La vulnérabilité face aux risques environnementaux à Kigali (Rwanda) : enjeux et facteurs

L’objectif de ce mémoire est de faire un état des lieux des connaissances produites sur les risques environnementaux et la vulnérabilité et appliquer ces connaissances à la ville de Kigali (Rwanda). Après avoir présenté différentes approches, nous avons retenu le cadre d’analyse qui s’inscrit dans l’approche de J.C. Thouret et R.D’Ercole (1996). Cette approche est articulée autour de trois dimensions : enjeux, facteurs de la vulnérabilité et réponses sociales. A travers l’application des éléments pertinents de ces trois dimensions dans le cas de la ville de Kigali, réalisée grâce à une analyse qualitative, centrée sur l’analyse des documents et des entrevues semi-dirigées, voici les principaux résultats que nous avons obtenus: l’analyse des enjeux a révélé que la ville de Kigali est confrontée à plusieurs dommages, parmi lesquels, on peut mentionner les pertes des vies humaines, la démolition des maisons, la contamination des rivières, la prolifération des maladies et la perturbation des besoins de base ( eau potable, électricité, transport) dues aux risques. Cette situation s’explique par la combinaison de plusieurs facteurs dont le relief collinaire, le sol granitique, les pluies violentes, le caractère centrifuge du réseau hydrographique, le sous-dimensionnement des ouvrages d’évacuation et le réseau d’assainissement insuffisant. D’autres facteurs amplifient la vulnérabilité dont l’explosion démographique consécutive à une urbanisation spontanée et inconsciente en zones inondables, l’ensablement des lits des rivières, le vide juridique, les politiques fragmentaires et le dysfonctionnement des acteurs impliqués dans la gestion des risques. Cette situation aurait probablement été améliorée si les réponses sociales étaient efficaces. Or, d’un côté, la faible perception de risque chez les résidants affectés par les risques accélère davantage la vulnérabilité et de l’autre côté, l’intervention significative des CIB n’est pas accompagnée d’actions complémentaires des institutions publiques et des agences internationales.

Aspectos fisico-geograficos da Regiao Administrativa de Aracatuba.

In this region there are exposures of sandstones, siltstones, and argillites of the Adamantina Formation, belonging to the Bauru Group. Using satellite and radar images, superposition of drainage maps, toposheets geologic and pedologic maps and field trips, it was possible to discern (three geomorphological domains; a) hilly and interfluvial plateau in the divisories areas of Tiete - Aguapei and Tiete - Sao Jose dos Dourados mainrivers; b) colluvial surfaces located around the interfluvial plateau; and c) fluvial terraces and floodplains. The indiscriminant use of the soils is accelerating the erosive process, increasing the sedimentation of the river beds, the size of the floodplains and prejudicing the water quality, used to supply the rural and urban population. -from English summary

Transformaciones antrópicas e inundabilidad en áreas turísticas litorales: estudio de caso de la costa de Orihuela (Alicante)

En el marco de la investigación sobre riesgos naturales, se analiza, como estudio de caso, un espacio costero en el que la artificialización de ramblas deriva del reciente y espectacular proceso de crecimiento de la actividad turística y la consiguiente creación de un nuevo sistema de asentamientos urbanos, realizados sin la necesaria consideración del riesgo de inundaciones.

Analysis of Hyporheic Flow Induced by a Bar in a Gravel Stream: an Experimental Study

Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-06-01 00:03:02.939

ANALYSIS OF HYPORHEIC FLOW INDUCED BY A BAR IN A GRAVEL STREAM: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Pipelines are one of the safest means to transport crude oil, but are not spill-free. This is of concern in North America, due to the large volumes of crude oil shipped by Canadian producers and the lengthy network of pipelines. Each pipeline crosses many rivers, supporting a wide variety of human activities, and rich aquatic life. However, there is a knowledge gap on the risks of contamination of river beds due to oil spills. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap by focussing on mechanisms that transport water (and contaminants) from the free surface flow to the bed sediments, and vice-versa. The work focuses on gravel rivers, in which bed sediments are sufficiently permeable that pressure gradients caused by the interactions of flow with topographic elements (gravel bars), or changes in direction induce exchanges of water between the free surface flow and the bed, known as hyporheic flows. The objectives of the thesis are: to present a new method to visualize and quantify hyporheic flows in laboratory experiments; to conduct a novel series of experiments on hyporheic flow induced by a gravel bar under different free surface flows. The new method to quantify hyporheic flows rests on injections of a solution of dye and water. The method yielded accurate flow lines, and reasonable estimates of the hyporheic flow velocities. The present series of experiments was carried out in a 11 m long, 0.39 m wide, and 0.41 m deep tilting flume. The gravel had a mean particle size of 7.7 mm. Different free surface flows were imposed by changing the flume slope and flow depth. Measured hyporheic flows were turbulent. Smaller free surface flow depths resulted in stronger hyporheic flows (higher velocities, and deeper dye penetration into the sediment). A significant finding is that different free surface flows (different velocities, Reynolds number, etc.) produce similar hyporheic flows as long as the downstream hydraulic gradients are similar. This suggests, that for a specified bar geometry, the characteristics of the hyporheic flows depend on the downstream hydraulic gradients, and not or only minimally on the internal dynamics of the free surface flow.

