湍流相干结构在中蒙中区一次沙尘暴起沙中的作用

起沙机制是沙尘暴天气研究中一个重要问题.本文基于中蒙中区一次沙尘暴天气过程,通过提取沙尘源地涡动相关数据中的湍流相干结构（Coherent structure,简称为CS）,研究了CS在起沙中的作用.结果发现：（1）起沙期间存在CS,其典型特征表现为上扬—下扫循环,即暖空气的辐合上升与冷空气的辐散下沉相伴;（2）起沙期间,CS具有频次高、持续时间短、间歇性适中、连发频繁、速度切变大、水平尺度远大于垂直尺度和尺度变化比较大的特点;（3）CS是重要的起沙机制,它可起动粒径在0.1~156 μm之间的各种沙粒,起动最多的是粒径低于8 μm的粉粒与粘粒,但CS不是唯一的起沙机制;（4）CS的上扬与下扫两过程均可引起起沙,区别在于前者通过暖空气的上升将沙粒向上空输送,后者则是将上空高速冷空气拖带下来引起地表沙粒的起动;（5）CS起沙分为单起式和连发配合式两种形式.单起式是单发CS产生的起沙形式,连发配合式是连发的CS产生的跃移—上扬的配合起沙形式.其中,连发配合式为主要形式;（6）下扫过程对起沙的贡献是上扬过程的1.8~15倍,上扬过程可将下扫过程中起动沙粒的1/3左右向上输送到空中;（7）一般情况下,CS对起沙具有稳定的贡献,其贡献率为51%,当临界起沙风速大于13 m·s^-1时,其贡献急剧降低.

     

Effects of shear in the convective boundary layer: analysis of the turbulent kinetic energy budget

Effects of convective and mechanical turbulence at the entrainment zone are studied through the use of systematic Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) experiments. Five LES experiments with different shear characteristics in the quasi-steady barotropic boundary layer were conducted by increasing the value of the constant geostrophic wind by 5 m s^-1 until the geostrophic wind was equal to 20 m s^-1. The main result of this sensitivity analysis is that the convective boundary layer deepens with increasing wind speed due to the enhancement of the entrainment heat flux by the presence of shear. Regarding the evolution of the turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) budget for the studied cases, the following conclusions are drawn: (i) dissipation increases with shear, (ii) the transport and pressure terms decrease with increasing shear and can become a destruction term at the entrainment zone, and (iii) the time tendency of TKE remains small in all analyzed cases. Convective and local scaling arguments are applied to parameterize the TKE budget terms. Depending on the physical properties of each TKE budget contribution, two types of scaling parameters have been identified. For the processes influenced by mixed-layer properties, boundary layer depth and convective velocity have been used as scaling variables. On the contrary, if the physical processes are restricted to the entrainment zone, the inversion layer depth, the modulus of the horizontal velocity jump and the momentum fluxes at the inversion appear to be the natural choices for scaling these processes. A good fit of the TKE budget terms is obtained with the scaling, especially for shear contribution.     

湍流相干结构在中蒙中区一次沙尘暴起沙中的作用

起沙机制是沙尘暴天气研究中一个重要问题.本文基于中蒙中区一次沙尘暴天气过程,通过提取沙尘源地涡动相关数据中的湍流相干结构（Coherent structure,简称为CS）,研究了CS在起沙中的作用.结果发现：（1）起沙期间存在CS,其典型特征表现为上扬—下扫循环,即暖空气的辐合上升与冷空气的辐散下沉相伴;（2）起沙期间,CS具有频次高、持续时间短、间歇性适中、连发频繁、速度切变大、水平尺度远大于垂直尺度和尺度变化比较大的特点;（3）CS是重要的起沙机制,它可起动粒径在0.1~156 μm之间的各种沙粒,起动最多的是粒径低于8 μm的粉粒与粘粒,但CS不是唯一的起沙机制;（4）CS的上扬与下扫两过程均可引起起沙,区别在于前者通过暖空气的上升将沙粒向上空输送,后者则是将上空高速冷空气拖带下来引起地表沙粒的起动;（5）CS起沙分为单起式和连发配合式两种形式.单起式是单发CS产生的起沙形式,连发配合式是连发的CS产生的跃移—上扬的配合起沙形式.其中,连发配合式为主要形式;（6）下扫过程对起沙的贡献是上扬过程的1.8~15倍,上扬过程可将下扫过程中起动沙粒的1/3左右向上输送到空中;（7）一般情况下,CS对起沙具有稳定的贡献,其贡献率为51%,当临界起沙风速大于13 m·s^-1时,其贡献急剧降低.     

