Ionospheric effetcs of an intense geomagnetic storm

An investigation of the response of the mid-high, mid and low latitude critical frequency foF2 to the geomagnetic storm of 15 July 2000 is made. Ground-based hourly foF2 values (proportional to square root of peak electron density of F2-layer) from four chains of ionospheric stations located in the geographic longitude ranges 10°W–35°E, 60°E–120°E, 130°E–170°E, 250°E–295°E are used. Relative deviations of foF2 are considered. The main ionospheric effects for the considered storm are: long-duration negative disturbances at mid-high latitudes in summer hemisphere in sectors where the storm onset occurred in the afternoon/night-time hours; short-duration positive disturbances in the summer hemisphere at mid-high latitudes in the pre-sunset hours during the end of main phase-first stage of the recovery; small and irregular negative disturbances in the low latitude winter hemisphere which predominate during the main phase and first part of the recovery, and positive disturbances in both hemispheres at mid-high and mid latitudes prior to the storm onset irrespective of the local time. In addition, the validity of some physical mechanisms proposed to explain the F2 region behaviour during disturbed conditions is considered. gus-mansilla@hotmail.com     

The structure of the mid- and high-latitude ionosphere during the November 2004 storm event obtained from GPS observations

GPS data from the International GNSS Service (IGS) network were used to study the development of the severe geomagnetic storm of November 7–12, 2004, in the total electron content (TEC) on a global scale. The TEC maps were produced for analyzing the storm. For producing the maps over European and North American sectors, GPS measurements from more than 100 stations were used. The dense network of GPS stations provided TEC measurements with a high temporal and spatial resolution. To present the temporal and spatial variation of TEC during the storm, differential TEC maps relative to a quiet day (November 6, 2004) were created. The features of geomagnetic storm attributed to the complex development of ionospheric storm depend on latitude, longitude and local time. The positive, as well as negative effects were detected in TEC variations as a consequence of the evolution of the geomagnetic storm. The maximal effect was registered in the subauroral/auroral ionosphere during substorm activity in the evening and night period. The latitudinal profiles obtained from TEC maps for Europe gave rise to the storm-time dynamic of the ionospheric trough, which was detected on November 7 and 9 at latitudes below 50°N. In the report, features of the response of TEC to the storm for European and North American sectors are analyzed.     

A non‐baseline algorithm for damage locating in flexural structures using dynamic distributed macro‐strain responses

The concept of distributed strain‐sensing techniques has been proposed in our recent research, which was dedicated to utilizing the strain distributions throughout the full or partial areas of structures to detect arbitrary and unforeseen damage. An algorithm not requiring a detailed analytical model is presented for damage locating in flexural structures through the direct use of dynamic responses recorded by distributed long‐gauge strain sensors. The modal macro‐strain vector (MMSV), which has been proven to have a mapping relation with displacement mode shape, can be extracted directly from macro‐strain time‐series data, from which a damage evaluating index can be derived and used as an indicator for locating damage. Numerical examples are simulated to verify the sensitivity and effectiveness of the index in different cases. Furthermore, experimental investigations on a cantilevered beam with various long‐gauge fibre optic sensors placements are carried out to examine the feasibility and applicability of the proposed method. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of the weightiness of site effects on reinforced concrete (RC) building seismic behaviour: The Adra town example (SE Spain)

The damage distribution in Adra town (south‐eastern Spain) during the 1993 and 1994 Adra earthquakes (5.0 magnitude), that reached a maximum intensity degree of VII (European Macroseismic Scale (EMS scale)), was concentrated mainly in the south‐east zone of the town and the most relevant damage occurred in reinforced concrete (RC) buildings with four or five storeys. In order to evaluate the influence of ground condition on RC building behaviour, geological, geomorphological and geophysical surveys were carried out, and a detailed map of ground surface structure was obtained. Short‐period microtremor observations were performed in 160 sites on a 100m × 100m dimension grid and Nakamura's method was applied in order to determine a distribution map of soil predominant periods. Shorter predominant periods (0.1–0.3 s) were found in mountainous and neighbouring zones and larger periods (greater than 0.5 s) in thicker Holocene alluvial fans. A relationship T = (0.049 ± 0.001)N, where T is the natural period of swaying motion and N is the number of storeys, has been empirically obtained by using microtremor measurements at the top of 38 RC buildings (ranging from 2 to 9 storeys). 1‐D simulation of strong motion on different soil conditions and for several typical RC buildings were computed, using the acceleration record in Adra town of the 1993 earthquake. It is noteworthy that all the aforementioned results show the influence of site effects in the degree and distribution of observed building damage. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impedance of flexible suction caissons

