ALBERT

Description: Author(s): G. Brida, L. Ciavarella, I. P. Degiovanni, M. Genovese, A. Migdall, M. G. Mingolla, M. G. A. Paris, F. Piacentini, and S. V. Polyakov A quantum measurement can be described by a set of matrices, one for each possible outcome, which represents the positive operator-valued measure (POVM) of the sensor. Efficient protocols of POVM extraction for arbitrary sensors are required. We present the first experimental POVM reconstruction tha... [Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 253601] Published Tue Jun 19, 2012

Description: The French program Coriolis, as part of the French operational oceanographic system, produces the COriolis dataset for Re-Analysis (CORA) on a yearly basis. This dataset contains in-situ temperature and salinity profiles from different data types. The latest release CORA3 covers the period 1990 to 2010. Several tests have been developed to ensure a homogeneous quality control of the dataset and to meet the requirements of the physical ocean reanalysis activities (assimilation and validation). Improved tests include some simple tests based on comparison with climatology and a model background check based on a global ocean reanalysis. Visual quality control is performed on all suspicious temperature and salinity profiles identified by the tests, and quality flags are modified in the dataset if necessary. In addition, improved diagnostic tools have been developed – including global ocean indicators – which give information on the quality of the CORA3 dataset and its potential applications. CORA3 is available on request through the MyOcean Service Desk (http://www.myocean.eu/).

Description: Recent dramatic events have allowed significant progress to be achieved in coastal flood modelling over recent years. Classical approaches generally estimate wave overtopping by means of empirical formulas or 1-D simulations, and the flood is simulated on a DTM (digital terrain model), using soil roughness to characterize land use. The limits of these methods are typically linked to the accuracy of overtopping estimation (spatial and temporal distribution) and to the reliability of the results in urban areas, which are places where the assets are the most crucial. This paper intends to propose and apply a methodology to simulate simultaneously wave overtopping and the resulting flood in an urban area at a very high resolution. This type of 2-D simulation presents the advantage of allowing both the chronology of the storm and the particular effect of urban areas on the flows to be integrated. This methodology is based on a downscaling approach, from regional to local scales, using hydrodynamic simulations to characterize the sea level and the wave spectra. A time series is then generated including the evolutions of these two parameters, and imposed upon a time-dependent phase-resolving model to simulate the overtopping over the dike. The flood is dynamically simulated directly by this model: if the model uses adapted schemes (well balanced, shock capturing), the calculation can be led on a DEM (digital elevation model) that includes buildings and walls, thereby achieving a realistic representation of the urban areas. This methodology has been applied to an actual event, the Johanna storm (10 March 2008) in Gâvres (South Brittany, in western France). The use of the SURF-WB model, a very stable time-dependent phase-resolving model using non-linear shallow water equations and well-balanced shock-capturing schemes, allowed simulating both the dynamics of the overtopping and the flooding in the urban area, taking into account buildings and streets thanks to a very high resolution (1 m). The results obtained proved to be very coherent with the available reports in terms of overtopping sectors, flooded area, water depths and chronology. This method makes it possible to estimate very precisely not only the overtopping flows, but also the main characteristics of flooding in a complex topography like an urban area, and indeed the hazard at a very high resolution (water depths and vertically integrated current speeds). The comparison with a similar flooding simulation using a more classical approach (a digital terrain model with no buildings, and a representation of the urban area by an increased soil roughness) has allowed the advantages of an explicit representation of the buildings and the streets to be identified: if, in the studied case, the impact of the urbanization representation on water levels does indeed remain negligible, the flood dynamics and the current speeds can be considerably underestimated when no explicit representation of the buildings is provided, especially along the main streets. Moreover, on the seaside, recourse to a time-dependent phase-resolving model using non-stationary conditions allows a better representation of the flows caused by overtopping. Finally, this type of simulation is shown to be of value for hazard studies, thanks to the high level of accuracy of the results in urban areas where assets are concentrated. This methodology, although it is currently still quite difficult to implement and costly in terms of calculation time, can expect to be increasingly resorted to in years to come, thanks to the recent developments in wave models and to the increasing availability of LiDAR data.