基于小波分解的能量谱分析方法及其在汶川地震中的应用

利用小波分解将地震波分解成不同频带的小波分量,进而对地震波输入结构的总能量EI进行分解,得到能量在频域上的分布,这是一个有意义的结果。通过对各分量能量谱峰值的分析,可以从另一个方面得到地震波的频谱特性,能量谱峰值出现的结构固有周期与地震波傅里叶谱的卓越周期相同,也可以作为估算卓越周期的一种方法。     

黄土高原冬季湍流相干结构在地表能量平衡中的作用

地表能量不平衡问题是近40年一直困扰微气象学界的重要难题.本文利用黄土高原定西干旱气象与生态环境试验站的相关数据,通过将湍流分解为相干结构部分和非相干结构部分,在涡动相关法中引入相干结构(Coherent structure, 简称为CS)的贡献,探讨了CS在地表能量平衡中的作用.研究发现：(1)CS出现频次高,间歇性显著,在30 min平均时间中出现的数目为38个,出现时间与未出现时间分别占40%和60%左右;(2)CS对通量影响显著,引入CS贡献后,白天垂直动量通量、感热、潜热和湍流通量(感热与潜热之和)等4个通量计算的准确性均获得显著提高,分别提高达26%(0.01 m²·s^-2)、24%(25.33 W·m^-2)、31%(6.23 W·m^-2)和30%(31.66 W·m^-2).而不考虑CS的传统方法对这4个通量低估达19%、22%、21%和23%;(3)CS对4个通量的贡献分别为36%、41%、33%和50%;(4)传统方法得到的地表能量平衡闭合率EBR只有0.76、能量平衡残差Res为41.9 W·m^-2,远未平衡.考虑CS贡献后,EBR增大至0.96、Res降低至10.4 W·m^-2,地表能量接近闭合;(5)EBR与Res少量的未闭合部分可以非均匀地表产生的垂直感热平流解释.结果表明,CS大幅提高了地表能量的闭合水平,它是实现地表能量平衡的关键因素之一,是产生地表能量不平衡的最重要原因之一,应该在涡动相关法中考虑CS的贡献.

     

Baroclinic nonlinear exchanges of energy and potential enstrophy in the quasi-geostrophic two-layer model

Abstract

Merilees and Warn's (1975) nonlinear interaction analysis of two-dimensional nondivergent flow is extended to examine the quasi-geostrophic two-layer model. Two sets of triads exist in this model (Salmon, 1978). The purely barotropic triads are the same as the triads examined by Merilees and Warn. Baroclinic-barotropic triads are found to exchange more energy or potential enstrophy with smaller or larger scales depending on the scale of motion as compared with the internal Rossby deformation radius and the relative wavenumber position of baroclinic and barotropic components.     

Turbulence flux measurement above the overstory of a subtropical Pinus plantation over the hilly region in southeastern China

Continuous turbulence flux measurement using the eddy covariance (EC) technique was made from January 1 to December 31 in 2003 at two and three canopy heights of a subtropical Pinus plantation on the red earth hilly region in southeastern China. To be able to make sure that the measured turbulence flux will equal the net ecosystem/atmosphere exchange, the quality of the data has to be assessed. Three criteria were investigated here, including the power spectra and cospectra analyses, flux variance similarity (integral turbulence test) and energy balance closure. The spectral analyses suggested that above-canopy power spectral slopes for all velocity components and scalars such as CO2, H2O and air temperature followed the expected -2/3 power law in the inertial subrange, and their cospectral slopes were close to -4/3 power law in the inertial subrange. The important contribution of large-scale motions to energy and mass transfer above the canopy at higher measurement level was also confirmed by the spectral analyses. The eddy covariance systems have the ability to resolve fluctuations associated with small-scale eddies and did not induce an obvious underestimation of the measured turbulence flux. The Monin-Obukhov similarity functions for the normalized standard deviation of vertical wind speed and air temperature were well-defined functions of atmospheric stability at two heights above the forest canopy, which indicated that turbulence flux measurements made at two heights were within the surface layer. Nocturnal flux underestimation and departures of this normalized standard deviation of vertical wind speed similarity function from that expected from Monin-Obukhov theory were a function of friction velocity. Thus, an optimal criterion of friction velocity was determined to be greater than 0.2-0.3 m s-1 for nocturnal fluxes so that the eddy covariance flux measurement was under high turbulent mixing conditions. Energy balance closure reached about 72%-81% at the studied site, which was comparable to the 10%-30% of energy imbalance reported in the literature. However, the energy balance closure could be only used as a useful reference criterion.     

