Site-specific Characteristics Research Articles

Toward a Complete Kinematic Description of Hydraulic Plucking of Fractured Rock

Scour by hydraulic plucking is a fundamental process in landscape evolution in which large, competent rock blocks are eroded from a fractured rock mass by flowing water. This process also affects engineered structures interacting with water, such as dams and bridges, and often leads to operational and safety concerns because erosion of large volumes of material can compromise structure foundations and serviceability. To assess potential scour at a site, present methods either are empirically derived, assume a specific failure mode, or significantly simplify the geometry of potentially eroding rock particles. This limits the broader applicability of these methods and their ability to offer actionable insight into scour risk. Therefore, the discrete-element method coupled with the lattice Boltzmann method was applied to assess hydraulic plucking of fractured rock. In this approach, the three-dimensional shape of rock particles was considered explicitly, including how each particle interacts dynamically with fluid. Additionally, the highly turbulent flow conditions at which plucking often occurs were modeled using large-eddy simulation. The results show that this modeling methodology was able to capture the correct kinematic failure mode in block removal in two example scenarios without restricting the potential failure mechanism, and naturally captures the governing response. This capability makes this scour assessment technique broadly applicable since site-specific characteristics can be input directly into scour risk assessments to understand the influence of local features on the plucking process.

Scenario-specific radio propagation simulation from LiDAR point cloud data for smart office scenario

Recently, the cyber-physical-system (CPS) has attracted great interest in the information and communications technology (ICT) research field for the virtual test of wireless communication systems. Since the performance of wireless communication significantly depends on the radio propagation channel characteristics, the development of accurate radio propagation simulation technology becomes essential for the purpose. This paper proposed the scenario-specific radio propagation simulation method from LiDAR point cloud data. By the continuous environment measurement by LiDAR, the positions of dynamic objects like pedestrians are tracked, as well as the site-specific propagation environment characteristics and their influences are taken into the simulation. For performance evaluation, the radio propagation measurement was conducted in the 28 GHz band in an indoor office. The result showed a significant improvement in the RMSE of received power prediction. The proposed method will be utilized for the radio channel emulation in the CPS.

GIS based NRCS-CN modeling of rainfall-runoff in river Thamirabarani sub-basin, Southern India

River Thamirabarani sub-basin lies in the southern part of the Western Ghats in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. The basin’s landforms are formed by swift surficial characteristics with undulated terrains composed of steep-sloped valleys, valley fills, and short-length streams with intensive flows that makes-up site-specific hydro-morphological characteristics. In this study, the GIS-based Natural Resource Conservation Service-Curve Number (NRCS-CN) model is used to assess rainfall-induced runoff by analyzing various hydrological parameters. The curve number (CN) is assigned to each hydrologic soil group (HSGs) based on the measurement of initial abstraction (Ia) and potential maximum retention (S) derived from soils, landuse/ land cover, antecedent soil moisture, etc. The resulting map shows the estimated runoff at the rate of 2.27 – 5.94 mm/m2/yr for the whole study area, whereas the higher runoff rate (4.83 – 5.94 mm/m2/yr) is noted in the upland range of the swift surficial terrains in the north and north-eastern parts that encompasses undulated structural hills, steep-sloped valleys, inselberg, and denudational hills, etc., whereas the work of swift surficial terrains and associated slope gradient of the landforms are considered to be higher runoff rate than the other parts. The moderate runoff rate (2.92 – 3.98 mm/m2/yr) is estimated in the middle parts of pediplains that consist of croplands, plantations, riverbanks, fallows, and built-up areas. Significantly, the lower runoff rate (<2.92 mm/m2/yr) sparsely occurred in the different landforms of the middle and southern parts that include pediplains, riverbanks, natural vegetative covers, valley-filled sediment deposits, etc. Overall results indicate that the higher runoff found over the swift surficial landforms in the north and north-eastern parts due to intensive flow through short-length stream orders. This study is mainly used for understanding hydro-morphological processes and their impacts on basin environments.

