe and in various western European countries, analysed the criteria of selection and rewarding of donors in western European countries, and studied the trend in the prevalence of HIV in Italy from to 1995 and 2006. Methods European data were derived from the European Centre for the Surveillance of HIV; Italian data were obtained from the Transfusion-Transmitted Infections Surveillance System and National and Regional Register of blood and plasma. The information on eligibility criteria and rewarding offered to donors was derived from international sources. Results The prevalence of HIV in blood donations was highest in eastern Europe, followed by central Europe and western Europe. Among the western European countries, Spain, Italy and Israel had the highest prevalences; the prevalence was noted to be higher in countries which did not offer any rewarding to the donor. In Italy the prevalence of HIV was 3.8 cases per 100,000 donations in 2006 and increased between 1995 and 2006, both among donations from repeat donors and first time donors. Conclusions The data highlight the need to continue improving the selection of donors and the coverage of the surveillance systems for HIV infection in transfusion services. PMID:20671878

Late Miocene remagnetization within the internal sector of the Northern Apennines, Italy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aiello, I.W.; Hagstrum, J.T.; Principi, G.

2004-01-01

Paleomagnetic and geologic evidence indicates that Upper Jurassic radiolarian cherts of both the Tuscan Cherts Formation (continental margin, Tuscan Units) and the Monte Alpe Cherts Formation (oceanic crust, Ligurian Units) were remagnetized during Miocene orogenesis of the Northern Apennines of Italy. Characteristic overprint magnetizations with reversed polarities have been found over a large area within the internal sector of the Northern Apennines, including eastern Liguria, Elba Island and the Thyrrenian margin, and west of the Middle Tuscan Ridge. The reversed-polarity overprint (average direction: D=177??, I=-52??, ??95=15??) was most likely acquired during Late Miocene uplift and denudation of the orogenic chain, and thermochemical remagnetization was a probable consequence of increased circulation of orogenic fluids. Similarly, mostly reversed-polarity directions of magnetization have been found by other workers in overlying post-orogenic Messinian sediments (D=177??, I=-57??, ??95=3??), which show little counterclockwise (CCW) vertical-axis rotation with respect to stable Europe (-8??5??). The Monte Alpe Cherts sampled at sites in the external sector of the Northern Apennines, close to major tectonic features, have normal- polarity overprint directions with in situ W-SW declinations. Since the overlying post-orogenic Messinian sediments have not been substantially rotated about vertical axes, the evidence points to an earlier,pre-Late Miocene remagnetization in the external parts of the orogenic chain. ?? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ALP-RISK, a smartphone app for collecting data on geomorphic phenomena at high altitude in the Mont Blanc region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravanel, Ludovic; Deline, Philip

2014-05-01

A network of observers (mountain guides, hut keepers and mountaineers) has been created from 2005 for the Mont Blanc massif in order to acquire data on rockfall in permafrost-affected rock walls. This network, fully operational since 2007, is based on observation sheets or oral communications and has documented nearly 350 events with volume between 100 and 45,000 m3. Their analysis confirmed and helped to better understand the role of the permafrost degradation as main triggering factor. To i) reinforce this network, ii) facilitate its observation work and iii) develop it as well in space (the whole Mont Blanc region, or eventually the whole western Alps) as in a thematic point of view (all glacial and periglacial brutal phenomena), the Alp-Risk app has been created in the framework of the Alcotra PrévRisk Mont-Blanc project. The latter (2011-13) has been developed to improve the prevention of individual and collective natural hazards around the Mont Blanc massif. The app was created for I-Phones and Androids in three languages (French, English and Italian) and allows, as intuitively and quickly as possible, transmitting data on natural hazards in high mountain (snow and ice avalanche, landslides and rockfalls, landslides, moraine destabilization, water pocket outburst flood, torrential flood, and others) to both practitioners (observations available directly on the app via an interface web), scientists, and possibly local managers. Alp-Risk thus constitutes a new step for participatory science in the Mont Blanc region.

Asbestos exposure during quarrying and processing of serpentinites: a case study in Valmalenco, Central Alps, Northern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavallo, A.; Rimoldi, B.

2012-04-01

Serpentinites are metamorphic rocks derived from ultramafics such as peridotites (lherzolites and/or harzburgites), with a typical mineralogical assemblage of antigorite, olivine, diopside and minor magnetite, chlorite and chrysotile. If the rock mass has good geotechnical properties, these stones are quarried because of their wide variety of green shades and outstanding technical properties. Excellent stones are produced in the Malenco Valley, Central Alps (northern Italy, Sondrio): here the geological set-up is dominated by the ultramafic Malenco massif (lower crust-mantle complex), exposed at the Penninic to Austroalpine boundary zone. Different processing operations give origin to valuable products like stoves, funeral monuments, design home appliances; important building element as roof slabs, tiles for floor and wall coverings constitute the main commercial line of production. In this area, good quality long fibre chrysotile asbestos was mined since the XIX century, till the seventies. The asbestos fissures (mostly slip-fiber) are well known in Valmalenco, associated to an important ENE-WSW striking fracture and hydrothermal vein system. Some actual serpentinite quarries "cross" at times tunnels of the old asbestos mines, because the fracture and vein system "guides" the extraction. At present time, this area represents an excellent example of naturally occurring asbestos (NOA). For these reasons, workers' exposure to asbestos during quarrying and processing cannot be ruled out, and must be assessed according to national laws. From 2004 to nowadays, the INAIL Regional Management of Lombardia, with the collaboration of University of Milan-Bicocca, carried out extensive monitoring campaigns both in quarries and in processing laboratories. More than 300 massive samples (rocks and veins) and 250 airborne dust samples were collected during the surveys. One of the main problems in the study of massive serpentinites is the accurate identification of the different

From Permo-Triassic lithospheric thinning to Jurassic rifting at the Adriatic margin: Petrological and geochronological record in Valtournenche (Western Italian Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manzotti, Paola; Rubatto, Daniela; Darling, James; Zucali, Michele; Cenki-Tok, Bénédicte; Engi, Martin

2012-08-01

Slices of polycyclic metasediments (marbles and meta-cherts) are tectonically amalgamated with the polydeformed basement of the Dent Blanche tectonic system along a major Alpine shear zone in the Western Alps (Becca di Salé area, Valtournenche Valley). A combination of techniques (structural analysis at various scales, metamorphic petrology, geochronology and trace element geochemistry) was applied to determine the age and composition of accessory phases (titanite, allanite and zircon) and their relation to major minerals. The results are used to reconstruct the polyphase structural and metamorphic histories, comprising both pre-Alpine and Alpine cycles. The pre-Alpine evolution is associated with low-pressure high-temperature metamorphism related to Permo-Triassic lithospheric thinning. In meta-cherts, microtextural relations indicate coeval growth of allanite and garnet during this stage, at ~ 300 Ma. Textures of zircon also indicate crystallisation at HT conditions; ages scatter from 263 to 294 Ma, with a major cluster of data at ~ 276 Ma. In impure marble, U-Pb analyses of titanite domains (with variable Al and F contents) yield apparent 206Pb/238U dates range from Permian to Jurassic. Chemical and isotopic data suggest that titanite formed at Permian times and was then affected by (extension-related?) fluid circulation during the Triassic and Jurassic, which redistributed major elements (Al and F) and partially opened the U-Pb system. The Alpine cycle lead to early blueschist facies assemblages, which were partly overprinted under greenschist facies conditions. The strong Alpine compressional overprint disrupted the pre-Alpine structural imprint and/or reactivated earlier structures. The pre-Alpine metamorphic record, preserved in these slices of metasediments, reflects the onset of the Permo-Triassic lithospheric extension to Jurassic rifting.

Probabilistic Seismic Risk Model for Western Balkans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stejskal, Vladimir; Lorenzo, Francisco; Pousse, Guillaume; Radovanovic, Slavica; Pekevski, Lazo; Dojcinovski, Dragi; Lokin, Petar; Petronijevic, Mira; Sipka, Vesna

2010-05-01

A probabilistic seismic risk model for insurance and reinsurance purposes is presented for an area of Western Balkans, covering former Yugoslavia and Albania. This territory experienced many severe earthquakes during past centuries producing significant damage to many population centres in the region. The highest hazard is related to external Dinarides, namely to the collision zone of the Adriatic plate. The model is based on a unified catalogue for the region and a seismic source model consisting of more than 30 zones covering all the three main structural units - Southern Alps, Dinarides and the south-western margin of the Pannonian Basin. A probabilistic methodology using Monte Carlo simulation was applied to generate the hazard component of the model. Unique set of damage functions based on both loss experience and engineering assessments is used to convert the modelled ground motion severity into the monetary loss.

Snow in Italy

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-24

NASA image acquired February 24, 2012 By late February, 2012, the great European cold wave had begun to loosen its frigid grip, but significant snow still remained in the region. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of snow in Italy on February 24 at 12:35 UTC (1:30 p.m. local time). In the north of the image, bright white clouds blanket the region in a broad arc. Snow, which tends to be generally less bright that clouds, covers the Alps in the north of Italy. The Apennine Mountains, which form the backbone of the Italian peninsula, also carry a blanket of snow. Although clouds and snow can, at times, be distinguished visually in a true-color image, sometimes they can appear very similar. When it is important to clearly define snow from cloud, false color images are often helpful. Rome, which can be seen as a gray smudge on the southwestern coast of the peninsula, recorded highs of a spring-like 50°F the day this image was captured, but earlier in the month the temperatures dove as low as 26°F on February 5. During that cold snap a rare intense snowfall blanketed Rome, causing the closure of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill due to concerns of the risk of icy footing for tourists, and roads became impassible. Further north, temperatures plummeted to −21 °C (−6 °F) on 7 February. On February 11, news media reported over 2 meters (6.5 feet) of snow had fallen in Urbino, a walled town situated on a high sloping hillside on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. That same snowfall cut access to many remote towns in the Apennines, blocking roads and trapping some people in the homes. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA�

Applying the Multiple Inverse Method to the analysis of earthquake focal mechanism data: New insights into the active stress field of Italy and surrounding regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macchiavelli, Chiara; Mazzoli, Stefano; Megna, Antonella; Saggese, Ferdinando; Santini, Stefano; Vitale, Stefano

2012-12-01

In order to obtain new insights into the active tectonic setting of the Italian territory and surrounding regions, the Multiple Inverse Method (MIM) has been applied to the analysis of fault plane solutions from more than 700 earthquakes with Mw ≥ 4. The active stress field in the top 40 km of the lithosphere has been defined for four 10 km-thick layers, each including 810 square cells of 1.5° side. The obtained stress field maps point out that most of the upper crustal seismicity of the Western and Central Alps is controlled by a strike-slip regime, which is dominant also in part of the Dinarides, Albanides and Hellenides and in a large sector encompassing eastern Sicily and the Malta area to the eastern Tunisia offshore. On the other hand, the well-known extensional belt occurring in the interior of the Apennines appears to extend well beyond the backbone of Italy, potentially reaching the outer foothills of the northern Marche region, while the adjacent Adria block (extending to the eastern Po Plain and the outer Dinarides) sticks out as a major area characterised by dominant thrust faulting in the upper crust. A similar regime characterises also a large sector of the western Tyrrhenian Sea, from NE Tunisia through western Sicily and the west coast of Sardinia, to the Provence coast. Besides lateral variations, our analysis also points out a significant vertical heterogeneity of the stress field, the deeper levels (20 to 40 km) investigated in this study being characterised by dominant horizontal maximum compression even in areas of upper crustal extension. The application of the MIM to a large seismological dataset, providing basic information for the compilation of active stress maps, contributes to a better understanding of active tectonic processes and may be used for improving seismotectonic zoning and reservoir management.

Frozen Nature - A high-alpine ice core record reveals fire and vegetation dynamics in Western Europe over the past millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brügger, S.; Gobet, E.; Sigl, M.; Osmont, D.; Schwikowski, M.; Tinner, W.

2017-12-01

Wild fires are an ecological disturbance agent across ecosystems, driving vegetation dynamics and resulting in disruption of habitats (Moritz et al. 2014).We analyze pollen and spores as proxies for vegetation composition, structure and agricultural activity, microscopic charcoal as a proxy for fire activity, and spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs or soots) as a proxy for fossil fuel combustion which preserve in ice cores over millennia (Eichler et al. 2011).Our high-alpine ice core (4452 m a.s.l.) from Colle Gnifetti, Swiss Alps is located in the center of Western Europe, thus allowing to assess vegetation and societal responses to climatic change and wildfire disturbance on a subcontinental scale. The record covers the last millennium with an excellent chronological control (Jenk et al. 2009, Sigl et al. 2009), particularly over the most recent 200 years - the period that experienced important climatic changes and an increasing globalization of economy.The Colle Gnifetti record reflects large scale impacts such as extreme weather, societal innovations, agricultural crises and pollution of the industrial period in Western Europe. Pollution tracers occur in the record as early as 1750 AD and coincide with the shift to large-scale maize production in Northern Italy and with increased fire activity. Our multiproxy record may allow desentagling the role of climate and humans for vegetation composition and biomass burning. The attribution of causes may significantly advance our understanding of future vegetation and fire dynamics under global change conditions. To our knowledge we present the first long-term high-resolution palynological record of a high elevation ice core in Europe.REFERENCESEichler et al. (2011): An ice-core based history of Siberian forest fires since AD 1250. Quaternary Science Reviews, 30(9), 1027-1034.Jenk et al. (2009): A novel radiocarbon dating technique applied to an ice core from the Alps indicating late Pleistocene ages. Journal of

The Seeds Left in Italy by the E&O Program of the Andrill Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cattadori, M.

2010-12-01

One of the main purposes of the ARISE program, the educational initiative by the ANDRILL research, was to “integrate polar geoscience content into a range of learning environments”. In the range of this program, an Italian science teacher created and developed through 2006 and 2007 a specific project called progettosmilla.it (www.progettosmilla.it). With the services consequently created, this initiative managed to involve more then 2000 students and 100 teachers across the Italian territory. Though, what is left of that experience four years later? This contribution focuses on the description of the long-term effects of that event on the earth system science education in Italy. It offers the chance to analyze some of the most significant educational projects rooted in the network of (local and national) institutions which supported the progettosmilla.it-ANDRILL program. Among these: - the Ortles project: an E&O initiative developed in the range of an international paleoclimatic research on the biggest ice-cap of the Eastern Alps (by Italian and U.S. universities and centers of research); - the I-CLEEN (Inquiring on Climate & ENergy) project: an information gateway collecting educational resources, which promotes an enquiry-based approach and is managed by science teachers (by the Natural Science Museum of Trento- Italy); - the SPEs (Summer Polar School for Teachers): a summer class where research, researchers and teachers illustrate polar themes and lectures to be introduced in scholastic programs (by the National Museum of Antarctica- Italy); - the first European edition of IESO (International Earth Science Olympiad), initiative to be held in Italy in 2011 (by University of Modena and Reggio Emilia - Italy). Through the analysis of these projects it will be possible to gain useful clues and answer more complex questions, such as: Which are the key factors for the success of such a project, aimed to the cooperation between scientists and teachers? Why an

Assessment and selection of geomorphosites and trails in the Miage Glacier area (Western Italian alps).

PubMed

Bollati, Irene; Smiraglia, Claudio; Pelfini, Manuela

2013-04-01

Glacial environments are considered geomorphosites because they exhibit all of the features that characterise sites of geomorphological interest. The Miage Glacier, in particular, is the most important debris-covered glacier of the Italian Alps, and it has been extensively studied since the 18th century because of its scientific features. In this area, the geomorphological and geological attributes are evaluated at 11 sites that have been individuated along the three main touristic trails, which allow an exploration of the surroundings of the glacial tongue and its two main lobes. Using a methodology previously tested in a fluvial environment, single sites and trails are quantitatively assessed to determine the most suitable trail for educational purposes. Hazards that could potentially affect the trails are considered in terms of both risk education and final selection of the most suitable trails for the various possible user groups. The richness of scientific data in this area should increase its importance as a geomorphosite by increasing the educational value of the Miage Glacier and the Veny Valley.

Assessment and Selection of Geomorphosites and Trails in the Miage Glacier Area (Western Italian Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bollati, Irene; Smiraglia, Claudio; Pelfini, Manuela

2013-04-01

Glacial environments are considered geomorphosites because they exhibit all of the features that characterise sites of geomorphological interest. The Miage Glacier, in particular, is the most important debris-covered glacier of the Italian Alps, and it has been extensively studied since the 18th century because of its scientific features. In this area, the geomorphological and geological attributes are evaluated at 11 sites that have been individuated along the three main touristic trails, which allow an exploration of the surroundings of the glacial tongue and its two main lobes. Using a methodology previously tested in a fluvial environment, single sites and trails are quantitatively assessed to determine the most suitable trail for educational purposes. Hazards that could potentially affect the trails are considered in terms of both risk education and final selection of the most suitable trails for the various possible user groups. The richness of scientific data in this area should increase its importance as a geomorphosite by increasing the educational value of the Miage Glacier and the Veny Valley.

Investigations on alluvial deposits through borehole stratigraphy, radiocarbon dating and passive seismic technique (Carnic Alps, NE Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viero, Alessia; Marchi, Lorenzo; Cavalli, Marco; Crema, Stefano; Fontana, Alessandro; Mozzi, Paolo; Venturini, Corrado

2016-04-01

Alluvial sediment investigations provide fundamental tools to infer the processes that control geomorphological evolution of mountain environments. By analyzing sediment stratigraphy in depth, it is possible to retrieve the source, the geology, the time of deposition, the relative distance travelled by material as well as to distinguish among different type of transport (i.e., gravitational, fluvial or glacial). In this work, we present a combination of log stratigraphy, radiocarbon dating and geophysical surveys carried out on the valley floor of the But River (Carnic Alps, North East Italy). The But River basin drains an area of 326 km2 with a range in elevation from 2769 to 323 m a.s.l.; the bedrock mainly consists of carbonates and quartz arenites with minor inclusions of effusive rocks. After Pleistocene the gravitational deposits from mountain slopes have impounded the But River several times. In particular, we analyzed a sector of the upper portion of the But valley close to the confluence of the Moscardo Torrent, frequently affected by debris flows. A borehole was drilled in the But River floodplain, at the intersection with the Moscardo Torrent alluvial fan, down to a depth of 80 m. The analysis of the core samples allowed discerning three sedimentary levels rich in clay and organic materials, which testify the presence of small dam lakes, originated from the Moscardo debris-flow deposits. Three samples of wood and plant debris were collected from 13, 14 and 23 m of depth, respectively. They were analyzed through radiocarbon dating in order to determine the age of the lakes and, thus, to infer the activity of the debris flows building the Moscardo cone. The calibrated ages of the 3 samples are close to the younger limit of the radiocarbon method indicating a fast aggradation of the valley floor, starting from a period ranging between 1450 - 1632 AD. Historical maps and documents confirm the presence of the lakes until 19th century and they permit to assess

The impact of commercial and recreational harvesting for Paracentrotus lividus on shallow rocky reef sea urchin communities in North-western Sardinia, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pais, Antonio; Chessa, Lorenzo A.; Serra, Simone; Ruiu, Alberto; Meloni, Gianni; Donno, Yuri

2007-07-01

The fishery for the edible sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus is of great importance to many European regions, although in some of them this species has shown a wide scale decline in recent years. This paper reports on direct (on P. lividus) and indirect (on the co-occurring but not fished echinoid, Arbacia lixula) effects of sea urchin harvesting in shallow rocky reefs in North-western Sardinia (Italy, central-western Mediterranean Sea), where this activity is intensively practised. Density, size (test diameter), and biomass of both species were assessed in autumn 2004 at two locations impacted by P. lividus fishery, and at two controls within an adjacent Marine Protected Area. Density of P. lividus and A. lixula was significantly greater at the controls than at the exploited locations. The average test diameter of P. lividus was also significantly larger at the controls, where large-sized specimens (i.e. >5 cm) were notably more abundant. The average size of A. lixula did not significantly differ between the impacted locations and the controls. The average biomass of P. lividus was significantly greater at the controls than at the exploited locations, whereas no differences were detected for A. lixula. These results reveal the existence of a heavy fishing impact on P. lividus in North-western Sardinia and the need for regulation of its harvesting to prevent severe direct effects on its populations. Since no indirect effects on A. lixula have been detected, it could be hypothesized that this species did not benefit from P. lividus fishery due to an only moderate competition for habitat and resources between these two echinoids. Implications for management of edible sea urchin fishery are also discussed.

An assessment of the distribution and spread of the tick Hyalomma marginatum in the western Palearctic under different climate scenarios.

PubMed

Estrada-Peña, Agustín; Sánchez, Nely; Estrada-Sánchez, Adrián

2012-09-01

We applied a process-driven model to evaluate the impact of climate scenarios for the years 2020, 2050, and 2080 on the life cycle of Hyalomma marginatum ticks in the western Palearctic. The net growth rate of the tick populations increased in every scenario tested compared to the current climate baseline. These results support the expectations of increased tick survival and increased population turnover in future climate scenarios. We included a basic evaluation of host movement based on rules connected to altitude, slope, size of the near patches, and inter-patch distances in the real landscape over the target area. Data on landscape were obtained from medium-resolution MODIS satellite imagery, which allowed us to test the potential spread of the populations. Such a model of host dispersal linked to the process-driven life cycle model demonstrated that eastern (Turkey, Russia, and Balkans) populations of H. marginatum currently are well separated and have little mixing with western (Italy, Spain, and northern Africa) populations. The northern limit is marked by the cold areas in the Balkans, Alps, and Pyrenees. Under the warmer conditions predicted by the climate scenarios, the exchange of ticks throughout new areas, previously free of the vector, is expected to increase, mainly in the Balkans and southern Russia, over the limit of the mountain ranges. Therefore, the northern limit of the tick range would increase. Additional studies are necessary to understand the implications of host changes in range and abundance for H. marginatum and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus.

Some anomalous behaviour of vertebrates and insects preceding M5+ earthquakes in the North Western Apennines (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Straser, Valentino

2013-04-01

Earthquakes with a magnitude greater than M5+ are an unusual event in the seismic area of the Frignano District and the areas surrounding Parma in the North Western Apennines (Italy). Only two seismic events have occurred in the last four years: on 23 December 2008 (M5.1) and on 27 January 2012 (M5.4). The earthquake of 23 December 2008 allowed the verification of unusual behaviour in man and animals in the run-up to the main shock, in addition to anomalies of an electromagnetic type. An initial study showed that there are elements of coincidence between the seismic events and the number of admissions to hospitals around the epicentre: in the month of December 2008, the days with the greatest number of admissions coincided with seismic shocks. A half hour before the main event of 23 December, recorded at 16:24:21 local time (see: INGV), a slowworm (Anguis fragilis) left its hibernation site and died shortly afterwards from the cold on a road, as did a viper (Vipera aspis) found near some dwellings in an area around twenty kilometres from the epicentre. The investigation proceeded in 2009, but this time based on the number of daily admissions to the hospital A&E department, between June and December 2009. During the six months of the investigation, the maximum number of emergencies was 9 per day, while the earthquakes were in line with the usual number and magnitude for the Frignano seismic district. The earthquakes from June to December 2009 numbered 10, with a magnitude from M2.5 to M3.6. In 8 cases, in the 48 hours preceding the occurrence of the seism, there was a greater number of hospital emergencies. The subsequent occasion to check on a possible relationship between anomalous behaviour in animals and a seism occurred on 27 January 2012 (see: INGV), when an earthquake with a magnitude of M5.4 shook the North Western Apennines, thankfully without resulting in victims. Like 2008, in an area around fifteen kilometres from the epicentre, a grass snake (Zamenis

Application of LANDSAT and Skylab data for land use mapping in Italy. [emphasizing the Alps Mountains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bodechtel, J.; Nithack, J.; Dibernardo, G.; Hiller, K.; Jaskolla, F.; Smolka, A.

1975-01-01

Utilizing LANDSAT and Skylab multispectral imagery of 1972 and 1973, a land use map of the mountainous regions of Italy was evaluated at a scale of 1:250,000. Seven level I categories were identified by conventional methods of photointerpretation. Images of multispectral scanner (MSS) bands 5 and 7, or equivalents were mainly used. Areas of less than 200 by 200 m were classified and standard procedures were established for interpretation of multispectral satellite imagery. Land use maps were produced for central and southern Europe indicating that the existing land use maps could be updated and optimized. The complexity of European land use patterns, the intensive morphology of young mountain ranges, and time-cost calculations are the reasons that the applied conventional techniques are superior to automatic evaluation.

Regulation of the Synthesis of the Angucyclinone Antibiotic Alpomycin in Streptomyces ambofaciens by the Autoregulator Receptor AlpZ and Its Specific Ligand▿

PubMed Central

Bunet, Robert; Mendes, Marta V.; Rouhier, Nicolas; Pang, Xiuhua; Hotel, Laurence; Leblond, Pierre; Aigle, Bertrand

2008-01-01

Streptomyces ambofaciens produces an orange pigment and the antibiotic alpomycin, both of which are products of a type II polyketide synthase gene cluster identified in each of the terminal inverted repeats of the linear chromosome. Five regulatory genes encoding Streptomyces antibiotic regulatory proteins (alpV, previously shown to be an essential activator gene; alpT; and alpU) and TetR family receptors (alpZ and alpW) were detected in this cluster. Here, we demonstrate that AlpZ, which shows high similarity to γ-butyrolactone receptors, is at the top of a pathway-specific regulatory hierarchy that prevents synthesis of the alp polyketide products. Deletion of the two copies of alpZ resulted in the precocious production of both alpomycin and the orange pigment, suggesting a repressor role for AlpZ. Consistent with this, expression of the five alp-located regulatory genes and of two representative biosynthetic structural genes (alpA and alpR) was induced earlier in the alpZ deletion strain. Furthermore, recombinant AlpZ was shown to bind to specific DNA sequences within the promoter regions of alpZ, alpV, and alpXW, suggesting direct transcriptional control of these genes by AlpZ. Analysis of solvent extracts of S. ambofaciens cultures identified the existence of a factor which induces precocious production of alpomycin and pigment in the wild-type strain and which can disrupt the binding of AlpZ to its DNA targets. This activity is reminiscent of γ-butyrolactone-type molecules. However, the AlpZ-interacting molecule(s) was shown to be resistant to an alkali treatment capable of inactivating γ-butyrolactones, suggesting that the AlpZ ligand(s) does not possess a lactone functional group. PMID:18296523

Regulation of the synthesis of the angucyclinone antibiotic alpomycin in Streptomyces ambofaciens by the autoregulator receptor AlpZ and its specific ligand.

PubMed

Bunet, Robert; Mendes, Marta V; Rouhier, Nicolas; Pang, Xiuhua; Hotel, Laurence; Leblond, Pierre; Aigle, Bertrand

2008-05-01

Streptomyces ambofaciens produces an orange pigment and the antibiotic alpomycin, both of which are products of a type II polyketide synthase gene cluster identified in each of the terminal inverted repeats of the linear chromosome. Five regulatory genes encoding Streptomyces antibiotic regulatory proteins (alpV, previously shown to be an essential activator gene; alpT; and alpU) and TetR family receptors (alpZ and alpW) were detected in this cluster. Here, we demonstrate that AlpZ, which shows high similarity to gamma-butyrolactone receptors, is at the top of a pathway-specific regulatory hierarchy that prevents synthesis of the alp polyketide products. Deletion of the two copies of alpZ resulted in the precocious production of both alpomycin and the orange pigment, suggesting a repressor role for AlpZ. Consistent with this, expression of the five alp-located regulatory genes and of two representative biosynthetic structural genes (alpA and alpR) was induced earlier in the alpZ deletion strain. Furthermore, recombinant AlpZ was shown to bind to specific DNA sequences within the promoter regions of alpZ, alpV, and alpXW, suggesting direct transcriptional control of these genes by AlpZ. Analysis of solvent extracts of S. ambofaciens cultures identified the existence of a factor which induces precocious production of alpomycin and pigment in the wild-type strain and which can disrupt the binding of AlpZ to its DNA targets. This activity is reminiscent of gamma-butyrolactone-type molecules. However, the AlpZ-interacting molecule(s) was shown to be resistant to an alkali treatment capable of inactivating gamma-butyrolactones, suggesting that the AlpZ ligand(s) does not possess a lactone functional group.

The rising greenhouse effect: experiments and observations in and around the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philipona, R.

2010-09-01

The rapid temperature increase of more than 1°C in central Europe over the last three decades is larger than expected from anthropogenic greenhouse warming. Surface radiation flux measurements in and around the Alps in fact confirm that not only thermal longwave radiation but also solar shortwave radiation increased since the 1980s. Surface energy budget analyses reveal the rising surface temperature to be well correlated with the radiative forcing, and also show an increase of the kinetic energy fluxes explaining the rise of atmospheric water vapor. Solar radiation mainly increased due to a strong decline of anthropogenic aerosols since mid of the 1980s. While anthropogenic aerosols were mainly accumulated in the boundary layer, this reduction let solar radiation to recover (solar brightening after several decades of solar dimming) mainly at low altitudes around the Alps. At high elevations in the Alps, solar forcing is much smaller and the respective temperature rise is also found to be smaller than in the lowlands. The fact that temperature increases less in the Alps than at low elevations is unexpected in the concept of greenhouse warming, but the radiation budget analyses clearly shows that in the plains solar forcing due to declining aerosols additionally increased surface temperature, whereas in the Alps temperature increased primarily due to greenhouse warming that is particularly manifested by a strong water vapor feedback.

New insights into the kinematics and seismotectonics of the Adria-Eurasia boundary in the eastern Alps from geodetic and seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serpelloni, Enrico; Vannucci, Gianfranco; Bennett, Richard A.; Anderlini, Letizia; Cavaliere, Adriano

2015-04-01

In this work we describe a new kinematic and seismotectonic model of the eastern Alps, at the boundary between Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, obtained from the analysis of geodetic (GPS) and seismological data. We use a dense GPS velocity field, obtained from integration of continuous, semi-continuous and survey-mode networks (~200 GPS stations between longitude 10°E and 17°E and latitude 44.5°N and 47.5°N) and an updated seismic and focal mechanisms catalogue, with uniformly calibrated moment magnitudes from ~1000 B.C.. Improved accuracies and precisions of GPS motion rates have been obtained by filtering displacement time-series for the spatially correlated common mode errors. The eastern Alps mark the boundary between the Adriatic microplate and the Eurasian plate through a wide zone of distributed deformation. Geodetic deformation and seismic release are more localized, and characterized by larger earthquakes, along the southeastern Alps fold-and-thrust belt, which accommodates the large part of the ~N-S Adria-Eurasia convergence, and in Slovenia, where a transition from ~N-S shortening to the eastward escape of the Pannonian Basin units occurs through a complex pattern of crustal deformation. GPS velocities well describe the overall kinematics, with a transition from NNW-ward to NE-ward motion trends (in a Eurasian frame) across Slovenia and Austria, but also show small but significant crustal deformation far from the major blocks boundaries. This may suggest internal continuous deformation or a more complex configuration of interacting tectonic blocks in the eastern Alps. This second hypothesis is taken into account and tested in this work. We use seismic moment release rate maps, active faults databases and inspections of GPS velocities in different local frames to define the geometry of a kinematic block model, constrained by GPS horizontal velocities, in order to estimate blocks rotations and elastic strain at blocks bounding faults. The

Contrasting cooling and exhumation histories of tectonic blocks in the eastern part of the Eastern Alps and its possible relationships with lithospheric dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wölfler, Andreas; Glotzbach, Christoph

2017-04-01

In the European Alps two fundamental changes in the lithospheric structure controlled the geodynamic evolution of the orogen: (1) Late Eocene to Early Oligocene rupturing of the European slab and (2) Early Miocene change in subduction polarity between the Western and Eastern Alps. In particular, the eastern part of the Eastern Alps is a key area which will provide both, information about the surface response to the Eocene/Oligocene slab breakoff and the response to a proposed isostatic rebound due to slab detachment of the European lithosphere in the Miocene (Handy et al., 2015). The eastern part of the Eastern Alps is characterized by fault-bounded blocks with different thermochronological ages, mean elevations and hillslope angles, indicating a variable spatial and temporal evolution throughout the Cenozoic era. The topographic pattern of the study area can be described in terms of (1) high relief with a rugged surface and steep slopes in the Niedere Tauern and (2) lower relief and distinctly smoother topography in the Seckauer Tauern, the Gurktal, Saualpe and Koralpe blocks. Generally, tectonic blocks with higher relief and rugged topography display the youngest apatite fission track (AFT) and apatite (U-Th)/He data (AHe); the Niedere Tauern concurs with middle Miocene AFT and late Miocene/Pliocene AHe ages (Wölfler et al., 2016). The other tectonic blocks generally show Eocene to Oligocene AFT ages (Wölfler et al., 2016 and references therein) and Oligocene to early Miocene AHe ages (Legrain et al., 2014, own preliminary work). New AFT and AHe data from the Gurktal block and Seckauer Tauern indicate that substantial parts of the study area where at near-surface conditions since the Eocene and Oligocene. Thermal history models suggest fast cooling through the AFT and AHe closure temperatures in the Oligocene as a possible response to slab breakoff that was followed by thermal stagnation until the present. In contrast, the neighboring Niedere Tauern experienced

Soils evolution and treeline fluctuations under late Holocene climatic changes: a case study from Upper Valtellina (European Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masseroli, Anna; Leonelli, Giovanni; Pelfini, Manuela; Trombino, Luca

2016-04-01

High-altitude areas in the European Alps have been widely investigated through time for reconstructing the Holocene climate fluctuations, by analyzing both biological and abiological indicators. In high-altitude areas the ongoing temperature increase caused some effects in the natural environments such as the upward shift of the vegetation belts and, in particular, of the treeline. In fact, the treeline is considered a sensitive climate indicator; in high-altitude areas, the vegetation growth and dynamics are strongly influenced not only by climate but also by abiotic factors, like geomorphological processes and soil development. The aim of this study is the reconstruction of late Holocene soil evolution and environmental changes at the treeline on the SW slope of the Monte Confinale in the Upper Valtellina, Central Italian Alps. We performed a detailed reconstruction of the treeline altitudinal dynamics together with the field and laboratory characterization of a transect of nine soil profiles developing at an altitude ranging from 1800 m a.s.l. (closed forest) to 2600 m a.s.l. (species line), in order to understand the relationship between colonization by arboreal vegetation and soil development. The upward shift of the treeline was assessed analyzing tree age distribution on the slope by means of a tree-ring based approach. The treeline elevation over time (based on the years in which the trees reached 2 m in height) increased from 2505 m a.s.l. (period 1990-1999) to 2531 m (period 2000-2009) to 2545 m (in 2013) with a rate of upward shift of up to 2.6 m/y in the period 2000-2009. The investigated soils showed a decreasing development with increasing altitude, in fact at higher altitude we found less developed soils (i.e. Ranker), on the contrary in the forest area (about 2000 m a.s.l.) we found a more developed soil (i.e. Podzol). Moreover, the soil development may also be affected by the conditions of the slope, characterized by broad alpine grasslands that

Infrasonic monitoring of snow avalanches in the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchetti, E.; Ulivieri, G.; Ripepe, M.; Chiambretti, I.; Segor, V.

2012-04-01

Risk assessment of snow avalanches is mostly related to weather conditions and snow cover. However a robust risk validation requires to identify all avalanches occurring, in order to compare predictions to real effects. For this purpose on December 2010 we installed a permanent 4-element, small aperture (100 m), infrasound array in the Alps, after a pilot experiment carried out in Gressonay during the 2009-2010 winter season. The array has been deployed in the Ayas Valley, at an elevation of 2000 m a.s.l., where natural avalanches are expected and controlled events are regularly performed. The array consists into 4 Optimic 2180 infrasonic microphones, with a sensitivity of 10-3 Pa in the 0.5-50 Hz frequency band and a 4 channel Guralp CMG-DM24 A/D converter, sampling at 100 Hz. Timing is achieved with a GPS receiver. Data are transmitted to the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Firenze, where data is recorded and processed in real-time. A multi-channel semblance is carried out on the continuous data set as a function of slowness, back-azimuth and frequency of recorded infrasound in order to detect all avalanches occurring from the back-ground signal, strongly affected by microbarom and mountain induced gravity waves. This permanent installation in Italy will allow to verify the efficiency of the system in short-to-medium range (2-8 km) avalanche detection, and might represent an important validation to model avalanches activity during this winter season. Moreover, the real-time processing of infrasonic array data, might strongly contribute to avalanche risk assessments providing an up-to-description of ongoing events.

Teachers' Ethnotheories of the "Ideal Student" in Five Western Cultures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harkness, Sara; Blom, Marjolijn; Oliva, Alfredo; Moscardino, Ughetta; Zylicz, Piotr Olaf; Bermudez, Moises Rios; Feng, Xin; Carrasco-Zylicz, Agnieszka; Axia, Giovanna; Super, Charles M.

2007-01-01

This paper explores teachers' ethnotheories of the "ideal student" in five western societies: Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the US. Quantitative and qualitative methods are used to derive culture-specific profiles of the "ideal student" as described by kindergarten and primary school teachers in semi-structured…

Holocene climate dynamics in the Eastern Italian Alps: a multi-proxy study from ice and peat bogs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poto, Luisa; Gabrieli, Jacopo; Segnana, Michela; Festi, Daniela; Oeggl, Klaus; Barbante, Carlo

2014-05-01

The Eastern Italian Alps are located near one of the areas in the world with some of the longest records of extreme environmental use by human activity. In this area, paleo-climate studies are hampered by the lack of high-resolution multi-proxy records with adequate chronological control. With this project, we propose to reconstruct Holocene climatic and environmental variations in the Eastern Italian Alps using terrestrial and glaciological archives. We aim to study the characteristics of different climate stages in this sector of the Alps using an ice core drilled on the top of the Ortles glacier (46°30' N, 10°32 E, 3850 m a.s.l.) and ombrotrophic peat bog records from the Dolomites (Danta di Cadore, 46°34' N, 12°33 E, 1400 m a.s.l. and Coltrondo 46°39'28.37''N 12°26'59.17''E, 1800 m a.s.l., Belluno province). The study of global climatic change require a holistic and multi-proxy approach to better understand several complex and often non-linear relationships. In the Italian Alps our study on peat cores represents the first attempt where a multi-proxy approach is applied, and here we report our first results. A 7.0 m peat sequence was extracted in Danta di Cadore. The depth-age scale, based upon independent 14C and 210Pb dates and modeled with the Clam method (Blaauw, 2010), demonstrates that the archive covers more than 13,200 years (cal BP). We determined physical proprieties, Ca and Ti trends, pore water pH, conductivity, and Ca/Mg ratios to identify changes in trophic conditions. The results confirm that the uppermost 400 cm are composed of ombrotrophic peat representing the longest Eastern Alpine ombrotrophic record yet obtained, covering the last 7,000 years. The oldest radiocarbon age (13,200 years cal BP) provides evidence that, during the Bölling-Alleröd interstadial, the upper part of the Piave Glacier was ice-free up to 1400 m a.s.l.. At that time pollen assemblages show that a conifer forest characterized the local vegetation. This forest was

Geomorphology and dynamics of supraglacial debris covers in the Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deline, P.; Gardent, M.; Kirkbride, M. P.; Le Roy, M.; Martin, B.

2012-04-01

In the alpine regions of France and NW Italy, many glaciers of a variety of sizes are at least partly debris-covered, but these have received less scientific research than clean glaciers. During the present period of glacier shrinkage - the area of glacier cover in France has reduced by 26% over the last 40 years -, growing debris cover needs to be understood as an influence on continuing retreat, with consequences for natural hazards, water resources and tourism. We present the results of a combined ongoing study of an inventory of debris-covered glaciers in France with site-specific studies of c. 12 glaciers of contrasting types, in order to understand spatial and temporal changes in supraglacial debris cover. Our specific aims are: 1. To understand the geomorphology of debris-covers and their formation, investigating the types of debris cover in relation to formative processes including extraglacial supply and development during transport. 2. To document the changing extents of supraglacial debris covers, using historical documents and aerial photographs. 3. To interpret areal changes in terms of glaciological and topographical controls on different glacier and debris cover types (catchment morphology, glacier structure, mass balance history, and rock wall collapse magnitude and frequency). 4. To understand the effect of debris cover on glacier dynamics and geomorphological evolution, related to insulation-related modifications to AAR, long profiles, and length changes on both short and long timescales. This includes investigation of the characteristics of debris-covered glacier depositional systems resulting from their modified dynamics.

[Perceived discrimination at work for being an immigrant: a study on self-perceived mental health status among immigrants in Italy].

PubMed

Di Napoli, Anteo; Gatta, Rosaria; Rossi, Alessandra; Perez, Monica; Costanzo, Gianfranco; Mirisola, Concetta; Petrelli, Alessio

2017-01-01

exposure to discrimination is widely understood as a social determinant of psychophysical health and a contributing factor to health inequities among social groups. Few studies exist, particularly in Italy, about the effects of discrimination among immigrants at workplace. to analyse the association between perceived discrimination at work for being an immigrant and mental health status among immigrants in Italy. a sub-sample of 12,408 immigrants residing in Italy was analysed. data came from the survey "Social conditions and integration of foreign citizens in Italy", carried out in 2011-2012 by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat). Self-perceived mental health status was measured through mental component summary (MCS) of SF-12 questionnaire, assuming as worse health status MCS score distribution ≤1st quartile. In order to evaluate the probability of poor health status, a multivariate log-binomial model was performed assuming: discrimination at work for being an immigrant as determinant variable; age, gender, educational level, employment status, area of origin, residence in Italy, length of stay in Italy, self-perceived loneliness and satisfaction about life as potential confounding variables. among immigrants, 15.8% referred discrimination at his/her workplace in Italy for being an immigrant. Higher probability of poor mental health status was observed for immigrants who referred discrimination at workplace (Prevalence Rate Ratio - PRR: 1.16) who arrived in Italy since at least 5 years (PRR: 1.14), for not employed subjects (PRR: 1.31), and for people from the Americas (PRR: 1.14). Lower probability of poor mental health status was found in immigrants from Western- Central Asia (PRR: 0.83) and Eastern-Pacific Asia (PRR: 0.79). Compared to immigrants residing in North-Eastern Italy, higher probability of worse mental health status was observed in people who resided in Northern-Western (PRR: 1.30), Central (PRR: 1.26), and Southern (PRR: 1

Glacial isostatic uplift of the European Alps

PubMed Central

Mey, Jürgen; Scherler, Dirk; Wickert, Andrew D.; Egholm, David L.; Tesauro, Magdala; Schildgen, Taylor F.; Strecker, Manfred R.

2016-01-01

Following the last glacial maximum (LGM), the demise of continental ice sheets induced crustal rebound in tectonically stable regions of North America and Scandinavia that is still ongoing. Unlike the ice sheets, the Alpine ice cap developed in an orogen where the measured uplift is potentially attributed to tectonic shortening, lithospheric delamination and unloading due to deglaciation and erosion. Here we show that ∼90% of the geodetically measured rock uplift in the Alps can be explained by the Earth’s viscoelastic response to LGM deglaciation. We modelled rock uplift by reconstructing the Alpine ice cap, while accounting for postglacial erosion, sediment deposition and spatial variations in lithospheric rigidity. Clusters of excessive uplift in the Rhône Valley and in the Eastern Alps delineate regions potentially affected by mantle processes, crustal heterogeneity and active tectonics. Our study shows that even small LGM ice caps can dominate present-day rock uplift in tectonically active regions. PMID:27830704

Glacial isostatic uplift of the European Alps.

PubMed

Mey, Jürgen; Scherler, Dirk; Wickert, Andrew D; Egholm, David L; Tesauro, Magdala; Schildgen, Taylor F; Strecker, Manfred R

2016-11-10

Following the last glacial maximum (LGM), the demise of continental ice sheets induced crustal rebound in tectonically stable regions of North America and Scandinavia that is still ongoing. Unlike the ice sheets, the Alpine ice cap developed in an orogen where the measured uplift is potentially attributed to tectonic shortening, lithospheric delamination and unloading due to deglaciation and erosion. Here we show that ∼90% of the geodetically measured rock uplift in the Alps can be explained by the Earth's viscoelastic response to LGM deglaciation. We modelled rock uplift by reconstructing the Alpine ice cap, while accounting for postglacial erosion, sediment deposition and spatial variations in lithospheric rigidity. Clusters of excessive uplift in the Rhône Valley and in the Eastern Alps delineate regions potentially affected by mantle processes, crustal heterogeneity and active tectonics. Our study shows that even small LGM ice caps can dominate present-day rock uplift in tectonically active regions.

Climate change impacts on mass movements--case studies from the European Alps.

PubMed

Stoffel, M; Tiranti, D; Huggel, C

2014-09-15

This paper addresses the current knowledge on climate change impacts on mass movement activity in mountain environments by illustrating characteristic cases of debris flows, rock slope failures and landslides from the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps. It is expected that events are likely to occur less frequently during summer, whereas the anticipated increase of rainfall in spring and fall could likely alter debris-flow activity during the shoulder seasons (March, April, November, and December). The magnitude of debris flows could become larger due to larger amounts of sediment delivered to the channels and as a result of the predicted increase in heavy precipitation events. At the same time, however, debris-flow volumes in high-mountain areas will depend chiefly on the stability and/or movement rates of permafrost bodies, and destabilized rock glaciers could lead to debris flows without historic precedents in the future. The frequency of rock slope failures is likely to increase, as excessively warm air temperatures, glacier shrinkage, as well as permafrost warming and thawing will affect and reduce rock slope stability in the direction that adversely affects rock slope stability. Changes in landslide activity in the French and Western Italian Alps will likely depend on differences in elevation. Above 1500 m asl, the projected decrease in snow season duration in future winters and springs will likely affect the frequency, number and seasonality of landslide reactivations. In Piemonte, for instance, 21st century landslides have been demonstrated to occur more frequently in early spring and to be triggered by moderate rainfalls, but also to occur in smaller numbers. On the contrary, and in line with recent observations, events in autumn, characterized by a large spatial density of landslide occurrences might become more scarce in the Piemonte region. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Detecting human presence at the border of the Northeastern Italian Pre-Alps. 14C dating at Rio Secco cave as expression of the first Gravettian and the late mousterian in the Northern Adriatic Region.

PubMed

Talamo, Sahra; Peresani, Marco; Romandini, Matteo; Duches, Rossella; Jéquier, Camille; Nannini, Nicola; Pastoors, Andreas; Picin, Andrea; Vaquero, Manuel; Weniger, Gerd-Christian; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2014-01-01

In the northern Adriatic regions, which include the Venetian region and the Dalmatian coast, late Neanderthal settlements are recorded in few sites and even more ephemeral are remains of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic occupations. A contribution to reconstruct the human presence during this time range has been produced from a recently investigated cave, Rio Secco, located in the northern Adriatic region at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps. Chronometric data make Rio Secco a key site in the context of recording occupation by late Neanderthals and regarding the diffusion of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic culture in a particular district at the border of the alpine region. As for the Gravettian, its diffusion in Italy is a subject of on-going research and the aim of this paper is to provide new information on the timing of this process in Italy. In the southern end of the Peninsula the first occupation dates to around 28,000 14C BP, whereas our results on Gravettian layer range from 29,390 to 28,995 14C years BP. At the present state of knowledge, the emergence of the Gravettian in eastern Italy is contemporaneous with several sites in Central Europe and the chronological dates support the hypothesis that the Swabian Gravettian probably dispersed from eastern Austria.

