Sediment Volume Research Articles

Reducing Sedimentation in Catchment Areas as Part of the Revitalization Efforts at Batujai Reservoir in Central Lombok

This research discusses efforts to revitalize the Batujai Reservoir in Central Lombok with a focus on sedimentation problems. Batujai Reservoir has a strategic role in meeting water needs in the surrounding area, but faces serious challenges due to significant sedimentation. In addition to assessing the effects of these changes on the reservoir's benefits�such as irrigation, flood control, and electricity production�this study intends to examine the effects of land use changes in the Dodokan Sub-Watershed Catchment Area (DTA) on the features and volume of sedimentation entering the reservoir. In addition, this study attempts to develop suggestions for efficient sedimentation management plans in order to increase the Batujai Reservoir's service life. Research methods include primary and secondary data collection, sedimentation modeling using the Water and Tillage/Sediment Delivery Model (WATEM/SEDEM), to evaluate the impact of sediment control structures such as check dams. Research variables include catchment area, population, annual rainfall, average daily evaporation, mainstay surface water availability, land surface erosion rate, sediment volume deposited in the reservoir, effective age of the Batujai Reservoir, and changes in land use in the Dodokan Sub-watershed. The results of this research will provide a better understanding of the main sources of sedimentation in the Batujai Reservoir and the impact of land use changes on the reservoir. It is hoped that the recommendations for sedimentation management strategies resulting from this research will help maintain reservoir storage capacity, which is important for meeting various water needs in the region.

Ray bioturbation rates suggest they shape estuary processes

AbstractBioturbation of sediments is a key ecosystem service in estuarine and marine ecosystems, and rays (superorder Batoidea: skates, stingrays, electric rays and shovelnose rays) are among the largest bioturbators, modifying their habitat through foraging and predation. Ray activities cycle nutrients, increase oxygen penetration and re‐stratify sediments. However, given rays are globally threatened, it is unclear to what extent the loss of rays, and the ecosystem services they provide, would affect ecosystem processes. This study assessed the likely amount of sediment displaced annually by rays during foraging activities at an estuary scale. To achieve this, an aerial drone was used to map daily ray bioturbation activity, as evident from the presence of feeding pits. High‐resolution, 2.6 cm px−1, Digital Elevation Models (DEM) were created and used to measure the volume of sediment displaced by feeding pits. We found rays within the Brisbane Water estuary in NSW, Australia excavated 1.20 (±0.68) tonnes of sediment per day within this 1443 m2 intertidal area, or a rate of 575.2 cm3 m−2 per day. This bioturbation rate is relatively high compared to bioturbation rates documented in other ray species. Spatial autocorrelation analysis indicated that the ray feeding pits were significantly clustered by location as well as size (P < 0.01), suggesting size segregation of ray foraging. When bioturbation rates were conservatively extrapolated across measured feeding area in the estuary, we calculated rays displace 57.6 (±32.4) tonnes of sediment per day, or 21.0 (±11.4) kilotonnes per year. This underlines how ray bioturbation likely shape estuary processes, and how the loss of rays and their ecosystem services would likely have considerable impacts on estuarine sedimentary ecosystems. These findings emphasize the ecological importance of rays in an ecosystem and a need to better understand the consequences of anthropogenic pressures to these services.

Improvement of the Quality by the Cold Plasma on the Sunn Pest (Eurygaster Integriceps)-Damaged Wheat Flour

This study aimed to improve the quality of wheat flour affected by sunn bugs (Eurygaster integriceps) by examining the effects of cold plasma on its physicochemical and dough rheological properties. The sun-damaged wheat flour was treated with Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge using atmospheric air cold plasma at different application times. The results demonstrated that sedimentation volumes increased with longer plasma treatment times and maximized in 60 seconds of treatment without causing any sunn pest damage. The alveograph tenacity (P) increased with plasma application, and as a result, the energy (W) reached approximately three times that of the application of 60 s. The values obtained for W and gluten balance (P/L) indicated that the dough's qualities were now appropriate for resulting in bread. Significance of the study • Atmospheric air cold plasma was applied to sunn pest-damaged wheat flour to improve the technological quality at three application times • Sedimentation volumes increased a level that did not cause any sunn pest-damage in 60 s of treatment • Plasma application increased the alveograph tenacity (P) • The alveograph energy (W) value reached aproximately three times in the application of 60 s. • The alveograph W and gluten balance (P/L) values of the dough became suitable for bread-making

