A new airborne Polar Nephelometer for the measurement of optical and microphysical cloud properties. Part II: Preliminary tests

A new optical sensor, the airborne Polar Nephelometer, has been tested in an open wind tunnel. The wind tunnel was operated in cloudy conditions including either cloud water droplets or ice crystals, or a mixture of these particles. The sensor is designed to measure the optical and microphysical parameters of cloud particles sized from a few micrometers to about 500 m diameter. Basically, the probe measures the scattering phase function of an ensemble of cloud particles which intersect a collimated laser beam near the focal point of a paraboloidal mirror. From the measured scattering phase function the retrieval of the droplet-size spectra and subsequent derived quantities such as liquid water content and size parameters can be calculated using an inversion method. The particle phase discrimination (water droplets/ice particles) can be derived from the shape of the scattering phase function and the sensitivity of the probe allows the detection of small ice crystals (typically of 5 m diameter). The paper describes the preliminary results obtained by the prototype version of the Polar Nephelometer in various cloudy conditions. These results are compared with direct microphysical measurements obtained by usual PMS probes also mounted in the wind tunnel. Complementary results obtained in a cold chamber are presented in order to illustrate the reliability of the Polar Nephelometer in the presence of small ice crystals.     

The retrieval of cloud microphysical properties using satellite measurements and an in situ database

By combining AVHRR data from the NOAA satellites with information from a database of in situ measurements, large-scale maps can be generated of the microphysical parameters most immediately significant for the modelling of global circulation and climate. From the satellite data, the clouds can be classified into cumuliform, stratiform and cirrus classes and then into further sub-classes by cloud top temperature. At the same time a database of in situ measurements made by research aircraft is classified into the same sub-classes and a statistical analysis is used to derive relationships between the sub-classes and the cloud microphysical properties. These two analyses are then linked to give estimates of the microphysical properties of the satellite observed clouds. Examples are given of the application of this technique to derive maps of the probability of occurrence of precipitating clouds and of precipitating water content derived from a case study within the International Cirrus Experiment (ICE) held in 1989 over the North Sea.     

Simplified approach for design of raft foundations against fault rupture. Part Ⅰ： free-field

Over the past few decades, earthquake engineering research mainly focused on the effects of strong seismic shaking. After the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey and Taiwan, and thanks to numerous cases where fault rupture caused substantial damage to structures, the importance of faulting-induced deformation has re-emerged. This paper, along with its companion （Part Ⅱ）, exploits parametric results of finite element analyses and centrifuge model testing in developing a four-step semi-analytical approach for analysis of dip-slip （normal and thrust） fault rupture propagation through sand, its emergence on the ground surface, and its interaction with raft foundations. The present paper （Part Ⅰ） focuses on the effects of faulting in the absence of a structure （i.e., in the free-field）. The semi-analytical approach comprises two-steps： the first deals with the rupture path and the estimation of the location of fault outcropping, and the second with the tectonically- induced displacement profile at the ground surface. In both cases, simple mechanical analogues are used to derive simplified semi-analytical expressions. Centrifuge model test data, in combination with parametric results from nonlinear finite element analyses, are utilized for model calibration. The derived semi-analytical expressions are shown to compare reasonably well with more rigorous experimental and theoretical data, thus providing a useful tool for a first estimation of near-fault seismic hazard.     

Integrated measurements of acoustical and optical thin layers I: Vertical scales of association

