Oceanic fine structure

Abstract

Measurements by free fall instruments, in the San Diego Trough, the Florida Current, and the central Pacific, reveal the detailed structure of the vertical component of the oceanic temperature gradient. The temperature changes are concentrated into regions on the order of a meter thick wherein the measured gradients are often more than ten times the average gradient. The horizontal extent of the regions of high gradient is greater than 750 meters in the seasonal thermocline off San Diego, but is only a few hundred meters at depths greater than 400 meters.

Fine scale measurements show that the layers of high gradient consist of even finer fluctuations in gradient which are only a few centimeters thick. Time scales of the thinnest of these regions of high gradient are of the order of five minutes. The data also yields an estimate of the entropy generation. According to the results of an idealized model relating entropy generation to the turbulent heat transport, only 240 to 700 ergs per cm.² per sec were transported in a 25 meter vertical section measured in the San Diego Trough. This value compared with 3600 ergs per cm.² per sec estimated from the mean gradient and an eddy coefficient of 1 cm.² per sec.     

Observations of substorm fine structure

Particle and magnetic field measurements on the CRRES satellite were used, together with geosynchronous satellites and ground-based observations, to investigate the fine structure of a magnetospheric substorm on February 9, 1991. Using the variations in the electron fluxes, the substorm activity was divided into several intensifications lasting about 3–15 minutes each. The two main features of the data were: (1) the intensifications showed internal fine structure in the time scale of about 2 minutes or less. We call these shorter periods activations. Energetic electrons and protons at the closest geosynchronous spacecraft (1990 095) were found to have comparable activation structure. (2) The energetic (> 69 keV) proton injections were delayed with respect to electron injections, and actually coincided in time with the end of the intensifications and partial returns to locally more stretched field line configuration. We propose that the energetic protons could be able to control the dynamics of the system locally be quenching the ongoing intensification and possibly preparing the final large-scale poleward movement of the activity. It was also shown that these protons originated from the same intensification as the preceeding electrons. Therefore, the substorm instability responsible for the intensifications could introduce a negative feedback loop into the system, creating the observed fine structure with the intensification time scales.     

Eclipse competition won in fine style

The Peter Gruber Foundation, along with the International Congress of Distinguished Awards, has instituted the world's first award devoted to cosmology, with a cash prize of $150 000.
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Interactions between diatoms and fine sediment

Excessive mobilization and delivery of fine sediments to water bodies has detrimental impacts on those biotic elements used for waterbody status classification, including macroinvertebrates, fish and macrophytes. The relationship between fine sediment and diatoms is a reciprocal one, with diatoms influencing the production and retention of fine sediments, as well as being impacted by fine sediment derived from the catchment. Diatoms can increase the retention of fine sediments in benthic environments as a result of various mechanisms, including shear stress modification, surface adhesion and bed clogging. Enhanced retention of fines can have important implications for the transfer and fate of sediment‐associated nutrients and contaminants. Excessive fine sediment loadings impact diatom assemblages via shading, burial and scouring. Indirect impacts of increased fine sediment stress can result from changes in habitat availability, herbivory or predator changes, which cascade down the food chain. Indices based on the relative abundance of motile species have been proposed for using diatoms to assess waterbody status. However, disentangling the potential confounding impacts of alternative environmental stressors on these simplistic indices remains a significant challenge. Coupling sediment pressure models, capable of predicting the potential impact of mitigation, with meaningful diatom‐based indices, remains a challenge for catchment planning for sediment abatement and the attainment of improved, or protection of, ecological status. Existing targets for sediment management in river catchments are largely based on relationships between sediment stress and impacts on fish, but these thresholds have been widely criticized. There remains a need to develop generic modelling toolkits coupling sediment stress and impacts on a range of biological quality elements to support a weight‐of‐evidence approach. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The fine structure of the geomagnetic field

It was shown in our previous works that the dipole part of the geomagnetic field direction is mainly represented by the 1200-yr variation. According to some indications, the residual of the dipole part of the field, the so-called δ variation, may be classified as standing waves. Average values of δ are calculated for each hemisphere. In this work, the difference values equal to the δ variations for each territory minus δ averages over hemispheres (western or eastern) are calculated. The resulting values, fine structure (FS) variations, characterize the FS of the geomagnetic field. The study of the activity of the FS variations and specific features of their N-S and E-W behavior and the comparative analysis of dynamic characteristics (activity and rate) give grounds to classify the FS variations (as well as the δ variations) as standing waves of the nondipole field.     