The role of overstrength on the seismic performance of asymmetric-plan structures

Uneven distribution of seismic demand in asymmetric-plan structures is a critical concern in earthquake-resistant design. Contemporary seismic design strategies that are based on linear elastic response, single load reduction factor, and uniform ductility demand throughout an asymmetric system generally lead to unsatisfactory performance in terms of realized ductilities and nonuniform damage distribution due to strong torsional coupling associated with asymmetric-plan systems. In many cases, actual nonlinear behavior of the structure displays significant deviation from what is estimated by a linear elastic, force-based seismic design approach. This study investigates the prediction of seismic demand distribution among structural members of a single-story, torsionally stiff asymmetric-plan system. The focus is on the effect of inherent unbalanced overstrength, resulting from current force-based design practices, on the seismic response of code-designed single-story asymmetric structures. The results obtained are utilized to compile unsymmetrical response spectra and uniform ductility spectra, which are proposed as assessment and preliminary design tools for estimating the seismic performance of multistory asymmetric structures. A simple design strategy is further suggested for improving the inelastic torsional performance of asymmetric systems. Providing additional strength to stiff edge members over their nominal design strength demands leads to a more balanced ductility distribution. Finally, seismic responses of several asymmetric case study structures designed with the aid of the proposed strategy are assessed for validating their improved performance.     

The role of boundary conditions in the simulation of rotating,stratified turbulence

Abstract

In this paper we use the CASL method to explore the role of boundary conditions in determining the long-time behaviour of rotating, stratified, quasi-geostrophic turbulence. We find that initially two-dimensional (sufficiently tall) columns of potential vorticity (PV) break down through three-dimensional instability to give a fully three-dimensional flow consisting of ellipsoidal structures. This is the case both for rigid-lid (isothermal) vertical boundary conditions and for vertically periodic boundaries. However, the rigid boundary case gives rise to semi-ellipsoids at both the top and bottom boundaries, and, for sufficient domain depths, preferred depths for the formation of ellipsoids in the interior. By contrast, in the vertically periodic case, the distribution of ellipsoids is homogeneous in depth.

The role of the horizontal boundaries is indirect, but still significant. In all cases doubly periodic horizontal boundary conditions are imposed. We consider a range of initial conditions where in each case equal numbers of two-dimensional columns of positive and negative vorticity are used, taking up a fixed, but relatively small fraction of the domain (approximately 5%). Thus when there is only a small number of vortices, they have larger radius. When the initial number of vortices is small enough (i.e., when the radius is not small compared with the horizontal domain width), at long time there is a two-dimensionalisation giving rise to a single column of positive PV and a single column of negative PV, as has been observed in some previous simulations. We find the same phenomenon for both vertically periodic and rigid lid boundary conditions, but it occurs over a broader range of initial conditions in the vertically periodic case. However, in all cases fully three-dimensional final states are regained when the number of vortices is increased while keeping the fraction of the domain occupied by vortices fixed, i.e., when the vortex radius/domain width ratio is sufficiently small.     

A theory of enhanced saturation of the gravity wave spectrum due to increases in atmospheric stability

In this paper we consider a vertical wavenumber spectrum of vertically propagating gravity waves impinging on a rapid increase in atmospheric stability. If the high-wavenumber range is saturated below the increase, as is usually observed, then the compression of vertical scales as the waves enter a region of higher stability results in that range becoming supersaturated, that is, the spectral amplitude becomes larger than the saturation limit. The supersaturated wave energy must then dissipate in a vertical distance of the order of a wavelength, resulting in an enhanced turbulent energy dissipation rate. If the wave spectrum is azimuthally anisotropic, the dissipation also results in an enhanced vertical divergence of the vertical flux of horizontal momentum and enhanced wave drag in the same region. Estimates of the enhanced dissipation rates and radar reflectivities appear to be consistent with the enhancements observed near the high-latitude summer mesopause. Estimates of the enhanced mean flow acceleration appear to be consistent with the wave drag that is needed near the tropopause and the high-latitude summer mesopause in large-scale models of the atmosphere. Thus, this process may play a significant role in determining the global effects of gravity waves on the large-scale circulation.     