How eDNA data filtration, sequence coverage, and primer selection influence assessment of fish communities in northern temperate lakes

AbstractFor nearly 15 years now, environmental DNA has demonstrated its effectiveness in monitoring biodiversity. Methodological and technical improvements have significantly enhanced the field. However, the effect of factors such as sequence coverage, bioinformatic filtration, and primer choice have been less explored or need to be optimized according to specific survey objectives and study site characteristics. We evaluated these factors to help optimize monitoring fish biodiversity in North American temperate lakes. We sampled water for fish community eDNA analysis in 12 lakes from southwestern Québec, Canada. The lakes were selected to encompass a wide range of surface areas and species richness. We sampled water from a total of 520 sites (25–50 per lake) and analyzed three mitochondrial DNA regions (12S rRNA; 16S rRNA; and cytb) using NovaSeq sequencing. Our results, based on rarefied count matrices (from a sequencing depth of 100,000 to a minimum depth of 1000 reads per sample), showed that keeping only species in each sample if they represented at least one thousandth (species minimum read proportion threshold = 0.001) of the sample's reads was adequate to remove false positives and had a limited negative impact on true positives with low read counts. The sequencing depth was found to have a negligible impact on the accuracy of fish community assessment in a given lake. With the same sequencing depth and a complete local reference database for each primer set, a single primer set produced similar species richness medians than the combination of two or three primer sets. Overall, 12S and 16S detected more species and provided more consistent community profiles than cytb. Based on our observations, we suggest using the 12S MiFish‐U primer set and applying a minimum proportion of 0.001 reads per species and site to monitor north‐temperate lentic freshwater fish communities.

High-resolution Bragg-edge neutron radiography detects grain morphology in PBF-LB/M IN718

One of the main advantages of metal additive manufacturing (MAM) techniques is their ability to produce components with site-specific microstructural features. Nevertheless, microstructural defects and lack of repeatability are still major concerns in MAM. In this study, a laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) IN718 material, produced using two different scan length vectors, is investigated using Bragg-edge neutron 2D imaging (BENI) combined with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. BENI is able to detect, on a macroscopic scale, process-induced changes in texture in a large field of view covering the entire sample (20×80 mm2). In addition, high-resolution BENI (HR-BENI), with a pixel size of 12.8 µm, provides a micro-scale examination of the local variations of texture and grain morphology, otherwise undistinguishable using the standard resolution. As such, HR-BENI offers a straightforward and detailed way of screening the integrity of MAM parts at cm-length scales.

Exploring intraspecific variability – biochemical and morphological traits of the sugar kelp Saccharina latissima along latitudinal and salinity gradients in Europe

Broadly distributed seaweeds, such as the boreal-temperate kelp species Saccharina latissima, contain a multitude of metabolites supporting acclimation to environmental changes, such as temperature and salinity. In Europe, S. latissima occurs along the coasts from Spitsbergen to Portugal, including the Baltic Sea, exhibiting great morphological plasticity. We investigated the morphological and biochemical traits of field-collected sporophytes from 16 different locations across the species entire distributional range in relation to local abiotic conditions (sea surface temperature, salinity). By statistically linking morphological and biochemical data to geographic information that also took into account the respective sampling depth, we aimed to obtain first insights into the site-specific adaptive features of this species. Frond length and width, mannitol and phlorotannin contents, and molar C:N ratio showed strong intraspecific variability among S. latissima sporophytes dependent on individual local abiotic drivers. Despite the conspicuous impact of local abiotic factors on specimens’ morphology, we could not determine habitat-specific signatures in the biochemical phenotypes. Even though our findings are based on a relative small sample size per site, they cover a broad biogeographical range and support a high plasticity of S. latissima sporophytes. The study provides a first base for studying separation processes of populations across latitudes and conservation ecology.

