Estimation of soil types by non linear analysis of remote sensing data

International audienceThe knowledge of soil type and soil texture is crucial for environmental monitoring purpose and risk assessment. Unfortunately, their mapping using classical techniques is time consuming and costly. We present here a way to estimate soil types based on limited field observations and remote sensing data. Due to the fact that the relation between the soil types and the considered attributes that were extracted from remote sensing data is expected to be non-linear, we apply Support Vector Machines (SVM) for soil type classification. Special attention is drawn to different training site distributions and the kind of input variables. We show that SVM based on carefully selected input variables proved to be an appropriate method for soil type estimation

Tectonic and climatic forcing on the Panj river system during the Quaternary

Abstract HKT-ISTP 2013 B

Investigation of Parietal Polysaccharides from Retama raetam Roots

This study characterizes the cell wall hemicellulose and pectins polymers of Retama raetam. This species develops a particularly important root system and is adapted to arid areas. The cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectins were extracted. The cellulose remains the major component of the wall (27% for young roots and 80% for  adult roots), hemicelluloses (14.3% for young roots and 3.6%  for adult roots) and pectins (17.3% for young roots and 4.1% for adult roots). The monosaccharidic composition of water soluble extracts determined by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) and completed by infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of hemicellulosic shows the presence of xylose as a major monosaccharide in the non-cellulose polysaccharides (47.8% for young roots and 59.5% for adult roots). These results indicate the presence of the homogalacturonans and rhamnogalacturonans in pectin. This study constitutes the preliminary data obtained in the biochemical analysis of the parietal compounds of the roots of a species which grows in an arid area in comparison with those of its aerial parts.Keywords: Retama raetam, Roots, Cell Wall, Investigation, Polysaccharides, Monosaccharidi

How to identify groundwater-caused thermal anomalies in lakes based on multi-temporal satellite data in semi-arid regions

The deduction by conventional means of qualitative and quantitative information about groundwater discharge into lakes is complicated. Nevertheless, at least for semi-arid regions with limited surface water availability, this information is crucial to ensure future water availability for drinking and irrigation purposes. <br><br> Overcoming this lack of discharge information, we present a satellite-based multi-temporal sea-surface-temperature (SST) approach. It exploits the occurrence of thermal anomalies to outline groundwater discharge locations using the example of the Dead Sea. Based on a set of 19 Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) images 6.2 (high gain), recorded between 2000 and 2002, we developed a novel approach which includes (i) an objective exclusion of surface-runoff-influenced data which would otherwise lead to erroneous results and (ii) a temporal SST variability analysis based on six statistical measures amplifying thermal anomalies caused by groundwater. <br><br> After excluding data influenced by surface runoff, we concluded that spatial anomaly patterns of the standard deviation and range of the SST data series spatially fit best to in situ observed discharge locations and, hence, are most suitable for detecting groundwater discharge sites

Transition State Spectroscopy of the Photoinduced Ca + CH3F Reaction. 2. Experimental and Ab Initio Studies of the Free Ca***FCH3 Complex

International audienceThe Ca* + CH3F CaF* + CH3 reaction was photoinduced in 1:1 Ca***CH3F complexes formed in a supersonic expansion. The transition state of the reaction was explored by monitoring the electronically excited product, CaF, while scanning the laser that turns on the reaction. Moreover, the electronic structure of the Ca***FCH3 system was studied using ab initio methods by associating a pseudopotential description of the [Ca2+] and [F7+] cores, a core polarization operator on calcium, an extensive Gaussian basis and a treatment of the electronic problem at the CCSD(T) (ground state) and RSPT2 (excited states) level. In this contribution we present experimental results for the free complex and a comparison with the results of a previous experiment where the Ca***CH3F complexes are deposited at the surface of large argon clusters. The ab initio calculations allowed an interpretation of the experimental data in terms of two reaction mechanisms, one involving a partial charge transfer state, the other involving the excitation of the C-F stretch in the CH3F moiety prior to charge transfer

Selective Earth-Abundant System for CO2 Reduction: Comparing Photo- and Electrocatalytic Processes

The valorization of CO2 via photo- or electrocatalytic reduction constitutes a promising approach toward the sustainable production of fuels or value-added chemicals using intermittent renewable energy sources. For this purpose, molecular catalysts are generally studied independently with respect to the photo- or the electrochemical application, although a unifying approach would be much more effective with respect to the mechanistic understanding and the catalyst optimization. In this context, we present a combined photo- and electrocatalytic study of three Mn diimine catalysts, which demonstrates the synergistic interplay between the two methods. The photochemical part of our study involves the development of a catalytic system containing a heteroleptic Cu photosensitizer and the sacrificial BIH reagent. The system shows exclusive selectivity for CO generation and renders turnover numbers which are among the highest reported thus far within the group of fully earth-abundant photocatalytic systems. The electrochemical part of our investigations complements the mechanistic understanding of the photochemical process and demonstrates that in the present case the sacrificial reagent, the photosensitizer, and the irradiation source can be replaced by the electrode and a weak Brønsted acid. © 2019 American Chemical Society

Relations between Au / Sn-W mineralizations and late hercynian granite: Preliminary results from the Schistose Domain of Galicia-Trás-os-Montes Zone, Spain

International audienceAu and W-Sn mineralization of the Schistose Domain of Galicia-Trás-os-Montes are spatially related to late hercynian granites. The Bruès (Au) and the Mina Soriana W-(Sn) deposits are studied. Both show some similarities and are assumed to form in the same tectonic and metamorphic context, on top of the granites. The role of the granite as a source for mineralizing fluids and rheological control for vein emplacement is re-adressed and discussed

A new view of electrochemistry at highly oriented pyrolytic graphite

Major new insights on electrochemical processes at graphite electrodes are reported, following extensive investigations of two of the most studied redox couples, Fe(CN)64–/3– and Ru(NH3)63+/2+. Experiments have been carried out on five different grades of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) that vary in step-edge height and surface coverage. Significantly, the same electrochemical characteristic is observed on all surfaces, independent of surface quality: initial cyclic voltammetry (CV) is close to reversible on freshly cleaved surfaces (>400 measurements for Fe(CN)64–/3– and >100 for Ru(NH3)63+/2+), in marked contrast to previous studies that have found very slow electron transfer (ET) kinetics, with an interpretation that ET only occurs at step edges. Significantly, high spatial resolution electrochemical imaging with scanning electrochemical cell microscopy, on the highest quality mechanically cleaved HOPG, demonstrates definitively that the pristine basal surface supports fast ET, and that ET is not confined to step edges. However, the history of the HOPG surface strongly influences the electrochemical behavior. Thus, Fe(CN)64–/3– shows markedly diminished ET kinetics with either extended exposure of the HOPG surface to the ambient environment or repeated CV measurements. In situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals that the deterioration in apparent ET kinetics is coupled with the deposition of material on the HOPG electrode, while conducting-AFM highlights that, after cleaving, the local surface conductivity of HOPG deteriorates significantly with time. These observations and new insights are not only important for graphite, but have significant implications for electrochemistry at related carbon materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes