Mesoscale numerical analysis of the historical November 1982 heavy precipitation event over Andorra (Eastern Pyrenees)

From 6 to 8 November 1982 one of the most catastrophic flash-flood events was recorded in the Eastern Pyrenees affecting Andorra and also France and Spain with rainfall accumulations exceeding 400 mm in 24 h, 44 fatalities and widespread damage. This paper aims to exhaustively document this heavy precipitation event and examines mesoscale simulations performed by the French Meso-NH non-hydrostatic atmospheric model. Large-scale simulations show the slow-evolving synoptic environment favourable for the development of a deep Atlantic cyclone which induced a strong southerly flow over the Eastern Pyrenees. From the evolution of the synoptic pattern four distinct phases have been identified during the event. The mesoscale analysis presents the second and the third phase as the most intense in terms of rainfall accumulations and highlights the interaction of the moist and conditionally unstable flows with the mountains. The presence of a SW low level jet (30 m s-1) around 1500 m also had a crucial role on focusing the precipitation over the exposed south slopes of the Eastern Pyrenees. Backward trajectories based on Eulerian on-line passive tracers indicate that the orographic uplift was the main forcing mechanism which triggered and maintained the precipitating systems more than 30 h over the Pyrenees. The moisture of the feeding flow mainly came from the Atlantic Ocean (7-9 g kg-1) and the role of the Mediterranean as a local moisture source was very limited (2-3 g kg-1) due to the high initial water vapour content of the parcels and the rapid passage over the basin along the Spanish Mediterranean coast (less than 12 h).

Structural control on present-day topography of a basement massif: the Central and Eastern Anti-Atlas (Morocco)

The Anti-Atlas basement massif extends South of the High Atlas, and, despite a very mild Cenozoic deformation, its altitude exceeds 1500m in large areas, reaching 3305m in Jbel Sirwa. Structural contours of the present elevation of a polygenic planation surface (the High Erosional surface) and of the base of Cretaceous and Neogene inliers have been performed to characterize the major tectonic structures. Gentle Cenozoic WSW-ENE- and N-Strending folds, of 60 to100km wavelength, reactivate Variscan structures, being the major contributors to the local topography of the Anti-Atlas. Reactivated thrusts of decakilometric to kilometric-scale and E-W trend involving the Neogene rocks exhibit a steep attitude and a small displacement, but they also produce a marked topographic expression. The resulting Cenozoic horizontal shortening along N-S sections across the Anti-Atlas is about 1%. The position of the major anticlinal hinges determines the location of the fluvial divides of the Warzazat basin and the Anti-Atlas, and a structural depression on one of these hinges (Jbel Saghro anticline) allowed the formerly endorheic Warzazat basin to drain southwards. The first Cenozoic structures generating local topography are of pre-mid Miocene age (postdated by 6.7Ma volcanic rocks at the Jbel Saghro), whereas the youngest thrust movements postdate the Pliocene sedimentary and volcanic rocks (involving 2.1Ma volcanic rocks at Jbel Sirwa). In addition to these features, the mean elevation of the Anti-Atlas at the regional scale is also the result of a mantle thermal anomaly reported in previous works for the entire Atlas system.

Cenozoic evolution of eastern Iberia: structural data and dynamic model.

Iberia underwent intraplate deformation during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. In eastem Ibena, compression took place during the Palaeogene and early Miocene, giving rise to the Iberian Chain, and extension started during the early Miocene in the coastal areas and the Valencia trough; during early Miocene compression continued in the western Iberian Chain whereas extension had started in the eastern Iberian Chain. From the kinematic data obtained from the major compressional and extensional structures formed dunng the Cenozoic, a simple dynamic model using Bott's (1959) formula is presented. The results show that both extension and compression may have been produced assuming a main horizontal stress-axis approximately N-S, in a similar direction that the convergence between Europe, Ibena and Afnca dunng the Cenozoic.

Phylogenetic relationships of Apodemus Kaup, 1829 (Rodentia: Muridae) species in the Eastern Mediterranean inferred from mitochondrial DNA, with emphasis on iranian species

