Stable Eocene Magnetization Carried by Magnetite and Iron Sulphides in Marine Marls (Pamplona-Arguis Formation,Southern Pyrenees,Northern Spain)

In order to establish the magnetic carriers and assess the reliability of previous paleomagnetic results obtained for Eocene marine marls from the south Pyrenean basin, we carried out a combined paleo- and rock-magnetic study of the Pamplona-Arguis Formation, which crops out in the western sector of the southern Pyrenees (N Spain). The unblocking temperatures suggest that the characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) is carried by magnetite and iron sulphides. The ChRM has both normal and reversed polarities regardless of whether it resides in magnetite or iron sulphides, and represents a primary Eocene magnetization acquired before folding. Rock magnetic results confirm the presence of magnetite and smaller amounts of magnetic iron sulphides, most likely pyrrhotite, in all the studied samples. Framboidal pyrite is ubiquitous in the marls and suggests that iron sulphides formed during early diagenesis under sulphate-reducing conditions. ChRM directions carried by magnetic iron sulphides are consistent with those recorded by magnetite. These observations suggest that magnetic iron sulphides carry a chemical remanent magnetization that coexists with a remanence residing in detrital magnetite. We suggest that the south Pyrenean Eocene marls are suitable for magnetostratigraphic and tectonic purposes but not for studies of polarity transitions, secular variations and geomagnetic excursions, because it is difficult to test for short time differences in remanence lock-in time for the two minerals. The presence of iron sulphide minerals contributing to the primary magnetization in Eocene marine marls reinforces the idea that these minerals can persist over long periods of time in the geological record.     

WIND observations of coherent electrostatic waves in the solar wind

The time domain sampler (TDS) experiment on WIND measures electric and magnetic wave forms with a sampling rate which reaches 120 000 points per second. We analyse here observations made in the solar wind near the Lagrange point L1. In the range of frequencies above the proton plasma frequency f_pi and smaller than or of the order of the electron plasma frequency f_pe, TDS observed three kinds of electrostatic (e.s.) waves: coherent wave packets of Langmuir waves with frequencies f ≃ f_pe, coherent wave packets with frequencies in the ion acoustic range f_pi ≥ f ≥ f_pe, and more or less isolated non-sinusoidal spikes lasting less than 1 ms. We confirm that the observed frequency of the low frequency (LF) ion acoustic wave packets is dominated by the Doppler effect: the wavelengths are short, 10 to 50 electron Debye lengths λ_D. The electric field in the isolated electrostatic structures (IES) and in the LF wave packets is more or less aligned with the solar wind magnetic field. Across the IES, which have a spatial width of the order of ≃25_D, there is a small but finite electric potential drop, implying an average electric field generally directed away from the Sun. The IES wave forms, which have not been previously reported in the solar wind, are similar, although with a smaller amplitude, to the weak double layers observed in the auroral regions, and to the electrostatic solitary waves observed in other regions in the magnetosphere. We have also studied the solar wind conditions which favour the occurrence of the three kinds of waves: all these e.s. waves are observed more or less continuously in the whole solar wind (except in the densest regions where a parasite prevents the TDS observations). The type (wave packet or IES) of the observed LF waves is mainly determined by the proton temperature and by the direction of the magnetic field, which themselves depend on the latitude of WIND with respect to the heliospheric current sheet.     

Dependence of the power consumed by the magnetosphere on the solar wind parameters

The results of the previous studies, where the expressions were obtained for the electric current, which is generated at the bow shock front and is closed through the magnetosphere, and for the magneto-pause potential as a function of such solar wind parameters as the plasma density and velocity and the IMF intensity, are used. The power (W) consumed by the magnetosphere is equal to the Poynting vector flux S through the magnetopause. According to the special case of the Poynting theorem applied by Heikkila to the-magnetosphere, the energy flux can be expressed in terms of the electric potential (the integration is carried out over the entire surface of the magnetosphere). As a result, the required dependence, which is quadratic with respect to the IMF B _z component, has been obtained for W. It is discussed why the magnetosphere is energy-isolated at the northward IMF B _z component despite this.     

