On the stationary charge distribution on aerosol particles in a bipolar ionic atmosphere

Summary By the «limiting sphere» method the combination coefficients for gaseous ions and aerosol particles were calculated, allowing for the jump in ion concentration at the surface of the particles. Hence the stationary charge distribution on aerosol particles in a symmetrical bipolar ionic atmosphere was determined. The use of the Boltzmann equation for this purpose proposed by some authors is theoretically wrong asthis equation applies to equilibrium rather than to stationary states. In practice, the Boltzmann equation can be used for particles with radius 3·10^–5 cm (under atmospheric pressure). Within this range the image forces and the jump in ion concentration may be neglected. The conditions of the applicability of the steady diffusion equations to the theory of the stationary charge distribution in aerosols are discussed.     

Stratospheric aerosol inferred from electrical conductivity during a volcanically quiescent period

Profiles of electrical conductivity in the troposphere and stratosphere were measured by balloon-borne conductivity sondes at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany, from January to May, 1980, when volcanic activity was low. The aerosol concentration has been deduced from the relative decrease of conductivity from surrounding values by assuming the effective attachment coefficient of ions to aerosols. A prominent decrease of the conductivity near the tropopause is usually observed indicating high concentrations of Aitken particles (500–1000 cm^–3). A decrease of conductivity, well above the tropopause, is sometimes observed, probably due to the transport of tropospheric Aitken particles with high concentration (200–400 cm^–3) into the stratosphere.     

The equation of motion for a small aerosol in a continuum

Summary The motion of an aerosol can be described by a general force balance equation, independent of the detailed structure of the flow, provided that the interaction between the external flow field and the local flow induced by the aerosol is weak. A necessary and sufficient condition for the interaction to be weak is that the length scale of the aerosol is much less than that of the external flow. High and low Reynolds number regimes can be distinguished for the motion of an aerosol relative to the external flow. In some extreme conditions the equation of motion reduces to an algebraic equation for the aerosol velocity.After submission of this article the author was made aware of a similar treatment published inTopics of Appl. Phys., 12 (Turbulence, Chapter 7), Springer Verlag, Berlin, which at the time of the article's submission had not yet appeared in Australia. (Ed.)     

On the validity of Boltzmann's distribution law for the charges of aerosol particles in electrical equilibrium

Summary The validity ofBoltzmann's energy distribution law as applied to the charge distribution of monodisperse aerosols, i.e. aerosols which contain particles of one size only, was studied with improved equipment now available.Since monodisperse aerosols with particle size of about 10^–6 cm cannot yet be produced and because aerosols in general contain particles of different sizes, polydisperse aerosols stored in a large gasometer were used for the investigation. The composition and the average radius of these aerosols heterogeneous in particle size were determined by the Exhaustion Method employing a diffusion battery without end-pieces or connecting tubing.The experimental curve found for the ratio of the uncharged (N ₀) to the charged (N) nuclei versus radius (r) of the particles deviates for all investigated radii between 0.5 and 4.0·10^–6 cm from the theoretical curve of a monodisperse aerosol computed according to the Boltzmann law. For radii smaller than about 1.4·10^–6 cmN ₀/N is smaller than that given by Boltzmann's law, for radii greater than 1.4·10^–6 cm larger, or, in other words, forr<1.4·10^–6 cm the number of charged nuclei found in the aerosols investigated is greater than that predicted byBoltzmann's law, and forr>1.4·10^–6 cm smaller.The deviations from the theoretical curve forr>1.4·10^–6 cm can be fully explained by the polydispersity of the aerosols used; forr<1.4·10^–6 cm the deviations are too big to be attributed to polydispersity. From this it must be concluded thatBoltzmann's distribution law is not valid for the charge distribution of homogenous aerosols containing nuclei with radii smaller than about 1.4·10^–6 cm.The equivalent radius as deduced from a substitute monodisperse aerosol in charge equilibrium for which theBoltzmann law is assumed valid, deviates in the range of 1.0·10^–6<r<3.0·10^–6 cm (or 90%>100N ₀/Z>55%) on the average by up to 35% from the actual mean radius of the investigated polydisperse aerosols computed from the radii of their singly sized components.

