Prediction of tension crack location and riverbank erosion hazards along destabilized channels

Riverbank erosion, associated sedimentation and land loss hazards are a land management problem of global significance and many attempts to predict the onset of riverbank instability have been made. Recently, Osman and Thorne (1988) have presented a Culmann-type analysis of the stability of steep, cohesive riverbanks; this has the potential to be a considerable improvement over previous bank stability theories, which do not account for bank geometry changes due to toe scour and lateral erosion. However, in this paper it is shown that the existing Osman-Thorne model does not properly incorporate the influence of tension cracking on bank stability since the location of the tension crack on the floodplain is indirectly determined via calculation or arbitrary specification of the tension crack depth. Furthermore, accurate determination of tension crack location is essential to the calculation of the geometry of riverbank failure blocks and hence prediction of land loss and bank sediment yield associated with riverbank instability and channel widening. In this paper, a rational, physically based method to predict the location of tension cracks on the floodplain behind the eroding bank face is presented and tested. A case study is used to illustrate the computational procedure required to apply the model. Improved estimates of failure block geometry using the new method may potentially be applied to improve predictions of bank retreat and floodplain land loss along river channels destabilized as a result of environmental change.     

Effects of lateral velocity heterogeneity under the Nevada Test Site on short-periodP wave amplitudes and travel times

Short-period teleseismicP waves from the Nevada Test Site (NTS) show systematic variations in amplitudes and travel times, with low amplitudes corresponding to fast travel times, suggesting elastic focussing-defocussing effects. Also, the azimuthal amplitude and travel time patterns for events at the Pahute Mesa subsite are systematically different from those at the Yucca Flat subsite, indicating the presence of a near-source component in both the amplitude and travel-time variations. This component is isolated by removing the mean station pattern for all of NTS from the observations. A very-near-source component in the Pahute Mesa observations is also isolated by removing subsite station means from the measurements, whereas the Yucca Flat observations exhibited no coherent very-near-source component. These anomalies are back-projected through laterally homogeneous structure to form thin lens models at various depths. Travel-time delays are predicted from the amplitude variations using the equation for wavefront curvature. The long-wavelength components of the predicted and observed time delays correlate well, at depths of 25 km for the very-near-source component under Pahute Mesa and 160 km for the regional component under NTS. The time delay surfaces predicted by the amplitudes at these depths are mapped into warped velocity discontinuities suitable for the calculation of synthetic seismograms using the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral formulation. Both the intersite (near-source) and intrasite (very-near-source) differences in amplitudes are qualitatively predicted very well, although the range of variation is somewhat underpredicted. This deficiency is likely due to the destructive interference of anomalies inherent in back-projection to a single layer.     

Distorted Froude‐scaled flume analysis of large woody debris

This paper presents the results of a movable‐boundary, distorted, Froude‐scaled hydraulic model based on Abiaca Creek, a sand‐bedded channel in northern Mississippi. The model was used to examine the geomorphic and hydraulic impact of simplified large woody debris (LWD) elements. The theory of physical scale models is discussed and the method used to construct the LWD test channel is developed. The channel model had bed and banks moulded from 0·8 mm sand, and flow conditions were just below the threshold of motion so that any sediment transport and channel adjustment were the result of the debris element. Dimensions and positions of LWD elements were determined using a debris jam classification model. Elements were attached to a dynamometer to measure element drag forces, and channel adjustment was determined through detailed topographic surveys. The fluid drag force on the elements decreased asymptotically over time as the channel boundary eroded around the elements due to locally increased boundary shear stress. Total time for geomorphic adjustment computed for the prototype channel at the Q₂ discharge (discharge occurring once every two years on average) was as short as 45 hours. The size, depth and position of scour holes, bank erosion and bars created by flow acceleration past the elements were found to be related to element length and position within the channel cross‐section. Morphologies created by each debris element in the model channel were comparable with similar jams observed in the prototype channel. Published in 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Precise laboratory wavelengths of the Mg I and Mg II resonance transitions at 2853, 2803 and 2796 Å

Strong ultraviolet resonance transitions are observed routinely both in the Galactic interstellar medium and in quasar absorption systems. The quality of the astronomical spectroscopic data now available demands more precise laboratory rest wavelengths. Of particular interest is the accuracy with which one can constrain space–time variations in fundamental constants using quasar spectra. A recent analysis by Webb et al. of 25 quasar spectra using Mg and Fe transitions tentatively suggests that the fine-structure constant was smaller at earlier epochs. To permit a check on this result, and to allow further more extensive investigations, we have carried out a new determination of the laboratory wavelengths of Mg  i  2853 Å, Mg  II  2796 Å and Mg  II  2803 Å by high-resolution Fourier transform spectroscopy. Our results for Mg  II  2796 Å are consistent with the value measured independently by two other groups. To our knowledge, no previous measurements of comparable precision exist for Mg  I  2853 Å and Mg  II  2803 Å.     