Discussion on the feature of strong earthquake: Orderly distribution in time, space and intensity before the Western Kunlun Mountain Pass M =8.1 earthquake

In the paper, the feature of strong earthquake orderly distribution in time, space and intensity before the Western Kunlun Mountain Pass M=8.1 earthquake is preliminarily studied. The modulation and triggering factors such as the earth rotation, earth tides are analyzed. The results show that: the giant earthquakes with the magnitude more than 8 occurred about every 24 years and the earthquakes with the magnitude more than 7 about every 7 years in Chinese mainland. The Western Kunlun Mountain M=8.1 earthquake exactly occurred at the expected time; The spatial distance show approximately the same distances between each two swarms. The earth rotation, earth tide, sun tide and sun magnetic field have played a role of modulation and triggering in the intensity. At last, the conditions for earthquake generation and occurrence are also discussed. Foundation item: State Key Project of Science and Technology of China (2001BA601B01) and State 863 Plan of China.     

Ring current influence on auroral electrojet predictions

Geomagnetic storms and substorms develop under strong control of the solar wind. This is demonstrated by the fact that the geomagnetic activity indices Dst and AE can be predicted from the solar wind alone. A consequence of the strong control by a common source is that substorm and storm indices tend to be highly correlated. However, a part of this correlation is likely to be an effect of internal magnetospheric processes, such as a ring-current modulation of the solar wind-AE relation. The present work extends previous studies of nonlinear AE predictions from the solar wind. It is examined whether the AE predictions are modulated by the Dst index.This is accomplished by comparing neural network predictions from Dst and the solar wind, with predictions from the solar wind alone. Two conclusions are reached: (1) with an optimal set of solar-wind data available, the AE predictions are not markedly improved by the Dst input, but (2) the AE predictions are improved by Dst if less than, or other than, the optimum solar-wind data are available to the net. It appears that the solar wind-AE relation described by an optimized neural net is not significantly modified by the magnetosphere’s Dst state. When the solar wind alone is used to predict AE, the correlation between predicted and observed AE is 0.86, while the prediction residual is nearly uncorrelated to Dst. Further, the finding that Dst can partly compensate for missing information on the solar wind, is of potential importance in operational forecasting where gaps in the stream of real time solar-wind data are a common occurrence.     

Solar wind velocity distribution on the heliospheric current sheet during Carrington rotations 1787-1795

The solar wind velocity distribution in the heliosphere is best represented using a v-map, where velocity contours are plotted in heliographic latitude-longitude coordinates. It has already been established that low-speed regions of the solar wind on the source surface correspond to the maximum bright regions of the K-corona and the neutral line of the coronal magnetic field. In this analysis, v-maps on the source surface for Carrington rotations (CRs) 1787-1795, during 1987, have been prepared using the interplanetary scintillation measurements at Research Institute of Atmospherics (RIA), Nagoya Univ., Japan. These v-maps were then used to study the time evolution of the low-speed (\leq450 km s⁻¹) belt of the solar wind and to deduce the distribution of solar wind velocity on the heliospheric current sheet. The low-speed belt of the solar wind on the source surface was found to change from one CR to the next, implying a time evolution. Instead of a slow and systematic evolution, the pattern of distribution of solar wind changed dramatically at one particular solar rotation (CR 1792) and the distributions for the succeeding rotations were similar to this pattern. The low-speed region, in most cases, was found to be close to the solar equator and almost parallel to it. However, during some solar rotations, they were found to be organised in certain longitudes, leaving regions with longitudinal width greater than 30^○ free of low-speed solar wind, i.e. these regions were occupied by solar wind with velocities greater than 450 km s⁻¹. It is also noted from this study that the low-speed belt, in general, followed the neutral line of the coronal magnetic field, except in certain cases. The solar wind velocity on the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) varied in the range 300–585 km s⁻¹ during the period of study, and the pattern of velocity distribution varied from rotation to rotation.     