3D modelling of the Austroalpine-Penninic collisional wedge of the NW Alps: dataset management and preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monopoli, Bruno; Bistacchi, Andrea; Bertolo, Davide; Dal Piaz, Giovanni; Gouffon, Yves; Massironi, Matteo; Sartori, Mario; Vittorio Dal Piaz, Giorgio

2016-04-01

We know since the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to mapping and structural studies by the Italian Regio Servizio Geologico (Franchi et al., 1908) and Argand's work (1909; 1911; 1916), that the Austroalpine-Penninic collisional wedge of the NW Alps is spectacularly exposed across the Aosta Valley and Valais ranges (Italy and Switzerland). In the 150th anniversary of the first ascent to Ruskin's "most noble cliff in Europe" - the Cervino/Matterhorn (Whymper, July 14th 1865), first described in a geological profile by Giordano (1869) and in a detailed map by Gerlach (1869; 1871), we have seen the conclusion of very detailed mapping projects carried out in the last years over the two regions, with collaborative efforts across the Italy-Switzerland border, constellated by 4000 m-high peaks. These projects have pictured with an unprecedented detail (up to 1:10.000 scale) the geology of this complex region, resulting from pre-Alpine events, Alpine subduction- and collision-related ductile deformations, and finally late-Alpine brittle deformations from the Oligocene to the Present. Based on this dataset, we use up-to-date technology and software to undertake a 3D modelling study aimed at: i) reconstructing the 3D geometry of the principal tectonic units, ii) detecting and unravelling problems and incongruences in the 2D geometrical models, iii) modelling the kinematics of the Oligocene and Miocene brittle fault network using 2D and 3D balancing and palinspastic restoration techniques. In this contribution we mainly discuss the prerequisites of the project. Common geomodelling paradigms (mainly developed for the hydrocarbon industry) cannot be applied in this project due to (i) the little scale, (ii) the source of the data - fieldwork, and (iii) the polyphase ductile and brittle deformations in the metamorphic nappe stack. Our goals at the moment are to model the post-metamorphic fault network and the boundaries of the principal tectonic units, which will be

Photometric transit search for planets around cool stars from the western Italian Alps: a pilot study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giacobbe, P.; Damasso, M.; Sozzetti, A.; Toso, G.; Perdoncin, M.; Calcidese, P.; Bernagozzi, A.; Bertolini, E.; Lattanzi, M. G.; Smart, R. L.

2012-08-01

We present the results of a year-long photometric monitoring campaign of a sample of 23 nearby (d < 60 pc), bright (J < 12) dM stars carried out at the Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley, in the western Italian Alps. This programme represents a 'pilot study' for a long-term photometric transit search for planets around a large sample of nearby M dwarfs, due to start with an array of identical 40-cm class telescopes by the Spring of 2012. In this study, we set out to (i) demonstrate the sensitivity to <4 R⊕ transiting planets with periods of a few days around our programme stars, through a two-fold approach that combines a characterization of the statistical noise properties of our photometry with the determination of transit detection probabilities via simulations; and (ii) where possible, improve our knowledge of some astrophysical properties (e.g. activity, rotation) of our targets by combining spectroscopic information and our differential photometric measurements. We achieve a typical nightly root mean square (RMS) photometric precision of ˜5 mmag, with little or no dependence on the instrumentation used or on the details of the adopted methods for differential photometry. The presence of correlated (red) noise in our data degrades the precision by a factor of ˜1.3 with respect to a pure white noise regime. Based on a detailed stellar variability analysis (i) we detected no transit-like events (an expected result, given the sample size); (ii) we determined photometric rotation periods of ˜0.47 and ˜0.22 d for LHS 3445 and GJ 1167A, respectively; (iii) these values agree with the large projected rotational velocities (˜25 and ˜33 km s-1, respectively) inferred for both stars based on the analysis of archival spectra; (iv) the estimated inclinations of the stellar rotation axes for LHS 3445 and GJ 1167A are consistent with those derived using a simple spot model; and (v) short-term, low-amplitude flaring events were

Evolution of quartz microstructure and c-axis crystallographic preferred orientation within ductilely deformed granitoids (Arolla unit, Western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menegon, Luca; Pennacchioni, Giorgio; Heilbronner, Renee; Pittarello, Lidia

2008-11-01

We have studied quartz microstructures and the c-axis crystallographic preferred orientations (CPOs) in four granitoid samples representative of increasing ductile shear deformation, from a weakly deformed granitoid (stage 1) to a mylonitic granitoid (stage 4). The quartz c-axis CPO measured in the mylonitic granitoid has been compared with the one observed in a fully recrystallized quartz mylonite from the same area. All the samples belong to the Austroalpine Arolla unit (Western Alps) and were deformed at greenschist facies conditions. The quartz c-axis CPO was analyzed using a U-stage and the optical orientation imaging technique. The magmatic plagioclase, forming more than 50% of the volume of the granitoid, is extensively replaced by a mica-rich aggregate even in weakly deformed samples of stage 1. These aggregates flow to form an interconnected weak matrix with increasing deformation, wrapping relatively less strained quartz grains that undergo dominantly coaxial strain. Recrystallization of quartz ranges from less than 1% in the weakly deformed granitoid to up to 85% in the mylonitic granitoid, with average grain strain of 41% and 64%, respectively. With increasing strain and recrystallization, quartz grains in the granitoids show a sequence of transient microstructures and CPOs. Crystal plastic deformation is initially accomplished by dislocation glide with limited recovery, and at 50% grain strain it results in a CPO consistent with dominantly basal < a> slip. At 60% grain strain, recrystallization is preferentially localized along shear bands, which appear to develop along former intragranular cracks, and the recrystallized grains develop a strong c-axis CPO with maxima orthogonal to the shear band boundaries and independent of the host grain orientation. Within the granitoid mylonite, at an average quartz grain strain of 64%, recrystallization is extensive and the c-axis CPO of new grains displays maxima overlapping the host c-axis orientation and

Inferring LGM sedimentary and climatic changes in the southern Eastern Alps foreland through the analysis of a 14C ages database (Brenta megafan, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossato, Sandro; Mozzi, Paolo

2016-09-01

The analysis of a database of radiocarbon ages is proposed as a tool for investigating major glaciofluvial systems of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the Alpine foreland, and their relations with glacier dynamics and climatic fluctuations. Our research concerns the Brenta megafan (NE Italy), where 110 radiocarbon dates integrate a robust regional stratigraphic and palaeoclimatic framework. Age-depth models allowed us to calculate sedimentation rates, while the time distribution of peat layers, which recurrently formed in this region during the LGM, were estimated through meta-analysis. The reliability of statistical results was carefully evaluated using Pearson and Spearman coefficients. Sedimentation rates in the Brenta megafan markedly fluctuated during LGM: ≈1.8 m/ka between 40 and 26.7 ka cal BP; ≈3 m/ka between 26.7 and 23.8 ka cal BP and ≈1.4 m/ka from 23.8 to 17.5 ka cal BP, when the distributary system deactivated due to fan-head trenching. This is evidence that sediment input and routing in the glaciofluvial distributary system was particularly efficient during the central part of LGM, when glaciers were stable at their outermost position. Meta-analysis indicates an increase in peat formation in correspondence with global (Heinrich Event 3 and/or the Greenland Interstadial 5.1 and 4 for the 30.5, 29.6 and 28.8 ka cal BP peaks) and regional (23.5 ka cal BP) wet events. Other peaks at 22.2, 21.8, 20.2 and 19 ka cal BP correlate with fluctuations of south-eastern Alpine glaciers. Significant peat formation continued until ≈18 ka cal BP, when the last peak occurred. A marked decrease in peat formation is recorded concomitantly with the onset of Heinrich Event 2 (i.e. the 26 ka cal BP trough). The good correspondence of sedimentary events in the Brenta glaciofluvial system with the dynamics of glaciers and glaciofluvial and lacustrine systems in the southern Eastern Alps suggests a common climatic forcing on the whole region during the LGM. Peat layer

The importance of the initial water depth in basin modelling: the example of the Venetian foredeep (NE Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbieri, C.; Mancin, N.

2003-04-01

The Tertiary evolution of the Venetian area (NE Italy) led to the superposition of three overlapping foreland systems, different in both age and polarity, as a consequence of the main orogenic phases of the Dinarides, to the North-East, the Southern Alps, to the North, and the Apennines, to the South-West, respectively. Aim of this work is to quantify the flexural effect produced by the Southalpine main orogenic phases (Serravallian-Early Pliocene) in the Venetian foredeep, and particularly to evaluate the importance of constrained initial water depth for evaluating correctly the contribution to flexure of the surface loads. To this end, a 2-D flexural modelling has been applied along a N-S trending industrial seismic line (courtesy of ENI-AGIP) extended from the Northern Alps to the Adriatic sea. Once interpreted and depth migrated, the geometries of the sedimentary bodies have been studied and the base of the foredeep wedge, Serravallian-Tortonian in age, related to the Southern Alps load, has been recognized. Water depth variations during Miocene time have been constrained on three wells located along this section. According to bathymetric reconstructions, based on the quantitative study of foraminiferal assemblages, an overall neritic environment (0--200m), developed during Langhian time, was followed by a fast deepening to bathyal conditions (200--600m) to the North, toward the Southern Alps, during Serravallian-Tortonian time, whereas neritic conditions still persisted to the South. According to these constraints, a best fit model was obtained for an Effective Elastic Thickness value of about 20 Km and a belt topography equal to the present day one. The extremely good fit of the model to realty highlights that, in the studied region, flexure related to the Southern Alps is fully due to surface loads (topographic load and initial water depth), and no subloads are requested to improve the fit, unlike a previous proposed model. Such a difference can be due to

Dating the beginning of the Roman viticultural model in the Western Mediterranean: The case study of Chianti (Central Italy).

PubMed

Aversano, Riccardo; Basile, Boris; Buonincontri, Mauro Paolo; Carucci, Francesca; Carputo, Domenico; Frusciante, Luigi; Di Pasquale, Gaetano

2017-01-01

Although domestication of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) has been extensively documented, the history of genotype selection and evolution of vineyard management remain relatively neglected fields of study. The find of 454 waterlogged grapevine pips from a well-dated Etrusco-Roman site in the Chianti district (Tuscany, Central Italy) is an extraordinary chance to gain insights into the progress of viticulture occurring in a key historical period in one of the world's most famous wine regions. The molecular and geometrical analyses of grape seeds showed (a) the presence in the site of different grapevine individuals and (b) a sudden increase in pip size, occurring at around 200 BC, whic explainable by the selection and introduction of new varieties. In this period, the Etruscans settlers in Chianti were stimulated by northward-expanding Roman culture to use novel vineyard management practices. We hypothesize that one of the most important innovations may have been the introduction of pruning, inducing vine physiological conditions more favorable to pip growth. Such changes were the consequence of specific entrepreneurial choices made by the Romans in a period of economic investment in grape cultivation and wine making to satisfy the increased trade demand after the conquest of the Central-Western Mediterranean basin.

Dating the beginning of the Roman viticultural model in the Western Mediterranean: The case study of Chianti (Central Italy)

PubMed Central

Carucci, Francesca; Carputo, Domenico; Frusciante, Luigi; Di Pasquale, Gaetano

2017-01-01

Although domestication of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) has been extensively documented, the history of genotype selection and evolution of vineyard management remain relatively neglected fields of study. The find of 454 waterlogged grapevine pips from a well-dated Etrusco-Roman site in the Chianti district (Tuscany, Central Italy) is an extraordinary chance to gain insights into the progress of viticulture occurring in a key historical period in one of the world's most famous wine regions. The molecular and geometrical analyses of grape seeds showed (a) the presence in the site of different grapevine individuals and (b) a sudden increase in pip size, occurring at around 200 BC, whic explainable by the selection and introduction of new varieties. In this period, the Etruscans settlers in Chianti were stimulated by northward-expanding Roman culture to use novel vineyard management practices. We hypothesize that one of the most important innovations may have been the introduction of pruning, inducing vine physiological conditions more favorable to pip growth. Such changes were the consequence of specific entrepreneurial choices made by the Romans in a period of economic investment in grape cultivation and wine making to satisfy the increased trade demand after the conquest of the Central-Western Mediterranean basin. PMID:29140987

The Influence of The Geological and Geomorphological Settings On The Shallow Landslides Triggered During The 19th June, 1996 Heavy Rainfalls In Southern Apuan Alps (italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Amato Avanzi, G.; Giannecchini, R.; Puccinelli, A.

On June the 19th, 1996 many disastrous shallow landslides (nearly 700) occurred in the southern Apuan Alps (Tuscany, Italy) as a consequence of an exceptionally heavy rainstorm (474 mm/12 hours). Here, the results of the studies on the landslides oc- curred in the most severely damaged basins (Cardoso, Mulina and Turrite di Galli- cano torrents) are summarized. The most significant parameters of the landslides were analysed, to identify the factors which most influenced their activation. Moreover, the total amount of mobilized material was estimated. The most common type of landslide movement was complex, from very to extremely rapid, debris slide-debris flow, with a high length to breadth ratio. Most of them were probably first time landslides; ca. 90% of them involved the colluvium cover of slopes. The studies in the landslide sites also highlighted many geomorphically and geologically recurrent factors, summarized be- low. 85% of landslides occurred on rather steep slopes (30-45), in first-order basins and hollows. In these situations, the concave geometry of the colluvium/bedrock inter- face favoured the convergence of groundwater flow and the build-up of pore pressure, leading to failure. In landslide sites, a concave shape of the surface and a rectilinear profile of the slope were a frequent feature. The bedrock of landslide sites was gener- ally made up of impervious or scarcely pervious rocks. In many cases, the presence of a main discontinuity in the bedrock (bedding or schistosity) dipping downslope was significant. The total surface involved in landslides of June 19, 1996 was estimated at ca. 1 Km2, 2.2% of the basins surface. More than 80% of this surface was covered by chestnut trees: thus, ca. 7,000 chestnut trees were uprooted by the landslides and fell into the riverbeds. This significantly contributed to the extensive destruction and blockage of bridge spans. The total volume of mobilized material was estimated at ca. 1,350,000 m3: most of this

Hydrogeological features conditioning trophic levels of quarry lakes in western Po plain (north-western Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Luca, Domenico Antonio; Castagna, Sara; Lasagna, Manuela

2013-04-01

Quarry lakes occur in plains areas due to the extraction of alluvial sand and gravel used for grout and concrete in the construction industry. Excavation depths can reach and intersect the groundwater surface, thus creating a lake. Because of the need to optimize efficiency, the number of active open pit mines has increased in recent years; consequently, the global number of pit lakes will increase in coming decades (Castendyk and Eary 2009; Klapper and Geller 2001; Castro and Moore 2000). Similar to natural lakes, pit lakes are subject to eutrophication process, both during and after quarrying activity; during mining activity, the eutrophic level is strongly controlled by the excavation method. In the Piedmont territory (north-western Italy) there are 70 active quarry lakes, corresponding to approximately 0.1% of the entire plain area. Quarry lakes, located primarily along the main rivers occur in alluvial deposits of the plain area and have average depths between 20 and 30 m (maximum of 60 m deep) and surface areas between 3 and 30 hectares (Castagna 2008). The present study describes the trophic status of 23 active quarry lakes in the Piedmont plain that were evaluated by applying classifications from scientific literature. Currently, the majority of the studied quarry lakes may be defined as mesotrophic or eutrophic according to the trophic state classifications. Based on historic data, lake trophic levels have increased over time, during active mining. At the end of mining activity, further deterioration of water quality was expected, especially for smaller lakes with minimal oxygen stratification and higher levels of nutrients and algal growth. In addition, the paper focuses on the pit lake water quality and pit dimension; From an environmental perspective the excavation of quarry lakes with an appreciable size will likely result in a better safeguard of water quality and enhanced possibilities for lake end use after the cessation of mining. Piedmont quarry

Changes of forest cover and disturbance regimes in the mountain forests of the Alps.

PubMed

Bebi, P; Seidl, R; Motta, R; Fuhr, M; Firm, D; Krumm, F; Conedera, M; Ginzler, C; Wohlgemuth, T; Kulakowski, D

2017-03-15

Natural disturbances, such as avalanches, snow breakage, insect outbreaks, windthrow or fires shape mountain forests globally. However, in many regions over the past centuries human activities have strongly influenced forest dynamics, especially following natural disturbances, thus limiting our understanding of natural ecological processes, particularly in densely-settled regions. In this contribution we briefly review the current understanding of changes in forest cover, forest structure, and disturbance regimes in the mountain forests across the European Alps over the past millennia. We also quantify changes in forest cover across the entire Alps based on inventory data over the past century. Finally, using the Swiss Alps as an example, we analyze in-depth changes in forest cover and forest structure and their effect on patterns of fire and wind disturbances, based on digital historic maps from 1880, modern forest cover maps, inventory data on current forest structure, topographical data, and spatially explicit data on disturbances. This multifaceted approach presents a long-term and detailed picture of the dynamics of mountain forest ecosystems in the Alps. During pre-industrial times, natural disturbances were reduced by fire suppression and land-use, which included extraction of large amounts of biomass that decreased total forest cover. More recently, forest cover has increased again across the entire Alps (on average +4% per decade over the past 25-115 years). Live tree volume (+10% per decade) and dead tree volume (mean +59% per decade) have increased over the last 15-40 years in all regions for which data were available. In the Swiss Alps secondary forests that established after 1880 constitute approximately 43% of the forest cover. Compared to forests established previously, post-1880 forests are situated primarily on steep slopes (>30°), have lower biomass, a more aggregated forest structure (primarily stem-exclusion stage), and have been more strongly

ATM Coastal Topography-Florida 2001: Western Panhandle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yates, Xan; Nayegandhi, Amar; Brock, John C.; Sallenger, A.H.; Bonisteel, Jamie M.; Klipp, Emily S.; Wright, C. Wayne

2009-01-01

These remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements of Lidar-derived first surface (FS) topography were produced collaboratively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Florida Integrated Science Center (FISC), St. Petersburg, FL, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Wallops Flight Facility, VA. This project provides highly detailed and accurate datasets of the western Florida panhandle coastline, acquired October 2-4 and 7-10, 2001. The datasets are made available for use as a management tool to research scientists and natural resource managers. An innovative scanning Lidar instrument originally developed by NASA, and known as the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), was used during data acquisition. The ATM system is a scanning Lidar system that measures high-resolution topography of the land surface and incorporates a green-wavelength laser operating at pulse rates of 2 to 10 kilohertz. Measurements from the laser-ranging device are coupled with data acquired from inertial navigation system (INS) attitude sensors and differentially corrected global positioning system (GPS) receivers to measure topography of the surface at accuracies of +/-15 centimeters. The nominal ATM platform is a Twin Otter or P-3 Orion aircraft, but the instrument may be deployed on a range of light aircraft. Elevation measurements were collected over the survey area using the ATM system, and the resulting data were then processed using the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS), a custom-built processing system developed in a NASA-USGS collaboration. ALPS supports the exploration and processing of Lidar data in an interactive or batch mode. Modules for presurvey flight line definition, flight path plotting, Lidar raster and waveform investigation, and digital camera image playback have been developed. Processing algorithms have been developed to extract the range to the first and last significant return within each waveform. ALPS is routinely used

Characterization and Manipulation of the Pathway-Specific Late Regulator AlpW Reveals Streptomyces ambofaciens as a New Producer of Kinamycins ▿ †

PubMed Central

Bunet, Robert; Song, Lijiang; Mendes, Marta Vaz; Corre, Christophe; Hotel, Laurence; Rouhier, Nicolas; Framboisier, Xavier; Leblond, Pierre; Challis, Gregory L.; Aigle, Bertrand

2011-01-01

The genome sequence of Streptomyces ambofaciens, a species known to produce the congocidine and spiramycin antibiotics, has revealed the presence of numerous gene clusters predicted to be involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Among them, the type II polyketide synthase-encoding alp cluster was shown to be responsible for the biosynthesis of a compound with antibacterial activity. Here, by means of a deregulation approach, we gained access to workable amounts of the antibiotics for structure elucidation. These compounds, previously designated as alpomycin, were shown to be known members of kinamycin family of antibiotics. Indeed, a mutant lacking AlpW, a member of the TetR regulator family, was shown to constitutively produce kinamycins. Comparative transcriptional analyses showed that expression of alpV, the essential regulator gene required for activation of the biosynthetic genes, is strongly maintained during the stationary growth phase in the alpW mutant, a stage at which alpV transcripts and thereby transcripts of the biosynthetic genes normally drop off. Recombinant AlpW displayed DNA binding activity toward specific motifs in the promoter region of its own gene and that of alpV and alpZ. These recognition sequences are also targets for AlpZ, the γ-butyrolactone-like receptor involved in the regulation of the alp cluster. However, unlike that of AlpZ, the AlpW DNA-binding ability seemed to be insensitive to the signaling molecules controlling antibiotic biosynthesis. Together, the results presented in this study reveal S. ambofaciens to be a new producer of kinamycins and AlpW to be a key late repressor of the cellular control of kinamycin biosynthesis. PMID:21193612

Italy Country Analysis Brief

EIA Publications

2016-01-01

Italy is the fourth largest energy consumer in Europe, after Germany, France, and United Kingdom. Italy's primary energy consumption is driven by oil and gas, which contributed to over three-quarters of Italy's total consumption. The remaining portion is made up of coal, hydro, and other renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources, excluding hydroelectricity, have increased their share in Italy's energy consumption from less than 2% in 2005 to nearly 10% in 2015. As a net importer of crude oil and natural gas, Italy is heavily dependent on imports to meet about 90% of its oil and gas needs and to maintain its exports of refined petroleum products.

Pleistocene alterations of drainage network between the Alps and the Pannonian Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovács, G.

2012-04-01

markers (wide alluvial valleys with relatively small streams, terrace levels and wind gaps) and the different height of the scarps we roughly elaborated the geomorphological development of the area, including relative age of drainage network elements, tectonic features and river captures. Results indicate a detailed but still regionally dissected timeline about drainage network alterations, including phases of gravel sedimentation, incision and beheadings. The abstract titled "Pleistocene alteration of drainage network and surface morphology caused by basement structure in the foreland of Eastern Alps" determine the origin of the investigated scarps. This paper was supported by Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA NK83400). Joó, I. (1992): Recent vertical surface movements in the Carpathian Basin. Tectonophysics 202: 129-134. Kovács, G., Telbisz, T., Székely, B. (2010) Faulted and eroded gravel deposit in western Hungary. - Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 12. EGU General Assembly 2010. Kovács, G., Telbisz, T., Székely, B. (2011) Quaternary alterations of drainage network in a transition area between the Alps and the Pannonian Basin. - Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 13. EGU General Assembly 2011. Tari, G. and Horváth, F. (1995): Middle Miocene extensional collapse in the Alpine-Pannonian transitional zone, in: Horváth, F., Tari, G., and Bokor, K. (Eds.): Extensional collapse of the Alpine orogene and hydrocarbon prospects in the basement and fill of the western Pannonian Basin, AAPG Inter. Conf. and Exhib., Nice, France, Guidebook to fieldtrip No. 6, 75-105

Revealing heterogeneous nucleation of primary Si and eutectic Si by AlP in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys.

PubMed

Li, Jiehua; Hage, Fredrik S; Liu, Xiangfa; Ramasse, Quentin; Schumacher, Peter

2016-04-28

The heterogeneous nucleation of primary Si and eutectic Si can be attributed to the presence of AlP. Although P, in the form of AlP particles, is usually observed in the centre of primary Si, there is still a lack of detailed investigations on the distribution of P within primary Si and eutectic Si in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys at the atomic scale. Here, we report an atomic-scale experimental investigation on the distribution of P in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys. P, in the form of AlP particles, was observed in the centre of primary Si. However, no significant amount of P was detected within primary Si, eutectic Si and the Al matrix. Instead, P was observed at the interface between the Al matrix and eutectic Si, strongly indicating that P, in the form of AlP particles (or AlP 'patch' dependent on the P concentration), may have nucleated on the surface of the Al matrix and thereby enhanced the heterogeneous nucleation of eutectic Si. The present investigation reveals some novel insights into heterogeneous nucleation of primary Si and eutectic Si by AlP in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys and can be used to further develop heterogeneous nucleation mechanisms based on adsorption.

Fast and sensitive near-infrared fluorescent probes for ALP detection and 3d printed calcium phosphate scaffold imaging in vivo.

PubMed

Park, Chul Soon; Ha, Tai Hwan; Kim, Moonil; Raja, Naren; Yun, Hui-Suk; Sung, Mi Jeong; Kwon, Oh Seok; Yoon, Hyeonseok; Lee, Chang-Soo

2018-05-15

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a critical biological marker for osteoblast activity during early osteoblast differentiation, but few biologically compatible methods are available for its detection. Here, we describe the discovery of highly sensitive and rapidly responsive novel near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes (NIR-Phos-1, NIR-Phos-2) for the fluorescent detection of ALP. ALP cleaves the phosphate group from the NIR skeleton and substantially alters its photophysical properties, therefore generating a large "turn-on" fluorescent signal resulted from the catalytic hydrolysis on fluorogenic moiety. Our assay quantified ALP activity from 0 to 1.0UmL -1 with a 10 -5 -10 -3 UmL -1 limit of detection (LOD), showing a response rate completed within 1.5min. A potentially powerful approach to probe ALP activity in biological systems demonstrated real-time monitoring using both concentration- and time-dependent variations of endogenous ALP in live cells and animals. Based on high binding affinity to bone tissue of phosphate moiety, bone-like scaffold-based ALP detection in vivo was accessed using NIR probe-labeled three-dimensional (3D) calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA) scaffolds. They were subcutaneously implanted into mice and monitored ALP signal changes using a confocal imaging system. Our results suggest the possibility of early-stage ALP detection during neo-bone formation inside a bone defect, by in vivo fluorescent evaluation using 3D CDHA scaffolds. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The onset of alpine pastoral systems in the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oeggl, Klaus; Festi, Daniela; Putzer, Andreas

2015-04-01

Since the discovery of the Neolithic glacier mummy "Ötzi" in the nival belt of the main Alpine ridge, the onset of alpine pasture is matter of a highly controversial debate both in archaeology and in palaeo-ecology of the Eastern Alps. The implication is that his sojourn in the high-altitudes of the Alps is considered to be connected with pastoral nomadism. Regrettably any archaeological evidence for the existence of such Neolithic alpine pastoral systems is missing up to now and the assumption is based on palynological data only. However, also the palynological record is ambiguous, because pasture indicators in the alpine regions react positive on grazing as well as on fertilization induced by a higher runoff of precipitation. Thus alpine pasture indicators reflect both grazing pressure and climatic change. Anyhow, alpine pastoral systems are a common practice in Alpine animal husbandry, but from an economic point of view such a seasonal vertical transhumance is costly. There are three main reasons for its practice: i) climatic, ii) economic (mainly in connection with population pressure or mining activities), and iii) cultural ideology. In this study we tested the above mentioned reasons in an interdisciplinary study on the beginning of pastoral activities in high altitudes in the central part of the Eastern Alps. This is conducted by palynological analyses of peat deposits situated in the vicinity of the timberline (1600 - 2400 m a.s.l.) combined with archaeological surveys. The investigated sites are located in traditional Alpine transhumance regions and aligned on a transect through the central part of the Eastern Alps. The studies reveal that grazing pressure is reflected since the Bronze Age, which is corroborated by archaeological findings in the vicinity of the investigated sites.

ALP conversion and the soft X-ray excess in the outskirts of the Coma cluster

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

Kraljic, David; Rummel, Markus; Conlon, Joseph P., E-mail: David.Kraljic@physics.ox.ac.uk, E-mail: Markus.Rummel@physics.ox.ac.uk, E-mail: j.conlon1@physics.ox.ac.uk

2015-01-01

It was recently found that the soft X-ray excess in the center of the Coma cluster can be fitted by conversion of axion-like-particles (ALPs) of a cosmic axion background (CAB) to photons. We extend this analysis to the outskirts of Coma, including regions up to 5 Mpc from the center of the cluster. We extract the excess soft X-ray flux from ROSAT All-Sky Survey data and compare it to the expected flux from ALP to photon conversion of a CAB. The soft X-ray excess both in the center and the outskirts of Coma can be simultaneously fitted by ALP tomore » photon conversion of a CAB. Given the uncertainties of the cluster magnetic field in the outskirts we constrain the parameter space of the CAB. In particular, an upper limit on the CAB mean energy and a range of allowed ALP-photon couplings are derived.« less

Reaching and abandoning the furthest ice extent during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivy-Ochs, Susan; Wirsig, Christian; Zasadni, Jerzy; Hippe, Kristina; Christl, Marcus; Akçar, Naki; Schluechter, Christian

2016-04-01

During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the European Alps (late Würm) local ice caps and extensive ice fields in the high Alps fed huge outlet glaciers that occupied the main valleys and extended onto the forelands as piedmont lobes. Records from numerous sites suggest advance of glaciers beyond the mountain front by around 30 ka (Ivy-Ochs 2015 and references therein). Reaching of the maximum extent occurred by about 27-26 ka, as exemplified by dates from the Rhein glacier area (Keller and Krayss, 2005). Abandonment of the outermost moraines at sites north and south of the Alps was underway by about 24 ka. In the high Alps, systems of transection glaciers with transfluences over many of the Alpine passes dominated, for example, at Grimsel Pass in the Central Alps (Switzerland). 10Be exposure ages of 23 ± 1 ka for glacially sculpted bedrock located just a few meters below the LGM trimline in the Haslital near Grimsel Pass suggest a pulse of ice surface lowering at about the same time that the foreland moraines were being abandoned (Wirsig et al., 2016). Widespread ice surface lowering in the high Alps was underway by no later than 18 ka. Thereafter, glaciers oscillated at stillstand and minor re-advance positions on the northern forelands for several thousand years forming the LGM stadial moraines. Final recession back within the mountain front took place by 19-18 ka. Recalculation to a common basis of all published 10Be exposure dates for boulders situated on LGM moraines suggests a strong degree of synchrony for the timing of onset of ice decay both north and south of the Alps. Ivy-Ochs, S., 2015, Cuadernos de investigación geográfica 41: 295-315. Keller, O., Krayss, E., 2005, Vierteljahrschr. Naturforsch. Gesell. Zürich 150: 69-85. Wirsig, C. et al., 2016, J. Quat. Sci. 31: 46-59.

Detecting Human Presence at the Border of the Northeastern Italian Pre-Alps. 14C Dating at Rio Secco Cave as Expression of the First Gravettian and the Late Mousterian in the Northern Adriatic Region

PubMed Central

Talamo, Sahra; Peresani, Marco; Romandini, Matteo; Duches, Rossella; Jéquier, Camille; Nannini, Nicola; Pastoors, Andreas; Picin, Andrea; Vaquero, Manuel; Weniger, Gerd-Christian; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2014-01-01

In the northern Adriatic regions, which include the Venetian region and the Dalmatian coast, late Neanderthal settlements are recorded in few sites and even more ephemeral are remains of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic occupations. A contribution to reconstruct the human presence during this time range has been produced from a recently investigated cave, Rio Secco, located in the northern Adriatic region at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps. Chronometric data make Rio Secco a key site in the context of recording occupation by late Neanderthals and regarding the diffusion of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic culture in a particular district at the border of the alpine region. As for the Gravettian, its diffusion in Italy is a subject of on-going research and the aim of this paper is to provide new information on the timing of this process in Italy. In the southern end of the Peninsula the first occupation dates to around 28,000 14C BP, whereas our results on Gravettian layer range from 29,390 to 28,995 14C years BP. At the present state of knowledge, the emergence of the Gravettian in eastern Italy is contemporaneous with several sites in Central Europe and the chronological dates support the hypothesis that the Swabian Gravettian probably dispersed from eastern Austria. PMID:24759802

Geomorphological evolution of western Sicily, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Maggio, Cipriano; Madonia, Giuliana; Vattano, Marco; Agnesi, Valerio; Monteleone, Salvatore

2017-02-01

This paper proposes a morphoevolutionary model for western Sicily. Sicily is a chain-foredeep-foreland system still being built, with tectonic activity involving uplift which tends to create new relief. To reconstruct the morphoevolutionary model, geological, and geomorphological studies were done on the basis of field survey and aerial photographic interpretation. The collected data show large areas characterized by specific geological, geomorphological, and topographical settings with rocks, landforms, and landscapes progressively older from south to north Sicily. The achieved results display: (1) gradual emersion of new areas due to uplift, its interaction with the Quaternary glacio-eustatic oscillations of the sea level, and the following production of a flight of stair-steps of uplifted marine terraces in southern Sicily, which migrates progressively upward and inwards; in response to the uplift (2) triggering of down-cutting processes that gradually dismantle the oldest terraces; (3) competition between uplift and down-cutting processes, which is responsible for the genesis of river valleys and isolated rounded hills in central Sicily; (4) continuous deepening over time that results in the exhumation of older and more resistant rocks in northern Sicily, where the higher heights of Sicily are realized and the older forms are retained; (5) extensional tectonic event in the northern end of Sicily, that produces the collapse of large blocks drowned in the Tyrrhenian Sea and sealed by coastal-marine deposits during the Calabrian stage; (6) trigger of uplift again in the previously subsiding blocks and its interaction with coastal processes and sea level fluctuations, which produce successions of marine terraces during the Middle-Upper Pleistocene stages.

Secondary Contact and Admixture between Independently Invading Populations of the Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera in Europe

PubMed Central

Bermond, Gérald; Ciosi, Marc; Lombaert, Eric; Blin, Aurélie; Boriani, Marco; Furlan, Lorenzo; Toepfer, Stefan; Guillemaud, Thomas

2012-01-01

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is one of the most destructive pests of corn in North America and is currently invading Europe. The two major invasive outbreaks of rootworm in Europe have occurred, in North-West Italy and in Central and South-Eastern Europe. These two outbreaks originated from independent introductions from North America. Secondary contact probably occurred in North Italy between these two outbreaks, in 2008. We used 13 microsatellite markers to conduct a population genetics study, to demonstrate that this geographic contact resulted in a zone of admixture in the Italian region of Veneto. We show that i) genetic variation is greater in the contact zone than in the parental outbreaks; ii) several signs of admixture were detected in some Venetian samples, in a Bayesian analysis of the population structure and in an approximate Bayesian computation analysis of historical scenarios and, finally, iii) allelic frequency clines were observed at microsatellite loci. The contact between the invasive outbreaks in North-West Italy and Central and South-Eastern Europe resulted in a zone of admixture, with particular characteristics. The evolutionary implications of the existence of a zone of admixture in Northern Italy and their possible impact on the invasion success of the western corn rootworm are discussed. PMID:23189184

Structurally controlled 'teleconnection' of large-scale mass wasting (Eastern Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostermann, Marc; Sanders, Diethard

2015-04-01

In the Brenner Pass area (Eastern Alps) , closely ahead of the most northward outlier ('nose') of the Southern-Alpine continental indenter, abundant deep-seated gravitational slope deformations and a cluster of five post-glacial rockslides are present. The indenter of roughly triangular shape formed during Neogene collision of the Southern-Alpine basement with the Eastern-Alpine nappe stack. Compression by the indenter activated a N-S striking, roughly W-E extensional fault northward of the nose of the indenter (Brenner-normal fault; BNF), and lengthened the Eastern-Alpine edifice along a set of major strike-slip faults. These fault zones display high seismicity, and are the preferred locus of catastrophic rapid slope failures (rockslides, rock avalanches) and deep-seated gravitational slope deformations. The seismotectonic stress field, earthquake activity, and structural data all indicate that the South-Alpine indenter still - or again - exerts compression; in consequence, the northward adjacent Eastern Alps are subject mainly to extension and strike-slip. For the rockslides in the Brenner Pass area, and for the deep-seated gravitational slope deformations, the fault zones combined with high seismic activity predispose massive slope failures. Structural data and earthquakes mainly record ~W-E extension within an Eastern Alpine basement block (Oetztal-Stubai basement complex) in the hangingwall of the BNF. In the Northern Calcareous Alps NW of the Oetztal-Stubai basement complex, dextral faults provide defacement scars for large rockfalls and rockslides. Towards the West, these dextral faults merge into a NNW-SSE striking sinistral fault zone that, in turn, displays high seismic activity and is the locus of another rockslide cluster (Fern Pass cluster; Prager et al., 2008). By its kinematics dictated by the South-Alpine indenter, the relatively rigid Oetztal-Stubai basement block relays faulting and associated mass-wasting over a N-S distance of more than 60

Canine fecal contamination in a metropolitan area (Milan, north-western Italy): prevalence of intestinal parasites and evaluation of health risks.

PubMed

Zanzani, Sergio Aurelio; Di Cerbo, Anna Rita; Gazzonis, Alessia Libera; Genchi, Marco; Rinaldi, Laura; Musella, Vincenzo; Cringoli, Giuseppe; Manfredi, Maria Teresa

2014-01-01

Intestinal parasites of dogs represent a serious threat to human health due to their zoonotic potential. Thus, metropolitan areas presenting high concentrations of pets and urban fecal contamination on public areas are at sanitary risk. Major aim of this survey was to determine prevalence of zoonotic parasites in dog fecal samples collected from public soil of Milan (north-western Italy). Differences in parasites prevalence distribution were explored by a geographical information system- (GIS-) based approach, and risk factors (human density, sizes of green parks, and dog areas) were considered. The metropolitan area was divided into 157 rectangular subareas and sampling was performed following a 1-kilometer straight transect. A total of 463 fecal samples were analyzed using centrifugation-flotation technique and ELISA to detect Giardia and Cryptosporidium coproantigens. A widespread fecal contamination of soil was highlighted, being fecal samples found in 86.8% of the subareas considered. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 16.63%. Zoonotic parasites were found, such as Trichuris vulpis (3.67%), Toxocara canis (1.72%), Strongyloides stercoralis (0.86%), Ancylostomatidae (0.43%), and Dipylidium caninum (0.43%). Giardia duodenalis was the most prevalent zoonotic protozoa (11.06%), followed by Cryptosporidium (1.10%). Faeces from subareas characterized by broad green areas showed to be particularly prone to infection.

Canine Fecal Contamination in a Metropolitan Area (Milan, North-Western Italy): Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites and Evaluation of Health Risks

PubMed Central

Zanzani, Sergio Aurelio; Di Cerbo, Anna Rita; Gazzonis, Alessia Libera; Genchi, Marco; Rinaldi, Laura; Musella, Vincenzo; Cringoli, Giuseppe

2014-01-01

Intestinal parasites of dogs represent a serious threat to human health due to their zoonotic potential. Thus, metropolitan areas presenting high concentrations of pets and urban fecal contamination on public areas are at sanitary risk. Major aim of this survey was to determine prevalence of zoonotic parasites in dog fecal samples collected from public soil of Milan (north-western Italy). Differences in parasites prevalence distribution were explored by a geographical information system- (GIS-) based approach, and risk factors (human density, sizes of green parks, and dog areas) were considered. The metropolitan area was divided into 157 rectangular subareas and sampling was performed following a 1-kilometer straight transect. A total of 463 fecal samples were analyzed using centrifugation-flotation technique and ELISA to detect Giardia and Cryptosporidium coproantigens. A widespread fecal contamination of soil was highlighted, being fecal samples found in 86.8% of the subareas considered. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 16.63%. Zoonotic parasites were found, such as Trichuris vulpis (3.67%), Toxocara canis (1.72%), Strongyloides stercoralis (0.86%), Ancylostomatidae (0.43%), and Dipylidium caninum (0.43%). Giardia duodenalis was the most prevalent zoonotic protozoa (11.06%), followed by Cryptosporidium (1.10%). Faeces from subareas characterized by broad green areas showed to be particularly prone to infection. PMID:25478583

13 CFR 120.841 - Qualifications for the ALP.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.... An applicant for ALP status must show that it substantially meets the following criteria: (a) CDC staff experience. The CDC's staff must have well-trained, qualified loan officers who are knowledgeable concerning SBA's lending policies and procedures for the 504 program. The CDC must have at least one loan...

13 CFR 120.841 - Qualifications for the ALP.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

.... An applicant for ALP status must show that it substantially meets the following criteria: (a) CDC staff experience. The CDC's staff must have well-trained, qualified loan officers who are knowledgeable concerning SBA's lending policies and procedures for the 504 program. The CDC must have at least one loan...

13 CFR 120.841 - Qualifications for the ALP.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

.... An applicant for ALP status must show that it substantially meets the following criteria: (a) CDC staff experience. The CDC's staff must have well-trained, qualified loan officers who are knowledgeable concerning SBA's lending policies and procedures for the 504 program. The CDC must have at least one loan...

13 CFR 120.841 - Qualifications for the ALP.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

.... An applicant for ALP status must show that it substantially meets the following criteria: (a) CDC staff experience. The CDC's staff must have well-trained, qualified loan officers who are knowledgeable concerning SBA's lending policies and procedures for the 504 program. The CDC must have at least one loan...

Coupled effects of wind-storms and drought on tree mortality across 115 forest stands from the Western Alps and the Jura mountains.

PubMed

Csilléry, Katalin; Kunstler, Georges; Courbaud, Benoît; Allard, Denis; Lassègues, Pierre; Haslinger, Klaus; Gardiner, Barry

2017-12-01

Damage due to wind-storms and droughts is increasing in many temperate forests, yet little is known about the long-term roles of these key climatic factors in forest dynamics and in the carbon budget. The objective of this study was to estimate individual and coupled effects of droughts and wind-storms on adult tree mortality across a 31-year period in 115 managed, mixed coniferous forest stands from the Western Alps and the Jura mountains. For each stand, yearly mortality was inferred from management records, yearly drought from interpolated fields of monthly temperature, precipitation and soil water holding capacity, and wind-storms from interpolated fields of daily maximum wind speed. We performed a thorough model selection based on a leave-one-out cross-validation of the time series. We compared different critical wind speeds (CWSs) for damage, wind-storm, and stand variables and statistical models. We found that a model including stand characteristics, drought, and storm strength using a CWS of 25 ms -1 performed the best across most stands. Using this best model, we found that drought increased damage risk only in the most southerly forests, and its effect is generally maintained for up to 2 years. Storm strength increased damage risk in all forests in a relatively uniform way. In some stands, we found positive interaction between drought and storm strength most likely because drought weakens trees, and they became more prone to stem breakage under wind-loading. In other stands, we found negative interaction between drought and storm strength, where excessive rain likely leads to soil water saturation making trees more susceptible to overturning in a wind-storm. Our results stress that temporal data are essential to make valid inferences about ecological impacts of disturbance events, and that making inferences about disturbance agents separately can be of limited validity. Under projected future climatic conditions, the direction and strength of these

Cutting-edge Kinetic Physics with Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter: The Arbitrary Linear Plasma Solver (ALPS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verscharen, D.; Klein, K. G.; Chandran, B. D. G.; Stevens, M. L.; Salem, C. S.; Bale, S. D.

2017-12-01

The Arbitrary Linear Plasma Solver (ALPS) is a parallelized numerical code that solves the dispersion relation in a hot (even relativistic) magnetized plasma with an arbitrary number of particle species with arbitrary gyrotropic equilibrium distribution functions for any direction of wave propagation with respect to the background field. In this way, ALPS retains generality and overcomes the shortcomings of previous (bi-)Maxwellian solvers for the plasma dispersion relations. The unprecedented high-resolution particle and field data products from Parker Solar Probe (PSP) and Solar Orbiter (SO) will require novel theoretical tools. ALPS is one such tool, and its use will make possible new investigations into the role of non-Maxwellian distributions in the near-Sun solar wind. It can be applied to numerous high-velocity-resolution systems, ranging from current space missions to numerical simulations. We will briefly discuss the ALPS algorithm and demonstrate its functionality based on previous solar-wind measurements. We will then highlight our plans for future applications of ALPS to PSP and SO observations.

Use of Rituximab for Refractory Cytopenias Associated with Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome (ALPS)

PubMed Central

Rao, V. Koneti; Price, Susan; Perkins, Katie; Aldridge, Patricia; Tretler, Jean; Davis, Joie; Dale, Janet K.; Gill, Fred; Hartman, Kip R.; Stork, Linda C.; Gnarra, David J.; Krishnamurti, Lakshmanan; Newburger, Peter E.; Puck, Jennifer; Fleisher, Thomas

2009-01-01

Background ALPS is a disorder of apoptosis resulting in accumulation of autoreactive lymphocytes, leading to marked lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly and multilineage cytopenias due to splenic sequestration and/or autoimmune destruction often presenting in childhood. We summarize our experience of rituximab use during the last 8 years in twelve patients, 9 children and 3 adults, out of 259 individuals with ALPS, belonging to 166 families currently enrolled in studies at the National Institutes of Health. Methods Refractory immune thrombocytopenia (platelet count <20,000) in 9 patients and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in 3 patients led to treatment with rituximab. Among them, 7 patients had undergone prior surgical splenectomy; 3 had significant splenomegaly; and 2 had no palpable spleen. Results In 7 out of 9 patients with ALPS and thrombocytopenia, rituximab therapy led to median response duration of 21months (range 14–36 months). In contrast, none of the 3 children treated with rituximab for AIHA responded. Noted toxicities included profound and prolonged hypogammaglobulinemia in 3 patients requiring replacement IVIG, total absence of antibody response to polysaccharide vaccines lasting up to 4 years after rituximab infusions in 1 patient and prolonged neutropenia in 1 patient. Conclusion Toxicities including hypogammaglobulinemia and neutropenia constitute an additional infection risk burden, especially in asplenic individuals, and may warrant avoidance of rituximab until other immunosuppressive medication options are exhausted. Long term follow up of ALPS patients with cytopenias after any treatment is necessary to determine relative risks and benefits. PMID:19214977

Effects of atmospheric and climate change at the timberline of the Central European Alps

PubMed Central

Wieser, Gerhard; Matyssek, Rainer; Luzian, Roland; Zwerger, Peter; Pindur, Peter; Oberhuber, Walter; Gruber, Andreas

2011-01-01

This review considers potential effects of atmospheric change and climate warming within the timberline ecotone of the Central European Alps. After focusing on the impacts of ozone (O3) and rising atmospheric CO2 concentration, effects of climate warming on the carbon and water balance of timberline trees and forests will be outlined towards conclusions about changes in tree growth and treeline dynamics. Presently, ambient ground-level O3 concentrations do not exert crucial stress on adult conifers at the timberline of the Central European Alps. In response to elevated atmospheric CO2 Larix decidua showed growth increase, whereas no such response was found in Pinus uncinata. Overall climate warming appears as the factor responsible for the observed growth stimulation of timberline trees. Increased seedling re-establishment in the Central European Alps however, resulted from invasion into potential habitats rather than upward migration due to climate change, although seedlings will only reach tree size upon successful coupling with the atmosphere and thus loosing the beneficial microclimate of low stature vegetation. In conclusion, future climate extremes are more likely than the gradual temperature increase to control treeline dynamics in the Central European Alps. PMID:21379395

New constraints on Neogene counter-clockwise rotation of Adria relative to Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Breton, Eline; Handy, Mark R.; Molli, Giancarlo; Ustaszewski, Kamil

2017-04-01

The Adriatic microplate (Adria) is a key player in the geodynamics of Alpine-Mediterranean belts because of its location between two converging plates, Europe and Africa. Most of Adria has been subducted and is presently surrounded by deformed margins comprising the Alps, Apennines, Dinarides and the Calabrian Arc. The Alps-Apennines and Alps-Dinarides junctions are marked by switches in subduction polarity, with Adria being the indenting upper plate in the Alps and the lower plate in the Apennines and Dinarides. Reconstructing Neogene motion and rotation of Adria is therefore key to understanding how such contrasting orogenic styles develop within a similar convergent tectonic regime. We propose a new kinematic reconstruction that balances shortening and extension in the northern Apennines; it reveals that Adria rotated counter-clockwise as it subducted beneath the European Plate to the west and to the east, while indenting the Alps to the north. Syn-collisional back-arc extension in the Liguro-Provençal and northern Tyrrhenian basins exceeds collisional shortening in the northern Apennines, indicating that after 20 Ma Adria and Europe diverged. When combined with existing estimates of Neogene shortening in the Western and Eastern Alps, this overall divergence in the Apennines constrains Adria to have moved to the NW while rotating counter-clockwise relative to Europe. We furthermore consider the length of the present Adriatic slab (135 km) imaged by P-wave tomography in the southern Dinarides to represent the maximum convergence since late Paleogene slab-breakoff, constraining Adria to have rotated 6.5˚ counter-clockwise about an axis in northwestern Italy. Thus, the best fit of available structural data from the Apennines, Alps and Dinarides constrains Adria to have moved 113 km to the NW (azimuth 325˚ ) while rotating 6.5˚ counter-clockwise relative to Europe since 20 Ma. Our model predicts some 80-100 km of Neogene extension between Adria and Africa, most

The CARIPANDA project: Climate change and water resources in the Adamello Natural Park of Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bocchiola, D.

