Strongly nonlinear steepening of long interfacial waves

International audienceThe transformation of nonlinear long internal waves in a two-layer fluid is studied in the Boussinesq and rigid-lid approximation. Explicit analytic formulation of the evolution equation in terms of the Riemann invariants allows us to obtain analytical results characterizing strongly nonlinear wave steepening, including the spectral evolution. Effects manifesting the action of high nonlinear corrections of the model are highlighted. It is shown, in particular, that the breaking points on the wave profile may shift from the zero-crossing level. The wave steepening happens in a different way if the density jump is placed near the middle of the water bulk: then the wave deformation is almost symmetrical and two phases appear where the wave breaks

The 1867 Virgin Island Tsunami

International audienceThe 1867 Virgin Island Tsunami reached large magnitude on the coasts of the Caribbean Islands. A maximum tsunami height of 10 m was reported for two coastal locations (Deshaies and Sainte-Rose) in Guadeloupe. Modelling of the 1867 tsunami is performed in the framework of the nonlinear shallow-water theory. The directivity of the tsunami wave source in the Caribbean Sea according to the assumed initial waveform is investigated. The tsunami records at the several coastal regions in the Lesser Antilles, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and South America are simulated. The comparison between the computed and observed data is in reasonable agreement

Variation Saisonnière De La Qualité Physico-Chimique Des Eaux Souterraines Des Aquifères d’Altérites Du Département d’Agboville (Sud-Est De La Côte d’Ivoire)

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the seasonal quality to explain the phenomena at the origin of the mineralization of groundwater in the department of Agboville. Hydrochemical analysis was performed in 24 wells located throughout the study area. Hydrochemical different methods and techniques of multivariate statistical analysis were used to study these waters. The physicochemical analyzes show that the water is acidic with an average pH of 6.09 in the rainy season and 6.29 in the dry season. Overall, these waters are soft and slightly mineralized with an average electrical conductivity of 172.92 μS / cm in the rainy season and 196.71 μS / cm in the dry season. These waters are mineralized in the dry season than rainy. The hydrochemical classification of water from the Piper diagram showed one hydrofacies is calcium chloride-facies. Quality chemical parameters are mostly below the WHO (2011) guideline values, except for some points (29.17%) where levels of nitrites and ammonium sometimes exceed the guide values. The various processes responsible for the acquisition of the chemistry of groundwater are studied: the residence time of water in contact with the host rock, the redox infiltration of substances linked to human activities and litter decomposition. In the mineralization mechanisms, hydrolysis of silicates is the dominant process

Assessing storm surge hazard and impact of sea level rise in the Lesser Antilles case study of Martinique

In the Lesser Antilles, coastal inundations from hurricane-induced storm surges pose a great threat to lives, properties and ecosystems. Assessing current and future storm surge hazards with sufficient spatial resolution is of primary interest to help coastal planners and decision makers develop mitigation and adaptation measures. Here, we use wave–current numerical models and statistical methods to investigate worst case scenarios and 100-year surge levels for the case study of Martinique under present climate or considering a potential sea level rise. Results confirm that the wave setup plays a major role in the Lesser Antilles, where the narrow island shelf impedes the piling-up of large amounts of wind-driven water on the shoreline during extreme events. The radiation stress gradients thus contribute significantly to the total surge – up to 100 % in some cases. The nonlinear interactions of sea level rise (SLR) with bathymetry and topography are generally found to be relatively small in Martinique but can reach several tens of centimeters in low-lying areas where the inundation extent is strongly enhanced compared to present conditions. These findings further emphasize the importance of waves for developing operational storm surge warning systems in the Lesser Antilles and encourage caution when using static methods to assess the impact of sea level rise on storm surge hazard

Steepness and spectrum of nonlinear deformed wave in shallow water

Process of the nonlinear deformation of the surface wave in shallow water is studied. Main attention is paid to the relation between the Fourier-spectrum and wave steepness. It is shown that the spectral harmonics of the initially sine wave can be expressed through the wave steepness, and this is important for applications.Comment: 10 pages in Russian with English abstrac

Apport Du SIG Et De L’analyse Multicritère Dans La Prospection Hydrogéologique Du Socle Précambrien De Gagnoa (Centre-Ouest De La Côte d’Ivoire)

Côte d’Ivoire is constituted in more than 97.5% of crystalline basement which contains the main part of groundwater resources of the country. These resources are contained in the weathering material and fissured aquifers. Gagnoa area located at the Central West of Côte d'Ivoire, on crystalline and metamorphic basement. In this area, surface water and groundwater are exploited for the water supply of the populations. However surface water are often doubtful quality and can affect the health of these populations. Thus find water resources in sufficient and good quality amount is a necessity in this area. The study aims to identify favourable areas for the archievement of drillings with important discharge using geomorphologic, hydrogeological data and remote sensing. Multi-criteria analisys methods were used in this study. The database is constituted by various data in particular, data sheets of drillings, hydroclimatic statements and satellite image. This database was stored, analyzed, treated and managed using ARCGIS 10.2. software. Various treatments allowed to establish various thematic maps (accessibility, exploitability, availability). The synthesis of all information inside a SIG allowed to establish the maps of favourable areas to achieve drillings with large discharges. The classes of good and excellent sensibility cover 26% of the study area. These favourable areas for the achievement of drillings with important discharge are located at the center and south of the study area. Validation of this map showed that 66% of the water points (drillings) with discharge superior to 5 m3/h overlap on the good and excellent classes of sensibility. The various zones of productivity of Gagnoa area were able to be characterized. These results are very interesting and useful for the hydrogeological prospecting. They contribute to a better knowledge and a groundwater resource management

Island Invasion by a Threatened Tree Species: Evidence for Natural Enemy Release of Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) on Dominica, Lesser Antilles

Despite its appeal to explain plant invasions, the enemy release hypothesis (ERH) remains largely unexplored for tropical forest trees. Even scarcer are ERH studies conducted on the same host species at both the community and biogeographical scale, irrespective of the system or plant life form. In Cabrits National Park, Dominica, we observed patterns consistent with enemy release of two introduced, congeneric mahogany species, Swietenia macrophylla and S. mahagoni, planted almost 50 years ago. Swietenia populations at Cabrits have reproduced, with S. macrophylla juveniles established in and out of plantation areas at densities much higher than observed in its native range. Swietenia macrophylla juveniles also experienced significantly lower leaf-level herbivory (∼3.0%) than nine co-occurring species native to Dominica (8.4–21.8%), and far lower than conspecific herbivory observed in its native range (11%–43%, on average). These complimentary findings at multiple scales support ERH, and confirm that Swietenia has naturalized at Cabrits. However, Swietenia abundance was positively correlated with native plant diversity at the seedling stage, and only marginally negatively correlated with native plant abundance for stems ≥1-cm dbh. Taken together, these descriptive patterns point to relaxed enemy pressure from specialized enemies, specifically the defoliator Steniscadia poliophaea and the shoot-borer Hypsipyla grandella, as a leading explanation for the enhanced recruitment of Swietenia trees documented at Cabrits