A conceptual model of wind erosion of soil surfaces by saltating particles

A conceptual model is described for the prediction of wind erosion rates dependent on the distribution of impact energy delivered to the surface by saltating grains, P[Ei], and the distribution of local surface strength, P[Es]. Methods are presented for the measurement of both distributions and consequent loss of material from the bed. It is concluded that saltating sand grains can rupture weak crusts under even moderate wind conditions, and that the rate of erosion will depend on the shape of the distribution tails. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of Weak Wind Stable Conditions from the Observations of the Land Surface Processes Experiment at Anand in India

The observations in weak wind stable conditions are scarce. The present study examines the observations from the Land Surface Processes Experiment (LASPEX) conducted at Anand, (Gujarat, India) during the year 1997–1998 to study the characteristics of surface layer under weak wind stable conditions. The observed surface fluxes are compared with those computed using Monin-Obukhov (M-O) similarity theory. The upper air observations and regional climatology are used to justify the persistence of weak wind conditions at Anand. The frequency of occurrence of weak wind stable conditions is observed to be around 67%. In 86% of the cases under weak wind conditions, bulk Richardson number (R_iB) is found to be larger than 0.2. The magnitude of surface fluxes computed from M-O similarity theory is shown to be smaller in comparison to those based on the observations in weak wind stable conditions. Surface fluxes computed using the empirical relations for the eddy diffusivities and drag and heat exchange coefficients are found to be comparable with those based on M-O similarity theory however these fluxes are under-predicted in comparison to the observations. The traditional M-O similarity theory is not able to simulate the observed fluxes well in weak wind stable conditions at Anand.     

Solar origin of geomagnetic storms and prediction of storms with the use of neural networks

This review deals with how the changes of the large-scale solar magnetic fields are related to the occurrence of solar phenomena, which are associated with geomagnetic storms. The review also describes how artificial neural networks have been used to forecast geomagnetic storms either from daily solar input data or from hourly solar wind data. With solar data as input predictions 1–3 days or a month in advance are possible, while using solar wind data as input predictions about an hour in advance are possible. The predictions one hour ahead of the geomagnetic storm indexD _st from only solar wind input data have reached such high accuracy, that they are of practical use in combination with real-time solar wind observations at L1. However, the predictions days and a month ahead need to be much improved in order to be of real practical use.     

Particle dislodgement from a flat sand bed by wind

The rate, with respect to area and time, at which grains are dislodged from a sand bed for given wind conditions is an important factor in determining the grain transport rate and the intensity of grain activity in each of the transport modes. The literature of the subject contains little direct information about particle dislodgement. The paper describes a series of experiments in which dyed sand grains, spread on the surface of quartz dune sand in a wind-tunnel, were photographed at five second intervals while the sand was exposed to wind. The data on rate of loss of coloured grains was used, for two of three chosen size fractions, to deduce the dislodgement rate for each size fraction. The variation of this dislodgement rate with shear velocity is shown graphically for values of u_* between 24 cm s^?1 and 50 cm s^?1. Because of the artificial method of distribution of the coloured sand grains, the results should be applied with caution to natural conditions. The interpretation of the observations of dyed grain loss involved the numerical simulation of the process which comprises removal of coloured grains, slightly offset by replenishment as upwind coloured grains settle briefly in the observed zone. An estimation of grain excursion length has to be incorporated in the simulation. This estimation was made by trial, but general corroboration was found from earlier work. Comparisons are made between dislodgement rates obtained thus and rates estimated by Anderson (1986) and by Jensen and Sorensen (1986). Reasonable agreement with the latter is found in the u_* range 30 cm s^?1.     

