The application of morphodynamic indices to exposed beaches of Cadiz Bay

The aim of the present paper is to assess the validity of several energetic, morphological and morphodynamic indices, and their application to Vistahermosa and La Barrosa beaches (Cadiz Bay), as a preliminary attempt to establish the morphodynamic behaviour of these coastal zones. Earlier studies have used some of these indices, while others are completely new. All of them are involve the integration of field data, topographic restitution and granulometric analysis, as well as instrumental wave monitoring during a complete seasonal cycle. Although a good general behaviour of the indices can be concluded, the addition of high-energy data from storm events should be included in future studies.En el presente trabajo se valora la adecuación de diversos índices energéticos, morfológicos y morfodinámicos a las playas de Vistahermosa y La Barrosa como paso previo al establecimiento del comportamiento morfodinámico de las mismas. Estudios anteriores han empleado algunos de esos índices, mientras otros son totalmente nuevos. Estos índices se construyen mediante la integración de datos de campo, restitución topográfica y análisis granulométrico, y con datos instrumentales de oleaje a lo largo de un ciclo estacional completo. Aunque la valoración general del funcionamiento de los índices aplicados es buena, se concluye la necesidad de incluir situaciones energéticas de temporal en análisis ulteriores.Instituto Español de Oceanografí

Use of textile waste as an addition in the elaboration of an ecological concrete block

The textile industry has grown significantly in recent years, reaching a global fiber production of 53 million tons which 12 % are recycled; Construction sector has been using more and more recycled materials from different industrial sources, to apply them in their constructions and to reduce CO2 emissions and final energy consumption. The present study aims to study the behavior of concrete blocks of fć= 210 kg/cm2 adding polyester textile waste with 3 %, 6 %, 9 %, 12 % and 15 %; void content, compressive strength and thermal conductivity decrease, and water absorption, acoustic insulation and unit price increase by 3 %, 34 % and 16 % compared to conventional concrete block

Efectos de los temporales sobre las playas de la Bahía de Cádiz

[Resumen] En el presente trabajo se estudian los efectos que los temporales de Diciembre e 1995 y Enero de 1996 tuvieron sobre las playas de la Bahía de Cádiz. Del análisis del oleaje incidente se observa cómo sus efectos se multiplican cuando los picos de temporal coinciden con el máximo rango de mareas. Los cambios morfológicos registrados en las playas se estudian mediante el perfilamiento pre y post-temporal de playas tanto naturales como regeneradas artificialmente. La cuantificación de dichos cambios muestra cómo la forma inicial de los perfiles es determinante en el tipo de respuesta de las playas frente a olejaes de gran energía. También se manifiestan procesos de erosión en cordones dunares, mediante incisiones, desbordamientos, etc. La estimación final de los daños sufridos por las playas revela mayores pérdidas en aquellas zonas donde la presión antrópica es mayor[Abstract] The work deals with the effects that the storm surges of December-1995 and January-1996 made upon the beaches of Cádiz Bay (SW Spain). From the incidentwave analysis it can be deduced that the effects are much stronger when the surge peak coincides with maximum tidal ranges. The morphological changes recorded in the beaches are studied through pre- and post-surge profiling of both natural and artificially nourished beaches. The quantification of such morphological transformations shows that the initial beach profile is determinant in the kind of response of the beach to high wave-energy conditions. The erosive processes upon dune ridges are represented by gullying, overwashing, etc. The final estimation of losses in the beaches reveals higher damages in zones where anthropic preassure is higher

(Des)encuentros: La ficción televisiva a debate

Desde hace algún tiempo, y curiosamente coincidiendo con el centenario de su nacimiento, muchas voces vienen anunciando la inevitable muerte del cine. Las cifras del torrencial vaciado de las salas son irrebatibles, y múltiples las posibles razones que se congregan para dar con su explicación. El precio de las entradas, la comodidad del consumo doméstico, la piratería, e incluso la baja calidad de los productos que se estrenan en las salas comerciales, son motivos comúnmente defendidos. Sin embargo, todos aquellos que con premura ansiaban encontrar su cadáver no logran encontrarlo, y es que puede que el cine no haya muerto, sino que haya cambiado de aspecto. Así, las ideas del mercado hollywoodiense, al menos las más arriesgadas y diferentes —que casi por norma suelen resultar ser las más interesantes desde un punto de vista científico-crítico— debían buscar una plataforma a través de la cual poder manifestarse. Y esa plataforma la encontró el cine en su hermana pequeña —por edad—: la televisión.For some time, and curiously coinciding with the centenary of its birth, many voices have announced the inevitable death of cinema. Figures from the huge emptying of cinemas are irrefutable, and the possible reasons that explain this fact are numerous. The ticket prices, the comfort of home consumption, hacking, and even the low quality of the products that are shown in cinemas are commonly defended reasons. However, those who were anxious to find cinema’s deceased body can’t find it yet; and that is because maybe cinema is not already dead, but has changed in appearance instead. Thus, the ideas of the Hollywood market, at least the most daring and different, which almost as a rule tend to be the most interesting ones from a scientific and critical point of view, must find a platform through which they will be able to manifest themselves. And cinema has found this platform in its little sister (due to its age): televisio

Tectonic and climatic controls on the Chuquibamba landslide (western Andes, southern Peru)

The contribution of landslides to the Quaternary evolution of relief is poorly documented in arid contexts. In southern Peru and northern Chile, several massive landslides disrupt the arid western Andean front. The Chuquibamba landslide, located in southern Peru, belongs to this set of large landslides. In this area, the Incapuquio fault system captures the intermittent drainage network and localizes rotational landslides. Seismic activity is significant in this region with recurrent Mw9 subduction earthquakes; however, none of the latest seismic events have triggered a major landslide. New terrestrial cosmogenic dating of the Chuquibamba landslide provides evidence that the last major gravitational mobilization of these rotational landslide deposits occurred at ~ 102 ka, during the Ouki wet climatic event identified on the Altiplano between 120 and 98 ka. Our results suggest that wet events in the arid and fractured context of the Andean forearc induced these giant debris flows. Finally, our study highlights the role of tectonics and climate on (i) the localization of large Andean landslides in the Western Cordillera and on (ii) the long-term mass transfer to the trench along the arid Andean front

Incorporating Farmers’ Market Tours into the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program: Best Practices and Lessons Learned

Research indicates that low-income consumers are less likely to shop at farmers’ markets and that these individuals are often those with the lowest intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. This project aimed to improve familiarity with farmers’ markets among low-income consumers through guided tours of farmers’ markets, implemented as part of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). EFNEP Program Assistants (PAs) in five counties in North Carolina received training and partnered with a local Cooperative Extension agent to deliver a farmers’ market tour at the mid-point of a nine-lesson series on healthy eating. Forty-eight participants completed the series, completing a pre-and post-class series behavior change assessment and dietary recall. At entry, 54% of participants said they ate food that came from a local farm, compared to 94% at exit. Interviews with all PAs found that participants: plan to visit the farmers’ market again in the future, tried new recipes with foods purchased at the market, and learned how to talk with and ask questions of farmers’ market vendors. We argue that farmers’ market tours are a promising strategy for increasing familiarity with local foods, when carried out as part of a series of nutrition education classes