Experimental investigation of the velocity of a sand cloud blowing over a sandy surface

The velocity of a wind‐blown sand cloud is important for studying its kinetic energy, related erosion, and control measures. PDA (particle dynamics analyser) measurement technology is used in a wind tunnel to study the probability distribution of particle velocity, variations with height of the mean velocity and particle turbulence in a sand cloud blowing over a sandy surface. The results suggest that the probability distribution of the particle velocity in a blowing sand cloud is stochastic. The probability distribution of the downwind velocity complies with a Gaussian function, while that of the vertical velocity is greatly complicated by grain impact with the bed and particle–particle collisions in the air. The probability distribution of the vertical velocity of ?ne particles (0·1–0·3 mm sands) can be expressed as a Lorentzian function while that of coarse particles (0·3–0·6 mm sands) cannot be expressed by a simple distribution function. The mean downwind velocity is generally one or two orders greater than the mean vertical velocity, but the particle turbulence in the vertical direction is at least two orders greater than that in the downwind direction. In general, the mean downwind velocity increases with height and free‐stream wind velocity, but decreases with grain size. The variation with height of the mean downwind velocity can be expressed by a power function. The particle turbulence of a blowing sand cloud in the downwind direction decreases with height. The variations with height of the mean velocity and particle turbulence in the vertical direction are very complex. It can be concluded that the velocity of a sand cloud blowing over a sandy surface is mainly in?uenced by wind velocity, grain impact with the bed and particle–particle collisions in the air. Wind velocity is the primary factor in?uencing the downwind velocity of a blowing sand cloud, while the grain impact with the bed and particle–particle collisions in the air are the primary factors responsible for the vertical velocity. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A numerical model for estimating groundwater flux from subsurface temperature profiles

A simple numerical model is presented for estimating vertical groundwater flux from transient subsurface temperature profiles obtained from field measurements. The model developed utilizes the MacCormack scheme, which is based on the Finite Difference Method (FDM), for solving the governing partial differential equation of convection–diffusion heat transport with appropriate initial and boundary conditions within the subsurface. In order to validate the model, numerical solutions obtained for the study area located in the Nagoka plain, Japan are compared with the published measured data and results obtained by others. Results obtained show good agreement and fit the observed data with a correlation coefficient, R², of 0·88. The estimated groundwater flux is 1·85 × 10⁻⁷ m s⁻¹. Sensitivity analyses were also carried out to investigate the effect of variations in groundwater fluxes, thermal properties and the annual thermal variability due to climatic changes on the transient subsurface temperature profiles and to have a better understanding of the subsurface thermal dynamics. A substantial effect of annual climatic variability is observed on the temporal distributions of temperature depth profiles, and a better estimate of thermal parameters is required to estimate vertical groundwater flux. The largest change in subsurface temperature depth profiles due to groundwater flux over a year is within ± 4 °C. The influence of groundwater flux on subsurface temperature distributions in space and time may be more pronounced in areas where the top of the saturated layer fluctuates considerably. Variation in thermal diffusivity results in temperature change up to ± 1·5% and may cause change in groundwater flux estimate by ± 18%. The model presented has merits over analytical solutions (type curve matching techniques) in terms of suitability and applicability to real field problems, and can be a good asset to hydrological models as quantifying groundwater recharge or deducing it from other quantities, such as rainfall, evapotranspiration and runoff, is often complicated. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure of the upper mantle in Asia from phase and group velocities of Rayleigh waves

Dispersion curves of phase velocities of Rayleigh waves are determined by the method of frequency-time analysis in a range of periods of 10–200 s from data of 43 interstation traces in Central Asia. Because the joint use of phase and group velocities significantly decreases the uncertainty in the determination of S wave velocity structures, the same traces were used for calculating group velocities from tomographic reconstructions obtained in [Yanovskaya and Kozhevnikov, 2003, 2006] and determining average velocity structures along these traces. The velocity structures were calculated by the Monte Carlo and linear inversion methods, which gave consistent results. Using velocity values obtained at fixed depths by the 2-D tomography method, lateral variations in velocities at these depths were estimated, which allowed us to construct smoothed vertical velocity structures at some points in the region. The resulting structures were used as initial approximations for constructing local velocity structures solely from previously obtained local dispersion curves of group velocities in the area (32°–56°N, 80°–120°E). Based on these structures, we mapped the lateral distribution of velocity variations at upper mantle depths of 75–400 km and along three vertical profiles. The inferred velocity variations are in good agreement with data on the tectonics of the region.     