2009-04-01

The three years (2007-2009) CARIPANDA project funded by the Cariplo Foundation of Italy is aimed to evaluate scenarios for water resources in the Adamello natural Park of Italy in a window of 50 years or so (until 2050). The project is led by Ente Parco Adamello and involves Politecnico di Milano, Università Statale di Milano, Università di Brescia, and ARPA Lombardia as scientific partners, while ENEL hydropower Company of Italy joins the project as stake holder. The Adamello Natural Park is a noteworthy resource in the Italian Alps. The Adamello Group is made of several glacierized areas (c. 24 km2), of both debris covered and free ice types, including the widest Italian Glacier, named Adamello, spreading on an area of about c. 18 km2. Also the Adamello Natural Reserve, covering 217 km2 inside the Adamello Park and including the Adamello glaciers, hosts a number of high altitude safeguarded vegetal and animal species, the safety of which is a primary task of the Reserve. Project's activity involves analysis of local climate trend, field campaigns on glaciers, hydrological modelling and remote sensing of snow and ice covered areas, aimed to build a consistent model of the present hydrological conditions and of the areas. Then, properly tailored climate change projections for the area, obtained using local data driven downscaling of climate change projections from GCMs model, are used to infer the likely response to expected climate change conditions. With two years in the project now some preliminary findings can be highlighted and some preliminary trend analysis carried out. The proposed poster provides a resume of the main results of the project insofar, of interest as a benchmark for similar ongoing and foregoing projects about climate change impact on European mountainous natural areas.

Virtual tours as a new teaching tool in geoscience: an example from the Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, Antoine; Champagnac, Jean-Daniel; Nomade, Jérome

2013-04-01

, these panorama can be linked together to travel from place to place. Last, but not least, the display of any type of information (video of the last year teachers' explanation, close up of a structure, graphic plot, text content, interpreted geological sections etc.) can be integrated in the virtual tour. From this, it is easy to build a full educational virtual tour that can include the information provided in the field book, and even become the field book itself. These virtual tours can be used with any device (laptop, tablet, smartphone...), hence have the potential become key players in field teaching. Finally, these virtual tours can help physically impaired students to complete their geological curriculum with the indispensable field experience they would not have had otherwise. Here we present an example of such a virtual tour build in 2012 across the European Alps during the 1st International Field Course organized by Grenoble University, ETH Zürich and Milano University. This virtual tour covers the Grimsel Pass Aar Massif Hercynian Basement (granite, shear zone and the underground NAGRA test site), the Zermatt area (two continents and two oceans packed together), the Aiguille du Midi incredible overview on most of the W-Alps, and the back limb of the Nappe de Morcles and its relation with the surrounding blocks. Link to the virtual tour: http://www.alpesphoto.com/temp/visites/Suisse/build/virtualtour.swf

Palaeomagnetic time and space constraints of the Early Cretaceous Rhenodanubian Flysch zone (Eastern Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dallanave, Edoardo; Kirscher, Uwe; Hauck, Jürgen; Hesse, Reinhard; Bachtadse, Valerian; Wortmann, Ulrich Georg

2018-06-01

The Rhenodanubian Flysch zone (RDF) is a Lower Cretaceous-lower Palaeocene turbidite succession extending for ˜500 km from the Danube at Vienna to the Rhine Valley (Eastern Alps). It consists of calcareous and siliciclastic turbidite systems deposited in a trench abyssal plain. The age of deposition has been estimated through micropalaeontologic dating. However, palaeomagnetic studies constraining the age and the palaeolatitude of deposition of the RDF are still missing. Here, we present palaeomagnetic data from the Early Cretaceous Tristel and Rehbreingraben Formations of the RDF from two localities in the Bavarian Alps (Rehbrein Creek and Lainbach Valley, southern Germany), and from the stratigraphic equivalent of the Falknis Nappe (Liechtenstein). The quality of the palaeomagnetic signal has been assessed by either fold test (FT) or reversal test (RT). Sediments from the Falknis Nappe are characterized by a pervasive syntectonic magnetic overprint as tested by negative FT, and are thus excluded from the study. The sediments of the Rehbreingraben Formation at Rehbrein Creek, with positive RT, straddle magnetic polarity Chron M0r and the younger M΄-1r΄ reverse event, with an age of ˜127-123 Ma (late Barremian-early Aptian). At Lainbach Valley, no polarity reversals have been observed, but a positive FT gives confidence on the reliability of the data. The primary palaeomagnetic directions, after correction for inclination shallowing, allow to precisely constrain the depositional palaeolatitude of the Tristel and Rehbreingraben Formations around ˜28°N. In a palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Alpine Tethys at the Barremian/Aptian boundary, the RDF is located on the western margin of the Briançonnais terrain, which was separated from the European continent by the narrow Valais Ocean.

Characterization Of Industrial And Background Aerosols In The RhÔne-alpes Region Using Laser Remote Sensing Device.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geffroy, S.; Rairoux, P.; Mondelain, D.; Boutou, V.; Wolf, J.-P.; Frejafon, E.

Lack of reliable database on aerosol emission and dispersion is one of the main rea- sons for the incertitude of the impact of aerosol on the climate change. International statements and policies requested improvement on the global and on the regional scale. This new project is related to the characterisation of the spatial and time distribution of the aerosols in the Rhône-Alpes region. Actually, aerosols monitoring is mainly performed at ground level in this region and only few studies have been performed on the 3D distribution of urban aerosols (soot) using remote sensing laser device. The Rhône-Alpes region is representative for the regional impact of industry and traffic emission and also for the long-range transport of pollution over the East part of the Alps. The environmental situation of the region in term of sources and localization is especially dominated by: heavy traffic with several motorways (A6 from Paris, A7 to Marseille - both downtown - and A43 to the Alps and Italy) and industrial pollu- tion in particular for Lyon (refinery and several chemistry plants) and Saint Etienne agglomerations, which have a direct impact on the local air quality and also on the regional and national scale. Characterization of the aerosol load and dispersion in this region will be achieved applying two schemes. The first one will be related to the 3D quantitative characterization of diffuse aerosol emission in the industrial areas. Mon- itoring will be performed using a UV-infrared lidar remote sensing device. Emission cadastre elaboration and microphysical characterisation of the emission will be estab- lished. Direct access to several aerosol distribution modes will be used to describe the aerosol population dynamic: sedimentation, transport and aggregation. Studies on the direct impact of the emission on the region will be achieved coupling the 3D and ground level monitoring with dispersion model. The second scheme will be related to the long term remote sensing of

Holocene geological records of flood regime in French Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnaud, Fabien; Wilhelm, Bruno; Giguet-Covex, Charline; Jenny, Jean-Philippe; Fouinat, Laurent; Sabatier, Pierre; Debret, Maxime; Révillon, Sidonie; Chapron, Emmanuel; Revel, Marie

2014-05-01

In this paper we present a review of a ca. 10-years research effort (1-9) aiming at reconstructing floods dynamics in in French Alps through the Holocene, based on lake sediment records. We will particularly discuss how such geological records can be considered as representative of past climate. This implies a wise interpretation of data in order to really understand "what does the core really says". Namely, we showed that different lake systems record different types of flood events. Low altitude lakes, fed by large-scale catchment areas are more sensitive to regional heavy rainfall events (2-5), whereas high altitude small lakes record local extreme rainfall events (6). Moreover, human societies' development must be taken into account as it is susceptible to modulate the climate-geological record relationship (7). Altogether our data permit the establishment of a Holocene-long perspective upon both regional heavy rainfall and torrential activities in high elevation sites. We hence show that both types of events frequency co-evolve in Northern as well as Southern French Alps where Holocene colder spells generally present higher flood frequencies (6-9). On the other hand, intensities of torrential events present a North-South opposite pattern: during warm spells (e.g. the Medieval Warm Period or nowadays), northern Alps are subject to rare but extremely intense heavy rainfall events, whereas in the southern Alps torrential floods are both rare and weak. During cold spells (e.g. the Little Ice Age), the inverse pattern is observed: torrential floods are more frequent everywhere and above-average intensity in Southern Alps. This point is particularly important for risk management in mountain areas in a context of global warming. Our results point out how complex can be the response of regional system to global climate changes. We are hence far from completely understanding this complexity which is moreover imperfectly simulated by climate models. As geological

Experiences in regional landslide forecasting from Piemonte region (North-western Italy) and South-Eastern Norway between the 15th and the 23rd of May 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiranti, Davide; Boje, Søren; Cremonini, Roberto; Devoli, Graziella; Sund, Monica

2017-04-01

Although Italy and Norway belongs to different climates, they can be influenced by the same large low pressure systems. On May 2013, ARPA in Piemonte region and NVE in Norway issued warning for flood and landslides due to the arriving of a deep and large low pressure (known as Vb-tief). This type of weather is well known to produce the largest floods in Europe. Recent studies in Norway confirm that similar systems are also responsible of triggering landslide events. In this contribution we present how the existing forecasting systems in Piemonte region and in Norway react and we summarize our experiences. Regional early warning systems (EWS) are operational both in Piemonte region (Italy) and nationally in Norway to forecast shallow landslides, debris flows and debris avalanches. Both EWSs provides daily landslide hazard assessments based on quantitative thresholds and daily rainfall forecasts coupled with qualitative expert analysis. The ARPA Piemonte warning system has been operational since 1994 while the NVE one since 2013: daily bulletins are published respectively by http://www.arpa.piemonte.gov.it/rischinaturali and www.varsom.no. From 15th May to 19nd June 2013, ARPA Piemonte rain gauges recorded more that 200mm in Piemonte and 60-90cm fresh snow over the Alps above 2000m asl. Several rivers were flooded and diffuse landslides were occurred over all the region. In Norway the same weather type lasts a bit longer from 15th May to 2nd June 2013. South-Eastern Norway received a lot of rain distributed in 2 major events, the 15th - 16th of May and between the 22nd and 23rd of May. In addition, high temperatures produced intense snow melting over a large area. Snow depth was less than normal but the snow melted within two weeks while the frost in the area was deeper than normal. From 21st to 23rd May heavy rainfall, over 70 mm in a few hours, fell over the Glomma river basin, especially over Gudbrandsdalen, causing extensive flood along Glomma river and hundreds

Extra-Mediterranean glacial refugia in a Mediterranean faunal element: the phylogeography of the chalk-hill blue Polyommatus coridon (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae)

PubMed Central

Kühne, Gero; Kosuch, Joachim; Hochkirch, Axel; Schmitt, Thomas

2017-01-01

Most warm-adapted Central European species are thought to have survived ice ages exclusively in Mediterranean refugia. During recent years, this point of view has been questioned. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that extra-Mediterranean refugia also played a role in warm-adapted insect species and selected the chalk-hill blue, Polyommatus coridon. We sequenced two mitochondrial loci (COI, CR) in 150 individuals from 30 populations covering nearly the complete range. Minimum spanning networks and other statistical analyses concordantly revealed four genetic lineages with strong phylogeographic signal: a western group in Italy, France and western/central Germany, an eastern lineage in the Balkan Peninsula, the Carpathian Basin and eastern Central Europe, an Alpine group with populations in the Alps and southern Germany and a Pyrenean group. Our results are generally consistent with previous analyses for P. coridon based on allozymes and DNA sequences, but provide additional insights. We propose that these four lineages have evolved during allopatry in different glacial refugia, two in typical Mediterranean refugia (Apennines and Balkan Peninsulas), but two in extra-Mediterranean areas south of the Alps and Pyrenees. This supports survival of warm-adapted organisms in these regions in close geographic proximity to the refugia of high mountain species.

Influences of Climate Warming and Facility Management on Continuous Permafrost at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, Zermatt, Swiss Alps.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Lorenz; Duishonakunov, Murataly; Imbery, Stephan

2014-05-01

In many parts of the Alps, hazardous bedrock instabilities occur more often during the past 30 years. In many cases, permafrost degradation played a central role for instability (e.g. in 1987 the Val Pola rockslide, Italy). At other events, the role of permafrost degradation is more complex or unpredictable (e.g. in 1991 the Randa rockfall, Wallis, Swiss Alps). However, instabilities in perennially frozen bedrock may also be provoked by human influence. This is exemplarily shown at touristic facilities in the Alps. Human impact on permafrost is often underestimated, or even carelessly taken into account. The tourist resort Zermatt with more than 1.8 million overnight stays per year is located at 1600 m a.s.l. and is surrounded by high mountain ranges that often reach above 4000 m. The dry and sunny climate results in a high glacier equilibrium line thus leaving space for vast non-glaciated permafrost terrain. Numerous tourist facilities provide excellent logistics and easy access to permafrost sites, and the region is thus especially suitable for permafrost research. The infrastructure erected on permafrost consists of hotels, restaurants and mountain huts, station buildings of railways, funiculars, ski lifts and installations for artificial snowing the ski-runs. Some problems at these constructions due to permafrost degradation are shown. At the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise station at an altitude of 3820 meters, todays MAAT ranges between -6 °C and -8°C. During the construction of a tunnel in 1981 bedrock temperatures were at -12°C. Over the past 30 years, these bedrock temperatures have risen to -3 to -2°C, due to the heat brought into the tunnel by facilities and more than 490,000 visitors per year. In an elevator shaft, the temperature temporarily even rose above freezing point. Several new construction sites in continuous permafrost are described and new research data is presented. Another interesting site for permafrost and ice studies at Matterhorn

Continuous micro-earthquake catalogue of the central Southern Alps, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michailos, Konstantinos; Townend, John; Savage, Martha; Chamberlain, Calum

2017-04-01

The Alpine Fault is one of the most prominent tectonic features in the South Island, New Zealand, and is inferred to be late in its seismic cycle of M 8 earthquakes based on paleoseismological evidence. Despite this, the Alpine Fault displays low levels of contemporary seismic activity, with little documented on-fault seismicity. This low magnitude seismicity, often below the completeness level of the GeoNet national seismic catalogue, may inform us of changes in fault character along-strike and might be used for rupture simulations and hazard planning. Thus, compiling a micro-earthquake catalogue for the Southern Alps prior to an expected major earthquake is of great interest. Areas of low seismic activity, like the central part of the Alpine Fault, require data recorded over a long duration to reveal temporal and spatial seismicity patterns and provide a better understanding for the processes controlling seismogenesis. The continuity and density of the Southern Alps Microearthquake Borehole Array (SAMBA; deployed in late 2008) allows us to study seismicity in the Southern Alps over a more extended time period than has ever been done previously. Furthermore, by using data from other temporary networks (e.g. WIZARD, ALFA08, DFDP-10) we are able to extend the region covered. To generate a spatially and temporally continuous catalogue of seismicity in New Zealand's central Southern Alps, we used automatic detection and phase-picking methods. We used an automatic phase-picking method for both P- and S- wave arrivals (kPick; Rawles and Thurber, 2015). Using almost 8 years of seismic data we calculated about 9,000 preliminary earthquake. The seismicity is clustered and scattered and a previously observed seismic gap between the Wanganui and Whataroa rivers is also identified.

Bergsteigen in den Alpen (Mountain Climbing in the Alps).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawrysz, Ilse; Budzinski, Elisabeth

German second language instructional materials contain a short text in German on mountain climbing in the Alps, a vocabulary list with translation, a simple German climbing song, a recipe for goulash soup in English, and a short text in English on mountain climbing. (MSE)

From Tethyan Oceans to the Western Mediterranean I - Plate reconstructions from the Present back to the Early Mesozoic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, Stefan; Handy, Mark; Bousquet, Romain; Kissling, Eduard; Bernoulli, Daniel

2010-05-01

A new reconstruction of the branches of Alpine Tethys combines available plate kinematic models of Africa-Europe motion with a wealth of new geological and geophysical data (seismic tomography and paleomagnetics) to shed light the evolution of the Western Mediterranean-Alps system, from sea-floor spreading through subduction to collision. Unlike previous models which relate the fate of Alpine Tethys solely to relative motions of the African plate with respect to Europe during opening of the Atlantic, our reconstruction invokes motions and rotations of four additional and temporarily independent microplates: Adria, Iberia, Alcapia and Alkapecia. Translations and rotations of these microplates with respect to Europe are constrained in the following way: (1) The retro-translations of Adria back to 94 Ma are obtained from shortening estimates in the Alps along geological-geophysical transects of the Alpine orogen and from geobarometric estimates of subduction depth in tectonic units that underwent high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism. Rotations are based on paleomagnetic data of Márton et al. (in press); (2) Iberia follows the motion paths of Savostin et al. (1986), based on magnetic anomalies in the Central and Northern Atlantic; the Corsica-Sardinia block later rifted from Iberia leading to Burdigalian opening of the Liguria-Provençal basin (Serranne 1999). (3) The Alcapia microplate, whose name is derived from the acronym ALCAPA (Alps-Carpathians-Pannonian Basin), separated from Adria in Cretaceous times. Its movement with respect to Adria was absorbed by Cretaceous orogeny in the Eastern Alps, constrained by the Adria-Europe displacement and rotation path; later, during Cenozoic orogeny in the Alps, associated with the closing of the Alpine Tethys, it became part of the Adria microplate again. (4) The introduction of an independent Alkapekia continental fragment and independent microplate during the Late Cenozoic only (Alboran

Hypogeous fungi at tree line in the Australian Alps

Treesearch

James M. Trappe; Andrew W Claridge

2006-01-01

The tree line of the continental Australian Alps yielded eighteen species of hypogeous fungi, all probably . forming ectomycorrhizae with Eucalyptus niphophila, the tree species characteristic of that habitat. Six of the species were undescribed. These collections represented six families and twelve genera: Boletaceae (with Chamonixia), Gallaceaceae...

Raised Holocene paleo-shorelines along the Capo Vaticano coast (western Calabria, Italy): Evidence of co-seismic and steady-state deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spampinato, Cecilia Rita; Ferranti, Luigi; Monaco, Carmelo; Scicchitano, Giovanni; Antonioli, Fabrizio

2014-12-01

Detailed mapping of geomorphological and biological sea-level markers around the Capo Vaticano promontory (western Calabria, Italy), has documented the occurrence of four Holocene paleo-shorelines raised at different altitudes. The uppermost shoreline (PS1) is represented by a deeply eroded fossiliferous beach deposit, reaching an elevation of ∼2.2 m above the present sea-level, and by a notch whose roof is at ∼2.3 m. The subjacent shoreline PS2 is found at an elevation of ∼1.8 m and is represented by a Dendropoma rim, a barnacle band and by a wave-cut platform. Shoreline PS3 includes remnants of vermetid concretions, a barnacle band, a notch and a marine deposit, and reaches an elevation of ∼1.4 m. The lowermost paleo-shoreline (PS4) includes a wave-cut platform and a notch and reaches an elevation of ∼0.8 m. Radiocarbon dating of material from individual paleo-shorelines points to an average uplift rate of 1.2-1.4 mm/yr in the last ∼6 ka at Capo Vaticano. Our data suggest that Holocene uplift was asymmetric, with a greater magnitude in the south-west sector of the promontory, in a manner similar to the long-term deformation attested by Pleistocene terraces. The larger uplift in the south-western sector is possibly related to the additional contribution, onto a large-wavelength regional signal, of co-seismic deformation events, which are not registered to the north-east. We have recognized four co-seismic uplift events at 5.7-5.4 ka, 3.9-3.5 ka, ∼1.9 ka and <1.8 ka ago, superposed on a regional uplift that in the area, is occurring at a rate of ∼1 mm/yr. Our findings places new constrains on the recent activity of border faults south of the peninsula and on the location of the seismogenic source the 1905 destructive earthquake.

A Hannibal's Treck Across The Alps: Geomorphological Analysis Of Sites Of Geoarchaeologicals Interest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahaney, William C.; Kalm, Volli; Dirszowsky, Randy W.; Milner, Michael W.; Sodhi, Rana; Beukens, Roelf; Dorn, Ron; Tricart, Pierre; Schwartz, Stéphane; Chamorro-Perez, Eva; Boccia, Sal; Barendregt, René W.; Krinsley, D. H.; Seaquist, E. R.; Merrick, David; Kapran, Barbara

A ~2200 year-old question related to Hannibal's invasion route across the Alps into Italia, has been argued by classicists without recovery of material evidence. A comparison of topographical descriptions in the ancient literature with environmental parameters in the Alps, attempted here for the first time, provides a database against which various pathways can be assessed. Identification of sites using geological, geomorphological, astronomical, chemical and petrological methods leads to the exclusion of certain transit points and targeting of others where geoarchaeological excavation might yield important evidence related to the military culture of ancient Carthage.

Thin visous sheet modelling of orogen scale deformation. The Eastern Alps in plan view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robl, J.; Stuewe, K.

2003-04-01

We present first results of a new numerical model to describe the dynamic evolution of the eastern Alps in plan view on the orogen scale. We investigate the influence of boundary conditions, gravitational potential energy, rheology contrast of major tectonic units and internal structures on the deformation field. We aim at estimating the Argan number of the Eastern Alps and to calculate slip rates along big lineaments that represent the northern and southern border of the Austro-Alpine extrusion corridor. A further aim is to predict the position and the activity of major faults where they disappear below quartenary sediments. All calculation are perfomed with the mechanical finite element code BASIL that allows computation on a thin visous sheet. The starting conditons are controlled by the varying crustal thickness of the region and by the rheolgy of the Adriatic indenter in the south, the Bohemian massif in the north and the Eastern Alps inbetween. We assume that the Eastern Alps are fixed to the north and the west while the southern boundary moves northward at a rate of 6-8 mm /y. The geodynamic setting in the east changed over the last 5 my. While a roll back subduction zone beneath the Carparthian belt accompanied by extension, crustal thinning and basin formation controlled the deformation of the Eastern Alps until the Miocene. Later on subduction stopped and the overall stress field changed from extension to compression resulting in uplift of many basins and the lack sediments younger than Pliocene. This well known variation of plate tectonic scenarios over the last 5 my allows us to place tight constraints for the boundary conditions of our model. Although our work is only now in progress, we can report some promising results: some of the kinematics and mechaniscs predicted by our modelling are consistent with field observations of the structural geologists and geodeticists.

Seismic anisotropy in localized shear zones versus distributed tectonic fabrics: examples from geologic and seismic observations in western North America and the European Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahan, Kevin H.; Schulte-Pelkum, Vera; Condit, Cailey; Leydier, Thomas; Goncalves, Philippe; Raju, Anissha; Brownlee, Sarah; Orlandini, Omero F.

2017-04-01

Modern methods for detecting seismic anisotropy offer an array of promising tools for imaging deep crustal deformation but also present challenges, especially with respect to potential biases in both the detection methods themselves as well as in competing processes for localized versus distributed deformation. We address some of these issues from the geophysical perspective by employing azimuthally dependent amplitude and polarity variations in teleseismic receiver functions combined with a compilation of published rock elasticity tensors from middle and deep crustal rocks, and from the geological perspective through studies of shear zone deformation processes. Examples are highlighted at regional and outcrop scales from western North America and the European Alps. First, in regional patterns, strikes of seismically detected fabric from receiver functions in California show a strong alignment with current strike-slip motion between the Pacific and North American plates, with high signal strength near faults and from depths below the brittle-ductile transition suggesting these faults have deep ductile roots. In contrast, despite NE-striking shear zones being the most prominent features portrayed on Proterozoic tectonic maps of the southwestern USA, receiver function anisotropy from the central Rocky Mountain region appears to more prominently reflect broadly distributed Proterozoic fabric domains that preceded late-stage localized shear zones. Possible causes for the discrepancy fall into two categories: those that involve a) bias in seismic sampling and/or b) deformation processes that lead to either weaker anisotropy in the shear zones compared to adjacent domains or to a symmetry that is different from that conventionally assumed. Most of these explanations imply that the seismically sampled domains contain important structural information that is distinct from the shear zones. The second set of examples stem from studies of outcrop-scale shear zones in upper

UHT overprint of HP rocks? A case study from the Adula nappe complex (Central Alps, N Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tumiati, Simone; Zanchetta, Stefano; Malaspina, Nadia; Poli, Stefano

2014-05-01

The Adula-Cima Lunga nappe complex is located on the eastern flank of the Lepontine Dome and represents the highest of the Lower Penninic units of the Central Alps. The Adula nappe largely consists of orthogneiss and paragneiss of pre-Mesozoic origin, variably retrogressed eclogites preserved as boudins within paragneiss, minor ultramafic bodies and metasedimentary rocks of presumed Mesozoic age. The higher metamorphic conditions have been estimated for the peridotite lenses in the southern part of the nappe at pressure over 3.0 GPa and temperature of 800-850°C. Garnet lherzolite bodies crop out at three localities, from west to east: Cima di Gagnone, Alpe Arami and Mt. Duria. After the partial subduction of the European distal margin beneath the Africa-Adria margin, the HP rocks were overprinted by an upper amphibolite facies metamorphism that postdates the main phase of nappe stacking. In the southern sector of the Lepontine Dome, adjacent to the Insubric Fault, metamorphic conditions promoted extensive migmatization of both metasedimentary and metagranitoid rocks. In one single outcrop, at Monte Duria, garnet lherzolites occur in m-sized boudins hosted within partly granulitized amphibole-bearing and k-feldspar gneisses that contain also some decimeter-sized boudins of both mafic and metapelitic eclogites. This rock association is in turn embedded within the migmatitic gneisses that form most of the southern sector of the Adula nappe. Petrographic and chemical analyses indicate that garnet peridotite is composed of olivine (XMg=0.88), orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and garnet (Py68; Cr2O3 up to 1.45 wt%) with inclusions of Cr-rich spinel (up to Cr/(Al+Cr)=0.55) surrounded by kelyphitic symplectites of opx + cpx/amph + spl. These reaction produced double coronas, one composed of opx (former ol) and one composed of cpx + opx+ spl. In one kelyphite, we observed the uncommon occurrence of ZrO2 (baddeleyite) and ZrTi2O6 (srilankite). Tiny crystals of these two Zr

Geophysic data interperetation of Passo della Morte landslide: Eastern Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zoppe', G.; Costa, G.; Marcato, G.; Forte, E.

2012-04-01

The Passo della Morte block-slide covers a relative large area in the Carnic Alps, along the left side of the Tagliamento River, between Forni di Sotto and Ampezzo (N-E of Italy). The high seismicity and the presence of the landslide increase the risk associated to the interest area. Moreover the large volume of material involved in the landslide (a few million of cubic meters), the presence of important infrastructure such as the road and two tunnels which cross the landslide, as well as the presence of the Tagliamento River that flow at the foot of the landslide, make the area very vulnerable. This study concerns with the western part of the Deep Seated Gravitational Slope Deformation (DSGSD). It focuses on the potential instability of a rock slope (crossed by road tunnels) and its connection with the DSGSD activity. The main objectives of this study are: monitoring the rock mass movement, studying the seismic site effect and defining the stratigraphic and geological characteristics of involved materials. Two vibration sensors have been installed inside the potential landslide: a short-period seismometer and a piezoelectric transducer. The microseismic activity recorded by the sensors has been analyzed, with particular regard to periods characterized by rapid changes in recorded seismic signals, and then correlated with the precipitation trend to evaluate the existence of a possible correlation between these phenomena. The microseismic activity study has highlighted the existence of a close link between microseisms and acoustic emissions recorded respectively by the seismometer and by the piezoelectric transducer. In addition, the comparison with the rainfall pattern has shown a direct relationship between different rainfall events and the sharp increase of microseismic activity detected by the two instruments. The correlation is good, even if acoustic emissions appear to be more sensitive than microseisms to short duration and low intensity rainfall events. The

Application of terrestrial photogrammetry for the mass balance calculation on Montasio Occidentale Glacier (Julian Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piermattei, Livia; Carturan, Luca; Calligaro, Simone; Blasone, Giacomo; Guarnieri, Alberto; Tarolli, Paolo; Dalla Fontana, Giancarlo; Vettore, Antonio

2014-05-01

Digital elevation models (DEMs) of glaciated terrain are commonly used to measure changes in geometry and hence infer the mass balance of glaciers. Different tools and methods exist to obtain information about the 3D geometry of terrain. Recent improvements on the quality and performance of digital cameras for close-range photogrammetry, and the development of automatic digital photogrammetric processing makes the 'structure from motion' photogrammetric technique (SfM) competitive for high quality 3D models production, compared to efficient but also expensive and logistically-demanding survey technologies such as airborn and terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). The purpose of this work is to test the SfM approach, using a consumer-grade SLR camera and the low-cost computer vision-based software package Agisoft Photoscan (Agisoft LLC), to monitor the mass balance of Montasio Occidentale glacier, a 0.07km2, low-altitude, debris-covered glacier located in the Eastern Italian Alps. The quality of the 3D models produced by the SfM process has been assessed by comparison with digital terrain models obtained through TLS surveys carried out at the same dates. TLS technique has indeed proved to be very effective in determining the volume change of this glacier in the last years. Our results shows that the photogrammetric approach can produce point cloud densities comparable to those derived from TLS measurements. Furthermore, the horizontal and vertical accuracies are also of the same order of magnitude as for TLS (centimetric to decimetric). The effect of different landscape characteristics (e.g. distance from the camera or terrain gradient) and of different substrata (rock, debris, ice, snow and firn) was also evaluated in terms of SfM reconstruction's accuracy vs. TLS. Given the good results obtained on the Montasio Occidentale glacier, it can be concluded that the terrestrial photogrammetry, with the advantageous features of portability, ease of use and above all low costs

Violent Storm Strikes Western Europe

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-03-03

Image acquired February 27, 2010: An extratropical cyclone named Xynthia brought hurricane-force winds and high waves to Western Europe at the end of February 2010, CNN reported. Winds as fast as 200 kilometers (125 miles) per hour reached as far inland as Paris, and at the storm’s peak, hurricane-force winds extended from Portugal to the Netherlands. Hundreds of people had to take refuge from rising waters on their rooftops. By March 1, at least 58 people had died, some of them struck by falling trees. Most of the deaths occurred in France, but the storm also caused casualties in England, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of Western Europe, acquired in two separate overpasses on February 27, 2010. MODIS captured the eastern half of the image around 10:50 UTC, and the western half about 12:30 UTC. Forming a giant comma shape, clouds stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to northern Italy. NASA image courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott. Instrument: Aqua - MODIS For more information related to this image go to: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=42881

[Enterobiasis in pediatric subjects in north-western Italy: a study of home remedies].

PubMed

Dutto, M; Montù, D; Raineri, G

2012-01-01

The present study examines the most common home remedies in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy currently used in the treatment of pediatric enterobiasis, commonly known as pinworm infection. The remedies in question, typically based on popular beliefs and as such are nearly useless, were noted through interviews with subjects who had come to the local Hygiene and Public Health Services offices for information about pinworm prevention and treatment. Analysis of replies by the subjects clearly indicates that local families are ill-prepared to recognize the symptoms this parasitic infection; often it is confused with pediatric ketosis, therefore leading to inappropriate treatment which at times may be potentially harmful to the patient.

Vulnerability and adaptation to water scarcity in the European Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isoard, S.; McCallum, S.; Prutsch, A.; Benno Hain, B.; Schauser, I.

2009-04-01

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has recently undertaken a project addressing vulnerability and adaptation to water availability in the European Alps. Mountains are indeed one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in Europe (EEA 2008, IPCC 2007).The Alps, in particular, can be presented as the ‘water towers' of Europe (the amount of water delivered by the Alps allocates 40% of EU consumption) where changes in water availability affect all socio-economical sectors. This therefore makes adaptation actions a regional topic with an outstanding European dimension. The specific objectives of the study were to highlight the importance of the Alps in their function as ‘water towers' for Europe and analyse the vulnerability of the Alpine Region with regard to impacts of climate change (but also to global change as a whole) focussing on water availability. Given the EU and regional policy background with regard to adaptation and water issues, the study assessed the possible needs, constraints and opportunities for adaptation to the adverse impacts for various sectors pending on water resources. Findings of this activity expanded the knowledge base, fed into the preparation of European Commission's 2009 White Paper and the Alpine Convention 2009 Report on the State of the Alps, and complemented other recent studies (e.g. OECD 2007, European Parliament Committee on Agriculture & Rural Development 2008). The method used for the study relied on the one hand on findings from recent key publications on climate change impacts (EEA 2008, IPCC 2007) and EU research projects (e.g. ClimChAlp, ProClim); on the other side it was based on selected case studies chosen within the four climatic regions of the eight Alpine countries for which an extensive series of interviews with local and regional stakeholders and decision makers has been undertaken. The interviewees had been directly involved in designing and implementing water availability-related adaptation measures

Petrologic and stable isotopic studies of a fossil hydrothermal system in ultramafic environment (Chenaillet ophicalcites, Western Alps, France): Processes of carbonate cementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lafay, Romain; Baumgartner, Lukas P.; Stephane, Schwartz; Suzanne, Picazo; German, Montes-Hernandez; Torsten, Vennemann

2017-12-01

The Late Jurassic Chenaillet ophiolitic complex (Western Alps) represents parts of an oceanic core-complex of the Liguria-Piemonte domain. A model for the origin and evolution of the Chenaillet ophicalcites based on textural and isotopic characterization is presented. The Chenaillet ophicalcites correspond to brecciated serpentinized peridotites that record seafloor shallow serpentinization at a minimum temperatures of 150 °C followed by authigenic carbonation. Carbonation starts with a network of micrometric to millimetric pre- or syn-clast formation calcite veins accompanied by a pervasive carbonation of residual olivine and serpentine inside the serpentinite mesh core. A matrix of small calcite (< 50 μm, 12 μm in average) cemented clasts after their individualization. Texture of the breccia, grain size distribution within the matrix, and chrysotile clusters support rapid cementation from a strongly oversaturated fluid due most likely to hydrothermal fluid cooling and decompression. Later fluids infiltrated by multiple crack formation and some dolomite locally formed along serpentinite-calcite interfaces. Carbonates have δ13C (VPDB) values that range between - 5‰ and + 0.4‰. The lower values were obtained for calcite within the serpentinite clasts. The δ18O (VSMOW) values have a range between + 11‰ and + 16‰ in carbonated clasts. The δ18O values in the matrix are fairly homogeneous with an average at + 12‰ and the late calcite veins have values between + 12.5 and + 15.5‰. These values suggest a relatively high temperature of formation for all the carbonates. Carbonates within clast are mainly characterized by a formation temperature in the range of 110 °C to 180 °C assuming a δ18O value of seawater of 0‰, the matrix forms at a temperature of ca. 165 °C. Late veins are characterized by a formation temperature ranging between 120and 155 °C. We propose a model where serpentinization is followed by discrete carbonation then brecciation and

Gypsum karst in Italy: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Waele, Jo; Chiarini, Veronica; Columbu, Andrea; D'Angeli, Ilenia M.; Madonia, Giuliana; Parise, Mario; Piccini, Leonardo; Vattano, Marco; Vigna, Bartolomeo; Zini, Luca; Forti, Paolo

2016-04-01

. Forti P., Lucci P. (Eds.) (2010) - Il Progetto Stella-Basino. Studio multidisciplinare di un sistema carsico nella Vena del Gesso Romagnola. Memorie Ist. It. Spel. II(14), 260 p. Lucci P., Piastra S. (Eds.) (2015), I Gessi di Brisighella e Rontana: studio multidisciplinare di un'area carsica nella Vena del Gesso Romagnola. Memorie Ist. It. Spel. II(28), 751 p. Madonia G., Forti P. (2003) - Le aree carsiche gessose d'Italia. Memorie Ist. It. Spel. II(14), 285 p. Madonia G., Vattano M. (2011) - New knowledge on the Monte Conca gypsum karst system (central-western Sicily, Italy). Acta Carsologica, 40, (1), pp. 53-64. Marinelli O. (1917) - Fenomeni carsici nelle regioni gessose d'Italia. Mem. Geografiche di Giotto Dainelli, 34, pp. 263-416, suppl. to Riv. Geografica It Tedeschi L. et al. (2015) - Comportamento idrogeologico di alcune risorgenti carsiche nei gessi dell'Emilia-Romagna. Memorie Ist. It. Spel. II(29), pp. 399-404. Vigna B. et al. (2010) - Evolution of karst in Messinian gypsum (Monferrato, Northern Italy). Geodinamica Acta, 23(1-3), pp. 29-40. Zini L. et al. (2015) - a multidisciplinary approach in sinkhole analysis: the Quinis village case study (NE-Italy). Engineering Geology, 197, pp.132-144.

Seismic signature of the Alpine indentation, evidence from the Eastern Alps

PubMed Central

Bianchi, I.; Bokelmann, G.

2014-01-01

The type of collision between the European and the Adriatic plates in the easternmost Alps is one of the most interesting questions regarding the Alpine evolution. Tectonic processes such as compression, escape and uplift are interconnected and shape this area. We can understand these ongoing processes better, if we look for signs of the deformation within the Earth's deep crust of the region. By collecting records from permanent and temporary seismic networks, we assemble a receiver function dataset, and analyze it with the aim of giving new insights on the structure of the lower crust and of the shallow portion of the upper mantle, which are inaccessible to direct observation. Imaging is accomplished by performing common conversion depth stacks along three profiles that crosscut the Eastern Alpine orogen, and allow isolating features consistently persistent in the area. The study shows a moderately flat Moho underlying a seismically anisotropic middle-lower crust from the Southern Alps to the Austroalpine nappes. The spatial progression of anisotropic axes reflects the orientation of the relative motion and of the stress field detected at the surface. These observations suggest that distributed deformation is due to the effect of the Alpine indentation. In the shallow upper mantle right below the Moho interface, a further anisotropic layer is recognized, extended from the Bohemian Massif to the Northern Calcareous Alps. PMID:26525181

Seismic signature of the Alpine indentation, evidence from the Eastern Alps.

PubMed

Bianchi, I; Bokelmann, G

2014-12-01

The type of collision between the European and the Adriatic plates in the easternmost Alps is one of the most interesting questions regarding the Alpine evolution. Tectonic processes such as compression, escape and uplift are interconnected and shape this area. We can understand these ongoing processes better, if we look for signs of the deformation within the Earth's deep crust of the region. By collecting records from permanent and temporary seismic networks, we assemble a receiver function dataset, and analyze it with the aim of giving new insights on the structure of the lower crust and of the shallow portion of the upper mantle, which are inaccessible to direct observation. Imaging is accomplished by performing common conversion depth stacks along three profiles that crosscut the Eastern Alpine orogen, and allow isolating features consistently persistent in the area. The study shows a moderately flat Moho underlying a seismically anisotropic middle-lower crust from the Southern Alps to the Austroalpine nappes. The spatial progression of anisotropic axes reflects the orientation of the relative motion and of the stress field detected at the surface. These observations suggest that distributed deformation is due to the effect of the Alpine indentation. In the shallow upper mantle right below the Moho interface, a further anisotropic layer is recognized, extended from the Bohemian Massif to the Northern Calcareous Alps.

Investigations on socio economic indicators of French Alps ski industry from an explicit spatial modelling of managed snow on ski slopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spandre, Pierre; François, Hugues; Morin, Samuel; George-Marcelpoil, Emmanuelle; Lafaysse, Matthieu

2017-04-01

Investigations of the capacity of ski resorts to anticipate, cope with and recover from the impact of natural snow scarcity through snow management (grooming, snowmaking) have been realized in most of the major regions in terms of international ski offer although not in the French Alps hitherto. The present work therefore introduces an innovative approach for the investigation of socio economic implications of changes in snow conditions for the French Alps ski resorts based on a panel of 129 resorts representing 96% of the total French Alps ski lifts infrastructures. We integrated detailed spatial representations of ski resorts (including priority areas for snowmaking equipment) along with physically based snowpack modelling (including the physical impact of grooming and snowmaking). The viability of ski resorts was further adressed thanks to a commonly used rule based on the snow season duration at the village and ski lifts average elevations along with the development of original viability indicators of snow conditions in the French Alps ski resorts based on the specific periods for the economic success of winter sports: Christmas and February school holidays. Such indicators were correlated to the number of ski lifts tickets sales over the 2001 - 2014 period and proved to be relevant to investigate and predict the evolutions of ski lifts tickets sales under the current ski market conditions in the French Alps. Our results outlined the contrast of snow conditions between French Alps ski resorts, even when accounting for snow management, particularly regarding the geographical location of resorts (Southern versus Northern Alps), the size and related elevation range of ski resorts. Our physically based approach also allowed to compute the water and energy requirements for the production of Machine Made snow since the start of the development of snowguns in the French Alps. Our computations proved to be strongly correlated to the observed amounts of water from the

Adapting the ALP Model for Student and Institutional Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sides, Meredith

2016-01-01

With the increasing adoption of accelerated models of learning comes the necessary step of adapting these models to fit the unique needs of the student population at each individual institution. One such college adapted the ALP (Accelerated Learning Program) model and made specific changes to the target population, structure and scheduling, and…

Collision in the Central Alps: 1. Thermal Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engi, M.; Roselle, G. T.; Brouwer, F. M.; Berger, A.

2003-04-01

Recent tectonic reconstructions for the Central Alps, based in part on seismic profiles across of the orogen, have produced fairly robust kinematic scenarios for the Tertiary evolution. We have used these to set up 2D finite element models [1] to simulate the thermal evolution at orogenic scales. Results are helpful to understand the metamorphic and geochronological record in the Central Alps. Several features recognized as crucial in collisional orogens have been incorporated in our models: Adaptive grids are used to accommodate tectonic mass flow; properties of a tectonic accretion channel (TAC), situated near the footwall of the upper (Apulian) plate, are incorporated (TAC: 5-10 km wide [2]); a mobile fragment (pit: 5-10 km thick, 25-50 km long) at the plate interface is allowed to first be subducted, then to be extruded along the subduction channel to mid-crustal levels during the nappe stacking phase, and finally to be exhumed by backthrusting and erosion; partial melting and its thermal effects are computed. The thermal evolution in crucial parts of the model orogen is depicted in P-T and T-t trajectories, and in time slices showing the evolution of metamorphic facies and degrees of late partial melting. Comparison of simulation results with the regional distribution of (Eocene) high pressure fragments in the Lepontine Alps and of their (Oligo/Miocene) Barrovian overprint indicate that (a) decompression is near-isothermal along a very imited part of the path only; (b) the highest temperatures attained following collision do not reach the observed ˜700^oC unless the TAC is fairly radiogenic (heat production ge˜2 μW/m^3) or there is substantial heat advected by asthenospheric melts migrating up the subduction channel; (c) moderate amounts of partial melting occurred within the the TAC during decompression, following the assembly (at mid-crustal levels) of various crustal and mantle fragments with very diverse P-T-t histories. [1] Roselle et al. (2002) Amer

Medical ethnobotany of the Albanian Alps in Kosovo.

PubMed

Mustafa, Behxhet; Hajdari, Avni; Krasniqi, Feriz; Hoxha, Esat; Ademi, Hatixhe; Quave, Cassandra L; Pieroni, Andrea

2012-01-28

Ethnobotanical studies are crucial in South-Eastern Europe for fostering local development and also for investigating the dynamics of Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) related to plants in one of the most crucial European hotspots for biocultural diversity. The current medico-ethnobotanical survey was conducted in rural alpine communities in Kosovo. The aims of the study were twofold: 1) to document the state of TEK of medicinal plants in these communities; 2) to compare these findings with that of similar field studies previously conducted among local populations inhabiting the Montenegrin and Albanian side of the same Alpine range. Field research was conducted in 36 villages on the Kosovar side of the Albanian Alps. Snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit 91 elderly informants (≥ 50 years-old) for participation in semi-structured interviews and structured surveys regarding the use of the local flora for medicinal and food purposes. Standard ethnobotanical methods were employed and prior informed consent was obtained for all study participants. The uses of 98 plants species belonging to 39 families were recorded; the most quoted botanical families were Rosaceae, Asteraceae, and Lamiaceae. Mainly decoctions and infusions were quoted as folk medicinal preparations and the most common uses referred to gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, as well as illnesses of the uro-genital system. Among the most uncommon medicinal taxa quoted by the informants, Carduus nutans L., Echinops bannaticus Rochel ex Schrad., and Orlaya grandiflora Hoffm. may merit phytochemical and phytopharmacological investigations.Comparison of the data with other ethnobotanical field studies recently conducted on the Albanian and Montenegrin sides of the same Alps has shown a remarkable link between the medical ethnobotany of Montenegrin and Kosovar side of the Albanian Alps. Moreover, folk uses of the most quoted wild medicinal taxa recorded in Kosovo often include those

Exhumation rates in the Gran Paradiso Massif (Western Alps) constrained by in situ U-Th-Pb dating of accessory phases (monazite, allanite and xenotime)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manzotti, Paola; Bosse, Valérie; Pitra, Pavel; Robyr, Martin; Schiavi, Federica; Ballèvre, Michel

2018-03-01

Exhumation rates for high-pressure metamorphic rocks need to be carefully estimated to decipher tectonic processes in subduction/collision belts. In the Gran Paradiso Massif (Western Alps), the Money Unit crops out as a tectonic window below the Gran Paradiso Unit. According to previous studies, the Gran Paradiso and Money Units reached peak pressure conditions at 18 to 20 kbar, 480-520 °C and 17 to 18 kbar, 500-550 °C, respectively. This yields a maximum difference of 9 to 10 km in the subduction depth reached by these two units during the Alpine history. Thrusting of the Gran Paradiso Unit over the Money Unit led to the simultaneous development of the main foliation under the same metamorphic conditions ( 12.5 to 14.5 kbar and 530-560 °C) in both units. The thrust contact was subsequently folded and then both units were exhumed together. The relative timing of the growth and dissolution of the accessory phases was assessed by combining thermodynamic modelling with inclusion, textural and chemical (major and trace element) data from both major and accessory phases. The age of monazite constrained the high-pressure metamorphism in both the Gran Paradiso Unit and the Money Unit at 41.5 ± 0.3 and 42.0 ± 0.6 Ma, respectively. Allanite replacing monazite in the matrix has been dated at 32.7 ± 4.2 Ma. The late growth of xenotime associated with the crystallization of biotite pseudomorphs at the expense of garnet (at about 10 kbar) was dated at 32.3 ± 1.0 Ma. Our petrochronological data indicate about 10 m.y. between the peak pressure conditions and the crystallization of xenotime leading to an exhumation rate of the order of 2.2-5 mm/year. The new ages allow to better constrain the timing of the displacement of the thrust defining the lower boundary of the extruding wedge of eclogite-facies rocks.