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Zusammenfassung Die Gültigkeit desBoltzmannschen Gesetzes der Energieverteilung für die Ladungsverteilung von monodispersen Aerosolen, das heisst Aerosolen, welche Teilchen von nur einer Grösse enthalten, wurde mit den jetzt zur Verfügung stehenden verbesserten Mitteln studiert.Da monodisperse Aerosole mit Teilchengrössen von ungefähr 10^–6 cm noch nicht erzeugt werden können und Aerosole im allgemeinen Teilchen von verschiedenen Grössen enthalten, wurden für die jetzige Untersuchung polydisperse Aerosole, welche in einem grossen Gasometer gespeichert waren, benützt. Die Zusammensetzung und der mittlere Radius dieser Aerosole mit heterogener Teilchengrösse wurden nach der Exhaustions-Methode unter Benützung einer Diffusionsbatterie ohne Endstücke oder Verbindungsröhren bestimmt.Die experimentell gefundene Kurve, welche das Verhältnis der ungeladenen (N ₀) und geladenen (N) Kerne als Funktion des Radius (r) darstellt, weicht für alle untersuchten Radien zwischen 0.5 und 4.0·10^–6 cm von der theoretischen Kurve eines monodispersen Aerosols, wie sie nachBoltzmann's Gesetz berechnet wird, ab. Für Radien kleiner als ungefähr 1.4·10^–6 cm ist das VerhältnisN ₀/N kleiner als es durchBoltzmann's Gesetz gegeben wird, für Radien grössen als 1.4·10^–6 cm grösser oder, mit anderen Worten, fürr<1.4·10^–6 cm ist die Zahl der geladenen Teilchen, die in den untersuchten Aerosolen gefunden wurde, grösser als die vonBoltzmann's Gesetz vorausgesagte, und fürr>1.4·10^–6 cm kleiner.Die Abweichungen von der theoretischen Kurve fürr>1.4·10^–6cm können vollkommen durch die Polydispersität der benützten Aerosole erklärt werden; fürr<1.4·10^–6 cm sind die Abweichungen zu gross, als dass sie der Polydispersität zugeschrieben werden könnten. Daraus muss geschlossen werden, dassBoltzmann's Verteilungsgesetz für die Ladungsverteilung eines homogenen Aerosols, welches Kerne mit Radien kleiner als ungefähr 1.4·10^–6 cm enthält, nicht gültig ist.Der äquivalente Radius, wie er von einem im Ladungsgleichgewicht befindlichen, monodispersen Ersatz-Aerosol, für welchesBoltzmann's Gesetz als gültig angenommen wird, abgeleitet werden kann, weicht im Bereich von 1.0·10^–6<r<3.0·10^–6 cm (oder 90%>N ₀/Z>55%) durchschnittlich bis zu 35% vom tatsächlichen mittleren Radius des untersuchten polydispersen Aerosols ab.

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The research reported in this article has been supported in part by the Geophysics Research Directorate of the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories, through the European Office of the Air Force Research Division, United States Air Force under Contract AF 61(052)-26, by the United States Department of Army, through its European Research Office, Contract DA-91-591-EUC-1282 & 1657 and by the Instrumentation Engineering Physics & Analysis Laboratory of the General Electric Co., Schenectady, New York under Retainer Agreement.     

Two-dimensional equilibrium morphological modelling of a tidal inlet: an entropy based approach

The management of tidal inlets requires the accurate prediction of equilibrium morphologies. In areas where the flow from rivers is highly regulated, it is important to give decision makers the ability to determine optimal flow management schemes, in order to allow tidal inlets to function as naturally as possible, and minimise the risk of inlet closure. The River Murray Mouth in South Australia is one such problem area. Drought and the retention of water for irrigation and urban water consumption have limited the amount of water entering the estuary. As a result, sediment from the coastal environment is being deposited in the mouth of the estuary, reducing the effect of further coastal interactions. Currently, situations such as this are modelled using traditional process-based methods, where wave, current, sediment transport and sediment balance modules are linked together in a time-stepping process. The modules are reapplied and assessed until a stable morphology is formed. In this paper, new options for modelling equilibrium morphologies of tidal inlets are detailed, which alleviate some of the shortfalls of traditional process-based models, such as the amplification of small errors and reliance on initial conditions. The modelling problem is approached in this paper from a different angle and involves the use of entropy based objective functions, which are optimised in order to find equilibrium morphologies. In this way, characteristics of a system at equilibrium can be recognised and a stable system predicted without having to step through time. This paper also details the use of self-organisation based modelling methods, another non-traditional model application, where local laws and feedback result in the formation of a global stable equilibrium morphology. These methods represent a different approach to traditional models, without some of the characteristics that may add to their limitations. Responsible Editor: Alejandro Souza     

Scattering of solar radiation by aerosol particulates in the atmosphere: a theoretical approach validated with Pre-INDOEX

A theoretical model based on some physical assumptions has been integrated to study the scattering of solar radiation by aerosol particulates of any size present in the atmosphere. Using this model, which incorporates multiple scattering, scattered fluxes of radiation with varying optical depths and also the optical depth versus wavelengths are computed. The present results are found to be in close agreement with the observations of the Pre-Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) 1996. This provides evidence of the direct effect of aerosol particulates on the radiative forcing of the atmosphere.     

