CFD modelling of a small–scale fixed multi–chamber OWC device

Wave Energy Converters (WECs) have excellent potential as a source of renewable energy that is yet to be commercially realised. Recent attention has focused on the installation of Oscillating Water Column (OWC) devices as a part of harbor walls to provide advantages of cost–sharing structures and proximity of power generation facilities to existing infrastructure. In this paper, an incompressible three–dimensional CFD model is constructed to simulate a fixed Multi–Chamber OWC (MC–OWC) device. The CFD model is validated; the simulation results are found to be in good agreement with experimental results obtained from a scale physical model tested in a wave tank. The validated CFD model is then used for a benchmark study of 96 numerical tests. These investigate the effects of the PTO damping caused by the power take–off (PTO) system on device performance. The performance is assessed for a range of regular wave heights and periods. The results demonstrate that a PTO system with an intermediate damping can be used for all chambers in the MC–OWC device for most wave period ranges, except for the long wave periods. These require a higher PTO damping. An increased incident wave height reduces the device capture width ratio, but there is a noticeable improvement for long wave periods.     

Microbial enzymatic response to catchment‐scale variations in supply of dissolved organic carbon

A suite of exoenzyme activities was assayed in three New Zealand streams draining pasture, native forest, and a pine catchment. There were differences among catchments in activity of three of the five enzymes assayed (cello‐biohydrolase, N‐acetylglucosaminidase, and dihydroxylphenylalanine oxidation). A principal components analysis (PCA) demonstrates that patterns of enzyme activity can be used to separate the three stream types. An experimental addition of algal‐leachate, leaf‐litter leachate, and high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) water from a small seep also resulted in marked shifts in epilithic enzyme activities 1 day after DOC additions. Oxidative enzymes showed a particularly strong response to additions of humic DOC. As for the field samples, a PCA showed large differences among treatments indicating that exoenzyme patterns can be used to examine which DOC sources predominate in different streams. Application of this approach to describing differences among streams will require detailed seasonal sampling together with longer‐term experiments.     

Development and extension of an aggregated scale model: Part 2 — Extensions to ASMITA

Abstract

Whilst much attention has been given to models that describe wave, tide and sediment transport processes in sufficient detail to determine the local changes in bed level over a relatively detailed representation of the bathymetry, far less attention has been given to models that consider the problem at a much larger scale (e.g. that of geomorphological elements such as a tidal flat and tidal channel). Such aggregated or lumped models tend not to represent the processes in detail but rather capture the behaviour at the scale of interest. One such model developed using the concept of an equilibrium concentration is the Aggregated Scale Morphological Interaction between Tidal basin and Adjacent coast (ASMITA). In a companion paper (Part 1), we detail the original model and provide some new insights into the concepts of equilibrium, and horizontal and vertical exchange that are key components of this modelling approach. In this paper, we summarise a range of developments that have been undertaken to extend the original model concept, to illustrate the flexibility and power of the conceptual framework. However, adding detail progressively moves the model in the direction of the more detailed process-based models and we give some consideration to the boundary between the two.

Highlights

• A range of extensions to the original ASMITA model are presented that allow additional processes or features to be represented in the model.
• The merits of ever increasing complexity within an aggregated model, versus the use of a suitable local-scale and more detailed process-based model are discussed.

     

Narrow and broad senses on salinity scale

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＢｅｃａｕｓｅｓａｌｉｎｉｔｙｉｓａｎｅｓｓｅｎｔｉａｌｆａｃｔｏｒｉｎｏｃｅａｎｏｇｒａｐｈｉｃｓｔｕｄｉｅｓ ,ａｎｄａｎｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔｐａｒａｍｅｔｅｒｉｎｓａｌｔｃｈｅｍｉｃａｌｉｎｄｕｓｔｒｉｅｓａｎｄｍａｒｉｃｕｌｔｕｒｅａｓｗｅｌｌａｓｅｃｏｓｙｓｔｅｍ ,ｔｈｅｓａｌｉｎｉｔｙｄｅｆｉｎｉｔｉｏｎａｎｄｉｔｓｍｅａｓｕｒｅｍｅｎｔａｒｅｂｅｉｎｇｃｏｎｔｉｎｕｏｕｓｌｙｓｔｕｄｉｅｄ .Ｒｅｓｅａｒｃｈｅｒｓｈａｖｅｂｅｅｎｃｏｎｓｔａｎｔｌｙｗｏｒｋｉｎｇ…     