Effects of sediment load on hydraulics of overland flow on steep slopes

Eroded sediment may have significant effects on the hydraulics of overland flow, but few studies have been performed to quantify these effects on steep slopes. This study investigated the potential effects of sediment load on Reynolds number, Froude number, flow depth, mean velocity, Darcy–Weisbach friction coefficient, shear stress, stream power, and unit stream power of overland flow in a sand‐glued hydraulic flume under a wide range of hydraulic conditions and sediment loads. Slope gradients were varied from 8·7 to 34·2%, unit flow rates from 0·66 to 5·26×10^?3 m² s^?1, and sediment loads from 0 to 6·95 kg m^?1 s^?1. Both Reynolds number (Re) and Froude number (Fr) decreased as sediment load increased, implying a decrease in flow turbulence. This inverse relationship should be considered in modeling soil erosion processes. Flow depth increased as sediment load increased with a mean value of 1·227 mm, caused by an increase in volume of sediment‐laden flow (contribution 62·4%) and a decrease in mean flow velocity (contribution 37·6%). The mean flow velocity decreased by up to 0·071 m s^?1 as sediment load increased. The Darcy–Weisbach friction coefficient (f) increased with sediment load, showing that the total energy consumption increased with sediment load. The effects of sediment load on f depended on flow discharge: as flow discharge increased, the influence of sediment load on f decreased due to increased flow depth and reduced relative roughness. Flow shear stress and stream power increased with sediment load, on average, by 80·5% and 60·2%, respectively; however, unit stream power decreased by an average of 11·1% as sediment load increased. Further studies are needed to extend and apply the insights obtained under these controlled conditions to real‐world overland flow conditions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

VERTICAL SEISMIC PROFILING—SEPARATION OF P- AND S-WAVES*

In vertical seismic profile's (VSP's) shot with a large source offset, rays from shot to receiver can have large angles of incidence. Shear waves generated by the source and by conversions at interfaces are likely to be recorded by both the vertical and the horizontal geophones. Varying angles of incidence may give strong variations in the recorded amplitudes. Separation of P- and SV-waves and recovery of their full amplitudes are important for proper processing and interpretation of the data. A P-S separation filter for three-component offset VSP data is presented which performs this operation. The separation filter is applied in the k-f domain and needs an estimate of the P- and S-velocities along the borehole as input. Implementation and stability aspects of the filter are considered. The filter was tested on an 1800 m offset VSP and appeared to be robust. Large velocity variations along the borehole could be handled and results were superior to those obtained by velocity filtering.     

Calculations of the ionization drift velocity by the Titheridge method,based on the data obtained at the Irkutsk Digisonde

The applicability of the method proposed by Titheridge [1995] to the estimations of the ionization vertical drift velocity V is studied. The values of the F2-layer maximum height, h _m F2, obtained from the measurements using the DPS-4 digital ionosonde at Irkutsk (Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics) in 2003–2006, are the initial data. The neutral gas parameters were calculated from the [Hedin, 1987] thermospheric model. The obtained calculations of the vertical ionization drift velocity are estimated by comparing with the [Hedin et al., 1991] empirical model. In some cases, good agreement with this model has been obtained. However, such agreement is registered not always, and the cause of such discrepancies is still unclear. The diurnal variations in the vertical ionization drift velocity in different seasons are also discussed.     

Characterization of the shallow aquifers by high-resolution seismic data

We present the results obtained by processing high-resolution seismic data acquired along the spring line located in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia plain (NE of Italy), in order to characterize an important multilayered aquifer. This system is made of an unconfined layer and, at increasing depths, of several confined aquifers of variable thickness and hydraulic permeability, mainly consisting of sand and gravel material. The main targets of this study are two shallow aquifers located at about 30 m and 200 m depth respectively. The seismic method is not frequently used for this type of study but in this case, it was considered a good tool due to the depth of the targets. The detailed velocity model we obtained reveals lateral velocity variations with a maximum value of 600 m/s. The higher velocities could be associated to layers that are confined aquifers; in fact, sand and gravel are characterized by higher seismic velocity compared to clay layers. Pre-stack depth migration using this velocity model gives a clear picture of the multilayered aquifer, highlighting lateral changes of seismic amplitude along the main reflectors. Finally, vertical variations of Poisson's ratio, computed by amplitude versus offset analysis, provide useful information about the petrophysical properties, such as the fluid content of the subsoil and lithologic changes.     

