Climatology, storm morphologies, and environments of tornadoes in the British Isles: 1980–2012

A climatology is developed for tornadoes during 1980–2012 in the British Isles, defined in this article as England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. The climatology includes parent storm type, interannual variability, annual and diurnal cycles, intensities, oc- currence of outbreaks (defined as three or more tornadoes in the same day), geographic distribution, and environmental conditions derived from proximity soundings of tornadoes. Tornado reports are from the Tornado and Storm Research Organization (TORRO). Over the 33 years, there were a mean of 34.3 tor- nadoes and 19.5 tornado days (number of days in which at least one tornado occurred) annually. Tornadoes and tornado outbreaks were most commonly produced from linear storms, defined as radar signatures at least 75 km long and approximately 3 times as long as wide. Most (78%) tornadoes occurred in England. The probability of a tornado within 10 km of a point was highest in the south, southeast, and west of England. On average, there were 2.5 tornado outbreaks every year. Where intensity was known, 95% of tornadoes were classified as F0 or F1 with the remainder classified as F2. There were no tornadoes rated F3 or greater during this time period. Tornadoes occurred throughout the year with a maximum from May through October. Finally, tornadoes tended to occur in low-CAPE, high-shear environments. Tornadoes in the British Isles were difficult to predict using only sounding-derived parameters because there were no clear thresholds between null, tornadic, outbreak, and significant tornado cases.

A revision of the spider genera Chaetopelma ausserer 1871 and Nesiergus simon 1903 (Araneae, theraphosidae, ischnocolinae)

Chaetopelma Ausserer 1871 and Nesiergus Simon 1903 are revised. Cratorrhagus Simon 1891 is considered a junior synonym of Chaetopelma. Cratorrhagus tetramerus (Simon 1873) and the female of Cratorrhagus concolor (Simon 1873) are conspecific with C. olivaceum (C. L. Koch 1841). Ischnocolus gracilis Ausserer 1871, Ischnocolus syriacus Ausserer 1871, Chaetopelma shabati Hassan 1950 and Ischnocolus jerusalemensis Smith 1990 are also treated here as junior synonyms of C. olivaceum. Chaetopelma adenense Simon 1890 is proposed as a junior synonym of Ischnocolus jickelii L. Koch 1875. Chaetopelma gardineri Hirst 1911 is transferred to Nesiergus. Hence, Chaetopelma comprises three valid species: C. olivaceum (C. L. Koch 1841); C. karlamani Vollmer 1997; C. concolor (Simon 1873) n. comb. from the Middle East and northeastern Africa. Nesiergus, which appears endemic to the Seychelles archipelago, now comprises three valid species: N. gardineri (Hirst 1911) n. comb.; N. halophilus Benoit 1978; N. insulanus Simon 1903.

Uma janela tropical: análise do desempenho luminoso de ambientes com aberturas sombreadas para o clima de Natal/RN

This master thesis introduces assessment procedures of daylighting performance in office rooms with shaded opening, recommendations for Natal-RN (Latitude 05,47' S, Longitude 35,11' W). The studies assume the need of window exterior shading in hot and humid climate buildings. The daylighting performance analyses are based on simulated results for three levels of illuminance (300,500 e 1000 lux) between 08h00 e 16h00, in rooms with 2,80 m height, 6 m large and 4 m, 6 m e 8 m depths, with a centered single opening, window wall ratio (20%, 40% e 60%), four orientations (North, East, South and West), and two types of sky (clear and partially cloudy). The sky characteristics were statistically determined based on hourly data from INPE-CRN solar and daylighting weather station. The lighting performance is resulted from dynamic computer simulation of 72 models using Troplux 3.12. The simulation results were assessed using a new parameter to quantify the use of interior daylighting, the useful percentage of daylight (PULN), which corresponds to the time fraction with satisfactory light, in accordance with the illuminance design. The passive zone depths are defined based on the PULN. Despite the failures of illuminance data from the weather station, the analyses ratified the high potential of daylighting for shaded rooms. The most influential variables on the lighting performance are the opening size and the illuminance of design, while the orientation is a little influential