Fatigue Damage Assessment of Turbine Runner Blades Considering Sediment Wear

The wear phenomenon that occurs on the blades during operation has a significant impact on the fatigue life of the blades. To address the issue of fatigue life assessment for turbine runner blades subjected to increased dynamic stress due to sediment wear, taking a specific high-head hydropower unit’s mixed-flow turbine as the research subject, a hydraulic model of the turbine was established. The wear zones of the runner blades are determined based on the distribution of the flow field’s velocity and the sediment volume fraction. According to the wear rate formula for runner blade material, the amount of wear on the blades is determined, and the dynamic stress data for the dangerous areas of the blades under different degrees of wear are calculated using a unidirectional fluid–structure coupling method. The load spectrum of the time–stress history data for the dangerous area at different levels of wear was compiled using the rain-flow counting statistical method. The operating time ratios for the flood season and the non-flood season are combined. Based on the fatigue cumulative damage theory, the total fatigue damage at the maximum stress part of the runner blade was calculated for different stages of wear, providing a reference for the life calculation of mixed-flow hydraulic turbines.

Analysing the impacts of extreme torrential events using multi‐temporal LiDAR datasets—The Schöttlbach catchment, Upper Styria, Austria

AbstractExtreme precipitation events in small alpine catchments trigger hazardous hydro‐geomorphic processes that cause considerable damage to settlements and infrastructure. In summer 2011 and 2017, two flood events mobilizing large amounts of sediments struck the town of Oberwölz (Styria, Austria) located at the outlet of the Schöttlbach catchment. We used data from local weather stations and precipitation radar to analyse the meteorological settings that caused the flooding. We compiled a consistent sediment budget for the 2017 event by combining geomorphic mapping, connectivity analysis, high‐resolution airborne LiDAR (ALS) and uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV)‐borne LiDAR (ULS), data from other authors for the 2011 event and external information (e.g., event analysis and excavation data). The 2017 event mobilized higher sediment volumes than the 2011 event (131 000 m3 vs 90 000 m3) even though 24‐h precipitation and peak discharges were lower in 2017. First assumptions that the larger sediment output was caused by the reworking of the 2011 flood deposits proved to be incorrect. The impacts of the 2011 event affected the resilience of the geomorphic system resulting in a significantly higher hillslope sediment supply. We conclude that sediment transport in alpine catchments can increase disproportionately when recurrence intervals fall below a critical level.

Quantification of Bed Load Transport in the Northern Part of the Central Plateau of Morocco: Case of Wadi Skhirate

Rivers play a vital role in our ecosystems, providing fresh water, supporting rich biodiversity, and contributing to human well-being. However, in the face of climate change and intensive human activities, the sediment load in rivers can reach critical levels, presenting a complex set of challenges that require immediate action. The increased sediment load can alter aquatic habitats, clog channels, reduce reservoir storage capacity, and increase the risk of flooding. These direct threats entail high costs in terms of material and ecological damage, loss of life, and expenditure on rebuilding damaged infrastructure. The quantification of bedload in watercourses is therefore crucial for maintaining water and soil resources, safeguarding riparian communities, and preserving ecological balance. The study reports the findings of a three-year monitoring of the bed load of Skhirate Wadi, a river that drains a part of the western Moroccan Meseta. The study used the colorimetric monitoring method, which quantifies the volumes of coarse sediment that were transported by monitoring topographic variations in the riverbed and measuring the distances covered by the sediment. The study showed the sediment was found to move around seven times annually on average. However, the frequency and magnitude of floods and the size of particles affect the variation in this displacement. It also showed sediments travel an average distance ranging from 649 to 883 meters per year, and that the average specific bedload at the watershed scale is 30 m3/ Km2/ year. Relationships between flood peaks mobilized sediment volumes, and average particle distances are established and discussed. These results are fundamental to understanding of coarse sediment transfer processes in the small rivers of the central plateau. They are also essential for assessing the impact on the aquatic ecosystem, on downstream dams, and on the various existing road and hydro-agricultural infrastructures. This assessment will enable the implementation of appropriate management strategies to anticipate changes and plan the planning of the river and its watershed.