Wood mice of the genus Apodemus are widely distributed in Eurasia, with the Eastern Mediterranean being considered as a hotspot. Indeed, numerous species have been documented in Iran, including A. witherbyi, A. hyrcanicus, A. uralensis, A. avicennicus, A. hermonensis, and A. arianus. In this study, 129 specimens were collected from different Iranian localities and two specimens from Afghanistan. The animals were identified taxonomically and their phylogenetic relationships were investigated using cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA sequences. Five species of the genus Apodemus were identified in Iran, including A. hyrcanicus, A. witherbyi, A. cf. ponticus, A. uralensis, and A. mystacinus, beside, A. pallipes from Afghanistan. This study found no evidence of A. flavicollis or A. sylvaticus in Iran, despite their occurrence in Turkey, shedding doubt on the status of A. flavicollis in Iran, Asia Minor, and the Levant. Phylogenetic analyses imply that A. witherbyi has priority over A. avicennicus, A. hermonensis, and A. iconicus. Estimation of the divergence time for these taxa suggests a separation at around 7.2 Ma for the subgenera Karstomys (including A. mystacinus and A. epimelas) and Sylvaemus (including A. flavicollis, A. sylvaticus, A. uralensis, A. pallipes, A. hyrcanicus, A. witherbyi, and A. cf. ponticus). Within the subgenus Karstomys, the divergence times for A. mystacinus and A. epimelas were between 3.0 and 6.1 Ma, and divergence times within the subgenus Sylvaemus were between 5.2 and 6.9 Ma for A. witherbyi and other species in this subgenus. It is postulated that vicariance events including the uplifting of the Zagros Mountains and Anatolian Plateau in the middle Miocene and climate oscillations during the Messinian Salinity Crisis besides formation of the Hyrcanian tertiary forests during the Neogene probably played substantial roles in the radiation and distribution of the genus Apodemus in the Eastern Mediterranean.

A subalpine rangeland bird community before and after fire: prescribed burning in the Eastern Pyrenees

High mountain rangelands host important populations of threatened bird species, but can be affected by extensive changes in land use. I studied the breeding bird community of two shrubland plots at 1,850–2,100 m a.s.l. in the Pyrenees. Breeding territories were mapped for four years, before and after the prescribed burning, the aim of which was to increase the grazing value of the study area. The most abundant species (reaching ≥3 breeding pairs/10 ha in at least one plot and one year) were Dunnock Prunella modularis, Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata, Stonechat Saxicola torquatus, Rock Bunting Emberiza cia and Ortolan Bunting E. hortulana. The open-shrubland plot contained a similar number of breeding species (10 vs.9), but a lower overall density (23 vs. 28 breeding pairs/10 ha) than the dense-shrubland plot. Most breeding species alsooccurred in winter. After fire, the number of bird species, overall density and conservation value (an index that takes into account all species’ densities and their categories of conservation concern in Europe) decreased, but tended to recover afterwards. These results may help understand the composition and dynamics of bird assemblages in managed mountain areas

FDI from European Union to Western Balkan Countires: is the economic development being intensified in the region?

La inversió estrangera directa és important a causa dels seus avantatges per al país d'acollida, per exemple augmentarà la competitivitat i s’intensifica el desenvolupament. Els avantatges són significatives als països dels Balcans occidentals que s'enfronten a les dificultats de la competència i el creixement més baix de la UE-27. El treball analitza el tipus dominant de la IED de la UE-27 a la regió dels Balcans Occidentals a escala nacional i sectorial per formar les implicacions sobre el futur creixement de la competitivitat i la intensitat del desenvolupament econòmic. Es troba que la IED horitzontal domina als Balcans occidentals, per tant, el creixement de la competitivitat i el desenvolupament econòmic es va intensificar a la regió.

Stable isotopes provide insight into population structure and segregation in eastern North Atlantic sperm whales

In pelagic species inhabiting large oceans, genetic differentiation tends to be mild and populations devoid of structure. However, large cetaceans have provided many examples of structuring. Here we investigate whether the sperm whale, a pelagic species with large population sizes and reputedly highly mobile, shows indication of structuring in the eastern North Atlantic, an ocean basin in which a single population is believed to occur. To do so, we examined stable isotope values in sequential growth layer groups of teeth from individuals sampled in Denmark and NW Spain. In each layer we measured oxygen- isotope ratios (δ18O) in the inorganic component (hydroxyapatite), and nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios (δ15N: δ13C) in the organic component (primarily collagenous). We found significant differences between Denmark and NW Spain in δ15N and δ18O values in the layer deposited at age 3, considered to be the one best representing the baseline of the breeding ground, in δ15N, δ13C and δ18O values in the period up to age 20, and in the ontogenetic variation of δ15N and δ18O values. These differences evidence that diet composition, use of habitat and/or migratory destinations are dissimilar between whales from the two regions and suggest that the North Atlantic population of sperm whales is more structured than traditionally accepted.

L'immanence - ou l'opinion à la question. Autour de Qu'est-ce que la philosophie?

Nous nous attachons, dans une lecture centrée sur Qu'est-ce que la philosophie? de Deleuze et Guattari, à cerner la compréhension des auteurs du propre de la philosophie. Nous montrons la centralité de la nécessité de se distinguer d'avec l'opinion dans l'élaboration du concept de concept et l'importance du plan d'immanence en tant qu'il n'est pas un concept mais le tracé, toujours se faisant, des rapports de composition entre les concepts.