Excesso de peso em região do nordeste brasileiro: contraste entre escolares de rede pública e privada de ensino

The prevalence of obesity has been increased in the last three decades. It is already considered as epidemic by the World Health Organization and reaches around 300 million people worldwide. The weight gain in all ages is related to a sedentary way of life and hyper caloric food ingestion at the modern society. Obesity is a chronic disease and leads to high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of weight excess among student in Natal schools and to analyze its association with age, gender, school category and geographic localization in city zones. This was a transversal study which enrolled 1927 children. 1084 of these were between 6 and 8 years-old (group 1) and 843 were 9 to 10 years-old (group 2). 895 of the total children studied in private schools and 1032 studied in public schools. 33,6% of the students had body mass index equal or above the 85th percentile and were considered as having weight excess. There was no statistical difference in this prevalence considering neither gender nor age. The weight excess prevalence in private schools was 54,5% and in public ones was 15,6% (p<0,01; OR=6,49). Weight excess was also more prevalent in the south and east city zones (41,3%) which have better quality of life index than in the north and west zones (28,4%) (p<0,01). In conclusion, the weight excess prevalence among students is found to be high in Natal and programs of intervention and prevention of obesity are necessary. The higher prevalence in private schools as in the wealthier city zones reflects the link between obesity and high socioeconomic level found in countries in developing. This was an interdisciplinary work with participation of epidemiology, child nutrition and pediatric endocrinology following the recommendations and principles of the Post graduation Program in Health Sciences of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte

Enfermagem na atenção primária em saúde no screening de adolescentes com excesso de peso

One of the Primary Health Care strategies for adolescent health is the growth and development follow-up and the early detection of overweight adolescents. Even though the School Health Program in Brazil proposes to evaluate the nutritional state of the school population in the corresponding community health units, not all cities have adhered to the Program and many nurses do not recognize overweight as a problem in their territory. The objective of the study was to identify the nurse´s participation in the screening of overweight adolescent students in their work territory. Cross sectional study conducted in eight state supported schools of the municipality of Natal/RN and in four Primary Health Units. The total student population was 27.277. A stratified sample was statistically calculated based on the student population of the four city geographical zones: 112 North , 74 West; 108 East; and 78 South, totalizing 372 adolescents. The students were selected by a probability process where eight schools were first selected, two per district, until the number per subsample in each district was reached. Four primary health nurses, responsible for the health units were included. Two instruments were used for data collection, a screening questionnaire and a semi-structured interview form for questioning of the nurses. The content of both instruments was validated. Anthropometric and health data were collected from the students and analyzed with descriptive and analytical statistics. Interview data were transcribed and submitted to content analysis. The nursing diagnosis of overweight was identified in 50 (13,5%) of the adolescents and its association with consumption of foods that have cardiovascular risk (canned foods, pasta and fried food). An association of the nursing diagnosis was identified with family history (diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and kidney disease). The nurses judged that care of overweight adolescents was important but noted difficulties because of the absence of this population in the health units, because of their work overload, and the lack of school articulation. The nurses do not have impacting actions with this population and delegate the responsibility to other professionals. It is concluded that overweight is a nutritional problem relevant to the adolescent school population in Natal/RN, with a 13,5% prevalence and that it is related to food consumption with cardiovascular risk and family health history. The nurses consider overweight as an important public health problem but do not envision ways to maintain linkage with adolescents and with the school to promote the needed care

Arcabouço geofísico, isostasia e causas do magmatismo cenozóico da província Borborema e de sua margem continental (Nordeste do Brasil)