Post-magmatic solid solutions of CaCeAl2(Fe3+ 2/3□1/3)[Si2O7][SiO4]O(OH), allanite-(Ce) and REE-bearing epidote in miarolitic pegmatites of Permian Baveno granite (Verbania, central-southern alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guastoni, Alessandro; Nestola, Fabrizio; Schiazza, Mariangela

2017-06-01

CaCeAl2(Fe3+ 2/3□1/3)[Si2O7][SiO4]O(OH), allanite-(Ce) and rare earth element (REE)-bearing epidote occur as globular aggregates and platy prismatic crystals in miarolitic cavities in a niobium, yttrium, fluorine (NYF) granitic pegmatite at Baveno, Verbania, Southern Alps, Italy. These samples were investigated by means of an electron probe micro-analyser (EPMA) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Our EPMA results show that the globular aggregates have the highest REE content in the core portion and decreases to REE-bearing epidote towards the rim whereas the prismatic crystals are characterized by marked oscillatory zoning that have the highest REE contents at the rim of the crystal. The unit-cell parameters of "allanites" have an intermediate unit-cell between CaCeAl2(Fe3+ 2/3□1/3)[Si2O7][SiO4]O(OH), allanite-(Ce) and REE-free epidote, because reflect the strong chemical heterogeneity of the samples which form complete solid solutions. Hydrothermal fluids control the activity and precipitation of incompatible elements like high field strength elements (HFSE), Sc and REE by hydrous F-rich fluids below the critical temperature which allow to deposit accessory minerals in the cavities with decreasing temperature. The source of REE and Y are the sheet and REE-silicates like siderophyllite-annite, and gadolinite-(Y) which underwent partial to complete decomposition by the activity of aggressive F-rich hydrothermal fluids.

The MAFI Project: Mapping Active Faults in Italy by Using Microseismicity Data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiarabba, C.; Amato, A.; Augliera, P.; Bagh, S.; Cattaneo, M.; Chiaraluce, L.; de Gori, P.; di Bartolomeo, P.; Govoni, A.; Michelini, A.; Moretti, M.; Piccinini, D.; Romanelli, M.

2004-12-01

In past years, earthquake forecasting and seismic hazard in Italy have been approached by using geological and geophysical data yielding only a partial definition of seismic release for the main active structures. In this project, we collect seismological and geodetic data to yield deterministic constraints for seismic hazard studies in areas where large earthquakes are expected to occur in a near future, called lacunae. The basic idea is to massively deploy arrays of instruments in the lacunae areas to acquire seismic and geodetic data with the goals of defining location, geometry and kinematics of the active faults and possibly constraining their strain rate. We selected three target regions: two along the Apennines (Northern Umbria and Abruzzo) and one in the Southern Alps (Alpago-Cansiglio). These areas are characterized by different tectonics and different historical seismic release. We present results for the areas located along the Apennines: the Umbria 2000-2001 and the Abruzzo 2003-2004 experiments while for the Alpago-Cansiglio we are still collecting and processing data. Preliminary results for the Umbria lacuna shows that the collected microearthquakes allow us to clearly recognize the fault system geometry and the deep structure (P- and S-wave velocity and attenuation).

Synthesis and effect of Ce and Mn co-doping on photoluminescence characteristics of Ca6AlP5O20:Eu novel phosphors.

PubMed

Shinde, K N; Dhoble, S J

2013-01-01

A series of Ca6AlP5O20 doped with rare earths (Eu and Ce) and co-doped (Eu, Ce and Eu,Mn) were prepared by combustion synthesis. Under Hg-free excitation, Ca6AlP5O20:Eu exhibited Eu(2+) (486 nm) emission in the blue region of the spectrum and under near Hg excitation (245 nm), Ca6AlP5O20:Ce phosphor exhibited Ce(3+) emission (357 nm) in the UV range. Photoluminescence (PL) peak intensity increased in Ca6AlP5O20:Eu,Ce and Ca6AlP5O20:Eu, Mn phosphors due to co-activators of Ce(3+) and Mn(2+) ions. As a result, these ions played an important role in PL emission in the present matrix. Ca6AlP5O20:Eu, Ce and Ca6AlP5O20:Eu, Mn phosphors provided energy transfer mechanisms via Ce(3+) → Eu(2+) and Eu(2+) → Mn(2+), respectively. Eu ions acted as activators and Ce ions acted as sensitizers. Ce emission energy was well matched with Eu excitation energy in the case of Ca6AlP5O20:Eu, Ce and Eu ions acted as activators and Mn ions acted as sensitizers in Ca6AlP5O20:Eu, Mn. This study included synthesis of new and efficient phosphate phosphors. The impact of doping and co-doping on photoluminescence properties and energy transfer mechanisms were investigated and we propose a feasible interpretation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Analog Modeling of the Interplay between Subduction and Lateral Extrusion in the European Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Gelder, I. E.; Willingshofer, E.; Sokoutis, D.

2014-12-01

In the European Alps lateral extrusion is traditionally viewed as a lithospheric scale process that is related to northward indentation of a weak orogenic wedge (the eastern Alps) by a rigid indenter in upper plate position (the Adriatic plate). Critical for the efficiency of the extrusion process is the presence of a 'free boundary' at high angle to the indentation direction. The 'free boundary' in the eastern Alps is the result of the eastward extending Pannonian realm synchronous to indentation. However, indentation has become debatable as recent high-resolution tomography suggests that the Adriatic mantle lithosphere subducted under the extruding Alps. These findings raise first order questions related to: (a) the partitioning of deformation between lateral extrusion of the upper plate and coeval subduction of Adria, (b) the rheology of the lower and upper plates, and (c) the rheology of the plate contact controlling the amount of extrusion on the upper plate vs. accretion on the lower plate.In this analog modeling study, we couple for the first time lateral extrusion tectonics to subduction of the lower plate; thus, extrusion taking place in the upper plate. Within the lithospheric scale models, the lithospheres of the two plates are weakly coupled along an inclined boundary and have contrasting mantle lithosphere strength (stronger in the subducting plate). The interplay of extrusion vs subduction is inferred by varying the mechanical boundary conditions, e.g. the degree of resistance at the 'unconstrained' margin, the strength contrast between the upper and the lower plates and the width of the indented region.The experimental results emphasize that extrusion in the eastern Alps is compatible with coeval subduction of the Adriatic plate. The first experimental series suggests that the following mechanical conditions play a key role in the interplay between extrusion and subduction: (a) the extruding plate is weaker than the subducting plate, (b) the plate

On-demand Simulation of Atmospheric Transport Processes on the AlpEnDAC Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hachinger, S.; Harsch, C.; Meyer-Arnek, J.; Frank, A.; Heller, H.; Giemsa, E.

2016-12-01

The "Alpine Environmental Data Analysis Centre" (AlpEnDAC) develops a data-analysis platform for high-altitude research facilities within the "Virtual Alpine Observatory" project (VAO). This platform, with its web portal, will support use cases going much beyond data management: On user request, the data are augmented with "on-demand" simulation results, such as air-parcel trajectories for tracing down the source of pollutants when they appear in high concentration. The respective back-end mechanism uses the Compute Cloud of the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ) to transparently calculate results requested by the user, as far as they have not yet been stored in AlpEnDAC. The queuing-system operation model common in supercomputing is replaced by a model in which Virtual Machines (VMs) on the cloud are automatically created/destroyed, providing the necessary computing power immediately on demand. From a security point of view, this allows to perform simulations in a sandbox defined by the VM configuration, without direct access to a computing cluster. Within few minutes, the user receives conveniently visualized results. The AlpEnDAC infrastructure is distributed among two participating institutes [front-end at German Aerospace Centre (DLR), simulation back-end at LRZ], requiring an efficient mechanism for synchronization of measured and augmented data. We discuss our iRODS-based solution for these data-management tasks as well as the general AlpEnDAC framework. Our cloud-based offerings aim at making scientific computing for our users much more convenient and flexible than it has been, and to allow scientists without a broad background in scientific computing to benefit from complex numerical simulations.

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 13 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-06

ISS013-E-78295 (6 Sept. 2006) --- Haze in the Po River Valley of Italy is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 13 crewmember onboard the International Space Station. The valley is visible across the horizontal center of the frame, with the floor obscured by what NASA scientists refer to as frequent atmospheric haze, a mixture of industrial pollutants, dust and smoke. The visual texture of such haze is perceptibly different from that of bright white clouds which stretch across the top of the scene and cover part of the Alps. The Po River Valley is Italy's industrial heartland and one of the most industrialized regions on Earth, according to scientists. Northern Italy is in the foreground of this southwesterly view. The partially cloud-covered Alps are at lower right; the Adriatic Sea at lower left. Corsica is under partial cloud cover at center; and Sardinia, almost totally obscured, is to its south. The island of Elba is visible just to the west of Italy. By contrast with haze accumulation along the axis of the valley, the Alps and the Apennines are clearly visible, and Lake Garda can be seen in the foothills of the Alps. Other visible geographic features are the lagoon at Venice north of the Po River delta, and three small lakes north of Rome. The winds on the day this image was taken are mainly from the north, as shown by the flow lines in the haze near Venice. The haze typically flows south down the Adriatic Sea. Visibility in the Mediterranean basin is often reduced by hazes such as these, deriving from different sources in industrialized Europe.

Mountaineering accidents in the European Alps: have the numbers increased in recent years?

PubMed

Lischke, V; Byhahn, C; Westphal, K; Kessler, P

2001-01-01

Media reports convey the impression that the incidence of fatal accidents in the European Alps has increased. Because more specific data are lacking, we analyzed available data from the mountain rescue services in Germany, Austria, southern Tirol, Zermatt/Switzerland, and Chamonix/France from 1987 until 1997. Information was gathered from the annual reports of the Austrian Mountain Rescue Service, the Swiss Alpine Club Rescue Station in Zermatt, the Mountain Rescue Service of the Southern Tirol Alpine Club, the Mountain Rescue Service of the Bavarian Red Cross, and the Department of Mountain Medicine and Traumatology from the Hospital in Chamonix. Although the total number of rescue missions and injured alpinists increased significantly during the period, the number of fatalities retrieved during such rescue missions showed no significant increase. Even taking into account the varying definitions of "mountain accident" used in these countries, available data from the analyzed areas of the European Alps do not demonstrate a drastic increase in the number of fatalities. In the future, data concerning mountain accidents in the European Alps should be monitored according to standard definitions and stored by the International Commission for Alpine Rescue.

The AlpArray Seismic Network: A Large-Scale European Experiment to Image the Alpine Orogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hetényi, György; Molinari, Irene; Clinton, John; Bokelmann, Götz; Bondár, István; Crawford, Wayne C.; Dessa, Jean-Xavier; Doubre, Cécile; Friederich, Wolfgang; Fuchs, Florian; Giardini, Domenico; Gráczer, Zoltán; Handy, Mark R.; Herak, Marijan; Jia, Yan; Kissling, Edi; Kopp, Heidrun; Korn, Michael; Margheriti, Lucia; Meier, Thomas; Mucciarelli, Marco; Paul, Anne; Pesaresi, Damiano; Piromallo, Claudia; Plenefisch, Thomas; Plomerová, Jaroslava; Ritter, Joachim; Rümpker, Georg; Šipka, Vesna; Spallarossa, Daniele; Thomas, Christine; Tilmann, Frederik; Wassermann, Joachim; Weber, Michael; Wéber, Zoltán; Wesztergom, Viktor; Živčić, Mladen

2018-04-01

The AlpArray programme is a multinational, European consortium to advance our understanding of orogenesis and its relationship to mantle dynamics, plate reorganizations, surface processes and seismic hazard in the Alps-Apennines-Carpathians-Dinarides orogenic system. The AlpArray Seismic Network has been deployed with contributions from 36 institutions from 11 countries to map physical properties of the lithosphere and asthenosphere in 3D and thus to obtain new, high-resolution geophysical images of structures from the surface down to the base of the mantle transition zone. With over 600 broadband stations operated for 2 years, this seismic experiment is one of the largest simultaneously operated seismological networks in the academic domain, employing hexagonal coverage with station spacing at less than 52 km. This dense and regularly spaced experiment is made possible by the coordinated coeval deployment of temporary stations from numerous national pools, including ocean-bottom seismometers, which were funded by different national agencies. They combine with permanent networks, which also required the cooperation of many different operators. Together these stations ultimately fill coverage gaps. Following a short overview of previous large-scale seismological experiments in the Alpine region, we here present the goals, construction, deployment, characteristics and data management of the AlpArray Seismic Network, which will provide data that is expected to be unprecedented in quality to image the complex Alpine mountains at depth.

Tectono-metamorphic evolution of meta-ophiolitic units along Susa Valley (Italian Western Alps): new suggestions for the exhumation processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghignone, Stefano; Borghi, Alessandro; Balestro, Gianni; Gattiglio, Marco

2017-04-01

In the inner Western Alps, meta-ophiolite units (i.e., the Piemonte Zone) show different stages of the tectono-metamorphic evolution, since the early phases of subduction to the latest exhumation steps. Tectono-metamorphic data collected through the meta-ophiolite units of the Piemonte Zone along the middle Susa Valley allowed to infer new ideas about the exhumation processes that developed in the (U)HP units. In this area, Zermatt-Saas-like meta-ophiolite unit (i.e., the eclogite-facies Internal Piemonte Zone, IPZ) are tectonically overlain by Combin-like ones (i.e., the blueschist-facies External Piemonte Zone, EPZ), through a thick shear zone (i.e., the Susa Shear Zone, SSZ). Metamorphic history was achieved by analyzing basic rocks (metabasalt and Fe-Ti metagabbro) and sedimentary rocks derived from reworking basic rocks in oceanic environment (basic sandstones and conglomerates, and ophiolitic breccia). Different P-T paths were inferred for IPZ and EPZ, according with mineral assemblages and realizations of pseudosections. In the IPZ, four tectono-metamorphic events, developed under variables metamorphic conditions, were recognized. The first (peak-P) event shows (U)HP conditions, defined by the occurrence of relic mineral assemblage (Grt I+ Omp I + Rt). The paragenesis is completed by Zo + Pg pseudomorphs, implying that Lws-eclogite facies were reached. The discovery in Grt (and Rt) relics inclusions of black euhedral pseudomorphs of disordered graphite, suggesting to be derived from original microdiamonds, agree with other petrologic constrains. The second event, marked by the Grt II + Omp II + Ph + Gln + Zo assemblage, developed under epidote-eclogite facies conditions. Following a retrograde and decompressional trajectory, the IPZ was then re-equilibrated under greenschist-facies conditions and a new assemblage (Ab + Chl + Mu + Czo + Ttn + Act) overprinted HP paragenesis. The last event is marked by a weak heating, with crystallization of Bt + Ep + Olig

Average snowcover density values in Eastern Alps mountain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valt, M.; Moro, D.

2009-04-01

The Italian Avalanche Warning Services monitor the snow cover characteristics through networks evenly distributed all over the alpine chain. Measurements of snow stratigraphy and density are very frequently performed with sampling rates of 1 -2 times per week. Snow cover density values are used to compute the dimensions of the building roofs as well as to design avalanche barriers. Based on the measured snow densities the Electricity Board can predict the amount of water resources deriving from snow melt in high relieves drainage basins. In this work it was possible to compute characteristic density values of the snow cover in the Eastern Alps using the information contained in the database from the ARPA (Agenzia Regionale Protezione Ambiente)-Centro Valanghe di Arabba, and Ufficio Valanghe- Udine. Among the other things, this database includes 15 years of stratigraphic measurements. More than 6,000 snow stratigraphic logs were analysed, in order to derive typical values as for geographical area, altitude, exposure, snow cover thickness and season. Computed values were compared to those established by the current Italian laws. Eventually, experts identified and evaluated the correlations between the seasonal variations of the average snow density and the variations related to the snowfall rate in the period 1994-2008 in the Eastern Alps mountain range

[Reduction of meat consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with health benefits in Italy].

PubMed

Farchi, Sara; Lapucci, Enrica; Michelozzi, Paola

2015-01-01

the reduction in red meat consumption has been proposed as one of the climate change mitigation policies associated to health benefits. In the developed world, red meat consumption is above the recommended intake level. the aim is to evaluate health benefits, in term of mortality decline, associated to different bovine meat consumption reduction scenarios and the potential reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. meat consumption in Italy has been estimated using the Italian National Food Consumption Survey INRAN-SCAI (2005-2006) and the Multipurpose survey on household (2012) of the Italian National Institute for Statistics. Colorectal cancer and stoke mortality data are derived from the national survey on causes of death in 2012. Bovine meat consumption risk function has been retrieved from systematic literature reviews. Mean meat consumption in Italy is equal to 770 grams/week; gender and geographical variations exist: 69 per cent of the adult population are habitual bovine meat consumers; males have an average intake of over 400 grams/week in all areas of Italy (with the exception of the South), while females have lower intakes (360 grams per week), with higher consumption in the North-West (427 gr) and lower in the South of Italy. Four scenarios of reduction of bovine meat consumption (20%, 40%, 50% e 70%, respectively) have been evaluated and the number of avoidable deaths by gender and area of residence have been estimated. GHG emissions attributed to bovine meat adult consumption have been estimated to be to 10 gigagrams CO2-eq. from low to high reduction scenario, the percentage of avoidable deaths ranged from 2.1% to 6.5% for colorectal cancer and from 1.6% to 5.6% for stroke. Health benefits were greatest for males and for people living in the North-Western regions of Italy. in Italy, in order to adhere to bovine meat consumption recommendations and to respect EU GHG emission reduction targets, scenarios between 50% and 70% need to be adopted.

New 40Ar/39Ar eruption ages for the western Aeolian Arc, Southern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Creamer, J. B.; Calvert, A. T.; Spera, F. J.

2011-12-01

New 40Ar/39Ar ages are presented for the western Aeolian Arc, southern Italy which help constrain eruption frequency and revise the local uplift history through bracketing the timing of marine terrace formation. The islands of Alicudi, Filicudi, and Salina are late-Quaternary composite stratovolcanoes which feature basaltic to dacitic calc-alkaline and high-K series lavas and pyroclastics. These islands have been the focus of several geochronologic studies in the past but many open questions remain due to recently revised mapping, conflicting ages, and incomplete coverage of eruptive sequences. On Salina, a single new age constrains the previously undated Corvo volcano to 128.8 +/- 5.3 ka. On Filicudi, three new dates constrain the oldest exposed episodes of volcanism to ~200-205 ka, in good agreement with previous K/Ar ages. The age of an intervening marine terrace is constrained by these oldest units to c. 200 ka. Additionally there is one new date of 80.4 ± 9.4 ka on the youngest effusive eruption on Filicudi, a dacite dome that overlies the youngest marine terrace on the island. On Alicudi, five new dates constrain the oldest exposed units (Paleo Alicudi Synthem) to 167.4 ± 26.1 ka, the Scoglio Galera to Spano synthems between 64.1 ± 4.1 ka and 59.3 ± 1.3 ka, and confirm the youngest eruptions (Fillo dell'Arpa Fm) at 30.0 ± 0.7 ka. Importantly, an undated formation that overlies the 59.3 ka unit is cut by a marine terrace that was previously interpreted to be ~80 ka (MIS 5a highstand). This result calls into question the archipelago-wide age correlation of marine terraces attempted by Lucchi et al. 2008 since the youngest terrace on Alicudi is younger than eruptive units that overly all terraces on Filicudi. Previous work suggesting that marine terraces on Filicudi were formed during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 5a,c, and e is permitted by our new ages, but the oldest terrace ('Paleoshoreline B') on Filicudi was possibly formed during MIS 7 rather than MIS

Coexisting calderite and spessartine garnets in eclogite-facies metacherts of the Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenki-Tok, B.; Chopin, C.

2006-09-01

The coexistence of a colourless and a yellow garnet was observed in eclogite-facies manganese concentrations of the Mesozoic ophiolitic Zermatt-Saas Unit, at the Praborna mine near Saint-Marcel, Val d’Aoste, Italy, and in the upper Maurienne Valley, France. They occur both in oxidised metachert with hematite and braunite (+ minor Mn-pyroxenoid and tirodite, rare tiragalloite; with ardennite or piemontite in distinct layers), and in more reduced, carbonate-rich boudins included in it. The co-occurrence takes a variety of textural aspects, from coexisting euhedral garnets (10-100 µm in size for the calderite to mm-size for spessartine) to sharp overgrowths of yellow calderitic garnet on colourless spessartine, to yellow cauliflower-like masses (a few hundreds of µm in size) overgrowing colourless spessartine and showing evidence of oscillatory zoning, resorption stages and resumed growth. Sector zoning and anisotropy are common, although not consistent features. Compositions can be expressed to 95% in the quadrilateral system (Ca, Mn2+)3 (Al, Fe3+)2 Si3O12, with less than 1.0 wt% MgO and 0.8 wt% TiO2 in colourless spessartine, and less than 0.2 wt% MgO and 1.6 wt% TiO2 in yellow garnet. Calcium partitions into the ferric garnet. Coexisting pairs define two compositional gaps, bounded by values of the Fe3+/(Al + Fe3+) ratio of 10 and 15% for the first one, of 40 and 65% for the other. The optically obvious discontinuity (colour change and Becke’s line) corresponds to the narrower gap, between colourless spessartine and yellow spessartine, whereas the broad compositional gap occurs within yellow garnet, between yellow spessartine and yellow calderite, and is only revealed by back-scattered electron images. Only the latter can be a candidate for a miscibility gap, if any.

Active and fossil mantle flows in the western Alpine region unravelled by seismic anisotropy analysis and high-resolution P wave tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salimbeni, Simone; Malusà, Marco G.; Zhao, Liang; Guillot, Stéphane; Pondrelli, Silvia; Margheriti, Lucia; Paul, Anne; Solarino, Stefano; Aubert, Coralie; Dumont, Thierry; Schwartz, Stéphane; Wang, Qingchen; Xu, Xiaobing; Zheng, Tianyu; Zhu, Rixiang

2018-04-01

The anisotropy of seismic velocities in the mantle, when integrated with high-resolution tomographic models and geologic information, can be used to detect active mantle flows in complex plate boundary areas, providing new insights on the impact of mantle processes on the topography of mountain belts. Here we use a densely spaced array of temporary broadband seismic stations to analyze the seismic anisotropy pattern of the western Alpine region, at the boundary between the Alpine and Apenninic slabs. Our results are supportive of a polyphase development of anisotropic mantle fabrics, possibly starting from the Jurassic to present. Geophysical data presented in this work, and geologic evidence taken from the literature, indicate that: (i) fossil fabrics formed during Tethyan rifting may be still preserved within the Alpine and Apenninic slabs; (ii) mantle deformation during Apenninic slab rollback is not compensated by a complete toroidal flow around the northern tip of the retreating slab; (iii) the previously observed continuous trend of anisotropy fast axes near-parallel to the western Alpine arc is confirmed. We observe that this arc-parallel trend of fast axes is located in correspondence to a low velocity anomaly in the European upper mantle, beneath regions of the Western and Ligurian Alps showing the highest uplift rates. We propose that the progressive rollback of the Apenninic slab, in the absence of a counterclockwise toroidal flow at its northern tip, induced a suction effect at the scale of the supraslab mantle. The resulting mantle flow pattern was characterized by an asthenospheric counterflow at the rear of the unbroken Western Alps slab and around its southern tip, and by an asthenospheric upwelling, mirrored by low P wave velocities, that would have favored the topographic uplift of the Alpine belt from the Mont Blanc to the Mediterranean sea.

First record of the Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus japonicus, in Italy: invasion from an established Austrian population.

PubMed

Seidel, Bernhard; Montarsi, Fabrizio; Huemer, Hartwig P; Indra, Alexander; Capelli, Gioia; Allerberger, Franz; Nowotny, Norbert

2016-05-16

In 2011 we identified the Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901) (Diptera: Culicidae) for the first time in northern Slovenia and in the bordering Austrian federal state of Styria. Between May and July 2012 the distribution area of Ae. j. japonicus was already found to be extended westwards into Carinthia and eastwards towards Burgenland and bordering Hungary. In August 2012 the species was first detected in a western province of Hungary. In subsequent years, follow-up field studies demonstrated an active spread westwards throughout Carinthia, reaching the border to northern Italy. In July 2015 several aquatic-stage specimens of the species were discovered at three different sites in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, north-eastern Italy. In September 2015, co-occurrence of Ae. j. japonicus and Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895) was observed in the same sample in that region. Ae. j. japonicus actively extended its geographic range from an established population in Carinthia (Austria) southwards to northern Italy by crossing Alpine ranges. Since Ae. albopictus and Aedes koreicus (Edwards, 1917) are already well established in northern Italy, it will be pivotal to monitor the consequences of a third invasive mosquito species trying to populate the same geographic region.

Alps, Carpathians and Dinarides-Hellenides: about plates, micro-plates and delaminated crustal blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, Stefan

2014-05-01

Before the onset of Europe-Africa continental collision in the Dinarides-Hellenides (around 60Ma) and in the Alps and Western Carpathians (around 35 Ma), and at a large scale, the dynamics of orogenic processes in the Mediterranean Alpine chains were governed by Europe-Africa plate convergence leading to the disappearance of large parts of intervening oceanic lithosphere, i.e. the northern branch of Neotethys along the Sava-Izmir-Ankara suture and Alpine Tethys along the Valais-Magura suture (Schmid et al. 2008). In spite of this, two major problems concerning the pre-collisional stage are still poorly understood: (1) by now we only start to understand geometry, kinematics and dynamics of the along-strike changes in the polarity of subduction between Alps-Carpathians and Dinarides-Hellenides, and (2) it is not clear yet during exactly which episodes and to what extent intervening rifted continental fragments such as, for example, Iberia-Briançonnais, Tisza, Dacia, Adria-Taurides moved independently as micro-plates, and during which episodes they remained firmly attached to Europa or Africa from which they broke away. As Europe-Africa plate convergence slowed down well below 1 cm/yr at around 30 Ma ago these pre-collisional processes driven by plate convergence on a global scale gave way to more local processes of combined roll-back and crustal delamination in the Pannonian basin of the Carpathian embayment and in the Aegean (as well as in the Western Mediterranean, not discussed in this contribution). In the case of the Carpathian embayment E-directed roll back totally unrelated to Europe-Africa N-S-directed convergence, started at around 20 Ma ago, due to the presence relict oceanic lithosphere in the future Pannonian basin that remained un-subducted during collision. Due to total delamination of the crust from the eastward rolling back European mantle lithosphere the anticlockwise rotating ALCAPA crustal block, consisting of Eastern Alps and Western Carpathian

Second Workshop on the European Geotraverse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galson, D. A.; Müller, S.; Munsch, B.

The Second Workshop on the European Geotraverse (EGT) Project (Eos, July 19, 1983, p. 458; March 5, 1985, p. 112) was held February 7-9, 1985, at the Venetian Institute of Science, Letters, and Arts, Venice, Italy, and was organized by C. Morelli (Institute of Mining and Applied Geophysics, University of Trieste, Italy) with support from both the Secretariat of the European Science Foundation (ESF) in Strasbourg, France, and the Scientific Coordinating Committee (SCC) for the EGT Project. The workshop focused on the Southern Segment of the EGT (EGT-S), which encompasses the Central, Southern, and Western Alps, the Po Basin, the Northern Apennines, the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas, Corsica and Sardinia, the Sardinian and Sicilian Channels, and the complex geological structures of Tunisia. About 100 earth scientists, from Austria (1 representative), Belgium (1), Denmark (2), the Federal Republic of Germany (7), France (10), Italy (52), The Netherlands (3), Spain (1), Switzerland (9), Tunisia (6), and the United Kingdom (4), assembled to present and discuss new geological and geophysical data in order to obtain a better understanding of the structure, dynamics, and evolution of the lithosphere in this part of the world and to identify areas where and problems on which further work is needed. A particularly important aspect of the workshop was the presentation of data and results from the EGT-S 1983 field program, which was primarily a large-scale land and sea seismic refraction survey that extended from the Southern Alps to southern Sardinia. Another important aspect was preparation for the EGT-S 1985 field program, which will be a southward extension of the 1983 program to southern Tunisia. The workshop was divided into seven sessions, during which 42 scientific papers were given dealing with various aspects of the regional geophysics, geology, and tectonics.

Detection of serum antibodies to hepatitis E virus in domestic pigs in Italy using a recombinant swine HEV capsid protein.

PubMed

Ponterio, Eleonora; Di Bartolo, Ilaria; Orrù, Ginevra; Liciardi, Manuel; Ostanello, Fabio; Ruggeri, Franco Maria

2014-06-16

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) has been detected in both humans and animals, particularly pigs, worldwide. Several evidences, including human infection following consumption of raw contaminated meat, suggest a zoonotic transmission of HEV. In Italy, large circulation of genotype 3 HEV has been reported in swine, and recent studies have confirmed the involvement of this genotype in autochthonous human cases. In this study 111 sera collected from healthy pigs in two Italian regions were tested for anti-HEV IgG antibodies. For specific HEV antibody detection in swine, we developed ELISA and Western blotting methods, using a truncated capsid (ORF2) protein lacking the first 111 amino acids of a swine HEV genotype 3 strain. The ORF2-based ELISA revealed anti-HEV antibodies in 104 out of 111 pigs compared with 102 detected with a commercial ELISA kit. A lower number of sera reacted with the recombinant ORF2 protein in a Western blotting format (81/111). Using a Latent class analysis (LCA), the estimated sensitivities for ELISA-ORF2 and ELISA-kit tests were 0.961 and 0.936, respectively, whereas specificities were 0.599 and 0.475. The estimated sensitivity of Western blotting was 0.775, and the specificity was 0.944. The overall results confirm the high prevalence of HEV seropositive healthy pigs in Italy. Through comparisons with a commercial ELISA test, the swine genotype 3 HEV antigen produced in this study was proven suitable to detect anti-HEV antibodies in pig sera by both ELISA and Western Blotting.

Variation trend of snowfall in the Kamikochi region of the Japanese Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, K.

2017-12-01

The Japanese Alps experience exceptionally heavy snowfall, extreme even by global standards, and in spring and summer the melting snow becomes a valuable water resource. The snow effectively acts as a natural dam when it accumulates in watersheds during winter. However, there have been no observations of the amount of snow in high-altitude regions of Japan. Therefore, we cannot discuss the effect of global warming on the change in the amount of snow in these regions based on direct observation data. We were, however, able to obtain climatic and hydrologic data for high-altitude sites in the Japanese Alps, and discuss the variations in these conditions in the Kamikochi region (altitude 1490 m-3190 m) of the Japanese Alps over a 68-year period using these observed data. No long-term trends are observed in the annual mean, maximum, or minimum temperatures at Taisho-ike from 1945 to 2012; the total annual precipitation shows a statistically significant decreasing trend. The annual total snowfall at Taisho-ike from 1969 to 2012 shows a statistically significant increasing trend. The annual total runoff of the Azusa River from 1945 to 2012 shows a statistically significant increasing trend, as does the snowmelt runoff to the river (which occurs from May to July). We can thus conclude that the annual snowfall in the Azusa River catchment has increased in recent years.

Contrasting serpentinization processes in the eastern Central Alps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burkhard, D.J.M.; O'Neil, J.R.

1988-01-01

Stable isotope compositions have been determined for serpentinites from between Davos (Arosa-Platta nappe, Switzerland) and the Valmalenco (Italy). ??D and ??18O values (-120 to -60 and 6-10???, respectively) in the Arosa-Platta nappe indicate that serpentinization took place on the continent at relatively low temperatures in the presence of limited amounts of metamorphic fluids that contained a component of meteoric water. One sample of chrysotile has a ??18O value of 13??? providing evidence of high W/R ratios and low formation temperature of lizardite-chrysotile in this area. In contrast, relatively high ??D values (-42 to -34???) and low ??18O values (4.4-7.4???) for serpentine in the eastern part of the Valmalenco suggest a serpentinization process that took place at moderate temperatures in fluids that were dominated by ocean water. The antigorite in the Valmalenco is the first reported example of continental antigorite with an ocean water signature. An amphibole sample from a metasomatically overprinted contact zone to metasediments (??D=-36???) indicates that the metasomatic event also took place in the presence of ocean water. Lower ??D values (-93 to -60???) of serpentines in the western part of the Valmalenco suggest a different alteration history possibly influenced by fluids associated with contact metamorphism. Low water/rock ratios during regional metamorphism (and metasomatism) have to be assumed for both regions. ?? 1988 Springer-Verlag.

Influence of the Geometry Alteration of the Landslide Slope on its Stability: A Case Study in the Carnian Alps (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zabuski, Lesław; Bossi, Giulia; Marcato, Gianluca

2017-12-01

The paper presents the principles of the slope reprofiling and proves the effectiveness of this stabilization measure. The case study of two adjacent landslides in the National Road 52 "Carnica" in the Tagliamento River valley, the Carnian Alps (46°23'49″N, 12°42'51″E) are the example allowing for illustration of this approach. The phenomena have been studied for more than a decade, making it possible to carry out a detailed geological and geomorphological reconstruction. That was done on the basis of a large amount of monitoring data collected during that period. Since the landslides are threatening an important road, countermeasure works to ameliorate the stability conditions of the slides need to be designed. The paper focuses on the creation of a numerical model consistent with monitoring data and capable of reconstructing the dynamics of both landslides. Two cross-sections, one for each landslide, were selected for the analysis. The geometry of the slip surface was determined on the basis of control points, such as slip surface readings from inclinometers, and geomorphological evidence for the contour. The FLAC2D code was used to evaluate the current stability of these landslides and to determine the effectiveness of changing the slope geometry by removing material from the upper part of the slope and putting it to the lowest part as reinforcement.

Controls on Deep Seated Gravitational Slope Deformations in the European Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crosta, Giovanni B.; Frattini, Paolo; Agliardi, Federico

2013-04-01

DSGSDs are very large, slow mass movements affecting entire high-relief valley slopes. The first orogen-scale inventory of such phenomena at has been recently presented for the European Alps (Crosta et al 2008, Agliardi et al 2012), and then further implemented. The inventory includes 1034 Deep Seated Gravitational Slope Deformations, widespread over the entire orogen and clustered along major valleys and in some specific sectors of the Alps. In this contribution we systematically explore lithological, structural and topographic controls on DSGSD distribution with the help of multivariate statistical techniques (Principal Component Analysis, Discriminant Analysis). Analysis units for statistical analysis were obtained by creating three square vector grids with 2.5 km, 5 km and 10 km grid cell size, respectively, covering the entire area (about 110,000 km2). For each grid cell, we calculated the density of DSGSD, and we assigned a value for each of the controlling variable considered in the analysis. From the NASA SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) DEM we derived land surface parameters, such as relief, slope gradients, slope aspect, mean vertical distance from base level and ruggedness. The SRTM DEM was also used to extract the drainage density, with a threshold of 1 km2 and 10 km2. We also computer the stream power of the 1km2 river network Lithology was obtained by assembling different geological maps (1:200.000 map of Salzburg, 1:250.000 map of France, 1:500.000 maps of Switzerland and Austria, 1:1.000.000 map of Italy) and by reclassifying the geological units into 8 lithological classes (carbonate rocks, metapelites, sandstones and marls, paragneiss, ortogneiss, flysch-type rocks, granitoid/metabasite, Quaternary units, and volcanic rocks). To study the role of seismicity, we calculated the number of earthquakes (CPTI11 and USGS-NEIC database) within a distance dmax from the square cell, calculated adopting Keefer's (1984) equation, and the sum of Arias

Intra-continental subduction and contemporaneous lateral extrusion of the upper plate: insights into Alps-Adria interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Gelder, Inge; Willingshofer, Ernst; Sokoutis, Dimitrios; Cloetingh, Sierd

2017-04-01

A series of physical analogue experiments were performed to simulate intra-continental subduction contemporaneous with lateral extrusion of the upper plate to study the interferences between these two processes at crustal levels and in the lithospheric mantle. The lithospheric-scale models are specifically designed to represent the collision of the Adriatic microplate with the Eastern Alps, simulated by an intra-continental weak zone to initiate subduction and a weak confined margin perpendicular to the direction of convergence in order to allow for extrusion of the lithosphere. The weak confined margin is the analog for the opening of the Pannonian back-arc basin adjacent to the Eastern Alps with the direction of extension perpendicular to the strike of the orogen. The models show that intra-continental subduction and coeval lateral extrusion of the upper plate are compatible processes. The obtained deformation structures within the extruding region are similar compared to the classical setup where lateral extrusion is provoked by lithosphere-scale indentation. In the models a strong coupling across the subduction boundary allows for the transfer of abundant stresses to the upper plate, leading to laterally varying strain regimes that are characterized by crustal thickening near a confined margin and dominated by lateral displacement of material near a weak lateral confinement. During ongoing convergence the strain regimes propagate laterally, thereby creating an area of overlap characterized by transpression. In models with oblique subduction, with respect to the convergence direction, less deformation of the upper plate is observed and as a consequence the amount of lateral extrusion decreases. Additionally, strain is partitioned along the oblique plate boundary leading to less subduction in expense of right lateral displacement close to the weak lateral confinement. Both oblique and orthogonal subduction models have a strong resemblance to lateral extrusion

Thermochronological Record of a Jurassic Heating-Cooling Cycle Within a Distal Rifted Margin (Calizzano Massif, Ligurian Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seno, S.; Decarlis, A.; Fellin, M. G.; Maino, M.; Beltrando, M.; Ferrando, S.; Manatschal, G.; Gaggero, L.; Stuart, F. M.

2017-12-01

The aim of the present study is to analyse, through thermochronological investigations, the thermal evolution of a fossil distal margin owing to the Alpine Tethys rifting system. The studied distal margin section consists of a polymetamorphic basement (Calizzano basement) and of a well-developed Mesozoic sedimentary cover (Case Tuberto unit) of the Ligurian Alps (NW Italy). The incomplete reset of zircon (U-Th)/He ages and the non-reset of the zircon fission track ages during the Alpine metamorphism indicate that during the subduction and the orogenic stages these rocks were subjected to temperatures lower than 200 ºC. Thus, the Alpine metamorphic overprint occurred during a short-lived, low temperature pulse. The lack of a pervasive orogenic reset, allowed the preservation of an older heating-cooling event that occurred during Alpine Tethys rifting. Zircon fission-track data indicate, in fact, that the Calizzano basement records a cooling under 240 °C, at 156 Ma (early Upper Jurassic). This cooling followed a Middle Jurassic syn-rift heating at temperatures of about 300-350°C, typical of greenschist facies conditions occurred at few kilometres depth, as indicated by stratigraphic and petrologic constraints. Thus, in our interpretation, major crustal thinning likely promoted high geothermal gradients ( 60-90°C/km) triggering the circulation of hot, deep-seated fluids along brittle faults, causing the observed thermal anomaly at shallow crustal level.

Medical ethnobotany of the Albanian Alps in Kosovo

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Ethnobotanical studies are crucial in South-Eastern Europe for fostering local development and also for investigating the dynamics of Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) related to plants in one of the most crucial European hotspots for biocultural diversity. The current medico-ethnobotanical survey was conducted in rural alpine communities in Kosovo. The aims of the study were twofold: 1) to document the state of TEK of medicinal plants in these communities; 2) to compare these findings with that of similar field studies previously conducted among local populations inhabiting the Montenegrin and Albanian side of the same Alpine range. Methods Field research was conducted in 36 villages on the Kosovar side of the Albanian Alps. Snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit 91 elderly informants (≥ 50 years-old) for participation in semi-structured interviews and structured surveys regarding the use of the local flora for medicinal and food purposes. Standard ethnobotanical methods were employed and prior informed consent was obtained for all study participants. Results and Conclusion The uses of 98 plants species belonging to 39 families were recorded; the most quoted botanical families were Rosaceae, Asteraceae, and Lamiaceae. Mainly decoctions and infusions were quoted as folk medicinal preparations and the most common uses referred to gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, as well as illnesses of the uro-genital system. Among the most uncommon medicinal taxa quoted by the informants, Carduus nutans L., Echinops bannaticus Rochel ex Schrad., and Orlaya grandiflora Hoffm. may merit phytochemical and phytopharmacological investigations. Comparison of the data with other ethnobotanical field studies recently conducted on the Albanian and Montenegrin sides of the same Alps has shown a remarkable link between the medical ethnobotany of Montenegrin and Kosovar side of the Albanian Alps. Moreover, folk uses of the most quoted wild medicinal

OGS improvements in the year 2011 in running the Northeastern Italy Seismic Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bragato, P. L.; Pesaresi, D.; Saraò, A.; Di Bartolomeo, P.; Durı, G.

2012-04-01

The Centro di Ricerche Sismologiche (CRS, Seismological Research Center) of the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS, Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics) in Udine (Italy) after the strong earthquake of magnitude M=6.4 occurred in 1976 in the Italian Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, started to operate the Northeastern Italy Seismic Network: it currently consists of 15 very sensitive broad band and 21 simpler short period seismic stations, all telemetered to and acquired in real time at the OGS-CRS data center in Udine. Real time data exchange agreements in place with other Italian, Slovenian, Austrian and Swiss seismological institutes lead to a total number of about 100 seismic stations acquired in real time, which makes the OGS the reference institute for seismic monitoring of Northeastern Italy. Since 2002 OGS-CRS is using the Antelope software suite on several workstations plus a SUN Cluster as the main tool for collecting, analyzing, archiving and exchanging seismic data, initially in the framework of the EU Interreg IIIA project "Trans-national seismological networks in the South-Eastern Alps". SeisComP is also used as a real time data exchange server tool. In order to improve the seismological monitoring of the Northeastern Italy area, at OGS-CRS we tuned existing programs and created ad hoc ones like: a customized web server named PickServer to manually relocate earthquakes, a script for automatic moment tensor determination, scripts for web publishing of earthquake parametric data, waveforms, state of health parameters and shaking maps, noise characterization by means of automatic spectra analysis, and last but not least scripts for email/SMS/fax alerting. The OGS-CRS Real Time Seismological website (RTS, http://rts.crs.inogs.it/) operative since several years was initially developed in the framework of the Italian DPC-INGV S3 Project: the RTS website shows classic earthquake locations

Luserna Stone: A nomination for "Global Heritage Stone Resource"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Primavori, Piero

2015-04-01

Luserna Stone (Pietra di Luserna) is the commercial name of a grey-greenish leucogranitic orthogneiss, probably from the Lower Permian Age, that outcrops in the Luserna-Infernotto basin (Cottian Alps, Piedmont, NW Italy) on the border between the Turin and Cuneo provinces. Geologically speaking, it pertains to the Dora-Maira Massif that represents a part of the ancient European margin annexed to the Cottian Alps during the Alpine orogenesis; from a petrographic point of view, it is the metamorphic result of a late-Ercinian leucogranitic rock transformation. Lithological features and building applications allow the recognition of two main varieties: 1) a micro-augen gneiss with very regular schistosity planes with centimetric spacing and easy split workability, known as Splittable facies; 2) a micro-Augen gneiss characterized by lower schistosity and poor split, suitable for blocks cutting machines (diamond wires, gang-saws, traditional saws), known as Massive facies. A third, rare, white variety also exists, called "Bianchetta". Luserna stone extends over an area of approximately 50 km2, where more than fifty quarries are in operation, together with a relevant number of processing plants and artisanal laboratories. The stone is quarried and processed since almost the Middle Age, and currently represents one of the three most important siliceous production cluster in Italy (together with the Ossola and Sardegna Island granites). Some characteristics of this stone - such as the relevant physical-mechanical properties, an intrinsic versatility and its peculiar splittability - have made it one of the most widely used stone materials in Italy and in the countries surrounding the North Western border of Italy. Apart from its intrinsic geological, petrographic, commercial and technical properties, several issues related to the Luserna Stone are considered to be of relevant importance for its designation as a Global Heritage Stone Resource, such as the distinctive mark on

The impact of overgrazing on dung beetle diversity in the Italian Maritime Alps.

PubMed

Negro, Matteo; Rolando, Antonio; Palestrini, Claudia

2011-10-01

Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are undoubtedly the most typical and ecologically relevant insects of grazed alpine habitats because they provide valuable ecological services such as biological pest control and soil fertilization. Despite the great ecological contribution of these insects to pasture ecosystem functioning, little is known about their direct or indirect relationships with pastoral activities. The main aim of the study was to assess whether dung beetle diversity was influenced by different intensities of cattle grazing. Dung beetle communities of two adjacent alpine valleys within the Maritime Alps Natural Park (north-western Italian Alps), representing overgrazed and ungrazed pastures, were studied by pitfall trapping. A hierarchical design (three levels: valleys, transects, and replicates) was established for additive partitioning of γ-diversity and Indicator Species Analysis. Evenness and Shannon diversity were significantly higher at the ungrazed than at the overgrazed site because abundances were much more evenly distributed at the former than at the latter site (where one species was dominant over all the others). Dung beetle abundance and species richness of the overgrazed graminaceous pasture vegetation types were in most cases significantly lower than those of the ungrazed nongraminaceous vegetation type. In the additive partitioning of γ -diversity analysis relative to the whole study area, the randomization procedure indicated that the contribution of β to γ-diversity was significantly different from that expected by chance, suggesting that one or more environmental factors has intervened to change the partition of total diversity in the system considered. The analysis of the preferences and fidelity of species (Indicator Species Analysis) showed that only one species chose overgrazed pastures; all the others positively selected the ungrazed site, or the only ungrazed pasture vegetation type (Rumicetum alpini Beger) occurring at

The Dora-Maira Unit (Italian Cottian Alps): a reservoir of ornamental stones locally and worldwide employed since Roman age

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borghi, Alessandro; Cadoppi, Paola; Antonella Dino, Giovanna

2015-04-01

The Dora-Maira is a geological unit belonging to the Penninic Domain of the Western Alps (NW Italy), which covers over 1000 km2 from the Susa to the Maira valleys, in the inner part of the Cottian Alps. It consists of different superposed complexes made of micaschists, fine-grained gneisses, quartzites, impure and dolomitic marbles, metabasites and various types of orthogneisses deriving from metamorphic transformation, during alpine orogeny, of a Palaeozoic upper continental crust and its Mesozoic carbonate cover. Thanks to the presence of different varieties of rocks, the Dora-Maira Unit can be considered as a reservoir of ornamental stones, locally employed, since Roman age, for military and religious buildings. Furthermore, these materials were used in Piedmont region for the construction of important historical palaces (17th and 18th centuries). Several varieties of gneisses, quartzites and marbles, exploited in the past and up to now, come from the Paleozoic basement. The most famous variety of gneiss is the so called "Luserna stone", a leucocratic gneiss characterized by a mylonitic fabric deriving from highly differentiated granitoids of Permian age. The first traces of Luserna Stone exploitation arise to the medieval age in the Pellice Valley). This material was widely employed in Turin, from Savoia kingdom period up to know. The very peculiar and precious application of Luserna stone were: Royal Palace and Venaria Reale Palace, Mole Antonelliana. Recently, it has been employed for the construction of Turin Metro stations (launched in 2006). Other varieties of orthogneisses, not yet exploited, are: Borgone and Vaie Stones, Villarfocchiardo and Cumiana Stones. They were used for the realization of the columns characterising the façade of several churches in Turin and in the piers of different bridges over the Po River. Another gneiss variety, with dioritic composition, is the Malanaggio Stone employed in the Fenestrelle Fortress. As for the palaeozoic

Statistical downscaling of regional climate scenarios for the French Alps : Impacts on snow cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rousselot, M.; Durand, Y.; Giraud, G.; Mérindol, L.; Déqué, M.; Sanchez, E.; Pagé, C.; Hasan, A.