Die mittelpleistozäne Flußentwicklung im nordöstlichen Harzvorland: Petrographie, Terrassenstratigraphie

The present study deals with the evolution of the middle Pleistocene river system in the north-eastern foreland of the Harz Mtns. Sediments of the middle fluvial terrace level (early Saalian time) are the main objectives. By using these sediments supplementary with some results of upper fluvial terrace level (early Elesterian time or older) the fluvial palaeogeography within the area has been reconstructed. The sediments were investigated with respect to their gravel spectra, heavy mineral record, sedimentary structures and altitude above the recent river beds. Due to the resulting specifics the sediments have been attributed to particular rivers in the area. Furthermore it is possible to distinguish between fluvial sediments and Elsterian as well as Saalian fluvioglacial deposits. Together with discernible middle or upper terrace characteristics this led to a spatio-temporal reconstruction of the palaeo river system of the Harz Mtns. It revealed that not only during upper terrace sedimentation but even while middle terraces were deposited the rivers partly diversed. These river diversions were mainly caused by hydrodynamic changes reflecting interaction of the fluvial system with Elsterian and Saalian ice shield formation in the north. The Rivers Ecker, Ilse, Rammelsbach, Holtemme, Goldbach, Bode, Selke and Eine were affected by this development as follows: Upper terrace level formation: • The Ecker River formerly ran between its recent river bed and that of the Use River in direction to the Großer Fallstein Mtn. • The Use River flowed to the NE towards the Huy Mtn. • The Goldbach River and the Holtemme River mutually ran to the NW south of the Huy Mtn. After uniting with the Use River and Ecker River it ran south of the Großer Fallstein Mtn. Middle terrace level formation: • The Ecker River flowed far more NE. • Near to the Harz Mtns. the Use River flowed more in the E. The tributary junction of the Rammelsbach River was located far more downstream. Thereafter the Use River ran to the N between Huy Mtn. and Großer Fallstein Mtn. to end up flowing in the area of the Großes Bruch. • The Holtemme River kept its course. Its recent tributary the Goldbach River flowed to the NE and joined the Bode River after leaving the Harz Mtn. Range. • The Eine River ran to the NW when passing todays city of Aschersleben. After flowing together with the Selke River in the area of the Seeländerei it became a tributary to the Bode River. • The Bode River within the recent tributary junction of the Holtemme ran far more in the W. In the area of the Espenbruch it flowed eastwards to the Saale River. The following general implications resulted out of the study: • The so called “mixed sediments” sensu Rosenberger & Altermann (1975) have now been interpreted as proximal fluvioglacial deposits. • High altitudes of middle terrace fluvial deposits in the courses of the Ecker River and Use River were formerly assigned to post middle Pleistocene uplift of the Großer Fallstein Mtn. (Feldmann, 2002). The present study suggests that the unusual high altitudes should rather be attributed to post middle terrace level erosion of the shortened Ilse- Rammelsbach river system or fluvioglacial processes below the glacier. • Within the north-eastern foreland of the Harz Mtns. middle terrace level deposits have previously been subdivided by cryoturbation horizons or short-term progradation of Saalian glaciation. This is not supported by own results for the examined area.

In situ characterization of sediment oxygen demand across the spectrum of non-resuspension to full resuspension with varying bed shear stress