3D joint inversion of magnetotelluric and airborne tipper data: a case study from the Morrison porphyry Cu–Au–Mo deposit,British Columbia,Canada

Z‐axis tipper electromagnetic and broadband magnetotelluric data were used to determine three‐dimensional electrical resistivity models of the Morrison porphyry Cu–Au–Mo deposit in British Columbia. Z‐axis tipper electromagnetic data are collected with a helicopter, thus allowing rapid surveys with uniform spatial sampling. Ground‐based magnetotelluric surveys can achieve a greater exploration depth than Z‐axis tipper electromagnetic surveys, but data collection is slower and can be limited by difficult terrain. The airborne Z‐axis tipper electromagnetic tipper data and the ground magnetotelluric tipper data show good agreement at the Morrison deposit despite differences in the data collection method, spatial sampling, and collection date. Resistivity models derived from individual inversions of the Z‐axis tipper electromagnetic tipper data and magnetotelluric impedance data contain some similar features, but the Z‐axis tipper electromagnetic model appears to lack resolution below a depth of 1 km, and the magnetotelluric model suffers from non‐uniform and relatively sparse spatial sampling. The joint Z‐axis tipper electromagnetic inversion solves these issues by combining the dense spatial sampling of the airborne Z‐axis tipper electromagnetic technique and the deeper penetration of the lower frequency magnetotelluric data. The resulting joint resistivity model correlates well with the known geology and distribution of alteration at the Morrison deposit. Higher resistivity is associated with the potassic alteration zone and volcanic country rocks, whereas areas of lower resistivity agree with known faults and sedimentary units. The pyrite halo and ≥0.3% Cu zone have the moderate resistivity that is expected of disseminated sulphides. The joint Z‐axis tipper electromagnetic inversion provides an improved resistivity model by enhancing the lateral and depth resolution of resistivity features compared with the individual Z‐axis tipper electromagnetic and magnetotelluric inversions. This case study shows that a joint Z‐axis tipper electromagnetic–magnetotelluric approach effectively images the interpreted mineralised zone at the Morrison deposit and could be beneficial in exploration for disseminated sulphides at other porphyry deposits.     

基于蒙特卡洛方法的地震目录模拟及相符性检验——以汾渭地震带为例

人工地震目录模拟是改进现有地震目录不完备性、弥补大地震记录稀缺,以及完善地震学相关研究的有效途径之一。本文基于地震活动的泊松分布模型、古登堡-里克特震级-频度关系,利用能较逼真描述具有随机性质事物特点及物理实验过程的蒙特卡洛方法,模拟汾渭地震带未来30、50、100年等不同时长的地震目录,并对其进行统计检验。分析表明,模拟地震目录符合设定的地震活动性参数和泊松分布假设特征。依据模拟地震目录,对未来该区域地震趋势进行了分析,以期为地震危险性分析提供参考。     

Seismicity patterns before strong earthquakes in Greece

The spatial distribution of the stress field around a fault, before its failure, depends on the focal mechanism of the ensuing rupture. In the preseismic stage, the main fault is locked and background seismicity is distributed in the surrounding area along small faults due to the raise of the stress level. This distribution is well correlated with changes of the stress field, when these are calculated considering the fault slipping on the opposite sense (back-slip model), before the incoming strong event. Studies of the seismicity around faults with known geometry, dimensions and slip properties could contribute in the seismic hazard assessment. In the present work, the spatio-temporal distribution of the smaller magnitude seismic activity before the occurrence of the four most recent (1995–2008) strong (M ≥ 6.4) shallow earthquakes in Greece is compared with the stress pattern necessary for the generation of the strong earthquakes. Studying the annual rate of occurrence it is found that in areas of positive pre-stress changes a sharp increase of the number of earthquakes is observed several years before the occurrence of the main shock. This increase lasts for a few years and then for several years before the main shock the occurrence rate declines but usually remains higher than it was before the sharp increase. Seismicity distribution in the respective areas of negative pre-stress changes shows a rather stable occurrence rate.     