Relationships between torrent check dam systems and shoreline dynamics in semi-arid Mediterranean area: A sub-regional focus in Calabria, Italy

The work reports the results of investigations on the historical evolution of the shoreline in relation to the presence of check dam systems along streams of the Mediterranean environment. To this end, a survey methodology specifically developed in a previous work, which provided initial indications worthy of more extensive evaluation, was integrated and applied to the watershed-coast system of eight Calabrian streams, six falling on the Ionian side and two on the Tyrrhenian side of the Aspromonte Massif, as the sides present significantly different climatic and geomorphological characteristics. The streams under investigation, with watershed areas ranging from 39.2 to 160.3 km2, have been affected by relevant restoration programmes with transverse control works carried out over four periods from 1954 to today. Overall, about 690 check dams were examined, distributed over the “mountain”, “intermediate” and “valley” reaches that were normalised for comparison purposes. Based on the intensity of intervention with check dams, five watersheds are included in the “medium-high” category and three in the “low” category. The volumes of sediment corresponding to shoreline movements (retreats or, less frequently, advances) and those retained upstream of the check dams, generally silted a few years after construction, were estimated and analysed. The overall results obtained highlight a relationship between the retirement tendency of the shoreline (with observed retreats up to 170 m and affected long shores up to 5 km) and the construction of transverse control works, suggesting that particular attention should be paid to the insertion of transverse works, as well as to their typology, in the valley reaches, in one effort to combine the requirements concerning with the hydrogeological safety and the stability of the shoreline asset, limiting the need of remediation measures for coastal protection, as it actually happens along the widespread urbanized strips.

Harbor Sedimentation Management Using Numerical Modeling and Exploratory Data Analysis

Sedimentation in the harbors’ basins is an environmental phenomenon that frequently disrupts safe shipping and necessitates costly dredging operations. The layout of harbors and the permeability of protective structures such as breakwaters influence sediment transport within harbor basins. Thus, through a multistep framework, this study investigates the sedimentation management issues for the Egyptian proposed Ezbet Elborg fishing harbor based on field measurements and a numerical morphodynamic coastal modeling system (CMS). First, field measurements were analyzed and evaluated for acquiring a full grasp of the research area’s bathymetry and hydrodynamics. Second, a two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulation CMS model was set up and calibrated against field measurements wherein the developed CMS model highly correlated with actual measurements by 97%. CMS results demonstrate that the predominant NNW wave with the formed longshore current on both the harbor’s sides affects sediment accumulation within the harbor’s basin. Third, 100 simulations for the proposed harbor including different structural modulation scenarios affecting the sedimentation issue were investigated via the calibrated CMS model. Finally, an exploratory data analysis (EDA) is performed via correlation matrix and ANOVA test for the CMS’s scenarios’ results to gain an in-depth view of the relation between the harbors’ layout and the structural characteristics with the sedimentation volumes. Results showed that breakwaters’ orientation affects sediment accumulation more than its length. Also, breakwater permeability and basin width are significantly affecting sediment accumulation. Ultimately, the current study makes a substantial contribution to integrated coastal structure management (ICSM) by helping coastal stakeholders to mitigate the negative impacts of the harbors’ sediment deposition aiming at sustaining both environmental and economic aspects.

