High-energy Events Research Articles

Sedimentological and geomorphological imprints of Holocene tsunamis in southwestern Spain: An approach to establish the recurrence period

This paper reviews the sedimentological and geomorphological imprints of prehistoric and historical tsunamis in the four main estuaries of SW Spain. These imprints include beach erosion, filling of intertidal channels, deposition of bioclastic layers, washover fans and reworked aeolian sheets and the breaching of spits and tombolos. Most of these imprints were caused by the 218–209BC and AD1755 tsunamis, although evidence of other tsunamis has been identified. In these two events, effects on human populations were severe and diverse, such as human loss of life, changes in coastal settlements and international borders, damage to port infrastructure or flooding of marsh and inhabited areas. New radiocarbon reservoir data were included in order to obtain an approach to the recurrence period of these high-energy events (700–1000years) in this area.

A multi-proxy reconstruction and comparison of Holocene palaeoenvironmental changes in the Alvor and Alcantarilha estuaries (southern Portugal)

The present study investigates the history of two estuaries on the Algarve coast, southern Portugal, through a multi-proxy approach that links sedimentology, geochemistry, palynology, microfaunal analyses and radiocarbon dating. These analyses provide an overview of the development of these estuaries over the last ∼7500years. Palynological data reveal climate-driven vegetational shifts over the whole period. Microfauna, which is composed predominantly of foraminifers and ostracods, provides evidence for periods of marine and brackish water conditions, observed in both estuaries. Whereas the sediment record from the Alvor estuary shows a clear, nearly continuous silting-up sequence, the development of the Alcantarilha estuary is characterised by fluvial sedimentation, replaced by a marine environment at about 7300 yr cal BP. Marine transgression is indicated by marine-brackish foraminifera and ostracod assemblages, while upper-marsh pollen decreased and wetland communities increased at the same time. A continuous shallowing of the estuaries followed between ∼6700 yr cal BP and ∼5700yr cal BP in Alvor and 4500 yr cal BP in Alcantarilha. This was interrupted by a distinct high-energy event, possibly a storm or tsunami, between 6400 and 5800 yr cal BP in Alvor; the event was not recorded in the Alcantarilha estuary. Afterwards, the silting-up restarted with clear similarities to the pre-event situation and continued until ∼3500/2000yr cal BP. This process was influenced by the build-up of sand barriers in front of the estuaries. This is also documented by a higher percentage of upper-marsh vegetation. The core from Alcantarilha estuary shows another layer of high-energy deposits, with mainly marine foraminifers and ostracods after 4500 yr cal BP. The youngest parts of the two records are characterised by decreasing tidal influence and increasing anthropogenic impact, indicated by increasing values of cultivated plants and other human-induced changes of vegetation cover.

A quantitative analysis of Recent arid coastal sedimentary facies from the Arabian Gulf Coastline of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

This study presents the results of the first quantitative analysis of surface sediments along multiple transects of the Arabian Gulf shoreline of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The natural coastline of this low-angle carbonate ramp depositional system is being anthropogenically modified at an unprecedented rate. As this system is much-employed as a Recent analogue for many ancient depositional sequences, it is imperative that sedimentological characteristics of natural facies occurrences are accurately recorded for employment in future applications. We establish distinct relationships between the geomorphic setting and sediment characteristics. Siliciclastic grains admixed to this system are naturally sourced from the Pliocene Ghayathi Formation and from aeolian sediment influx during dust storms. This natural source of siliciclastic detritus is being increasingly superseded by siliciclastic material derived from anthropogenic activities. Evaporite minerals are similarly being contributed from anthropogenic sources. The occurrence of mud to silt grade sediments is primarily controlled by the presence of a sediment-binding microbial mat that prevents the removal of fine material during high energy events. Similarly, the presence of a halite crust in the upper tidal flats and supratidal zone prevents aeolian deflation. This study did not establish any clear relationship between coastal geomorphic setting and the bioclastic components present in the sediments. This finding has major implications for the application of bioclasts in fine-tuning palaeoenvironmental interpretation of ancient carbonate ramp coastal systems. • Quantitative analysis of surface sediments along transects of the Abu Dhabi shoreline. • Establishes relationships between geomorphic settings and sediment characteristics. • Provides base-line data for the interpretation of ancient carbonate ramp systems. • Bioclast occurrence is unreliable in the interpretation of carbonate ramp systems.