Decomposition decreases molecular diversity and ecosystem similarity of soil organic matter

Soil organic matter (SOM) is comprised of a diverse array of reactive carbon molecules, including hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds, that impact rates of SOM formation and persistence. Despite clear importance to ecosystem science, little is known about broad-scale controls on SOM diversity and variability in soil. Here, we show that microbial decomposition drives significant variability in the molecular richness and diversity of SOM between soil horizons and across a continental-scale gradient in climate and ecosystem type (arid shrubs, coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests, grasslands, and tundra sedges). The molecular dissimilarity of SOM was strongly influenced by ecosystem type (hydrophilic compounds: 17%, P < 0.001; hydrophobic compounds: 10% P < 0.001) and soil horizon (hydrophilic compounds: 17%, P < 0.001; hydrophobic compounds: 21%, P < 0.001), as assessed using metabolomic analysis of hydrophilic and hydrophobic metabolites. While the proportion of shared molecular features was significantly higher in the litter layer than subsoil C horizons across ecosystems (12 times and 4 times higher for hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds, respectively), the proportion of site-specific molecular features nearly doubled from the litter layer to the subsoil horizon, suggesting greater differentiation of compounds after microbial decomposition within each ecosystem. Together, these results suggest that microbial decomposition of plant litter leads to a decrease in SOM α-molecular diversity, yet an increase in β-molecular diversity across ecosystems. The degree of microbial degradation, determined by the position in the soil profile, exerts a greater control on SOM molecular diversity than environmental factors, such as soil texture, moisture, and ecosystem type.

Estimating Liquefaction Susceptibility Using Machine Learning Algorithms with a Case of Metro Manila, Philippines

Soil liquefaction is a phenomenon that can occur when soil loses strength and behaves like a liquid during an earthquake. A site investigation is essential for determining a site’s susceptibility to liquefaction, and these investigations frequently generate project-specific geotechnical reports. However, many of these reports are frequently stored unused after construction projects are completed. This study suggests that when these unused reports are consolidated and integrated, they can provide valuable information for identifying potential challenges, such as liquefaction. The study evaluates the susceptibility of liquefaction by considering several geotechnical factors modeled by machine learning algorithms. The study estimated site-specific characteristics, such as ground elevation, groundwater table elevation, SPT N-value, soil type, and fines content. Using a calibrated model represented by an equation, the investigation determined several soil properties, including the unit weight and peak ground acceleration (PGA). The study estimated PGA using a linear model, which revealed a significant positive correlation (R2 = 0.89) between PGA, earthquake magnitude, and distance from the seismic source. On the Marikina West Valley Fault, the study also assessed the liquefaction hazard for an anticipated 7.5 M and delineated a map that was validated by prior studies.

Development of soil health benchmarks for managed and semi-natural landscapes

Efforts to improve soil health require that target values of key soil properties are established. No agreed targets exist but providing population data as benchmarks is a useful step to standardise soil health comparison between landscapes. We exploited nationally representative topsoil (0–15 cm) measurements to derive soil health benchmarks for managed and semi-natural environments across Great Britain. In total, 4587 soil organic matter (SOM), 3860 pH, 2908 bulk density (BD), and 465 earthworm abundance (EA) datapoints were used. As soil properties are sensitive to site-specific characteristics, data were stratified by habitat, soil type, and mean annual precipitation, with benchmarks defined as the middle 80 % of values in each distribution – yielding 135 benchmarks. BD and pH decreased with land management intensity (agriculture > semi-natural grasslands > woodlands > heathlands > wetlands), and vice versa for SOM and EA. Normalising benchmark ranges by medians revealed soil health indicator benchmark widths increased in the order: pH < BD < SOM < EA, while width increased with decreasing land management intensity. Arable and horticulture and improved grassland exhibited narrow benchmarks for SOM, pH and BD, yet the widest EA benchmark, suggesting additional drivers impact EA patterns. Upland wetlands had the widest BD benchmarks, important when determining carbon stocks. East Anglia currently possesses the largest proportions of atypical soils, including below typical SOM (19.2 %), above typical BD (17.4 %) and pH (39.1 %), and the smallest proportions of above typical SOM (2.4 %), and below typical BD (5.8 %) and pH (2.3 %). This is found even after land use, soil type and rainfall have been considered, underscoring how urgently soil health should be addressed here. Our benchmarking framework allows landowners to compare where their measured soil health indicators fall within expected ranges and is applicable to other biomes, national and multinational contexts.