The role of eddies in solute transport and recovery in rock fractures: Implication for groundwater remediation

A better understanding of solute transport and retention mechanism in rock fractures has been challenging due to difficulty in their direct observations in microscale rough‐walled fractures. Six representative troughs in a rough‐walled fracture were selected for microscale observations of eddy formation with increasing flow velocity and its effect on spatiotemporal changes of solute concentration. This experimental study was enabled by a microscale visualization technique of micro particle image velocimetry. With increasing flow velocity (Re ≤ 2.86), no eddies were generated, and solutes along the main streamlines transported rapidly, whereas those near the wall moved slowly. A larger amount of solutes remained trapped at all troughs at Re = 2.86 than Re < 1. For Re = 8.57, weak eddies started to be developed at the troughs on the lee side, which little contributed to overall solute flushing in the fracture. Accordingly, a large of amount of water was needed for solute flushing. The flow condition of 1 < Re < 10, before a full development of eddies, was least favourable in terms of time and amount of remediation fluid required to reach a target concentration. After large eddies were fully developed at troughs on the lee side for Re = 17.13, solutes were substantially reduced by eddies with less amount of water. Fully developed eddies were found to enhance solute transport and recovery, as opposed to a general consensus that eddies trap and delay solutes. Direct inflow into troughs on the stoss side also made a great contribution to solute flushing out of the troughs. This study indicates that fully developed eddies or strong inflows at troughs are highly possible to form for Re > 10 and this flow range could be favourable for efficient remediation.     

The role of fire on soil mounds and surface roughness in the Mojave Desert

A fundamental question in arid land management centers on understanding the long‐term effects of fire on desert ecosystems. To assess the effects of fire on surface topography, soil roughness, and vegetation, we used terrestrial (ground‐based) LiDAR to quantify the differences between burned and unburned surfaces by creating a series of high‐resolution vegetation structure and bare‐earth surface models for six sample plots in the Grand Canyon‐Parashant National Monument, Arizona. We find that 11 years following prescribed burns, mound volumes, plant heights, and soil‐surface roughness were significantly lower on burned relative to unburned plots. Results also suggest a linkage between vegetation and soil mounds, either through accretion or erosion mechanisms such as wind and/or water erosion. The biogeomorphic implications of fire‐induced changes are significant. Reduced plant cover and altered soil surfaces from fire likely influence seed residence times, inhibit seed germination and plant establishment, and affect other ecohydrological processes. Published in 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Full-correlation analysis of turbulent scattering layers in the mesosphere observed by the MU radar

We have applied a full-correlation analysis technique to the echo power fluctuations observed by the MU radar (35°N, 136°E), and analyzed the horizontal structure of the scattering pattern in the mesosphere as well as their horizontal motions. The velocity of the scattering pattern did not agree with the background wind velocity, but was associated with the horizontal propagating direction of a saturated inertia gravity wave identified in the wind field. The length of the long axis of the characteristic ellipse of the scattering pattern was approximately 50 km, and the direction was almost perpendicular to the propagating direction of the wave. The correlation time of the scattering pattern was approximately 700 s, which is much longer than the lifetime of the isolated turbulence itself. This implies that the observed scattering pattern is associated with a region where the saturated inertia gravity wave generates turbulence.     

The fractal geometry of interfaces and the multifractal distribution of dissipation in fully turbulent flows

We describe scalar interfaces in turbulent flowsvia elementary notions from fractal geometry. It is shown by measurement that these interfaces possess a fractal dimension of 2.35±0.05 in a variety of flows, and it is demonstrated that the uniqueness of this number is a consequence of the physical principle of Reynolds number similarity. Also, the spatial distribution of scalar and energy dissipation in physical space is shown to be multifractal. We compare thef() curves obtained from one- and two-dimensional cuts in several flows, and examine their value in describing features of turbulence in the three-dimensional physical space.     