The dynamic response of offshore wind turbines is affected by the properties of the foundation and the subsoil. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the dynamic soil–structure interaction of suction caissons for offshore wind turbines. The investigations include evaluation of the vertical and coupled sliding–rocking vibrations, influence of the foundation geometry and examination on the properties of the surrounding soil. The soil is simplified as a homogenous linear viscoelastic material and the dynamic stiffness of the suction caisson is expressed in terms of dimensionless frequency‐dependent coefficients corresponding to different degrees of freedom. The dynamic stiffness coefficients for the skirted foundation are evaluated using a three‐dimensional coupled boundary element/finite element model. Comparisons with known analytical and numerical solutions indicate that the static and dynamic behaviours of the foundation are predicted accurately using the applied model. The analysis has been carried out for different combinations of the skirt length, Poisson's ratio of the subsoil and the ratio of the soil stiffness to the skirt stiffness. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of the soil–structure interaction on the fundamental period of buildings

This paper includes an investigation of the influence of the soil–structure interaction (SSI) on the fundamental period of buildings. The behaviour of both the soil and the structure is assumed to be elastic. The soil‐foundation system is modelled using translational and rotational discrete springs. Analysis is first conducted for one‐storey buildings. It shows that the influence of the SSI on the fundamental frequency of building depends on the soil–structure relative rigidity K_ss. Analysis is then extended for multi‐storey buildings. It allows the generalization of the soil–structure relative rigidity K_s to such complex structures. Charts are proposed for taking into account the influence of the SSI in the calculation of the fundamental frequency of a wide range of buildings. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

影响北京地区的沙尘暴

利用1971－1996年的地面气象月报和地面天气图资料，借助地理信息系统，逐次分析了影响北京地区沙尘暴天气过程的演变规律，确定了影响北京地区沙尘暴天气过程的移动路径和源地。结果表明：北京地区沙尘暴主要发生在春季和初夏，以4月为最多。根据沙尘暴的起源，可将影响北京的沙尘暴天气过程分为外源型和内源型两类。沙尘暴的移动路径主要包括北路和西路两条。外源型沙尘暴的入侵地点集中在：1）内蒙古乌兰察布盟和锡林郭勒盟西部的二连浩特市、阿巴嘎旗；2）哈密市以东至内蒙古阿拉善盟的中蒙边境。内源型沙尘暴的起源地主要集中在腾格里沙漠及其周边地区。     

云南一次持续性暴雨过程的非地转湿Q矢量分析

应用非地转湿Q矢量（Q^*）理论，对2001年5月31日至6月2日发生在云南的持续性暴雨天气过程进行诊断分析。结果表明，非地转湿Q矢量辐合区是暴雨发生的有利区域；非地转湿Q矢量的垂直分布反映了次级环流的方向和强弱，云南的暴雨落区位于次级环流的上升支附近。     

中—β尺度强对流风暴和暴雨数值模拟中的一些问题

本文利用数值模拟方法探讨各环境背景因子对强对流及暴雨系统发生发展所起的作用，分析了暴雨和强对流风暴的形成机制。结果表明：温度场和湿度场的垂直分布，决定着对流是否可以形成；其水平非均匀性只是改变风暴发展强度、生命期以及分裂特性。风场的动力影响对强风暴的移动、分裂及强度特征也十分重要。最后，对第三运动方程做了量纲分析，发现热浮力是对流风暴发展的决定性因素；而热浮力冲量能更细致地反映对流风暴的发展演变特征。     

服务于PDA的矢量数据分块存储数据结构的研究

数据结构、数据模型是GIS领域中一个比较重要的研究方向，目前GIS中较成熟的数据结构均是针对个人PC机或工作站硬件环境，并不适合以掌上电脑为平台的移动GIS系统。针对以掌上电脑为代表的智能移动终端，提出了一种矢量数据分块数据结构模型。该数据结构适用于以PDA智能终端为硬件平台的移动GIS系统，是实现矢量图形数据存储与快速显示的技术关键。