The impacts of fine sediment on riverine fish

Elevated fine sediment input from terrestrial and aquatic sources as a result of anthropogenic activity is widely recognized to impact negatively on aquatic ecosystems. In rivers, freshwater fish are exposed to a range of impacts resulting from fine sediment pressures. To date, research on the effects of fine sediments on fish has been concentrated within relatively few families, notably the salmonidae. This paper reviews the literature describing indirect and direct impacts of fine sediment on freshwater fish as a contribution towards enhancing the understanding of the impacts of anthropogenic activities on freshwater ecosystems. We identify the causal mechanisms that underpin the observed negative response exhibited by fish populations to enhanced fine sediment loads, and the variability across different fish species. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

关于软弱粉质粘土地震液化或震陷的判别标准

文中简要介绍了判别细粒土地震液化分析方法的发展历程,指出了工程建设中考虑细粒土地震液化问题的必要性。基于已有研究成果,阐述了可用于工程设计的软弱粉质粘土地震液化简化判别方法,并对建筑抗震设计新规范中增加的相关条款进行了说明解释。     

细颗粒泥沙成团起动及其流速的研究

文中首选指出当水深很大时,考虑薄膜水附加下压力的起动流速公式计算的单颗细泥沙的起动流速很大,甚至于远超过３ｍ／ｓ,这与实际资料有相当出入。此外,实际现象还表明这些粘土及细颗粒起动时常常不是单颗的,则是成团进行。由此出发,再考虑粘着力及薄膜水附压力下分析了土块成团起动的临界条件,得到了成团起动的起动流速。     

Abiotic predictors of fine sediment accumulation in lowland rivers

The delivery of excessive fine sediment (particles<2 mm in diameter) to rivers can cause serious deleterious effects to aquatic ecosystems and is widely acknowledged to be one of the leading contributors to the degradation of rivers globally.Despite advances in using biological methods as a proxy,physical measures remain an important method through which fine sediment can be quantified.The aim of this study was to provide further insights into the environmental variables controlling sediment ...     

CSAMT的各分量在山地精细勘探中的作用

为了在山地CSAMT精细勘探中取得好的效果,充分利用标量观测中的全部信息,在传统的比值视电阻率之外,本文分别研究了构成比值的单分量电场和磁场.野外实测结果和理论分析表明:电场对静态偏移、地形起伏等地表横向电性变化敏感,磁场不受静态偏移的影响,对地形影响不敏感;噪声和其他干扰对电场和磁场的影响也不相同;拟合反演计算表明C...     

Elimination of fine suspensoids in the oceanic water column

Fine suspended materials in the particle-size range1 < r < 6 μm (r, equivalent sphere radius) from the equatorial North Atlantic, between the ocean surface and greater depths (30–5100 m), can be consistently described by a size-distribution relationshipdN/dr = Ar^?b, where the parametersA andb are independent ofr. The shape of the particle-size distribution is essentially constant and independent of depth, as reflected in the values of the logarithmic slope of the size distributionb = 4.0 ± 0.3. The particle-number and mass concentration, however, decrease strongly with depth, most of the decrease taking place in the surface layer 200 m deep. In the surface layer, mass concentration decreases exponentially with the half-concentration depthz_1/2 ? 60m; in the deep layer (200–5000 m),z_1/2 ? 1000m. The computed removal half-lives of the particulate material are0.8 ± 0.6yr in the surface layer, and60 ± 20yr in the deep layer, both half-lives being considerably shorter than Stokes settling residence times. The fast turnover or removal rate in the surface layer is compatible with the rates of zooplankton growth and carbon assimilation.     

Field studies on factors affecting very fine and ultra fine particulate organic matter deposition in low‐gradient sand‐bed streams

The knowledge on particle deposition in streams is mainly based on investigations in mountain streams. No data exist from low‐gradient sand‐bed streams that largely differ in the morphological and hydraulic factors proposed to affect deposition. To identify physical control on particle deposition in low‐gradient streams, we assessed deposition of very fine and ultra fine organic particulate matter in 18 sand‐bed stream reaches. We added particles derived from lake sediment and assessed the mean transport distance S_P and the deposition velocity v_dep. Additionally, reach hydraulics were estimated by injections of a conservative solute tracer (NaCl). Among the low‐gradient streams, particle deposition kinetics were variable but similar to deposition in mountain streams. S_P was solely related to the flow velocity. This relation was confirmed when comprising published data on deposition of fine organic particles. An association between particle deposition and transient storage factors was insignificant. We found significance of the transient storage to S_P only for repeated measures within a single reach, when flow velocity and benthic conditions were nearly constant. Measured v_dep/v_fall ratios were much larger than unity in most reaches. Evidence from this relation suggests that the vertical transport of very fine and ultra fine organic particulate matter through the water column was caused mainly by vertical mixing. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

I-Xe dating of Allende inclusions: Antiquity and fine structure

Two inclusions from the Allende meteorite exhibit multiple I-Xe isochrons corresponding to an age difference of 3.7 ± 1.5 m.y. for their constituent minerals. Consequently, I-Xe dating can establish, independently of thermodynamic models, a partial sequence of formation for minerals that incorporated radioactive ¹²⁹I. Additionally, the results give an estimate of the cooling rate for the solar nebula when validity of thermodynamic models is assumed.     