基于双金属球三维电场探空仪的一次雷暴云内电荷结构观测研究

本文自主研制性能稳定的双金属球三维电场探空仪,并结合气象探空仪等构建了雷暴电场-气象综合探空系统,实现了雷暴云内三维电场及温度、湿度的同步测量.2019年夏季对华北平原地区雷暴开展穿云观测,并结合地面大气电场、雷达回波、变分多普勒雷达分析系统(VDRAS)反演的动力场等资料进行综合研究,首次给出该地区雷暴云内的电场和电荷结构分布特征.对2019年8月7日发生的一次中尺度对流系统电场探空发现,在雷暴减弱阶段,其弱回波区内存在5个极性交替的电荷区：4.4~5.6 km之间的上部正电荷区(0℃附近)、3.6~4.4 km之间的中部负电荷区和1.0~3.6 km之间的下部正电荷区,此外在1 km下方有一个负极性电荷区,雷暴云顶附近5.7~6.9 km之间为一个弱负极性屏蔽电荷区.其中,中部负电荷区和下部正电荷区由多个不同强度、不同厚度的电荷层构成.此外,电场探空系统在中部负电荷区高度范围内经历的上升—下沉—再次上升的往返探空数据表明,雷暴云内动力环境复杂,电荷结构分布相似但又有所差异,反映了实际雷暴云内电荷分布的时空不均匀性和复杂性.

     

Some characteristics of condensation nuclei stored in a large vessel

Summary The coagulation coefficient, size and charge distribution of condensation nuclei from room air when stored in a 4000 litre rubber balloon gasometer were studied. The results indicate that the acquisition of water vapour contributes to the growth of stored nuclei. A preliminary trial was made to see ifJunge's approximate rule that the number of particles in an aerosol varies inversely as the third power of their radius, also holds forAitken nuclei. Further confirmation of the relationship between the percentage of stored nuclei electrically charged and their average radius was obtained.The measurements were carried out by means of thePollak-Murphy improved version of the photo-electric nucleus counter. A statistical analysis based on over a thousand comparisons of two identical models shows that the agreement ofindividual readings is better than 10 % of nucleus concentration in 80% of all cases. Excessive pifferences have now been eliminated.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurden der Koagulations-Koeffizient, die Grösse und die Ladungsverteilung von Kondensationskernen der Zimmerluft, welche in einem Gummiballon-Gasometer von 4000 Litern Inhalt gespeichert worden waren, studiert. Die Resultate zeigen, dass die Aufnahme von Wasserdampf zum Wachstum der gespeicherten Kerne beiträgt. Eine vorläufige Untersuchung wurde ausgeführt, obJunge's Ansicht, dass die Zahl der Kerne in einem Aerosol umgekehrt proportional der dritten Potenz ihres Radius ist, auch fürAitken-Kerne gilt. Es wurde eine neuerliche Bestätigung der Beziehung zwischen dem perzentuellen Anteil der elektrisch geladenen Kerne, welche in einem geschlossenen Gefäss gespeichert werden, und ihrem durchschnittlichen Radius erhalten.Die Messungen wurden mit dem vonPollak &Murphy verbesserten Modell des photo-elektrischen Kernzählers ausgeführt. Eine auf über tausend Vergleichungen von identischen Modellen gegründete Statistik lehrt, dass die Übereinstimmung vonEinzelmessungen der Kernzahlen besser als 10 % in 80 % aller Fälle ist. Uebermässig grosse Abweichungen sind nun eliminiert.

