Seismic performance evaluation of single damped‐outrigger system incorporating buckling‐restrained braces

The outrigger system is an effective means of controlling the seismic response of core‐tube type tall buildings by mobilizing the axial stiffness of the perimeter columns. This study investigates the damped‐outrigger, incorporating the buckling‐restrained brace (BRB) as energy dissipation device (BRB‐outrigger system). The building's seismic responses are expected to be effectively reduced because of the high BRB elastic stiffness during minor earthquakes and through the stable energy dissipation mechanism of the BRB during large earthquakes. The seismic behavior of the BRB‐outrigger system was investigated by performing a spectral analysis considering the equivalent damping to incorporate the effects of BRB inelastic deformation. Nonlinear response history analyses were performed to verify the spectral analysis results. The analytical models with building heights of 64, 128, and 256 m were utilized to investigate the optimal outrigger elevation and the relationships between the outrigger truss flexural stiffness, BRB axial stiffness, and perimeter column axial stiffness to achieve the minimum roof drift and acceleration responses. The method of determining the BRB yield deformation and its effect on overall seismic performance were also investigated. The study concludes with a design recommendation for the single BRB‐outrigger system.     

Stable Isotopic Information on Calcareous Pelitic Rocks in the Tizapa Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposit Area, the United Mexican States

Abstract: Tizapa volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit is hosted in greenschist facies metamorphic rocks; footwall is green schist of felsic to mafic metavolcanic rocks and hanging wall is graphite schist of metasedmentary pelitic rock. Pb-Pb dating of ore samples indicates 103. 4Ma to 156. 3Ma for the age of mineralization (JICA/MMAJ, 1991).     

日本北海道Koryu矿山浅成低温热液Au-Ag矿化的成因

Koryu矿山位于北海道南西部,为一浅成低温热液型Au-Ag石英脉型矿床.矿床产于中新世黑色泥岩中的东西向剪切带内.矿床含有8个主要脉体,总体呈东西走向,在水平、垂直方向上均发生结构、构造的变化.1号脉和3号脉中冰长石K-Ar年龄为0.8~1.2 Ma,表明矿化时代为更新世.根据矿脉体的穿插关系和脉内矿物共生关系得出矿区有2期矿化,早期矿化可分3个阶段（即E-Ⅰ,E-Ⅱ,E-Ⅲ）,晚期矿化可分成7个阶段（即L-Ⅰ,L-Ⅱ,L-Ⅲ,L-Ⅳ,L-Ⅴ,L-Ⅵ,L-Ⅶ）.宽矿脉体由多阶段矿化组成,Au-Ag矿化主要与L-Ⅲ阶段矿化密切相关.早期矿化形成的特征矿物为钙菱镁矿、钙锰辉石及少量矿石矿物;晚期矿化形成大量矿石矿物.含AuAg的矿物主要为银金矿、螺状硫银矿-辉硒银矿、硫锑铜银矿-硫砷铜银矿、浓红银矿-淡红银矿、辉铜银矿、马硫铜银矿、碲银矿和黝铜矿.而脉石矿物为绿泥石、蒙脱石、石英.区内许多成矿阶段均含富气相流体包裹体,这表明沸腾作用在整个过程中间歇发生.早期矿化温度（263~283℃）稍高于晚期矿化温度（246~260℃）.成矿溶液盐度为0.5%~6.0% NaCl当量,尽管CO₂含量在晚期矿化阶段达0.4%（质量分数）.这些特征表明成矿流体最大压力为3.1~6.8 M Pa,相当于古潜水面下430~850 m深度.石英形态学结合流体包裹体研究证实流体沸腾作用反复发生,导致SiO₂过饱和,形成结构各异的二氧化硅矿物.在脉体形成过程中,SiO₂重结晶形成石英.稳定同位素资料、矿物共生组合特征、石英结构特征和流体包裹体特征综合研究得出Koryu金-银矿床成矿模式如下：矿床矿化分为明显的两期,即早期和晚期,分别对应类型1和类型2两种热液流体.早期流体具相对高的W¹⁸O值（-5.3‰~-4.7‰）,温度不低于260℃;晚期流体W¹⁸O值相对偏低（-9.3‰~-6.0‰）,温度250℃以上.类型1流体发生深部循环,淋滤Ca和M n元素,在早期矿化过程中形成钙菱镁矿、钙锰辉石.与浅成水混合的类型2流体沿新通道上升,富含Au、Ag元素.在晚期矿化过程中,流体上升至沸腾带（ < 850 m）,金、银在250℃沉淀成矿.     

July 2020 heavy rainfall in Japan: effect of real-time river discharge on ocean circulation based on a coupled river-ocean model

Ocean Dynamics - In July 2020, a stationary atmospheric front over Japan caused persistent, nearly continuous rain for most of the month that resulted in new historical highest rainfall records in...     