基于高频高光谱近感观测量化风对蓝藻水华的影响

全球气候变化显著影响湖泊理化环境和生态系统演化,对生态系统服务造成负面影响甚至引发生态系统灾变,其中风速下降可能促使富营养化湖泊蓝藻水华的暴发和水面漂浮集聚。以往由于较低的观测频次,往往很难精细量化风对蓝藻水华的影响。利用陆基高光谱近感观测技术,基于分钟小时尺度开展周年高频观测,通过对6—10月蓝藻生长期太湖表层水体叶绿素a浓度统计分析,量化蓝藻水华高频动态变化特征,确定蓝藻水华漂浮集聚的风速阈值。研究发现,随着风速的下降,水体表层叶绿素a浓度随之增加,蓝藻水华出现概率也随之增加。概率分析显示,当近地面风速小于2.5 m/s时,湖泊表层比较容易形成明显肉眼可见的蓝藻水华,藻华发生概率为55.1%。长时间持续的低风速容易诱发蓝藻水华形成和漂浮集聚,强风浪事件后低风速出现1～2天叶绿素a往往就能恢复以往较高水平,这为管理者有效防控蓝藻水华提供了新视角。长期气象观测显示,气候变化影响下太湖地区风速呈现显著下降趋势,增加了蓝藻竞争优势和发生概率,有助于其在表面漂浮集聚。在未来的气候变化情景下,如果风速继续呈现下降趋势,在营养盐条件不变情况下湖泊表层蓝藻水华发生概率可能还会上升,增加蓝藻水华防控...     

风生紊流导致微囊藻群体破碎和形态变化

微囊藻群体大小和形态决定其垂向迁移能力,从而影响着水华的形成.为了探讨湖泊中风生紊流对微囊藻群体大小和形态的影响,本研究于2012年8月26日至9月7日在太湖梅梁湾的围隔内进行了12 d的昼夜不间断的高频采样（采样间隔每2小时一次）.研究期间,水面微囊藻密度呈现4次周期性消涨,藻密度变化范围为4×10⁴~2671×10⁴ cells/mL.而整个水柱中的藻密度变化范围仅为3×10⁴~18×10⁴ cells/mL.皮尔逊相关性分析表明微囊藻的原位生长速率与表面藻密度呈负相关而与风速呈正相关.强风速使微囊藻在水柱中均匀分散,增强了透光性,促进了微囊藻的生长.微囊藻群体粒径随着风速的增大逐渐减小,反之亦然.其中值粒径（D₅₀）变化范围为66.2~768.0 μm.在此期间微囊藻群体形态主要以鱼害微囊藻、不规则的惠氏微囊藻、球状的惠氏微囊藻和铜绿微囊藻群体形态为主,其占比也呈现出波动状态.皮尔逊相关分析结果显示微囊藻群体大小与风速呈负相关,说明湖泊中风生紊流会影响微囊藻群体大小.当紊流强度为2.33×10^-5 m²/s³时,微囊藻群体会发生破碎现象,该紊流强度相当于5 m/s的风在30 m深的水库或湖泊中所产生的紊流强度.微囊藻群体被风生紊流破碎后最大粒径与该风速下紊流的最小涡旋尺度相近,表明紊流的最小涡旋尺度决定了微囊藻所能形成群体的最终大小.监测期间,整水柱中不同群体形态的微囊藻占比发生了明显变化,在监测初期以鱼害微囊藻群体形态为主,随后不规则的惠氏微囊藻和铜绿微囊藻群体形态的比例不断增加,最后鱼害微囊藻群体形态又占据主导地位.球状的惠氏微囊藻群体形态在整个监测期中的比例随时间的增加而逐渐降低.不同群体形态微囊藻之间比例的大幅变化无法用微囊藻生长演替来解释.而皮尔逊相关分析结果显示鱼害微囊藻与惠氏微囊藻（不规则的和球状的惠氏微囊藻之和）群体形态之间存在负相关,且惠氏微囊藻与铜绿微囊藻群体形态呈负相关.但在今后研究中需进一步关注在微囊藻群体形态的动态变化过程中细胞大小、胶被、产毒特性和基因序列等特征,从而验证不同种微囊藻群体是否存在形态转换这一猜想.总而言之,普通强度的风生紊流能够破碎微囊藻群体,而气候变化导致的内陆湖泊周边风速下降会促使微囊藻形成更大的群体,从而有利于水华的形成.     