Wonorejo dam operation and storage analysis against climate change

Climate change affecting rain intensity within catchment and increase the potential hydrometeorology disasters. Wonorejo Reservoir as a multipurpose dam requires an operational plan and water allocation to fulfill downstream needs, such as irrigation, hydropower, microhydropower, domestic industry uses and flood control. Wonorejo Dam is a backfill type dam with High Water Level (HWL) elevation is +183.00 mSHVP and Low Water Level (LWL) elevation is +141.00 mSHVP, Total storage capacity Wonorejo Reservoir is 109.118 million m3 (2021) or 89.4% from initial total storage capacity (2000), in 2050 predicted sediment volume increase to 17.73 million m3 or 17.6% reservoir capacity and 2050 capacity volume is 100,585 million m3 or 82.4% from initial total storage capacity. Annual Reservoir Operation Plan and Annual Water Allocation Plan for Wonorejo Reservoir in 2022/2023 as water services December 2022 to November 2023 periode, Wonorejo Reservoir elevation at the end of May 2023 reaches HWL and lowest water elevation is +162.64 mSHVP in the first week of November 2023.

Evaluation of debris-flow building damage forecasts

Abstract. Reliable forecasts of building damage due to debris flows may provide situational awareness and guide land and emergency management decisions. Application of debris-flow runout models to generate such forecasts requires combining hazard intensity predictions with fragility functions that link hazard intensity with building damage. In this study, we evaluated the performance of building damage forecasts for the 9 January 2018 Montecito postfire debris-flow runout event, in which over 500 buildings were damaged. We constructed forecasts using either peak debris-flow depth or momentum flux as the hazard intensity measure and applied each approach using three debris-flow runout models (RAMMS, FLO-2D, and D-Claw). Generated forecasts were based on averaging multiple simulations that sampled a range of debris-flow volume and mobility, reflecting typical sources and magnitude of pre-event uncertainty. We found that only forecasts made with momentum flux and the D-Claw model could correctly predict the observed number of damaged buildings and the spatial patterns of building damage. However, the best forecast only predicted 50 % of the observed damaged buildings correctly and had coherent spatial patterns of incorrectly predicted building damage (i.e., false positives and false negatives). These results indicate that forecasts made at the building level reliably reflect the spatial pattern of damage but do not support interpretation at the individual building level. We found the event size strongly influences the number of damaged buildings and the spatial pattern of debris-flow depth and velocity. Consequently, future research on the link between precipitation and the volume of sediment mobilized may have the greatest effect on reducing uncertainty in building damage forecasts. Finally, because we found that both depth and velocity are needed to predict building damage, comparing debris-flow models against spatially distributed observations of building damage is a more stringent test for model fidelity than comparison against the extent of debris-flow runout.

Effects of natural flood management woody dams on benthic macroinvertebrates and benthic metabolism in upland streams: Importance of wood‐induced geomorphic changes

AbstractNatural Flood Management (NFM) aims to reduce flood hazard by working with nature and is gaining prominence worldwide. One particular NFM technique involves the use of channel‐spanning woody dams that maintain a clearance height above baseflow. These dams function by increasing channel roughness during high flows and by forcing excessive water onto the floodplain. Whether these dams provide additional benefits to nature remains unclear. While there are many existing studies on natural in‐stream wood structures, very few have documented the impact of NFM woody dams in particular. This study adopted a multidisciplinary approach and a Before–After Control–Impact (BACI) research design to assess whether NFM woody dams installed in a small upland catchment had driven changes in benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages and benthic metabolic activities through the geomorphic changes that they had created. Statistical results indicate that macroinvertebrate density, richness, and diversity did not show any difference between stream reaches with and without NFM woody dams. The metrics were generally not related to grain‐size parameters and volumes of sediments eroded or deposited. However, individual genera such as Baetis and Rhithrogena became more dominant in the control reach towards the end of the study period, likely due to the higher flow velocities and coarser sediments there resulting from the lack of flow resistance in the absence of NFM woody dams. Rates of benthic respiration (but not rates of photosynthesis) were consistently significantly higher in woody dam reaches than in control reaches, likely due to the presence of patches of finer sediments in the former.