Description: Recent dramatic events have allowed significant progress to be achieved in coastal flood modelling over recent years. Classical approaches generally estimate wave overtopping by means of empirical formulas or 1-dimensional simulations, and the flood is simulated on a DTM (Digital Terrain Model), using soil roughness to characterize land use. The limits of these methods are typically linked to the accuracy of overtopping estimation (spatial and temporal distribution) and to the reliability of the results in urban areas, which are places where the assets are the most crucial. This paper intends to propose and apply a methodology to simulate simultaneously wave overtopping and the resulting flood in an urban area at a very high resolution. This type of two-dimensional simulation presents the advantage of allowing both the chronology of the storm and the particular effect of urban areas on the flows to be integrated. This methodology is based on a downscaling approach, from regional to local scales, using hydrodynamic simulations to characterize the sea level and the wave spectra. A time series is then generated including the evolutions of these two parameters, and imposed upon a time-dependent phase-resolving model to simulate the overtopping over the dike. The flood is dynamically simulated directly by this model: if the model uses adapted schemes (well-balanced, shock-capturing), the calculation can be led on a DEM (Digital Elevation Model) that includes buildings and walls, thereby achieving a realistic representation of the urban areas. This methodology has been applied to an actual event, the Johanna storm (10 March 2008) in Gâvres (South Brittany, in western France). The use of the SURF-WB model, a very stable time-dependent phase-resolving model using NLSW equations and well-balanced shock-capturing schemes, allowed simulating both the dynamics of the overtopping and the flooding in the urban area, taking into account buildings and streets thanks to a very high resolution (1 m). The results obtained proved to be very coherent with the available reports in terms of overtopping sectors, flooded area, water heights and chronology. This method makes it possible to estimate very precisely not only the overtopping flows, but also the main characteristics of flooding in a complex topography like an urban area, and indeed the hazard at a very high resolution (water heights and vertically integrated current speeds). The comparison with a similar flooding simulation using a more classical approach (a Digital Terrain Model with no buildings, and a representation of the urban area by an increased soil roughness) has allowed the advantages of an explicit representation of the buildings and the streets to be identified: if, in the studied case, the impact of the urbanization representation on water heights does indeed remain negligible, the flood dynamics and the current speeds can be considerably underestimated when no explicit representation of the buildings is provided, especially along the main streets. Moreover, on the seaside, recourse to a time-dependent phase-resolving model using non-stationary conditions allows a better representation of the flows caused by overtopping. Finally, this type of simulation is shown to be of value for hazard studies, thanks to the high level of accuracy of the results in urban areas where assets are concentrated. This methodology, although it is currently still quite difficult to implement and costly in terms of calculation time, can expect to be increasingly resorted to in years to come, thanks to the recent developments in wave models and to the increasing availability of LiDAR data.

Description: EMSIANMiospore assemblages which can be positively assigned to the Early Devonian have, to date, only been recorded from core material from Well A1-33. Assemblages of Emsian age were recorded from the interval 8079 to 8091 ft. whilst assemblages from 8055 to 8076 ft. contain some taxa which are common in the Emsian elsewhere but are not diagnostic. Assemblages recovered from sediments in the interval 9700 to 9709 ft. in Well A1-33 were dominated by leiospheres together with smaller numbers of acanthomorph acritarchs. The age of this interval is unknown but it could be as old as Ordovician.The Emsian assemblages recovered from the interval between 8079 to 8091 ft. contain a wide variety of azonate miospores together with species possessing an equatorial crassitude, specimens with zonate extensions are rare. Miospores with sculptural or structural modifications around their equators are relatively common i.e. ?Procoronaspora sp., Diatomozonotriletes sp. A. and Craspedispora craspeda. The presence in these assemblages of Emphanisporites annulatus, E. erraticus, E. rotatus, E. cf. decoratus, E. obscuras, Dibolisporites eifeliensis, D. cf. gibberosus, D. echinaceas, Apiculiretusispora brandtii together with small tripapillate miospores suggest an Early or Middle Emsian age to be probable. The assemblages are closely comparable with Emsian microfloras recorded in the Polignac Basin of Algeria (Jardiné & Yapaudjian, 1968) and the Rhadames Basin of Western Libya (Massa & Moreau-Benoit, 1976).EIFELIANMiospore assemblages of probable Eifelian age have been recovered from Well A1-37 from cored material at 10674 ft. The miospore populations which are extremely well preserved contain . . .