2010-12-01

Mountain areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Owing to the complexity of mountain terrain, climate research at scales relevant for impacts studies and decisive for stakeholders is challenging. A possible way to bridge the gap between these fine scales and those of the general circulation models (GCMs) consists of combining high-resolution simulations of Regional Climate Models (RCMs) to statistical downscaling methods. The present work is based on such an approach. It aims at investigating the impacts of climate change on snow cover in the French Alps for the periods 2021-2050 and 2071-2100 under several IPCC hypotheses. An analogue method based on high resolution atmospheric fields from various RCMs and climate reanalyses is used to simulate local climate scenarios. These scenarios, which provide meteorological parameters relevant for snowpack evolution, subsequently feed the CROCUS snow model. In these simulations, various sources of uncertainties are thus considered (several greenhouse gases emission scenarios and RCMs). Results are obtained for different regions of the French Alps at various altitudes. For all scenarios, temperature increase is relatively uniform over the Alps. This regional warming is larger than that generally modeled at the global scale (IPCC, 2007), and particularly strong in summer. Annual precipitation amounts seem to decrease, mainly as a result of decreasing precipitation trends in summer and fall. As a result of these climatic evolutions, there is a general decrease of the mean winter snow depth and seasonal snow duration for all massifs. Winter snow depths are particularly reduced in the Northern Alps. However, the impact on seasonal snow duration is more significant in the Southern and Extreme Southern Alps, since these regions are already characterized by small winter snow depths at low elevations. Reference : IPCC (2007a). Climate change 2007 : The physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the

ALPS: the Dark Matter Generator (coming in 2019)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barke, Simon; Bush, Zachary; Baum, Claire; Hollis, Hal; Mueller, Guido; Tanner, David

2017-01-01

Very promising dark matter candidates are axion-like particles: sub-eV particles that are expected to (weakly) interact with photons in the presence of a static electric or magnetic field. This interaction can turn photons into axions and back into photons. Hence, in order to generate axions, we will set up a 100 meter long Fabry-Perot cavity that can hold a 150,000 watt laser field and have a 5.3 tesla magnetic field along the entire length. If the theory holds up, a fraction of the photons should transform into relativistic axions. These axions would then propagate through any optical barrier and enter a matched cavity that is situated within an identical magnetic field. Here, some of the axions should turn back into photons of equal energy. Thus these photons resonate in the otherwise empty cavity where they can be detected. It is unknown if axion-like particles exist in the targeted mass range. However, the ALPS detection principle is very convenient because we will know the exact energy of the regenerated photons beforehand thus making a detection much easier.The final stage of the ALPS experiment will be completed by 2019 at the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) site in Hamburg, Germany. This work is supported by grants from the Heising-Simons Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

ALP gene expression in cDNA samples from bone tissue engineering using a HA/TCP/Chitosan scaffold

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephanie, N.; Katarina, H.; Amir, L. R.; Gunawan, H. A.

2017-08-01

This study examined the potential use of hydroxyapatite (HA)/tricalcium phosphate (TCP)/Chitosan as a bone tissue engineering scaffold. The potential for using HA/TCP/chitosan as a scaffold was analyzed by measuring expression of the ALP osteogenic gene in cDNA from bone biopsies from four Macaque nemestrina. Experimental conditions included control (untreated), treatment with HA/TCP 70:30, HA/TCP 50:50, and HA/TCP/chitosan. cDNA samples were measured quantitively with Real-Time PCR (qPCR) and semi-quantitively by gel electrophoresis. There were no significant differences in ALP gene expression between treatment subjects after two weeks, but the HA/TCP/chitosan treatment gave the highest level of expression after four weeks. The scaffold using the HA/TCP/chitosan combination induced a higher level of expression of the osteogenic gene ALP than did scaffold without chitosan.

Immediate and delayed signal of slab breakoff in Oligo/Miocene Molasse deposits from the European Alps

PubMed Central

Schlunegger, Fritz; Castelltort, Sébastien

2016-01-01

High-resolution 32–20 Ma-old stratigraphic records from the Molasse foreland basin situated north of the Alps, and Gonfolite Lombarda conglomerates deposited on the southern Alpine margin, document two consecutive sedimentary responses - an immediate and delayed response - to slab breakoff beneath the central Alps c. 32–30 Ma ago. The first signal, which occurred due to rebound and surface uplift in the Alps, was a regional and simultaneous switch from basin underfill to overfill at 30 Ma paired with shifts to coarse-grained depositional environments in the foreland basin. The second signal, however, arrived several million years after slab breakoff and was marked by larger contributions of crystalline clasts in the conglomerates, larger clast sizes, larger sediment fluxes and shifts to more proximal facies. We propose that this secondary pulse reflects a delayed whiplash-type erosional response to surface uplift, where erosion and sediment flux became amplified through positive feedbacks once larger erosional thresholds of crystalline bedrock were exceeded. PMID:27510939

Evidence for enhanced debris flow activity in the Northern Calcareous Alps since the 1980s (Plansee, Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietrich, Andreas; Krautblatter, Michael

2016-04-01

-vegetated catchment area and the annual debris flow volume. This might indicate a decadal positive feedback between enhanced rainstorm frequency and the occurrence of debris flows. The study contributes to a better understanding of the sensitivity of alpine catchments to heavy rainfall events in the context of climate change. Beniston, M., Douglas, G.F., 1996. Impacts of climate change on mountain regions. In: Watson, R.T., Zinyowera, M.C., Moss, R.H., Dokken, D.J. (Eds.), Climate Change 1995. Impacts, Adaptations and Mitigation of Climate Change: Scientific-Technical Analysis. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, pp. 191-213. Dowling, C.A., Santi, P.M., 2014. Debris flows and their toll on human life: a global analysis of debris-flow fatalities from 1950 to 2011. Nat. Hazards 71, 203-227. doi: 10.1007/s11069-013-0907-4 Pelfini, M., Santilli, M., 2008. Frequency of debris flows and their relation with precipitation: A case study in the Central Alps, Italy. Geomorphology 101, 721-730. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2008.04.002

Anatomy of an ancient subduction interface at 40 km depth: Insights from P-T-t-d data, and geodynamic implications (Dent Blanche, Western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angiboust, Samuel; Glodny, Johannes; Oncken, Onno; Chopin, Christian

2014-05-01

An exhumed metamorphic suture zone over 40 km long is exposed in the Dent Blanche Region of the Western Alps belt, along the Swiss-Italian border. In this region, the metasediment-bearing ophiolitic remnants of the Liguro-Piemontese ocean (Tsaté complex) are overthrusted by a continental, km-sized complex (Dent Blanche Tectonic System: DBTS) of Austro-Alpine affinity. The DBTS represents a strongly deformed composite terrane with independent tectonic slices of continental and oceanic origin. In order to better understand the nature and the geodynamic meaning of the shear zone at the base of the DBTS (Dent Blanche Thrust, DBT) we re-evaluated the pressure-temperature-time-deformation (P-T-t-d) history of these two units using modern thermobarometric tools, Rb/Sr deformation ages and field relationships. Our results show that the Tsaté complex is formed by a stack of km-thick calcschists-bearing tectonic slices, having experienced variable maximum burial temperatures of between 360°C and 490°C at depths of ca. 25-40 km, between 41 Ma and 37 Ma. The Arolla gneissic mylonites constituting the base of the DBTS experienced a continuous record of protracted high-pressure (12-14 kbar), top-to-NW D1 deformation at 450-500°C between 43 and 55 Ma. Some of these primary, peak metamorphic fabrics have been sheared (top-to-SE D2) and backfolded during exhumation and collisional overprint (20 km depth, 35-40 Ma) leading to the regional greenschist facies retrogression particularly prominent within Tsaté metasediments. The final juxtaposition of the DBTS with the Tsaté complex occurred between 350 and 500°C during this later, exhumation-related D2 event. Although some exhumation-related deformation partially reworked D1 primary features, we emphasize that the DBT can be viewed as a remnant of the Alpine early Eocene blueschist-facies subduction interface region. The DBT therefore constitutes the deeper equivalent of some shallower portions of the Alpine subduction

3D Quaternary deformation pattern in the central Po Plain (Northern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sileo, G.; Mueller, K.; Michetti, A. M.; Livio, F.; Berlusconi, A.; Carcano, C.; Rogledi, S.; Vittori, E.

2009-04-01

Pedeappenninic Thrust Fault (e.g. Boccaletti & Martelli, 2004). This might be related to a differential sedimentary load between proximal and distal portions of the basin related to increased erosion, especially in the Alps in hinterland areas and corresponding sedimentation in the foreland, both triggered by climate change in the Mid-Pleistocene (e.g. Muttoni et al., 2002). REFERENCES Boccaletti, M. & Martelli, L., (Editors) (2004) - Carta Sismotettonica della Regione Emilia-Romagna: Note Illustrative. Regione Emilia-Romagna, Servizio Geologico, Sismico e dei Suoli CNR - Firenze, SELCA S.r.l., Firenze, 60 p. Burbank, D., Anderson, R. (2001) - Tectonic Geomorphology. Wiley Blackwell. ISBN: 978-0-632-04386-6 Carcano, C. & Piccin, A. (Editors) (2002) - Geologia Degli Acquiferi Padani Della Regione Lombardia. Firenze: S.El.Ca. Champel, B., Van Der Beek, P., Mugnier J.& Leturmy, P. (2002) - Growth And Lateral Propagation Of Fault-Related Folds In The Siwaliks Of Western Nepal: Rates, Mechanisms, And Geomorphic Signature. Journal Of Geophysical Research, 107, B6, doi 10.1029/2001jb000578. Desio, A. (1965) - I Rilievi Isolati Della Pianura Lombarda Ed I Movimenti Tettonici Del Quaternario. Rend. Ist. Lom. Acc. Sc. Lett., Sez. A 99 pp.881-894. Fantoni, R., Bersezio, R., & Forcella, F., (2004) - Alpine structure and deformation chronology at the Southern Alps-Po Plain border in Lombardy. Boll. Soc. Geol. It., 123, 3, p. 463- 476. Keller, E. A., Gurrola, L. & Tierney, T. E. (1999) - Geomorphic Criteria To Determine Direction Of Lateral Propagation Of Reverse Faulting And Folding. Geology (Boulder), 27, 6, p. 515-518. Livio F., Berlusconi A., Michetti A.M., Sileo G., Zerboni A., Cremaschi M., Trombino L., Carcano C., Rogledi S., Vittori E., Mueller K. (2008) - Fagliazione Superficiale Olocenica E Paleoliquefazione Nel Sito Di Monte Netto, Brescia: Implicazioni Sismotettoniche. Rend. Online Sgi, 1, Note Brevi, www.Socgeol.It, p. 101-103. Michetti A.M., Berlusconi A., Livio F., Sileo G

Bacterial Composition and Survival on Sahara Dust Particles Transported to the European Alps

PubMed Central

Meola, Marco; Lazzaro, Anna; Zeyer, Josef

2015-01-01

Deposition of Sahara dust (SD) particles is a frequent phenomenon in Europe, but little is known about the viability and composition of the bacterial community transported with SD. The goal of this study was to characterize SD-associated bacteria transported to the European Alps, deposited and entrapped in snow. During two distinct events in February and May 2014, SD particles were deposited and promptly covered by falling snow, thus preserving them in distinct ochre layers within the snowpack. In June 2014, we collected samples at different depths from a snow profile at the Jungfraujoch (Swiss Alps; 3621 m a.s.l.). After filtration, we performed various microbiological and physicochemical analyses of the snow and dust particles therein that originated in Algeria. Our results show that bacteria survive and are metabolically active after the transport to the European Alps. Using high throughput sequencing, we observed distinct differences in bacterial community composition and structure in SD-layers as compared to clean snow layers. Sporulating bacteria were not enriched in the SD-layers; however, phyla with low abundance such as Gemmatimonadetes and Deinococcus-Thermus appeared to be specific bio-indicators for SD. Since many members of these phyla are known to be adapted to arid oligotrophic environments and UV radiation, they are well suited to survive the harsh conditions of long-range airborne transport. PMID:26733988

Powered mobility intervention: understanding the position of tool use learning as part of implementing the ALP tool.

PubMed

Nilsson, Lisbeth; Durkin, Josephine

2017-10-01

To explore the knowledge necessary for adoption and implementation of the Assessment of Learning Powered mobility use (ALP) tool in different practice settings for both adults and children. To consult with a diverse population of professionals working with adults and children, in different countries and various settings; who were learning about or using the ALP tool, as part of exploring and implementing research findings. Classical grounded theory with a rigorous comparative analysis of data from informants together with reflections on our own rich experiences of powered mobility practice and comparisons with the literature. A core category learning tool use and a new theory of cognizing tool use, with its interdependent properties: motivation, confidence, permissiveness, attentiveness and co-construction has emerged which explains in greater depth what enables the application of the ALP tool. The scientific knowledge base on tool use learning and the new theory conveys the information necessary for practitioner's cognizing how to apply the learning approach of the ALP tool in order to enable tool use learning through powered mobility practice as a therapeutic intervention in its own right. This opens up the possibility for more children and adults to have access to learning through powered mobility practice. Implications for rehabilitation Tool use learning through powered mobility practice is a therapeutic intervention in its own right. Powered mobility practice can be used as a rehabilitation tool with individuals who may not need to become powered wheelchair users. Motivation, confidence, permissiveness, attentiveness and co-construction are key properties for enabling the application of the learning approach of the ALP tool. Labelling and the use of language, together with honing observational skills through viewing video footage, are key to developing successful learning partnerships.

Contrasting serpentinization processes in the eastern Central Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burkhard, Dorothee J. M.; O'Neil, James R.

1988-08-01

Stable isotope compositions have been determined for serpentinites from between Davos (Arosa-Platta nappe, Switzerland) and the Valmalenco (Italy). δD and δ 18O values (-120 to -60 and 6 10‰, respectively) in the Arosa-Platta nappe indicate that serpentinization took place on the continent at relatively low temperatures in the presence of limited amounts of metamorphic fluids that contained a component of meteoric water. One sample of chrysotile has a δ 18O value of 13‰ providing evidence of high W/R ratios and low formation temperature of lizardite-chrysotile in this area. In contrast, relatively high δD values (-42 to -34‰) and low δ 18O values (4.4 7.4‰) for serpentine in the eastern part of the Valmalenco suggest a serpentinization process that took place at moderate temperatures in fluids that were dominated by ocean water. The antigorite in the Valmalenco is the first reported example of continental antigorite with an ocean water signature. An amphibole sample from a metasomatically overprinted contact zone to metasediments ( δD=-36‰) indicates that the metasomatic event also took place in the presence of ocean water. Lower δD values (-93 to -60‰) of serpentines in the western part of the Valmalenco suggest a different alteration history possibly influenced by fluids associated with contact metamorphism. Low water/rock ratios during regional metamorphism (and metasomatism) have to be assumed for both regions.

Purification of barley dimeric α-amylase inhibitor-1 (BDAI-1) and avenin-like protein-a (ALP) from beer and their impact on beer foam stability.

PubMed

Iimure, Takashi; Kihara, Makoto; Sato, Kazuhiro; Ogushi, Kensuke

2015-04-01

Foam stability is a key factor of beer quality for consumers and brewers. Recent beer proteome analyses have suggested that barley dimeric α-amylase inhibitor-1 (BDAI-1) and avenin-like protein-a (ALP) derived from barley are important for beer foam stability. In this study, BDAI-1 and ALP were purified from a Japanese commercial beer sample using salt precipitation and column chromatography. The purification level was verified using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and database searches. Purified BDAI-1 and ALP were added to a beer sample to compare the foam stability to that of a control beer sample. As a result, beer foam stability was significantly improved by BDAI-1 but not by ALP, thereby suggesting that BDAI-1 affects beer foam stability whereas ALP does not. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Insights on the seismotectonics of the western part of northern Calabria (southern Italy) by integrated geological and geophysical data: Coexistence of shallow extensional and deep strike-slip kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferranti, L.; Milano, G.; Pierro, M.

2017-11-01

We assess the seismotectonics of the western part of the border area between the Southern Apennines and Calabrian Arc, centered on the Mercure extensional basin, by integrating recent seismicity with a reconstruction of the structural frame from surface to deep crust. The analysis of low-magnitude (ML ≤ 3.5) events occurred in the area during 2013-2017, when evaluated in the context of the structural model, has revealed an unexpected complexity of seismotectonics processes. Hypocentral distribution and kinematics allow separating these events into three groups. Focal mechanisms of the shallower (< 9 km) set of events show extensional kinematics. These results are consistent with the last kinematic event recorded on outcropping faults, and with the typical depth and kinematics of normal faulting earthquakes in the axial part of southern Italy. By contrast, intermediate ( 9-17 km) and deep ( 17-23 km) events have fault plane solutions characterized by strike- to reverse-oblique slip, but they differ from each other in the orientation of the principal axes. The intermediate events have P axes with a NE-SW trend, which is at odds with the NW-SE trend recorded by strike-slip earthquakes affecting the Apulia foreland plate in the eastern part of southern Italy. The intermediate events are interpreted to reflect reactivation of faults in the Apulia unit involved in thrust uplift, and appears aligned along an WNW-ESE trending deep crustal, possibly lithospheric boundary. Instead, deep events beneath the basin, which have P-axis with a NW-SE trend, hint to the activity of a deep overthrust of the Tyrrhenian back-arc basin crust over the continental crust of the Apulia margin, or alternatively, to a tear fault in the underthrust Apulia plate. Results of this work suggest that extensional faulting, as believed so far, does not solely characterizes the seismotectonics of the axial part of the Southern Apennines.

Use of Sirolimus (Rapamycin) for Treatment of Cytopenias and Lymphoproliferation Linked to Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome (ALPS). Two Case Reports.

PubMed

Cayrol, Julie; Garrido Colino, Carmen

2017-05-01

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a disorder of lymphocyte apoptosis. Children present with chronic nonmalignant lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, and autoimmune cytopenias. Recent advances show efficacy of treatment with immunosuppressive drugs. Sirolimus, an mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, improves autoimmune cytopenias and lymphoproliferation, with a safe profile. We present 2 patients, a 5-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy, diagnosed with ALPS with initial partial response to steroid treatment. Autoimmune cytopenias and lymphoproliferation then became refractory to treatment, with recurrence of symptoms. In both cases, treatment with sirolimus was started, with a rapid response, complete remission of cytopenias, and resolution of lymphoproliferation, with no significant adverse effects. sirolimus is an effective and safe drug for controlling children with cytopenias and lymphoproliferation linked to ALPS.

Towards a detailed knowledge about Mediterranean flash floods and extreme floods in the catchments of Spain, France and Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duband, D.

2009-09-01

It is important to remember that scientific research programs of the European Commission and contributors had implemented a multidisciplinary (geography, history, meteorology, climatology, hydrology, geomorphology, geology, paleohydrology, sociology, economy......) better knowledge and more understanding of the physical risk assessment of disastrous floods (particularly flash floods) with rising factors of vulnerability and perhaps climate change at the end of the XX1 century, in the triangular geographical area Zaragosa (Spain)-Orléans (France)-Firenze (Italy). With reference to historical floods events observed from last two centuries in Spain (Catalonia), France (Languedoc Roussillon - Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur-Corse-Rhone Alpes -Auvergne- Bourgogne) and in Italy (Ligurie - Piemont - Lombardie) we lay particular stress on a detailed understanding of the spatial and temporal scales of the physical dynamic process being at the origin of locals or extensive flash floods. This study requires to be based on the meteorology (atmospheric circulation patterns ,on west Europe- Atlantic and Mediterranean sea) responsible, with relief and sea surface temperature, of high precipitations (amounts, intensities), air temperature, discharges of high floods, observed in the past ,on large and coastal rivers. We will take example of the Rhone river catchments, in connexion with Po-Ebre-Loire-Seine rivers, based on the studies of thirty high historical floods occurred from 1840 to 2005, and characteristics of Oceanic and Mediterranean weather situations, sometime alternated. Since recent years we have the daily mean sea level pressure dataset (EMSLP) reconstructions for European-North Atlantic Region for the period 1850-2006. So it is now possible to allow us the selection in the complete meteorological dataset during 1950- 2009 period by an analog method (like operational daily applications from 1969, at Electricity of France) to select weather situations similar to

The impact of polypharmacy and drug interactions among the elderly population in Western Sicily, Italy.

PubMed

Scondotto, Giulia; Pojero, Fanny; Pollina Addario, Sebastiano; Ferrante, Mauro; Pastorello, Maurizio; Visconti, Michele; Scondotto, Salvatore; Casuccio, Alessandra

2018-01-01

Primary endpoint was to report polypharmacy distribution in the general population vs ≥65 years old people and to examine the frequency of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in the Health Local Unit of Palermo, Italy, in relationship with patients' age. Drug prescription data for the year 2014 were extracted from the database of the Local Health Unit of Palermo Province, Italy. Patients were divided into five age groups (0-13, 14-64, 65-69, 70-74, and ≥75 year old). The detection of potential DDIs in polypharmacy profiles was performed with NavFarma software (Infologic srl, Padova, Italia), with DDI classification provided by tool Micromedex Drug Reax (Truven Health Analitics, Michigan, USA). We analyzed data of 1,324,641 patients, and 15,801,191 medical prescription were recorded; of these, 11,337,796 regarded chronic conditions. The drug prescriptions reached the highest values in the 65-69 and 70-74 age groups (p = 0.005 and p = 0.008 vs age 14-64 respectively). An overall amount of 6,094,373 DDIs were detected, of which 47,173 were contraindicated. Median number of DDIs was higher in 65-69 and 70-74 age groups (p = 0.008 and p = 0.012 vs age 14-64, respectively). Regarding contraindicated DDIs a significant difference was detected comparing 14-64 vs ≥65 age groups (p = 0.010 vs 65-69 group, p = 0.005 vs 70-74 group and ≥75 group). Polypharmacy is a phenomenon acquiring increasing dimensions also in our province. It interests particularly the older subjects, and assumes a dramatic accent when it is put in relationship with the frequency of DDIs. A proactive vigilance about potential life threatening drug interactions is mandatory.

Continent-continent collision in southern Alps studied

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henyey, T.; Stern, T.; Molnar, P.

Developing a scientific plan for geophysical study of the Southern Alps, New Zealand, was the focus of a workshop convened from April 5 to 10 at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. The study is a cooperative effort between U.S. and New Zealand scientists. The workshop was convened by F. Davey, Institute for Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Wellington, New Zealand; T. Stern, Victoria University, Wellington; and T. Henyey and D. Okaya, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. It was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Continental Dynamics Program with assistance from the New Zealand Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences and Victoria University.

Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium-Amiodarone, Lidocaine or Placebo Study (ROC-ALPS): Rationale and methodology behind an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest antiarrhythmic drug trial.

PubMed

Kudenchuk, Peter J; Brown, Siobhan P; Daya, Mohamud; Morrison, Laurie J; Grunau, Brian E; Rea, Tom; Aufderheide, Tom; Powell, Judy; Leroux, Brian; Vaillancourt, Christian; Larsen, Jonathan; Wittwer, Lynn; Colella, M Riccardo; Stephens, Shannon W; Gamber, Mark; Egan, Debra; Dorian, Paul

2014-05-01

Despite their wide use, whether antiarrhythmic drugs improve survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is not known. The ROC-ALPS is evaluating the effectiveness of these drugs for OHCA due to shock-refractory ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VF/VT). ALPS will randomize 3,000 adults across North America with nontraumatic OHCA, persistent or recurring VF/VT after ≥1 shock, and established vascular access to receive up to 450 mg amiodarone, 180 mg lidocaine, or placebo in the field using a double-blind protocol, along with standard resuscitation measures. The designated target population is all eligible randomized recipients of any dose of ALPS drug whose initial OHCA rhythm was VF/VT. A safety analysis includes all randomized patients regardless of their eligibility, initial arrhythmia, or actual receipt of ALPS drug. The primary outcome of ALPS is survival to hospital discharge; a secondary outcome is functional survival at discharge assessed as a modified Rankin Scale score ≤3. The principal aim of ALPS is to determine if survival is improved by amiodarone compared with placebo; secondary aim is to determine if survival is improved by lidocaine vs placebo and/or by amiodarone vs lidocaine. Prioritizing comparisons in this manner acknowledges where differences in outcome are most expected based on existing knowledge. Each aim also represents a clinically relevant comparison between treatments that is worth investigating. Results from ALPS will provide important information about the choice and value of antiarrhythmic therapies for VF/VT arrest with direct implications for resuscitation guidelines and clinical practice. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Altitudinal and chiral signature of persistent organochlorine pesticides in air, soil, and spruce needles (Picea abies) of the Alps.

PubMed

Shen, Heqing; Henkelmann, Bernhard; Levy, Walkiria; Zsolnay, Adam; Weiss, Peter; Jakobi, Gert; Kirchner, Manfred; Moche, Wolfgang; Braun, Katharina; Schramm, Karl-Werner

2009-04-01

The present study investigated the distribution, transportation, and biodegradation of the selected chiral persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCP) in the Alps. In the complex environment, we found the movement and fate of OCP could be defined by many factors. Taking HCE as an example, below the timberline its accumulation from air into SPMD increased with altitude and seasonally changed, but the trends reversed above the timberline. In soil, the tendency of HCE concentrations vs organic materials followed a sigmoid curve, and HCE concentration-altitude correlations are positive in central Alps but negative in southern Alps. The HCE enantiomeric ratios (ERs) in soil correlated to HCE isomers concentrations, the humus pH values, and the sampling site altitudes. HCE shift from humus to mineral soil can also be traced by ERs. The altitudinal and longitudinal trends in needles suggested that alpha-HCH has a more complex movementthan HCE in Alps. In conclusion, altitude conducted condensation, plant canopies, organic material in soil, and geographic specific precipitations may affect OCP distributions and transportation, whereas altitude conducted temperature and soil pH could dictate their fate in the environment.

Production of hybrid granitic magma at the advancing front of basaltic underplating: Inferences from the Sesia Magmatic System (south-western Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinigoi, Silvano; Quick, James E.; Demarchi, Gabriella; Klötzli, Urs S.

2016-05-01

The Permian Sesia Magmatic System of the southwestern Alps displays the plumbing system beneath a Permian caldera, including a deep crustal gabbroic complex, upper crustal granite plutons and a bimodal volcanic field dominated by rhyolitic tuff filling the caldera. Isotopic compositions of the deep crustal gabbro overlap those of coeval andesitic basalts, whereas granites define a distinct, more radiogenic cluster (Sri ≈ 0.708 and 0.710, respectively). AFC computations starting from the best mafic candidate for a starting melt show that Nd and Sr isotopic compositions and trace elements of andesitic basalts may be modeled by reactive bulk assimilation of ≈ 30% of partially depleted crust and ≈ 15%-30% gabbro fractionation. Trace elements of the deep crustal gabbro cumulates require a further ≈ 60% fractionation of the andesitic basalt and loss of ≈ 40% of silica-rich residual melt. The composition of the granite plutons is consistent with a mixture of relatively constant proportions of residual melt delivered from the gabbro and anatectic melt. Chemical and field evidence leads to a conceptual model which links the production of the two granitic components to the evolution of the Mafic Complex. During the growth of the Mafic Complex, progressive incorporation of packages of crustal rocks resulted in a roughly steady state rate of assimilation. Anatectic granite originates in the hot zone of melting crust located above the advancing mafic intrusion. Upward segregation of anatectic melts facilitates the assimilation of the partially depleted restite by stoping. At each cycle of mafic intrusion and incorporation, residual and anatectic melts are produced in roughly constant proportions, because the amount of anatectic melt produced at the roof is a function of volume and latent heat of crystallization of the underplated mafic melt which in turn produces proportional amounts of hybrid gabbro cumulates and residual melt. Such a process can explain the

Phylogenetic relationships of Western Mediterranean West Nile virus strains (1996-2010) using full-length genome sequences: single or multiple introductions?

PubMed

Sotelo, Elena; Fernández-Pinero, Jovita; Llorente, Francisco; Vázquez, Ana; Moreno, Ana; Agüero, Montserrat; Cordioli, Paolo; Tenorio, Antonio; Jiménez-Clavero, Miguel Ángel

2011-11-01

In recent years, West Nile virus (WNV) has re-emerged in the Western Mediterranean region. As a result, the number of complete WNV genome sequences available from this region has increased, allowing more detailed phylogenetic analyses, which may help to understand the evolutionary history of WNV circulating in the Western Mediterranean. To this aim, the present work describes six new complete WNV sequences from recent outbreaks and surveillance in Italy in 2008-2009 and in Spain in 2008 and 2010. Comparison with other sequences from different WNV clusters within lineage 1 (clade 1a) confirmed that all Western Mediterranean WNV isolates obtained since 1996 (except one from Tunisia, collected in 1997) cluster in a single monophyletic group (here called 'WMed' subtype). The analysis differentiated two subgroups within this subtype, which appear to have evolved from earlier WMed strains, suggesting a single introduction in the area, and further dissemination and evolution. Close similarities between WNV variants circulating in consecutive years, one in Spain, between 2007 and 2008, and another in Italy between 2008 and 2009, suggest that the virus possibly overwinters in Western Mediterranean sites. The NS3(249)-proline genotype, recently proposed as a virulence determinant for WNV, has arisen independently at least twice in the area. Overall, these results indicate that the frequent recurrence of outbreaks caused by phylogenetically homogeneous WNV in the Western Mediterranean since 1996 is consistent with a single introduction followed by viral persistence in endemic foci in the area, rather than resulting from independent introductions from exogenous endemic foci.

Aerosol deposition (trace elements and black carbon) over the highest glacier of the Eastern European Alps during the last centuries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertò, Michele; Barbante, Carlo; Gabrieli, Jacopo; Gabrielli, Paolo; Spolaor, Andrea; Dreossi, Giuliano; Laj, Paolo; Zanatta, Marco; Ginot, Patrick; Fain, Xavier

2016-04-01

Ice cores are an archive of a wide variety of climatic and environmental information from the past, retaining them for hundreds of thousands of years. Anthropogenic pollutants, trace elements, heavy metals and major ions, are preserved as well providing insights on the past atmospheric circulations and allowing evaluating the human impact on the environment. Several ice cores were drilled in glaciers at mid and low latitudes, as in the European Alps. The first ice cores drilled to bedrock in the Eastern Alps were retrieved during autumn 2011 on the "Alto dell`Ortles glacier", the uppermost glacier of the Ortles massif (3905m, South Tirol, Italy), in the frame of the "Ortles Project". A preliminary dating of the core suggests that it should cover at least 300-400 years. Despite the summer temperature increase of the last decades this glacier still contain cold ice. Indeed, O and H isotopes profiles well describe the atmospheric warming as well as the low temperatures recorded during the Little Ice Age (LIA). Moreover, this glacier is located close to densely populated and industrialized areas and can be used for reconstructing for the first time past and recent air pollution and the human impact in the Eastern European Alps. The innermost part of the core is under analysis by means of a "Continuous Flow Analysis" system. This kind of analysis offers a high resolution in data profiles. The separation between the internal and the external parts of the core avoid any kind of contamination. An aluminum melting head melts the core at about 2.5 cm min-1. Simultaneous analyses of conductivity, dust concentration and size distribution (from 0.8 to 80 μm), trace elements with Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS, Agilent 7500) and refractory black carbon (rBC) with the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2, Droplet Measurement Technologies) are performed. A fraction of the melt water is collected by an auto-sampler for further analysis. The analyzed elements

Lichenized and lichenicolous fungi from the Albanian Alps (Kosovo, Montenegro).

PubMed

Strasser, Eva A; Hafellner, Josef; Stešević, Danijela; Geci, Fehmi; Mayrhofer, Helmut

2015-11-01

396 taxa (381 species) of lichenized and 45 species of lichenicolous fungi from the upper montane, subalpine and alpine belts of the Albanian Alps (= Prokletije Mountain Range, Bjeshkët e Nemuna) are presented. 92 lichenized and 26 lichenicolous fungi are new to Montenegro, 165 lichenized and 24 lichenicolous fungi are new to Kosovo, and 25 lichenized fungi (23 species) are new for the Balkan Peninsula.

Foreign children with cancer in Italy

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background There has been a noticeable annual increase in the number of children coming to Italy for medical treatment, just like it has happened in the rest of the European Union. In Italy, the assistance to children suffering from cancer is assured by the current network of 54 centres members of the Italian Association of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology (AIEOP), which has kept records of all demographic and clinical data in the database of Mod.1.01 Registry since 1989. Methods We used the information stored in the already mentioned database to assess the impact of immigration of foreign children with cancer on centres' activity, with the scope of drawing a map of the assistance to these cases. Results Out of 14,738 cases recorded by all centres in the period from 1999 to 2008, 92.2% were born and resident in Italy, 4.1% (608) were born abroad and living abroad and 3.7% (538) were born abroad and living in Italy. Foreign children cases have increased over the years from 2.5% in 1999 to. 8.1% in 2008. Most immigrant children came from Europe (65.7%), whereas patients who came from America, Asia and Oceania amounted to 13.2%, 10.1%, 0.2%, respectively. The immigrant survival rate was lower compared to that of children who were born in Italy. This is especially true for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia patients entered an AIEOP protocol, who showed a 10-years survival rate of 71.0% vs. 80.7% (p < 0.001) for immigrants and patients born in Italy, respectively. Conclusions Children and adolescents are an increasingly important part of the immigration phenomenon, which occurs in many parts of the world. In Italy the vast majority of children affected by malignancies are treated in AIEOP centres. Since immigrant children are predominantly treated in northern Italy, these centres have developed a special expertise in treating immigrant patients, which is certainly very useful for the entire AIEOP network. PMID:21923939

Plate-boundary kinematics in the Alps: Motion in the Arosa suture zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ring, Uwe; Ratschbacher, Lothar; Frisch, Wolfgang

1988-08-01

The Arosa zone forms a melange complex along the Penninic/Austroalpine boundary and belongs to the main Alpine suture zone. Accretion and plate collision occurred during Cretaceous and lower Tertiary time. A mixture of ophiolitic rocks and pelagic sediments is imbricated with flysch and blocks of Austroalpine (continental) derivation. We present a description of deformation structures, an analysis of strain, and a kinematic interpretation based on structural work. Deformation histories of imbricates show a translation path that was west-directed between ca. 110 and 50 Ma and north-directed thereafter. The kinematics of the Arosa zone agrees with the recently deduced displacement history of the Austroalpine units in the Eastern Alps during the Cretaceous orogeny. This calls for a predominantly top-to-the-west imbrication of Austroalpine and Penninic units and is in contradiction to what is inferred in most models of the Eastern Alps. A direct relation between the deformation along the Austroalpine margin and relative plate motion existed.

Paleomagnetism and paleogeography of Jurassic radiolarian cherts from the Northern Apennines of Italy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aiello, I.W.; Hagstrum, J.T.

2001-01-01

Oriented samples of Jurassic radiolarian chert were collected from the Tuscan domain (continental margin) and the Ligurid domain (oceanic) of the northern Apennines for paleomagnetic study to determine the paleogeographic origins of these rocks. The oceanic rocks are all thermochemically overprinted by a mostly reversed-polarity component of magnetization (B) that was likely acquired during late Miocene regional uplift of the northern Apennines. This component also dominates the lower brittle chert of the Tuscan Cherts, but disappears upsection in the more clay-rich and ductile siliceous marlstones. In addition, the Tuscan Cherts retain an inferred primary magnetization (C), isolated at temperatures between 560 and 660 degrees C, which passes a fold test and shows a polarity stratigraphy. This component indicates a paleolatitude of 11 degrees + or -4 degrees N, and a counterclockwise vertical-axis rotation of 29 degrees + or -9 degrees with respect to the southern Alps of Italy, of 49 degrees + or -8 degrees with respect to Africa, and of 91 degrees + or -8 degrees with respect to Eurasia. Our results suggest that the Tuscan domain was farther south than other deep-water continental margin sections of Adria, and that transcurrent faulting might have played a significant role in the orogenic evolution of the northern Apennines.

Investigation on AlP as the heterogeneous nucleus of Mg2Si in Al-Mg2Si alloys by experimental observation and first-principles calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jiayue; Li, Chong; Liu, Xiangfa; Yu, Liming; Li, Huijun; Liu, Yongchang

2018-03-01

The microstructural evolution of primary Mg2Si in Al-20%Mg2Si with Al-3%P master alloy was observed by scanning electron microscope. And the interfacial properties of AlP/Mg2Si interface were investigated using first-principles calculations. The calculation results show that AlP(1 0 0)/Mg2Si(2 1 1) and AlP(3 3 1)/Mg2Si(1 1 0) interfaces can form steadily. P-terminated AlP(1 0 0)/Mg2Si(2 1 1) interface with the largest work of adhesion (4.13 J/m2) is theoretically the most stable. The interfacial electronic structure reveals that there are covalent Si-Al, Si-P and Mg-P bonds existing between AlP and Mg2Si slabs. Due to the AlP particles as effective heterogeneous nucleus of Mg2Si, primary Mg2Si particles change from dendrite to octahedron/truncated octahedron, and their sizes decrease to ∼20 μm.

Remote sensing and hydrogeological methodologies for irrigation canal leakage detection: the Osasco and Fossano test sites (NorthWestern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perotti, Luigi; Clemente, Paolo; De Luca, Domenico Antonio; Dino, Giovanna; Lasagna, Manuela

2013-04-01

Seventy percent of global fresh water is usually used for irrigation. This rate is three times the amount of water used by industry and ten times the amount used in domestic and urban environment (Hotchkiss et al., 2001). However, the average efficiency of the water transport for agricultural purposes in different contexts (at world scale) is variable between 30% and 80%. Studies conducted in Italy confirms that rates are similar from the case studies abroad. In this research, satellite image analysis and hydrological-hydrogeological methods were used in two pilot sites (Osasco channel and Fossano channel, in the Noth-Western Italy) to identify the areas most prone to this problem and to quantify the losses. The aim of the study is to define a multidisciplinary approach in order to identify the critical situations of irrigation channels for a sustainable water resource use and management. The use of remote sensing techniques can identify, on a regional scale and at relative low cost, the channels section potentially critical upon which focus the attention and perform in-situ investigation. The presence of leakage from the irrigation canals, indeed, tends to induce variations of moisture on the surface ground. These variations affect the vegetation (e.g. vegetation state), and certain physical characteristics of the soil (e.g. the capacity and thermal conductivity). The analysis of these anomalies, conducted with digital image processing techniques (with infrared spectrum bands particularly sensitive to the above indicators) help to identify those areas with anomalies related to increased losses (Huang and Fipps, 2002). The use of satellite imagery in the proposed approach is an innovative application of Earth Observation for land and water monitoring (Huang et al., 2005). After the identification of anomalies, hydrological-hydrogeological methods were applied to evaluate the losses. At fist an hydrogeological characterisation of the study area and the bottom of the

Via GeoAlpina - an international project of IYPE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piller, Werner E.

2010-05-01

Mountainous areas show earth science features in a very conspicuous, frequently even in a spectacular way. Because of the general perception of the beauty of mountains many mountainous regions are well developed in terms of trails and touristic infrastructure. Therefore, mountains are a key area to bring earth sciences closer to people. In many mountain chains all over the world (e.g., Alps, Pyrenees, Andes, Rocky Mountains) far-ranging walking and hiking trails are developed to serve a broad audience. To provide this audience with basic information in geological phenomena along such trails the project "Via Geo..." was born as an international activity within the International Year of Planet Earth. The Alps have been selected to act as a pilot project with six Alpine nations participating: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Many well maintained trails exist bridging the Alps from the Adriatic Sea in Trieste (Italy) to Monte Carlo (Monaco) in the Western Mediterranean. Some of these trails are included in the project "Via Alpina". The idea of Via GeoAlpina is to point at geological attractions along the trails of Via Alpina or in their vicinity and offer simple but striking information. Various earth science fields will be covered, such as geology, geophysics, paleontology, mineralogy, hydrogeology, pedology, climatology, and geomorphology. The trail descriptions can be accessed and downloaded from the Via GeoAlpina website. In 2009 every country inaugurated Via GeoAlpina on a national base with a particular opening event in the presence of local authorities and local and national media. These events were accompanied with the distribution of flyers, by offering guided tours and by installation of panels in the field. These activities, however, should be followed by even more actions in the following years. These follow-ups should attract local and regional authorities at state, county or village level and will ideally be financed by private

Lichenized and lichenicolous fungi from the Albanian Alps (Kosovo, Montenegro)

PubMed Central

Strasser, Eva A.; Hafellner, Josef; Stešević, Danijela; Geci, Fehmi; Mayrhofer, Helmut

2016-01-01

396 taxa (381 species) of lichenized and 45 species of lichenicolous fungi from the upper montane, subalpine and alpine belts of the Albanian Alps (= Prokletije Mountain Range, Bjeshkët e Nemuna) are presented. 92 lichenized and 26 lichenicolous fungi are new to Montenegro, 165 lichenized and 24 lichenicolous fungi are new to Kosovo, and 25 lichenized fungi (23 species) are new for the Balkan Peninsula. PMID:26869727

The Bologna Process in Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballarino, Gabriele; Perotti, Loris

2012-01-01

Italy was among the promoters of the Bologna Process and the early adopters of the reform. If one looks at its impact on the formal structure of curricula and study programmes, the reform undertaken under the Bologna banner seems to have been one of the major educational reforms ever achieved in Italy. This article describes how the Bologna…

Ziwundaschg - 10Be dating an Older Dryas cirque glacier moraine in the middle of the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moran, Andrew; Ivy-Ochs, Susan; Kerschner, Hanns

2017-04-01

Alpine glacier extents during the Oldest Dryas period (>14.7 ka) are still largely unknown. Moraines from that period are comparatively rare and usually attributed to the "Gschnitz Stadial", which marks the alpine glacier reaction to the first part of Heinrich event 1. In many valleys, in the absence of clear geomorphological evidence, estimates for the glacier extent during that period range between large dendritic valley glacier systems with a well defined, albeit unknown glacier end on the one hand and numerous local valley and cirque glaciers on the other hand. In this context well dated local glacier extents may play an important role, as they provide boundary conditions for the altitude of the equilibrium line (an important palaeoclimatic parameter) and thus limit possible speculations about glacier extents in their vicinity. "Ziwundaschg" is the place name for a cirque in the western Ötztal Mountains near the upper Inn valley and Reschenpass. It is situated more or less in the centre of the Eastern Alps. The cirque floor is at an altitude of about 2000 m and the highest mountains in the back of the cirque are around 2750 m. They were not glacierized during the Little Ice Age, and even a glacierization during the Younger Dryas cold phase was likely limited to a few small ice patches. Further down at the cirque floor, a beautifully developed end moraine with lateral moraines is preserved. 10Be ages from boulders on the moraine cluster around the transition from the Oldest Dryas to the Bølling Interstadial, suggesting moraine stabilization due to the rapid warming at that time. The ELA of the glacier was at about 2200 m a.s.l., roughly 600 - 650 m lower than during the LIA. This value can be taken as representative for the mountain ranges in its vicinity and can form the basis for estimates of glacier extent during the early Lateglacial period in the central Eastern Alps.

Palaeoclimate records 60-8 ka in the Austrian and Swiss Alps and their forelands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heiri, Oliver; Koinig, Karin A.; Spötl, Christoph; Barrett, Sam; Brauer, Achim; Drescher-Schneider, Ruth; Gaar, Dorian; Ivy-Ochs, Susan; Kerschner, Hanns; Luetscher, Marc; Moran, Andrew; Nicolussi, Kurt; Preusser, Frank; Schmidt, Roland; Schoeneich, Philippe; Schwörer, Christoph; Sprafke, Tobias; Terhorst, Birgit; Tinner, Willy

2014-12-01

The European Alps and their forelands provide a range of different archives and climate proxies for developing climate records in the time interval 60-8 thousand years (ka) ago. We review quantitative and semi-quantitative approaches for reconstructing climatic variables in the Austrian and Swiss sector of the Alpine region within this time interval. Available quantitative to semi-quantitative climate records in this region are mainly based on fossil assemblages of biota such as chironomids, cladocerans, coleopterans, diatoms and pollen preserved in lake sediments and peat, the analysis of oxygen isotopes in speleothems and lake sediment records, the reconstruction of past variations in treeline altitude, the reconstruction of past equilibrium line altitude and extent of glaciers based on geomorphological evidence, and the interpretation of past soil formation processes, dust deposition and permafrost as apparent in loess-palaeosol sequences. Palaeoclimate reconstructions in the Alpine region are affected by dating uncertainties increasing with age, the fragmentary nature of most of the available records, which typically only incorporate a fraction of the time interval of interest, and the limited replication of records within and between regions. Furthermore, there have been few attempts to cross-validate different approaches across this time interval to confirm reconstructed patterns of climatic change by several independent lines of evidence. Based on our review we identify a number of developments that would provide major advances for palaeoclimate reconstruction for the period 60-8 ka in the Alps and their forelands. These include (1) the compilation of individual, fragmentary records to longer and continuous reconstructions, (2) replication of climate records and the development of regional reconstructions for different parts of the Alps, (3) the cross-validation of different proxy-types and approaches, and (4) the reconstruction of past variations in climate

Antigenic Determinants of Alpha-Like Proteins of Streptococcus agalactiae

PubMed Central

Maeland, Johan A.; Bevanger, Lars; Lyng, Randi Valsoe

2004-01-01

The majority of group B streptococcus (GBS) isolates express one or more of a family of surface-anchored proteins that vary by strain and that form ladder-like patterns on Western blotting due to large repeat units. These proteins, which are important as GBS serotype markers and as inducers of protective antibodies, include the alpha C (Cα) and R4 proteins and the recently described alpha-like protein 2 (Alp2), encoded by alp2, and Alp3, encoded by alp3. In this study, we examined antigenic determinants possessed by Alp2 and Alp3 by testing of antibodies raised in rabbits, mainly by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and an ELISA absorption test. The results showed that Alp2 and Alp3 shared an antigenic determinant, which may be a unique immunological marker of the Alp variants of GBS proteins. Alp2, in addition, possessed an antigenic determinant which showed specificity for Alp2 and a third determinant which showed serological cross-reactivity with Cα. Alp3, in addition to the determinant common to Alp2 and Alp3, harbored an antigenic site which also was present in the R4 protein, whereas no Alp3-specific antigenic site was detected. These ELISA-based results were confirmed by Western blotting and a fluorescent-antibody test. The results are consistent with highly complex antigenic structures of the alpha-like proteins in a fashion which is in agreement with the recently described structural mosaicism of the alp2 and alp3 genes. The results are expected to influence GBS serotyping, immunoprotection studies, and GBS vaccine developments. PMID:15539502

Quantitative palaeodrainage analysis in the Pleistocene of the Po Plain (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vezzoli, G.; Garzanti, E.; Sciunnach, D.

2009-04-01

-westward shifts of major tributaries draining the axial belt. The Pianengo Core records the rapid southward progradation of transverse alluvial fans fed locally from the Southern Alps, followed by progressive establishment of the modern Adda river system. Evolving drainage patterns and river avulsions represent a major cause of compositional change in foreland-basin deposits. Lateral shifts of river courses, commonly associated with unconformities and favoured by an increase in the ratio between sediment fluxes and subsidence, provide crucial information on tectonic or climatic events, and should be given full consideration in provenance studies. ENI and Regione Lombardia. 2002. Geologia degli acquiferi padani della Regione Lombardia. Firenze, Società Elaborazioni Cartografiche s.r.l., 130 p. Muttoni G., Carcano C., Garzanti E., Ghielmi M., Piccin A., Pini R., Rogledi S., and Sciunnach D. 2003. Onset of major Pleistocene glaciations in the Alps. Geology, 31, 989-992. Scardia G., Muttoni G., and Sciunnach D. 2006. Subsurface magnetostratigraphy of Pleistocene sediments from the Po Plain (Italy): constraints on rates of sedimentation and rock uplift. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 118, 1299-1312. Vezzoli G. and Garzanti E. 2009. Tracking paleodrainage in foreland-basin sequences. Journal of Geology, In press.

Several Pleistocene refugia detected in the high alpine plant Phyteuma globulariifolium sternb & hoppe (Campanulaceae) in the European Alps.