     

Probabilistic seismic loss assessment of aging bridges using a component‐level cost estimation approach

Deteriorating highway bridges in the United States and worldwide have demonstrated susceptibility to damage in earthquake events, with considerable economic consequences due to repair or replacement. Current seismic loss assessment approaches for these critical elements of the transportation network neglect the effects of aging and degradation on the loss estimate. However, the continued aging and deterioration of bridge infrastructure could not only increase susceptibility to seismic damage, but also have a significant impact on these economic losses. Furthermore, the contribution of individual aging components to system‐level losses, correlations between these components, and uncertainty modeling in the risk assessment and repair modeling are all crucial considerations to enhance the accuracy and confidence in bridge loss estimates. In this paper, a new methodology for seismic loss assessment of aging bridges is introduced based on the non‐homogeneous Poisson process. Statistical moments of seismic losses can be efficiently estimated, such as the expected value and variance. The approach is unique in its account for time‐varying seismic vulnerability, uncertainty in component repair, and the contribution of multiple correlated aging components. A representative case study is presented with two fundamentally distinct highway bridges to demonstrate the effects of corrosion deterioration of different bridge components on the seismic losses. Using the proposed model, a sensitivity study is also conducted to assess the effect of parameter variations on the expected seismic losses. The results reveal that the seismic losses estimated by explicitly considering the effects of deterioration of bridge components is significantly higher than that found by assuming time‐invariant structural reliability. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating equilibrium and non‐equilibrium transport of ammonium in a loam soil column

Release of nitrogen compounds into groundwater, particularly those compounds from excessive agricultural fertilization, is a major concern in an aquifer recharge. Among the nitrogen compounds, ammonium ( ) is a common one. In order to assess the risk of agricultural fertilizer contamination to an aquifer through infiltration, adsorption onto a loamy agricultural soil profile (0–0.60 m depth) was studied using a soil column experiment and modelling simulation. The soil used in the experiment was drawn from an agricultural field in Xinzhen, Fangshan district, Beijing, China, and reconstituted in laboratory soil columns. Column experiments were conducted using bromide (conservative tracer) and ‐bearing aqueous solutions. The ammonium concentrations in the soil water samples were measured, and their values were plotted as the breakthrough curves. The chemical's soil–water distribution coefficients (K_d) were calculated using breakthrough curves. Then the retardation factor (R) in saturated soil was calculated. For the ‐bearing aqueous solutions, the strongest adsorption occurred at the soil depth of 0.30–0.45 m. The convection–dispersion equation model and chemical non‐equilibrium model in Hydrus‐1D were used to simulate transport in the loamy soil. The two‐site chemical non‐equilibrium model in Hydrus‐1D was best to simulate transport through the soil column. Parameter sensitivity study was conducted to investigate the influences of solute transport by K_d, the fraction of exchange sites assuming to be in equilibrium with the solution phase (f), the longitudinal dispersivity (λ), and the first‐order rate coefficients (ω). The sensitivity analysis results indicate K_d is the most critical parameter.     

东亚地区春季黑碳气溶胶源排放及其浓度分布

本研究收集整理了东亚地区一个黑碳气溶胶的排放源,并利用一个三维化学输送模式系统模拟研究了东亚地区春季黑碳气溶胶的输送和演变过程.黑碳气溶胶浓度的模拟值与地面观测站和观测船获取的监测值相比,模拟值与监测值具有良好的一致性,这表明本研究收集整理的黑碳气溶胶的排放量及其分布是基本合理的,模式系统较好地反映了黑碳气溶浓度的时空分布和变化趋势,再现了许多观测到的重要特征.模拟结果表明,东亚地区春季间隙性的长距离输送对于西北太平洋海域的黑碳气溶胶浓度分布具有非常重要的影响.     

Joint isotopic mass balance: a novel approach to quantifying channel bed to channel margins sediment transfer during storm events

The important role of floodplains and the broader riparian zone in providing temporary storage for a large fraction of the annual sediment load of rivers is well established, but this understanding is largely based on observations of the long‐term average behavior of the catchment. Here we combine measurements of the fallout radionuclides ⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb and the stable isotopes of hydrogen in water to quantify fine sediment mobilization and storage in a stream and its channel margins during individual intermediate‐sized storm events with recurrence intervals of a few months or less. We demonstrate this method using five storm events in a small (~15 km²), undeveloped, gravel‐bedded tributary of the Connecticut River (USA). We estimate that in each storm, the mass of sediment deposited onto the margins accounts for almost 90% of the sediment mobilized from the bed, with the remainder of the mobilized bed sediment transported downstream as suspended load. The result that the bed is a net source of sediment to the stream and the margins a net sink is robust, but estimates of the mass of material eroded from the bed and deposited on the margins are less certain. The source of sediment to the bed remains unclear as, consistent with earlier studies, we observe only limited deposition of sediment to the bed during the storm events. The suspended sediment is organic‐rich and thus its source may be associated with in‐channel organic decay between storm events. Understanding the coupled interactions between discharge magnitude and frequency and sediment resupply at the event time scale has important implications for stream restoration efforts seeking to connect the channel and the broader riparian zone, and for the development of accurate sediment budgets and predictions of sediment flux from a watershed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using equilibrium temperature to assess thermal disturbances in rivers

