Quadrangle-grid velocity–stress finite difference method for poroelastic wave equations

A quadrangle-grid velocity–stress finite difference method, based on a first-order hyperbolic system that is equivalent to Biot's equations, is developed for the simulation of wave propagation in 2-D heterogeneous porous media. In this method the velocity components of the solid material and of the pore fluid relative to that of the solid, and the stress components of three solid stresses and one fluid pressure are defined at different nodes for a staggered non-rectangular grid. The scheme uses non-orthogonal grids, allowing surface topography and curved interfaces to be easily modelled in the numerical simulation of seismic responses of poroelastic reservoirs. The free-surface conditions of complex geometry are achieved by using integral equilibrium equations on the surface, and the source implementations are simple. The algorithm is an extension of the quadrangle-grid finite difference method used for elastic wave equations.     

A finite element analysis of tidal deformation of the entire earth with a discontinuous outer layer

Tidal deformation of the Earth is normally calculated using the analytical solution with some simplified assumptions, such as the Earth is a perfect sphere of continuous media. This paper proposes an alternative way, in which the Earth crust is discontinuous along its boundaries, to calculate the tidal deformation using a finite element method. An in-house finite element code is firstly introduced in brief and then extended here to calculate the tidal deformation. The tidal deformation of the Earth due to the Moon was calculated for an geophysical earth model with the discontinuous outer layer and compared with the continuous case. The preliminary results indicate that the discontinuity could have different effects on the tidal deformation in the local zone around the fault, but almost no effects on both the locations far from the fault and the global deformation amplitude of the Earth. The localized deformation amplitude seems to depend much on the relative orientation between the fault strike direction and the loading direction (i.e. the location of the Moon) and the physical property of the fault.     

A method for the extraction of carbonaceous particles from lake sediment

The methods found in the literature for the extraction of carbonaceous particles from lake sediment are discussed. The technique used by Griffin & Goldberg (1975) on Lake Michigan sediments was improved by modifying the procedure to halve the extraction time and reduce the risk of fragmentation. This method was then applied to a sediment core taken from Loch Tinker in Western Scotland, which had previously been analysed using the Renberg & Wik method. Although the basic trends for both methods are the same, the new method is found to be more sensitive to low particle numbers and more accurate, due to a more efficient extraction and a higher magnification for microscope counting.     

A method for the selective removal of inorganic ash particles from lake sediments

Inorganic ash particles are formed by the fusing of inorganic material present during the high temperature combustion of fossil fuels. As they accumulate in lake sediments, they record the history of atmospheric contamination produced from such sources. A technique has been developed for concentrating these particles from lake sediments involving the stepwise removal of unwanted components of the sediment, including organic material and biogenic silica.When applied to a sediment core taken from Loch Tinker, central Scotland, a particle concentration profile, very similar to that of the carbonaceous particle profile (the other component of fossil-fuel combustion ash) is produced. The concentration of the inorganic ash spheres in the sediment is approximately an order of magnitude higher than the carbonaceous particles and there appears to be a continuous pre-industrial background value. This seems to imply a similar source (i.e. coal combustion rather than oil) for both inorganic ash and carbonaceous particles. This method has also been used with success on peat cores.     

A new method for the determination of absolute abundance of diatoms and other silt-sized sedimentary particles

The determination of absolute abundances of diatoms in paleolimnological and paleoceanographic studies is now becoming a routine step in diatom paleoecological investigations. Several distinct methods have been described for establishing absolute diatom abundance. Each of these methods has its own strengths and weaknesses. The most common weakness in diatom preparation methods is the use of aliquot subsampling from an assumed well-mixed diatom suspension. Described here is a simple, efficient and inexpensive method that utilizes settling of diatoms through a 10 cm water column, which yields an effectively random distribution, and uses no aliquot subsampling. Only a few milligrams of sample are needed, permitting microstratigraphic analysis of, for example, individual varves. The method is shown to be both reproducible and accurate for sediments ranging in diatom concentration from less than 10 million to more than one billion diatoms per gram. Multiple slides or SEM stubs can be simultaneously prepared. The method works well for the analysis of most silt-sized microfossils or other sedimentary particles.     

耦合高维排序权和对偶线性规划的综合指数算法

区域可持续与高质量发展需定期监测并科学评估。综合指数评价是应用最为广泛、信息传输效率最高的评估方法。该方法将表征区域发展质量不同侧面的系列指标加权聚合为单个指数,其核心是采用或客观或主观的方式确权。客观确权基于指标的数值统计特性实现,故权重值随指标值而改变,实非“客观”;主观确权能反映决策者智慧,但指标过多时难以实现。学界新提出的基于耦合排序权和熵权法的综合指标法允许决策者确权时仅给出权重排序,但仅支持低维情况（限制为3个指标）。本文在其基础上,借助对偶线性规划推导,使其适用性不再受限于指标数（即实现高维排序权）。同时,对指标的聚合方式进行修改,扩大了算法的适用范围;对熵权法的使用进行修正,增强了算法结果的可解译性。基于推导结果,本文进一步发展出单排序、复排序、全排序3种不同模式下的综合指数计算方法,以满足决策者主观性强、弱、无等不同情况。最后,将算法用于全球可持续发展格局的时空评价分析。本文新发展的算法同时适用于高低不同维度的指数聚合、可兼顾决策者不同层次的主观参与度,具有较强的普适性。     

基于电子地图兴趣点的城市建成区边界识别方法

城市建成区边界是认识和研究城市的重要基础性信息,也是落实城市功能空间布局、实施界限管控的前提。但是,以往通过夜间灯光的强度、土地覆被或建筑覆盖率等信息获取城市空间范围的方法,由于受到数据精度和尺度限制,对城市社会经济活动的解释性不强,因而存在较大局限性。电子地图兴趣点（POI）作为城市空间分析的基础数据之一,直观且有效地反映了各类城市要素的集聚状况。本文基于POI与城市空间结构和城市要素空间分布的关联性,提出了一种新的通过POI密度分布来判别城市建成区边界的技术方法。为此,开发了Densi-Graph分析方法,用来分析POI密度等值线的变化趋势,在此基础上对城乡过渡地带的阈值识别的方法进行了理论分析,并讨论了单中心圆结构、双中心“鱼眼型”结构、双中心“子母型”结构等各类城市POI密度等值线的生长规律,证明了Densi-Graph分析方法的适用性。较之以往的城市建成区边界识别方法,这种方法的基础数据更加直观可信,分析结果也更加客观。运用这种方法,本文对全国地级以上城市的建成区边界进行了实证分析,探索了城市建成区边界的阈值及其与城市人口规模、城市所在区域之间的关系。