PubMed

Schönswetter, P; Tribsch, A; Barfuss, M; Niklfeld, H

2002-12-01

Phyteuma globulariifolium is a high alpine plant species growing in the European Alps and the Pyrenees. In order to elucidate its glacial history, 325 individuals from 69 populations were analysed using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique. A strongly hierarchical phylogeographical pattern was detected: Two major east-west vicariant groups can be separated along a gap in the distributional area. A further subdivision into at least four populational groups is in congruence with presumed peripheral glacial refugia. There is no indication for survival on unglaciated mountain tops (nunataks) in the interior of the Pleistocene ice shield covering the Alps. Our results favour glacial survival in peripheral, unglaciated or not fully glaciated areas. Populations of P. globulariifolium in the Pyrenees are the result of relatively recent long-distance dispersal. Within the Alps, there is strong differentiation among groups of populations, whereas within them the differentiation is weak. This suggests high levels of gene-flow over short to middle distances.

48 CFR 252.229-7003 - Tax Exemptions (Italy).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Tax Exemptions (Italy... of Provisions And Clauses 252.229-7003 Tax Exemptions (Italy). As prescribed in 229.402-70(c), use the following clause: Tax Exemptions (Italy) (JAN 2002) (a) The Contractor represents that the...

Influence of altitude concerning the contamination of humus soils in the German Alps: a data evaluation approach using PyHasse.

PubMed

Voigt, Kristina; Brüggemann, Rainer; Kirchner, Manfred; Schramm, Karl-Werner

2010-02-01

In an international project named MONARPOP (Monitoring Network in the Alpine Region for Persistent and other Organic Pollutants), selected chemicals in different environmental media were analysed in the years 2004 and 2005. Seventeen pesticides were chosen and analysed in humus and mineral soil in the German Alps. The samples were taken at different altitudes. In such a rather complex environmental datasets, it is often necessary to compare different sets of criteria and their influence on rankings. In the similarity analysis which is part of the theory of the Hasse diagram technique, we intend to calculate the similarity of different rankings. Furthermore, we perform a so-called dominance-dominance/dominance-separability method, followed by a sensitivity analysis, both subroutines in the newly developed PyHasse programme in order to find out if the concentration of the chemicals can be related to the altitudes at which the samples were taken. It can be demonstrated that the altitude has a considerable influence on the concentration of some organic chemicals in humus: The concentrations of some chemicals increase with the altitude. This increase shows certain irregularities for which several explication attempts including possible effects of atmospheric stratification phenomena in valleys have been made. These results should be complemented in further studies with MONARPOP monitoring data from other Alpine countries, e.g. Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Slovenia.

Religious slaughter in Italy.

PubMed

Cenci-Goga, B T; Mattiacci, C; De Angelis, G; Marini, P; Cuccurese, A; Rossi, R; Catanese, B

2010-06-01

This research aims to understand the prevalence of religious slaughter practices in Italy. Two different ways of slaughtering animals are identified. Conventional slaughter is performed with prior stunning; kosher slaughter is practiced without stunning. Halal slaughter is performed for most animals without stunning. Halal slaughter with prior stunning is acceptable for 5.90% of small ruminants. For Halal slaughter in Italy, the terms "religious slaughter with stunning" and "religious slaughter without stunning" should be used to differentiate religious slaughter practices, keeping animal welfare in perspective.

Rainfall thresholds for the activation of shallow landslides in the Italian Alps: the role of environmental conditioning factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palladino, M. R.; Viero, A.; Turconi, L.; Brunetti, M. T.; Peruccacci, S.; Melillo, M.; Luino, F.; Deganutti, A. M.; Guzzetti, F.

2018-02-01

The aim of the present work is to investigate the role exerted by selected environmental factors in the activation of rainfall-triggered shallow landslides and to identify site-specific rainfall thresholds. The study concerns the Italian Alps. The region is exposed to widespread slope instability phenomena due to its geological, morphological and climatic features. Furthermore, the high level of anthropization that characterizes wide portions of the territory increases the associated risk. Hence, the analysis of potential predisposing factors influencing landslides triggering is worthwhile to improve the current prediction skills and to enhance the preparedness and the response to these natural hazards. During the last years, the Italian National Research Council's Research Institute for Hydro-geological Protection (CNR-IRPI) has contributed to the analysis of triggering conditions for rainfall-induced landslides in the framework of a national project. The project, funded by the National Department for Civil Protection (DPC), focuses on the identification of the empirical rainfall thresholds for the activation of shallow landslides in Italy. The first outcomes of the project reveal a certain variability of the pluviometric conditions responsible for the mass movements activation, when different environmental settings are compared. This variability is probably related to the action of local environmental factors, such as lithology, climatic regime or soil characteristics. Based on this hypothesis, the present study aims to identify separated domains within the Italian Alps, where different triggering conditions exist and different countermeasures are needed for risk prevention. For this purpose, we collected information concerning 511 landslides activated in the period 2000-2012 and reconstructed 453 rainfall events supposed to be responsible for the activations. Then, we selected a set of thematic maps to represent the hypothesised landslide conditioning factors

The interplay between subduction and lateral extrusion: A case study for the European Eastern Alps based on analogue models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Gelder, I. E.; Willingshofer, E.; Sokoutis, D.; Cloetingh, S. A. P. L.

2017-08-01

A series of analogue experiments simulating intra-continental subduction contemporaneous with lateral extrusion of the upper plate are performed to study the interference between these two processes at crustal levels and in the lithospheric mantle. The models demonstrate that intra-continental subduction and coeval lateral extrusion of the upper plate are compatible processes leading to similar deformation structures within the extruding region as compared to the classical setup, lithosphere-scale indentation. Strong coupling across the subduction boundary allows for the transfer of stresses to the upper plate, where strain regimes are characterized by crustal thickening near a confined margin and dominated by lateral displacement of material near a weak lateral confinement. The strain regimes propagate laterally during ongoing convergence creating an area of overlap characterized by transpression. When subduction is oblique to the convergence direction, the upper plate is less deformed and as a consequence the amount of lateral extrusion decreases. In addition, strain is partitioned along the oblique plate boundary resulting in less subduction in expense of right lateral displacement close to the weak lateral confinement. Both oblique and orthogonal subduction models have a strong resemblance to lateral extrusion tectonics of the Eastern Alps (Europe), where subduction of the adjacent Adriatic plate beneath the Eastern Alps is debated. Our results imply that subduction of Adria is a valid mechanisms to induce extrusion-type deformation within the Eastern Alps lithosphere. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the Oligocene to Late Miocene structural evolution of the Eastern Alps reflects a phase of oblique subduction followed by a later stage of orthogonal subduction conform a Miocene shift in the plate motion of Adria. Oblique subduction also provides a viable mechanism to explain the rapid decrease in slab length of the Adriatic plate beneath the Eastern Alps

Occupational cancer in Italy.

PubMed Central

Merler, E; Vineis, P; Alhaique, D; Miligi, L

1999-01-01

This article is a discussion of occupational cancer in Italy. The introduction provides the necessary context of Italian industrialization and occupational health regulation. This is followed by a review of Italian epidemiologic studies of occupational cancer risks considered in terms of relative measures of risk and attributable risk of carcinogenic agents or exposure circumstances. We attempt to establish the number of workers exposed to carcinogens in Italy and the intensity of their exposures. Finally, the Italian system of compensation for occupational cancer is discussed. Several cohort and case-control studies have addressed the issue of occupational risks, mostly among male workers. The results of these studies suggest that the growing incidence of and mortality by mesothelioma is explained by the widespread and intense exposure to asbestos in some Italian industrial settings. A high attributable risk of lung tumors among male populations in industrial areas of northern Italy is explained by occupational exposures. However, insufficient data are available for clear definition of the extent and intensity of occupational exposure to carcinogenic substances. In Italy, we must prioritize and maximize resources in occupational cancer epidemiology and revitalize the role of national institutions. Recent legislation has established new regulations on the handling of carcinogenic substances in industrial settings, a new list of occupational diseases, and a national registry of mesothelioma linked to asbestos exposure. These legislative changes are expected to have positive effects. PMID:10350509

Fluid properties control degassing or storage of abiogenic CH4 during slab exhumation: the fluid inclusion record from the Western Alps.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrando, S.; Castelli, D.; Frezzotti, M. L.

2017-12-01

Abiogenic CH4 can be produced by interaction between carbonates and reducing fluids derived from the hydration of ultramafics (e.g., mantle peridotite or HP Ol-serpentinite). This process occurs during slab exhumation because cooling promotes serpentinization of olivine in presence of water (Fo + H2O = Atg + Brc and the linked reactions: Fa + H2O = Fe-Atg + Mag + H2 and Atg + CaCO3 + H2 = Di + Brc + CH4 + H2O) at ca. 500-375°C (P=2.0-0.2 GPa). Experiments in the CH4-H2O-NaCl system indicate that, at these conditions, fluids are immiscible even for very low salinity (ca. 3 wt%) and that the NaCl content in the aqueous part of the fluid increases with temperature whereas the CH4 content in the gaseous part shows an opposite trend (Lamb et al., 2002; Li, 2017).In HP rodingite from the Piemonte ophiolite Zone (W Alps), primary fluid inclusions consisting of a brine (6 wt% CaCl2 + 6 wt% NaCl) with H2 + CH4 ≤ 1 mol % [CH4/(H2+CH4) = 0.37-10] occur in vesuvianite veins that formed at P=0.2 GPa and T=375°C. We interpret them as the aqueous part of an immiscible reducing fluid produced during late Alpine serpentinization of the surrounding ultramafics. Interestingly, CH4-H2 gaseous fluids are never reported in rodingite, whereas early CH4-H2O-H2±graphite and CH4-H2±graphite fluid inclusions, with variable gas-water proportions, trapped in calcite at P≤1.0 GPa and T≤450°C, are recently reported from HP "graphitized" ophicarbonate from the Lanzo peridotite Massif (W Alps; Vitale Brovarone et al., 2017).Both HP ophiolites and partially-serpentinized peridotite massifs are, thus, efficient lithologies to produce CH4 during exhumation. The amount of released CH4 depends on the amount of water available during exhumation. However, when fluids immiscibility occurs, the gaseous-rich part (CH4-H2) of the immiscible fluid produced in ultramafics likely remains confined in the slab because it is less mobile with respect to the aqueous-rich part due to its high dihedral

The 50 Most Important Questions Relating to the Maintenance and Restoration of an Ecological Continuum in the European Alps

PubMed Central

Walzer, Chris; Kowalczyk, Christine; Alexander, Jake M.; Baur, Bruno; Bogliani, Giuseppe; Brun, Jean-Jacques; Füreder, Leopold; Guth, Marie-Odile; Haller, Ruedi; Holderegger, Rolf; Kohler, Yann; Kueffer, Christoph; Righetti, Antonio; Spaar, Reto; Sutherland, William J.; Ullrich-Schneider, Aurelia; Vanpeene-Bruhier, Sylvie N.; Scheurer, Thomas

2013-01-01

The European Alps harbour a unique and species-rich biodiversity, which is increasingly impacted by habitat fragmentation through land-use changes, urbanization and expanding transport infrastructure. In this study, we identified the 50 most important questions relating to the maintenance and restoration of an ecological continuum – the connectedness of ecological processes across many scales including trophic relationship and disturbance processes and hydro-ecological flows in the European Alps. We initiated and implemented a trans-national priority setting exercise, inviting 48 institutions including researchers, conservation practitioners, NGOs, policymakers and administrators from the Alpine region. The exercise was composed of an initial call for pertinent questions, a first online evaluation of the received questions and a final discussion and selection process during a joint workshop. The participating institutions generated 484 initial questions, which were condensed to the 50 most important questions by 16 workshop participants. We suggest new approaches in tackling the issue of an ecological continuum in the Alps by analysing and classifying the characteristics of the resulting questions in a non-prioritized form as well as in a visual conceptualisation of the inter-dependencies among these questions. This priority setting exercise will support research and funding institutions in channelling their capacities and resources towards questions that need to be urgently addressed in order to facilitate significant progress in biodiversity conservation in the European Alps. PMID:23341928

Total mercury and methylmercury in high altitude surface snow from the French Alps.

PubMed

Marusczak, Nicolas; Larose, Catherine; Dommergue, Aurélien; Yumvihoze, Emmanuel; Lean, David; Nedjai, Rachid; Ferrari, Christophe

2011-09-01

Surface snow samples were collected weekly from the 31st of December 2008 to the 21st of June 2009 from Lake Bramant in the French Alps. Total mercury (THg), total dissolved mercury (THgD), methylmercury (MeHg) and particle distributions in surface snow were analyzed. Results showed that THg concentrations, MeHg concentrations and particle load increased with snow surface temperature, which is an indicator of rising temperatures as the season progresses. Significant correlations between MeHg and snow surface temperature and MeHg and total particles greater than 10 μm were observed. This suggests that the MeHg found in the snow originates from atmospheric deposition processes rather than in situ snowpack sources. This study suggests that an important post-winter atmospheric deposition of MeHg and THg occurs on summital zones of the French Alps and it is likely that this contamination originates from the surrounding valleys. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Group Psychotherapy in Italy.

PubMed

Giannone, Francesca; Giordano, Cecilia; Di Blasi, Maria

2015-10-01

This article describes the history and the prevailing orientations of group psychotherapy in Italy (psychoanalytically oriented, psychodrama, CBT groups) and particularly group analysis. Provided free of charge by the Italian health system, group psychotherapy is growing, but its expansion is patchy. The main pathways of Italian training in the different group psychotherapy orientations are also presented. Clinical-theoretical elaboration on self development, psychopathology related to group experiences, and the methodological attention paid to objectives and methods in different clinical groups are issues related to group therapy in Italy. Difficulties in the relationship between research and clinical practice are discussed, as well as the empirical research network that tries to bridge the gap between research and clinical work in group psychotherapy. The economic crisis in Italy has led to massive cuts in health care and to an increasing demand for some forms of psychological treatment. For these reasons, and because of its positive cost-benefit ratio, group psychotherapy is now considered an important tool in the national health care system to expand the clinical response to different forms of psychological distress.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in air and soil from a high-altitude pasture in the Italian Alps: evidence of CB-209 contamination.

PubMed

Tremolada, Paolo; Guazzoni, Niccolò; Comolli, Roberto; Parolini, Marco; Lazzaro, Serena; Binelli, Andrea

2015-12-01

This study analyses the seasonal trend of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) concentrations in air and soil from a high-altitude mountain pasture in the Italian Alps. PCB concentrations in soil were generally comparable to background levels and were lower than those previously measured in the same area. Only CB-209 unexpectedly showed high concentrations with respect to the other congeners. GC-MS-MS identification was very clear, rising a new problem of increasing PCB contamination concerning only CB-209, which is not present in commercial mixtures used in the past in Italy and Europe. Considering all of the congeners, seasonal PCB trends were observed both in air and in soil that were related to the temperature and precipitation measured specifically in the study area. Highly significant relationships were found between the temperature-normalised concentrations in soil and the precipitation amounts. A north/south enrichment factor was present only in soil with rapid early summer re-volatilisation kinetics from soil to air and autumn re-deposition events from air to soil. Fugacity ratio calculations confirmed these trends. Surface soils respond rapidly to meteorological variables, while subsurface soils respond much more slowly. Seasonal trends were different for the northern and southern sides of the mountain. A detailed picture of the interactions among temperature, precipitation, mountain aspects and soil features was obtained.

Effect of AlP coating on electrochemical properties of LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} cathode material for lithium ion battery

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

Feng, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Jianxin, E-mail: jianxin@sdu.edu.cn; Yin, Longwei

2016-02-15

Highlights: • Modified LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} surface with AlP successfully. • AlP coating surface modification enhances the cycling stability of LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} at both room temperature and 60 °C. • AlP coating surface modification improves the rate capability of LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4}. - Abstract: AlP-modified LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} has been synthesized via a simple chemical deposition method followed by high-temperature heating. The X-ray diffraction patterns, SEM images and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer show the successful surface coating of LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} by F-43 m crystal form AlP. AlP-modified LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} has a high discharge capacity of 125.7 mAh g{supmore » −1} with retention of 87% at a current density of 1C between 3.3 V and 4.3 V after 100 cycles at 60 °C, while bare LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} has more than 28% capacity loss. At 10 rates, the coated sample delivers capacity of 100 mAh g{sup −1}, which is much higher than bare LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4}. Based on the EIS (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) result, AlP coating can effectively inhibit the increase of the charge transfer resistance during charging and discharging cycles.« less

Carbon dioxide generation and drawdown during active orogenesis of siliciclastic rocks in the Southern Alps, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menzies, Catriona D.; Wright, Sarah L.; Craw, Dave; James, Rachael H.; Alt, Jeffrey C.; Cox, Simon C.; Pitcairn, Iain K.; Teagle, Damon A. H.

2018-01-01

Collisional mountain building influences the global carbon cycle through release of CO2 liberated by metamorphic reactions and promoting mechanical erosion that in turn increases chemical weathering and drawdown of atmospheric CO2. The Southern Alps is a carbonate-poor, siliciclastic mountain belt associated with the active Australian Pacific plate boundary. On-going, rapid tectonic uplift, metamorphism and hydrothermal activity are mobilising carbon. Here we use carbon isotope measurements of hot spring fluids and gases, metamorphic host rocks, and carbonate veins to establish a metamorphic carbon budget. We identify three major sources for CO2 within the Southern Alps: (1) the oxidation of graphite; (2) consumption of calcite by metamorphic reactions at the greenschist-amphibolite facies boundary, and (3) the dissolution of groundmass and vein-hosted calcite. There is only a minor component of mantle CO2 arising on the Alpine Fault. Hot springs have molar HCO3-/Ca2+ ∼9, which is substantially higher than produced by the dissolution of calcite indicating that deeper metamorphic processes must dominate. The total CO2 flux to the near surface environment in the high uplift region of the Southern Alps is estimated to be ∼6.4 × 108 mol/yr. Approximately 87% of this CO2 is sourced from coupled graphite oxidation (25%) and disseminated calcite decarbonation (62%) reactions during prograde metamorphism. Dissolution of calcite and mantle-derived CO2 contribute ∼10% and ∼3% respectively. In carbonate-rich orogens CO2 production is dominated by metamorphic decarbonation of limestones. The CO2 flux to the atmosphere from degassing of hot springs in the Southern Alps is 1.9 to 3.2 × 108 mol/yr, which is 30-50% of the flux to the near surface environment. By contrast, the drawdown of CO2 through surficial chemical weathering ranges between 2.7 and 20 × 109 mol/yr, at least an order of magnitude greater than the CO2 flux to the atmosphere from this orogenic belt

Vegetation changes and timberline fluctuations in the Central Alps as indicators of holocene climatic oscillations

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

Wick, L.; Tinner, W.

Pollen and plant-macrofossil data are presented for two lakes near the timberline in the Italian (Lago Basso, 2250 m) and Swiss Central Alps (Gouille Rion, 2343 m). The reforestation at both sites started at 9700-9500 BP with Pinus cembra, Larix decidua, and Betula. The timberline reached its highest elevation between 8700 and 5000 BP and retreated after 5000 BP, due to a mid-Holocene climatic change and increasing human impact since about 3500 BP (Bronze Age). The expansion of Picea abies at Lago Basso between ca. 7500 and 6200 BP was probably favored by cold phases accompanied by increased oceanicity, whereasmore » in the area of Gouille Rion, where spruce expanded rather late (between 4500 and 3500 BP), human influence equality might have been important. The mass expansion of Alnus viridis between ca. 5000 and 3500 BP probably can be related to both climatic change and human activity at timberline. During the early and middle Holocene a series of timberline fluctuations is recorded as declines in pollen and macrofossil concentrations of the major tree species, and as increases in nonarboreal pollen in the pollen percentage diagram of Gouille Rion. Most of the periods of low timberline can be correlated by radiocarbon dating the climatic changes in the Alps as indicated by glacier advances in combination with palynological records, solifluction, and dendroclimatical data. Lago Basso and Gouille Rion are the only sites in the Alps showing complete palaeobotanical records of cold phases between 10,000 and 2000 BP with very good time control. The altitudinal range of the Holocene treeline fluctuations caused by climate most likely was not more than 100 to 150 m. A possible correlation of a cold period at ca. 7500-6500 BP (Misox oscillation) in the Alps is made with paleoecological data from North American and Scandinavia and a climate signal in the GRIP ice core from central Greenland 8200 yr ago (ca. 7400 yr uncal. BP).« less

Socioeconomic inequalities in smoking habits are still increasing in Italy.

PubMed

Verlato, Giuseppe; Accordini, Simone; Nguyen, Giang; Marchetti, Pierpaolo; Cazzoletti, Lucia; Ferrari, Marcello; Antonicelli, Leonardo; Attena, Francesco; Bellisario, Valeria; Bono, Roberto; Briziarelli, Lamberto; Casali, Lucio; Corsico, Angelo Guido; Fois, Alessandro; Panico, MariaGrazia; Piccioni, Pavilio; Pirina, Pietro; Villani, Simona; Nicolini, Gabriele; de Marco, Roberto

2014-08-27

Socioeconomic inequalities in smoking habits have stabilized in many Western countries. This study aimed at evaluating whether socioeconomic disparities in smoking habits are still enlarging in Italy and at comparing the impact of education and occupation. In the frame of the GEIRD study (Gene Environment Interactions in Respiratory Diseases) 10,494 subjects, randomly selected from the general population aged 20-44 years in seven Italian centres, answered a screening questionnaire between 2007 and 2010 (response percentage = 57.2%). In four centres a repeated cross-sectional survey was performed: smoking prevalence recorded in GEIRD was compared with prevalence recorded between 1998 and 2000 in the Italian Study of Asthma in Young Adults (ISAYA). Current smoking was twice as prevalent in people with a primary/secondary school certificate (40-43%) compared with people with an academic degree (20%), and among unemployed and workmen (39%) compared with managers and clerks (20-22%). In multivariable analysis smoking habits were more affected by education level than by occupation. From the first to the second survey the prevalence of ever smokers markedly decreased among housewives, managers, businessmen and free-lancers, while ever smoking became even more common among unemployed (time-occupation interaction: p = 0.047). At variance, the increasing trend in smoking cessation was not modified by occupation. Smoking prevalence has declined in Italy during the last decade among the higher socioeconomic classes, but not among the lower. This enlarging socioeconomic inequality mainly reflects a different trend in smoking initiation.

Large wood recruitment and transport during a severe flash flood in North-western Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucía, Ana; Comiti, Francesco; Borga, Marco; Cavalli, Marco; Marchi, Lorenzo

2013-04-01

Understanding and modelling the dynamics of large wood (LW) in rivers during flood events has spurred a great deal of research in recent years. Whereas most of the research on LW has focused on its spatial distribution and geomorphologic role at longer time scales, only few studies have documented the effect of high-magnitude flash floods on LW recruitment, transport and deposition. On October 25th2011, the Magra river basin (North-western Italy) was hit by an extreme meteorological event, with hourly rainrates up to 130 mm h-1 and event rain accumulations up to 540 mm. Such large rainfall intensities originated flash floods in the main river channels and in some of the tributaries, with unit peak discharges up to around 20 m3s-1km-2 in catchments of 10-20 km2, causing severe damages and loss of lives. Numerous landslides were triggered and the morphology of the tributaries was highly affected in response to intense lateral and vertical channel dynamics. Besides, many bridges were partly or fully clogged by LW jams. A post-floodsurvey was carried out in November 2011 and February 2012 along four of the tributaries most severely affected by this event. The total length of surveyed channels is 9.5 km. These channels were divided into reaches of similar morphological characteristics (slope, width, vegetation cover), and in every reach the volume of LW deposited was estimated by a combination of field surveys and interpretation of aerial photos. In addition, LW recruited from hillslopes and floodplains was estimated by comparing pre and post-event orthophotos. Preliminary results show very high rates of LW recruitment (1127 m3km-1 on average ranging from 569-2001 m3km-1) along the analysed channels, the majority (about 80%) stemming from floodplain erosion and the rest from the colluvial processes (predominantly landslides). Channels width has increased on average 10 times (ranging from 4 to 23 times). Despite the large variability among the channels, LW dynamics seems

Recognition of hyper-extended rifted margin remnants in the internal zone of the Alpine belt: A tribute to Marco Beltrando

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohn, Geoffroy; Manatschal, Gianreto

2016-04-01

Marco Beltrando was part of the young generation of Alpine geologists who challenged the interpretation of the Western Alps by combining a classical field approach and modern techniques (e.g. 40Ar/39Ar and (U-Th)/He thermochronology). His work provides the foundation to re-interpret some of the classical sections through the Alpine belt and may impact the way of thinking about the nature and structure of internal parts of collisional orogens. This contribution will present the main outcomes of the work of Marco Beltrando and their implications for the understanding of Alpine type orogens. Since his PhD, Marco Beltrando focused most of his work on the study of the internal parts of the Western Alps. He investigated in great details the complex, multiphase structural and metamorphic evolution of the Penninic units in the Western Alps. He concluded that these units went through several cycles of shortening and extension during the Alpine orogeny, with major implications for the Alps but also other orogenic belts. After his PhD, he focused his research on the pre-orogenic evolution of the Alpine belt. He first worked on the Petit St. Bernard area, where he identified relics of the former hyper-extended Tethyan rifted margin. Thanks to his work and his amazing knowledge of the Western Alps, he understood the potential importance of rift-inheritance in controlling the architecture and evolution of the Alpine belt. In parallel to the study of the orogenic evolution, he developed a new methodology to recognize rift-related lithostratigraphic units in highly deformed and metamorphosed parts of the Alps. His innovative work allowed a re-assessment of several areas in the Western Alps and demonstrates the importance of rift inheritance. Recently, he started a new research project on the evolution of the Southern Alps highlighting the importance of heating and cooling cycles resulting from complex successions of rifting events. In spite of his young age, Marco Beltrando was at

Increasing rock-avalanche frequency correlates with increasing seismic moment release in New Zealand's Southern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McSaveney, Mauri; Cox, Simon; Hancox, Graham

2015-04-01

The occurrence rate of large, spontaneous rock avalanches in New Zealand's Southern Alps has increasing over the last 50 years. The rate has been about 20 events per decade for the last 10 years, whereas for the period 1976-1999, it was 4 per decade. Allen et al. 2011 and Allen and Huggel, 2013 link the increase to alpine permafrost decay due to anthropogenic global warming, similar to the increased occurrence rate in the European Alps which is attributed to this cause. We however suggest a different primary cause, linking the increase to tectonic strain, which has been shown to also affect valley-bottom hot springs in the region. The altitudes from which these landslides have fallen are coincident with the region's topographically protruding slopes which favour stress concentration and failure, and many, but not all, failures have been from already highly fractured rock masses, for which an explanation of the fracturing is called for. Also, the earliest documented spontaneous rock avalanche in the Southern Alps occurred in 1873 and fell from a similar altitude on the same face of the same mountain as the most recent event in 2014. Cox et al. (2014) shows that valley-bottom hot springs in the Southern Alps respond to distant strong earthquakes in a manner suggesting weak local ground deformation and increased bedrock permeability. We suggest that the surrounding slopes respond to the same stimuli. We find that the observed occurrence-rate increase has occurred simultaneously with a seismic-moment-release increase in New Zealand, which follows the trend of global seismic moment release. It may also be associated with the accumulating slope deformations since about 1717 AD, when a great earthquake triggered much slope collapse in the region. In support of this link, Barff (1873) which reports the 1873 landslide from Aoraki/Mount Cook, also reports a seemingly associated but unexplained shift of hot springs in the area. The timing of both coincides with a distant

Robotic surgery in Italy national survey (2011).

PubMed

Santoro, Eugenio; Pansadoro, Vito

2013-03-01

Robotic surgery in Italy has become a clinical reality that is gaining increasing acceptance. As of 2011 after the United States, Italy together with Germany is the country with the largest number of active Robotic centers, 46, and da Vinci Robots installed, with at least 116 operators already trained. The number of interventions performed in Italy in 2011 exceeded 6,000 and in 2010 were 4,784, with prevalence for urology, general surgery and gynecology, however these interventions have also begun to be applied in other fields such as cervicofacial, cardiothoracic and pediatric surgery. In Italy Robotic centers are mostly located in Northern Italy, while in the South there are only a few centers, and four regions are lacking altogether. Of the 46 centers which were started in 1999, the vast majority is still operational and almost half handle over 200 cases a year. The quality of the work is also especially high with large diffusion of radical prostatectomy in urology and liver resection and colic in general surgery. The method is very well accepted among operators, over 80 %, and among patients, over 95 %. From the analysis of world literature and a survey carried out in Italy, Robotic surgery, which at the moment could be better defined as telesurgery, represents a significant advantage for operators and a consistent gain for the patient. However, it still has important limits such as high cost and non-structured training of operators.

New, rare or remarkable microfungi in the Italian Alps (Carnic Alps)--part I--ascomycotina.

PubMed

Feige, G B; Ale-Agha, N; Jensen, M; Christiaans, B; Kricke, R

2004-01-01

During our observations in the SE part of the Carnic Alps in the year 2003 we were able to collect and identify 35 ascomycetes on trees and dead wood. Among these one can find numerous ascomycetes of different orders e.g. Pyrenomycetes, Loculoascomycetes and Discomycetes. Some species like Botryosphaeria ribis GROSENLUCHER & DUGGAR on Ribes alpinum L., Dothiora pyrenophora (FR.) FR. on Sorbus aucuparia L., Gemmamyces piceae (BORTH.) CASAGO. on Picea excelsa (LAM.) LINK, Glomerella montana (SACC.) v. ARX & E. MULLER on Sesleria caerulea (L.) ARD, Hymenoscyphus immutabilis (Fuck.) Dennis on Alnus incana (L.) Moench, Hysterographium fraxini (PERS. Ex. FR.) de Not. on Fraxinus ornus L., Lachnellula willkommii (Hartig) DENNIS [= Trichascyphella willkommii (Hartig) NANNF.] on Larix decidua MILL.,Leptosphaeria lycopodina (Mont.) SACC. on Lycopodium annotinum L., Mollisia adenostylidis REHM. on Adenostyles glabra (MILL.) DC., Pezicula cinnamomea (DC.)SACC. [ana: Cryptosporiopsis quercina PETRAK] on Quercus robur L., Pyrenopeziza petiolaris (A. & S. Ex FR.) NANNF. on Acer pseudoplatanus L., Tapesia rosae (PERS.) FUCKEL on Rosa canina L., are new for this area. All specimen are deposited in the Herbarium ESS Mycotheca Parva, Collection G.B. Feige/N. Ale-Agha.

Climate and landscape in Italy during Late Epigravettian. The Late Glacial small mammal sequence of Riparo Tagliente (Stallavena di Grezzana, Verona, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berto, Claudio; Luzi, Elisa; Canini, Guido Montanari; Guerreschi, Antonio; Fontana, Federica

2018-03-01

The site of Riparo Tagliente (north-eastern Italy) contains one of the main Upper Pleistocene archaeological sequences of south-western Europe. It also represents a key site for the study of human adaptation to Late Glacial environmental changes in the southern Alpine area. These climatic and environmental conditions are here reconstructed based on small mammal assemblages, using the Bioclimatic model and Habitat Weighting methods. Climate proxies indicate a rise in temperature during the transition between HE1 and the Bølling-Allerød interstadial, while the landscape surrounding the shelter was still dominated by open grasslands. By comparing the data obtained from Riparo Tagliente with other coeval small mammal faunas from the Italian Peninsula and Europe we contribute to the reconstruction of the processes of faunal renewal registered during the Late Glacial across the continent and of the climatic and environmental context in which the Late Epigravettian hunter-gatherer groups lived.

A detrital garnet fingerprint of the Central Swiss Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stutenbecker, Laura; Berger, Alfons; Schlunegger, Fritz

2017-04-01

Detrital garnet is a promising candidate to reliably fingerprint sediment sources in the Alps, which has so far been complicated by the wide range and similarity of some of the lithologies. Garnet is present in most Alpine sediments, is easy to identify, is fairly stable and, most importantly, reflects the type and the metamorphic grade of its source rock in its chemical composition. This study aims to establish fingerprints based on detrital garnet composition for the most important tectonic units of the Central Alps, including European, Penninic and Adriatic basement rocks and their respective meta-sedimentary cover. Sediments collected from modern rivers, which drain representative portions of the individual tectonic units, contain a natural mixture of the various garnet populations present in each unit. We selected six catchments in southwestern Switzerland draining the External Massifs, Helvetic sediments and the Penninic nappe stack at the transition of Alpine greenschist- to amphibolite-facies metamorphism in order to test the variability of Alpine garnets and the role of inherited (pre-Alpine) garnets. Extraordinary grossular- and spessartine-rich garnets of the External massifs, which experienced greenschist facies metamorphism, are clearly distinguishable from generally almandine-rich garnets supplied by the higher-grade metamorphic Penninic nappe stack. The variable pyrope-, grossular- and spessartine-components of these almandine-rich garnets can be used to further distinguish pre-Alpine, Alpine eclogite-facies and low-grade metasedimentary garnets. This fingerprint has the potential to be used for reconstructing sediment sources, transport and dispersal patterns in a variety of settings throughout the Alpine sedimentary record.

Environmental changes in the central Po Plain (northern Italy) due to fluvial modifications and anthropogenic activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchetti, Mauro

2002-05-01

The fluvial environment of the central Po Plain, the largest plain in Italy, is discussed in this paper. Bounded by the mountain chains of the Alps and the Apennines, this plain is a link between the Mediterranean environment and the cultural and continental influences of both western and eastern Europe. In the past decades, economic development has been responsible for many changes in the fluvial environment of the area. This paper discusses the changes in fluvial dynamics that started from Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene due to distinct climatic changes. The discussion is based on geomorphological, pedological, and archaeological evidences and radiocarbon dating. In the northern foothills, Late Pleistocene palaeochannels indicate several cases of underfit streams among the northern tributaries of the River Po. On the other hand, on the southern side of the Po Plain, no geomorphological evidence of similar discharge reduction has been found. Here, stratigraphic sections, together with archaeological remains buried under the fluvial deposits, show a reduction in the size of fluvial sediments after the 10th millennium BC. During the Holocene, fluvial sedimentation became finer, and was characterised by minor fluctuations in the rate of deposition, probably related to short and less intense climatic fluctuations. Given the high rate of population growth and the development of human activities since the Neolithic Age, human influence on fluvial dynamics, especially since the Roman Age, prevailed over other factors (i.e., climate, tectonics, vegetation, etc.). During the Holocene, the most important changes in the Po Plain were not modifications in water discharge but in sediment. From the 1st to 3rd Century AD, land grants to war veterans caused almost complete deforestation, generalised soil erosion, and maximum progradation of the River Po delta. At present, land abandonment in the mountainous region has led to reafforestation. Artificial channel control in the

Keeping on: How ALP Brings Disaffected Youth Back to School in Liberia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

von Hahmann, Gail; Tengbeh, Josephine F. D.

2008-01-01

Moses is entering 7th grade this semester. He is a graduate of the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP), a Liberian government initiative to assist over-age students to complete six grades of primary school in three years. He has all the interests of a typical 15-year old--fixing generators, playing football, earning money to buy a school uniform.…

Recent outbreak of aseptic meningitis in Italy due to Echovirus 30 and phylogenetic relationship with other European circulating strains.

PubMed

Milia, Maria Grazia; Cerutti, Francesco; Gregori, Gabriella; Burdino, Elisa; Allice, Tiziano; Ruggiero, Tina; Proia, Maria; De Rosa, Giulia; Enrico, Eugenia; Lipani, Filippo; Di Perri, Giovanni; Ghisetti, Valeria

2013-11-01

Enteroviruses (EVs) are common human viral pathogens, causing a variety of diseases, including aseptic meningitis. Recently, EV aseptic meningitis outbreaks have been reported across Europe, but, in Italy, knowledge of recent EV molecular epidemiology is very limited. We report an outbreak of EV aseptic meningitis in 10 adults in North-Western Italy, from October to November 2012. Patients were parents or close relatives of children <5 years old attending the same class of a nursery school, suffering from a mild febrile upper respiratory disease. Phylogenetic relationship with other European circulating strains was analyzed updating E30 circulation in Italy in recent years. EVs were detected from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens with a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and virus isolation was achieved from rectal and pharyngeal swabs. For cluster definition and phylogenetic studies, viral VP1 region was directly amplified and sequenced from CSF. EVs were identified in CSF from all patients and from rectal and pharyngeal swabs in 7 of them. Direct sequencing of CSF revealed the presence of the same Echovirus 30 (E30) in all patients and phylogenetic analysis identified it as a diverging clade within E30 genotype VII, the most recent strain circulating in UK, Finland and Denmark since 2006. Molecular techniques allowed the rapid identification and typing of E30 from CSF. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the cluster might be due to a new E30 variant within the genotype VII currently circulating in Europe, thus updating the epidemiology of EV circulation in Italy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The burden of rare cancers in Italy: the surveillance of rare cancers in Italy (RITA) project.

PubMed

Trama, Annalisa; Mallone, Sandra; Ferretti, Stefano; Meduri, Francesca; Capocaccia, Riccardo; Gatta, Gemma

2012-01-01

The project Surveillance of rare cancers in Italy (RITA) provides, for the first time, estimates of the burden of rare cancers in Italy based on the list of rare cancers proposed in collaboration with the European project Surveillance of Rare Cancers in Europe (RARECARE). RITA analyzed data from Italian population-based cancer registries (CR). The period of diagnosis was 1988 to 2002, and vital status information was available up to December 31, 2003. Incidence rates were estimated for the period 1995-2002, survival for the years 2000-2002 (with the period method of Brenner), and complete prevalence at January 1, 2003. Rare cancers are those with an incidence <6/100,000/year. In Italy, every year there are 60,000 new diagnoses of rare cancers corresponding to 15% of all new cancer diagnoses. Five-year relative survival was on the average worse for rare cancers (53%) than for common cancers (73%). A total of 770,000 patients were living in Italy in 2008 with a diagnosis of a rare cancer, 22% of the total cancer prevalence. Our estimates constitute a useful base for further research and support the idea that rare cancers are a public health problem that deserves attention. Centers of expertise for rare cancers that pool cases, expertise and resources could ensure an adequate clinical management for these diseases. Our data also showed that cancer registries are suitable sources of data to estimate incidence, prevalence and survival for rare cancers and should continue to monitoring rare cancers in Italy.

Recovering data from historical collections: stratigraphic and spatial reconstruction of the outstanding carnivoran record from the Late Pleistocene Equi cave (Apuane Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghezzo, Elena; Palchetti, Alessandro; Rook, Lorenzo

2014-07-01

Equi Terme is a hamlet located in northern Tuscany, in Apuan Alps regional Park. An outstanding fossil vertebrate collection housed in Florence is the result of excavations in the Equi cave and shelter during the period 1911-1919. This faunal assemblage (associated with Mousterian artefacts) may be correlated with the middle of MIS 3. All of the specimens recovered at Equi early in the last century were collected with attention to their stratigraphical positions. Detailed field annotation for nearly every specimen allowed us to organize them and attempt a stratigraphical and spatial reconstruction of the fossiliferous deposits. We present the results of the study of the spatial and stratigraphic distribution of the carnivoran species in the Equi cave and shelter, and re-evaluate the taphonomic agents of accumulation and the fossil distribution within the stratigraphic record. In particular, we evaluated the distribution of Panthera pardus, which, unusually for Europe, is abundant in the Equi cave assemblage. This analysis highlights the importance of the re-evaluation of historical collections and allows for future comparisons with data from more recent excavations at the Equi site. The analysis also provides an account of the distribution of carnivorans throughout the stratigraphic record. The constant presence and the predominance of leopards and wolves over lions and smaller carnivorans, allow for evaluations of their ethology and may be related to a short period of sediment accumulation.

21st Century Climate Change in the European Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gobiet, Andreas; Kotlarski, Sven; Stoffel, Markus; Heinrich, Georg; Rajczak, Jan; Beniston, Martin

2014-05-01

The Alps are particularly sensitive to global warming and warmed twice as much as the global average in the recent past. In addition, the Alps and its surroundings are a densly populated areas where society is affected by climate change in many ways, which calls for reliable estimates of future climate change. However, the complex Alpine region poses considerable challenges to climate models, which translate to uncertainties in future climate projections. Against this background, the present study reviews the state-of-knowledge about 21st century climate change in the Alps based on existing literature and additional analyses. It will be demonstrated that considerable and accelerating changes are not only to be expected with regard to temperature, but also precipitation, global radiation, relative humidity, and closely related impacts like floods, droughts, snow cover, and natural hazards will be effected by global warming. Under the A1B emission scenario, about 0.25 °C warming per decade until the mid of the 21st century and accelerated 0.36 °C warming per decade in the second half of the century is expected. Warming will most probably be associated with changes in the seasonality of precipitation, global radiation, and relative humidity. More intense precipitation extremes and flooding potential are particularly expected in the colder part of the year. The conditions of currently record breaking warm or hot winter or summer seasons, respectively, may become normal at the end of the 21st century, and there is indication for droughts to become more severe in the future. Snow cover is expected to drastically decrease below 1500 - 2000 m and natural hazards related to glacier and permafrost retreat are expected to become more frequent. Such changes in climatic variables and related quantities will have considerable impact on ecosystems and society and will challenge their adaptive capabilities. Acknowledgements: This study has been initiated and is partly funded by

Automated Laser Paint Stripping (ALPS) update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lovoi, Paul

1993-03-01

To date, the DoD has played a major role in funding a number of paint stripping programs. Some technologies have proven less effective than contemplated. Others are still in the validation phase. Paint stripping is one of the hottest issues being addressed by the finishing industry since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated that chemical stripping using methylene chloride/phenolic type strippers be stopped. The DoD and commercial aircraft companies are hard-pressed to find an alternative. Automated laser paint stripping has been identified as a technique for removing coatings from aircraft surfaces. International Technical Associates (InTA) was awarded a Navy contract for an automated laser paint stripping system (ALPS) that will remove paint from metallic and composite substrates. For the program, which will validate laser paint stripping, InTA will design, build, test, and install a system for fighter-sized aircraft at both the Norfolk and North Island (San Diego) Aviation Depots.

Radiometric surveying for the assessment of radiation dose and radon specific exhalation in underground environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bochiolo, M.; Verdoya, M.; Chiozzi, P.; Pasquale, V.

2012-08-01

We performed a radiometric survey for evaluating the natural radioactivity and the related potential hazard level both outdoor and indoor a mine tunnel. The mine is located in a zone of uranium enrichment in the Western Alps (Italy). At first, a γ-ray spectrometry survey of the area surrounding the mine was carried out to define the extent of the ore deposit. Then, spectrometric measurements were performed in the tunnel and rock samples were collected for laboratory analyses. The results point to significant heterogeneity in uranium concentration and consequently in the absorbed dose rate spatial distribution. Spectrometric results in situ and in the laboratory, together with radon air concentration measurements, were used to infer the radon specific exhalation and flow from the mine rocks. The specific exhalation is positively related to the activity concentration of uranium.

Cross-cultural explanations of body image disturbance in Western cultural samples.

PubMed

Mautner, R D; Owen, S V; Furnham, A

2000-09-01

We replicated and extended the findings of S. M. Stormer and J. K. Thompson (1996), by comparing the relationships among body image disturbance (BID) and teasing history, age of pubertal onset, societal pressures to be thin, and appearance comparison, across three Western cultures. College females from the United States, Italy, and England completed several BID measures, as well as measures of the four predictors. Body mass levels and self-esteem, two known correlates of BID, were also examined. Data were analyzed using first standard, then hierarchical regression procedures. This investigation essentially found no cultural differences in the relationships among BID and its correlates for six of the seven criteria (BID) measures. Only one of the measures, the Figure Rating Scale (FRS), distinguished across groups. A lack of true cultural differences, or general similarities among university students, might explain these results. Nevertheless, these findings support the use of a Western cross-cultural research model. Copyright 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Refertilized mantle keel below the Southern Alps domain (North-East Italy): Evidence from Marosticano refractory mantle peridotites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brombin, Valentina; Bonadiman, Costanza; Coltorti, Massimo; Fahnestock, M. Florencia; Bryce, Julia G.; Marzoli, Andrea

2018-02-01

The Veneto Volcanic Province (VVP), a Cenozoic magmatic province in northeastern Italy, is one of the widest volcanic areas of the Adria plate. It consists of five main magmatic districts, and its most primitive products commonly host mantle xenoliths. In this study, we present a newly discovered xenolith suite from the Marosticano district that contains peridotites with compositional characteristics of mineral assemblages that provide insight into an unexpected nature of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) of the Adria plate. In contrast to xenoliths from other VVP sites previously studied (i.e., Val d'Adige and Lessini Mts.), Marosticano xenoliths exhibit highly refractory compositions typical of on-craton peridotites. High olivine forsteritic contents (Fo: 91-93) indicate high degrees of partial melting (> 25%) that should have been associated with the complete consumption of clinopyroxene. Major and trace element compositions further link these peridotite fragments to early Proterozoic cratonic mantle. The occurrence of clinopyroxene within such rocks suggests Marosticano clinopyroxene testify to a metasomatic legacy. The i) LREE-enrichments of Marosticano clinopyroxene and ii) the dissolved CO2 mole fractions (up to 1.0) for the inferred clinopyroxene-forming melt are consistent with carbonatite/CO2-rich silicatic melts as metasomatic agents. The latter could be responsible for the equilibrium temperatures (1033-1117 °C) and oxidizing conditions [ΔlogfO2 (FMQ) = - 0.6 - + 1.1], anomalously high for a cratonic environment but similar to the off-craton VVP xenoliths. The cratonic signature and carbonatite/CO2-rich silicate metasomatism found together in the Marosticano mantle xenoliths reveal that ancient features can be preserved in SCLM in a young, active geodynamic setting such as the Adria plate boundary. In this framework Lessini Mts. and Val d'Adige xenoliths could be interpreted as circumcratonic reminiscent domains affected by

MEMS Sensor Technologies for Human Centred Applications in Healthcare, Physical Activities, Safety and Environmental Sensing: A Review on Research Activities in Italy

PubMed Central

Ciuti, Gastone; Ricotti, Leonardo; Menciassi, Arianna; Dario, Paolo

2015-01-01

Over the past few decades the increased level of public awareness concerning healthcare, physical activities, safety and environmental sensing has created an emerging need for smart sensor technologies and monitoring devices able to sense, classify, and provide feedbacks to users’ health status and physical activities, as well as to evaluate environmental and safety conditions in a pervasive, accurate and reliable fashion. Monitoring and precisely quantifying users’ physical activity with inertial measurement unit-based devices, for instance, has also proven to be important in health management of patients affected by chronic diseases, e.g., Parkinson’s disease, many of which are becoming highly prevalent in Italy and in the Western world. This review paper will focus on MEMS sensor technologies developed in Italy in the last three years describing research achievements for healthcare and physical activity, safety and environmental sensing, in addition to smart systems integration. Innovative and smart integrated solutions for sensing devices, pursued and implemented in Italian research centres, will be highlighted, together with specific applications of such technologies. Finally, the paper will depict the future perspective of sensor technologies and corresponding exploitation opportunities, again with a specific focus on Italy. PMID:25808763

MEMS sensor technologies for human centred applications in healthcare, physical activities, safety and environmental sensing: a review on research activities in Italy.

PubMed

Ciuti, Gastone; Ricotti, Leonardo; Menciassi, Arianna; Dario, Paolo

2015-03-17

Over the past few decades the increased level of public awareness concerning healthcare, physical activities, safety and environmental sensing has created an emerging need for smart sensor technologies and monitoring devices able to sense, classify, and provide feedbacks to users' health status and physical activities, as well as to evaluate environmental and safety conditions in a pervasive, accurate and reliable fashion. Monitoring and precisely quantifying users' physical activity with inertial measurement unit-based devices, for instance, has also proven to be important in health management of patients affected by chronic diseases, e.g., Parkinson's disease, many of which are becoming highly prevalent in Italy and in the Western world. This review paper will focus on MEMS sensor technologies developed in Italy in the last three years describing research achievements for healthcare and physical activity, safety and environmental sensing, in addition to smart systems integration. Innovative and smart integrated solutions for sensing devices, pursued and implemented in Italian research centres, will be highlighted, together with specific applications of such technologies. Finally, the paper will depict the future perspective of sensor technologies and corresponding exploitation opportunities, again with a specific focus on Italy.