The Borborema Province (BP) is a geologic domain located in Northeastern Brazil. The BP is limited at the south by the São Francisco craton, at the west by the Parnaíba basin, and both at the north and east by coastal sedimentary basins. Nonetheless the BP surface geology is well known, several key aspects of its evolution are still open, notably: i)its tectonic compartmentalization established after the Brasiliano orogenesis, ii) the architecture of its cretaceous continental margin, iii) the elastic properties of its lithosphere, and iv) the causes of magmatism and uplifting which occurred in the Cenozoic. In this thesis, a regional coverage of geophysical data (elevation, gravity, magnetic, geoid height, and surface wave global tomography) were integrated with surface geologic information aiming to attain a better understanding of the above questions. In the Riacho do Pontal belt and in the western sector of the Sergipano belt, the neoproterozoic suture of the collision of the Sul domain of the BP with the Sanfranciscana plate (SFP) is correlated with an expressive dipolar gravity anomaly. The positive lobule of this anomaly is due to the BP lower continental crust uplifting whilst the negative lobule is due to the supracrustal nappes overthrusting the SFP. In the eastern sector of the Sergipano belt, this dipolar gravity anomaly does not exist. However the suture still can be identified at the southern sector of the Marancó complex arc, alongside of the Porto da Folha shear zone, where the SFP N-S geophysical alignments are truncated. The boundary associated to the collision of the Ceará domain of the BP with the West African craton is also correlated with a dipolar gravity anomaly. The positive lobule of this anomaly coincides with the Sobral-Pedro II shear zone whilst the negative lobule is associated with the Santa Quitéria magmatic arc. Judging by their geophysical signatures, the major BP internal boundaries are: i)the western sector of the Pernambuco shear zone and the eastern continuation of this shear zone as the Congo shear zone, ii) the Patos shear zone, and iii) the Jaguaribe shear zone and its southwestern continuation as the Tatajuba shear zone. These boundaries divide the BP in five tectonic domains in the geophysical criteria: Sul, Transversal, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, and Médio Coreaú. The Sul domain is characterized by geophysical signatures associated with the BP and SFP collision. The fact that Congo shear zone is now proposed as part of the Transversal domain boundary implies an important change in the original definition of this domain. The Rio Grande do Norte domain presents a highly magnetized crust resulted from the superposition of precambrian and phanerozoic events. The Ceará domain is divided by the Senador Pompeu shear zone in two subdomains: the eastern one corresponds to the Orós-Jaguaribe belt and the western one to the Ceará-Central subdomain. The latter subdomain exhibits a positive ENE-W SW gravity anomaly which was associated to a crustal discontinuity. This discontinuity would have acted as a rampart against to the N-S Brasiliano orogenic nappes. The Médio Coreaú domain also presents a dipolar gravity anomaly. Its positive lobule is due to granulitic rocks whereas the negative one is caused by supracrustal rocks. The boundary between Médio Coreaú and Ceará domains can be traced below the Parnaíba basin sediments by its geophysical signature. The joint analysis of free air anomalies, free air admittances, and effective elastic thickness estimates (Te) revealed that the Brazilian East and Equatorial continental margins have quite different elastic properties. In the first one 10 km < Te < 20 km whereas in the second one Te ≤ 10 km. The weakness of the Equatorial margin lithosphere was caused by the cenozoic magmatism. The BP continental margin presents segmentations; some of them have inheritance from precambrian structures and domains. The segmentations conform markedly with some sedimentary basin features which are below