Pb isotopic variability in melt inclusions from the EMI–EMII–HIMU mantle end-members and the role of the oceanic lithosphere

Melt inclusions from four individual lava samples representing the HIMU (Mangaia Island), EMI (Pitcairn Island) and EMII (Tahaa Island) end member components, have heterogeneous Pb isotopic composition larger than that defined by the erupted lavas in each island. The broad linear trend in ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb–²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb space produced by the melt inclusions from Mangaia, Tahaa and fPitcairn samples reproduces the entire trend defined by the Austral chain, the Society islands and the Pitcairn island and seamount groups. The inclusions preserve a record of melt composition of far greater isotopic diversity than that sampled in whole rock basalts. These results can be explained by mixing of a common depleted component with the HIMU, EMI and EMII lavas, respectively. We favor a model that considers the oceanic lithosphere to be that common component. We suggest that the Pb isotopic compositions of the melt inclusions reflect wall rock reaction of HIMU, EMI and EMII melts during their percolation through the oceanic lithosphere. Under these conditions, the localized rapid crystallization of olivine from primitive basalt near the reaction zone would allow the entrapment of melt inclusions with different isotopic composition.     

Exploring the role of topography in small channel erosion

Erosion caused by concentrated flows in agricultural areas is responsible for important soil losses, and rapid sediment transfer through the channel network. The main factors controlling concentrated flow erosion rates include the erodibility of soil materials, soil use and management, climate and watershed topography. In this paper, two topographic indices, closely related to mathematical expressions suggested by different authors, are used to characterize the influence of watershed topography on gully erosion. The AS1 index is defined as the product of the watershed area and the partial area‐weighted average slope. The AS2 index is similar to the AS1 but uses the swale slope as the weighting factor. Formally, AS2 is the product of the watershed area and the length‐weighted average swale slope. From studies made using different ephemeral gully erosion databases, it is shown that a high correlation consistently exists between the topographic indices and the volume of eroded soil. The resulting relationships are therefore useful to assess soil losses from gully erosion, to identify the most susceptible watersheds within large areas, and to compare the susceptibility to gully erosion among different catchments. This information is also important in studying the response of natural drainage network systems to different rainfall inputs. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

经验格林函数方法理论上的改进

以往的经验格林函数方法存在着两个问题:一是要求大小地震需满足"相似"或"准相似"条件,这就限制了经验格林函数方法的适用范围。二是对大地震断层面的位错不均匀性考虑得不充分,而实际上大地震断层的位错一般是不均匀的。本文在假定大小地震不满足"相似"和"准相似"以及大地震断层面位错不均匀的前提下,对经验格林函数方法进行了改进,并应用于卢龙地震的模拟,模拟的结果与记录符合得比较好,说明改进的经验格林函数方法可以用来估计场地地震动过程。     

中尺度涡影响下目的层地震成像的畸变与影响因素分析

将PE方法与地震数值模拟方法相结合研究了中尺度涡影响下目标地层成像的畸变.模拟了不同声源频率、不同水深条件下的地震波场.计算结果发现,中尺度涡的存在使得真实地形结构无法在地震成像中反映,而且地震成像畸变随着海水深度、震源频率的增加而增大.机理分析表明,中尺度涡所带来的水体温度梯度变化是产生地震成像畸变的主要因素.为了便于工程应用,本文还推导了有效涡强度、温度差与地形畸变率的关系式.本文的研究结果将对提高深海地震成像精度有一定的指导意义.     

Uncertainty in quantitative analyses of topographic change: error propagation and the role of thresholding

Topographic surveys inevitably contain error, introducing uncertainty into estimates of volumetric or mean change based on the differencing of repeated surveys. In the geomorphic community, uncertainty has often been framed as a problem of separating out real change from apparent change due purely to error, and addressed by removing measured change considered indistinguishable from random noise from analyses (thresholding). Thresholding is important when quantifying gross changes (i.e. total erosion or total deposition), which are systematically biased by random errors in stable parts of a landscape. However, net change estimates are not substantially influenced by those same random errors, and the use of thresholds results in inherently biased, and potentially misleading, estimates of net change and uncertainty. More generally, thresholding is unrelated to the important process of propagating uncertainty in order to place uncertainty bounds around final estimates. Error propagation methods for uncorrelated, correlated, and systematic errors are presented. Those equations demonstrate that uncertainties in modern net change analyses, as well as in gross change analyses using reasonable thresholds, are likely to be dominated by low-magnitude but highly correlated or systematic errors, even after careful attempts to reduce those errors. In contrast, random errors with little to no correlation largely cancel to negligible levels when averaged or summed. Propagated uncertainty is then typically insensitive to the precision of individual measurements, and is instead defined by the relative mean error (accuracy) over the area of interest. Given that real-world mean elevation changes in many landscape settings are often similar in magnitude to potential mean errors in repeat topographic analyses, reducing highly correlated or systematic errors will be central to obtaining accurate change estimates, while placing uncertainty bounds around those results provides essential context for their interpretation. Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.