Early Spring Dust over the Mediterranean Sea

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) observed this large cloud of dust (brownish pixels) blowing from northern Africa across the Mediterranean Sea on March 4, 2002. The dust can be seen clearly blowing across Southern Italy, Albania, Greece, and Turkey-all along the Mediterranean's northeastern shoreline. Notice that there also appears to be human-made aerosol pollution (greyish pixels) pooling in the air just south of the Italian Alps and blowing southeastward over the Adriatic Sea. The Alps can be easily identified as the crescent-shaped, snow-capped mountain range in the top center of this true-color scene. There also appears to be a similar haze over Austria, Hungary, and Yugoslavia to the north and east of Italy. Image courtesy the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE

Theoretical calculation of coherent Laue-case conversion between x-rays and ALPs for an x-ray light-shining-through-a-wall experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaji, T.; Yamazaki, T.; Tamasaku, K.; Namba, T.

2017-12-01

Single crystals have high atomic electric fields as much as 1 011 V /m , which correspond to magnetic fields of ˜103 T . These fields can be utilized to convert x-rays into axionlike particles (ALPs) coherently similar to x-ray diffraction. In this paper, we perform the first theoretical calculation of the Laue-case conversion in crystals based on the Darwin dynamical theory of x-ray diffraction. The calculation shows that the Laue-case conversion has longer interaction length than the Bragg case, and that ALPs in the keV range can be resonantly converted by tuning an incident angle of x-rays. ALPs with mass up to O (10 keV ) can be searched by light-shining-through-a-wall (LSW) experiments at synchrotron x-ray facilities.

Seismic risk perception in Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crescimbene, Massimo; La Longa, Federica; Camassi, Romano; Pino, Nicola Alessandro; Peruzza, Laura

2014-05-01

Risk perception is a fundamental element in the definition and the adoption of preventive counter-measures. In order to develop effective information and risk communication strategies, the perception of risks and the influencing factors should be known. This paper presents results of a survey on seismic risk perception in Italy conducted from January 2013 to present . The research design combines a psychometric and a cultural theoretic approach. More than 7,000 on-line tests have been compiled. The data collected show that in Italy seismic risk perception is strongly underestimated; 86 on 100 Italian citizens, living in the most dangerous zone (namely Zone 1), do not have a correct perception of seismic hazard. From these observations we deem that extremely urgent measures are required in Italy to reach an effective way to communicate seismic risk. Finally, the research presents a comparison between groups on seismic risk perception: a group involved in campaigns of information and education on seismic risk and a control group.

Deeply subducted continental fragments - Part 1: Fracturing, dissolution-precipitation, and diffusion processes recorded by garnet textures of the central Sesia Zone (western Italian Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuntoli, Francesco; Lanari, Pierre; Engi, Martin

2018-02-01

Contiguous continental high-pressure terranes in orogens offer insight into deep recycling and transformation processes that occur in subduction zones. These remain poorly understood, and currently debated ideas need testing. The approach we chose is to investigate, in detail, the record in suitable rock samples that preserve textures and robust mineral assemblages that withstood overprinting during exhumation. We document complex garnet zoning in eclogitic mica schists from the Sesia Zone (western Italian Alps). These retain evidence of two orogenic cycles and provide detailed insight into resorption, growth, and diffusion processes induced by fluid pulses in high-pressure conditions. We analysed local textures and garnet compositional patterns, which turned out remarkably complex. By combining these with thermodynamic modelling, we could unravel and quantify repeated fluid-rock interaction processes. Garnet shows low-Ca porphyroclastic cores that were stable under (Permian) granulite facies conditions. The series of rims that surround these cores provide insight into the subsequent evolution: the first garnet rim that surrounds the pre-Alpine granulite facies core in one sample indicates that pre-Alpine amphibolite facies metamorphism followed the granulite facies event. In all samples documented, cores show lobate edges and preserve inner fractures, which are sealed by high-Ca garnet that reflects high-pressure Alpine conditions. These observations suggest that during early stages of subduction, before hydration of the granulites, brittle failure of garnet occurred, indicating high strain rates that may be due to seismic failure. Several Alpine rims show conspicuous textures indicative of interaction with hydrous fluid: (a) resorption-dominated textures produced lobate edges, at the expense of the outer part of the granulite core; (b) peninsulas and atoll garnet are the result of replacement reactions; and (c) spatially limited resorption and enhanced transport

Risk assessment of mountain infrastructure destabilization in the French Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duvillard, Pierre-Allain; Ravanel, Ludovic; Deline, Philip

2015-04-01

In the current context of imbalance of geosystems in connection with the rising air temperature for several decades, high mountain environments are especially affected by the shrinkage of glaciers and the permafrost degradation which can trigger slope movements in the rock slopes (rockfall, rock avalanches) or in superficial deposits (slides, rock glacier rupture, thermokarst). These processes generate a risk of direct destabilization for high mountain infrastructure (huts, cable-cars...) in addition to indirect risks for people and infrastructure located on the path of moving rock masses. We here focus on the direct risk of infrastructure destabilization due to permafrost degradation and/or glacier shrinkage in the French Alps. To help preventing these risks, an inventory of all the infrastructure was carried out with a GIS using different data layers among which the Alpine Permafrost Index Map and inventories of the French Alps glaciers in 2006-2009, 1967-1971 and at the end of the Little Ice Age. 1769 infrastructures have been identified in areas likely characterized by permafrost and/or possibly affected by glacier shrinkage. An index of risk of destabilization has been built to identify and to rank infrastructure at risk. This theoretical risk index includes a characterization of hazards and a diagnosis of the vulnerability. The value of hazard is dependent on passive factors (topography, lithology, geomorphological context...) and on so-considered active factors (thermal state of the permafrost, and changing constraints on slopes related to glacier shrinkage). The diagnosis of vulnerability has meanwhile been established by combining the level of potential damage to the exposed elements with their operational and financial values. The combination of hazard and vulnerability determines a degree of risk of infrastructure destabilization (from low to very high). Field work and several inventories of infrastructure damages were used to validate it. The

The Origin of The Piz Terri-Lunschania zone (Central Alps, Switzerland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galster, Federico; Stockli, Daniel

2017-04-01

The Piz Terri-Lunschania zone (PTLZ) represents a band of metasedimentary rocks embedded in a crucial knot at the NE border of the Lepontine dome, at the intersection of the Gotthard, Lucomagno, Simano, Adula and Grava nappes. Its origin and its position in the tectonostratigraphy of the Central Alps are still not completely understood. A better understanding of this sedimentary zone and its tectonic position could shed lights on the Helvetic-Penninic connection and facilitate the disentanglement of the Lepontine dome tectonics. In this study we combine structural and stratigraphic observations with detrital zircon (DZ) and detrital rutile (DR) U-Pb geochronology as well as mineral trace element data from Permian, Triassic and Jurassic sandstones. We compare these data with those from adjacent tectonic units and coeval strata in other portions of the Alpine chain. Maximal depositional ages, abrupt changes in provenances and stratigraphic correlations based on new DZ and DR U-Pb and trace element data allow for a better understanding of the sedimentary evolution of the Terri basin and its palaeogeographic position along the northern margin of the Alpine Tethys. In particular the DZ U-Pb signatures, with its abundant 260-280 Ma zircons and the scarcity of 290-350 Ma zircons, corroborates an Ultra-Adula origin of the PTLZ as proposed by Galster et al (2010; 2012) based on stratigraphic arguments and reinforces the notion of a Briançonnais influence on the stratigraphic record of this complex zone, a fact that has important tectonic and Palaeogeographic implications. Galster F, Cavargna-Sani M, Epard J-L, Masson H (2012) New stratigraphic data from the Lower Penninic between the Adula nappe and the Gotthard massif and consequences for the tectonics and the paleogeography of the Central Alps. Tectonophysics 579:37-55. doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2012.05.029 Galster F, Epard J-L, Masson H (2010) The Soja and Luzzone-Terri nappes: Discovery of a Briançonnais element below the

Mantle xenoliths from Marosticano area (Northern Italy): a comparison with Veneto Volcanic Province lithospheric mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brombin, Valentina; Bonadiman, Costanza; Coltorti, Massimo

2016-04-01

redox conditions (Δlog fO2: +1.2 to -0.7, Ballhaus, 1991) to Lessinean and Val d'Adige xenoliths which may indicate a local oxidation of the mantle below this portion of VVP. References • Beccaluva L., Bianchini G., Bonadiman C., Coltorti M., Milani L., Salvini L., Siena F., Tassinari R. (2007). Intraplate lithospheric and sublithospheric components in the Adriatic domain: Nephelinite to tholeiite magma generation in the Paleogene Veneto Volcanic Province, Southern Alps. Geological Society of America, 131-152. • Beccaluva L., Bonadiman C., Coltorti M., Salvini L., Siena F. (2001). Depletion events, nature of metasomatizing agent and timing of enrichment processes in lithospheric mantle xenoliths from the Veneto Volcanic Province. Journal of Petrology, 42, 173-187. • Gasperini D., Bosch D., Braga R., Bondi M., Macera P., Morten L. (2006). Ultramafic xenoliths from the Veneto Volcanic Province (Italy): Petrological and geochemical evidence for multiple metasomatism of the SE Alps mantle lithospere. Geochemical Journal, 40, 377-404. • Siena F., Coltorti M. (1989). Lithospheric mantle evolution: evidences from ultramafic xenoliths in the Lessinean volcanics (Northern Itlay). Chemical Geology, 77, 347-364.

Mt. Vesuvius, Italy

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-10-22

This ASTER image of Mt. Vesuvius Italy was acquired September 26, 2000, and covers an area of 36 by 45 km. Vesuvius overlooks the city of Naples and the Bay of Naples in central Italy. In 79 AD, Vesuvius erupted cataclysmically, burying all of the surrounding cites with up to 30 m of ash. The towns of Pompeii and Herculanaeum were rediscovered in the 18th century, and excavated in the 20th century. They provide a snapshot of Roman life from 2000 years ago: perfectly preserved are wooden objects, food items, and the casts of hundreds of victims. Vesuvius is intensively monitored for potential signs of unrest that could signal the beginning of another eruption. The image is centered at 40.8 degrees north latitude, 14.4 degrees east longitude. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11091

Analysis of topography and relief as a function of the tectonic - geomorphologic evolution of the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bungies, Nadin; Rosenberg, Claudio

2014-05-01

Alpine topography and relief vary regionally (Frisch et al., 1997), even on the scale of tens of kilometers. The causes of these differences are the aim of this work that is based on a geomorphological study of the eastern Alps. Earlier investigations on the topography of the Central Alps (Rosenberg & Garcia, 2013) show, by using 50 km, 75 km, and 100 km swath profiles, that the relief northward of the Insubric Line increases westward, whereas the relief southwards of the Insubric Line decreases eastward. This trend reflects collisional shortening trends recently observed in the Central Alps (Rosenberg & Kissling, 2013). In this work, we analyse the topography of the eastern Alps from the Brenner Area in the west to the Steiermark Area in the east, based on satellite images and digital terrain models, that cover an area of 36 000 km2 in the Austrian and Italian Alps. Based on these data, new GIS-aided datasets containing selected relief factors have been derived. These data are set in relationship to the eastward decrease in collisional shortening to test whether the latter trend has a geomorphic expression. In order to assess such a relationship north-south striking profiles, subparallel to the shortening direction and in addition to an E-W profile are investigated. It can be shown that the total relief of 3100 m (500-3600 m asl.) in the west of the working area is more pronounced than the total relief of 2300 m (700-3000 m asl) in the east of the working area. Furthermore slopes have higher amplitudes in the west when compared to the east. In the west approximately 65% of the slope profile show slopes larger than 50° while in the east approximately 40% of slopes are larger than 50° (based on 30 m topographic data). The evaluation of potential influencing factors will be achieved by conducting spatial and statistical data analysis and interpretation and is complemented by local studies investigating the evolution of relief for selected geologic units. Here

Targeting Alp7/TACC to the spindle pole body is essential for mitotic spindle assembly in fission yeast

PubMed Central

Tang, Ngang Heok; Okada, Naoyuki; Fong, Chii Shyang; Arai, Kunio; Sato, Masamitsu; Toda, Takashi

2014-01-01

The conserved TACC protein family localises to the centrosome (the spindle pole body, SPB in fungi) and mitotic spindles, thereby playing a crucial role in bipolar spindle assembly. However, it remains elusive how TACC proteins are recruited to the centrosome/SPB. Here, using fission yeast Alp7/TACC, we have determined clustered five amino acid residues within the TACC domain required for SPB localisation. Critically, these sequences are essential for the functions of Alp7, including proper spindle formation and mitotic progression. Moreover, we have identified pericentrin-like Pcp1 as a loading factor to the mitotic SPB, although Pcp1 is not a sole platform. PMID:24937146

Hypogenic contribution to speleogenesis in a predominant epigenic karst system: A case study from the Venetian Alps, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tisato, Nicola; Sauro, Francesco; Bernasconi, Stefano M.; Bruijn, Rolf H. C.; De Waele, Jo

2012-05-01

Buso della Rana and Buso della Pisatela are two karstic caves located in north-east Italy. They are part of the same karst system and are developed in the Castelgomberto calcarenitic marine sediments, which were deposited in a shallow Caribbean-type sea during the Eocene. The Buso della Rana-Pisatela system developed mostly at the contact between the Castelgomberto calcarenite and underlying volcanic rocks. The system of caves is ~ 37 km long and has only three entrances, two of which are semi-artificial. The overlying karst plateau is not directly connected to the Buso della Rana-Pisatela system and, with the exception of one deep abyss, exhibits a rather poorly developed karst. This is unexpected considering the presence at depth of such a large and long cave. Gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) has locally been observed on the walls of the Buso della Pisatela cave. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), performed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), reveals the presence of sulfur-bearing minerals within the host rock. Gypsum was formed by oxidation of these minerals as indicated by negative δ34S values. The oxidation of sulfide minerals forms a sulfuric-acid solution that dissolves the Castelgomberto calcarenite and, once it is oversaturated in calcium, precipitates as gypsum. The lack of well-developed karst on top of the plateau and the analyses suggest that the formation mechanisms for the Buso della Rana-Pisatela system differ from classical epigenic speleogenesis. The "pyrite-effect" has been recognized in other caves and described in literature. In our case pyrite is responsible of two hypo-speleogenetic processes: i) the dissolution of a portion of the host rock and ii) the enlargement of the karst voids as a consequence of the haloclastic effect.

[Lessons learned from a distribution incident at the Alps-Mediterranean Division of the French Blood Establishment].

PubMed

Legrand, D

2008-11-01

The Alps-Mediterranean division of the French blood establishment (EFS Alpes-Mediterranée) has implemented a risk management program. Within this framework, the labile blood product distribution process was assessed to identify critical steps. Subsequently, safety measures were instituted including computer-assisted decision support, detailed written instructions and control checks at each step. Failure of these measures to prevent an incident underlines the vulnerability of the process to the human factor. Indeed root cause analysis showed that the incident was due to underestimation of the danger by one individual. Elimination of this type of risk will require continuous training, testing and updating of personnel. Identification and reporting of nonconformities will allow personnel at all levels (local, regional, and national) to share lessons and implement appropriate risk mitigation strategies.

Prevalence of acute mountain sickness in the Swiss Alps.

PubMed Central

Maggiorini, M; Bühler, B; Walter, M; Oelz, O

1990-01-01

OBJECTIVE--To assess the prevalence of symptoms and signs of acute mountain sickness of the Swiss Alps. DESIGN--A study using an interview and clinical examination in a representative population of mountaineers. Positive symptoms and signs were assigned scores to quantify the severity of acute mountain sickness. SETTING--Four huts in the Swiss Alps at 2850 m, 3050 m, 3650 m, and 4559 m. SUBJECTS--466 Climbers, mostly recreational: 47 at 2850 m, 128 at 3050 m, 82 at 3650, and 209 at 4559 m. RESULTS--In all, 117 of the subjects were entirely free of symptoms and clinical signs of acute mountain sickness; 191 had one or two symptoms and signs; and 158 had more than two. Those with more than two symptoms and signs were defined as suffering from acute mountain sickness. At 4559 m 11 climbers presented with high altitude pulmonary oedema or cerebral oedema, or both. Men and women were equally affected. The prevalence of acute mountain sickness correlated with altitude: it was 9% at 2850 m, 13% at 3050 m, 34% at 3650 m, and 53% at 4559 m. The most frequent symptoms and signs were insomnia, headache, peripheral oedema, and scanty pulmonary rales. Severe headache, vomiting, dizziness, tachypnoea, and pronounced pulmonary rales were associated with other symptoms and signs and therefore characteristic of acute mountain sickness. CONCLUSION--Acute mountain sickness is not an uncommon disease at moderately high altitude--that is, above 2800 m. Severe headache, vomiting, dizziness, tachypnoea, and pronounced pulmonary rales indicate severe acute mountain sickness, and subjects who suffer these should immediately descend to lower altitudes. PMID:2282425

OGS improvements in 2012 in running the North-eastern Italy Seismic Network: the Ferrara VBB borehole seismic station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pesaresi, D.; Romanelli, M.; Barnaba, C.; Bragato, P. L.; Durì, G.

2014-07-01

The Centro di Ricerche Sismologiche (CRS, Seismological Research Centre) of the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS, Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics) in Udine (Italy) after the strong earthquake of magnitude M=6.4 occurred in 1976 in the Italian Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, started to operate the North-eastern Italy Seismic Network: it currently consists of 17 very sensitive broad band and 18 simpler short period seismic stations, all telemetered to and acquired in real time at the OGS-CRS data centre in Udine. Real time data exchange agreements in place with other Italian, Slovenian, Austrian and Swiss seismological institutes lead to a total number of about 100 seismic stations acquired in real time, which makes the OGS the reference institute for seismic monitoring of North-eastern Italy. The south-western edge of the OGS seismic network (Fig. 1) stands on the Po alluvial basin: earthquake localization and characterization in this area is affected by the presence of soft alluvial deposits. OGS ha already experience in running a local seismic network in high noise conditions making use of borehole installations in the case of the micro-seismicity monitoring of a local gas storage site for a private company. Following the ML = 5.9 earthquake that struck the Emilia region around Ferrara in Northern Italy on 20 May 2012 at 02:03:53 UTC, a cooperation of Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, OGS, the Comune di Ferrara and the University of Ferrara lead to the reinstallation of a previously existing very broad band (VBB) borehole seismic station in Ferrara. The aim of the OGS intervention was on one hand to extend its real time seismic monitoring capabilities toward South-West, including Ferrara and its surroundings, and on the other hand to evaluate the seismic response at the site. We will describe improvements in running the North-eastern Italy Seismic Network, including details of

Analysis of the ectoenzymes ADA, ALP, ENPP1, and ENPP3, in the contents of ovarian endometriomas as candidate biomarkers of endometriosis.

PubMed

Trapero, Carla; Jover, Lluis; Fernández-Montolí, Maria Eulàlia; García-Tejedor, Amparo; Vidal, August; Gómez de Aranda, Inmaculada; Ponce, Jordi; Matias-Guiu, Xavier; Martín-Satué, Mireia

2018-02-01

The diagnosis of endometriosis, a prevalent chronic disease with a strong inflammatory component, is usually delayed due to the lack of noninvasive diagnostic tests. Purinergic signaling, a key cell pathway, is altered in many inflammatory disorders. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the levels of adenosine deaminase (ADA), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1), and ENPP3, elements of purinergic signaling, as biomarker candidates for endometriosis. A case-control comparative study was conducted to determine ADA, ALP, ENPP1 and ENPP3 levels in echo-guided aspirated fluids of endometriomas (case group) and simple ovarian cysts (control group) using the ELISA technique. Adenosine deaminase, ALP, ENPP1, and ENPP3 were present and quantifiable in the contents of endometriomas and simple cysts. There were significant differences in ADA and ENPP1 levels in endometriomas in comparison with simple cysts (2787 U/L and 103.9 ng/mL more in endometriomas, for ADA and ENPP1, respectively). Comparisons of ALP and ENPP3 levels between the two groups did not reveal significant differences. The ectoenzymes ADA and ENPP1 are biomarker candidates for endometriosis. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Natural gas seeps in the French Alps: Sources and pathways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kloppmann, Wolfram; Blessing, Michaela; Proust, Eric; Gal, Frédéric; Bentivegna, Gaetan; Henry, Benoit; Defossez, Pierrick; Catherine, Lerouge; Humez, Pauline; Mayer, Bernhard; Millot, Romain; Gaucher, Eric

2016-04-01

values found by Moss (1992) for West-alpine Oxfordian shales. CO2 contents of <9% could stem from methane oxidation. He isotope ratios are radiogenic with only minor mantle contributions, as it is typical for the Western Alps (Marty et al., 1992). This preliminary investigation reveals that thermogenic natural gas can migrate naturally to the surface in significant flux rates over millenaries without anthropogenic causes, in cases that appropriate leakage pathways exist. This study was co-funded by French ANR and Canadian NSERC. ND_ABSTRACT@ Etiope G., Feyzullayev A., Baciu C. L. (2009) Marine and Petroleum Geology, 26, 333-344. Etiope G., Zwahlen C., Anselmetti F. S., Kipfer R., Schubert C. J. (2010) Geofluids, 10, 476-485. Marty B., Onions R. K., Oxburgh E. R., Martel D., Lombardi S. (1992) Tectonophysics, 206, 71-78. Moss S. (1992) Journal of the Geological Society, 149, 503-515. Augustin of Hippo (St. Augustin) (approx. 426) De Civitate Dei contra paganos, Vol. Liber XXI, chap. VII

8800 years of high-altitude vegetation and climate history at the Rutor Glacier forefield, Italian Alps. Evidence of middle Holocene timberline rise and glacier contraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badino, Federica; Ravazzi, Cesare; Vallè, Francesca; Pini, Roberta; Aceti, Amelia; Brunetti, Michele; Champvillair, Elena; Maggi, Valter; Maspero, Francesco; Perego, Renata; Orombelli, Giuseppe

2018-04-01

Sedimentary archives at or near the timberline ecotone in Alpine glaciated areas contain records to study Holocene climate change and the interplay between climate, ecosystems, and humans. We focused on records of timberline and glacier oscillations in the Rutor Glacier forefield (Western Italian Alps) in the last 8800 years. Human activity in this area was negligible for most of the Holocene. We adopted an integrative stratigraphic approach including proxies for glacier advance and timberline estimation, sedimentary events, and reconstructed temperatures. Changes in timberline ecotone correlate to climate until the Middle Ages. Pollen-stratigraphic evidence of a primary plant succession highlights a lag beween local deglaciation and the first reliable 14C age. The radiocarbon chronology points to a prolonged phase of glacier contraction between 8.8 and 3.7 ka cal BP. Even later the glacier remained within its LIA limits. Between 8.4 and 4 ka cal BP MAT-inferred TJuly fluctuated near 12.4 °C, ca. 3.1 °C higher than today. During this period, a Pinus cembra forest belt grew at 2600 m asl with an upper limit of tree groves placed 434 ± 310 m above the current open forest limit. This Holocene phase of thermal maximum ended between 3.98 and 3.51 ± 70 ka cal BP and with a substantial rearrangement of forest composition; temperature reconstruction shows a decrease of 1.8 °C. This climate deterioration concluded the Subboreal thermal optimum, mirroring glacial advances widely documented in the Alps. The Rutor Glacier advanced at ca. AD 1093 ± 65, and remained inside the LIA maximum extent. The LIA started since AD 1594, and culminated between AD 1751 and 1864.

Postcollisional cooling history of the Eastern and Southern Alps and its linkage to Adria indentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heberer, Bianca; Reverman, Rebecca Lee; Fellin, Maria Giuditta; Neubauer, Franz; Dunkl, István; Zattin, Massimiliano; Seward, Diane; Genser, Johann; Brack, Peter

2017-07-01

Indentation of rigid blocks into rheologically weak orogens is generally associated with spatiotemporally variable vertical and lateral block extrusion. The European Eastern and Southern Alps are a prime example of microplate indentation, where most of the deformation was accommodated north of the crustal indenter within the Tauern Window. However, outside of this window only the broad late-stage exhumation pattern of the indented units as well as of the indenter itself is known. In this study we refine the exhumational pattern with new (U-Th-Sm)/He and fission-track thermochronology data on apatite from the Karawanken Mountains adjacent to the eastern Periadriatic fault and from the central-eastern Southern Alps. Apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He ages from the Karawanken Mountains range between 12 and 5 Ma and indicate an episode of fault-related exhumation leading to the formation of a positive flower structure and an associated peripheral foreland basin. In the Southern Alps, apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He and fission-track data combined with previous data also indicate a pulse of mainly Late Miocene exhumation, which was maximized along thrust systems, with highly differential amounts of displacement along individual structures. Our data contribute to mounting evidence for widespread Late Miocene tectonic activity, which followed a phase of major exhumation during strain localization in the Tauern Window. We attribute this exhumational phase and more distributed deformation during Adriatic indentation to a major change in boundary conditions operating on the orogen, likely due to a shift from a decoupled to a coupled system, possibly enhanced by a shift in convergence direction.

Semi-automatic mapping of fault rocks on a Digital Outcrop Model, Gole Larghe Fault Zone (Southern Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vho, Alice; Bistacchi, Andrea

2015-04-01

A quantitative analysis of fault-rock distribution is of paramount importance for studies of fault zone architecture, fault and earthquake mechanics, and fluid circulation along faults at depth. Here we present a semi-automatic workflow for fault-rock mapping on a Digital Outcrop Model (DOM). This workflow has been developed on a real case of study: the strike-slip Gole Larghe Fault Zone (GLFZ). It consists of a fault zone exhumed from ca. 10 km depth, hosted in granitoid rocks of Adamello batholith (Italian Southern Alps). Individual seismogenic slip surfaces generally show green cataclasites (cemented by the precipitation of epidote and K-feldspar from hydrothermal fluids) and more or less well preserved pseudotachylytes (black when well preserved, greenish to white when altered). First of all, a digital model for the outcrop is reconstructed with photogrammetric techniques, using a large number of high resolution digital photographs, processed with VisualSFM software. By using high resolution photographs the DOM can have a much higher resolution than with LIDAR surveys, up to 0.2 mm/pixel. Then, image processing is performed to map the fault-rock distribution with the ImageJ-Fiji package. Green cataclasites and epidote/K-feldspar veins can be quite easily separated from the host rock (tonalite) using spectral analysis. Particularly, band ratio and principal component analysis have been tested successfully. The mapping of black pseudotachylyte veins is more tricky because the differences between the pseudotachylyte and biotite spectral signature are not appreciable. For this reason we have tested different morphological processing tools aimed at identifying (and subtracting) the tiny biotite grains. We propose a solution based on binary images involving a combination of size and circularity thresholds. Comparing the results with manually segmented images, we noticed that major problems occur only when pseudotachylyte veins are very thin and discontinuous. After

Waveform Modeling Reveals Important Features of the Subduction Zone Seismic Structure Beneath the Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Luccio, F.; Persaud, P.; Pino, N. A.; Clayton, R. W.; Helmberger, D. V.; Li, D.

2016-12-01

Seismic images of the slab in southern Italy indicate a complex geodynamic system, although these images are strongly affected by limitations due to instrumental coverage, in terms of depth resolution and lateral extent. To help improve our knowledge of the structure of the Calabrian subduction zone, we analyze waveforms of regional events that occurred between 2001 and 2015 beneath the Tyrrhenian sea in the western Mediterranean. The selected events are deeper than 200 km and they were recorded at the Italian seismic network managed by Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia in Italy. We have also included recordings at ocean bottom seismometers and hydrophones, which were installed for a few months in 2000-2001, 2004-2005 and 2007-2008. Accurate selection of the source-to receiver raypaths can reveal significant differences at receivers, which are perpendicular to the trench with respect to other stations. P-wave complexity, converted phases and frequency content are some of the features we have observed for selected events. To investigate the slab structure, we model the waveforms using the 2D staggered grid Finite Difference method on graphics processing units developed by Li et al. (Geophys. J. Int., 2014).

75 FR 14628 - Pressure Sensitive Plastic Tape From Italy; Determination

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-26

... Plastic Tape From Italy; Determination On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the subject five-year... pressure sensitive plastic tape from Italy would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of... Publication 4128 (March 2010), entitled Pressure Sensitive Plastic Tape from Italy: Investigation No. AA1921...

GIS-based modeling of debris flow processes in an Alpine catchment, Antholz valley, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandmeier, Christine; Damm, Bodo; Terhorst, Birgit

2010-05-01

Debris flows are frequent natural hazards in mountain regions, which seriously can threat human lives and economic values. In the European Alps the occurrence of debris flows might even increase with respect to climate change, including permafrost degradation, glacier retreat and variable precipitation patterns. Thus, detailed understanding of process parameters and spatial distribution of debris flows is necessary to take appropriate protection measures for risk assessment. In this context, numerical models have been developed and applied successfully for simulation and prediction of debris-flow hazards and related process areas. In our study a GIS-based model is applied in an alpine catchment to address the following questions: Where are potential initiating areas of debris flows? How much material can be mobilized? What is the influence of topography and precipitation? The study area is located in the Antholz valley in the eastern Alps of Northern Italy. The investigated catchment of the Klammbach creek comprises 6.5 km² and is divided into two sub-catchments. Geologically it is dominated by metamorphic rock and altitudes range between 1310 and 3270 m. In summer 2005 a debris flow of more than 100000 m³ took place, originating from a steep, sparsely vegetated debris cone in the western part of the catchment. According to a regional study, the lower permafrost boundary in this area has risen by 250 m. In a first step, during a field survey, geomorphological mapping was performed, several channel cross-sections were measured and sediment samples were taken. Using mapping results and aerial images, a geomorphological map was created. In further steps, results from the field work, the geomorphological map and existing digital data sets, including a digital elevation model with 2.5 m resolution, are used to derive input data for the modeling of debris flow processes. The model framework ‘r.debrisflow' based on GRASS GIS is applied (Mergili, 2008*), as it is

Mammoths inside the Alps during the last glacial period: Radiocarbon constraints from Austria and palaeoenvironmental implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spötl, Christoph; Reimer, Paula J.; Göhlich, Ursula B.

2018-06-01

This study examines remains of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) found inside the Austrian Alps, an area occupied by an extensive ice-stream network during the Last Glacial Maximum. The data demonstrate that these cold steppe-adapted animals locally migrated several tens of kilometers into alpine valleys. Radiocarbon analyses constrain the age of these fossils to the first half of Marine Isotope Stage 3, documenting ice-free conditions in major valleys at that time. We also provide a list of all traceable Austrian sites of Mammuthus primigenius, totaling about 230 localities, compiled through 15 museums and collections in Austria. The vast majority of these findings are from the corridors of the Danube and Mur rivers and their tributaries and the adjacent loess-covered foreland of the Alps, areas that were never ice-covered during Pleistocene glaciations.

Multidisciplinary studies on ancient sandstone quarries of Western Sardinia (Italy).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grillo, Silvana Maria; Del Vais, Carla; Naitza, Stefano

2013-04-01

The ancient coastal quarries of Mediterranean are increasingly considered geosites of multidisciplinary relevance. They are sites of historical-archaeological interest that show ancient techniques of stone extraction; they are significant for cultural heritage conservation and restoration, as sources of the stones used in ancient buildings and monuments; they are sites of geological relevance, as often retain important stratigraphic sections; they are also useful markers of secular changes in the sea level. A multisciplinary study is in progress on the ancient quarries of the Sinis region (western Sardinia island), integrating archaeological, geological, minero-petrographical data. In Sardinia, coastal quarries have been established from Punic and Roman times. Many of them exploited Quaternary sediments along the southern and western coasts of the island. They consist of middle-late Pleistocene marine conglomerates and carbonate sandstones, and of coastal (aeolian) carbonate sandstones. Sandstone blocks of different sizes have been widely used in ancient cities for buildings, defensive works, harbours, etc. Three main areas of stone extraction (San Giovanni di Sinis, Punta Maimoni, Is Arutas) have been so far recognized in the Sinis. GIS-supported mapping and documentation of the sites includes their geology and stratigraphy, the extension and layout of the quarries, and an evaluation of volumes of extracted rocks. Documented archaeological evidences include ancient extraction fronts, spoil heaps, working areas, working traces in the old fronts, transport routes of blocks, and traces of loading facilities. The study is aimed at reconstructing the relationships of the quarries with the urban areas of Sinis, as the ancient Punic-Roman city of Tharros. Consequently, a minero-petrographical characterization (optical microscopy, XRD) is performed on sandstones sampled in each quarry, and in historical buildings in Tharros and other centres of the region (Cabras

Reconstructing the recent West Nile virus lineage 2 epidemic in Europe and Italy using discrete and continuous phylogeography

PubMed Central

Veo, Carla; Ebranati, Erika; Carta, Valentina; Rovida, Francesca; Percivalle, Elena; Moreno, Ana; Lelli, Davide; Calzolari, Mattia; Lavazza, Antonio; Chiapponi, Chiara; Baioni, Laura; Capelli, Gioia; Ravagnan, Silvia; Da Rold, Graziana; Lavezzo, Enrico; Palù, Giorgio; Baldanti, Fausto; Barzon, Luisa; Galli, Massimo

2017-01-01

West Nile virus lineage 2 (WNV-2) was mainly confined to sub-Saharan Africa until the early 2000s, when it was identified for the first time in Central Europe causing outbreaks of human and animal infection. The aim of this study was to reconstruct the origin and dispersion of WNV-2 in Central Europe and Italy on a phylodynamic and phylogeographical basis. To this aim, discrete and continuous space phylogeographical models were applied to a total of 33 newly characterised full-length viral genomes obtained from mosquitoes, birds and humans in Northern Italy in the years 2013–2015 aligned with 64 complete sequences isolated mainly in Europe. The European isolates segregated into two highly significant clades: a small one including three sequences and a large clade including the majority of isolates obtained in Central Europe since 2004. Discrete phylogeographical analysis showed that the most probable location of the root of the largest European clade was in Hungary a mean 12.78 years ago. The European clade bifurcated into two highly supported subclades: one including most of the Central/East European isolates and the other encompassing all of the isolates obtained in Greece. The continuous space phylogeographical analysis of the Italian clade showed that WNV-2 entered Italy in about 2008, probably by crossing the Adriatic sea and reaching a central area of the Po Valley. The epidemic then spread simultaneously eastward, to reach the region of the Po delta in 2013, and westward to the border area between Lombardy and Piedmont in 2014; later, the western strain changed direction southward, and reached the central area of the Po valley once again in 2015. Over a period of about seven years, the virus spread all over an area of northern Italy by following the Po river and its main tributaries. PMID:28678837

Prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among alpine skiers and hikers in the Austrian Alps.

PubMed

Faulhaber, Martin; Flatz, Markus; Gatterer, Hannes; Schobersberger, Wolfgang; Burtscher, Martin

2007-01-01

Mountain sports, especially hiking and alpine skiing, are very popular. It is speculated that a high percentage of hikers and skiers are older and have cardiovascular diseases, but little is known about the real frequency of cardiovascular diseases in mountaineers and skiers. The goal of this study was to provide data on the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (coronary artery disease with and without myocardial infarction, hypertension, and arrhythmias) of a representative sample of hikers and skiers in the Austrian Alps. Questionnaire results of 1431 hikers and 1043 skiers were included in the evaluation. Regarding the whole sample, 12.7% (11.0 to 14.4) of the hikers and 11.2% (9.3 to 13.1) of the skiers are afflicted with at least one type of cardiovascular disease. The frequency of cardiovascular diseases is age dependent and more pronounced in men, but only small differences were detected between hikers and skiers. It can be assumed that 4 to 5 million hikers and skiers with known cardiovascular diseases are active in the Alps annually. Scientific research should provide the basis of an optimal risk management for this large group of persons.

Active population growth and immigration hypotheses in Western Europe.

PubMed

Feld, S

2000-03-01

The paper examines, in respect of 12 Western European countries over a period of 20 years, the widely held view that any decline in their working population should be offset by greater reliance on immigrant labor. This research, based on demographic projections and forecasts regarding labor market participation rates by age and sex for each of the countries concerned, focuses on the two most likely scenarios. It appears that only Italy will be faced with a fall in its working population. All other western countries will either maintain the same level or, more generally, see their workforce grow substantially. Accordingly, the authors may safely assert that there is no risk of a shortage of workers between now and the year 2020, and that an increasing supply of labor will render reliance on a greater influx of immigrant workers unnecessary. The second part analyses changes in the structure of the demand for labor. The authors deal chiefly with the phenomenon of the concentration of foreign manpower in each sector, its flexibility and mobility in a context of unemployment, as well as the impact of new technologies and globalization on the main determinants of international migration of labor.

Spatial distribution and temporal development of high-mountain lakes in western Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merkl, Sarah; Emmer, Adam; Mergili, Martin

2015-04-01

Glacierized high-mountain environments are characterized by active morphodynamics, favouring the rapid appearance and disappearance of lakes. On the one hand, such lakes indicate high-mountain environmental changes such as the retreat of glaciers. On the other hand, they are sometimes susceptible to sudden drainage, leading to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) putting the downstream population at risk. Whilst high-mountain lakes have been intensively studied in the Himalayas, the Pamir, the Andes or the Western Alps, this is not the case for the Eastern Alps. A particular research gap, which is attacked with the present work, concerns the western part of Austria. We consider a study area of approx. 6,140 km², covering the central Alps over most of the province of Tyrol and part of the province of Salzburg. All lakes ≥250 m² located higher than 2000 m asl are mapped from high-resolution Google Earth imagery and orthophotos. The lakes are organized into seven classes: (i) ice-dammed; near-glacial (ii) moraine-dammed and (iii) bedrock-dammed; (iv) moraine-dammed and (v) bedrock-dammed distant to the recent glaciers; (vi) landslide-dammed; (vii) anthropogenic. The temporal development of selected lakes is investigated in detail, using aerial photographs dating back to the 1950s. 1045 lakes are identified in the study area. Only eight lakes are ice-dammed (i). One third of all lakes is located in the immediate vicinity of recent glacier tongues, half of them impounded by moraine (ii), half of them by bedrock (iii). Two thirds of all lakes are impounded by features (either moraines or bedrock) shaped by LIA or Pleistocenic glaciers at some distance to the present glacier tongues (iv and v). Only one landslide-dammed lake (vi) is identified in the study area, whilst 21 lakes are of anthropogenic origin (vii). 72% of all lakes are found at 2250-2750 m asl whilst less than 2% are found above 3000 m asl. The ratio of rock-dammed lakes increases with increasing

Induced abortion and contraception in Italy.

PubMed

Spinelli, A; Grandolfo, M E

1991-09-01

This article discusses the legal and epidemiologic status of abortion in Italy, and its relationship to fertility and contraception. Enacted in May 1978, Italy's abortion law allows the operation to be performed during the 1st 90 days of gestation for a broad range of health, social, and psychological reasons. Women under 18 must receive written permission from a parent, guardian, or judge in order to undergo an abortion. The operation is free of charge. Health workers who object to abortion because of religious or moral reasons are exempt from participating. Regional differences exist concerning the availability of abortion, easy to procure in some places and difficult to obtain in others. After an initial increase following legalization, the abortion rate was 13.5/1000 women aged 15-44 and the abortion ratio was 309/1000 live births -- an intermediate rate and ratio compared to other countries. By the time the Abortion Act of 1978 was adopted, Italy already had one of the lowest fertility levels in Europe. Thus, the legalization of abortion has had no impact on fertility trends. Contrary to initial fears that the legalization of abortion would make abortion a method of family planning, 80% of the women who sought an abortion in 1983-88 were using birth control at the time (withdrawal being the most common method used by this group). In fact, most women who undergo abortions are married, between the ages of 25-34, and with at least one child. Evidence indicates widespread ignorance concerning reproduction. In a 1989 survey, only 65% of women could identify the fertile period of the menstrual cycle. Italy has no sex education in schools or national family planning programs. Compared to most of Europe, Italy still has low levels of reliable contraceptive usage. This points to the need to guarantee the availability of abortion.

Mt. Vesuvius, Italy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

This ASTER image of Mt. Vesuvius Italy was acquired September 26, 2000, and covers an area of 36 by 45 km. Vesuvius overlooks the city of Naples and the Bay of Naples in central Italy. In 79 AD, Vesuvius erupted cataclysmically, burying all of the surrounding cites with up to 30 m of ash. The towns of Pompeii and Herculanaeum were rediscovered in the 18th century, and excavated in the 20th century. They provide a snapshot of Roman life from 2000 years ago: perfectly preserved are wooden objects, food items, and the casts of hundreds of victims. Vesuvius is intensively monitored for potential signs of unrest that could signal the beginning of another eruption. The image is centered at 40.8 degrees north latitude, 14.4 degrees east longitude.

The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

Mount Vesuvius, Italy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

This Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) image of Mt. Vesuvius, Italy was acquired September 26, 2000. The full-size false-color image covers an area of 36 by 45 km. Vesuvius overlooks the city of Naples and the Bay of Naples in central Italy. (Popocatepetl and Mount Fuji are other volcanos surrounded by dense urban areas.) In 79 AD, Vesuvius erupted cataclysmically, burying all of the surrounding cites with up to 30 m of ash. The towns of Pompeii and Herculanaeum were rediscovered in the 18th century, and excavated in the 20th century. They provide a snapshot of Roman life from 2000 years ago: perfectly preserved are wooden objects, food items, and the casts of hundreds of victims. Vesuvius is intensively monitored for potential signs of unrest that could signal the beginning of another eruption. Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Deciphering tectonic, climatic-induced and hydrothermal signals in the late-stage exhumation history of the upper Rhône valley (Swiss Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valla, Pierre; Rahn, Meinert; Shuster, David; van der Beek, Peter

2015-04-01

Neogene exhumation of the European Alps is understood as the interplay between tectonics and climatic-induced erosion. While the former has been influenced by a decrease in plate convergence, the latter has been suggested to be affected by climatic variation and the onset of Plio-Quaternary glaciations, leading to relief amplification. However, even though geomorphologic and sedimentologic studies both suggest topographic relief change and transition from fluvial to oscillations between glacial/fluvial conditions, precise quantification on both the timing and magnitude of this transition are yet sparse. Our study focuses on the upper Rhône valley (Swiss Central Alps) within the Visp-Brig area (Aar massif). This area encompasses some of the most spectacular reliefs within the Alps with several nearby summits around or above 4000 m crosscut by the glacially overdeepened Rhône valley. It also shows among the highest late Neogene exhumation rates within the Western-Central European Alps, influenced by tectonic activity along the major Simplon-Rhône extensional fault system. Moreover, the upper Rhône valley has experienced enhanced glacial erosion associated with strong relief development during the Pliocene-Quaternary period. Finally, structural inheritance, late-stage tectonics and rapid exhumation may have promoted recent hydrothermal activity in this region, although timing of its onset and its precise causes remain poorly understood. We investigated the late-stage cooling history by using different low-temperature thermochronometers along a pseudo-vertical bedrock profile (elevation between 600 and 2900 m) and additional samples from an on-site 500-m geothermal well, resulting in a total elevation difference of nearly 3 km. Apatite fission-track (AFT) ages and track-length data have been added to previously published and new apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He (AHe) and 4He/3He data. Our results confirm high-exhumation rates (0.6 to 0.9 km/Myr) within late-Cenozoic to

Badgastein spa—Austrian central Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zötl, J. G.

1995-12-01

The Badgastein spa shows almost all the special geological and hydrological features existing in the northeastern central Alps. Situated within the Tauern window, the open joint system enables the infiltration of surface water to great depths. There it becomes heated and loaded with radon and trace elements such as fluor. The water discharges as thermal water springs at the steep right flank of the cascade of the Gastein-Ache. This hydraulic process occurs during a span of 3600 3800 years. The springs are captured in galleries, and the largest discharge is in gallery IX (2518 m3/d-1). The spa became known worldwide in the 19th century by visiting aristocrats from Central and Eastern Europe. The most important event in the 20th century was the discovery of the heat joint in the Böckstein gallery. In 1940 an effort to reactivate gold mining in the Radhausberg near Böckstein south of Badgastein failed. However, the miners had the unexpected experience of being cured of rheumatism. A connection between the great depth and high temperature in the gallery was made by the discovery of the joint set with heat and radon emanation. In the medical stations of the Böckstein gallery treatment of polyarthritis has become especially successful.

Terricolous Lichens in the Glacier Forefield of the Pasterze (Eastern Alps, Carinthia, Austria)

PubMed Central

Bilovitz, Peter O.; Wallner, Anja; Tutzer, Veronika; Nascimbene, Juri; Mayrhofer, Helmut

2016-01-01

Summary The investigation of lichens on soil, plant debris and terricolous mosses in the glacier forefield of the Pasterze yielded 35 lichen species. Placidiopsis oreades Breuss (Verrucariales) is new to Austria. Three sampling sites were established at increasing distance from the glacier, in order to compare species diversity, abundance and composition within the forefield and with four other glacier forefields of the Eastern Alps. PMID:26877565

Wind Powering America Anemometer Loan Program: A Retrospective

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

Jimenez, T.

This white paper details the history, mechanics, status, and impact of the Native American Anemometer Loan Program (ALP) conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Powering America (WPA) initiative. Originally conceived in 2000 and terminated (as a WPA activity) at the end of FY 2011, the ALP has resulted in the installation of anemometers at 90 locations. In addition, the ALP provided support for the installation of anemometers at 38 additional locations under a related ALP administered by the Western Area Power Administration.

Phosphorus translocation by red deer on a subalpine grassland in the central European Alps

Treesearch

Martin Schutz; Anita C. Risch; Gerald Achermann; Conny Thiel-Egenter; Deborah Page-Dumroese; Martin F. Jurgensen; Peter J. Edward

2006-01-01

We examined the role of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) in translocating phosphorus (P) from their preferred grazing sites (short-grass vegetation on subalpine grasslands) to their wider home range in a subalpine grassland ecosystem in the Central European Alps. Phosphorus was used because it is the limiting nutrient in these grasslands. When we compared P removal of...

Large-Scale Assessments and Educational Policies in Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Damiani, Valeria

2016-01-01

Despite Italy's extensive participation in most large-scale assessments, their actual influence on Italian educational policies is less easy to identify. The present contribution aims at highlighting and explaining reasons for the weak and often inconsistent relationship between international surveys and policy-making processes in Italy.…

Occlusive mycotic tracheobronchitis and systemic Alphaherpesvirus coinfection in a free-living striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba in Italy.

PubMed

Grattarola, Carla; Giorda, Federica; Iulini, Barbara; Pautasso, Alessandra; Ballardini, Marco; Zoppi, Simona; Marsili, Letizia; Peletto, Simone; Masoero, Loretta; Varello, Katia; Garibaldi, Fulvio; Scaglione, Frine E; Di Guardo, Giovanni; Dondo, Alessandro; Goria, Maria; Serracca, Laura; Mignone, Walter; Casalone, Cristina

2018-01-31

A juvenile female striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba live stranded on 4 March 2016 at Alassio, western Ligurian Sea coast, Italy. The dolphin died shortly after stranding, and a complete postmortem examination was performed. Necropsy revealed severe tracheal occlusion and unilateral bronchial stenosis with luminal accumulation of abundant green-yellow mucous-gelatinous material. Histological features suggestive of tracheobronchial aspergillosis were observed. Cultures of lung tissue and tracheo-bronchial exudate isolated Aspergillus fumigatus, identified by a Microseq D2 LSUrDNA fungal sequencing kit. A pan-Herpesvirus nested-PCR assay on frozen samples obtained from multiple organs was positive. Phylogenetic analysis on the partial DNA polymerase gene revealed that the striped dolphin isolate was closely related to known cetacean Alphaherpesvirus sequences from the same host species. Attempted virus isolation was unsuccessful. The tissue levels of different persistent organic pollutants and the toxicological stress, evaluated using a theoretical model, showed a severely impaired immune response. This study reports the first case of occlusive mycotic tracheobronchitis in a free-living cetacean and the first molecular identification of an Alphaherpesvirus in a free-ranging striped dolphin stranded on the coast of Italy.

