1,720,981 research outputs found
Dataset of gravity-induced landforms and sinkholes of the northeast coast of malta (Central mediterranean sea)
Full text linkThis study investigates gravity-induced landforms that populate the North-Eastern coast of Malta. Attention is focused on tens of persistent joints and thousands of boulders associated with deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DGSDs), such as lateral spreads and block slides. Lateral spreads produce deep and long joints, which partially isolate limestone boulders along the edge of wide plateaus. These lateral spreads evolve into large block slides that detach thousands of limestone boulders from the cliffs and transport them towards the sea. These boulders are grouped in large slope-failure deposits surrounding limestone plateaus and cover downslope terrains. Gravity-induced joints (n = 124) and downslope boulders (n = 39,861) were identified and categorized using Google Earth (GE) images and later validated by field surveys. The datasets were digitized in QGIS and stored using ESRI shapefiles, which are common digital formats for storing vector GIS data. These types of landslides are characterized by slow-moving mechanisms, which evolve into destructive failures and present an elevated level of risk to coastal populations and infrastructure. Hundreds of blocks identified along the shore also provide evidence of sinkholes; for this reason, the paper also provides a catalogue of sinkholes. The outputs from this research can provide coastal managers with important information regarding the occurrence of coastal geohazards and represent a key resource for future landslide hazard assessment
Seven good reasons for integrating terrestrial and marine spatial datasets in changing environments
Full text linkA comprehensive understanding of environmental changes taking place in coastal regions relies on accurate integration of both terrestrial and submerged geo-environmental datasets. However, this practice is hardly implemented because of the high (or even prohibitive) survey costs required for submerged areas and the frequent low accessibility of shallow areas. In addition, geoscientists are used to working on land or at sea independently, making the integration even more challenging. Undoubtedly new methods and techniques of offshore investigation adopted over the last 50 years and the latest advances in computer vision have played a crucial role in allowing a seamless combination of terrestrial and marine data. Although efforts towards an innovative integration of geo-environmental data from above to underwater are still in their infancy, we have identified seven topics for which this integration could be of tremendous benefit for environmental research: (1) geomorphological mapping; (2) Late-Quaternary changes of coastal landscapes; (3) geoarchaeology; (4) geoheritage and geodiversity; (5) geohazards; (6) marine and landscape ecology; and (7) coastal planning and management. Our review indicates that the realization of seamless DTMs appears to be the basic condition to operate a comprehensive integration of marine and terrestrial data sets, so far exhaustively achieved in very few case studies. Technology and interdisciplinarity will be therefore critical for the development of a holistic approach to understand our changing environments and design appropriate management measures accordingly
Landscapes and Landforms of Terrestrial and Marine Areas: A Way Forward
Full text linkThe article introduces the aims and topics of the Special Issue 'Landscapes and Landforms of Terrestrial and Marine Areas' showing a variety of approaches and techniques used to integrate terrestrial and marine spatial datasets. The outcomes not only show how innovative and advanced geomorphological mapping techniques can support a more informed sustainable management of coastal environments, but also pave the way for other studies that rely on an improved efficiency in providing 3D landscape visualization from remote multisource and multiscale data
The Spectacular Landslide-Controlled Landscape of the Northwestern Coast of Malta
No full textThe northwestern coast of Malta is characterised by spectacular geomorphological landscapes and by the presence of various types of landslides at different stages of evolution. The generation of landslides has been favoured by the geological situation, which comprises a highly jointed limestone cap rock cropping out above marls and clays. It is because of its aesthetic and natural value, plus its scientific and historic interest, that the northwestern coast of Malta has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and, in addition, a large portion of the coast in this area has been incorporated in the Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park
Advanced SAR interferometric analysis to support geomorphological interpretation of slow-moving coastal landslides (Malta, Mediterranean Sea)
Full text linkAn advanced SAR interferometric analysis has been combined with a methodology for the automatic classification of radar reflectors phase histories to interpret slope-failure kinematics and trend of displacements of slow-moving landslides. To accomplish this goal, the large dataset of radar images, acquired in more than 20 years by the two European Space Agency (ESA) missions ERS-1/2 and ENVISAT, was exploited. The analysis was performed over the northern sector of Island of Malta (central Mediterranean Sea), where extensive landslides occur. The study was assisted by field surveys and with the analysis of existing thematic maps and landslide inventories. The outcomes allowed definition of a model capable of describing the geomorphological evolution of slow-moving landslides, providing a key for interpreting such phenomena that, due to their slowness, are usually scarcely investigated
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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