Central Sector Research Articles

Reproductive Traits and Somatic Growth of Diplodus sargus sargus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Central Algerian Coast (Southern Mediterranean Sea)

This work provides useful knowledge on the reproductive traits and somatic growth of the white seabream (Diplodus sargus sargus Linnaeus, 1758) of the central sector of the Algerian coast. It aimed to estimate the maximum yield size of this sparid and evaluate its reproductive potential, by presenting the first results on its global fecundity. A total of 497 specimens, ranging in size from 12.4 to 40.3 cm, were monthly and randomly sampled from the artisanal fishery fleet, between January and December 2017. The obtained length-weight relationships indicated negative allometry for males (TW=0.024 TL2.842) and isometry for females (TW=0.016 TL3.013). The white seabream is a digynic protandrous hermaphrodite species. Sex reversal was observed with a large size overlap of 12 to 32 cm with a median of 23.5 cm. The reproductive season was observed from January to May and spawning occurred in spring. The size at first sexual maturity (TL50) was 20.55 cm for both sexes. Based on these results, the current legal minimum size of capture should be raised in the study area.

A multi-method dating approach to reassess the geochronology of faulted Quaternary deposits in the central sector of the Iberian Chain (NE Spain)

Seismic hazard assessment and geochronology are closely linked disciplines. The quantity and quality of the geochronological data used for fault-source characterization is crucial in seismic hazard estimates, which may have significant socio-economic implications. The characterization of Quaternary faults in the central sector of the Iberian Chain (NE Spain) has traditionally been based on ages provided by a now closed commercial luminescence laboratory. In this work, we compare new geochronological data obtained by a multi-method dating approach from pediment and terraces (Electron Spin Resonance: ESR, Optically Stimulated Luminescence: OSL; U-series: U/Th) and short-transport colluvial facies (radiocarbon), with ages provided by the commercial luminescence lab from the same units. The thirteen new numerical ages from terraces and pediments associated with Quaternary faults are systematically 6–3 times older than the previous ones, strongly suggesting that they lead to significant overestimates of fault activity and seismic hazard in the region. These new ESR, OSL and U/Th ages and the lack of information about the methodology applied by the closed luminescence laboratory seriously question the reliability of the previous ages. It also highlights the need of revisiting the Quaternary and geomorphological studies carried out in Spain using non-reliable ages.

Analysis of the Urban Energy Balance in Bahía Blanca (Argentina)

The objective of this study is to define the effect of Bahía Blanca (Argentina) urban form and function on heat fluxes integrated in its energy balance at a local scale. The most frequent Local Climate Zones (LCZs) were identified in Bahía Blanca. Most of the LCZs are built types, corresponding to LCZ 1 and 2 in the microcenter, LCZ 3 in the macrocenter, and LCZ 6 and 9 in the city peri-urban area. The spatial distribution of Urban Energy Balance (UEB) was analyzed by calculating indices: the sensible heat index (χ), the evaporation index (γ), the storage index (Λ) and Bowen ratio (β). In the city central sectors there is a preponderance of sensible heat fluxes warming the atmosphere closest to the surface. Bahía Blanca estuary has the highest latent heat flux magnitudes, followed by coastal areas and islands associated. Peri-urban land surfaces and suburbs have greater magnitudes of latent heat flux since they are composed of a high percentage of permeable surfaces. A marked variability is observed in the daytime and nighttime QF anthropogenic heat fluxes, with maximums during the day. During the night, QF values decrease in magnitude throughout the urban area.