The role of coagulation on the fate of PFAS, brominated flame retardants and other trace contaminants in tertiary wastewater treatment for phosphorus control

Coagulant dosing to achieve low phosphorus concentrations in wastewater effluents may favour the removal of trace organics such as pharmaceuticals, plasticisers and flame retardants. Nevertheless, the behaviour of trace organics in coagulation processes is currently poorly understood because of the complex interactions between these compounds, the coagulants and dissolved organic matter (DOM). This study assessed the coagulation removal from synthetic secondary effluent of twenty-four compounds including ten PFAS and four brominated flame retardants. Testing involved two coagulants (alum, ferric chloride) and five DOM surrogates (resorcinol, benzoic acid, citric acid, tannic acid, humic acid); DOM surrogates had assorted molecular weights, structures, charges, and hydrophobicity. With coagulant doses of 14 mg Fe/L and 4 mg Al/L, ten trace organics were removed by >30 % in the presence of at least one DOM surrogate. Humic acid effected the highest removals owing to complexation of trace organics and subsequent co-removal by adsorption or sweep floc. For instance, removal extents for three brominated diphenyl ethers were 60 to 75 % with Al and 50 to 88 % with Fe (initial concentration 0.4 to 0.8 ng/L); PFTDA, a long-chain PFAS, was removed by 87 and 91 % with Fe in the presence of tannic or humic acid, respectively (initial concentration 0.03 μg/L). The varying coagulation performance of different treatment works in terms of trace substance removal can be explained because of the site-specific DOM characteristics. Addition of humic acids as complexing agents has the potential to improve the removal of hydrophobic trace substances, including some long-chain PFAS and brominated flame retardants.

Toward Improved Urban Building Energy Modeling Using a Place-Based Approach

Urban building energy models present a valuable tool for promoting energy efficiency in building design and control, as well as for managing urban energy systems. However, the current models often overlook the importance of site-specific characteristics, as well as the spatial attributes and variations within a specific area of a city. This methodological paper moves beyond state-of-the-art urban building energy modeling and urban-scale energy models by incorporating an improved place-based approach to address this research gap. This approach allows for a more in-depth understanding of the interactions behind spatial patterns and an increase in the number and quality of energy-related variables. The paper outlines a detailed description of the steps required to create urban energy models and presents sample application results for each model. The pre-modeling phase is highlighted as a critical step in which the geo-database used to create the models is collected, corrected, and integrated. We also discuss the use of spatial auto-correlation within the geo-database, which introduces new spatial-temporal relationships that describe the territorial clusters of complex urban environment systems. This study identifies and redefines three primary types of urban energy modeling, including process-driven, data-driven, and hybrid models, in the context of place-based approaches. The challenges associated with each type are highlighted, with emphasis on data requirements and availability concerns. The study concludes that a place-based approach is crucial to achieving energy self-sufficiency in districts or cities in urban-scale building energy-modeling studies.

Linking social-ecological management and ecosystem service bundles: Lessons from a peri-urban agriculture landscape

Peri-urban ecosystems especially peri-urban agriculture play an important part in multiple dimensions of both rural and urban sustainability and resilience. Yet such ecosystems on which diverse services depend are not given the commensurate concerns like city themes, and thus the lack of understanding about the interdependence characteristic within ES variation and the driving mechanism of socio-environmental factors limits effective ecological policymaking and urban-rural planning. In this study, we provided a framework revealing the complicated relationship of ecosystem services in a peri-urban area in southern Shanghai, China which is dominated by agricultural landscapes. Our findings stem from a combination of mapping quantification, statistical approaches and GIS-based techniques. The results showed that the provisioning services show trade-offs to some extent with regulating and cultural services. Six distinct ecosystem service bundles are identified and they are shaped by numerous site-specific characteristics which foster the orientation of ecosystem service management toward multifunctionality. We concluded that the spatially explicit information with GIS-based trade-off analysis is an efficient way to uncover the complicated relationships among various ecosystem services. The optimization of land cover forms and landscape characteristics is required for the sustainable management of agricultural landscapes. Ecosystem service bundles incorporating landscape features and differentiated perceptions of local residents provide rich evidence for the formulation of sustainable cultural land management strategies. They should be regarded as an indispensable element in developing both city and rural planning and multifunctional management.

