Hydrology and geomorphology of the Upper White Nile lakes and their relevance for water resources management in the Nile basin

Remote sensing data and digital elevation models were utilized to extract the catchment hydrological parameters and to delineate storage areas for the Ugandan Equatorial Lakes region. Available rainfall/discharge data are integrated with these morphometric data to construct a hydrological model that simulates the water balance of the different interconnected basins and enables the impact of potential management options to be examined. The total annual discharges of the basins are generally very low (less than 7% of the total annual rainfall). The basin of the shallow (5 m deep) Lake Kioga makes only a minor hydrological contribution compared with other Equatorial Lakes, because most of the overflow from Lake Victoria basin into Lake Kioga is lost by evaporation and evapotranspiration. The discharge from Lake Kioga could be significantly increased by draining the swamps through dredging and deepening certain channel reaches. Development of hydropower dams on the Equatorial Lakes will have an adverse impact on the annual water discharge downstream, including the occasional reduction of flow required for filling up to designed storage capacities and permanently increasing the surface areas of water that is exposed to evaporation. On the basis of modelling studies, alternative sites are proposed for hydropower development and water storage schemes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Suspended sediment transport and deposition in a high arctic meromictic lake

A study of sedimentary processes and sediment yields in a high arctic meromictic lake (Lake C2, Taconite Inlet, Northern Ellesemere Island, Canada) was undertaken from May 1990 through August 1992 to understand the links between climatic controls, hydrology, and the laminated sediment record preserved in the lake. Understanding the relationships between processes and the sediment record is critical for interpreting the climatic significance of the laminated sediments in a region where high resolution climate proxy records are quite limited.Sediment transport to Lake C2 is dominated by fluvial processes. During the early part of the melt season slushflows transport sediment to the lake surface. Subsequently, suspended sediment is delivered to the lake by the main inlet stream and distributed lakeward by a plume emanating the main inlet channel. Due to the strong density stratification of the water column the plume distributes sediment downlake by overflows and interflows in the epilimnion. In general, overflows are generated by lower discharge events whereas interflows penetrate to the halocline during high discharge with increased suspended sediment concentration.Sediment trap analysis demonstrates that suspended sediment transport and deposition responds to diurnal through annual changes in stream discharge. Seasonal and annual sediment trap yields agree with average accumulation rates determined from varve thickness measurements and cumulative suspended sediment discharge from the main inlet stream indicating a close link between climatological, hydrological, and sedimentological controls and varve deposition.This is the fourth in a series of papers published in this issue on the Taconite Inlet Lakes Project. These papers were collected by Dr R. S. Bradley.     

The East Greenland Spill Jet as an important component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

The recently discovered East Greenland Spill Jet is a bottom-intensified current on the upper continental slope south of Denmark Strait, transporting intermediate density water equatorward. Until now the Spill Jet has only been observed with limited summertime measurements from ships. Here we present the first year-round mooring observations demonstrating that the current is a ubiquitous feature with a volume transport similar to the well-known plume of Denmark Strait overflow water farther downslope. Using reverse particle tracking in a high-resolution numerical model, we investigate the upstream sources feeding the Spill Jet. Three main pathways are identified: particles flowing directly into the Spill Jet from the Denmark Strait sill; particles progressing southward on the East Greenland shelf that subsequently spill over the shelfbreak into the current; and ambient water from the Irminger Sea that gets entrained into the flow. The two Spill Jet pathways emanating from Denmark Strait are newly resolved, and long-term hydrographic data from the strait verifies that dense water is present far onto the Greenland shelf. Additional measurements near the southern tip of Greenland suggest that the Spill Jet ultimately merges with the deep portion of the shelfbreak current, originally thought to be a lateral circulation associated with the sub-polar gyre. Our study thus reveals a previously unrecognized significant component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation that needs to be considered to understand fully the ocean׳s role in climate.     