River Erosion Impact on Transport Infrastructure in "Gilort River Nature2000 site", Romania

River erosion is a complex process due to multiple factors, such as climate changes, discharge quantity, the type of transported sediments, and variations in the hydrological regime. This paper aims to analyse river erosion's impact on transport elements' stability (especially on bridges). To do so, a Geomorphic Change Detection analysis was used, which involves calculating the altitude differences between two successive digital models, as a basis for calculating surfaces and volumes of sediments displaced through the erosion process. This analysis was doubled by a series of cross-sections in the proximity of bridges to observe the current river bed configuration and identify the active processes. The variation of these processes is directly dependent on human interventions undertaken to reduce the erosion process and to protect the infrastructure elements. The bridges located in the studied area are in different stages of damage by lateral and depth erosion processes, depending on their intensity and the human interventions made to protect these bridges. The least affected are the bridges where complex measures have been taken (construction of bed sills) or the dynamic processes have a low intensity.

Shape deformation, disintegration, and coalescence of suspension drops: Efficient simulation enabled by graph neural networks

Understanding the behaviors of suspension drops (particle swarms) as they settle in a viscous fluid holds significant importance across various applications. Due to hydrodynamic interactions (HIs), suspension drops would undergo a series of intricate behaviors, including shape deformation, disintegration, and coalescence. This work presents the hydrodynamic interaction graph neural network (HIGNN), developed in our prior work (Ma et al., 2022), as an efficient and accurate modeling framework for simulating the dynamics of suspension drops and investigating the various behaviors they exhibit. The HIGNN effectively incorporates the many-body nature of HIs, a feature lacking in most previous simulations that employ the Stokeslet assumption. In the meanwhile, the HIGNN achieves superior computational efficiency compared to traditional, high-fidelity numerical tools such as Stokesian dynamics and PDE solvers. Moreover, the HIGNN, once trained, is applicable to predicting suspension drops across a range of particle concentrations and under diverse forces (such as gravity and Coulombic interactions). Training the HIGNN only requires the data containing a small number of particles, leading to low training cost. Our results demonstrate that the HIGNN can effectively reproduce the various behaviors of suspension drops that were previously reported in literature. More specifically, a single, initially spherical drop slowly evolves into a torus-shaped drop, as particles escape from its rear and form a tail along the sedimenting direction. Subsequently, the torus breaks into secondary droplets, each undergoing a similar transition (deformation into a torus followed by disintegration), thereby leading to a repeating cascade. Further, we quantitatively analyze the correlation between the drop’s sedimentation velocity and volume fraction. We also propose new scaling laws for evaluating both the leakage rate of particles and the expansion rate of the horizontal radius of a suspension drop. For single suspension drops, we also systematically investigate how their dynamics is affected by their initial shapes and the formed tori’s aspect ratios, as well as with or without Coulombic interactions between particles. For a pair of suspension drops, we study the process of coalescence of two vertically aligned particles and examine the effect of introducing a horizontal offset on the subsequent breakup of the coalesced drop. All simulations were executed on a single GPU, with the computation of velocities for several thousand particles requiring less than five seconds per time step. This computational efficiency enables fast and resource-saving simulations of large suspension drops over extended time scales.

Provenance Analysis of the Cenozoic Sedimentary Successions in the Ningnan Basin, NE Tibetan Plateau: Constraints on Sedimentological and Tectonomorphological Evolution