Using fine‐scale catch predictions to examine spatial variation in growth and catchability of Panulirus cygnus along the west coast of Australia

Puerulus settlement has been monitored throughout the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus fishery for nearly 40 years. These data, in combination with indices of effort and water temperature, were used to produce recruitment‐catch relationships for each 1° transect of latitude in the coastal part of this fishery from Kalbarri to Cape Leeuwin, as well as at the offshore Abrolhos Islands (total of eight transects). The fine spatial scales of these models provided estimates of certain life history traits that are known to affect lobster catches between adjacent fishing ports. This catch modelling showed that the proportions of 3‐ and 4‐year‐old post‐settlement lobsters contributing to the catches varied markedly from the southern to northern transects, suggesting that juvenile lobsters grow substantially faster in the warmer northern and offshore waters of this fishery. These proportions provide accurate estimates of juvenile growth rates, which are vital in the construction of location‐specific growth algorithms required by the age‐structured models used in the management of this fishery. Model estimates of density‐dependent mortality were greater in the more densely populated centre of the fishery and markedly lower at the northern and southern limits of this species distribution. Annual increases in fishing efficiency were also found to be lowest at the northern and southern extremes of the fishery and greatest in the centre of the fishery, where technology advances and increased fleet mobility have enabled the fleet to increase efficiency by 1–3% each year. Catchability (q) was found to be most influenced by water temperatures in the cooler southern transects, whereas at the Abrolhos Islands, changes in water temperature produced almost no discernable change in q. The catch modelling was also used to quantify the impact of management changes introduced in the 1993/94 fishing season. Increased protection of female lobsters and an 18% pot reduction resulted in a 3–4% permanent reduction in the catch rates of lobsters throughout most of the coastal fishery, whereas at the offshore Abrolhos Islands, catch rates increased by c. 20%, presumably owing to a reduction in the level of pot saturation.     

Impact of depositional and biogeochemical processes on small scale variations in nodule abundance in the Clarion‐Clipperton Fracture Zone

Manganese nodules of the Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ) in the NE Pacific Ocean are highly enriched in Ni, Cu, Co, Mo and rare-earth elements, and thus may be the subject of future mining operations. Elucidating the depositional and biogeochemical processes that contribute to nodule formation, as well as the respective redox environment, in both water column and sediment, supports our ability to locate future nodule deposits and to evaluate the potential ecological and environmental effects of future deep-sea mining. For these purposes we studied the local hydrodynamics and pore-water geochemistry with respect to the nodule coverage at four sites in the eastern CCFZ. Furthermore, we carried out selective leaching experiments at these sites in order to assess the potential mobility of Mn in the solid phase, and compared them with the spatial variations in sedimentation rates. We found that the oxygen penetration depth is 180–300 cm at all four sites, while reduction of Mn and NO₃⁻ is only significant below the oxygen penetration depth at sites with small or no nodules on the sediment surface. At the site without nodules, potential microbial respiration rates, determined by incubation experiments using ¹⁴C-labeled acetate, are slightly higher than at sites with nodules. Leaching experiments showed that surface sediments covered with big or medium-sized nodules are enriched in mobilizable Mn. Our deep oxygen measurements and pore-water data suggest that hydrogenetic and oxic-diagenetic processes control the present-day nodule growth at these sites, since free manganese from deeper sediments is unable to reach the sediment surface. We propose that the observed strong lateral contrasts in nodule size and abundance are sensitive to sedimentation rates, which in turn, are controlled by small-scale variations in seafloor topography and bottom-water current intensity.     

Predators on rocky shores in the northern Atlantic: Can the results of local experiments be generalized on a geographical scale?