Biodiversität und Ökologie aquatischer Oomycetes‐Arten im Auesee und in der Fulda in Kassel (Hessen)

Biodiversity and Ecology of Species of Aquatic Oomycetes in the Aue Lake and the River Fulda in Kassel (Hessen) In this study, we record diversity and ecology of aquatic Oomycetes in the Aue Lake and the river Fulda in Kassel (Hesse, Germany). We monthly collected water samples of both water bodies from July 2003 to June 2004. The baiting method was used to gain an insight into the occurrence of aquatic Oomycetes. A total of 14 species of aquatic Oomycetes belonging to the orders Saprolegniales, Leptomitales and Olpidiopsidales could be isolated of both water bodies. Numerous saprophytic isolates of Rhizophydium Schenk (Chytridiomycetes), Rhizophydium carpophilum (Zopf) Fischer, parasitic on Oomycetes, and additionally one species of Plasmodiophoromycetes, Woronina polycystis Cornu could be isolated. Many isolates of Saprolegniales attributable to the genera Achlya Nees, Dictyuchus Leitgeb, Saprolegnia Nees and Pythium Pringsheim (Pythiales), which could only be identified on generic level, could be isolated as well. The species were examined and discussed with respect to their occurrence in the stagnant water Aue Lake and/or in the running water of the river Fulda. Half of the isolated species only occurred in one of the water bodies. In this study the occurrence of Achlya proliferoides Coker could be documented for Germany for the first time. The trophic status of the Aue Lake and of the classification of water quality of the river Fulda were determined by limnological‐chemical parameters obtained by simultaneous investigations of both water bodies.     

Barotropic and baroclinic processes in the transport variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

Synoptic scale variability of the Southern Ocean wind field in the high-frequency range of barotropic Rossby waves results in transport variations of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), which are highly coherent with the bottom pressure field all around the Antarctic continent. The coherence pattern, in contrast to the steady state ACC, is steered by the geostrophic f/h contours passing through Drake Passage and circling closely around the continent. At lower frequencies, with interannual and decadal periods, the correlation with the bottom pressure continues, but baroclinic processes gain importance. For periods exceeding a few years, variations of the ACC transport are in geostrophic balance with the pressure field associated with the baroclinic potential energy stored in the stratification, whereas bottom pressure plays a minor role. The low-frequency variability of the ACC transport is correlated with the baroclinic state variable in the entire Southern Ocean, mediated by baroclinic topographic–planetary Rossby waves that are not bound to f/h contours. To clarify the processes of wave dynamics and pattern correlation, we apply a circulation model with simplified physics (the barotropic–baroclinic-interaction model BARBI) and use two types of wind forcing: the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) wind field with integrations spanning three decades and an artificial wind field constructed from the first three empirical orthogonal functions of NCEP combined with a temporal variability according to an autoregressive process. Experiments with this Southern Annular Mode type forcing have been performed for 1,800 years. We analyze the spin-up, trends, and variability of the model runs. Particular emphasis is placed on coherence and correlation patterns between the ACC transport, the wind forcing, the bottom pressure field and the pressure associated with the baroclinic potential energy. A stochastic dynamical model is developed that describes the dominant barotropic and baroclinic processes and represents the spectral properties for a wide range of frequencies, from monthly periods to hundreds of years.     

Wind effects on sediment transport by raindrop‐impacted shallow flow: a wind‐tunnel study