Assessing multiproxy approaches (Sr/Ca, U/Ca, Li/Mg, and B/Mg) to reconstruct sea surface temperature from coral skeletons throughout the Great Barrier Reef

Due to the increasing concerns of global warming and short instrumental records of sea surface temperature (SST), coral-based proxies, such as δ18O, Sr/Ca, U/Ca, and Li/Mg have been developed and applied to reconstruct SST in paleoclimate studies. However, these proxies are not universally applicable in different environments, because they are affected by coral physiology and various environmental factors. In this study, seven long-lived Porites corals were collected from the southern sector of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) off the coast of Gladstone and the central sector of the GBR within the Whitsunday Islands in 2017 and 2018. Coral sites were selected to cover a wide latitudinal range with different annual temperature ranges. Century-long geochemical records (Li/Ca, B/Ca, Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, and U/Ca) were generated using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) at weekly resolution. This study has tested the robustness of two traditional temperature proxies (Sr/Ca and U/Ca), a recently developed temperature proxy (Li/Mg), and an additional potential temperature proxy (B/Mg). U/Ca was found to be the most robust and stable temperature proxy for corals from the GBR over long-term timescales. Sr/Ca is a close second, however due to the lower response of Sr fractionation per 1 °C, it is more sensitive to analytical methods and less sensitive to annual SST changes than U/Ca. Li/Mg and B/Mg have clearer periodicity compared to Li/Ca and B/Ca. Both Li/Mg and B/Mg are strongly correlated with SST, which is due to the cancellation of temperature-independent commonality. Empirical calibrations established from this multi-proxy approach increase the certainty of temperature reconstruction when a single proxy does not perform well. These site- and colony-specific SST calibrations also provide an opportunity to revisit the universal multi-trace element calibration of sea surface temperatures (UMTECS) model, which does not require the knowledge of local SST for calibration.

Advancing the Circular Economy in Public Sector Organisations: Employees’ Perspectives on Practices

Circular economy (CE) is a concept that is gaining attention as an approach to help accelerate the transition towards sustainability. Research has focused on the adoption of CE practices in the business sector while the adoption within public sector organisations has been relatively overlooked. Examining CE adoption in the public sector through the perceptive of employees is crucial because of their expertise in the organisation where they work. The main aim of this study is to identify what public employees perceive as suitable CE practices for their organisations and their critical role in implementation. As the adoption of CE practices is influenced by social and material configurations, this research has taken a case study approach, focused on the Portuguese Central Public Administration. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with public employees working on CE and sustainability issues, and a complementary analysis was undertaken of governmental reports and legislative documents. The results show that public employees view the existence and potential of CE practices mainly in the area of public procurement but also in resource efficiency and optimisation, dematerialisation and in practices related to the R-hierarchy including reduce and reuse. Both technical-oriented practices aimed to achieve traditional resource efficiency, and human-centred practices targeted at reducing consumption and sharing resources have been identified. This research provides insights into how a specific group of stakeholders envisions CE activities for their sector. Identification of practices for central public sector has the potential to assist decision-makers in the process of defining priorities for CE planning, implementation and monitoring. This study focusing on CE practices in central public sector organisations contributes to the calls for an inclusion of human/socially-based practices centred around consumption reduction, sharing and dematerialisation activities to enhance the transformative and innovative potential of CE.

Provenance and compositional variations of intra-caldera lake sediments at La Primavera, Jalisco, Western Mexico

The multi-proxy provenance analyses carried out in the Upper Pleistocene sediments of the La Primavera intra-caldera paleolake in western Mexico document the evolution of source areas. This lake formed a few thousand years after the caldera collapse (~95 ka) and lasted until the intra-caldera resurgence process that ended 75 ka ago. Between 93.8 and 71 ka the sedimentary succession that filled the lake was affected by the extrusion of domes at its central part and the constant influx of volcaniclastic debris. Ring-fault domes and extra-caldera activity sourced at San Miguel volcano provided additional volcanic debris into the lake. Based on our multi-proxy studies and recent age determinations of the post-caldera activity is likely that the paleolake was coggled at 78 ka in the central sector of the caldera, synchronously with the caldera resurgence. The resulting deposits (volcaniclastic debris) are tuffaceous sands characterized by lithoarenites rich in neo-volcanic grains, mainly vitrophyric and felsitic volcanic fragments with similar characteristics to the rocks of the Ixtahuantonte, El Nejahuete composite dome, Cerro Alto, Las Pilas, and Dos Coyotes domes. Geochemically, the sediments of the La Primavera caldera exhibit concentrations and elemental relationships of major and trace elements similar to the average of the upper continental crust. However, the high concentrations of some elements, such as La, Th, Ti, and Zr are related to the hyperalkaline nature of the magmatism that originated this volcanic caldera. The concentrations of SiO2/Al2O3, Na2O/K2O, Th, Sc, and Zr/10 indicate a passive margin tectonic setting deposition under low weathering conditions.