described from south to north. The limit between Sergipe and Alagoas subbasins coincides with the suture between BP and SFP. Te estimates indicates concordantly that in Sergipe subbasin Te is around 20 km while Alagoas subbasin has Te around 10 km, thus revealing that the lithosphere in the Sergipe subbasin has a greater rigidity than the lithosphere in the Alagoas subbasin. Additionally inside the crust beneath Sergipe subbasin occurs a very dense body (underplating or crustal heritage?) which is not present in the crust beneath Alagoas subbasin. The continental margin of the Pernambuco basin (15 < Te < 25 km) presents a very distinct free air edge effect displaying two anomalies. This fact indicates the existence in the Pernambuco plateau of a relatively thick crust. In the Paraíba basin the free air edge effect is quite uniform, Te ≈ 15 km, and the lower crust is abnormally dense probably due to its alteration by a magmatic underplating in the Cenozoic. The Potiguar basin segmentation in three parts was corroborated by the Te estimates: in the Potiguar rift Te ≅ 5 km, in the Aracati platform Te ≅ 25 km, and in the Touros platform Te ≅ 10 km. The observed weakness of the lithosphere in the Potiguar rift segment is due to the high heat flux while the relatively high strength of the lithosphere in the Touros platform may be due to the existence of an archaean crust. The Ceará basin, in the region of Mundaú and Icaraí subbasins, presents a quite uniform free air edge effect and Te ranges from 10 to 15 km. The analysis of the Bouguer admittance revealed that isostasy in BP can be explained with an isostatic model where combined surface and buried loadings are present. The estimated ratio of the buried loading relative to the surface loading is equal to 15. In addition, the lower crust in BP is abnormally dense. These affirmations are particularly adequate to the northern portion of BP where adherence of the observed data to the isostatic model is quite good. Using the same above described isostatic model to calculate the coherence function, it was obtained that a single Te estimate for the entire BP must be lower than 60 km; in addition, the BP north portion has Te around 20 km. Using the conventional elastic flexural model to isostasy, an inversion of crust thickness was performed. It was identified two regions in BP where the crust is thickened: one below the Borborema plateau (associated to an uplifting in the Cenozoic) and the other one in the Ceará domain beneath the Santa Quitéria magmatic arc (a residue associated to the Brasiliano orogenesis). On the other hand, along the Cariri-Potiguar trend, the crust is thinned due to an aborted rifting in the Cretaceous. Based on the interpretation of free air anomalies, it was inferred the existence of a large magmatism in the oceanic crust surrounding the BP, in contrast with the incipient magmatism in the continent as shown by surface geology. In BP a quite important positive geoid anomaly exists. This anomaly is spatially correlated with the Borborema plateau and the Macaú-Queimadas volcanic lineament. The integrated interpretation of geoid height anomaly data, global shear velocity model, and geologic data allow to propose that and Edge Driven Convection (EDC) may have caused the Cenozoic magmatism. The EDC is an instability that presumably occurs at the boundary between thick stable lithosphere and oceanic thin lithosphere. In the BP lithosphere, the EDC mechanism would have dragged the cold lithospheric mantle into the hot asthenospheric mantle thus causing a positive density contrast that would have generated the main component of the geoid height anomaly. In addition, the compatibility of the gravity data with the isostatic model, where combined surface and buried loadings are present, together with the temporal correlation between the Cenozoic magmatism and the Borborema plateau uplifting allow to propose that this uplifting would have been caused by the buoyancy effect of a crustal root generated by a magmatic underplating in the Cenozoic