Sediment oxygen demand (SOD) can be a significant oxygen sink in various types of water bodies, particularly slow-moving waters with substantial organic sediment accumulation. In most settings where SOD is a concern, the prevailing hydraulic conditions are such that the impact of sediment resuspension on SOD is not considered. However, in the case of Bubbly Creek in Chicago, Illinois, the prevailing slack water conditions are interrupted by infrequent intervals of very high flow rates associated with pumped combined sewer overflow (CSO) during intense hydrologic events. These events can cause resuspension of the highly organic, nutrient-rich bottom sediments, resulting in precipitous drawdown of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water column. While many past studies have addressed the dependence of SOD on near-bed velocity and bed shear stress prior to the point of sediment resuspension, there has been limited research that has attempted to characterize the complex and dynamic phenomenon of resuspended-sediment oxygen demand. To address this issue, a new in situ experimental apparatus referred to as the U of I Hydrodynamic SOD Sampler was designed to achieve a broad range of velocities and associated bed shear stresses. This allowed SOD to be analyzed across the spectrum of no sediment resuspension associated with low velocity/ bed shear stress through full sediment resuspension associated with high velocity / bed shear stress. The current study split SOD into two separate components: (1) SODNR is the sediment oxygen demand associated with non-resuspension conditions and is a surface sink calculated using traditional methods to yield a value with units (g/m2/day); and (2) SODR is the oxygen demand associated with resuspension conditions, which is a volumetric sink most accurately characterized using non-traditional methods and units that reflect suspension in the water column (mg/L/day). In the case of resuspension, the suspended sediment concentration was analyzed as a function of bed shear stress, and a formulation was developed to characterize SODR as a function of suspended sediment concentration in a form similar to first-order biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) kinetics with Monod DO term. The results obtained are intended to be implemented into a numerical model containing hydrodynamic, sediment transport, and water quality components to yield oxygen demand varying in both space and time for specific flow events. Such implementation will allow evaluation of proposed Bubbly Creek water quality improvement alternatives which take into account the impact of SOD under various flow conditions. Although the findings were based on experiments specific to the conditions in Bubbly Creek, the techniques and formulations developed in this study should be applicable to similar sites.

DESLIZAMIENTOS EN LA CUENCA MEDIA Y SUPERIOR DEL RIO REVENTADO, CARTAGO, COSTA RICA

La cuenca del río Reventado, situada en la vertiente sur del Volcán Irazú, Costa Rica, presenta actualmente un riesgo para la ciudad de Cartago (aproximadamente 30.000 habitantes), especialmente para algunos asentamientos cercanos al río mismo.  Este riesgo consiste, en primer lugar, en un deslizamiento con grandes extensiones en la parte inferior de la cuenca media, el deslizamiento llamado San Blas. Este deslizamiento está formado por la antigua terraza de Banderilla de material de avalanchas holocenas y que fue activado en el comienzo de la década de los setenta por la destrucción de su sostén por la explotación de materiales en tajos. Anteriormente, la última vez en los años 63-65, el riesgo era diferente:Erupciones del Irazú con grandes cantidades de cenizas originaron un cambio violento del régimen hidrológico, intensas lluvias causaron crecidas y avalanchas, profundizando en la cuenca superior los cauces y provocando así deslizamientos. En la cuenca baja estas avalanchas provocan inundaciones y acumulaciones de los abanicos diferentes. Los deslizamientos activados por estos eventos actualmente muestran poca o ninguna actividad, pero el riesgo de repeticiones de estos eventos persiste. SUMMARYThe Rio Reventado watershed, situated in the southern slope of the Irazú volcano, Costa Rica, presents a risk for the town of Cartago (30.000 inhabitants) and specially for some settlements near the river.  In first place, this risk consists of a huge landslide in the lower part of the watershed, the<<San Blas- landslide, which is formed by the labaric material of a Holocene terrace of the Reventado, called <<Banderilla- terrace>>. At the beginning of the seventies this terrace was activated due the explotation of its materials in two quarries.  The risks existing before in this watershed were of an other nature, an example give the events of years 1963-65:A violent hydrologic change in the upper part of the Reventado watershed due to the ashfall of an eruption of the Irazú caused big mudflows whish depend the river beds and thus provoked landslides.  These mud flows caused inundations and accumulations in the lower watershed. Today, the land slides activated in the sixties are stable or semistable, but the risk of repetitions still persists.

Flow resistance in open-channel flows with mobile hydraulically rough beds

River Flow 2008, Vol.1

Topographic forcing of flow partition and flow structures at river bifurcations

This paper presents the predicted flow dynamics from the application of a Reynolds-averaged NavierStokes model to a series of bifurcation geometries with morphologies measured during previous flume experiments. The topography of the bifurcations consists of either plane or bedform-dominated beds which may or may not possess discordance between the two bifurcation distributaries. Numerical predictions are compared with experimental results to assess the ability of the numerical model to reproduce the division of flow into the bifurcation distributaries. The hydrodynamic model predicts: (1) diverting fluxes in the upstream channel which direct water into the distributaries; (2) super-elevation of the free surface induced at the bifurcation edge by pressure differences; and (3) counter-rotating secondary circulation cells which develop upstream of the apex of the bifurcation and move into the downstream channels, with water converging at the surface and diverging at the bed. When bedforms are not present, weak transversal fluxes characterize the upstream channel for almost its entire length, associated with clearly distinguishable secondary circulation cells, although these may be under-estimated by the turbulence model used in the solution. In the bedform dominated case, the same hydrodynamic conditions were not observed, with the bifurcation influence restricted and depth scale secondary circulation cells not forming. The results also demonstrate the dominant effect bed discordance has upon flow division between the two distributaries. Finally, results indicate that in bedform dominated rivers. Consequently, we suggest that sand-bed river bifurcations are more likely to have an influence that extends much further upstream and have a greater impact upon water distribution. This may contribute to observed morphological differences between sand-bedded and gravel-bedded braided river networks. Copyright (C) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios, and geochemistry of the Precambrian-Cambrian Sukharikha River section, northwestern Siberian platform

