Applicability of the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation for prediction of sediment yield in Khanmirza watershed,Iran

Abstract

The present study aims to estimate the sediment yield due to storm rainfall and runoff at the outlet of the Khanmirza watershed (395 km²) located in western Iran. The estimation was made for six storm events using the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE). All the inputs required for the application of the model were determined through runoff and sediment concentration monitoring at the time of storm events, and field surveys in the study area. The applicability of the model to the study area was then evaluated by comparison of its estimates with those calculated using the measured sediment data. The results of the study demonstrated the efficiency of the MUSLE in estimating storm-associated sediment yield except one storm event in the study area with a high level of agreement and non-significant differences between mean estimated and measured values in the study storm events.     

Simulation of irregular waves in an offshore wind farm with a spectral wave model

A numerical study of irregular waves in the Norwegian continental shelf wind farm (HAVSUL-II) was conducted using 3rd generation spectral wave models. The study was composed of two parts: the study of the effect of a single windmill monopile in the local incoming wave field using an empirical JONSWAP spectrum, and a wave hindcast study in the wind farm area using realistic incoming wave spectra obtained from large scale simulations for the 1991-1992 winter period. In the single windmill monopile study the SWAN wave model was used, while the hindcast study was conducted by successively nesting from a coarse grid using the WAM model up to a high-resolution (56 m) grid covering 26.2 km² of the HAVSUL-II windmill farm using the SWAN model. The effect of a single monopile on incident waves with realistic spectra was also studied. In the single windmill study the monopile was represented as a closed circular obstacle and in the hindcast study it was represented as a dry grid point. The results showed that the single windmill monopile creates a shadow zone in the down wave region with lower significant wave height (H_s) values and a slight increase of H_s in the up wave region. The effects of the windmill monopile on the wave field were found to be dependent on the directional distribution of the incoming wave spectrum and also on the wave diffraction and reflection. The hindcast study showed that the group of windmill monopiles may contribute to the reduction of the wave energy inside the offshore wind farm and that once the waves enter into the offshore wind farm they experience modifications due to the presence of the windmill monopiles, which cause a blocking of the wave energy propagation resulting in an altered distribution of the H_s field.     

Effect of equatorial ionization anomaly on the occurrence of spread-F

The unique geometry of the geomagnetic field lines over the equatorial ionosphere coupled with the E–W electric field causes the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) and equatorial spread-F (ESF). lonosonde data obtained at a chain of four stations covering equator to anomaly crest region (0.3 to 33 °N dip) in the Indian sector are used to study the role of EIA and the associated processes on the occurrence of ESF. The study period pertains to the equinoctial months (March, April, September and October) of 1991. The ratios of critical frequency of F-layer (f₀F₂) and electron densities at an altitude of 270 km between Ahmedabad (33 °N dip) and Waltair (20 °N dip) are found to shoot up in the afternoon hours on spread-F days showing strengthening of the EIA in the afternoon hours. The study confirms the earlier conclusions made by Raghava Rao et al. and Alex et al. that a well-developed EIA is one of the conditions conducive for the generation of ESF. This study also shows that the location of the crest is also important in addition to the strength of the anomaly.     

Estimation of vertical profiles of leaf drying times after daytime rainfall within a Bornean tropical rainforest

South‐east Asian Bornean tropical rainforests have large and complex canopy structures. To clarify how forest structure affects wet‐canopy evaporation, it is necessary to consider wet‐canopy evaporation processes within the forest canopy, such as vertical profiles of canopy drying time. In a previous study a method was proposed that utilizes sap flow measurements to estimate canopy drying time after rainfall (CDTobs) during daytime. In this present study, the method was applied to estimations of the vertical variations in CDTobs in 11 individual trees of various heights, ranging from 2·7 m to 53 m. The study derived vertical profiles and showed that the lengths of CDTobs in lower canopy trees were 2–4 h longer than those in the upper canopy trees. The new method for CDTobs profiles presented in this study, which is available for validation of multi‐layer biosphere‐atmospheric models, is a useful illustration for clarifying wet‐canopy evaporation processes in tropical rainforests. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Short‐term monitoring of foredune formation on the east coast of South Africa