Geochemical investigations of the geothermal systems from the Island of Sicily (southern Italy)

• A geochemical study on the fluids discharged in continental Sicily is presented • The models of paths circulation and fluids-rock interaction processes are depicted • The relation between the tectonic setting and the fluids geochemistry is discussed Sicily hosts many natural manifestations that include thermal waters, gas discharges and mud volcanoes. Due to the significant geodynamic and geological differences, the fluid discharges along a NE-WS–oriented transect that run from the Peloritani Mts. to the Sciacca Plain shows a large variability in water and gas chemical and isotopic compositions. The studied waters are characterized by Ca-HCO 3 , Ca(Mg)-SO 4 , Ca-Cl and Na-Cl compositions produced by distinct geochemical processes such as water-rock-gas interactions, mixing between deep and shallow aquifers and seawater and direct and reverse ion exchanges. The gas chemistry is dominated by CO 2 to the east and CO 2 -N 2 to the west of the study area, whereas the central part shows mud volcanoes discharging CH 4 -rich gases. Water isotopes suggest that the thermal waters are fed by a meteoric recharge, although isotopic exchange processes between thermal fluids and host rocks at temperature >150°C are recognized. Accordingly, liquid geothermometry suggests equilibrium temperatures up to 220°C. The carbon in CO 2 and helium isotopes of the emissions from the westernmost sector of Sicily indicate that these two gases consists of up to 40 % of a mantle component, the latter decreasing to the east down to 10% where CO 2 of thermometamorphic origin dominates. Accordingly, conceptual models of the fluid circulation for the western, central and eastern sectors are proposed. The regional geothermal reservoir, hosted in carbonates in the western sector and locally outcropping, is of low to medium temperature. Higher temperature conditions (up to 200-220°C) are suggested by geothermometry and probably related to deeper levels of the system. Sicily can be regarded as a potentially suitable area for future investigations to evaluate specific activities aimed at exploiting the geothermal resource.

New insights on rainfall triggering flow-like landslides and flash floods in Campania (Southern Italy)

The term debris flow is associated with a wide variety of phenomena as debris slides, debris torrents, debris floods, mudflows, mudslides, hyper-concentrated flows and lahars (in volcanic slopes). In historical times, they frequently occurred in Campania Region (Southern Italy) producing damage and casualties. In this paper, more than 200 events described as “debris flow” between 1924 and 2020 were collected. They are mainly located in the central sector of the region, which is characterized by pyroclastic deposits resting on steep carbonate and volcanic slopes and highly prone to hydrogeological hazards. Debris flow events registered in the region were classified as “gravity processes” (flow-like landslides, FL) or “fluvial processes” (flash floods, FF). This classification is fundamental for designing effective early warning systems and risk mitigation plans, since the two phenomena are triggered by different types of rainfall events and are responsible for damages of different magnitude. In this study, a large rainfall database was explored to identify the time scales and seasonality of the two classes of rainfall events, respectively triggering the two phenomena.

Measuring optic nerve head perfusion to monitor glaucoma: a study on structure–function relationships using laser speckle flowgraphy