Study of magnetic field expansion using a plasma generator for space radiation active protection

There are many active protecting methods including Electrostatic Fields, Confined Magnetic Field, Unconfined Magnetic Field and Plasma Shielding etc. for defending the high-energy solar particle events (SPE) and Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) in deep space exploration. The concept of using cold plasma to expand a magnetic field is the best one of all possible methods so far. The magnetic field expansion caused by plasma can improve its protective efficiency of space particles. One kind of plasma generator has been developed and installed into the cylindrical permanent magnet in the eccentric. A plasma stream is produced using a helical-shaped antenna driven by a radio-frequency (RF) power supply of 13.56 MHz, which exits from both sides of the magnet and makes the magnetic field expand on one side. The discharging belts phenomenon is similar to the Earth's radiation belt, but the mechanism has yet to be understood. A magnetic probe is used to measure the magnetic field expansion distributions, and the results indicate that the magnetic field intensity increases under higher increments of the discharge power.

The fraction of muon tracks in cosmic neutrinos

The study of the distintive signatures of the ultra high energy events recently seen by IceCube [1-4] can allow to single the neutrino origin out. The detection of tau neutrinos would be a clear way to prove that they come from cosmic distances, but at the highest energies currently seen, about 1 PeV, an experimental characterization of tau events is difficult. The study of the fraction of the muon tracks seems more promising. In fact, for any initial composition, because of the occurrence of flavor oscillations and despite their uncertainties, the fraction of muon tracks in the cosmic neutrinos is smaller than the one of atmospheric neutrinos, even hypothesizing an arbitrarily large contribution from charmed mesons. A good understanding of the detection efficiencies and the optimization of the analysis cuts, along with a reasonable increase in the statistics, should provide us with a significant test of the cosmic origin of these events.

The influence of climate and sea-level change on the Holocene evolution of a Mediterranean coastal lagoon: Evidence from ostracod palaeoecology and geochemistry

Coastal lagoons provide an excellent basis for the study of processes controlling the evolution of a coastal zone. We examine the relative importance of these processes during the middle to late Holocene through a study of an 8.5meter-long sediment record from the Albufera de Valencia (Spain). We combine sedimentological analyses with investigations into the palaeoecology, taphonomy and geochemistry (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, δ18O and δ13C) of ostracod valves in order to assess the effects of sea-level changes, storm events and effective moisture on the evolution of a Western Mediterranean coastal wetland. The late Pleistocene sediments represent a subaerial environment, which was followed by a hiatus in deposition. The first Holocene unit (∼8700–7500 calendar yr. BP) is composed of typical lagoon-barrier and backshore sediments, deposited when seawater intruded into the lake and the climate was arid. The upper part of the sequence (between 7500 and 3400 yr.) is characterized by two sedimentary units, which correspond to Holocene progradation phases and humid climate associated with an increased freshwater influx to the lake accompanied by several high-energy events (palaeostorms). Overall, the record shows that an arid climate prevailed in the western Mediterranean area between 8400 and 7600 yr. The main marine transgression and accompanying progradational phases occurred between 7000 and 3400 yr., which is confirmed by other studies of coastal evolution along the Mediterranean coast. The multiproxy reconstructions demonstrate that controls on sedimentation and palaeoecology in this Mediterranean coastal lagoon were complex.

A muddy megaturbidite in the deep central South China Sea deposited ~350yrsBP

In the central South China Sea basin below 4200 m water depth in an area of about 90,000 km 2 a mud turbidite was observed that is a few centimeters to several tens of centimeters thick and hence, represents a fairly large volume of 15 to 20 km 3 classifying the deposit as megaturbidite. The host sediment accumulated below CCD and the mud turbidite itself does not contain any carbonate. Nonetheless, emplacement time could be dated by the AMS C-14 method at ~ 350 yrs BP while burrowing organisms that colonized the mud turbidite shortly after deposition stored shells of planktic foraminifera in their burrows. The origin of the mud mass is unknown, but it can be inferred from the grain size at the base of the turbidite that decreases from SE to W and NW. Furthermore, towards its SE tip, the turbidite occurs in a somewhat shallower water depth. These observations and topographical considerations imply the NW margin of Borneo as a possible source area wherein mass movements are known to occur frequently. The mud turbidite is throughout fine-grained and rich in organic matter (~ 0.8% C org ). The thickness of the cover sediment reflects local variations of sedimentation rate within the central South China Sea basin. • A ~ 15–20 km 3 muddy turbidite occurs in the central South China Sea below 4200 m. • Below CCD, colonizing animals stored shells in burrows allowing C-14 age dating. • At the time of deposition a high energy event has been recorded for the South China Sea. • Cover sediment reflects sedimentation pattern in an otherwise hardly datable deposits.