AbstractThe evolution and reforming history of the Cenozoic basins in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (NETP) are significant for understanding the northeastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau. The sediments in these basins archived the spatial‐temporal patterns of the surface uplift and deformation processes in response to remote effects of growth of the NETP. Here, we present an integrated provenance analysis of the Ningnan basin in the NETP to provide direct insights into the basin evolution and further constraints of the Tibetan Plateau's northeastward growth. In this study, the Cenozoic strata (the Sikouzi, Qingshuiying, Zhang'enpu and Ganhegou formations) in the Ningnan basin yield complex detrital zircon age distributions featured by predominant age populations at 200–360 Ma and 360–540 Ma with minor Precambrian ages. Detrital zircon U‐Pb ages indicate that the southwestern Ordos Block, the western Qinling orogenic belt, and the eastern Qilian orogenic belt are primary source areas. Additionally, adjacent local paleo‐uplifts (e.g., Xi‐nanhuashan, Xiangshan, Liupan mountains.) also provided minor volumes of sediment. In addition, conglomerates and paleocurrent directions of the Sikouzi–Ganhegou formations exhibit an apparent change since the late Mocene, revealing an obvious provenance shift. The quantitatively determined mixing proportions of the surrounding source areas also reveals that the early source‐to‐sink system was replaced during the deposition of the Ganhegou Formation. Combined with previous studies, we suggest that the formation of the Ningnan basin was controlled by normal faults in extension setting and experienced continued sediment accumulation during the Qingshuiying–Zhang'enpu period; since the late Miocene, the significant provenance shift reflects the obvious northeastward growth of the NETP and led to the extinction of the Ningnan basin.

Comparison of SWAT and WEPP for Modeling Annual Runoff and Sediment Yield in Agewu - Mariyam Watershed, Northern Ethiopia

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and the Geographic Water Erosion Prediction Project (Geo-WEPP) were applied to compare modeling of annual runoff and sediment yield in the Agewmariam watershed, eastern Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Spatial and temporal data distributions were required as inputs to run both models. Soil texture and other soil properties were measured in the field and in the laboratory, and soil maps were generated from global digital soil maps. Land use maps were created by manually digitizing Google Earth images. Watersheds were defined using watershed DEMs and gradient maps were created for each runoff event. Runoff samples were collected and analyzed for sediment concentrations in the laboratory; average annual runoff and sediment volumes were estimated using the WEPP and SWAT models. The results were satisfactory compared to the observed values, with R2 values of 0.86 and 0.91 for the SWAT and WEPP models, respectively, and NSE values of 0.54 and 0.71 for the monthly runoff. The estimated annual mean runoff and sediment yield at the watershed outlets were 65.54 mm, 146.14 mm, 43t/ha/yr and 41.7t/ha/yr for the WEPP and SWAT models, respectively. Several sub watersheds were determined to be susceptible to soil erosion and were prioritized, so more attention was given to this area to reduce runoff and soil erosion. Therefore, the SWAT and WEPP models were suitable for estimating annual runoff and sediment volumes. Sediment yields simulated from both models were high and alarming and far exceeded the allowable rate of soil loss.