A high-resolution carbon isotope profile through the uppermost Neoproterozoic-Lower Cambrian part of the Sukharikha section at the northwestern margin of the Siberian platform shows prominent secular oscillations of d13C with peak-to-peak range of 6-10 ?. There are six minima, 1n-6n, and seven maxima 1p-7p, in the Sukharikha Formation and a rising trend of d13C from the minimum 1n of -8.6 ? to maximum 6p of +6.4 ?. The trough 1n probably coincides with the isotopic minimum at the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary worldwide. Highly positive d13C values of peaks 5p and 6p are typical of the upper portion of the Precambrian-Cambrian transitional beds just beneath the Tommotian Stage in Siberia. A second rising trend of d13C is observed through the Krasnoporog and lower Shumny formations. It consists of four excursions with four major maxima that can be cor related with Tommotian-Botomian peaks II, IV, V, and VII of the reference profile from the southeastern Siberian platform. According to the chemostratigraphic cor relation, the first appearances of the index forms of archaeocyaths are earlier in the Sukharikha section than in the Lena-Aldan region.

Behavioral Changes Caused By Austrodiplostomum Spp. In Hoplias Malabaricus From The São Francisco River, Brazil.

Traira (Hoplias malabaricus) is a neotropical fish that is widely distributed in freshwater environments in South America. In the present study, we documented the occurrence of metacercariae of Austrodiplostomum spp. (Diplostomidae) in the eyes and cranial cavity of H. malabaricus and described parasite-induced behavioral changes in the host. The fish were collected from the upper São Francisco River, in the Serra da Canastra mountain range, Minas Gerais, transported alive to the laboratory, observed for 2 weeks, and subsequently examined for parasites. Of the 35 fish examined, 28 (80 %) had free metacercariae in the vitreous humor (mean intensity=95.4; mean abundance=76.3), and 24 (68.57 %) had free metacercariae in the cranial cavity, mainly concentrated below the floor of the brain, at the height of the ophthalmic lobe (mean intensity=12.91; mean abundance=8.85). Specimens of H. malabaricus with a high intensity of infection in the brain displayed changes in swimming behavior.

The River And The Sea: Fieldwork In Human Ecology And Ethnobiology.

This article is a commentary on the experiences that motivated my decision to become a human ecologist and ethnobiologist. These experiences include the pleasure of studying and of having the sense of being within nature, as well as the curiosity towards understanding the world and minds of local people. In particular, such understanding could be driven by addressing the challenging questions that originate in the interactions of such individuals with their natural surroundings. I have been particularly interested in the sea and the riverine forests that are inhabited by coastal or riverine small-scale fishers. Sharing the distinctive world of these fishers enjoyably incited my curiosity and challenged me to understand why fishers and their families 'do as they do' for their livelihoods including their beliefs. This challenge involved understanding the rationality (or the arguments or views) that underlies the decisions these individuals make in their interaction with nature. This curiosity was fundamental to my career choice, as were a number of reading interests. These reading interests included political economy and philosophy; evolution and sociobiology; evolutionary, human, and cultural ecology; cultural transmission; fisheries; local knowledge; ecological economics; and, naturally, ethnobiology.

Evaluation of the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of water from the River Paraíba do Sul, in Brazil, with the Allium cepa L. test

This work investigated the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of water from the River Paraíba do Sul (Brazil) using Allium cepa roots. An anatomo-morphological parameter (root length), mitotic indices, and frequency of micronuclei were analysed. Eight bulbs were chosen at random for treatment for 24 to 120 hours with the River water collected in the years of 2005 and 2006 from sites in the cities of Tremembé and Aparecida (São Paulo state, Brazil). Daily measurements of the length of the roots grown from each bulb were carried out throughout the experiment. Mitotic index (MI) and frequency of micronuclei (MN) were determined for 2000 cells per root, using 3-5 root tips from other bulbs (7-10). Only in the roots treated with samples of the River water collected in 2005 in Tremembé city was there a decrease in the root length growth compared to the respective control. However, a reduction in MI values was verified for both sites analysed for that year. Considering the data involving root length growth and especially MI values, a cytotoxic potential is suggested for the water of the River Paraíba do Sul at Tremembé and Aparecida, in the year of 2005. On the other hand, since in this year the MN frequency was not affected with the river water treatments, genotoxicity is not assumed for the river water sampled at the aforementioned places.