The effect of communication and implicit associations on consuming insects: An experiment in Denmark and Italy.

PubMed

Verneau, Fabio; La Barbera, Francesco; Kolle, Susanne; Amato, Mario; Del Giudice, Teresa; Grunert, Klaus

2016-11-01

It has been widely noted that the introduction of insects in Westerns' diet might be a promising path towards a more sustainable food consumption. However, Westerns' are almost disgusted and sceptical about the eating of insects. In the current paper we report the results of an experiment conducted in two European countries-Denmark and Italy-different for food culture and familiarity with the topic of eating insects. We investigated the possibility to foster people's willingness to eat insect-based food through communication, also comparing messages based on individual vs. societal benefits of the eating of insects. Communication proved to be effective on intention and behaviour, and the societal message appeared to be more robust over time. The communication effect is significant across nation, gender, and previous knowledge about the topic. In addition, we investigated the impact of non-conscious negative associations with insects on the choice to eat vs. not eat insect-based food. Implicit attitudes proved to be a powerful factor in relation to behaviour, yet they did not impede the effectiveness of communication. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Semi-automatic mapping of fault rocks on a Digital Outcrop Model, Gole Larghe Fault Zone (Southern Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mittempergher, Silvia; Vho, Alice; Bistacchi, Andrea

2016-04-01

A quantitative analysis of fault-rock distribution in outcrops of exhumed fault zones is of fundamental importance for studies of fault zone architecture, fault and earthquake mechanics, and fluid circulation. We present a semi-automatic workflow for fault-rock mapping on a Digital Outcrop Model (DOM), developed on the Gole Larghe Fault Zone (GLFZ), a well exposed strike-slip fault in the Adamello batholith (Italian Southern Alps). The GLFZ has been exhumed from ca. 8-10 km depth, and consists of hundreds of individual seismogenic slip surfaces lined by green cataclasites (crushed wall rocks cemented by the hydrothermal epidote and K-feldspar) and black pseudotachylytes (solidified frictional melts, considered as a marker for seismic slip). A digital model of selected outcrop exposures was reconstructed with photogrammetric techniques, using a large number of high resolution digital photographs processed with VisualSFM software. The resulting DOM has a resolution up to 0.2 mm/pixel. Most of the outcrop was imaged using images each one covering a 1 x 1 m2 area, while selected structural features, such as sidewall ripouts or stepovers, were covered with higher-resolution images covering 30 x 40 cm2 areas.Image processing algorithms were preliminarily tested using the ImageJ-Fiji package, then a workflow in Matlab was developed to process a large collection of images sequentially. Particularly in detailed 30 x 40 cm images, cataclasites and hydrothermal veins were successfully identified using spectral analysis in RGB and HSV color spaces. This allows mapping the network of cataclasites and veins which provided the pathway for hydrothermal fluid circulation, and also the volume of mineralization, since we are able to measure the thickness of cataclasites and veins on the outcrop surface. The spectral signature of pseudotachylyte veins is indistinguishable from that of biotite grains in the wall rock (tonalite), so we tested morphological analysis tools to discriminate

Assessing chronological age of unaccompanied minors in southern Italy.

PubMed

Nuzzolese, Emilio; Solarino, Biagio; Liuzzi, Claudia; Di Vella, Giancarlo

2011-09-01

The increasing volume of, and subsequent complexities resulting from, migratory flows in the broader context of globalization has led to a range of problems, not only the protection of human rights and disease control but also the identification of those with the right to apply for refugee status and the age assessment of unaccompanied minors. Italy is a magnet for immigration from other countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea because the Italian coasts are within easy reach. In Italy, as in other western countries, unaccompanied asylum seekers deemed to be younger than 18 years face a very different path through the immigration system from that experienced by adults. Generally, adults are subject to immediate deportation or detention in jail. Minors are processed through the juvenile system, where detection is not mandatory; they will often have access to educational programs and may be granted a residency permit. The Section of Legal Medicine of the University of Bari was approached by immigration police authorities and judges to explore the possibility of examining unaccompanied asylum seekers, who claim do be younger than 18 years, to assess their age. A group of forensic pathologists and odontologists performed this evaluation relying on the skeletal maturation as seen on radiographs of the wrist and the pelvis for iliac crests and on an orthopantomograph, together with background information and clinical examination of each individual. Case studies are presented. This article does not attempt to give a definitive account of the different scientific methods for the assessment of age. It is important to understand some of the methods that may be used in an attempt to assess developmental maturity and from which it may be possible to "read off" an approximate chronological age.

Froebel Crosses the Alps: Introducing the Kindergarten in Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albisetti, James C.

2009-01-01

The kindergarten was, in all countries but Germany, a foreign import. The most familiar aspect of its diffusion to American scholars is the spread of Froebel's teachings into England and the United States by emigrants who had left the German Confederation after the failure of the revolutions of 1848-49. Familiar as well are the propaganda efforts…

Combining phylogenetic and demographic inferences to assess the origin of the genetic diversity in an isolated wolf population

PubMed Central

Fabbri, Elena; Ahmed, Atidje; Bolfíková, Barbora Černá; Czarnomska, Sylwia D.; Galov, Ana; Godinho, Raquel; Hindrikson, Maris; Hulva, Pavel; Jędrzejewska, Bogumiła; Jelenčič, Maja; Kutal, Miroslav; Saarma, Urmas; Skrbinšek, Tomaž; Randi, Ettore

2017-01-01

The survival of isolated small populations is threatened by both demographic and genetic factors. Large carnivores declined for centuries in most of Europe due to habitat changes, overhunting of their natural prey and direct persecution. However, the current rewilding trends are driving many carnivore populations to expand again, possibly reverting the erosion of their genetic diversity. In this study we reassessed the extent and origin of the genetic variation of the Italian wolf population, which is expanding after centuries of decline and isolation. We genotyped wolves from Italy and other nine populations at four mtDNA regions (control-region, ATP6, COIII and ND4) and 39 autosomal microsatellites. Results of phylogenetic analyses and assignment procedures confirmed in the Italian wolves a second private mtDNA haplotype, which belongs to a haplogroup distributed mostly in southern Europe. Coalescent analyses showed that the unique mtDNA haplotypes in the Italian wolves likely originated during the late Pleistocene. ABC simulations concordantly showed that the extant wolf populations in Italy and in south-western Europe started to be isolated and declined right after the last glacial maximum. Thus, the standing genetic variation in the Italian wolves principally results from the historical isolation south of the Alps. PMID:28489863

Venice, Italy

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-09-24

Four hundred bridges cross the labyrinth of canals that form the 120 islands of Venice, situated in a saltwater lagoon between the mouths of the Po and Piave rivers in northeast Italy. All traffic in the city moves by boat. Venice is connected to the mainland, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away, by ferries as well as a causeway for road and rail traffic. The Grand Canal winds through the city for about 3 kilometers (about 2 miles), dividing it into two nearly equal sections. According to tradition, Venice was founded in 452, when the inhabitants of Aquileia, Padua, and several other northern Italian cities took refuge on the islands of the lagoon from the Teutonic tribes invading Italy at that time. This image was acquired on December 9, 2001 by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER will image Earth for the next 6 years to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03860

Reflections of a Lifelong Learner Teaching in Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kroth, Michael

2014-01-01

This article describes and summarizes the author's experience of teaching in Italy for three months and the impact it had on him and his learning. The author, at the age of 61, lived in Italy for three months and here he reflects on what he learned and how it relates to adult learning theory concepts.

Bacteria at glacier surfaces: microbial community structures in debris covered glaciers and cryoconites in the Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azzoni, Roberto; Franzetti, Andrea; Ambrosini, Roberto; D'Agata, Carlo; Senese, Antonella; Minora, Umberto; Tagliaferri, Ilario; Diolaiuti, Guglielmina

2014-05-01

Supraglacial debris has an important role in the glacier energy budget and has strong influence on the glacial ecosystem. Sediment derives generally from rock inputs from nesting rockwalls and are abundant and continuous at the surface of debris-covered glaciers (i.e. DCGs; glaciers where the ablation area is mainly covered by rock debris) and sparse and fine on debris-free glaciers (DFGs). Recently, evidence for significant tongue darkening on retreating debris-free glaciers has been drawing increasing attention. Fine particles, the cryoconite, are locally abundant and may form cryoconite holes that are water-filled depressions on the surface of DFGs that form when a thin layer of cryoconite is heated by the sun and melts the underlying ice. There is increasing evidence that cryoconite holes also host highly diverse microbial communities and can significantly contribute to global carbon cycle. However, there is almost no study on microbial communities of the debris cover of DCGs and there is a lack of data from the temporal evolution of the microbial communities in the cryoconites. To fill these gaps in our knowledge we characterized the supraglacial debris of two Italian DCGs and we investigated the temporal evolution of microbial communities on cryoconite holes in DFG. We used the Illumina technology to analyse the V5 and V6 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplified from samples collected distances from the terminus of two DCGs (Miage and Belvedere Glaciers - Western Italian Alps). Heterotrophic taxa dominated bacterial communities, whose structure changed during downwards debris transport. Organic carbon of these recently exposed substrates therefore is probably provided more by allochthonous deposition of organic matter than by primary production by autotrophic organisms. We used ARISA fingerprinting and quantitative PCR to describe the structure and the evolution of the microbial communities and to estimate the number of the total

Recent slope failures in the Dolomites (Northeastern Italian Alps) in a context of climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiarle, Marta; Paranunzio, Roberta; Laio, Francesco; Nigrelli, Guido; Guzzetti, Fausto

2014-05-01

Climate change in the Greater Alpine Region is seriously affecting permafrost distribution, with relevant consequences on slope stability. In the Italian Alps, the number of failures from rockwalls at high elevation markedly increased in the last 20-30 years: the consistent temperature increase, which warmed twice than the global average, may have seriously influenced slope stability, in terms of glaciers retreat and permafrost degradation. Moreover, the growing number of tourists and activities in alpine regions (in particular in the Dolomites) made these areas particularly critical in relation to natural hazards. In this light, an integrated short-term geomorphological and climatic analysis was performed, in order to better comprehend the impact of main climate elements (especially temperature and precipitation) on slope failures in high mountain areas. In this contribution, we focus on three recent slope failures occurred at high elevation sites in the Dolomites (Northeastern Italian Alps), declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in August 2009. We describe here three important rock falls occurred in the autumn 2013: 1) the Sorapiss rock fall, on 30 September 2013; 2) the Monte Civetta rock fall, on 16 November 2013; 3) the Monte Antelao rock fall, on 22 November 2013. The Monte Civetta rock fall damaged some climbing routes, while the other two landslides did not cause any damage or injury. Despite the limited volume involved, these three events represent an important warning sign in the context of ongoing climate change. Geomorphological information about the rock fall sites were combined with the climatic data acquired from the meteorological stations surrounding the slope failure areas. A short-term climatic analysis was performed, with the aim of understanding the role of the main climatic elements in the triggering of natural instability events in this area and in the Alps in general.

Toscana Virus Epidemiology: From Italy to Beyond

PubMed Central

Cusi, Maria G; Savellini, Gianni G; Zanelli, Giacomo

2010-01-01

Toscana virus (TOSV) is an arthropod-borne virus which is transmitted to humans by Phlebotomus spp sandflies. Infection is the cause of brain injuries, such as aseptic meningitis and meningoencephalitis, in Italy mainly during the summer. More recently some unusual clinical manifestations due to TOSV with severe sequelae, such as ischemic complications and hydrocephalus, have been reported. TOSV represents an important emerging pathogen and its presence is being investigated in several European countries on the Mediterranean basin, including Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus. Phylogenetic analysis has distinguished two genotypes of TOSV, A and B; the first is circulating mainly in Italy and the second in Spain, indicating a different geographic distribution possibly related to the vector. This distribution, evolving with the climate, globalization and habitat modification, has implications for the epidemiology of TOSV. PMID:20517492

How well do we really know the timing and extent of glaciers during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Alps?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivy-Ochs, Susan; Braakhekke, Jochem; Monegato, Giovanni; Gianotti, Franco; Forno, Gabriella; Hippe, Kristina; Christl, Marcus; Akçar, Naki; Schluechter, Christian

2017-04-01

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the Alps saw much of the mountains inundated by ice. Several main accumulation areas comprising local ice caps and plateau icefields fit into a picture of transection glaciers flowing into huge valley glaciers. In the north the valley glaciers covered long distances (hundreds of kilometers) to reach the forelands where they spread out in fan-shaped piedmont lobes tens of kilometers across, e.g. the Rhine glacier. In the south travel distances to the mountain front were often shorter, the pathway steeper. Nevertheless, not all glaciers even reached beyond the front, as the temperatures were notably warmer in the south. For example at Orta the glacier snout remained within the mountains. Where glaciers reached the forelands they stopped abruptly and the moraine amphitheaters were constructed, e.g. at Ivrea and Rivoli-Avigliana. Sets of stacked moraines built-up as glacier advance was directly confined by the older moraines. We may temporally and spatially identify the culmination of the last glacial cycle by pinpointing the outermost moraines that date to the LGM (generally about 26-24 ka). On the other hand, the timing of abandonment of foreland positions is given by ages of the innermost, often lake-bounding, moraines (about 19-18 ka). Between the two, glacier fluctuations left the stadial moraines. In the Linth-Rhine system three stadials have been recognized: Killwangen, Schlieren and Zurich. Nevertheless, already in the Swiss sector correlation of the LGM stadials among the several foreland lobes is not unambiguous. Across the Alps, not only north to south but also west to east, how do the timing and extent of glaciers during the LGM vary? Recent glacier modelling by Seguinot et al. (2017) informs and suggests the possibility of differences in timing for reaching of the maximum extent and for the number of oscillations of individual lobes during the LGM. At present few sites in the Alps have detailed enough geomorphological

Nardò Ring, Italy

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-04-08

The Nardò Ring is a striking visual feature from space, and astronauts have photographed it several times. The Ring is a race car test track in Italy. This image was acquired by NASA Terra satellite on August 17. 2007.

Rainfall thresholds for possible landslide occurrence in Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peruccacci, Silvia; Brunetti, Maria Teresa; Gariano, Stefano Luigi; Melillo, Massimo; Rossi, Mauro; Guzzetti, Fausto

2017-08-01

The large physiographic variability and the abundance of landslide and rainfall data make Italy an ideal site to investigate variations in the rainfall conditions that can result in rainfall-induced landslides. We used landslide information obtained from multiple sources and rainfall data captured by 2228 rain gauges to build a catalogue of 2309 rainfall events with - mostly shallow - landslides in Italy between January 1996 and February 2014. For each rainfall event with landslides, we reconstructed the rainfall history that presumably caused the slope failure, and we determined the corresponding rainfall duration D (in hours) and cumulated event rainfall E (in mm). Adopting a power law threshold model, we determined cumulated event rainfall-rainfall duration (ED) thresholds, at 5% exceedance probability, and their uncertainty. We defined a new national threshold for Italy, and 26 regional thresholds for environmental subdivisions based on topography, lithology, land-use, land cover, climate, and meteorology, and we used the thresholds to study the variations of the rainfall conditions that can result in landslides in different environments, in Italy. We found that the national and the environmental thresholds cover a small part of the possible DE domain. The finding supports the use of empirical rainfall thresholds for landslide forecasting in Italy, but poses an empirical limitation to the possibility of defining thresholds for small geographical areas. We observed differences between some of the thresholds. With increasing mean annual precipitation (MAP), the thresholds become higher and steeper, indicating that more rainfall is needed to trigger landslides where the MAP is high than where it is low. This suggests that the landscape adjusts to the regional meteorological conditions. We also observed that the thresholds are higher for stronger rocks, and that forested areas require more rainfall than agricultural areas to initiate landslides. Finally, we

Malaria in Italy - Migrants Are Not the Cause.

PubMed

Benelli, Giovanni; Pombi, Marco; Otranto, Domenico

2018-05-01

Recently, five cases of malaria were reported in Italy. These people had not travelled abroad, prompting some media and political organizations to fuel a climate of fear by connecting the cases with migrants coming into the country. Here, we discuss scientific data highlighting the limited risk of malaria reintroduction in Italy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Concentrating Solar Power Projects in Italy | Concentrating Solar Power |

Science.gov Websites

;alphabetical by project name. You can browse a project profile by clicking on the project name. Archimede ASE NREL Italy Concentrating solar power (CSP) projects in Italy are listed belowâ€"

Evidence for enhanced debris-flow activity in the Northern Calcareous Alps since the 1980s (Plansee, Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietrich, A.; Krautblatter, M.

2017-06-01

Debris flows are among the most important natural hazards. The Northern Calcareous Alps with their susceptible lithology are especially affected by a double digit number of major hazard events per year. It is hypothesised that debris-flow intensity has increased significantly in the last decades in the Northern Calcareous Alps coincident to increased rainstorm frequencies, but yet there is only limited evidence. The Plansee catchment exposes extreme debris-flow activity due to the intensely jointed Upper Triassic Hauptdolomit lithology, being responsible for most of the debris-flow activity in the Northern Calcareous Alps. The debris flows feed into a closed sediment system, the Plansee Lake, where Holocene/Lateglacial sedimentation rates, rates since the late 1940s and recent rates can be inferred accurately. Using aerial photos and field mapping, the temporal and spatial development of eight active debris-flow fans is reconstructed in six time intervals from 1947, 1952, 1971, 1979, 1987, 2000 and 2010 and mean annual debris-flow volumes are calculated. These are compared with mean Holocene/Lateglacial debris-flow volumes derived from the most prominent cone whose contact with the underlying till is revealed by electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). Debris-flow activity there increased by a factor of 10 from 1947-1952 (0.23 ± 0.07 · 103 m3/yr) to 1987-2000 (2.41 ± 0.66 · 103 m3/yr). Mean post-1980 rates from all eight fans exceed pre-1980 rates by a factor of more than three coinciding with enhanced rainstorm activity recorded at meteorological stations in the Northern Calcareous Alps. The frequency of rain storms (def. 35 mm/d) has increased in the study area on average by 10% per decade and has nearly doubled since 1921. Recent debris-flow activity is also 2-3 times higher than mean Holocene/Lateglacial rates. The strong correlation between the non-vegetated catchment area and the annual debris-flow volume might indicate a decadal positive feedback between

MAPK Signaling Pathway Alters Expression of Midgut ALP and ABCC Genes and Causes Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac Toxin in Diamondback Moth

PubMed Central

Wu, Qingjun; Wang, Shaoli; Xie, Wen; Zhu, Xun; Baxter, Simon W.; Zhou, Xuguo; Jurat-Fuentes, Juan Luis; Zhang, Youjun

2015-01-01

Insecticidal crystal toxins derived from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are widely used as biopesticide sprays or expressed in transgenic crops to control insect pests. However, large-scale use of Bt has led to field-evolved resistance in several lepidopteran pests. Resistance to Bt Cry1Ac toxin in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), was previously mapped to a multigenic resistance locus (BtR-1). Here, we assembled the 3.15 Mb BtR-1 locus and found high-level resistance to Cry1Ac and Bt biopesticide in four independent P. xylostella strains were all associated with differential expression of a midgut membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase (ALP) outside this locus and a suite of ATP-binding cassette transporter subfamily C (ABCC) genes inside this locus. The interplay between these resistance genes is controlled by a previously uncharacterized trans-regulatory mechanism via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Molecular, biochemical, and functional analyses have established ALP as a functional Cry1Ac receptor. Phenotypic association experiments revealed that the recessive Cry1Ac resistance was tightly linked to down-regulation of ALP, ABCC2 and ABCC3, whereas it was not linked to up-regulation of ABCC1. Silencing of ABCC2 and ABCC3 in susceptible larvae reduced their susceptibility to Cry1Ac but did not affect the expression of ALP, whereas suppression of MAP4K4, a constitutively transcriptionally-activated MAPK upstream gene within the BtR-1 locus, led to a transient recovery of gene expression thereby restoring the susceptibility in resistant larvae. These results highlight a crucial role for ALP and ABCC genes in field-evolved resistance to Cry1Ac and reveal a novel trans-regulatory signaling mechanism responsible for modulating the expression of these pivotal genes in P. xylostella. PMID:25875245

A new subdivision of the central Sesia Zone (Aosta Valley, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuntoli, Francesco; Engi, Martin; Manzotti, Paola; Ballèvre, Michel

2015-04-01

The Sesia Zone in the Western Alps is a continental terrane probably derived from the NW-Adriatic margin and polydeformed at HP conditions during Alpine convergence. Subdivisions of the Sesia Zone classically have been based on the dominant lithotypes: Eclogitic Micaschist Complex, Seconda Zona Diorito-Kinzigitica, and Gneiss Minuti Complex. However, recent work (Regis et al., 2014) on what was considered a single internal unit has revealed that it comprises two or more tectonic slices that experienced substantially different PTDt-evolutions. Therefore, detailed regional petrographic and structural mapping (1:3k to 1:10k) was undertaken and combined with extensive sampling for petrochronological analysis. Results allow us to propose a first tectonic scheme for the Sesia Zone between the Aosta Valley and Val d'Ayas. A set of field criteria was developed and applied, aiming to recognize and delimit the first order tectonic units in this complex structural and metamorphic context. The approach rests on three criteria used in the field: (1) Discontinuously visible metasedimentary trails (mostly carbonates) considered to be monocyclic (Permo-Mesozoic protoliths); (2) mappable high-strain zones; and (3) visible differences in the metamorphic imprint. None of these key features used are sufficient by themselves, but in combination they allow us to propose a new map that delimits main units. We propose an Internal Complex with three eclogitic sheets, each 0.5-3 km thick. Dominant lithotypes include micaschists associated with mafic rocks and minor orthogneiss. The main foliation is of HP, dipping moderately NW. Each of these sheets is bounded by (most likely monometamorphic) sediments, <10-50 m thick. HP-relics (of eclogite facies) are widespread, but a greenschist facies overprint locally is strong close to the tectonic contact to neighbouring sheets. An Intermediate Complex lies NW of the Internal Complex and comprises two thinner, wedge-shaped units termed slices. These

Italy’s Carabinieri and Contemporary Security Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

the meantime, organized crime in Italy has grown to epic proportions, encompassing money laundering, counterfeiting, corruption, and drug trafficking...arrests.93 Organized crime involves international activities, including drug and human trafficking, illegal weapons, and money laundering. The...decades developed broad areas of cooperation, such as being trade partners. According to Nadezhda Arbatova, Italy supports “a visa- free travel regime

[Aedes albopictus in Italy: an underestimated health problem].

PubMed

Romi, R

2001-01-01

Since 1990, Ae. albopictus has spread in 9 regions and 30 provinces of the country. This species was introduced in Italy in shipments of scrap tires form the USA. In Italy, Ae. albopictus is the major biting pest throughout much of its range and, although there is no evidence that this mosquito is the vector of human disease in the country, the species might be involved in the transmission of some arboviruses which have been reported in the Mediterranean Basin. Aim of this paper is to provide an update on the distribution of Ae. albopictus in Italy and to renew the interest in a problem frequently underestimated. Public health implications after a ten-year presence of the species are also discussed.

Evidence for ongoing extensional deformation in the western Swiss Alps and thrust-faulting in the southwestern Alpine foreland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eva, Elena; Pastore, Stefania; Deichmann, Nicholas

1998-09-01

To verify the discordant orientations of P- and T-axes found by earlier studies in the Penninic domain of the southern Valais, Switzerland, and in the surrounding regions of France and Italy, we have evaluated the focal mechanisms of 11 of the best-recorded earthquakes that occurred in this area between 1985 and 1990. By employing two-dimensional ray-tracing techniques, we have made use of what is known about the lateral variations of the crustal structure to obtain constraints on the possible focal-depth range of the hypocenters and on the take-off angles at the source. In addition, we have been able to identify one of the two nodal planes as the actual fault plane of one of the events, based on high-resolution relative locations of its aftershocks. The resulting normal faulting and oblique-slip focal mechanisms show that, down to depths of about 10 km, the compressional structures of the Penninic nappes, which were formed during the Alpine orogeny, are presently undergoing extensional deformation and that a significant component of this extension is perpendicular to the Alpine arc. Thrust faulting focal mechanisms from events at the northwestern margin of the Po plain, however, indicate that the southern Alpine foreland is still subject to compressional deformation consistent with the large-scale stress field expected from the convergence of the African and European plates. Thus, our results lend support to geodynamic models that predict extensional deformation across the crest of a mountain range, while the flanks and lowlands continue to undergo crustal shortening.

Late Pleistocene - Holocene surface processes and landscape evolution in the central Swiss Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boxleitner, Max; Musso, Alessandra; Waroszewski, Jarosław; Malkiewicz, Małgorzata; Maisch, Max; Dahms, Dennis; Brandová, Dagmar; Christl, Marcus; de Castro Portes, Raquel; Egli, Markus

2017-10-01

The European Alps are a geomorphologically active region and experience a number of gravity-driven hillslope processes. Soil and landscape formation in the Alps has consequently undergone several minor and major traceable changes of developmental trajectories during the Holocene. Soil development is hypothesised to be often non-linear with time and characterised by stages of progressive and regressive evolution caused by upbuilding (formation, profile deepening) and erosion (profile shallowing). Several cold and warm climate phases are identified during the Holocene but it is largely unknown which effects these might have had on slope processes. By using datable moraines (10Be) and mires (14C), we have constructed a temporal framework for these processes. Using the geochemical imprint of mires in the Alpine setting of the Göschener-valley of the Central Swiss Alps, we reconstructed general (mostly erosional) landscape processes for the last ca. 10 ka. As this is the type locality for the Göschener cold phase, we assumed that this phase (Göschener cold phase I and II 1.5 and 2.5 ka BP) should have left easily recognizable traits. After deglaciation (11-12 ka BP), soil evolution was progressive. Beginning around 8 ka BP, we detect a distinct increase in erosion here, together with a vegetation change (towards tundra vegetation) and the highest measured rates of carbon sequestration. Other phases of high geomorphic activity were recognised ca. 5-6 ka BP, 4 ka BP and, to a lesser extent, 1-3 ka ago. The cold phase at 5-6 ka BP corresponds to a less distinct change in vegetation and lessened erosion. Human impact is increasingly obvious since about 2.4 ka BP which overlaps with the Göschener cold phase. Nonetheless, erosion processes were not extraordinarily high during this period and a climate effect cannot be distinguished. We detect evidence of increasing human disturbance (regressive soil evolution) for about the last 1 ka. We also detect an increase in dust

Accelerating climate change impacts on alpine glacier forefield ecosystems in the European Alps.

PubMed

Cannone, Nicoletta; Diolaiuti, Guglielmina; Guglielmin, Mauro; Smiraglia, Claudio

2008-04-01

In the European Alps the increase in air temperature was more than twice the increase in global mean temperature over the last 50 years. The abiotic (glacial) and the biotic components (plants and vegetation) of the mountain environment are showing ample evidence of climate change impacts. In the Alps most small glaciers (80% of total glacial coverage and an important contribution to water resources) could disappear in the next decades. Recently climate change was demonstrated to affect higher levels of ecological systems, with vegetation exhibiting surface area changes, indicating that alpine and nival vegetation may be able to respond in a fast and flexible way in response to 1-2 degrees C warming. We analyzed the glacier evolution (terminus fluctuations, mass balances, surface area variations), local climate, and vegetation succession on the forefield of Sforzellina Glacier (Upper Valtellina, central Italian Alps) over the past three decades. We aimed to quantify the impacts of climate change on coupled biotic and abiotic components of high alpine ecosystems, to verify if an acceleration was occurring on them during the last decade (i.e., 1996-2006) and to assess whether new specific strategies were adopted for plant colonization and development. All the glaciological data indicate that a glacial retreat and shrinkage occurred and was much stronger after 2002 than during the last 35 years. Vegetation started to colonize surfaces deglaciated for only one year, with a rate at least four times greater than that reported in the literature for the establishment of scattered individuals and about two times greater for the well-established discontinuous early-successional community. The colonization strategy changed: the first colonizers are early-successional, scree slopes, and perennial clonal species with high phenotypic plasticity rather than pioneer and snowbed species. This impressive acceleration coincided with only slight local summer warming (approximately -0

Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) in children and adolescents of immigrated families in Emilia-Romagna (Italy).

PubMed

Banin, Patrizia; Rimondi, Fiorenza; De Togni, Aldo; Cantoni, Stefano; Chiari, Giovanni; Iughetti, Lorenzo; Salardi, Silvana; Zucchini, Stefano; Marsciani, Alberto; Suprani, Tosca; Tarchini, Luis; Tozzola, Anna; Xella, Rossella; Marsella, Maria; De Sanctis, Vincenzo

2010-12-01

The etiology and natural history of T1DM are still unknown but certainly both genetics and environmental factors contribute to the development of the disease. Migration studies are an important tool to better understand the role of the environment. The aim of this study was to investigate some variables in diabetic children of immigrant families living in Emilia-Romagna compared with Italian diabetic children living in the same region. We recruited 73 diabetic children from immigrant families and 707 Italian diabetic children. All children were cared by Pediatric Diabetes Units of Emilia-Romagna (10 centers). The investigated variables were: gender, current age, place of birth, parents' country of origin, age at diagnosis, HbA1c and insulin regimen. No significant difference with reference to gender neither among the two ethnic groups, nor in the current mean age was observed. Mean age at diagnosis in the Italian children was lower than in immigrant patients born outside Italy--group A- (7.4 vs. 9.6, p < 0.000) and higher compared to those born in Italy--group B- (7.4 vs. 5.7 p < 0.003; A vs. B p < 0.000). The immigrant patients showed higher mean HbA1c than Italian patients (8.8 vs. 8.2, p < 0.009). A younger age at diagnosis of T1DM in immigrant children, born in Italy compared with those born in the country of origin, and with Italian patients, suggests the existence of some environmental determinants acquired with a more westernised lifestyle. Immigrant children have significantly poorer metabolic control compared with western patients. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Impact of droughts on water provision in managed alpine grasslands in two climatically different regions of the Alps.

PubMed

Leitinger, Georg; Ruggenthaler, Romed; Hammerle, Albin; Lavorel, Sandra; Schirpke, Uta; Clement, Jean-Christophe; Lamarque, Pénélope; Obojes, Nikolaus; Tappeiner, Ulrike

2015-12-01

This study analyzes the impact of droughts, compared with average climatic conditions, on the supporting ecosystem service water provision in sub-watersheds in managed alpine grasslands in two climatically different regions of the Alps, Lautaret (French Alps) and Stubai (Austrian Alps). Soil moisture was modelled in the range of 0-0.3 m. At both sites, current patterns showed that the mean seasonal soil moisture was (1) near field capacity for grasslands with low management intensity and (2) below field capacity for grasslands with higher land-use intensity. Soil moisture was significantly reduced by drought at both sites, with lower reductions at the drier Lautaret site. At the sub-watershed scale, soil moisture spatial heterogeneity was reduced by drought. Under drought conditions, the evapotranspiration to precipitation ratios at Stubai was slightly higher than those at Lautaret, indicating a dominant 'water spending' strategy of plant communities. Regarding catchment water balance, deep seepage was reduced by drought at Stubai more strongly than at Lautaret. Hence, the observed 'water spending' strategy at Stubai might have negative consequences for downstream water users. Assessing the water provision service for alpine grasslands provided evidence that, under drought conditions, evapotranspiration was influenced not only by abiotic factors but also by the water-use strategy of established vegetation. These results highlight the importance of 'water-use' strategies in existing plant communities as predictors of the impacts of drought on water provision services and related ecosystem services at both the field and catchment scale.

Personal Identity in Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crocetti, Elisabetta; Rabaglietti, Emanuela; Sica, Luigia Simona

2012-01-01

This chapter discusses specifics of identity formation in Italian adolescents and emerging adults. We review consistent evidence illustrating that, in Italy, a progressive deferral of transition to adulthood strongly impacts youth identity development by stimulating identity exploration and postponement of identity commitments. We also consider…

Application of Powder Diffraction Methods to the Analysis of the Atomic Structure of Nanocrystals: The Concept of the Apparent Lattice Parameter (ALP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palosz, B.; Grzanka, E.; Gierlotka, S.; Stelmakh, S.; Pielaszek, R.; Bismayer, U.; Weber, H.-P.; Palosz, W.; Curreri, Peter A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The applicability of standard methods of elaboration of powder diffraction data for determination of the structure of nano-size crystallites is analysed. Based on our theoretical calculations of powder diffraction data we show, that the assumption of the infinite crystal lattice for nanocrystals smaller than 20 nm in size is not justified. Application of conventional tools developed for elaboration of powder diffraction data, like the Rietveld method, may lead to erroneous interpretation of the experimental results. An alternate evaluation of diffraction data of nanoparticles, based on the so-called 'apparent lattice parameter' (alp) is introduced. We assume a model of nanocrystal having a grain core with well-defined crystal structure, surrounded by a surface shell with the atomic structure similar to that of the core but being under a strain (compressive or tensile). The two structural components, the core and the shell, form essentially a composite crystal with interfering, inseparable diffraction properties. Because the structure of such a nanocrystal is not uniform, it defies the basic definitions of an unambiguous crystallographic phase. Consequently, a set of lattice parameters used for characterization of simple crystal phases is insufficient for a proper description of the complex structure of nanocrystals. We developed a method of evaluation of powder diffraction data of nanocrystals, which refers to a core-shell model and is based on the 'apparent lattice parameter' methodology. For a given diffraction pattem, the alp values are calculated for every individual Bragg reflection. For nanocrystals the alp values depend on the diffraction vector Q. By modeling different a0tomic structures of nanocrystals and calculating theoretically corresponding diffraction patterns using the Debye functions we showed, that alp-Q plots show characteristic shapes which can be used for evaluation of the atomic structure of the core-shell system. We show, that using a simple

Mazzini and the Radical Movement in Nineteenth-Century Italy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noether, Emiliana P.

1988-01-01

Discusses the origins of radicalism in Italy, specifically the emergence in 1831 of Giuseppe Mazzini as the advocate of Italian nationalism and radicalism. Examines Mazzini's role in Italy and among European revolutionaries, concluding that his legacy led to the establishment of the Italian republic in the twentieth century. (GEA)

Young People and Alcohol in Italy: An Evolving Relationship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beccaria, Franca; Prina, Franco

2010-01-01

In Italy, commonly held opinions and interpretations about the relationship between young people and alcohol are often expressed as generalizations and approximations. In order to further understanding of the relationship between young people and alcohol in contemporary Italy, we have gathered, compared and discussed all the available data, both…

Italy SimSmoke: the effect of tobacco control policies on smoking prevalence and smoking attributable deaths in Italy

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background While Italy has implemented some tobacco control policies over the last few decades, which resulted in a decreased smoking prevalence, there is still considerable scope to strengthen tobacco control policies consistent with the World Health Organization (WHO) policy guidelines. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of past and project the effect of future tobacco control policies on smoking prevalence and associated premature mortality in Italy. Methods To assess, individually and in combination, the effect of seven types of policies, we used the SimSmoke simulation model of tobacco control policy. The model uses population, smoking rates and tobacco control policy data for Italy. Results Significant reductions of smoking prevalence and premature mortality can be achieved through tobacco price increases, high intensity media campaigns, comprehensive cessation treatment program, strong health warnings, stricter smoke-free air regulations and advertising bans, and youth access laws. With a comprehensive approach, the smoking prevalence can be decreased by as much as 12% soon after the policies are in place, increasing to a 30% reduction in the next twenty years and a 34% reduction by 30 years in 2040. Without effective tobacco control policies, a total of almost 300 thousand lives will be prematurely lost due to smoking by the year 2040. Conclusion Besides presenting the benefits of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, the model helps identify information gaps in surveillance and evaluation schemes that will promote the effectiveness of future tobacco control policy in Italy. PMID:22931428

Stress field variations in the Swiss Alps and the northern Alpine foreland derived from inversion of fault plane solutions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kastrup, U.; Zoback, M.L.; Deichmann, N.; Evans, Kenneth F.; Giardini, D.; Michael, A.J.

2004-01-01

This study is devoted to a systematic analysis of the state of stress of the central European Alps and northern Alpine foreland in Switzerland based on focal mechanisms of 138 earthquakes with magnitudes between 1 and 5. The most robust feature of the results is that the azimuth of the minimum compressive stress, S3, is generally well constrained for all data subsets and always lies in the NE quadrant. However, within this quadrant, the orientation of S3 changes systematically both along the structural strike of the Alpine chain and across it. The variation in stress along the mountain belt from NE to SW involves a progressive, counterclockwise rotation of S3 and is most clear in the foreland, where it amounts to 45??-50??. This pattern of rotation is compatible with the disturbance to the stress field expected from the indentation of the Adriatic Block into the central European Plate, possibly together with buoyancy forces arising from the strongly arcuate structure of the Moho to the immediate west of our study area. Across the Alps, the variation in azimuth of S3 is defined by a progressive, counterclockwise rotation of about 45?? from the foreland in the north across the Helvetic domain to the Penninic nappes in the south and is accompanied by a change from a slight predominance of strike-slip mechanisms in the foreland to a strong predominance of normal faulting in the high parts of the Alps. The observed rotation can be explained by the perturbation of the large-scale regional stress by a local uniaxial deviatoric tension with a magnitude similar to that of the regional differential stress and with an orientation perpendicular to the strike of the Alpine belt. The tensile nature and orientation of this stress is consistent with the "spreading" stress expected from lateral density changes due to a crustal root beneath the Alps. Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.

Geodiversity and Geoheritage of the Sesia-Val Grande Unesco Geopark (NW-Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giardino, Marco; Palomba, Mauro; Selvaggio, Ilaria; Ghiraldi, Luca; Giordano, Enrico

2015-04-01

The Sesia-Valgrande Geopark has been founded in September 2013. It is located in the northern sector of Piemonte region covering an area of almost 214000 hectares. In the northern side the Geopark includes the entire territory of the Val Grande National Park, a small portion of the Ossola Valley and the Cannobina valley, while in the south covers most of the mountain range of the Sesia Valley and portions of neighbouring territories such as Valsessera, Prealpi Biellesi, Val Strona and Alte Colline Novaresi. The present morphology of the whole area is characterized by landforms shaped by different geomorphological processes: glacial, hydrological, gravitational and in the south parts also by karstic phenomena. From the geological point of view the Sesia-Val Grande Geopark "rides" the Canavese segment of the Insubric Line, a major tectonic boundary of the Alps. North- and Westward of the Insubric Line, the Austro-Alpine domain consists of piles of nappes, which were assembled and affected by a polymetamorphic event during the Alpine orogeny. South- and Eastward of the Insubric Line, South-Alpine Rock units were not affected by this metamorphic event: they preserve an older history, despite experiencing substantial Alpine tectonic deformation. These are the original rocks of the northern margin of the Adriatic plate, an exceptional record of metamorphic and igneous events preserved with a virtually intact section of the pre-Alpine crust. Beyond geological heritage this territory is one of the most appealing natural environments of the Western Alps, including several different protected areas, important Walser settlement (13th century) and Palaeolithic human traces in the Monte Fenera caves, religious and artistic attraction dominated by the Ghiffa and Varallo Sacred Mount and eventually sport activities such as rafting, hiking, mountaineering and climbing. In order to promote cultural and geological heritage of the area, several scientific institution have been

Lake Garda, Italy

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-21

This ASTER image was acquired on July 29, 2000 and covers an area of 30 by 57 km in northern Italy. Lake Garda was formed by glaciers during the last Ice Age, and is Italy's largest lake. Lago di Garda lies in the provinces of Verona, Brescia, and Trento, and is 51 kilometers (32 miles) long and from 3 to 18 kilometers (2 to 11 miles) wide. The Sarca is its chief affluent, and the lake is drained southward by the Mincio, which discharges into the Po River. Many villas are situated on its shores. On the peninsula of Sirmione, at the southern end of the lake, are the ruins of a Roman villa and a castle of the Scaligers, an Italian family of the 16th century. The RIGHT image has the land area masked out, and a harsh stretch was applied to the lake values to display variations in sediment load. Also visible are hundreds of boats and their wakes, criss-crossing the lake. The image is centered at 45.6 degrees north latitude, 10.6 degrees east longitude. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02671

78 FR 55095 - Certain Pasta From Italy and Turkey

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-09

...)] Certain Pasta From Italy and Turkey Determinations On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the subject... countervailing and antidumping duty orders on certain pasta from Italy and Turkey would be likely to lead to... respect to imports of certain pasta from Turkey. Background The Commission instituted these reviews on...

Mass-movement and flood-induced deposits in Lake Ledro, southern Alps, Italy: implications for Holocene palaeohydrology and natural hazards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simonneau, A.; Chapron, E.; Vannière, B.; Wirth, S. B.; Gilli, A.; Di Giovanni, C.; Anselmetti, F. S.; Desmet, M.; Magny, M.

2013-03-01

High-resolution seismic profiles and sediment cores from Lake Ledro combined with soil and riverbed samples from the lake's catchment area are used to assess the recurrence of natural hazards (earthquakes and flood events) in the southern Italian Alps during the Holocene. Two well-developed deltas and a flat central basin are identified on seismic profiles in Lake Ledro. Lake sediments have been finely laminated in the basin since 9000 cal. yr BP and frequently interrupted by two types of sedimentary events (SEs): light-coloured massive layers and dark-coloured graded beds. Optical analysis (quantitative organic petrography) of the organic matter present in soil, riverbed and lacustrine samples together with lake sediment bulk density and grain-size analysis illustrate that light-coloured layers consist of a mixture of lacustrine sediments and mainly contain algal particles similar to the ones observed in background sediments. Light-coloured layers thicker than 1.5 cm in the main basin of Lake Ledro are synchronous to numerous coeval mass-wasting deposits remoulding the slopes of the basin. They are interpreted as subaquatic mass-movements triggered by historical and pre-historical regional earthquakes dated to AD 2005, AD 1891, AD 1045 and 1260, 2545, 2595, 3350, 3815, 4740, 7190, 9185 and 11 495 cal. yr BP. Dark-coloured SEs develop high-amplitude reflections in front of the deltas and in the deep central basin. These beds are mainly made of terrestrial organic matter (soils and lignocellulosic debris) and are interpreted as resulting from intense hyperpycnal flood event. Mapping and quantifying the amount of soil material accumulated in the Holocene hyperpycnal flood deposits of the sequence allow estimating that the equivalent soil thickness eroded over the catchment area reached up to 5 mm during the largest Holocene flood events. Such significant soil erosion is interpreted as resulting from the combination of heavy rainfall and snowmelt. The recurrence of

Improvements of the Regional Seismic network of Northwestern Italy in the framework of ALCoTra program activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosco, Fabrizio

2014-05-01

ALCoTra project "CASSAT" (Coordination and Analysis of Alpine Trans-border Seismic Surveillance), we evaluate the improvement of monitoring systems performances in terms of localizations precision and number of detections. Furthermore, we update the procedures for the production of ground shaking maps, with installation of accelerometers and integration of new available data for site effects assessment (VS30 map, FA-VS30 correlations by numerical simulations of seismic response), determined for the specific regional context from geophysical surveys data and geological analysis. As a consequence of the increase of available data due to new stations installation and recently recorded events, a new local magnitude scaling law is calibrated for the area. We also develop a parametric methodology to improve network real-time localization procedures in Northwestern Italy. The area, surrounded by Western Alps and Northern Apennines, presents a complex system of lithospheric structures, characterized by strong heterogeneities of various physical parameters (Ivrea Body, subducting European lithosphere, Ligurian Sea Moho, Po Valley deposits). We work with a localization algorithm (Hypoinverse-2000) suitable for such a heterogeneous context , adopting multi-1d crustal velocities models, linked to epicentral coordinates. In this analysis, first we build velocities models integrating several available geophysical and geo-structural data; then we test jointly both models and algorithm parameters with specifically developed automatic iterative procedures, through batch scripting, database, GIS and statistical analysis tools.

21st century climate change in the European Alps--a review.

PubMed

Gobiet, Andreas; Kotlarski, Sven; Beniston, Martin; Heinrich, Georg; Rajczak, Jan; Stoffel, Markus

2014-09-15

Reliable estimates of future climate change in the Alps are relevant for large parts of the European society. At the same time, the complex Alpine region poses considerable challenges to climate models, which translate to uncertainties in the climate projections. Against this background, the present study reviews the state-of-knowledge about 21st century climate change in the Alps based on existing literature and additional analyses. In particular, it explicitly considers the reliability and uncertainty of climate projections. Results show that besides Alpine temperatures, also precipitation, global radiation, relative humidity, and closely related impacts like floods, droughts, snow cover, and natural hazards will be affected by global warming. Under the A1B emission scenario, about 0.25 °C warming per decade until the mid of the 21st century and accelerated 0.36 °C warming per decade in the second half of the century is expected. Warming will probably be associated with changes in the seasonality of precipitation, global radiation, and relative humidity, and more intense precipitation extremes and flooding potential in the colder part of the year. The conditions of currently record breaking warm or hot winter or summer seasons, respectively, may become normal at the end of the 21st century, and there is indication for droughts to become more severe in the future. Snow cover is expected to drastically decrease below 1500-2000 m and natural hazards related to glacier and permafrost retreat are expected to become more frequent. Such changes in climatic parameters and related quantities will have considerable impact on ecosystems and society and will challenge their adaptive capabilities. © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fluid-rock reactions in an evaporitic melange, Permian Haselgebirge, Austrian Alps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spotl, C.; Longstaffe, F.J.; Ramseyer, K.; Kunk, Michael J.; Wiesheu, R.

1998-01-01

Tectonically isolated blocks of carbonate rocks present within the anhydritic Haselgebirge melange of the Northern Calcareous Alps record a complex history of deformation and associated deep-burial diagenetic to very low-grade metamorphic reactions. Fluids were hot (up to ~ 250 ??C) and reducing brines charged with carbon dioxide. Individual carbonate outcrops within the melange record different regimes of brine-rock reactions, ranging from pervasive dolomite recrystallization to dedolomitization. Early diagenetic features in these carbonates were almost entirely obliterated. Matrix dolomite alteration was related to thermochemical sulphate reduction (TSR) recognized by the replacement of anhydrite by calcite + pyrite ?? native sulphur. Pyrite associated with TSR is coarsely crystalline and characterized by a small sulphur isotope fractionation relative to the precursor Permian anhydrite. Carbonates associated with TSR show low Fe/Mn ratios reflecting rapid reaction of ferrous iron during sulphide precipitation. As a result, TSR-related dolomite and calcite typically show bright Mn(II)-activated cathodoluminescence in contrast to the dull cathodoluminescence of many (ferroan) carbonate cements in other deep-burial settings. In addition to carbonates and sulphides, silicates formed closely related to TSR, including quartz, K-feldspar, albite and K-mica. 40Ar/39Ar analysis of authigenic K-feldspar yielded mostly disturbed step-heating spectra which suggest variable cooling through the argon retention interval for microcline during the Late Jurassic. This timing coincides with the recently recognized subduction and closure of the Meliata-Hallstatt ocean to the south of the Northern Calcareous Alps and strongly suggests that the observed deep-burial fluid-rock reactions were related to Jurassic deformation and melange formation of these Permian evaporites.

The role of serpentinite melanges in the unroofing of UHPM rocks: An example from the Western Alps of Italy: Chapter 6