This study combined measurements from multiple platforms with acoustic instruments on moorings and on a ship and optics on a profiler and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to examine the relationships between fluorescent, bioluminescent, and acoustically scattering layers in Monterey Bay during nighttime hours in July and August of 2006 and May of 2008. We identified thin bioluminescent layers that were strongly correlated with acoustic scattering at the same depth but were part of vertically broad acoustic features, suggesting layers of unique composition inside larger biomass features. These compositional thin layers nested inside larger biomass features may be a common ecosystem component and are likely to have significant ecological impacts but are extremely difficult to identify as most approaches capable of the vertical scales of measurement necessary for the identification of sub-meter scale patterns assess bulk properties rather than specific layer composition. Measurements of multiple types of thin layers showed that the depth offset between thin phytoplankton and zooplankton layers was highly variable with some layers found at the same depth but others found up to 16 m apart. The vertical offset between phytoplankton and zooplankton thin layers was strongly predicted by the fraction of the water column fluorescence contained within a thin phytoplankton layer. Thin zooplankton layers were only vertically associated with thin phytoplankton layers when the phytoplankton in a layer accounted for more than about 18–20% of the water column chlorophyll. Trophic interactions were likely occurring between phytoplankton and zooplankton thin layers but phytoplankton thin layers were exploited by zooplankton only when they represented a large fraction of the available phytoplankton, suggesting zooplankton have some knowledge of the available food over the entire water column. The horizontal extent of phytoplankton layers, discussed in the second paper in this series, is likely an important factor contributing to this selective exploitation by zooplankton. The pattern of vertical offset between phytoplankton and zooplankton layers was consistent between studies in different years and using different combinations of platforms, indicating the importance of the relationship between zooplankton layers and the fraction of phytoplankton within a layer at night within Monterey Bay. These results highlight the value of integrating measurements of various types of organisms to understand thin layers processes and the importance of assessing ecological interactions in plankton thin layers within the context of the properties of the entire water column, like the animals themselves do.     

Comparison of polar mesospheric cloud measurements from the Cloud Imaging and Particle Size experiment and the solar backscatter ultraviolet instrument in 2007

We compare measurements from the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) Cloud Imaging and Particle Size (CIPS) experiment to the NOAA-17 solar backscatter ultraviolet (SBUV/2) instrument during the 2007 Northern Hemisphere polar mesospheric cloud (PMC) season. Daily average Rayleigh scattering albedos determined from identical footprints from the CIPS nadir camera and SBUV/2 agree to better than ～5% throughout the season. Average PMC brightness values derived from the two instruments agree to within ±10%. PMC occurrence frequencies are on average ～5% to nearly a factor of two higher in CIPS, depending on latitude. Agreement is best at high latitudes where clouds are brighter and more frequent. The comparisons indicate that AIM CIPS data are valid for scientific analyses. They also show that CIPS measurements can be linked to the long time series of SBUV/2 data to investigate long-term variability in PMCs.     

On estimating the hydraulic properties of soil,Part 2. A new empirical equation for estimating hydraulic conductivity for sands

A new empirical equation to estimate hydraulic conductivity is proposed, based on a large set of measured data for hydraulic properties of soil. The equation is simpler and more accurate than the series-parallel model. Under conditions of insufficient data, the new equation provides a good estimation of hydraulic conductivity for sands. For the same class of soils, another empirical equation is proposed to estimate the power N in the Averjanov-Irmay function.     

Electromagnetic measurements in the vicinity of the KTB drill site. Part I: The MV results across a 2-D array

Summary We have analysed magnetovariational data of ten temporary field stations deployed as a 2-D array covering about 50 km square of a SFR/FRG border area adjacent to the KTB superdeep drill site. Single- and inter-station induction vectors were computed by frequency and time domain analyses. The distribution of induction vector characteristics was analysed, interpreted in terms of the electrical conductivity distribution across the array, and correlated with geological phenomena.     

The impact of cloud inhomogeneities on the Earth radiation budget: the 14 October 1989 I.C.E. convective cloud case study