Experimental manipulations of invertebrate prey and predators on rocky shores have been done by many authors. In the northern Atlantic the predators involved are usually the green crab Carcinus maenas and/or the dogwhelk Nucella lapillus, and the prey species studied are acorn barnacles (balanid Cirripedia), mussels (Mytilus spp.) and winkles (Littorina spp.). Usually the predators are found to have a regulating “top–down” effect on the prey species. In Iceland the acorn barnacle Semibalanus balanoides, the blue mussel Mytilus edulis and the flat periwinkle Littorina obtusata (including to some extent Littorina mariae) are found on rocky shores all around Iceland in what would seem to be near-optimal physical conditions. The predators Carcinus maenas and Nucella lapillus, on the other hand, are relatively southern species that do not thrive on the colder coasts of Iceland. Thus general surveys of different coasts of Iceland would seem to offer opportunities to see whether the results of local experiments can be discerned on a geographical scale (hundreds of km). The roughly 4900 km of the rocky coastline in Iceland was in this study subdivided into four regions, I–IV, according to the commonness or presence of the two predators. With the hope of reducing compounding factors the surveys were confined to sheltered or semi-sheltered fucoid shores, which were further divided into Ascophyllum (more sheltered) and Fucus vesiculosus (less sheltered) shores. Estuaries or other low-salinity environments were avoided. The study was based on 761 stations distributed around the rocky coastline on these two types of shores. The results for barnacles and mussels, being generally more abundant in regions were predators were scarce or absent, and being less common in Ascophyllum than F. vesiculosus shores in contrast to the predatory dogwelks, were in large measure in accord with predictions from experiments indicating “top–down” regulation. The results for the periwinkles, however, suggested that “bottom–up” regulation might be of greater importance, as their density was closely linked to the biomass of macroalgae, while the abundance of predators appeared to have little effect. The periwinkle, although certainly eaten, may not be a preferred prey of the two predators in question in Iceland. This paper forms a link between experimental and observational study approaches.     

Calculation of electric conductivity of water of the Aral Sea and correction of the sound salinity of 2002–2009

The Aral Sea is an important water area both for monitoring and oceanological studies, because its salinity and salt composition strongly differ from the oceanic. We offer a semiempiric calculation method of electric conductivity and the coefficient of its temperature dependence k judging from the ionic composition of water. The properties of the solution are considered as the sum of properties of seven binary salts taken based on the ionic composition of the solution. The MgSO₄ concentration is thought to be the highest possible, which makes the salt concentration nearly unambiguous. In a salinity range of 46–120‰ and temperature range of 5–25°C (2002–2009), the standard deviation of the calculated and measured electric conductivity was 2.9%. To refine the calculation of salinity from electric conductivity measurements using the “oceanic” formula, we suggest its preliminary reduction to a constant temperature (20°C) using the measured or calculated coefficient k.     

Study of evolution forecast of the area of the Huanghe River mouth

From 1979 to 1989, the current Qingshuigou course of the Huanghe River formed a sub - delta which resembles a beak extending into the Laizhou Bay. It covers 618 km2 in area. To meet the needs of developing and constructing the Huanghe River Delta and under the presupposition of keeping the current course for 15-20 a, we forecast mainly by using the OM (1, 1) model that the front border of the sub-delta will be close to 119°30'E and its area will become 923 km2by the end of the year 2000. The Huanghe River will make land 760 km2 in area.     

Characteristics of satellite cloud maps of typhoon movement in midsummer of 1985

There were 8 typhoons over the northwestern Pacific Ocean in August of 1985. Their movement characteristics were mainly northward or recurvature northward. At the same time, a complex movement of 3 typhoons clustering was observed. In this paper, the typhoon movement tendency is studied by using satellite cloud maps. The westward and northward tendencies can be distinguished clearly. Based on this rule, typhoon movement can be forecasted 12-48 h before. Some characteristics models of the typhoon moving northward or recurving northward on the satellite cloud maps are also given in this paper.     

Determination of Partial Factors of Breast Wall on Top of Sloping Breakwater

- By applying the theory of structural reliability, reliability analyses for the stability of a breast wall on the top of a sloping breakwater are carried out. Based on the analyses, the method for determining partial action / load factors and partial resistance factors of breast walls is expounded, and the design expressions with partial factors are given. The values of partial action / load factors and partial resistance factors are recommended preliminarily according to the computation for breast walls with typical cross-sections.     

Suppression of Wave-Excited Vibration of Offshore Platform by Use of Tuned Liquid Dampers

This paper describes experimenlal and theoretical investigations of Tuned Liquid Damper (TLD) characteristics tor suppressing the wave-excited structural vibration. The structural model lor the experiments is scaled according to a full size offshore platform by matching their dynamic properties. Rectangular TLDs of different sizes with partially filled liquid are examined. By observing the performance and behavior of TLDs through laboratory experiments, the study investigates the influence of a number of parameters, including container size, container shape, frequency ratio, and incident wave characteristics. In an analytical study, a mathematical model that describes the nonlinear behavior of liquid in TLD and the interaction of TLD and structure is prerequisite. The validity of the model is evaluated and simulating results can reasonably match the corresponding experimental results.     