Seismic activation of tectonic stresses by mining

Hard coal mining in the area of the Bytom Syncline (Upper Silesia Coal Basin, Poland) has been associated with the occurrence of high-energy seismic events (up to 109 J; local magnitude up to 4.0), which have been recorded by the local mining seismological network and regional seismological network. It has been noticed that the strongest seismic events occur when the mine longwall alignments coincide with the syncline axis. Data recorded by the improved local seismic network in the Bobrek Mine allow the estimation of the depths of the events’ hypocentres during excavation of longwall panel 3 as it approached the syncline axis. The recorded data were also used to estimate the location of the rupture surface and stress distribution in the seismic focus region. It was concluded that tectonic stresses, particularly horizontal stress components, are essential in the distribution of seismic tremors resulting from reverse faulting. The stresses induced by mining activity are only triggering tectonic deformations. The hypocentres of the strongest seismic events during mining of longwall panel 3/503 were located 300–800 m deeper than the level of coal seam 503.

Sediment dynamics and post-glacial evolution of the continental shelf around the Blanes submarine canyon head (NW Mediterranean)

The Blanes submarine canyon (BC) deeply incises the Catalan continental shelf in the NW Mediterranean Sea. As a consequence of the closeness (only 4km) of its head to the coastline and the mouth of the Tordera River, the canyon has a direct influence on the shelf dispersal system as it collects large amounts of sediment, mainly during high-energy events. Multibeam bathymetry, backscatter imagery and very-high resolution seismic reflection profiles have allowed characterizing the morphology of the continental shelf around the canyon head, also identifying sediment sources and transport pathways into the canyon. The morphological data have also been used to reconstruct the evolution of the continental shelf during the last sea-level transgression so that the current understanding of shelf-to-canyon sediment exchanges through time could be improved.The continental shelf surrounding the BC consists of both depositional and erosional or non-depositional areas. Depositional areas display prominent sediment bodies, a generally smooth bathymetry and variable backscatter. These include: (i) an area of modern coarse-grained sediment accumulation that comprises the inner shelf; (ii) a modern fine-grained sedimentation area on the middle shelf offshore Tossa de Mar; and (iii) a modern sediment depleted area that covers most of the middle and outer shelf to the west of the canyon head. Erosional and non-depositional areas display a rough topography and high backscatter, and occur primarily to the east of the canyon head, where the arrival of river-fed inputs is very small. In agreement with this pattern, the continental shelf north and west of the canyon head likely is the main source of shelf sediment into the canyon. To the north, a pattern of very high backscatter extends from the coastline to the canyon head, suggesting the remobilization and off-shelf export of fines. Additionally, relict near-shore sand bodies developed over the Barcelona shelf that extend to the canyon head rim constitute a source of coarse sediment. High-energy processes, namely river floods and coastal storms, are the main controls over the river-shelf-canyon sediment exchange. River floods increase the delivery of terrigenous particles to the coastal system. Storms, mainly from the east, remobilize the sediment temporarily accumulated on the shelf towards the canyon head, so that the finer fractions are preferentially removed and a coarse lag is normally left on the shelf floor. Exceptionally, very strong storms also remove the coarse fractions from the shelf drive them into the canyon. Processes like dense shelf water cascading, which is much more intense in canyons to the north of BC, and the Northern Current also contribute to the transport of suspended sediment from far distant northern sources.During the last post-glacial transgression the BC had a strong influence on the evolution of the inner continental margin, as it interrupted the shelf sediment dispersal system by isolating the shelves to its north and south, named La Planassa and Barcelona shelves, respectively.

Bioavailable compounds in sinking particulate organic matter, Blanes Canyon, NW Mediterranean Sea: Effects of a large storm and sea surface biological processes