Although dunes fronted by sandy beaches constitute approximately 80 per cent of South Africa's coastline, few studies have addressed the formation and life cycle of coastal foredunes, the small, ephemeral shore‐parallel dune ridges typically less than 5 m high and 20 m wide, which form seaward of the storm line. This study used regular, detailed topographic surveys of embryo and foredunes at Tugela mouth, an aggrading stretch of shoreline on the subtropical east coast of South Africa, over a 32‐month period, to gain insight into the formation and motion of these highly mobile landforms over the short term. Average wind drift potential at Tugela mouth during the study period, at 2·35 m s^?1, was an order of magnitude lower than that typical of most parts of the eastern South African coast. The dominant sand‐moving wind for the region was from the southwest to west‐southwest at 10·7 to 13·8 m s^?1, with a secondary vector from north to north‐northeast at 10·8 to 13·8 m s^?1. Signi?cant shoreline retreat, a result of the low sediment yield of the Tugela River during the study period, was one of the main results. This provided the context for redistribution of sand from the inland to the seaward side of the study area, a consequence of the dominant wind direction, and for frequent creation and destruction of short‐lived embryo dunes. Those foredunes which survived the whole study period tended to increase in height, but there was no consistent directional trend in foredune crest movement throughout the 32 months. The study results generally supported Psuty's model of foredune development, but could not con?rm his contention of landward retreat of dune forms under conditions of shoreline erosion. This may be due to the relatively short duration of the study, or possibly to low wind drift potential at the site. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The problem of underpowered rivers

This study has hypothesized that for many rivers the trade-off between flow accumulation and the decrease in slope along channel length means that stream power increases downstream and, moreover, that given the low slope angles in headwater and low-order streams, they would have insufficient stream power to erode let alone transport sediment. The study considered the stream power profile, the particle travel distances and the application of the Hjulström curve based on the velocity profile of nine, large UK catchments. The study showed that:

1. Some rivers never showed a maximum in their longitudinal stream power profile, implying that some rivers never develop a deposition zone before they discharge at the tidal limit.
2. Particle travel distances during a bankfull discharge event showed that for some rivers 91% of the upper main channel would not be cleared of sediment. Furthermore, while some rivers could transport a 2 mm particle their entire length in one bankfull event, for another river it would take 89 such events.
3. The Hjulström curve shows that for three of the study rivers the upper 20 km of the river was not capable of eroding a 2 μm particle.
4. The study has shown that for all rivers studied, erosion is focused downstream and deposition upstream. Many UK rivers have a dead zone where, on time scales of the order of centuries, no erosion or transport occurs and erosion only occurs in the lower courses of the channel where discharge rather than slope dominates – we propose these as underpowered rivers.

© 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

青藏高原区域构造应力场特征分析

利用区域测震台网的地震波形及震相数据基于CAP方法反演北纬26°~42°,东经90°~110°内的270个M_S>3.0以上地震的震源机制解;并结合GCMT目录和一些前人研究结果中该区域的共759个震源机制解数据,运用SATSI方法计算了研究区域的应力场。将研究区域按1°×1°网格化后得到了154个局部应力场分布结果,从结果上看,整个青藏高原的最大主压应力方向大致表现为顺时针且向右的旋转方式。该结果反映了青藏高原块体向NE和NNE挤压的过程中,分别在其北部和东部受到鄂尔多斯和阿拉善两个坚硬块体的阻挡,造成青藏块体增厚,块体之间物质的侧向流动。对研究区域应力型因子R值的研究显示青海祁连、甘东南区域、四川龙门山断裂带等沿青藏高原块体与阿拉善块体以及鄂尔多斯块体交界处相对应力值偏大,与近年来这些地区的地震活动性成正比。本文研究结果对比其他应力场研究结果、GPS研究结果、以及数值模拟结果具有很好的一致性,可为青藏高原地区的孕震机理、活动构造以及地震趋势判定提供可靠的参考依据。     

Determination of directions of horizontal principal stress and identification of active faults in Kachchh (India) by electromagnetic radiation (EMR)

The Kachchh basin in the western India is known for its recent high seismicity. This study presents an application of the geogenic Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) technique for deciphering the directions of principal horizontal stress in the eastern Kachchh. The principal direction of horizontal stress obtained from EMR differs from those obtained from earthquake focal plane solutions. The major horizontal principal stress based on the EMR study shows an azimuth of N60°E ± 10°. The principal directions of EMR emissions are parallel to the acute bisector of conjugate microcracks. The azimuthal distribution of EMR signal and dimension of microcracks suggest that the EM emissions are transversely polarized.The study also deals with the first application of electromagnetic radiation emissions to identify active fracture planes in sandstones that could become potential active faults later, which might be seismogenic or nonseimogenic. This study is based on linear profiling at six different places across two major faults, the Kachchh Mainland Fault (KMF) and the South Wagad Fault (SWF) in the eastern Kachchh. Anomalously, high EMR emissions are observed in the eastern part of the KMF, indicating active surface deformation.     