Dinâmica Costeira dos Campos petrolíferos Macau/Serra, litoral setentrional do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte

This thesis describes the general behavior of the northern shore of the State of Rio Grande do Norte relating beach profile morphology with hydrodynamic and sedimentological parameters. The Macau and Serra Oil Field are inserted on this area and are under accelerated coastal erosion. At these oil fields are installed oil wells from PETROBRAS, nowadays located directly in the shoreline, under constant attacks of coastal processes (e.g. waves, tides and currents), which promote an intense morphodynamic variability of this sandy coast. The area was monitored for 24 months in three different stations (P01, P02 and P03). The methodology applied involved current techniques of beach profiles, hydrodynamical processes, remote sensing and geophysics. A synthesis of results obtained through the use of different time scales (monthly, lunar cycle, seasonal, annual) from a coastal dynamics study is presented. The average wind direction corresponded to 77ºAz (NE). The steepness of the berm and of the shoreface, as well as coastal current direction, do not present major changes, with an average of 36º for the steepness of the berm, 15º for the shoreface and 15º for the coastal current direction. This data set allows us to infer that the months of larger coastal erosion were November/2000 and April/2001, because of the largest wave parameter during this time. The months of worse coastal erosion in this area are related with the increasing wavy energy. This in turn, seems to be related to seasonal climatic variations, with the wave energy and tide currents speed increasing during months of minor precipitations (June to January). The months of worse coastal erosion were September and November, when the largest wave parameters and speed currents are measured in the area. Since these months are included on the period of minor precipitations, we related the coastal erosion to seasonal climatic variations. The results obtained during these 24 months of monitoring confirms a situation of accentuated erosion, mainly in Profile 03 (Barra do Corta-Cachorro), where the wave height, period, and coastal current speed are always larger than the values found in Profile 02 (Macau5). Probably these values are more expressive in Profile 03, because it does not present any natural structure of protection against the wave impacts, as the barrier island located at Ponta do Tubarão, or the sand banks in front of Macau5. The transport of the sediments occurs from East to West, and the sand accumulation is more pronounced on Profile 03 intertidal zone, where there are embrionary dunes in dryer months. The tidal currents speed, on the other hand, is more accentuated in the Macau5 area (Profile 02). At Ponta do Tubarão, the tidal currents presented a preferential direction for NE, at times of flood, currents and for NW, at times of ebb current; at Barra do Corta-Cachorro the direction of the currents were predominantly for NW, independent of the tide phase, coinciding with the preferential direction of the longshore current. This currents inversion at Ponta do Tubarão is attributed to the presence of the Ponta do Tubarão island barrier and by the communication channel of the lagoon with the sea. The tide currents are better observed in protected areas, as in the Ponta do Tubarão, when they present inversion in their direction accordingly to the flood and ebb tide. In open areas, as in Barra do Corta-Cachorro, the tide currents are overprinted by the longshore currents. Sediment analysis does not show important modifications in grain size related to seasonality (dry- and rainy seasons). On the foreshore and backshore zones, the sediments vary from fine to medium sand, while in the shoreface they very from fine to very sands. The grains are mostly spheres, varying from sub rounded to sub angled. Quartz is the main component alongside Feldspat and heavy minerals as accessory components. Biogenic content is also present and mainly represented by mollusks fragments. The calculated sediment transport show values around 100 m3/day. The morphodynamic studies indicated that this is a reflexive area from October to April, and intermediate from May to September. The Relative Tide Range-RTR for this area is 4 < RTR < 15, and so classified in the mixed wave-tide group. Having this exposed we can affirm that the more active natural factors in this area are the currents, followed by the tides and the winds. The anthropic factors are exclusively local and punctual (Macau and Serra Oil Field). Taking in account the economic importance of the area, as well as the intensity of coastal processes acting on this shore, it is important a continuity of the monthly environmental monitoring looking for variations on longer-period cycles. These data have been stored on the geo-referenced database of the projects MARPETRO and PETRORISCO (REDE 05), aiming to model the coastal and sea environment, susceptible to oil spills and their derivatives

Limites e evolução geodinâmica do Sistema Jaguaribeano, Província Borborema, Nordeste do Brasil