Links between light availability and spectral properties of forest floor in European forests

Remote sensing using spectral data has been commonly applied to retrieve tree layer properties while the monitoring of forest floor remains a less studied topic. We investigated the links between light availability at forest floor, and forest floor's spectral reflectance properties (350–2500 nm) and fractional cover across boreal and temperate Europe. We hypothesized that tree canopy structure (and thus, light availability at forest floor) is linked not only to the vegetation composition of forest floor, as has been shown previously, but also to forest floor's spectral reflectance properties, and that these relationships differ between forest biomes. Data were collected in situ from a total of 67 forest stands in southern boreal, hemiboreal, temperate floodplain, and temperate mountain sites. The variation of light availability at forest floor was linked to both the forest floor's composition and spectral reflectance properties. Each study site exhibited site-specific spectral features and a different mean reflectance spectrum. Openness in tree canopies was related to an increase in the fractional cover of vascular plants and to a decrease of plant litter, consequently enhancing the forest floors’ spectral absorptance features in the red and shortwave-infrared wavelengths, as well as reflectance in the near-infrared region. Also, the variations of normalized difference index values and red edge positions as functions light availability at forest floor and forest floor's composition were different for each site. Our results suggest that incorporating biome-specific relationships between tree canopy structure and forest floor reflectance properties would improve interpretation of optical remote sensing data. The measurement data are openly available.

Typologising site-specific features in young industrial landscapes

Young industrial landscapes (YILs), dating roughly from the 1930s to 1970s, are by virtue of their location, size, and partly underused capacity potential new locations for urban redevelopment driven by municipalities and private investors. However, such redevelopment often neglects existing physical characteristics including heritage and ecological potentials. This paper raises awareness and knowledge of these potentials by examining YILs’ spatial characteristics as part of the process of elaborating their future roles as sites for urban transformation. We develop a typo-morphological approach to analyse the physical structure of YILs in the Copenhagen capital area, revealing both general and site-specific qualities relevant for future transformations. We find that YILs’ locations and edge zones hold potential for mediating access between cities and green wedges. Site-specific scenic locations, significant earthworks, plantings, and buildings have potential for reuse and contribute spatial ambience. The paper finally discusses how typo-morphology might be understood from a YIL perspective.

Experimental simulations of hydrogen migration through potential storage rocks

In the framework of future decarbonization of the energy industry, the safe and effective storage of hydrogen is an important approach to add to a climate-friendly energy system. Until the development of sufficiently large electrical storage systems, the storage of hydrogen in the order of GWh to TWh is envisaged in salt caverns or porous geological formations with a gas-tight covering of salt or claystone. In order to calculate gas losses from these H2 storage facilities, the H2 diffusivity of the storage and cap rocks must be known. To determine the hydrogen diffusion rates in these rocks, an experimental set-up was designed, constructed and tested. The set-up comprises two gas chambers, separated by the rock sample under investigation with an exposed area of approximately 7 cm2. The driving force for gas migration through the rock sample from the hydrogen-containing feed gas chamber to the hydrogen-free permeate chamber is the chemical potential (concentration) gradient. With respect to hydrogen migration behaviour, hydrogen breakthrough times and hydrogen diffusion coefficients were determined for dry and wet Bentheimer sandstone, Werra rock salt and Opalinus clay samples. Breakthrough times varied between less than 1 h and 843 h. Based on concentration changes at the permeate side, hydrogen diffusion coefficients were derived ranging from 10−9 to 10−8 m2/s. The differences between the materials and the effect that wetted or water-saturated samples have higher hydrogen retention due to closed pores and microcracks were clearly shown. The experimental set-up proves to be a suitable approach to determine site-specific rock characteristics such as hydrogen diffusion coefficients and breakthrough times for natural geomaterials.