Behavior of large post-liquefaction deformation in saturated Nanjing fine sand

Laboratory tests on the large post-liquefaction deformation of saturated Nanjing fine sand were performed by using a hollow cylinder apparatus. The stress-strain responses and the characteristics of excess pore water pressure after liquefaction were studied. It was found that the relationship between deviatoric stress and axial strain presented a sigmoid curve, and there was a good linearity relationship between normalized pore water pressure and deviatoric stress. On this basis, a constitutive model of stress-strain responses and a dissipation model of excess pore water pressure were established. It was found that the results predicted by the two models were in good agreement with the experimental data. The influence of relative densities and confi ning pressure on the characteristics of liquef ied soil were studied. The results showed the relative densities and initial effective confining pressure all had an important influence on the stress-strain responses of liquefi ed saturated Nanjing fine sand. However, the dissipation model of excess pore water pressure after liquefaction was only affected by the confining pressure.     

Stiffness degradation of natural fine grained soils during cyclic loading

Cyclic behavior of natural fine grained soils under a broad range of strains were investigated considering the effects of plasticity index and changes in confining pressures based on cyclic triaxial tests. A total of 98 stress controlled cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on normally consolidated and slightly overconsolidated samples. The investigation was divided into two parts. The first part consists of stress controlled cyclic triaxial tests under different stress amplitudes that were conducted to estimate the modulus reduction and the thresholds between nonlinear elastic, elasto-plastic and viscoplastic behavior. The second part involves the investigation of the undrained stress–strain behavior of fine grained soils under irregular cyclic loadings. The results showed that the elastic threshold is approximately equal to 90% of G_max. Another transition point was defined as the flow threshold where the value of tangent of shear modulus ratio changes for the second time. Simple empirical relationships to estimate the dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio was formulated and compared with the similar empirical relationships proposed in the literature. The results provide useful guidelines for preliminary estimation of dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio values for fine grained soils based on laboratory tests.     

Particle-precipitation fine structure during the development of substorms at high latitudes

The energy of precipitating particles that cause auroras can be characterized by the ratio of different atom and molecule emissions in the upper atmospheric layers. It is known that the spectrum of precipitating electrons becomes harder when substorms develop. The ratio of the I ₆₃₀₀ red line to the I ₅₅₇₇ green line was used to determine the precipitating-electron spectrum hardness. The I ₆₃₀₀/I ₅₅₇₇ parameter was used to roughly estimate the electron energy in auroral arcs observed in different zones of the auroral bulge at the bulge poleward edge and within this bulge. The variations in the emission red and green lines in auroral arcs during substorms that occurred in the winter season 2007–2008 and in January 2006 were analyzed based on the zenith photometer and all-sky camera data at the Barentsburg and Longyearbyen (LYR) high-latitude observatories. It has been indicated that the average value of the I ₆₃₀₀/I ₅₅₇₇ emission ratio for arcs within the auroral bulge is larger than this value at the bulge poleward edge. This means that the highest-energy electron precipitation is observed in arcs at the poleward edge of the substorm auroral bulge.     

Stabilization of fine gravels by net‐spinning caddisfly larvae

We examined the impact of Hydropsychidae caddisfly larvae on the incipient motion of two sizes of narrowly graded fine‐gravel (4–6 and 6–8 mm). This impact was assessed relative to the collective impact of other abiotic and biotic processes that are potentially important conditioning agents of fine‐gravels. Trays of gravel were placed in the River Soar, Leicestershire, UK, where they were colonized to natural densities by caddisfly larvae. Identical trays that were surrounded by a 250 µm mesh were also deployed, preventing colonization but allowing field conditioning of sediments, including minor reworking of grains and biofilm development. After 21 days in the river, trays were removed to a laboratory flume where grain entrainment stresses were established. In addition to the colonized and conditioned treatments, critical shear stresses were measured for identical sediments that were not placed in the river (laboratory gravels). Gravels that were colonized by Hydropsychidae required significantly greater shear stresses for entrainment than conditioned trays (p ≤ 0·002), however, there was no significant difference between conditioned and laboratory gravels. This implies that the presence of caddisfly can be a more important influence on fine‐gravel stability than some conditioning processes. Shields parameter was compared across treatments and across the two gravel size‐fractions using two‐way ANOVA. No significant differences or interactions were observed, indicating that 4–6 mm gravel was stabilized to a similar degree as 6–8 mm gravel by conditioning and colonization processes. Our results extend earlier studies in two important ways: (1) entrainment stresses were established for fine gravels that were colonized at natural densities, under natural stream conditions; and (2) the caddisfly effect was measured relative to both field‐conditioned and unconditioned laboratory controls. The temporal and spatial distribution of silk‐spinning caddisfly larvae suggests that they have the potential to influence fine‐sediment mobility in many rivers, worldwide. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

HYPOMAT定位软件在地震定位的应用

利用HYPOMAT精定位方法,对各区域地震台网地震定位精度进行分析,主要对各地震台网观测报告中定位精度为Ⅱ类、Ⅲ类地震进行处理,找出影响地震定位精度的因素,提高定位精度,从而提高地震目录质量.