In wind‐driven rains, wind velocity and direction are expected to affect not only energy input of rains but also shallow ?ow hydraulics by changing roughness induced by raindrop impacts with an angle on ?ow and the unidirectional splashes in the wind direction. A wind‐tunnel study under wind‐driven rains was conducted to determine the effects of horizontal wind velocity and direction on sediment transport by the raindrop‐impacted shallow ?ow. Windless rains and the rains driven by horizontal wind velocities of 6 m s^?1, 10 m s^?1, and 14 m s^?1 were applied to three agricultural soils packed into a 20 by 55 cm soil pan placed on both windward and leeward slopes of 7 per cent, 15 per cent, and 20 per cent. During each rainfall application, sediment and runoff samples were collected at 5‐min intervals at the bottom edge of the soil pan with wide‐mouth bottles and were determined gravimetrically. Based on the interrill erosion mechanics, kinetic energy ?ux (E_rn) as a rainfall parameter and product of unit discharge and slope in the form of q^bS^c_o as a ?ow parameter were used to explain the interactions between impact and ?ow parameters and sediment transport (q_s). The differential sediment transport rates occurred depending on the variation in raindrop trajectory and rain intensity with the wind velocity and direction. Flux of rain energy computed by combining the effects of wind on the velocity, frequency, and angle of raindrop impact reasonably explained the characteristics of wind‐driven rains and acceptably accounted for the differences in sediment delivery rates to the shallow ?ow transport (R₂ ≥ 0·78). Further analysis of the Pearson correlation coef?cients between E_rn and qS_o and q_s also showed that wind velocity and direction signi?cantly affected the hydraulics of the shallow ?ow. E_rn had a smaller correlation coef?cient with the q_s in windward slopes where not only reverse splashes but also reverse lateral raindrop stress with respect to the shallow ?ow direction occurred. However, E_rn was as much effective as qS_o in the sediment transport in the leeward slopes where advance splashes and advance lateral raindrop stress on the ?ow occurred. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sediment jamming of a trunk stream by hyperconcentrated floods from small tributaries: case of the Upper Yellow River,China

ABSTRACT

The tributary–trunk stream relationship is investigated with respect to hyperconcentrated flows and coupled wind–water processes in the Yellow River, China. Ten small tributaries that drain only 3% of the total drainage area of the trunk stream transport large amounts of relatively coarse sediment from the desert to the trunk stream during hyperconcentrated floods. The resultant strong sedimentation often jams the trunk stream, leading to serious disasters. This study reveals the cause of this interesting phenomenon and proposes countermeasures for disaster reduction. A typical sediment-jamming event (SJE) in July 1989 was thoroughly analysed based on the observational data, including the beginning, development and final stages of the event. An index of the geomorphologic effectiveness of the tributary on the trunk stream and a number of indices describing SJEs and the influencing factors are adopted, based on which a discrimination relationship for the occurrence of SJEs is established and some statistical relationships are also established. The SJE’s hydrological and geomorphologic impacts are discussed at short timescales (from several days to one month) and at long time scales (up to 46 years). The results may help to gain a new insight into the study of the tributary–trunk stream relationship, and provide useful information for sediment management and disaster-reduction planning in the drainage basin. Countermeasures are suggested to reduce the channel sedimentation and the risk of sediment-jamming disaters.

Editor M.C. Acreman Associate editor Q. Zhang     

Form-drag instability in a barotropic and a baroclinic atmosphere

We discuss the form-drag instability for a quasi-geostrophic channel flow. We first study the characteristics of this instability in a barotropic flow, considering in detail the influence of the meridional scale and discussing which structure of the perturbation zonal flow must be chosen in order to describe properly this instability.We then consider a continuous quasi-geostrophic channel model in which the topography enters only through the bottom boundary condition, and we discuss how in this case the effects of the form-drag are felt by the mean zonal flow through the ageostrophic mean meridional circulation. Because the meridional structure of the perturbation zonal flow cannot simply be extended from the barotropic to the continuous case, we show how to modify it properly.We then study the baroclinic model in the particular case of constant (in the vertical) basic-state zonal flow and show how this case closely resembles the barotropic, demonstrating the barotropic nature of the form-drag instability.Symbols _t is the partial derivative with respect tot. - _x is the partial derivative with respect tox. - _y is the partial derivative with respect toy. - represents the geostrophic stream function. - u is the eastward component of the geostrophic wind. - v is the northward component of the geostrophic wind. - u _a is the eastward component of the ageostrophic wind. - v _a is the northward component of the ageostrophic wind. - w is the vertical component of the wind. - f is the Coriolis parameter=2 sin f _o+y. - f _o is the Coriolis parameter evaluated at mid-latitude. - N is the Brunt-Vaisala frequency. - [A] is the zonal (x) average ofA at constantp andy. - <A> is the horizontal (x andy) average ofA at constantp