Directions of preferential flow in a hillslope soil, 1. Quasi‐steady flow

Preferred infiltration is mainly perceived as vertically down whereas subsurface storm flow is thought to occur parallel to slopes. The transition from vertical to lateral flow in a layered hillslope soil is the focus of the contribution. Transient flow is assumed to move as a wetting front. Three time‐domain reflectometry (TDR) wave‐guides, each 0·15 m long, were mounted in the shape of a truncated tetrahedron with its peak pointing down. Each wave‐guide focuses the front velocity along its axis. The three front‐velocity vectors are decomposed into their x, y and z components, which are then assembled to the resultant velocity vector. The volume density flux of preferred flow is the product of the front velocity and the mobile water content. The latter is the amplitude of transient soil moisture measured with each wave‐guide. The resultant vector of the volume flux density is computed similarly to the velocity vector. The experimental approach allows for the rapid assessment of transient flows without relying on the variation of water potentials. The experiments indicate that the directions of the resultant vectors of velocity and volume flux density can be estimated if the moisture variations of the three TDR wave‐guides are strongly correlated during the passing of the wetting front. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Conduction models of the temperature distribution in the East Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano

Temperature variations in the 1966-meter Hawaii Geothermal Project well HGP-A are simulated by model studies using a finite element code for conductive heat flow. Three models were generated: a constant temperature source from a vertical dike; a constant heat-generating magma chamber; and a transient heat source from a tapered vertical dike. Fair correlation is obtained between the HGP-A well temperature and the tapered dike 125 years after it is injected with an initial (transient) 1200° C temperature. Results provide background information from which to evaluate the importance of water convection in maintaining the temperature distribution in the East Rift Zone.     

Regional potential evapotranspiration in arid climates based on temperature,topography and calculated solar radiation

Values of evapotranspiration are required for a variety of water planning activities in arid and semi‐arid climates, yet data requirements are often large, and it is costly to obtain this information. This work presents a method where a few, readily available data (temperature, elevation) are required to estimate potential evapotranspiration (PET). A method using measured temperature and the calculated ratio of total to vertical radiation (after the work of Behnke and Maxey, 1969) to estimate monthly PET was applied for the months of April–October and compared with pan evaporation measurements. The test area used in this work was in Nevada, which has 124 weather stations that record sufficient amounts of temperature data. The calculated PET values were found to be well correlated (R²=0·940–0·983, slopes near 1·0) with mean monthly pan evaporation measurements at eight weather stations.In order to extrapolate these calculated PET values to areas without temperature measurements and to sites at differing elevations, the state was divided into five regions based on latitude, and linear regressions of PET versus elevation were calculated for each of these regions. These extrapolated PET values generally compare well with the pan evaporation measurements (R²=0·926–0·988, slopes near 1·0). The estimated values are generally somewhat lower than the pan measurements, in part because the effects of wind are not explicitly considered in the calculations, and near‐freezing temperatures result in a calculated PET of zero at higher elevations in the spring months. The calculated PET values for April–October are 84–100% of the measured pan evaporation values. Using digital elevation models in a geographical information system, calculated values were adjusted for slope and aspect, and the data were used to construct a series of maps of monthly PET. The resultant maps show a realistic distribution of regional variations in PET throughout Nevada which inversely mimics topography. The general methods described here could be used to estimate regional PET in other arid western states (e.g. New Mexico, Arizona, Utah) and arid regions world‐wide (e.g. parts of Africa). Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A digital surface roughness meter

Geomorphological studies often require precise devices to measure surface roughness or variations with high precision and good repeatability. A digital measurement device is described, which provides these features and can be linked to a small, light and portable recorder and processor. Such an arrangement allows rapid, accurate data recording by a single operator and can be used in the laboratory or field. With interchangeable measurement rods the vertical range of the instrument is 150 mm, with an actual measured range of 30 mm per rod. The potential accuracy is 0·001 mm with an operating temperature range of+5 to +40°C. Its light weight, relatively low cost and precision make it a useful measuring device which can be adapted for many tasks simply by modification of the stand.     

Relationships between hydraulic parameters in a small stream under varying flow and seasonal conditions

Twenty conservative tracer injections were carried out in the same reach of a small woodland stream in order to determine how variation in discharge and leaf accumulation affect stream hydraulic parameters. The injections were made at various discharge rates ranging from 2·6 to 40 l/s. Five of the injections were made during late autumn, when there were large accumulations of leaves in the stream. Estimates of hydraulic parameters were made by fitting a transient storage solute transport model to conservative tracer concentration profiles. Velocity increased almost linearly with increasing discharge, indicating a decline in the Darcy friction factor. Dispersion also increased with increasing discharge, especially for the lower flow injections. The relative size of the storage zone was small (∽0·1). There was no definable relationship between discharge and the relative storage zone size, but the rates of exchange between the storage zone and the main channel increased markedly with increasing discharge. The presence of large accumulations of leaves had a clear effect on the hydraulic characteristics of the stream, producing much higher friction factors, larger storage zone sizes and lower velocity than would have been predicted by discharge alone. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observations and model estimates of diurnal water temperature dynamics in mosquito breeding sites in western Kenya