To ascertain whether the Blanes submarine canyon functions as a conduit of labile organic compounds to the deep margin, we analyzed phytopigment, protein, carbohydrate and lipid contents of sinking particles during a 6-months period comprised between a large storm event and the spring phytoplankton bloom. Four sediment traps were deployed, at 300, 900, 1200, and 1500m depth along the axis of the canyon from November 2008 to April 2009. Fluxes of all study variables (organic carbon, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids) peaked from mid to late December. Afterwards, organic matter fluxes in the upper canyon decreased to values comparable (BC1200) or much lower (BC900) than those observed at the beginning of the monitoring period. The algal fraction of biopolymeric C (i.e. the percentage contribution of phytopigments to biopolymeric C utilized here as an indicator of particles’ freshness), ranging from 14 to about 100%, was generally low (median value about 32%), and showed the highest values from November to early December 2008 at all stations, except for the station at 1200m which peaks in April 2009. A severe storm that occurred the 26th of December 2008 determined a strong increase in the downward transport of organic matter along the Blanes Canyon, though associated with a decrease in its nutritional quality. Values of the protein to carbohydrate ratio (utilized here as an indicator of particles’ nutritional quality) ranged from 0.4 to >2.0, increasing from late winter to early spring at 900 and 1200m depth in association with the spring phytoplankton bloom in superficial waters. The material collected by sediment traps in spring had a higher nutritional value than in autumn–winter at both stations. According to the optimal foraging theory, the results of this study suggest that, following winter episodic events, deep-sea detritus feeders would need to ingest more detritus to fulfill their requirements for labile food than in spring, when fresher material is derived from sinking particles associated with phytoplankton blooms. We conclude that whilst submarine canyons like the Blanes Canyon act as major conduits for material exported from the continental shelf after high-energy episodic events, the supply of labile food to the deep-sea benthic ecosystem is connected to biological processes occurring at the sea surface.

Riverine transport of terrestrial organic matter to the North Catalan margin, NW Mediterranean Sea

Rivers are the primary pathway for organic matter transport from the terrestrial to the marine environment and, thus, river fluxes are critical in regulating the quantity of terrestrial organic matter that reaches the coastal ecosystems. Hydrodynamic processes typical of the coastal zone can lead to the transport of terrestrial organic matter across the continental shelf and beyond. Such organic matter can eventually reach the deep margin and basin ecosystems. Riverine inputs of organic matter to the sea can be a significant food source to marine ecosystems contributing to carbon cycling in these ecosystems. In order to assess the marine carbon cycle it is essential to know the biogeochemical characteristics and temporal dynamics of the fluvial organic matter input discharged by rivers to the coastal zone. In this study we present a one and a half year long (November 2008 to May 2010) assessment on organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (N) inputs from the three main rivers discharging into the North Catalan margin (Tordera, Ter and Fluvià, from south to north). Furthermore, we investigate the characteristics of the particulate organic matter discharged by these rivers by means of stable isotopic (δ13C and δ15N) and grain size analyses.We found that the hydrological regime of the rivers is a relevant factor in regulating the quantity and mediating the quality of organic matter inputs to the North Catalan margin. Overall, the three main rivers discharging into the study area deliver 1266 and 159 tonnes of terrestrial OC and N per year, respectively, to the coastal zone. Most of the OC and N load is transported during floods, which indicates that the Mediterranean climate of the area, with a strong seasonal contrast in precipitation, determines the timing of the main inputs of OC and N to the sea. Therefore, the annual OC and N load experiences a high temporal variability associated to the number and magnitude of floods with in each hydrological year. In addition, we found that water reservoirs along the rivers act as traps for terrestrial organic matter, reducing its delivery and ultimate burial into marine sediments. River hydrology also affects the quality of organic matter that reaches the coastal zone (both in terms of C and N) by shifting the relative weight of the various sources of terrestrial organic matter. During low river discharge (i.e., in summer and early autumn) the main contributor to the organic matter pool is mostly associated with freshwater primary producers, whereas with relatively high water flows (i.e., in winter and spring) the main contributor is associated with erosion and release of soil organic matter. Furthermore, the impact of waste water treatment plants into the studied rivers results in the alteration of the isotopic signal of suspended N. The three studied rivers play a major role in transporting terrestrial organic matter to the North Catalan margin, but the fraction that is exported to the deep margin by high-energy episodic hydrodynamic events, such as large coastal storms, has a minor importance.