The Correlation of Apolipoprotein B with Alterations in Specific Fat Depots Content in Adults.

Body mass index (BMI) and blood biomarkers are not enough to predict cardiovascular disease risk. Apolipoprotein B was identified to be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) progression. The Dual-energy X-ray Absorption (DXA) results could be considered as a predictor for cardiovascular disease in a more refined way based on fat distribution. The prediction of CVD risk by simple indicators still cannot meet clinical needs. The association of ApoB with specific fat depot features remains to be explored to better co-predict cardiovascular disease risk. An amount of 5997 adults from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were enrolled. Their demographic information, baseline clinical condition, blood examination, and DXA physical examination data were collected. Multivariate regression was used to assess the correlation between ApoB and site-specific fat characteristics through different adjusted models. Smooth curve fittings and threshold analysis were used to discover the turning points with 95% confidence intervals. ApoB is positively correlated with arms percent fat, legs percent fat, trunk percent fat, android percent fat, gynoid percent fat, arm circumference and waist circumference after adjustment with covariates for age, gender, race, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, smoking status and vigorous work activity. The smooth curve fitting and threshold analysis also showed that depot-specific fat had lower turning points of ApoB in both males and females within the normal reference range of ApoB. Meanwhile, females have a lower increase in ApoB per 1% total percent fat and android percent fat than males before the turning points, while females have a higher growth of ApoB per 1% gynoid percent fat than males. The combined specific fat-depot DXA and ApoB analysis could indicate the risk of CVD in advance of lipid biomarkers or DXA alone.

The niche of a stress-tolerant specialist, Dinophysis acuminata, in a coastal upwelling system

Dinophysis acuminata, the main cause of shellfish harvesting bans in Europe, blooms in the Galician Rías (NW Spain) throughout the upwelling season (ca. March to September). Here we illustrate rapid changes in vertical and across ría-shelf distributions of diatoms and dinoflagellates (including D. acuminata vegetative and small cells) in Ría de Pontevedra (RP) and Ría de Vigo (RV) during transitions from spin-down to spin-up phases of upwelling cycles. A subniche approach based on a Within Outlying Mean Index (WitOMI) showed that under the transient environmental conditions met during the cruise, both vegetative and small cells of D. acuminata colonized the Ria and Mid-shelf subniches, exhibiting good tolerance and extremely high marginality, in particular the small cells. Bottom-up (abiotic) control overwhelmed biological constraints, and shelf waters became a more favourable environment than the Rías. Contrasting higher biotic constraints inside the Rías were found for the small cells, with a subniche possibly controlled by unsuitable physiological status (notwithstanding the higher density) of the vegetative cell population. Results here on behaviour (vertical positioning) and physiological traits (high tolerance but very specialized niche) of D. acuminata give new insights into the ability of this species to remain in the upwelling circulation system. Higher shelf-ría exchanges in the Ría (RP) with more dense and persistent D. acuminata blooms reveal the relevance of transient event-scales and species- and site-specific characteristics to the fate of these blooms. Earlier statements about simple linear relationships between average upwelling intensities and the recurrence of Harmful algae bloom (HAB) events in the Galician Rías Baixas are questioned.

Soil surface treatments and precipitation timing determine seedling development across southwestern US restoration sites.