Environmentally safe technology of waste processing of galvanic production

It is known that waste is difficult to purify using existing reagent methods to the standards of the MPC. In addition, the formed sediments contain poorly soluble hydroxy compounds of heavy metals and gypsum, which makes it impossible to dispose of iron- and copper-containing electroplating sludges. The purpose of the study was to study the possibility of ion exchange separate and simultaneous extraction of iron and copper ions from acidic solutions of pickling and copper plating in galvanic production to obtain ferrites. In the course of research, the highly acidic cation exchange resin Dowex HCR S/S in the H+ form was chosen as the cationite. The choice of a strongly acidic cationite is justified, based on the fact that cationites of this type are able to easily lose hydrogen ions due to their displacement from the cationite matrix by other cations of the solution. The sorption processes of iron (II) and copper (II) ions were carried out under dynamic conditions. In the course of experimental studies, it was shown that with an increase in the concentration of sulfuric acid, the full exchangeable dynamic capacity of the cationite significantly decreases both during the sorption of iron ions and during the sorption of copper ions. For iron-containing solutions, full dynamic exchange capacity decreases from 1.39 g-eq/dm3 in the absence of H2SO4 in the initial solution and decreases to 0.3-0.46 g-eq/dm3 at a concentration of sulfuric acid at the level of 1-3 g/dm3. An increase in the concentration of iron (II) ions leads to a significant increase in full dynamic exchange capacity, even with a concentration of sulfuric acid of 8 - 13 g/dm3, full dynamic exchange capacity was at the level of 1.35 g-eq/dm3, which corresponds to the level of sorption of diluted solutions even in the absence of acid. However, the total concentration shows that the efficiency of sorption of metals from acidic solutions remains quite high and increases with the increase of the initial total content of sorbed ions. The main indicator used when choosing an ion exchange method is the possibility of effective regeneration of the cation exchange material. When using 5% solution of sulfuric acid already at the specific consumption of the regeneration solution, it was possible to achieve a degree of regeneration at the level of 95-98%, and when using 10% solution, the degree of regeneration reached 100%. According to the developed technological scheme, regeneration solutions are processed by precipitation into magnetite in a ferritizer reactor. To remove iron ions from concentrated iron-containing regeneration solutions by the ferrite method in order to obtain ferrite particles (magnetite) with maximum magnetic properties, a mixture of Fe (II) and Fe (III) sulfates was used with their concentration ratio K = [Fe2+]/[Fe3+] = 0.5, as a stable relationship between magnetic properties and sediment volume was noted. At maximum magnetic properties, the sediment volume is minimal, and vice versa. Obtaining highly dispersed magnetic particles from a mixture of ferric and ferric sulfates by precipitating them with 10% NaOH solution during heating allows to significantly reduce the duration of the process, simplify it and increase the productivity of the equipment. To obtain magnetic particles of copper ferrites from regeneration solutions by precipitation with alkali at normal temperatures, the concentration ratio K1 = [Fe2+]/[Cu2+] = 3.15-7.76 should be maintained. With an increase in the concentration of Cu2+ ions, there is an increase in the period of crystallization of the obtained sediments and their acquisition of magnetic properties. The formed ferrite material can be used for environmental purposes as a valuable raw material for carbon monoxide neutralization catalysts, as part of alkaline cement for concrete products, or sent for safe disposal. The obtained results on the application of ion-exchange extraction of iron and copper ions from acidic solutions of galvanic production are expedient as the first stage of complex ecologically safe processing of galvanic wastes with the production of ferritic materials for industrial use.

Study of Velocity Changes Induced by Posidonia oceanica Surrogate and Sediment Transport Implications

An analysis of the interactions between wave-induced velocities and seagrass meadows has been conducted based on the large-scale CIEM wave flume data. Incident irregular wave trains act on an initial 1:15 sand beach profile with measurement stations from the offshore of a surrogate meadow until the outer breaking zone, after crossing the seagrass meadow. The analysis considers variability and peaks of velocities, together with their skewness and asymmetry, to determine the effects of the seagrass meadow on the near bed sediment transport. Velocity variability was characterized by the standard deviation, and the greatest changes were found in the area right behind the meadow. In this zone, the negative peak velocities decreased by up to 20.3%, and the positive peak velocities increased by up to 11.7%. For more onshore positions, the negative and positive peak velocities similarly decreased and increased in most of the studied stations. A progressive increase in skewness as the waves passed through the meadow, together with a slight decrease in asymmetry, was observed and associated with the meadow effect. Moving shoreward along the profile, the values of skewness and asymmetry increased progressively relative to the position of the main sandbar. The megaripple-like bedforms appeared earlier when the meadow was present due to the higher skewness, showing a belated development in the layout without the meadow, when skewness increased further offshore due to the proximity of the breaker sandbar. To assess the sediment transport capacity of a submerged meadow, the SANTOSS formula was applied, showing that in front of the meadow, there was a higher sediment transport capacity, whereas behind the meadow, that capacity could be reduced by up to 41.3%. In addition, this formula was able to produce a suitable estimate of sediment transport across the profile, although it could not properly estimate the sediment volumes associated with the bedforms generated in the profile.