Focal mechanism study of South American earthquakes

Summary This study presents the focal mechanism solutions of four South American earth-quakes. These solutions have been determined using the sign of the initial motion ofP wave, and the polarization angle ofS wave. A regional study of the strike of the fault plane, the direction of motion, and the regional stress pattern has been made in which the focal mechanism solutions determined byStauder andBollinger were also used.     

Periodic features of seismic activity in Albania

By statistica means, the temporal variation of the seismic activity in Albania is discussed in this study. We have investigated the seismic energy release for this century also using the periodogram technique to study the time series of the seismic energy release.A sequentially stationary model to evaluate the seismic rates for Albanian earthquakes with magnitudeM _s 6.0, is constructed, by using the least square method.The study of seismic energy release for Albanian earthquakes of this century and the time distribution of major earthquakes for the last two centuries supports the cyclicity of the seismic activity in a regional scale.     

Identification of Multiple Sources of Groundwater Contamination by Dual Isotopes

Chlorinated solvents are one of the most commonly detected groundwater contaminants in industrial areas. Identification of polluters and allocation of contaminant sources are important concerns in the evaluation of complex subsurface contamination with multiple sources. In recent years, compound‐specific isotope analyses (CSIA) have been employed to discriminate among different contaminant sources and to better understand the fate of contaminants in field‐site studies. In this study, the usefulness of dual isotopes (carbon and chlorine) was shown in assessments of groundwater contamination at an industrial complex in Wonju, Korea, where groundwater contamination with chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethene (TCE) and carbon tetrachloride (CT) was observed. In November 2009, the detected TCE concentrations at the study site ranged between nondetected and 10,066 µg/L, and the CT concentrations ranged between nondetected and 985 µg/L. In the upgradient area, TCE and CT metabolites were detected, whereas only TCE metabolites were detected in the downgradient area. The study revealed the presence of separate small but concentrated TCE pockets in the downgradient area, suggesting the possibility of multiple contaminant sources that created multiple comingling plumes. Furthermore, the variation of the isotopic (δ¹³C and δ³⁷Cl) TCE values between the upgradient and downgradient areas lends support to the idea of multiple contamination sources even in the presence of detectable biodegradation. This case study found it useful to apply a spatial distribution of contaminants coupled with their dual isotopic values for evaluation of the contaminated sites and identification of the presence of multiple sources in the study area.     

Influence of below-cloud evaporation on stable isotopes of precipitation in the Yellow River source region

The study of below-cloud evaporation effects under clouds in the Yellow River source region is of great significance for regional water resource generation as well as for water resource security in the arid and semi-arid regions of northern China. In this study, we quantitatively assessed the evapotranspiration effect in the Yellow River source region from March to November based on the improved Stewart model. The study concluded that: (1) below-cloud evaporation was slightly higher in summer than in other seasons (residual fractions of raindrop evaporation were 80.57% in summer, 81.12% in spring, and 84.2% in autumn, respectively); and (2) sub-cloud evaporation diminishes with increasing altitude (residual fractions of raindrop evaporation were 83.09% in the western part of the area, 81.82% in the central part of the area, and 81.36% in the eastern part of the area, respectively). (3) The total linear index between study areas f and ∆d is 2.24, where f > 95%, it is 1.19; that is, the evaporation of raindrops increases by 1% and the reduction in the excess of mercury by about 2‰. (4) Local meteorological factors (temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity) and raindrop diameter have a cross-influence on below-cloud evaporation, with relative humidity having the most significant effect, with the highest correlation coefficient of 3.03 when relative humidity is less than 70%. The results of the study can provide a parameter basis for hydrological and climatic models in the Yellow River Basin.     