Description: ACRITARCHSOrdovician acritarchs have been recorded in five core samples collected between 2520 ft. and 3000 ft. in Well E1-81, and ten cutting samples taken between 12150 ft. and 13240 ft. in Well J1-81A. All the assemblages recovered are of Late Ordovician age; no Early Ordovician or Middle Ordovician assemblages have been identified.Investigations have so far concentrated on the acritarch assemblages from Well El-81. The highest three Ordovician samples from depths of 2520 to 2550 ft., 2552 to 2557 ft., and 2562 to 2567 ft., yielded similar assemblages which include Veryhachium irroratum, V. cf. lairdii, V. oklahomense?, V. subglobosum, V. trispinosum, Villosacapsula setosapellicula and a new species, Striatotheca sp. A. Navifusa similis? is represented by one specimen in the sample from 2552 to 2557 ft. Another specimen from the same sample is tentatively referred to Aremoricanium syringosagis. Specimens of Baltisphaeridium, Peteinosphaeridium, Leiofusa and Eupoikilofusa occur throughout the interval 2520 to 2567 ft. but are rare. Commonly occurring species include V. irroratum and V. setosapellicula. V. irroratum has been recorded from the Middle Ordovician of North America (Loeblich & Tappan, 1969) and the Caradoc of England (Turner, 1984) but Cramer & Diez (1979) maintain that it has its acme in the Ashgill. V. setosapellicula is common in the Sylvan Shale of Oklahoma (Loeblich, 1970) which is generally understood to be of Ashgill age, but is rare in the Eden Shale (Caradoc) of Indiana (Colbath, 1979) and in the type section of the Caradoc Series in Shropshire, England (Turner, 1984). . . .

Description: The data obtained from an independent study of acritarchs, chitinozoans and miospores enables the determination of maximum age ranges of samples taken from three wells. These are shown in Fig. 8.ACRITARCHSAt present, samples have been examined from six wells – A1-46, Core 2; E1-81, Cores 3, 4; F1-46, Core 3; D-31, Core 1; A1-81, Core 3 and C1-31, Core 8. The last mentioned is considered no further here as all samples have to date proved barren. The oldest of the acritarch assemblages are recorded from E1-81, Cores 3, 4 between 1850ft. and 2340ft. (Fig. 8) and from A1-81, Core 3 between 3750ft. and 3773 ft. These are dominated by the polygonomorph acritarchs, Veryhachium trispinosum and V. valiente but also include acanthomorphs such as Diexallophasis and Multiplicisphaeridium. The lack of diagnostic acritarchs of post convolutus zone would indicate the age of the samples as Rhuddanian to Early Aeronian but no higher than convolutus zone. Wells A1-46, Core 2 between 9710 to 9721 ft. (Fig. 8); D1-31, Core 1, 6105 to 6160ft. (Fig. 8) and F1-46, Core 3, 8852 to 8858 ft. all yield rich assemblages dominated by Multiplicisphaeridium, Diexallophasis and Veryhachium and characteristic species of Visbysphaera, Cymbosphaeridium, Oppilatala and ?Dateriocradus. The presence of forms such as Oppilatala eoplanktonica, ?Dateriocradus monterrosae, Multiplicisphaeridium arbusculiferum, Diexallophasis caperoradiola and Visbysphaera gotlandicum indicate the assemblages are of post-convolutus zone age, thus late Aeronian, as an oldest date.Regional palynological differences in the acritarch assemblages are observed between North Africa and Great Britain, which are consistent . . .