Effect of ultrasonication, germination, and steaming on the properties of a black rice variety

This study determined the combined effect of ultrasonication (50 KHz for 5 min and 7 min), germination (for 96 h), and steaming (100 °C for 10 and 20 min) that was given sequentially on colour, physicochemical, phytochemical, and antioxidant properties of Chakhao Poireiton, a black rice variety. The treated rice decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in amylose content and total starch, and increased in sediment volume, and the values were affected maximum in the samples given higher severity of treatments. There was loss of lightness with treatments and increase of redeness and yellowness, indicating the impact of steaming. Chakhao Poireiton had considerable amount of phenolic content (488.16 mg/100 g), flavonoid content (77.31 mg/100 g), and monomeric anthocyanin content (40 mg/100 g). The most severely treated sample had 167 mg/100 g of total phenolic content, which was 34.2% of the raw rice value, and showed strong DPPH scavenging activity (90.40%). GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) level increased substantially to 334.98 mg/100 g in this sample. Surface morphology of the treated flour samples showed changes that are characteristic of the treatment. Thus, combination of ultrasonication, germination, and steaming had very high GABA levels and such treated rice can be used as a functional food.

Evaluation of sediment budgets in catchments prone to flash flood-related debris flows: A case study from the southern Apennines (Italy)

The evaluation of sediment budgets of flash-flood prone torrential catchments is important for the assessment of flood susceptibility and hazard in piedmont areas. Here, we developed and tested a predictive, quantitative geomorphological technique for estimating the magnitude of debris flows related to flash floods triggered by extreme rainfall events. We applied our method to steep torrential catchments that allowed testing of our technique through quantification of the effects of recently-occurred flash floods. The three study catchments are located in southern Italy and experienced flash flood-related debris flows triggered by a rainstorm with a recurrence interval > 200 yrs. The study basins are small size, steep, narrow and the stream network has a low order (maximum 3rd order). We estimated the volumes of loose sediment stored in the bottoms of the mainstem valleys of the investigated mountainous catchments prior to the flash flood and compared our results with the sediment volumes entrained by the debris flows. The latter volumes were estimated by post-event data collected by means of field surveys. The results were mutually consistent so supporting our approach. The approach is fit to the analysis of torrential catchments with geomorphological features comparable to those of our study basins, provided (i) the stream is confined by hard rock slopes not affected by channel lateral erosion, (ii) all stored sediment is eroded and transported downstream during the flood, and (iii) no landslide occurs along the hillslopes. For these types of ungauged catchments, our method can be applied extensively, even in the absence of field data and measurements, for flash flood hazard assessment and planning of mitigation strategies.

The Early Paleozoic sedimentary record in northeastern Brazil: Unravelling the sedimentary provenance and evolution of fluvial systems after the Western Gondwana assembly

The sedimentary units of the geographically isolated basins of NE Brazil are historically interpreted as coeval and part of the same depositional system that was ultimately responsible to the deposition of the first sedimentary sequence of the intracratonic Parnaíba Basin. We present the first integrated detrital zircon U-Pb age dataset from the Early Paleozoic basins of NE Brazil, providing new insights into the depositional evolution and erosional history after Western Gondwana assembly. The lowermost sedimentary units (Ipu, Cariri, and Tacaratu formations) of eleven NE Brazil sedimentary basins (Parnaíba, Araripe, Tucano-Jatobá, Lavras da Mangabeira, Fátima, São José do Belmonte, and Mirandiba) were analyzed by a multi-proxy approach aiming to propose new insights on the paleogeographic reconstruction and stratigraphic correlations. Sedimentary provenance data, together with paleocurrents measurements consistently towards NNW-NW, suggests that the primary source for all the Early Paleozoic sedimentary units of NE Brazil were elevated orogenic areas related to the Brasiliano Orogeny to the south of Borborema Province (e.g., Riacho do Ponta, Rio Preto, and Sergipano belts). Based on detrital zircon U-Pb ages, we position the beginning of sedimentation of these basins in the Ordovician. The U-Pb age spectra for all analyzed sedimentary successions are remarkably similar. The analysis of KDE plots, CA-DA gap curves, and (dis)similarity tests, reinforced the correlation and contemporaneity of all the Ordovician sedimentary successions of NE Brazil. The conceived paleogeography model points to deposition of all the analyzed successions in a ramp, slightly tilted towards NW, where continental-scale fluvial system drained Neoproterozoic orogenic areas (i.e., Brasiliano Orogeny) dispersing huge volumes of sediments towards Borborema Province interior.