Water temperature is an important determinant of the growth and development of malaria mosquito immatures. To gain a better understanding of the daily temperature dynamics of malaria mosquito breeding sites and of the relationships between meteorological variables and water temperature, three clear water pools (diameter × depth: 0·16 × 0·04, 0·32 × 0·16 and 0·96 × 0·32 m) were created in Kenya. Continuous water temperature measurements at various depths were combined with weather data collections from a meteorological station. The water pools were homothermic, but the top water layer differed by up to about 2 °C in temperature, depending on weather conditions. Although the daily mean temperature of all water pools was similar (27·4–28·1 °C), the average recorded difference between the daily minimum and maximum temperature was 14·4 °C in the smallest versus 7·1 °C in the largest water pool. Average water temperature corresponded well with various meteorological variables. The temperature of each water pool was continuously higher than the air temperature. A model was developed that predicts the diurnal water temperature dynamics accurately, based on the estimated energy budget components of these water pools. The air–water interface appeared the most important boundary for energy exchange processes and on average 82–89% of the total energy was gained and lost at this boundary. Besides energy loss to longwave radiation, loss due to evaporation was high; the average estimated daily evaporation ranged from 4·2 mm in the smallest to 3·7 mm in the largest water pool. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heat transport in the Red Lake Bog,Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatlands

We report the results of an investigation on the processes controlling heat transport in peat under a large bog in the Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatlands. For 2 years, starting in July 1998, we recorded temperature at 12 depth intervals from 0 to 400 cm within a vertical peat profile at the crest of the bog at sub‐daily intervals. We also recorded air temperature 1 m above the peat surface. We calculate a peat thermal conductivity of 0·5 W m^?1 °C^?1 and model vertical heat transport through the peat using the SUTRA model. The model was calibrated to the first year of data, and then evaluated against the second year of collected heat data. The model results suggest that advective pore‐water flow is not necessary to transport heat within the peat profile and most of the heat is transferred by thermal conduction alone in these waterlogged soils. In the spring season, a zero‐curtain effect controls the transport of heat through shallow depths of the peat. Changes in local climate and the resulting changes in thermal transport still may cause non‐linear feedbacks in methane emissions related to the generation of methane deeper within the peat profile as regional temperatures increase. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of bed surface roughness on longitudinal dispersion in artificial open channels

In several empirical and modelling studies on river hydraulics, dispersion was negatively correlated to surface roughness. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the influence of surface roughness on longitudinal dispersion under controlled conditions. In artificial flow channels with a length of 104 m, tracer experiments with variations in channel bed material were performed. By use of measured tracer breakthrough curves, average flow velocity, mean longitudinal dispersion, and mean longitudinal dispersivity were calculated. Longitudinal dispersion coefficients ranged from 0·018 m² s^?1 in channels with smooth bed surface up to 0·209 m² s^?1 in channels with coarse gravel as bed material. Longitudinal dispersion was linearly related to mean flow velocity. Accordingly, longitudinal dispersivities ranged between 0·152 ± 0·017 m in channels with smooth bed surface and 0·584 ± 0·015 m in identical channels with a coarse gravel substrate. Grain size and surface roughness of the channel bed were found to correlate positively to longitudinal dispersion. This finding contradicts several existing relations between surface roughness and dispersion. Future studies should include further variation in surface roughness to derive a better‐founded empirical equation forecasting longitudinal dispersion from surface roughness. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new technique for determining the surface level of salt marshes and other uncompacted sedimentary environments

The method described involves the use of an electro-optical distance measurer mounted on a theodolite. Observations are taken onto a series of acrylic reflectors, aligned at right angles to the line of sight, and slope distances and vertical and horizontal angles are recorded. From these data it is possible to obtain surface heights to an accuracy of ±0·5 cm at 200 m and to avoid any direct disturbance of the site under investigation.     

VHF Radar observations of a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a subtropical jet stream

Abstract

In connection with the large dish at the Arccibo Observatory (Puerto Rico), the mobile SOUSY VHF Radar has been used to carry out velocity measurements in the troposphere with height and time resolutions of a few hundreds of meters and some tens of seconds, respectively. During the passage of a strong subtropical jet stream, vertical velocity oscillations have been observed at heights of maximum wind shear. The height and time variations of the velocity and the background wind profile deduced from radiosonde data indicate that a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI), with a period of 340s, a wavelength of 12 km and a velocity amplitude of about 1 ms^?1 was the source of the oscillations. Model calculations show good agreement with the observed quantities.     