Assessment of coastal dune characteristics using georadar imaging and sedimentological analysis: Odisha and Visakhapatnam, India

The East coast of India is subject to continuous changes by high energy events. We sought to assess the depositional conditions along the coast from the geophysical and sedimentological character of the dune sands of the Gopalpur and Paradeep coast of Odisha, and the Sagarnagar coast of North Visakhapatnam. Quartz layers of the heavy mineral-rich zone collected at a depth of ~2 m from the landward foot of the dunes in the Visakhapatnam and Odisha coast, gave the OSL age estimates as 1,050 ± 50 and 260 ± 10 years respectively, revealing that the age of the dunes in Visakhapatnam are older than those on the Odisha coast. Episodic high energy events have affected the coast. Evidence from ground penetrating radar data consists of three stratigraphic units. The upper unit consists of vague reflections, parallel to the ground in continuous manner, most probably formed by wind action. On the other hand, the middle layer shows high amplitude reflections of heavy mineral-rich massive layers, possibly the result of tsunami activity. The lower massive layer parallel to the ground surface shows a low reflection pattern. The GPR studies showed that the thickness of the heavy mineral layers is greater on the landward foot of the dune as compared to that on the seaward side. According to the grain size analysis, the dune is composed of both wind generated and tsunamigenic sediments. The scanning electron microscope studies revealed that the heavy minerals present in the dunes are mainly sillimanite, ilmenite, garnet, pyroxene, rutile, sphene, biotite, hornblende, zircon, monazite and magnetite. The study demonstrates the origin of sand dunes in different ages along the East Coast of India by the effect of various natural phenomena.

Ripples in intertidal mud—a conceptual explanation

On protected mudflats and along sheltered tidal channel margins, wave- and current-generated ripples are frequently observed on surficial and subsurface mud beds, although such bedforms are generally not thought to occur in cohesive sediments. In this paper, examples of such ripple marks in the German Wadden Sea (back-barrier tidal flats of Spiekeroog island) and also along the west coast of Korea (Baeksu tidal flats) are documented and analyzed. The mud ripples are 5–8 cm in spacing and 0.3–0.8 cm in height, and are composed of slightly sandy to virtually pure mud (80–98% mud content). For the Spiekeroog study area, a comparison of in situ particle-size measurements of suspended matter and of dispersed mud collected from the ripples shows that the former consists of low-density flocs which are considerably larger than the constituent grains of the latter. To assess local wave effects, near-bed orbital velocities and orbital diameters were calculated on the basis of standard wave theory using estimated wave parameters at the time of the study (June 2004) as well as wave data recorded nearby within the back-barrier tidal basin. The relationships between grain size, morphometric ripple parameters, and the near-bed orbital diameter show the wave-generated mud ripples to be of the orbital post-vortex type. It is demonstrated that only short-period shoaling (intermediate water depth) waves with periods of 1.5–2.5 s and heights of 0.1–0.5 m are able to generate and maintain such ripples. Corresponding near-bed orbital velocities range from 8–32 cm s–1 and near-bed orbital diameters from 6.25–10 cm. It can be anticipated that increased current shear and turbulence associated with higher and longer waves prevent ripple formation due to the resuspension of settled mud, and the breakdown of suspended flocs and aggregates into smaller particles which then tend to remain in suspension. The most plausible explanation for the formation of the mud ripples is that mud flocs and aggregates deposited from suspension around high-water slack tide under moderate weather conditions initially respond as single (non-cohesive) particles which are hydraulically equivalent to ambient very fine sands. During exposure at low tide, gradual loss of water transforms the rippled mud into increasingly more cohesive mud drapes which are more resistant to erosion. Unless destroyed during high-energy events, the mud ripples may remain intact long enough to become buried and thereby preserved. Indeed, occasional but persistent observations of ripples in sub-Recent to ancient mudrocks document their preservation potential.

The relationship between the duration of solar X-ray flares and the mass of associated coronal ejections

The statistical relationship between the parameters of X-ray flares and coronal mass ejections on the Sun that are associated with these flares, is considered. It is shown that short X-ray flares are characterized on average by a lower mass ejection in the outer layers of the corona and interplanetary space as compared to high-energy long-duration events.

Solar proton events at the end of the 23rd and start of the 24th solar cycle recorded in the PAMELA experiment

The PAMELA magnetic spectrometer was launched into a near-Earth orbit on board the Resurs-DK1 satellite in June 2006; in December 2006, it recorded the last strong solar high-energy particle event of the 23rd solar cycle. A deficit was thereafter observed in solar energetic particle events because of the lengthy solar activity minimum and the weak evolution of the next (24th) solar cycle. As a result, only a few solar events involving protons with energies of more than 100 MeV were recorded between 2010 and 1012. This work presents the preliminary results from measurements of charged particle fluxes in these events, recorded by the Pamela spectrometer.