We aimed to describe the global and localized correlations among visual field (VF) sensitivity, optic nerve head (ONH) perfusion measured by laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) and neural structure measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and to compare the floor effect for LSFG and OCT. Cross-sectional, multicenter study including one eye each from fifty OAG patients (mean age 69.3 years; average VF mean deviation, MD, -8.5 dB, range -25.17 to 0.85 dB) and fifty-one controls. Patients underwent SITA standard 24-2 automated perimetry and measurement of ONH perfusion, peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness (GCIPLT). We tested the presence of a significant change (breakpoint) in the correlation slope with VF sensitivity to assess floor effect. The correlation between the LSFG parameter Mean All (MA) of the global disc area and MD (r = 0.56, p < 0.001) did not show a breakpoint, in contrast to the correlations between MD and OCT global parameters, which showed breakpoints at -8.53 and -4.05 dB for RNFLT and GCIPLT, respectively. Global and localized correlations with VF sensitivity were stronger for LSFG compared to OCT. In particular, LSFG outperformed OCT in the correlation with the central VF sector (r = 0.50, p < 0.001 and r = 0.06, p = 0.67 for MA and RNFLT, respectively). The global and sectoral correlations with VF sensitivity and the favourable floor effect compared to OCT indicate LSFG as a promising tool to monitor progression particularly in late-stage glaucoma. Further longitudinal studies are warranted.

Sigambra sundarbanensis sp. nov. (Annelida, Pilargidae) from the Indian sector of Sundarbans Estuarine System, with remarks on parapodial glands

A new pilargid species, Sigambra sundarbanensis sp. nov., is described from the rivers Matla and Thakuran, in the central Indian sector of the Sundarbans Estuarine System. This species is characterized by several characters such as the starting position of the notopodial hooks, the length of the median antenna and the variation in number of the neuropodial chaetae. These characters distinguish the new species from its congeners. Some parapodial glands have been found in individuals of this species. The new species closely resembles Sigambra parva (Day, 1963). Additionally, an updated key of genus Sigambra is provided, along with a table indicating their morphological variations and a global map showing their type localities.

Multisource data integration for groundwater prospecting in Precambrian shear zones, Espírito Santo State (Southeastern Brazil)

The Precambrian metamorphic rocks in the southern region of the Espírito Santo State(southeastern Brazil) is intercepted by ductile and brittle/ductile shear zones over which towns like Guaçuí, Marechal Floriano and Domingos Martins were established. In the years of 2014 to 2016 the Espírito Santo State faced the worst drought in the past 80 years. In situations like that, the only source of fresh water available is underground. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to integrate multisource data for groundwater prospecting and management. The study area comprises the central sectors of the Guaçuí and Batatal shear zones. Methodology involved the interpretation of stereo-pairs for the identification of lineaments, electrical resistivity surveys and geological fieldwork. The results were tentatively validated with available groundwater well production data. Six resistivity profiles with a total length of 2,400 m were surveyed and 15 outcrops were described across these structures. Results have shown that the structural framework of the shear zones is predominantly made of NW to NNW and NE to NNE-trending lineaments. The former is related to brittle tectonics and the latter coincides with the ductile Precambrian fabric of the crystalline basement rocks. A near-surface porous aquifer regarded to the regolith and recent unconsolidated sedimentary deposits presenting resistivity values &lt; 1,372 Ohm.m and depths &lt; 30 m have good potential for groundwater storage. However, results arenot conclusive about the hydrogeological significance of tectonic structures for groundwaterprospection in the study area.

Financial stability and liquidity risks in the banking sector across the CEMAC region

How does credit from the financial sector and claims on the central government affect banking sector liquidity and financial stability risks? This paper constructs an algorithm, which investigates the impact of domestic credit from the financial sector, bank to capital assets ratio, claims on the central government on banking sector liquidity – a proxy for financial stability. The results show a positive and statistically significant impact of the capital assets ratio on the bank's liquidity of 3.1%. It equally finds that domestic credit and claims on central government hurt bank liquidity, notably of -0.15% and -2.5%, respectively. The study recommends that commercial banks invest in higher-value domestic projects to improve their profitability over the long-run, thereby boosting financial stability. Furthermore, the central bank should make additional liquidity for banks contingent on the amount of credit they provide to the real economy.