Flow regulation is widely known to modify the thermal regime of rivers. Here, we examine the sensitivity of an empirical approach, the Equilibrium Temperature Concept (ETC), to detect both the effects of hydraulic infrastructures on the annual thermal cycle and the recovery of the thermal equilibrium with the atmosphere. Analysis was undertaken in a Pyrenean river (the Noguera Pallaresa, Ebro basin) affected by a series of reservoirs and hydropower plants. Equilibrium temperature (T_e) is defined as the water temperature (T_w) at which the sum of all heat fluxes is zero. Based on the assumption of a linear relationship between T_e and T_w, we identified changes in the T_e–T_w regression slope, used as an indicator of a thermal alteration in river flow. We also assessed the magnitude of the alteration by examining the regression slope and its statistical significance. Variations in the regression parameters were used as indicators of the influence of factors other than atmospheric conditions on water temperature. Observed T_w showed a linear relationship with T_e at all river stations. However, the slopes of the T_e–T_w relationship appeared to be lower in the reaches downstream from hydraulic infrastructures, particularly below large dams. A seasonal analysis indicated that T_e–T_w relationships had higher slopes and lower p‐values during autumn, while no significant differences were found at other seasons. Although thermal characteristics did not strongly depend on atmospheric conditions downstream of hydraulic infrastructures, the river recovered to pre‐alteration conditions with distance downstream, indicating the natural tendency of water to attain thermal equilibrium with the atmosphere. Accepting associated uncertainties, mostly because of the quality of the data and the lack of consideration of other factors influencing the thermal regime (e.g. discharge), ETC appears to be a simple and effective method to identify thermal alterations in regulated rivers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The new approach to global deep sounding

The new approach to global geomagnetic sounding is developed to overcome difficulties of spherical harmonical analysis and subsequent transfer function determination. The approach is based on minimizing the discrepancy between experimental and simulated magnetic fields. The discrepancy is considered as a function of the medium model parameters and the coefficients of external fields. The method can be used for laterally inhomogeneous as well as homogeneous earth models. An example of its application to a radially symmetric model is demonstrated.     

Growth in the atmospheric aerosol concentration as a climate forcing agent

The level of scattered radiation is analyzed using data of diurnal solar coronograph observations at the Mountain Astronomic Station in the period 1957?C2010 around coronal spectral lines at 5303 ? and 6374 ?. The observations were performed near the solar limb and were normalized by the intensity of the solar disk center. The measurements revealed variations on different timescales: seasonal variations, local maxima on timescales of a few years, and long-term trends. The local changes in the level of scattered radiation were found to be probably due to volcanic eruptions. An analysis revealed a tendency towards an increased in scattered radiation by approximately 40% during the last 50 years. The variations in the level of scattered radiation are compared with the concentration of atmospheric aerosols. The long-term growth in scattered radiation compares well with changes in the Earth??s near-surface temperature and is possibly associated with global climate change.     

Approaches to dynamic equilibrium in theoretical simulations of slope development

The model SLOP3D is used to identify characteristic aspects of slope development under different conditions. A series of slopes along the Kall valley in the northern Eifel is reproduced by a developmental sequence of model slopes. The spatial and temporal variations of the components of slope development systems (relief, slope form, weathering rates, denudation rates) are discussed by means of mass movement and wash denudation models. The negative feedbacks between system components create a tendency towards the establishment of a dynamic equilibrium which is reached, however, only if the endogenic and exogenic conditions remain constant for the required relaxation time. The latter is shown to be a function of slope length, of the rate of uplift, of the denudational process type, and of the intensity of exogenic inputs (e.g. precipitation). Varying rock resistance leads to the development of shield inselbergs only if the rate of denudation becomes higher than the maximum possible weathering rate of the resistant bedrock.     

The effect of gravity on the stability of a line-tied coronal magnetohydrostatic equilibrium

Abstract

The magnetohydrodynamic stability of a class of magnetohydrostatic equilibria is investigated. The effect of gravity is included as well as the stabilising influence of the dense photospheric line-tying.

Although the two-dimensional equilibria exhibit a catastrophe point, when the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure exceeds a critical value, arcade structures, with both footpoints connected to the photosphere, become unstable to three-dimensional disturbances before the catastrophe point is reached.

Numerical results for field lines that are open into the solar corona suggest that they are completely stable. Although there is no definite proof of stability, this would allow the point of non-equilibrium to be reached.