Through their multiple interactions with radiation, clouds have an important impact on the climate. Nonetheless, the simulation of clouds in climate models is still coarse. The present evolution of modeling tends to a more realistic representation of the liquid water content; thus the problem of its subgrid scale distribution is crucial. For a convective cloud field observed during ICE 89, Landsat TM data (resolution: 30m) have been analyzed in order to quantify the respective influences of both the horizontal distribution of liquid water content and cloud shape on the Earth radiation budget. The cloud field was found to be rather well-represented by a stochastic distribution of hemi-ellipsoidal clouds whose horizontal aspect ratio is close to 2 and whose vertical aspect ratio decreases as the cloud cell area increases. For that particular cloud field, neglecting the influence of the cloud shape leads to an over-estimate of the outgoing longwave flux; in the shortwave, it leads to an over-estimate of the reflected flux for high solar elevations but strongly depends on cloud cell orientations for low elevations. On the other hand, neglecting the influence of cloud size distribution leads to systematic over-estimate of their impact on the shortwave radiation whereas the effect is close to zero in the thermal range. The overall effect of the heterogeneities is estimated to be of the order of 10 W m⁻² for the conditions of that Landsat picture (solar zenith angle 65○, cloud cover 70%); it might reach 40 W m⁻² for an overhead sun and overcast cloud conditions.     

A Taylor basis for kinematic nonlinear real-time simulations. Part I: The complete modal derivatives

Despite todays computational power, only small nonlinear numerical substructures may be simulated in real time. The size restriction on the substructures in nonlinear finite element analysis is primarily due to the time-consuming evaluation of the internal restoring forces, which is performed element-by-element in every iteration step. The present work constitutes the first of two papers presenting a method to simulate kinematic nonlinear structures more efficiently. It involves applying a reduced basis with modal derivatives representing the nonlinearities of the system in an efficient way. Previously, the modal derivatives have been determined from a set of approximate governing equations. In the present paper, a novel set of equations governing the complete modal derivatives is derived. This is done by introducing a Taylor series into the free undamped kinematic nonlinear equations of motion. Also, the approximate governing equations are improved by introducing a novel geometric restriction. By way of an example, it is shown that only the modal derivatives determined from the complete set of equations are consistent with the Taylor series. In the second paper, it is shown that the novel modal derivatives may be used in a so-called Taylor basis and that they improve the computational time and stability significantly.     

On the regional climatic impact of contrails: microphysical and radiative properties of contrails and natural cirrus clouds

The impact of contrail-induced cirrus clouds on regional climate is estimated for mean atmospheric conditions of southern Germany in the months of July and October. This is done by use of a regionalized one-dimensional radiative convective model (RCM). The influence of an increased ice cloud cover is studied by comparing RCM results representing climatological values with a modified case. In order to study the sensitivity of this effect on the radiative characteristics of the ice cloud, two types of additional ice clouds were modelled: cirrus and contrails, the latter cloud type containing a higher number of smaller and less of the larger cloud particles. Ice cloud parameters are calculated on the basis of a particle size distribution which covers the range from 2 to 2000 m, taking into consideration recent measurements which show a remarkable amount of particles smaller than 20 m. It turns out that a 10% increase in ice cloud cover leads to a surface temperature increase in the order of 1K, ranging from 1.1 to 1.2K in July and from 0.8 to 0.9K in October depending on the radiative characteristics of the air-traffic-induced ice clouds. Modelling the current contrail cloud cover which is near 0.5% over Europe yields a surface temperature increase in the order of 0.05 K.     

LaCoste&Romberg航空重力仪K因子的动态标定及其特性研究

摆杆尺度因子（K因子）是反映LaCoste&Romberg航空重力仪线性响应特性的最重要参数. 利用基于地面参考数据的外部标定法和基于交叉点不符值的内部标定法分别对其进行了标定，实测数据分析表明，K因子的内、外部标定结果非常一致，且利用新K因子计算的空中重力扰动，其精度较采用出厂值提高了02～04 mGal. 内部标定法具有较好的实际应用价值. 研究了K因子与滤波尺度的相关性，表明重力仪可能为一非线性响应系统，即K因子的大小与摆杆速度的变化有关.     

LaCoste&Romberg航空重力仪K因子的动态标定及其特性研究

摆杆尺度因子(K因子)是反映LaCoste&Romberg航空重力仪线性响应特性的最重要参数.利用基于地面参考数据的外部标定法和基于交叉点不符值的内部标定法分别对其进行了标定,实测数据分析表明,K因子的内、外部标定结果非常一致,且利用新K因子计算的空中重力扰动,其精度较采用出厂值提高了0.2～0.4 mGal.内部标定法具有较好的实际应用价值.研究了K因子与滤波尺度的相关性,表明重力仪可能为一非线性响应系统,即K因子的大小与摆杆速度的变化有关.     