Influencing Factors, Energy Consumption, and Carbon Emission of Central Heating in China: A Supply Chain Perspective

The rapid growth of energy demand in China’s central heating sector and the large differences in regions have posed challenges to its energy supply safety, which affected the progress of China’s energy transformation. From a supply chain perspective, this study uses the feasible generalized least squares method to conduct empirical research on the central heating data of 17 provinces in China from 2006 to 2017. The results shows that the main factors of central heating includes energy consumption structure, heat generation method, heat transport carrier, heating degree days and heating area; The main factor that increases the energy consumption of central heating in each province is the same, namely Heating area (HA). However, the main factors that reduce energy consumption in each province are different; using gas instead of coal for clean heating can reduce some greenhouse gas emissions while bringing huge gas supply pressure. According to the results, this study provides some policy suggestions.

Lifestyle coaches as a central professional in the health care network? Dynamic changes over time using a network analysis

BackgroundOverweight and obesity are problems that are increasing globally in both children as well as adults, and may be prevented by adopting a healthier lifestyle. Lifestyle coaches counsel overweight and obese children (and their parents) as well as adults in initiating and maintaining healthier lifestyle behaviours. It is currently unclear whether this novel professional in the Dutch health care system functions as a linchpin in networks that evolve around lifestyle-related health problems. The aim of the present study is to investigate the formation and development of networks of lifestyle coaches and their positions within these networks.MethodsIn this longitudinal study, key professionals and professionals within relevant organisations in the Coaching on Lifestyle (CooL) care networks were asked to fill in three online questionnaires. Respondents were asked to indicate whether they collaborated with each of the specified professionals in the context of CooL. The overall network structures and the central role of the lifestyle coaches were examined by using network analysis.ResultsThe results showed that the networks in three out of four regions were relatively centralised, but that none of the networks were dense, and that the professionals seemed to collaborate less with others over time. Half of the lifestyle coaches had a high number of collaborations and a central position within their networks, which also increased over time. In half of the regions, the lifestyle coaches had increased their role as consultants, while their role as gatekeeper and liaison decreased over time. In most regions, the sector of lifestyle coaches had a central position in their networks in just one measurement. Other central sectors were the local sports organisation, public health services, youth health care and the municipal government.ConclusionsOverall, we cannot conclude that more central and denser networks were formed during the study period. In addition, the lifestyle coaches were not often positioned as a central sector within these networks. Entrepreneurial, network and brokering competences are required for lifestyle coaches to build up denser networks.Trial registrationNTR6208; date registered: 13–01-2017; retrospectively registered; Netherlands Trial Register.

Spatiotemporal patterns and impact of a cyclone on the zooplankton community structure in a brackish coastal lagoon

Zooplankton communities in response to hydrological (salinity, turbidity, water temperature, nitrate, phosphate, silicate) and biological (phytoplankton density) variables were studied in the Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, Chilika (India). Water samples were collected from 13 stations on a monthly frequency between July 2014–June 2015. A total of 141 species of holoplankton including Ciliophora, Foraminifera, Rotifera, Rhizopoda, Gastropoda, Cladocera, Copepoda, Ostracoda, Malacostraca, Chaetognatha, Chordata, Nematoda, and 18 types of planktonic larvae were identified. Copepods were the most dominant and diverse zooplankton in terms of their species richness, numerical abundance, and widespread distribution in the lagoon. The major holoplanktonic taxa were Acartia sp., Acrocalanus gibber, Acrocalanus gracilis, Acrocalanus longicornis, Euterpina acutifrons, Lecane sp., Oithona sp., Pseudodiaptomus serricaudatus, and Tintinnopsis tubulosa. The dominant planktonic larvae were bivalve veliger, copepod nauplii, cyphonautes larvae, gastropod veliger, and protozoea of lucifer. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that distribution of zooplankton assemblages was influenced by salinity, turbidity, and phytoplankton density. Indicator analysis demarcated 26 indicator zooplankton taxa. Of these, the most prominent indicator zooplankton such as Belzebub hanseni, Mesopodopsis orientalis, Chydorus sphaericus, and Corycaeus catus were characteristic to salinity gradient in southern sector, sediment resuspension in central sector, eutrophic conditions in northern sector, and tide-induced intrusion of marine forms in outer channel, respectively. Hudhud, a category 4 cyclone resulted decline in the abundances of zooplankton population. Copepod nauplii and copepodites were dominant during post-Hudhud and their succession was linked to the increased phytoplankton density due to an upsurge in the nutrient level in the northern sector of the lagoon. The present study provided a comprehensive detail on the zooplankton composition and their environmental drivers including the impact of a tropical cyclone from a tropical coastal lagoon system.