Explanation for the Low Flux of High-Energy Astrophysical Muon Neutrinos

There has been some concern about the unexpected paucity of cosmic high-energy muon neutrinos in detectors probing the energy region beyond 1PeV. As a possible solution we consider the possibility that some exotic neutrino property is responsible for reducing the muon neutrino flux at high energies from distant sources; specifically, we consider (i)neutrino decay and (ii)neutrinos being pseudo-Dirac-particles. This would provide a mechanism for the reduction of high-energy muon events in the IceCube detector, for example.

Preliminary evidence for a 1000-year-old tsunami in the South China Sea

The risk of large, devastating tsunamis in the South China Sea and its surrounding coastal region is commonly underestimated or unrecognized due to the difficulty of differentiating tsunami from storm deposits. As a consequence, few convincing records have documented tsunami deposits in this region. Here we report preliminary evidence from Xisha Islands in the South China Sea for a large tsunami around AD 1024. Sand layers in lake sediment cores and their geochemical characteristics indicate a sudden deposition event around AD 1024, temporally consistent with a written record of a disastrous event characterized by high waves in AD 1076. Heavy coral and shell fossils, which are older than AD 1024, deposited more than 200 meters into the island, further support the occurrence of a high-energy event such as a tsunami or an unusually large storm. Our results underscore the importance of acknowledging and understanding the tsunami hazard in this area.

Reconstructing 7000 years of North Atlantic hurricane variability using deep‐sea sediment cores from the western Great Bahama Bank

Available overwash records from coastal barrier systems document significant variability in North Atlantic hurricane activity during the late Holocene. The same climate forcings that may have controlled cyclone activity over this interval (e.g., the West African Monsoon, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)) show abrupt changes around 6000 yrs B.P., but most coastal sedimentary records do not span this time period. Establishing longer records is essential for understanding mid‐Holocene patterns of storminess and their climatic drivers, which will lead to better forecasting of how climate change over the next century may affect tropical cyclone frequency and intensity. Storms are thought to be an important mechanism for transporting coarse sediment from shallow carbonate platforms to the deep‐sea, and bank‐edge sediments may offer an unexplored archive of long‐term hurricane activity. Here, we develop this new approach, reconstructing more than 7000 years of North Atlantic hurricane variability using coarse‐grained deposits in sediment cores from the leeward margin of the Great Bahama Bank. High energy event layers within the resulting archive are (1) broadly correlated throughout an offbank transect of multi‐cores, (2) closely matched with historic hurricane events, and (3) synchronous with previous intervals of heightened North Atlantic hurricane activity in overwash reconstructions from Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Bahamas. Lower storm frequency prior to 4400 yrs B.P. in our records suggests that precession and increased NH summer insolation may have greatly limited hurricane potential intensity, outweighing weakened ENSO and a stronger West African Monsoon—factors thought to be favorable for hurricane development.

Internal sedimentary architecture and coastal dynamics as revealed by ground penetrating radar, Kachchh coast, western India

The coastline constitutes a very sensitive geomorphic domain which is constantly subjected to dynamic coastal processes and stores vital information regarding past sea level fluctuations. A ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey was carried out along the northern coast of the Gulf of Kachchh which is one of the largest macrotidal inlets of the Arabian Sea, Western India. Our studies have delineated several radar surfaces and radar facies which reflect the internal architecture and sediment body geometry, which can be related to the processes acting along this coastline. Various radar facies, namely, beach ridge (Br), washover (Wo), coastal dune (Cd), swale (Sw), berm plain (Bp), and sandsheet facies (Ss) have been identified. The GPR studies successfully documented the subsurface presence of ancient beach ridge system towards the sea, and the coastal dunes towards the land side. The results are suggestive of signatures of changes in sea level and the coastline being prone to high energy events in the recent past. The GPR has been found to be an important non-invasive geophysical tool in the study of past coastal dynamics.

Marietta Blau: Pioneer of Photographic Nuclear Emulsions and Particle Physics

During the 1920s and 1930s, Viennese physicist Marietta Blau (1894–1970) pioneered the use of photographic methods for imaging high-energy nuclear particles and events. In 1937 she and Hertha Wambacher discovered “disintegration stars” – the tracks of massive nuclear disintegrations – in emulsions exposed to cosmic radiation. This discovery launched the field of particle physics, but Blau’s contributions were underrecognized and she herself was nearly forgotten. I trace Blau’s career at the Institut fur Radiumforschung in Vienna and the causes of this “forgetting,” including her forced emigration from Austria in 1938, the behavior of her colleagues in Vienna during and after the National Socialist period, and the flawed Nobel decision process that excluded her from a Nobel Prize.