Numerical models on the influence of partial melt on elastic,anelastic and electric properties of rocks. Part I: elasticity and anelasticity

With the aim of a simultaneous interpretation of elastic, anelastic and electric in situ data from the asthenosphere a comprehensive set of numerical models is developed for partial melt in different geometrical configurations. For the elastic and anelastic modulus use is made throughout of the melt squirt mechanism. Frequency dependence is not treated in detail but estimated from the limiting cases of the relaxed and unrelaxed modulus. This has the advantage that quantitative values of viscocity and flow path dimensions are not required. In the models melt can be assumed to occur in the form of tubes, films, and triaxial ellipsoidal inclusions of arbitrary aspect ratio. The conditions in which the solutions for triaxial ellipsoidal inclusions can be approximated by simpler ones for spheroidal inclusions are discussed. It is then shown up to which aspect ratio a published model on melt films is applicable. The problem of interconnection of inclusions is treated with a statistical numerical approach. It is found that a reduced degree of interconnection may have a significant influence on anelastic relaxation at melt fractions corresponding to a moderate modulus decrease. A useful representation of the anelastic melt models is introduced by plotting the relaxation strength against the effective modulus, both of which depend on the state of melting. Such diagrams allow a clear distinction between the different melt geometries and may be used for the interpretation of observed data. Finally, different melt geometries are superimposed and it is found that under certain conditions bulk dissipation may reach the order of that for shear.     

Identifying outliers and assessing the accuracy of amino acid racemization measurements for geochronology: I. Age calibration curves

Numerical ages derived from amino acid racemization (AAR) geochronology are typically based on calibration curves that relate the extent of AAR to the age of independently dated specimens. Here, we compare options for developing calibration curves and quantifying age uncertainties using AAR data from 481 late Holocene shells, and AMS ¹⁴C analyses of 36 shells of four molluscan taxa (Ethalia, Natica, Tellina, and Turbo) collected from shallow sediment cores from a back-reef lagoon of the central Great Barrier Reef. The four taxa differed substantially in the quality of their geochronogical results. Explicitly including data from specimens alive at the time of collection improves calibration curves, but weighting numerical ages based on their uncertainty has no effect. Calibration curve statistics do not adequately assess calibration uncertainty. The relation between ages inferred from different amino acids is recommended for identifying aberrant specimens and quantifying the uncertainty of inferred ages. For this study, the AAR ages based on two amino acids (aspartic acid and glutamic acid) exceed 200 yr or 20% of their mean inferred age in 15% of the specimens. Once these were removed, the mean age error (1σ) for individual specimens based on two amino acids analyzed in duplicate subsamples ranged from 53 to 142 yr for Tellina and Turbo, respectively, or about a 30% age error for these relatively young shells. This compares favorably with analytical errors estimated at 50 yr or 5%. The presence of notable outliers undetectable using data from single amino acids emphasizes the importance of analyzing multiple amino acids.     

Common-volume measurements of mesospheric winds using radar and optical instruments: 1. Comparison of observations

The Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar (42.6°N, 71.5°W) and the nearby Durham meteor wind radar (43.1°N, 70.9°W) have been used to study the structure of the winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere and to investigate the propagation of tidal components from the mesosphere into the lower thermosphere. In general, good agreement is found between the tidal wind amplitudes and phases determined by the two radars, but occasionally, some discontinuities have been observed in the vertical structure of the tidal components in the 90–110 km region. In order to validate the accuracy of the two techniques and the methodologies used in determining neutral winds, two common-volume experiments were conducted in 1996 and 1997 in which the two radar beams were overlayed at an altitude of 100 km. The horizontal components of the measured radar line-of-sight velocities during day-time periods were then compared at the overlapping altitudes of 95–100 km. Night-time measurements were also made using a Fabry–Perot Interferometer co-located with the radar at Millstone Hill which observed the Doppler shift of the atomic oxygen green line emission in the mesosphere. Good overall agreement is found between the instruments within the statistical uncertainties of the measurement techniques, although some differences have been found that are explained by consideration of the data statistics, the exact overlap of common volume within the different beam sizes, and the presence of altitude gradients and small scale irregularities in the sampled volumes of the atmosphere.     