Effect of time on dynamic properties of cohesive soils using improved transfer function estimators

Improved estimators of the transfer function (H2, H3, H4), in addition to the conventional estimator (H1), were used to evaluate the dynamic soil properties and to study the effect of confinement duration on damping and shear modulus of soils. In this study, two types of cohesive soils, a kaolinite and a bentonite, were tested using a resonant column apparatus under random torsional excitation conditions. Root meam square strain levels in the range of 10⁻³–10⁻² and confining pressures in the range of 34.47–150 kPa were considered. The confinement duration ranged from 500 to 20 000 min. The results of this study indicate that as time increases, the difference in damping values obtained by the various estimators of the transfer function decreases, whereas the shear moduli are not influenced by the variation in confinement duration.     

Fluxes of inorganic carbon from two forested catchments in the Appalachian mountains

This study uses long‐term records of stream chemistry, discharge and air temperature from two neighbouring forested catchments in the southern Appalachians in order to calculate production of dissolved CO₂ and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). One of the pair of catchments was clear‐felled during the period of the study. The study shows that: (1) areal production rates of both dissolved CO₂ and DIC are similar between the two catchments even during and immediately after the period of clear‐felling; (2) flux of total inorganic carbon (dissolved CO₂+ DIC) rises dramatically in response to a catchment‐wide acidification event; (3) DIC and dissolved CO₂ are dominantly released on the old water portion of the discharge and concentrations peak in the early autumn when flows in the study catchments are at their lowest; (4) total fluvial carbon flux from the clear‐felled catchment is 11·6 t km⁻² year⁻¹ and for the control catchment is 11·4 t km⁻² year⁻¹. The total inorganic carbon flux represents 69% of the total fluvial carbon flux. The method presented in the study provides a useful way of estimating inorganic carbon flux from a catchment without detailed gas monitoring. The time series of dissolved CO₂ at emergence to the stream can also be a proxy for the soil flux of CO₂. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Land degradation assessment with the aid of geo‐information techniques

This research integrated selected land degradation indicators (vegetation cover, proportion of drifting sand area, desertification rate, and population pressure) with geo‐information techniques (remote sensing, geographic information system and global positioning system) to assess the severity of land degradation risk. The northern part of Shaanxi province in China was taken as a case study. A computerized land degradation severity assessment was implemented, and ERmapper ver.6.2 and ARC/INFO GIS ver.8.3 environments were used to manage and manipulate thematic data, and to process satellite images and tabular data. Two Landsat TM images in October 1987 and October 1999 were used to produce land use/cover maps of the study area based on the maximum likelihood classification method. These maps were then used to generate land use, land cover change, vegetation degradation and land degradation maps for the study area during the study period, and their corresponding data were integrated into a systematic analysis. Results showed that the overall severity of land degradation in the study area worsened during the study period from 1987 to 1999 with severely, highly and moderately degraded land accounting for 73·8 per cent of the total area. While the area affected by desertification has increased, the rate of desertification has also accelerated to reach 41·5 km² a^?1. Risk of land degradation in the study area has increased, on average, by 39·4 per cent since 1987. Incorporation of both natural and anthropogenic factors in the analysis provided realistic assessment of the risk of desertification. The study area, in general, is exposed to a high risk of land degradation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stochastic modeling applications for the prediction of COD removal efficiency of UASB reactors treating diluted real cotton textile wastewater

A three-layer Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model (9:12:1) for the prediction of Chemical Oxygen Demand Removal Efficiency (CODRE) of Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors treating real cotton textile wastewater diluted with domestic wastewater was presented. To validate the proposed method, an experimental study was carried out in three lab-scale UASB reactors to investigate the treatment efficiency on total COD reduction. The reactors were operated for 80 days at mesophilic conditions (36–37.5°C) in a temperature-controlled water bath with two hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 4.5 and 9.0 days and with organic loading rates (OLR) between 0.072 and 0.602 kg COD/m³/day. Five different dilution ratios of 15, 30, 40, 45 and 60% with domestic wastewater were employed to represent seasonal fluctuations, respectively. The study was undertaken in a pH range of 6.20–8.06 and an alkalinity range of 1,350–1,855 mg/l CaCO₃. The concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFA) and total suspended solids (TSS) were observed between 420 and 720 mg/l CH₃COOH and 68–338 mg/l, respectively. In the study, a wide range of influent COD concentrations (COD_i) between 651 and 4,044 mg/l in feeding was carried out. CODRE of UASB reactors being output parameter of the conducted anaerobic treatment was estimated by nine input parameters such as HRT, pH, COD_i concentration, operating temperature, alkalinity, VFA concentration, dilution ratio (DR), OLR, and TSS concentration. After backpropagation (BP) training combined with principal component analysis (PCA), the ANN model predicted CODRE values based on experimental data and all the predictions were proven to be satisfactory with a correlation coefficient of about 0.8245. In the ANN study, the Levenberg-Marquardt Algorithm (LMA) was found as the best of 11 BP algorithms. In addition to determination of the optimal ANN structure, a linear-nonlinear study was also employed to investigate the effects of input variables on CODRE values in this study. Both ANN outputs and linear-nonlinear study results were compared and advantages and further developments were evaluated.     