粉质黏土堤防漫溢溃决试验

为研究粉质黏土堤防漫溢溃决破坏过程及其对水流要素和土体性质的响应规律,以河道流量、筑堤土体含水率和孔隙率为变量,在弯道水槽中开展了9组堤防漫溢溃决概化试验.通过试验发现,粉质黏土堤漫溢溃决溃口发展过程可分为垂向侵蚀和横向扩宽两个阶段,垂向侵蚀阶段以"陡坎"后退为主要形式;筑堤土体含水率与孔隙率不仅影响了溃口垂向侵蚀以及横向扩宽速度,而且决定了溃口最终形态,河道流量主要影响堤防溃口的横向扩宽速度;溃口处流速以及下游水位变化受溃口高度的制约.拟合得到土体黏聚力与土体含水率、孔隙率的相关关系式;通过试验数据提出了由土体黏聚力和水流参数表达的"陡坎"侵蚀后退速度计算公式,证明具有一定合理性.     

苏北梁王城遗址黄泛层初步研究

基于黄河下游流域考古遗址中第一次发现的黄泛地层,对苏北梁王城遗址T3902探方南壁剖面上部自然淤积层采样,结合考古断代,并参照历史资料,通过分析重砂矿物和粒度两方面的实验结果,揭示出考古遗址中黄泛地层的沉积物特征。旨在为今后环境考古中对黄泛地层的判别和对比提供可靠的科学依据,特别是为在黄河下游洪泛区考古遗址中疑似黄泛层的确认提供依据。     

Numerical assessment of tsunami attack on a rubble mound breakwater using OpenFOAM®

A numerical assessment study of tsunami attack on the rubble mound breakwater of Haydarpasa Port, located at the southern entrance of the Istanbul Bosphorus Strait in the Sea of Marmara, Turkey, is carried out in this study using a Volume-Averaged Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes solver, IHFOAM, developed in OpenFOAM^® environment. The numerical model is calibrated with and validated against the data from solitary wave and tsunami overflow experiments representing tsunami attack. Furthermore, attack of a potential tsunami near Haydarpasa Port is simulated to investigate effects of a more realistic tsunami that cannot be generated in a wave flume with the present state of the art technology. Discussions on practical engineering applications of this type of numerical modeling studies are given focusing on pressure distributions around the crown-wall of the rubble mound breakwater, and the forces acting on the single stone located behind the crown-wall at the rear side of the breakwater. Numerical modeling of stability/failure mechanism of the overall cross-section is studied throughout the paper.The present study shows that hydrodynamics along the wave flume and over the breakwater can be simulated properly for both solitary wave and tsunami overflow experiments. Stability of the overall cross-section can only be simulated qualitatively for solitary wave cases; on the other hand, the effect of the time elapsed during tsunami overflow cannot be reflected in the simulations using the present numerical tool. However, the stability of the overall cross-section under tsunami overflow is assessed by evaluating forces acting on the rear side armor unit supporting the crown-wall of the rubble mound breakwater as a practical engineering application in the present paper. Furthermore, two non-dimensional parameters are derived to discuss the stability of this armor unit; and thus, the stability condition of the overall cross-section. Approximate threshold values for these non-dimensional parameters are presented comparing experimental and numerical results as a starting point for engineers in practice. Finally, investigations on the solitary wave and tsunami overflow experiments/simulations are extended to the potential tsunami simulation in the scope of both representation of a realistic tsunami in a wave flume and stability of the rubble mound breakwater.     