The studied area is geologically located in the Northern Domain of the Borborema Province (Northeast Brazil), limited to the south by the Patos shear zone. Terranes of the Jaguaribeano system are dominant, flanked by the Piranhas (E and S sides) and Central Ceará (NE side) terranes. Its basement comprises gneiss -migmatite terrains of Paleoproterozoic to Archean age (2.6 to 1.9 Ga old), overprinted by neoproterozoic to cambrian tectonotherma l events. Narrow supracrustal belts ( schist belts) display a 1.6 to 1.8 Ga age, as shown by whole - rock Rb-Sr and zircon U-Pb and Pb/Pb dates in acid metavolcanics which dominate in the lower section of these sequences, and in coeval metaplutonics (granitic augen gneisses). From the stratigraphic point of view, three Staterian belts are recognized: 1. Orós Belt - made up by the Orós Group, subdivided in the Santarém (predominantly pure to impure quartzites, micaschists and metacarbonates) and Campo Alegre (metandesites, metabasalts, metarhyolites and metarhyodacites, interlayered with metatuffs and metasediments) formations, and by the Serra do Deserto Magmatic Suite (granitic augen gneisses). 2. Jaguaribe Belt - its lithostratigrahic-lithodemic framework is similar to the one of the Orós Belt, however with a greater expression of the volcano -plutonic components (Campo Alegre Formation and Serra do Deserto Magmatic Suite). The Peixe Gordo Sequence, separately described, is also related to this belt and contain s metasedimentary, metavolcanic (with subordinated volcanoclastics) and metaplutonic units. The first one correlated to the Orós Group and the latter the Serra do Deserto Magmatic Suite. 3. Western Potiguar Belt - represented by the Serra de São José Gro up, subdivided in the Catolezinho (biotite -amphibole gneisses with intercalations of metacarbonates, calcsilicate rocks, amphibolites and quartzite beds to the top) and Minhuins (quartzites, micaschists, metaconglomerates, calcsilicate rocks, acid to the b asic metavolcanics and metatuffs) formations. Its late Paleoproterozoic (Staterian) age was established by a Pb/Pb date on zircons from a granitic orthogneiss of the Catolezinho Formation. The petrographic characteristics and sedimentary structures of the Santarém Formation of the Orós Group point to deltaic to shallow marine depositional systems, overlain by deep water deposits (turbidites). The geodynamic setting of this region encompassed a large depositional basin, probably extending to the east of the Portalegre shear zone and west of the Senador Pompeu shear zone, with possible equivalents in the Jucurutu Formation of the Seridó Belt and in the Ceará Group of central Ceará. The Arneiróz Belt, west Ceará, displays some stratigraphic features and granito ids geochemically akin to the ones of the Orós Belt. The evolutionary setting started with an extensional phase which was more active in the eastern part of this domain (Western Potiguar and part of the Jaguaribe belts), where the rudite and psamite sedime ntation relates to a fluviatile rift environment which evolved to a prograding deltaic system to the west (Orós Group). The basaltic andesitic and rhyolitic volcanics were associated to this extensional phase. During this magmatic event, acid magmas also crystallized at plutonic depths. The Orós Group illustrates the environmental conditions in the western part of this domain. Later on, after a large time gap (1.6 to 1.1 Ga), the region was subjected to an extensional deformational episode marked by 900 Ma old (Sm-Nd data) basic rocks, possibly in connection with the deposition of the Cachoeirinha Group south of the Patos shear zone. In the 800 to 500 Ma age interval, the region was affected by important deformational and metamorphic events coupled with in trusion of granitic rocks of variable size (dykes to batholiths), related to the Brasiliano/Pan -African geotectonic cycle. These events produced structural blocks which differentiate, one from the other, according to the importance of anatectic mobilizatio n, proportion of high-grade supracrustals and the amount of neoproterozoic -cambrian granitoid intrusions. On this basis, a large portion of the Jaguaretama Block/Terrane is relatively well preserved from this late overprint. The border belts of the Jagua retama Block (Western Potiguar and Arneiroz) display kyanite-bearing (medium pressure) mineral associations, while in the inner part of the block there is a north-south metamorphic zoning marked by staurolite or sillimanite peak metamorphic conditions. Regarding the deformations of the Staterian supracrustal rocks, second and third phases were the most important, diagnosed as having developed in a progressive tectonic process. In the general, more vigorous conditions of PT are related to the interval tardi - phase 2 early-phase 3, whose radiometric ages and regional structuring indicators places it in the Brasiliano/Pan-African Cycle. In the Staterian geodynamic setting of Brazilian Platform , these sequences are correlated to the lower Espinhaço Supergroup (p.ex., Rio dos Remédios and Paraguaçu groups, a paleproterozoic rift system in the São Francisco Craton), the Araí and Serra da Mesa groups (north of Goiás, in the so -called Goiás Central Massif), and the Uatumã Group (in the Amazonian Craton). Granitic ( augen gneisses) plutonics are also known from these areas, as for example the A-type granites intrusive in the Araí and Serra da Mesa groups, dated at 1.77 Ga. Gravimetric and geological data place the limits of the Jaguaribeano System (terranes) along the Senador Pompeu Shear Zone (western border) and the Portalegre- Farias Brito shear zone (eastern and southern). However, the same data area not conclusive as regards the interpretation of those structures as suture of the terrane docking process. The main features of those shear zones and of involved lothological associations, appear to favour an intracontinental transpressional -transcurrent regime, during Neoproterozoic-Cambrian times, marking discontinuities along which different crustal blocks were laterally dispersed. Inside of this orogenic system and according to the magnetic data (total field map), the most important terrane boundary appears to be the Jaguaribe shear zone. The geochronological data, on some tectonostratigraphic associations (partly represented by the Ceará and Jucurutu groups), still at a preliminary level, besides the lack of granitic zonation and other petrotectonic criteria, do not allow to propose tectonic terrane assembly diagrams for the studied area