Restoration in dryland ecosystems often has poor success due to low and variable water availability, degraded soil conditions, and slow plant community recovery rates. Restoration treatments can mitigate these constraints but, because treatments and subsequent monitoring are typically limited in space and time, our understanding of their applicability across broader environmental gradients remains limited. To address this limitation, we implemented and monitored a standardized set of seeding and soil surface treatments (pits, mulch, and ConMod artificial nurse plants) designed to enhance soil moisture and seedling establishment across RestoreNet, a growing network of 21 diverse dryland restoration sites in the southwestern USA over 3 years. Generally, we found that the timing of precipitation relative to seeding and the use of soil surface treatments were more important in determining seeded species emergence, survival, and growth than site-specific characteristics. Using soil surface treatments in tandem with seeding promoted up to 3× greater seedling emergence densities compared with seeding alone. The positive effect of soil surface treatments became more prominent with increased cumulative precipitation since seeding. The seed mix type with species currently found within or near a site and adapted to the historical climate promoted greater seedling emergence densities compared with the seed mix type with species from warmer, drier conditions expected to perform well under climate change. Seed mix and soil surface treatments had a diminishing effect as plants developed beyond the first season of establishment. However, we found strong effects of the initial period seeded and of the precipitation leading up to each monitoring date on seedling survival over time, especially for annual and perennial forbs. The presence of exotic species exerted a negative influence on seedling survival and growth, but not initial emergence. Our findings suggest that seeded species recruitment across drylands can generally be promoted, regardless of location, by (1) incorporation of soil surface treatments, (2) employment of near-term seasonal climate forecasts, (3) suppression of exotic species, and (4) seeding at multiple times. Taken together, these results point to a multifaceted approach to ameliorate harsh environmental conditions for improved seeding success in drylands, both now and under expected aridification.

Mechanistic Assessment of Flexible Pavements in Wisconsin Using Traffic Speed Deflectometer

The traffic speed deflectometer (TSD) has been gaining interest for pavement management practices, as it can continuously collect deflection data at traffic speed without requiring traffic control. TSD data have been typically used to provide an estimate of the structural condition of pavements with a limited range of significant parameters considered in the analysis. To date, limited studies have been conducted in or for cold regions to consider the potential use of TSD data for pavement structural assessment. This study aimed to bridge this gap by developing a twofold approach to: (1) mechanistically characterize the structural integrity and remaining life of pavements; and (2) compare TSD and falling weight deflectometer (FWD) data collected in the field, considering the features of pavement facilities in Wisconsin. A field testing plan was developed to characterize the site-specific features of eight representative pavement sections, with a total length of about 30 mi and distinct pavement structures, truck traffic patterns, and climatic conditions. The postprocessed results underscored the significance of the TSD data and their potential for the structural evaluation of underlying layers in a multilayered pavement system when integrated with the site-specific pavement profile and truck traffic information derived from field testing. A comparison of the normalized deflections and structural parameters characterized by TSD and FWD data showed similar trends, while the average FWD-based deflections were 12%–37% higher than the TSD-based deflections.

Zonation of a Viticultural Territorial Context in Piemonte (NW Italy) to Support Terroir Identification: The Role of Pedological, Topographical and Climatic Factors

Grapevine production and quality greatly depend on site-specific features such as topography, soil, and climate. The possibility of recognizing and mapping local specificities of a wine-production area is highly desirable, as environmental conditions are the main drivers of wine production in terms of both quality and quantity. Areas showing similar features able to determine specific traits in vine and wine production are referred to as terroirs. It is commonly considered that soil and climate represent the main elements for a functional and balanced viticultural ecosystem; if they change, grapevine quality and yield change too, and this occurs in spite of any agronomic practice. Terroir mapping based on traditional methodology requires a considerable investment of time and money by producers and wine consortia; moreover, it preserves an important subjective component. In this work, the authors propose an approach to map territorial differences, possibly conditioning the definition of terroir, of an important wine-production area located in Piemonte (NW Italy) based on free and open data and free GIS. The resulting zones were related to the main local vine varieties looking for possible relationships. The results proved that, with reference to the pedological, topographical, and climatic factors, six zones were recognized as significantly different in the study area. These were compared against the six main vine varieties in the area (i.e., Barbera, Brachetto, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Moscato Bianco, and Nebbiolo), finding that: (i) Nebbiolo is highly specialized, covering almost a single zone; (ii) Moscato, Dolcetto, and Chardonnay showed no significant preference for any zone, being almost equally distributed over all of them; and (iii) Barbera and Brachetto are averagely specialized, being distributed mainly over two clusters (out of six) different from the one where Nebbiolo appears to be majorly present.