Rapid shoreline progradation followed by vertical foredune building at Pedro Beach,southeastern Australia

At Pedro Beach on the southeastern coast of Australia a series of foredune ridges provides an opportunity to explore the morphodynamic paradigm as it applies to coastal barrier systems using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, ground penetrating radar (GPR) and airborne LiDAR topography. A series of sandy dune-capped ridges, increasing in height seawards, formed from c. 7000 years ago to c. 3900 years ago. During this time the shoreline straightened as the embayment filled and accommodation space for Holocene sediments diminished. Calculation of Holocene sediment accumulation above mean sea level utilising airborne LiDAR topography shows a decline in average sediment supply over this time period coupled with a decrease in shoreline progradation rate from 1.2 m/yr to 0.38 m/yr. The average ridge ‘exposure lifetime’ during this period increases resulting in higher ridges as dune-forming processes have longer to operate. Increasing exposure to wave and wind energy also appears to have resulted in higher ridges as the sheltering effect of marginal headlands was diminished. An inherited disequilibrium shoreface profile will drive onshore accumulation of sandy sediments forming a prograded barrier; however, if there is no longer ‘accommodation space’ for sediment, this will be an overriding factor causing the cessation of progradation, as occurred c. 3900 years ago at Pedro Beach. Excess sediment in the nearshore zone after 3900 years ago may have been moved northward to nourish downdrift beaches in the compartment. A high outer foredune has formed through vertical accretion after 500 years ago, evidenced by GPR subsurface structures and OSL ages, with a distinct period of vertical and lee slope accretion and dated to the period 1890–1930 AD. The increased dune sediment transport resulting in foredune building is attributed to recent human disturbance. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental and numerical studies on buckling restrained braces with posttensioned carbon fiber composite cables

There has been an increasing interest in using residual deformation as a seismic performance indicator for earthquake resistant building design. Self-centering braced structural systems are viable candidates for minimizing residual deformations following a major earthquake. Hence, this study proposes an alternative type of buckling restrained brace (BRB) with externally attached posttensioned (PT-BRB) carbon fiber composite cables (CFCCs). The steel core of the brace is used as an energy dissipator, whereas the CFCCs provide the self-centering force for minimizing residual story drifts. Three proof-of-concept specimens are designed, fabricated, and cyclically tested at different posttensioning force levels. The CFCC behavior to obtain cyclic response, including the anchorage system, is examined closely. A parametric study is also conducted to show the effect of the different configurations of PT-BRBs on the inelastic response. Furthermore, optimal brace parameters are discussed to realize design recommendations. The results indicated that the implementation of partially self-centering BRBs in building frames can lead to the target residual displacements. A stable behavior is obtained for the proposed PT-BRBs when subjected to the loading protocol specified in the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) 2016 Seismic Provisions.     

Temperature scaling pattern dependence on representative concentration pathway emission scenarios A letter

To preserve consistency among developed emission scenarios, the scenarios used in climate modeling, and the climate scenarios available for impact research, the pattern scaling technique is useful technique. The basic assumption of pattern scaling is that the spatial response pattern per 1 K increase in the global mean surface air temperature (SAT) (scaling pattern) is the same among emission scenarios, but this assumption requires further validation. We therefore investigated the dependence of the scaling pattern of the annual mean SAT on GHGs emission scenarios of representative concentration pathways (RCP) and the causes of that dependence using the Model for Interdisciplinary research on Climate 5 developed by Japanese research community. In particular, we focused on the relationships of the dependency with effects of aerosols and Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. We found significant dependencies of the scaling pattern on emission scenarios at middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, with differences of >15 % over parts of East Asia, North America, and Europe. Impact researchers should take into account those dependencies that seriously affect their research. The mid-latitude dependence is caused by differences in sulfate aerosol emissions per 1 K increase in the global mean SAT, and the high-latitude dependence is mainly caused by nonlinear responses of sea ice and ocean heat transport to global warming. Long-term trends in land-use and land-cover changes did not significantly affect the scaling pattern of annual mean SAT, but they might have an effect at different timescales.     

The contribution of anthropogenic forcings to regional changes in temperature during the last decade

Regional distributions of the mean annual temperature in the 2000s are computed with and without the effect of anthropogenic influences on the climate in several sub-continental regions. Simulated global patterns of the temperature response to external forcings are regressed against observations using optimal fingerprinting. The global analysis provides constraints which are then used to construct the regional temperature distributions. A similar approach was also employed in previous work, but here the methodology is extended to examine changes in any region, including areas with a poor observational coverage that were omitted in the earlier study. Two different General Circulation Models (GCMs) are used in the analysis. Anthropogenic forcings are found to have at least quadrupled the likelihood of occurrence of a year warmer than the warmest year since 1900 in 23 out of the 24 regions. The temperature distributions computed with the two models are very similar. While a more detailed assessment of model dependencies remains to be made once additional suitable GCM simulations become available, the present study introduces the statistical methodology and demonstrates its first application. The derived information concerning the effect of human influences on the regional climate is useful for adaptation planning. Moreover, by pre-computing the change in the likelihood of exceeding a temperature threshold over a range of thresholds, this kind of analysis enables a near real-time assessment of the anthropogenic impact on the observed regional temperatures.     