Rescaled range analysis of pluviometric records in SA o pound Paulo State, Brazil

This paper presents an analysis of pluviometric precipitation time series obtained from 45 data collection points, with daily rain measurements (in mm), from 45 counties within the nine climatic regions of the state of SA o pound Paulo, mostly for the period of 1950-1997. SA o pound Paulo State (Brazil) is situated between the inter-tropical climatic zone, dominated by tropical and equatorial masses, and the sub-tropical climatic zone controlled by tropical and polar air masses. Due to this location the State can be divided into three climatic zones: south-east and south-west, which are permanently humid, and north with a well defined dry period. Rescaled range analysis, or R/S analysis, has been used to investigate the scale properties of the time series. We found two clear values for the Hurst exponent, one for a period of 10 to 200 days (H(1)), and another for a period above 210 days (H(2)). The value of H(1) lies between 0.6 to 0.7 for all climatic zones indicating characteristics of persistence. However, H(2) is (i) close to 0.5 for the littoral area, showing random characteristics, (ii) close to 0.6 for mountain areas, indicating persistence characteristics, and (iii) close to 0.4 for the plane area, irrespective of whether the climate is dry or humid, and shows anti-persistence characteristics.

Global stratigraphy, palaeobiogeography and palaeoecology of Albian-Maastrichtian pithonellid calcispheres: impact on Tethys configuration

This study reviews the stratigraphy, palaeobiogeography and palaeoecology of some important Albian-Maastrichtian pelagic calcispheres: Bonetocardiella conoidea, Pithonella ovalis, P. perlonga, P. sphaerica and P. trejoi. It also presents a significant new data set on these organisms from the western South Atlantic Ocean. The group reached its acme simultaneously all over the world during the highest Cretaceous sea level in late Albian to Coniacian times. A strong association also existed between the maximum temperature and the salinity of the Tethyan water mass and the climax of these opportunistic microfossils. Their remarkable presence along the Brazilian and west African margins during the Albian, in association with other typical Tethyan pelagic biotic elements, indicates that during this period the northern South Atlantic was a long, narrow arm of the Tethys Sea. (C) 2000 Academic Press.

Facies analysis of tertiary alluvial fan deposits in the Jundiai region, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil

This article presents an analysis of facies of sedimentary sequences that occur as discontinuous bodies in the Jundiai region, west of the main Tertiary continental basins of the southeastern Brazil continental rift. Nine identified sedimentary facies, grouped into four associations, suggest the existence of an ancient alluvial fan system whose source area was the Japi mountain range (Serra do Japi). The deposits are considered Tertiary in age and chronocorrelated with those identified in the Atibaia region and at other sites up to 100 km east and northeast of Jundiai. The depositional model adopted to explain the filling of the basin proposes that the alluvial fans, which directly derive from the source area, terminated in a braided channel longitudinal to the basin axis that flowed to northwest, in a similar configuration to that of the present day. This basin may have extended to the Atibaia region or formed a set of small basins laterally contiguous to the faults associated with the rift. Such occurrences show that the formation of rift basins was broader than the area presently occupied by the main deposits. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.