Chemical equilibria of thermal waters for the application of geothermometers from the Guanzhong basin, China

In this study, representative samples from thermal wells and springs were chemically analyzed and geothermometers were used to calculate the deep temperatures of geothermal reservoirs on the basis of water–mineral equilibrium. In some cases, however, the chemical components are not in equilibrium with the minerals in the reservoir. Therefore, log(Q/K) diagrams are used to study the chemical equilibrium for the minerals that are likely to participate. The Na–K–Mg triangular diagram is also applied to evaluate the equilibrium of water with reservoir rocks. Standard curves at the reference temperatures are prepared to reveal which type of silica geothermometer is appropriate for the specified condition. This study shows that water samples from geothermal wells W9 and W12 are in equilibrium with the selective minerals, and chalcedony may control the fluid–silica equilibrium. It is estimated that there is an exploitable low-temperature reservoir with possible temperatures of 80–90°C in the Guanzhong basin.     

Simulating hydrological response for the R‐5 catchment: comparison of two models and the impact of the roads

In this paper the performance of two hydrological‐response models is evaluated and compared based upon simulations for a single rainfall–runoff event. The two models are QPBRRM, a relatively simple model of Horton overland flow, and InHM, a comprehensive physics‐based model of each of the known streamflow generation mechanisms. The rainfall–runoff event focused upon in this study is from the small rangeland catchment in Oklahoma known as R‐5. When calibrated, both QPBRRM and InHM are shown to effectively simulate the R‐5 event. The calibration procedures used in this study for QPBRRM and InHM were quite different. The calibration of QPBRRM was a curve fitting exercise, whereas the calibration of InHM was based upon an internally valid estimate of the continuous head field. In this study QPBRRM did not perform well outside of the calibrated range. The impact of the roads cutting across the R‐5 catchment is simulated with InHM and discussed for the first time in the study reported here. The relative merits of QPBRRM and InHM are each discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

金属矿产勘查技术发展现状与思考

近年来，以寻找金属矿产为目的发愤卢业的勘查新技术可概括为：（1）以寻找隐伏矿为目标的覆盖区地球物理勘查技术，其中包括“三维地震”和“高光谱遥感”技术；（2）地球化学勘查新技术，其中包括“深穿透地球化学技术”、“地球化学信息的综合解释和地球化学填图技术”；（3）“找矿信息提取和综合”技术等。限于篇幅，本文仅对地球化学勘查新技术的研究现状进行了分析，同时对下列问题进行了思考：（1）在一个地区开展地球化学找矿工作首先要确立合适的取样介质，取样介质的立应以查明成矿成晕元素的形成机制和赋存状态为基础；（2）加强不同景观条件下不同矿种和不同矿床类型的异常特征和异常模式研究，建立区分矿异常和非矿异常的模式识别模型；（3）加强不同景观地质条件下，不同勘查尺度的地球化学填图技术研究，以实现迅速掌握全局，逐步缩小靶区的找矿战略；（4）加强地球化学信息与地质、地球物理和遥感信息相结合的信息综合技术的研究，应用综合信息定量圈定和评价找矿靶区，减少矿产勘查的不确定性。     

液化场地地下管线地震反应研究述评

本文简要介绍了地下管线的震害特征和主要影响因素。对国内外在液化场地地下管线方面的研究现状从试验研究和理论分析2个方面进行了论述并探讨了液化场地地下管线反应需进一步研究的一些问题。