Maximizing Bali Village Tourism Potential Using Penta-Helix Model

The rapid growth of the tourism sector has made the government committed to implementing the principle of sustainable tourism development. To develop regional tourism, it is relatively necessary to direct, integrated, cross-sectoral, and sustainable programs so that the economic benefits of tourism are increasingly felt evenly distributed by the community. Bali, popular as one of the most tourist destinations in the world, is used as an example for the development of a national destination by the Indonesian government by creating 10 new Bali destinations, but this scheme must be postponed due to the covid-19 outbreak that hit Indonesia. This study aims to explore the sustainable tourism strategy in Bali’s village tourism sector using a qualitative approach based on content analysis based on secondary data since Bali has the largest number of village tourism in Indonesia using the Penta-helix model (synergy between academic, business, community, government, and media). With the synergy and collaboration of these five central sectors (especially during decreasing tourism sector of coronavirus outbreak), it is expected to increase awareness and maximizing the potential among the public regarding Bali sustainable tourism.

Spatial and Temporal Evolution of the Freiberg Epithermal Ag-Pb-Zn District, Germany

Abstract The Freiberg district hosts one of the largest series of epithermal polymetallic vein deposits in Europe. The availability of a systematic collection of historical samples provides an excellent opportunity to study the anatomy of these epithermal systems. Detailed petrographic investigations, geochemical analyses, and fluid inclusion studies were conducted on several vertical profiles within the Freiberg district to decipher mineralogical and geochemical zoning patterns. Six distinctive mineral associations have been recognized within the Freiberg epithermal veins; sphalerite-pyrite-quartz and galena-quartz±carbonate associations are most abundant in the central sector, as well as in the deepest sections of veins on the periphery of the district. A high-grade sphalerite-Ag-sulfides-carbonate association occurs laterally between the central and peripheral sectors and at intermediate depth in veins on the periphery. Shallow and peripheral zones are dominated by an exceptionally Ag-rich Ag-sulfides-quartz association, whereas the shallowest veins locally comprise Ag-poor stibnite-quartz and quartz-carbonate associations. Fluid inclusion assemblages returned low salinities (&amp;lt;6.0 wt % NaCl equiv), and homogenization temperatures successively decrease from ~320°C associated with the proximal and deep sphalerite-pyrite-quartz association, to ~170°C related to the distal and shallow Ag-sulfides-quartz association. The architecture of the Freiberg district is related to the temporal and spatial evolution of magmatic-hydrothermal fluid systems, including boiling and concomitant cooling, as well as CO2 loss. Constraints on the paleodepth indicate that the veins formed between 200 and 1,800 m below the paleowater table. High-grade Ag ore occurs over a vertical interval of at least 500 m and is bracketed by shallower stibnite-quartz and barren quartz, and deeper base metal-sulfide-quartz zones.

Implication of Tidal Forcing Effects on the Zonal Variation of Solstice Equatorial Plasma Bubbles

AbstractEquatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) are plasma depletions that can occur in the nighttime ionospheric F region, causing scintillation in satellite navigation and communications signals. Past research has shown that EPB occurrence rates are higher during the equinoxes in most longitude zones. An exception is over the central Pacific and African sectors, where EPB activity has been found to maximize during solstice. Tsunoda et al. (2015) hypothesized that the solstice maxima in these two sectors could be driven by a zonal wavenumber 2 atmospheric tide in the lower thermosphere. In this study, we utilize satellite observations to examine evidence of such a wave‐2 feature preconditioning the nighttime ionosphere to favor higher EPB growth rates over these two regions. We find the postsunset total electron content (TEC) observed by FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate) during boreal summer from 2007 to 2012 exhibits a wave‐2 zonal distribution, consistent with elevated vertical plasma gradients favorable for EPB formation. Numerical experiments are also carried out to determine whether such an ionospheric wave‐2 can be produced as a result of vertical coupling from atmospheric tides with zonal wavenumber 2 in the local time frame. We find that forcing from these tidal components produced increases in the Rayleigh‐Taylor growth rate over both sectors during solar maximum and minimum, as well as wave‐2 modulations on vertical ion drift, ion flux convergence, and nighttime TEC. Our results are consistent with the aforementioned hypothesis over both regions with vertical coupling effects from atmospheric tides preconditioning the nighttime ionosphere to favor higher EPB growth rates.

Evaluation of 3D structural changes in general atmospheric and monsoon circulations during Kedarnath disaster (India), 16–17 June 2013

Intense rains on 16–17 June 2013 over Mandakini River catchment caused Kedarnath disaster in Uttarakhand State (India). Normal and departure-from-normal 3D global atmospheric thermal structure and general and monsoon circulations during the event have been compared using equatorially/globally- conditioned surface and upper air parameters (1000–100 hPa) (period: 1979–2013). Briefly, normal monsoon structure is: 1000‒850 hPa layer- cross-equatorial flows over Indian Ocean and Eurasian westerlies confluence over Indian domain, the two flows further confluence downstream with Pacific easterlies and then the accumulated airmasses blow northeastward; 700‒500 hPa layer- Eurasian westerlies after sweeping entire Indian subcontinent make exit northeastward; and 400‒100 hPa layer- upper tropospheric anticyclone well-developed over subtropical Asia and outflows are spread all around. On 16–17 June 2013, two upper tropospheric anticyclonic cells occurred, one over Tibet-China and another Mediterranean-Middle East. Troposphere (1000–250 hPa) was significantly warmer-and-thicker over Tibet-China followed by Mediterranean-Middle East while cooler-and-thinner over central Asia-India sector. Departures in downward slopes of tropospheric temperature and thickness from Tibet-China outward were significantly steeper. A huge trough evolved over Indo-Pacific region from an interaction between Eurasian westerlies and Indo-Pacific easterlies, and outflows from the trough made forced exit through western Himalaya which modulated north mid-high latitudes westerlies into a single wave structure. Combined five factors produced disastrous rains over Kedarnath: cool-low and warm-low regime contrast; squeezing of deep warm-moist flows; orographic lifting; and pumping and suction effects. Forced warm-moist outflows from Indo-Pacific region caused warmer-thicker troposphere over eastern Russia-North America. Lesser outflows from Tibet-China anticyclone were directed southward, consequently troposphere was cooler-thinner over southern mid-high latitudes.

Fracture Kinematics and Holocene Stress Field at the Krafla Rift, Northern Iceland

In the Northern Volcanic Zone of Iceland, the geometry, kinematics and offset amount of the structures that form the active Krafla Rift were studied. This rift is composed of a central volcano and a swarm of extension fractures, normal faults and eruptive fissures, which were mapped and analysed through remote sensing and field techniques. In three areas, across the northern, central and southern part of the rift, detailed measurements were collected by extensive field surveys along the post-Late Glacial Maximum (LGM) extension fractures and normal faults, to reconstruct their strike, opening direction and dilation amount. The geometry and the distribution of all the studied structures suggest a northward propagation of the rift, and an interaction with the Húsavík–Flatey Fault. Although the opening direction at the extension fractures is mostly normal to the general N–S rift orientation (average value N99.5° E), a systematic occurrence of subordinate transcurrent components of motion is noticed. From the measured throw at each normal fault, the heave was calculated, and it was summed together with the net dilation measured at the extension fractures; this has allowed us to assess the stretch ratio of the rift, obtaining a value of 1.003 in the central sector, and 1.001 and 1.002 in the northern and southern part, respectively.