Analysis of characteristics and mechanism of current system on the west coast of Guangdong of China in summer

On the basis of data of drifting bottles＇ tracks and the current measured in anchored stations, as well as temperature and salinity observed in cruise investigations and coastal stations, ADCP current data and AVHRR surface sea temperature （SST） data on the western coast of Guangdong, synthetic results of analysis showed that the coastal currents in the west of the mouth of the Zhujiang River were mainly westward in summer, which constituted the north branch of cyclonic gyre in the east of the Qiongzhou Straits. Part of its water flowed westward into the Beibu Gulf through the Qiongzhou Straits. The coastal current pattern was not identical with the traditional current system which flowed westward in the Qiongzhou Straits in winter and eastward in summer. The summertime＇s coastal current was always westward, maybe temporarily turning northeast only when the southwest wind was strong. The important characteristics of coastal current on the western coast of Guangdong, in the Qiongzhou Straits and in the north of the Beibu Gulf were analyzed and their mechanisms also were explained.     

Analysis of state of the carbonate system of waters and variations of the content of organic carbon in bottom sediments of the Sevastopol bay in 1998–2005

On the basis of the experimental data accumulated in 1998–2005, we analyzed the space and time variations of the carbonate system of waters and the content of organic carbon in bottom sediments of the Sevastopol Bay. The intensity of gas exchange through the water-atmosphere interface was quantitatively estimated. It was shown that the partial pressure of carbon dioxide pCO₂ in waters of the bay became much higher for the period of observations. The maximum changes were observed in summer. They were especially pronounced for the bottom layer of waters. For the entire period of observations, the invasion of carbon dioxide CO₂ was predominant in the major part of the bay, and the content of organic carbon in the bottom sediments increased. The ability of waters in the bay to absorb CO₂ is explained by the synthesis of organic substances, which becomes possible due to the presence of the equivalent load of nutrients. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 2, pp. 57–67, March–April, 2008.     

Simulation model of SAR remote sensing of turbulent wake of semi-elliptical submerged body

1 IntroductionThe study of SAR remote sensing of surface wake of a semi-elliptical submerged body is of great importance actually in the ocean. The dynamics and the SAR remote sensing mechanism of this wake are very complicated. Numerous researches (Bergmann et al., 1958; Miles, 1968a,b; Huppert and Miles, 1969; Bon-neton et al., 1993) indicate that in the ocean the imagery and dynamics of this wake are quite different when a semi-elliptical submerged body moves horizontally at high speed …     

Regional geomorphology of the continental slope of NW India: Delineation of the signatures of deep‐seated structures

Geomorphological features (derived from 16,000 lkm of echo‐sounding and bathymetric data) and deep‐seated tectonic structures of the continental margin off NW India are presented. The shelf break over the entire region occurs between 80 to 154 m water depth, and adjacent to Saurashtra and Bombay High the depth and orientation of the shelf edge show marked variations. The boundary of the slope is shallower in the northern portion (about 1450 m in the vicinity of the Indus) than in the southern region (2900 m off Bombay).

The steep slope off the Gulf of Kachchh has relatively smooth physiography due to higher input of fluvial sediment and burial of structures. The gentler slope off Saurashtra and the Bombay High area has numerous complex features, the most prominent among them being benches at depths of 180–230 m (width 2–10 km) and 650–780 m and a series of bathymetric highs and lows. Slope breaks are also observed between 400 and 600 m off Bombay and between 560 and 960 m off Saurashtra. These features are surface manifestations of the anticlinal features extending along the shelf in this region. Unevenness (order of 100–300 m) due to slumping is also observed at the base of the slope.

Based on the correlation between tectonic structures of this area and these subphysiographic features, extension of the Saurashtra Anticline onto the slope, a new strike slip fault (the southern boundary fault of Narmada graben) and an along‐shelf anticlinal structure off Saurashtra are delineated.     

Beta Distribution of Surface Elevation of Random Waves

A probability density function (PDF) is derived of beta distribution with both λ3 (skewness) and λ4 (kurtosis) as parameters for weakly nonlinear wave surface elevation by use of a method recently proposed by Srokosz. This PDF not only has a simpler form than the well-known Gram-Charlier Series PDF derived by Longuet-Higgins. but also overcomes an obvious shortcoming of the latter that when the series is unsuitably truncated, the resulting PDF is locally negative. To test the derived beta PDF, laboratorial experiments of wind waves are conducted. The experimental data indicate that the theoretical requirements of the parameters in the beta PDF are fulfilled. The experimental results show that the present PDF is in better agreement with the measured data than the beta PDF only including parameter λ3, and also than the Gram-Charlier Series PDF truncated up to the term of H6.