Computational fluid dynamics modelling of boundary roughness in gravel‐bed rivers: an investigation of the effects of random variability in bed elevation

Results from a series of numerical simulations of two‐dimensional open‐channel flow, conducted using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT, are compared with data quantifying the mean and turbulent characteristics of open‐channel flow over two contrasting gravel beds. Boundary roughness effects are represented using both the conventional wall function approach and a random elevation model that simulates the effects of supra‐grid‐scale roughness elements (e.g. particle clusters and small bedforms). Results obtained using the random elevation model are characterized by a peak in turbulent kinetic energy located well above the bed (typically at y/h = 0·1–0·3). This is consistent with the field data and in contrast to the results obtained using the wall function approach for which maximum turbulent kinetic energy levels occur at the bed. Use of the random elevation model to represent supra‐grid‐scale roughness also allows a reduction in the height of the near‐bed mesh cell and therefore offers some potential to overcome problems experienced by the wall function approach in flows characterized by high relative roughness. Despite these benefits, the results of simulations conducted using the random elevation model are sensitive to the horizontal and vertical mesh resolution. Increasing the horizontal mesh resolution results in an increase in the near‐bed velocity gradient and turbulent kinetic energy, effectively roughening the bed. Varying the vertical resolution of the mesh has little effect on simulated mean velocity profiles, but results in substantial changes to the shape of the turbulent kinetic energy profile. These findings have significant implications for the application of CFD within natural gravel‐bed channels, particularly with regard to issues of topographic data collection, roughness parameterization and the derivation of mesh‐independent solutions. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

美国中东部地震台阵波场的三分量波形梯度

波形梯度法是一种全新的台阵数据处理技术,该方法利用子台阵中的波形差异可以得到一些基本的地震波传播参数.本文首次将其应用于美国中东部地震台阵面波的三分量研究当中.首先通过垂向分量的面波进行波形梯度分析,得到垂直分量面波的相速度、传播方向、几何扩散和辐射花样.再通过垂向分量得到的传播方向进行坐标旋转,从而得到了径向分量以及切向分量的面波,再将其应用于波形梯度分析,分别得到径向分量以及切向分量面波的相速度、传播方向、几何扩散和辐射花样.利用2012年8月27日发生在中美洲西海岸地震事件的三分量地震数据的面波波形得到的结果显示,在相同周期,研究区域的三个分量面波的相速度分布横向差异显著.切向分量面波的相速度分布特征差异较大,可能是由于径向各向异性造成的.三个分量的传播方向变化都不大,且切向分量的传播方向变化大于垂直分量与径向分量,说明地震波的切线分量在传播过程中受到的影响更大,同时还可以看出传播方向的变化呈现出条带状的特征.几何扩散和辐射花样都是与地震波的振幅项有关的信息,三个分量的几何扩散特征基本一致.但是由于切向分量传播方向变化相对较大,可能导致了切向分量面波的辐射花样有所差异.     

Temperature in lowland Danish streams: contemporary patterns,empirical models and future scenarios

Continuous temperature measurements at 11 stream sites in small lowland streams of North Zealand, Denmark over a year showed much higher summer temperatures and lower winter temperatures along the course of the stream with artificial lakes than in the stream without lakes. The influence of lakes was even more prominent in the comparisons of colder lake inlets and warmer outlets and led to the decline of cold‐water and oxygen‐demanding brown trout. Seasonal and daily temperature variations were, as anticipated, dampened by forest cover, groundwater input, input from sewage plants and high downstream discharges. Seasonal variations in daily water temperature could be predicted with high accuracy at all sites by a linear air‐water regression model (r²: 0·903–0·947). The predictions improved in all instances (r²: 0·927–0·964) by a non‐linear logistic regression according to which water temperatures do not fall below freezing and they increase less steeply than air temperatures at high temperatures because of enhanced heat loss from the stream by evaporation and back radiation. The predictions improved slightly (r²: 0·933–0·969) by a multiple regression model which, in addition to air temperature as the main predictor, included solar radiation at un‐shaded sites, relative humidity, precipitation and discharge. Application of the non‐linear logistic model for a warming scenario of 4–5 °C higher air temperatures in Denmark in 2070‐2100 yielded predictions of temperatures rising 1·6–3·0 °C during winter and summer and 4·4–6·0 °C during spring in un‐shaded streams with low groundwater input. Groundwater‐fed springs are expected to follow the increase of mean air temperatures for the region. Great caution should be exercised in these temperature projections because global and regional climate scenarios remain open to discussion. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.