The importance of energetic particle precipitation on the chemical composition of the middle atmosphere

An assessment is made of the relative contribution of certain classes of energetic particle precipitation to the chemical composition of the middle atmosphere with emphasis placed on the production of odd nitrogen and odd hydrogen species and their subsequent role in the catalytic removal of ozone. Galactic cosmic radiation is an important source of odd nitrogen in the lower stratosphere but since the peak energy deposition occurs below the region where catalytic removal of O₃ is most effective, it is questionable whether this mechanism is important in the overall terrestrial ozone budget. The precipitation of energetic solar protons can periodically produce dramatic enhancement in upper stratospheric NO. The long residence time of NO in this region of the atmosphere, where catalytic interaction with O₃ is also most effective, mandates that this mechanism be included in future modelling of the global distribution of O₃. Throughout the mesosphere the precipitation of energetic electrons from the outer radiation belt (60°70°) can sporadically act as a major local source of odd hydrogen and odd nitrogen leading to observable O₃ depletion. Future satellite studies should be directed at simultaneously measuring the precipitation flux and the concomitant atmosphere modification, and these results should be employed to develop more sophisticated models of this important coupling.     

An Acoustic-Instrumented Mine for Studying Subsequent Burial

The U.S. Navy is supporting the research to develop and validate stochastic, time-dependent, mine burial prediction models to aid the tactical decision making process. This research requires continuous monitoring of both mine behavior during burial, and the near-field processes responsible for burial. A new instrumented mine has been developed that far exceeds the capabilities of the earlier optically instrumented mine in terms of the burial processes that can be measured. The acoustic-instrumented mine (AIM) utilizes acoustic transducers to measure burial and scour, localized flow rates, and sediment size and concentration in the water column. The AIM also includes sensors for measuring mine orientation and movement, as well as oceanographic information such as significant waveheights, wave period, and water temperature. Four AIMs were constructed and deployed during the Indian Rocks Beach (IRB, FL) and Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO, Edgartown, MA) mine burial experiments. The results from the field experiments have proven that the sensor suite is viable in providing a wealth of data that are critical in understanding and modeling the complex subsequent burial process.     

Preface to the special memorial issue for Professor Donald V. Helmberger

Donald Vincent Helmberger,Ph.D.and Smits Family Professor of Geophysics Emeritus at Caltech(Figure 1),one of the primary founders of seismic waveform modeling,w...     

Composition and origin of the Çaldağ oxide nickel laterite,W. Turkey

The Çalda? nickel laterite deposit located in the Aegean region of W. Turkey contains a reserve of 33 million tons of Ni ore with an average grade of 1.14% Ni. The deposit is developed on an ophiolitic serpentinite body which was obducted onto Triassic dolomites in the Late Cretaceous. The deposit weathering profile is both laterally and vertically variable. A limonite zone, which is the main ore horizon, is located at the base of the profile. A hematite horizon is located above the limonite, which in the south of the deposit is capped by Eocene freshwater limestones and in the north by a siliceous horizon. The deposit is unusual in lacking a significant saprolite zone with little development of Ni-silicates. The boundary between the limonite zone and serpentinite below is sharp with a marked decrease in concentrations of MgO from 13 to 1 wt.% over a distance of 2 mm representing the ‘Mg discontinuity’. Ni concentrations within goethite, the main ore mineral, reach a maximum of ~3 wt.% near the base of the limonite zone. Silica concentrations are high throughout most of the laterite with up to 80 wt.% silica in the upper portion of some profiles. The combination of a serpentinite protolith and a high water table at Çalda?, in association with an aggressive weathering environment in a tropical climate, resulted in the formation of an oxide-dominated deposit. The precipitation of silica may coincide with a change in climate with silica precipitation linked to an increase in seasonality. Additional variations within profile morphology are attributed to transportation during and after laterite development as a result of faulting, pocket type laterite formation and slumping, each of which produces a contrasting set of textural and geochemical features.