丹霞地貌定义、分类及丹霞作用研究

丹霞地貌以广东丹霞山最为典型而得名,是一种发育赤壁丹崖群的特殊地貌类型,近年来随着旅游开发不断升温而成为景观地貌学关注的重要对象,但其中一些基本问题长期争论不休。本文从命名地的地质、地貌特征和我国区域地质发展史角度出发,重新厘定了丹霞地貌的定义与分类,强调丹霞地貌的三大基本要素:赤壁丹崖地貌特征、燕山旋回以来陆相红层基础和以流水侵蚀为主的地质营力。西北地区也广泛发育丹霞地貌,一类是黄土覆盖下的古丹霞,另一类是干旱区片流侵蚀和泥乳贴膜的丹霞。丹霞作用是对中新生代陆相碎屑岩经流水侵蚀、重力崩塌和风化剥落等多种地质作用的统称,其产物就是丹霞地貌。岩性控制和崖壁片流垂蚀是丹霞作用的两种特殊机理。红层盆地的沉积相及其岩性差异控制着丹霞地貌的发育及其景观类型,据此在地貌发育的构造、外力和时间三个因素基础上增加了岩性因素。南方典型的红层盆地中,边缘冲积扇相粗碎屑岩地区可经历青年、中年和老年等发展阶段,盆地中央湖泊相泥岩、粉砂岩却没有经历过绝壁陡崖发展阶段。暴雨水流在丹霞崖壁上发生近垂直向下的侵蚀作用叫片流垂蚀作用。其中冲蚀作用形成竖状沟槽、竖状洞穴,涡蚀作用(借助风力吹动发展成垂直崖壁的涡旋)形成圆锥状洞穴、串珠状洞穴,后者使得洞穴沿软弱岩层分布,进一步扩大成扁平状洞穴。这些洞穴形成年代具有垂向一致性,不具有上老下新变化趋势,而在水平方向上,不同部位洞穴的形成年代可能不同。     

用空气单元法求解渗流场的逸出边界问题

依据空气单元模拟排水孔的思路,在渗流场任意可能逸出边界外布置一层渗透性较强的单元,与其他实体单元一起进行渗流计算,可以实现该边界的自动求解。与现行方法相比,不仅省去了逸出边界迭代计算的麻烦,而且避免了由于逸出点定位不准确而可能引起的渗流计算不合理或收敛困难等缺陷。算例分析表明,空气单元法的计算精度与空气单元的相对渗透系数R有关,与厚度L无关。当选取了合适的R值后,可以较好地逼近现行方法。对于因引入空气单元而造成的强弱透水介质界面处数值拟真性差的现象,还提出了加入接触面薄层单元的改进方法。方法改进后,计算精度可进一步提高。最后,以小湾水电站22#坝段渗流场计算为例,说明该法的实用性和可行性。     

Overflow probability of the Salt Lake in Hoh Xil Region

After the bursting of Huiten Nor in Hoh Xil Region in September, 2011, the topic on whether the water overflowed from the Salt Lake would enter into the Chumaer River and become the northernmost source of the Yangtze River has aroused wide concern from public and academic field. Based on Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI remote sensing images during 2010–2015, SRTM 1 arc-second data, Google Earth elevation data and the observation data from the Wudaoliang meteorological station, the study initially analyzed the variations of the Salt Lake and its overflowing condition and probability. The results showed that the area of the Salt Lake expanded sharply from October 2011 to April 2013, and then it stepped into a stable expansion period. On October 27, 2015, the area of the Salt Lake had arrived at 151.38 km², which was about 3.35 times the area of the lake on March 3, 2010. The Salt Lake will overflow when its area reaches the range from 218.90 km² to 220.63 km². Due to the differences between SRTM DEM and Google Earth elevation data, the water level of the Salt Lake simulated would be 12 m or 9.6 m higher than the current level when the lake overflowed, and its reservoir capacity would increase by 23.71 km³ or 17.27 km³, respectively. Meanwhile, the overflowed water of the Salt Lake would run into the Qingshui River basin from its eastern part. Although the Salt Lake does not overflow in the coming decade, with watershed expansion of the Salt Lake and the projected precipitation increase in Hoh Xil region, the probability of water overflow from the Salt Lake and becoming a tributary of the Yangtze River will exist in the long term.