Seismic design and testing of the bottom vertical boundary elements in steel plate shear walls. Part 1: design methodology

This research investigates the seismic design method and the cyclic inelastic behavior of the bottom column, also called the vertical boundary element (VBE), in steel plate shear walls (SPSWs). This study consists of two parts. This Part 1 paper discusses the anticipated pushover responses for properly designed SPSWs and the possible inelastic responses of the bottom VBE at various levels of inter‐story drift. Considering both the tension field action of the infill panel and the sway action of the boundary frame, this study develops a simplified method to compute the flexural and shear demands in the bottom VBE. Based on the superposition method, this approach considers various plastic hinge forming locations at different levels of inter‐story drift. One of the key performance‐based design objectives is to ensure that the top ends of the bottom VBEs remain elastic when the SPSWs are subjected to the maximum considered earthquake. This paper presents the comprehensive design procedures for the bottom VBE. Furthermore, this study conducted cyclic performance evaluation tests of three full‐scale two‐story SPSWs at the Taiwan National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in 2011 to validate the effectiveness of the proposed design methods. The experimental program, cyclic inelastic responses of the SPSWs and bottom VBEs, and numerical simulations are presented in Part 2. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simplified approach for design of raft foundations against fault rupture. Part Ⅱ： soil-structure interaction

This is the second paper of two, which describe the results of an integrated research effort to develop a four-step simplified approach for design of raft foundations against dip-slip （normal and thrust） fault rupture. The first two steps dealing with fault rupture propagation in the free-field were presented in the companion paper. This paper develops an approximate analytical method to analyze soil-foundation-structure interaction （SFSI）, involving two additional phenomena： （i） fault rupture diversion （Step 3）; and （ii） modification of the vertical displacement profile （Step 4）. For the first phenomenon （Step 3）, an approximate energy-based approach is developed to estimate the diversion of a fault rupture due to presence of a raft foundation. The normalized critical load for complete diversion is shown to be a function of soil strength, coefficient of earth pressure at rest, bedrock depth, and the horizontal position of the foundation relative to the outcropping fault rupture. For the second phenomenon （Step 4）, a heuristic approach is proposed, which ＂scans＂ through possible equilibrium positions to detect the one that best satisfies force and moment equilibrium. Thus, we account for the strong geometric nonlinearities that govern this interaction, such as uplifting and second order （P-△） effects. Comparisons with centrifuge-validated finite element analyses demonstrate the efficacy of the method. Its simplicity makes possible its utilization for preliminary design.     

A longitudinal seismic reflection profile of the Reykjanes Ridge: Part I — Evidence for west-flowing bottom water

A longitudinal seismic reflection profile along the east flank of Reykjanes Ridge, from Charlie fracture zone to the vicinity of Iceland, has important implications both for bottom water movement and for hypotheses of crustal generation at the axis of the mid-oceanic ridge. In this paper bottom water movement is considered. Between 52°N and 57°N Reykjanes Ridge is cut by about 12 fractures whose trend, inferred from other data, is approximately east-west. North of 57° there is little or no indication of east-west fracturing. Fracture valley bottoms are typically 1 km below the surrounding basement level; sediment fills are about 0.5 km; present bottoms are 2.1 to 2.8 km below sea level. Depositional asymmetry is apparent in 9 cases, 7 of which have the deepest and generally least reflective bottom at the northern edge. This suggests predominately west-flowing bottom currents, carrying Norwegian Sea overflow water through the fracture valleys, a result consistent with previously published data.