Interactions between the Indonesian Throughflow and circulations in the Indian and Pacific Oceans

Circulations associated with the Indonesian Throughflow (IT), particularly concerning subsurface currents in the Pacific Ocean, are studied using three types of models: a linear, continuously stratified (LCS) model and a nonlinear, -layer model (LOM), both confined to the Indo-Pacific basin; and a global, ocean general circulation model (COCO). Solutions are wind forced, and obtained with both open and closed Indonesian passages. Layers 1-4 of LOM correspond to near-surface, thermocline, subthermocline (thermostad), and upper-intermediate (AAIW) water, respectively, and analogous layers are defined for COCO.The three models share a common dynamics. When the Indonesian passages are abruptly opened, barotropic and baroclinic waves radiate into the interiors of both oceans. The steady-state, barotropic flow field from the difference (open − closed) solution is an anticlockwise circulation around the perimeter of the southern Indian Ocean, with its meridional branches confined to the western boundaries of both oceans. In contrast, steady-state, baroclinic flows extend into the interiors of both basins, a consequence of damping of baroclinic waves by diapycnal processes (internal diffusion, upwelling and subduction, and convective overturning). Deep IT-associated currents are the subsurface parts of these baroclinic flows. In the Pacific, they tend to be directed eastward and poleward, extend throughout the basin, and are closed by upwelling in the eastern ocean and Subpolar Gyre. Smaller-scale aspects of their structure vary significantly among the models, depending on the nature of their diapycnal mixing.At the exit to the Indonesian Seas, the IT is highly surface trapped in all the models, with a prominent, deep core in the LCS model and in LOM. The separation into two cores is due to near-equatorial, eastward-flowing, subsurface currents in the Pacific Ocean, which drain layer 2 and layer 3 waters from the western ocean to supply water for the upwelling regions in the eastern ocean; indeed, depending on the strength and parameterization of vertical diffusion in the Pacific interior, the draining can be strong enough that layer 3 water flows from the Indian to Pacific Ocean. The IT in COCO lacks a significant deep core, likely because the model’s coarse bottom topography has no throughflow passage below 1000 m. Consistent with observations, water in the near-surface (deep) core comes mostly from the northern (southern) hemisphere, a consequence of the wind-driven circulation in the tropical North Pacific being mostly confined to the upper ocean; as a result, it causes the near-surface current along the New Guinea coast to retroflect eastward, but has little impact on the deeper New Guinea undercurrent.In the South Pacific, the IT-associated flow into the basin is spread roughly uniformly throughout all four layers, a consequence of downwelling processes in the Indian Ocean. The inflow first circulates around the Subtropical Gyre, and then bends northward at the Australian coast to flow to the equator within the western boundary currents. To allow for this additional, northward transport, the bifurcation latitude of the South Equatorial Current shifts southward when the Indonesian passages are open. The shift is greater at depth (layers 3 and 4), changing from about 14°S when the passages are closed to 19°S when they are open and, hence, accounting for the northward-flowing Great Barrier Reef Undercurrent in that latitude range.After flowing along the New Guinea coast, most waters in layers 1-3 bend offshore to join the North Equatorial Countercurrent, Equatorial Undercurrent, and southern Tsuchiya Jet, respectively, thereby ensuring that northern hemisphere waters contribute significantly to the IT. In contrast, much of the layer 4 water directly exits the basin via the IT, but some also flows into the subpolar North Pacific. Except for the direct layer 4 outflow, all other IT-associated waters circulate about the North Pacific before they finally enter the Indonesian Seas via the Mindanao Current.     

Emission scenario dependencies in climate change assessments of the hydrological cycle

Anthropogenic global warming will lead to changes in the global hydrological cycle. The uncertainty in precipitation sensitivity per 1 K of global warming across coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs) has been actively examined. On the other hand, the uncertainty in precipitation sensitivity in different emission scenarios of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and aerosols has received little attention. Here we show a robust emission-scenario dependency (ESD); smaller global precipitation sensitivities occur in higher GHG and aerosol emission scenarios. Although previous studies have applied this ESD to the multi-AOGCM mean, our surprising finding is that current AOGCMs all have the common ESD in the same direction. Different aerosol emissions lead to this ESD. The implications of the ESD of precipitation sensitivity extend far beyond climate analyses. As we show, the ESD potentially propagates into considerable biases in impact assessments of the hydrological cycle via a widely used technique, so-called pattern scaling. Since pattern scaling is essential to conducting parallel analyses across climate, impact, adaptation and mitigation scenarios in the next report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, more attention should be paid to the ESD of precipitation sensitivity.