A new modulation transfer function for ocean wave spectra retrieval from X-band marine radar imagery

When imaging ocean surface waves by X-band marine radar,the radar backscatter from the sea surface is modulated by the long surface gravity waves. The modulation transfer function(MTF) comprises tilt,hydrodynamic,and shadowing modulations. A conventional linear MTF was derived using HH-polarized radar observations under conditions of deep water. In this study,we propose a new quadratic polynomial MTF based on VV-polarized radar measurements taken from heterogeneous nearshore wave fields. This new MTF is obtained using a radar-observed image spectrum and in situ buoy-measured wave frequency spectrum. We validate the MTF by comparing peak and mean wave periods retrieved from X-band marine radar image sequences with those measured by the buoy. It is shown that the retrieval accuracies of peak and mean wave periods of the new MTF are better than the conventional MTF. The results also show that the bias and root mean square errors of the peak and mean wave periods of the new MTF are 0.05 and 0.88 s,and 0.32 and 0.53 s,respectively,while those of the conventional MTF are 0.61 and 0.98 s,and 1.39 and 1.48 s,respectively. Moreover,it is also shown that the retrieval results are insensitive to the coefficients in the proposed MTF.     

Measurements of ocean wave and current field using dual polarized X-band radar

A new ocean wave and sea surface current monitoring system with horizontally-(HH) and vertically-(VV) polarized X-band radar was developed. Two experiments into the use of the radar system were carried out at two sites, respectively, for calibration process in Zhangzi Island of the Yellow Sea, and for validation in the Yellow Sea and South China Sea. Ocean wave parameters and sea surface current velocities were retrieved from the dual polarized radar image sequences based on an inverse method. The results obtained from dual-polarized radar data sets acquired in Zhangzi Island are compared with those from an ocean directional buoy. The results show that ocean wave parameters and sea surface current velocities retrieved from radar image sets are in a good agreement with those observed by the buoy. In particular, it has been found that the vertically-polarized radar is better than the horizontally-polarized radar in retrieving ocean wave parameters, especially in detecting the significant wave height below 1.0 m.     

A new method to determine the start depth in gravity anomaly inversion

The start depth in gravity anomaly inversion is discussed in this paper, and a new method called “test comparing method” is presented to determine the start depth when both boring data and seismic data are not available. Anticline and syncline density interface models are designed to test the method; the calculated result agreed well with the designed value, which proved that the new method can be used to determine the start depth in the gravity anomaly inversion when boring data and seismic data are not available. Contribution No. 3370 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Project 49625609 supported by NSFC, and Young Scientist Lab. of Submarine Hydrothermal Activity Research.     

Elimination of the impact of vessels on ocean wave height inversion with X-band wave monitoring radar

Directional wave spectra and integrated wave parameters can be derived from X-band radar sea surface images.A vessel on the sea surface has a significant influence on wave parameter inversions that can be seen as intensive backscatter speckles in X-band wave monitoring radar sea surface images.A novel algorithm to eliminate the interference of vessels in ocean wave height inversions from X-band wave monitoring radar is proposed.This algorithm is based on the characteristics of the interference.The principal components(PCs) of a sea surface image sequence are extracted using empirical orthogonal function(EOF)analysis.The standard deviation of the PCs is then used to identify vessel interference within the image sequence.To mitigate the interference,a suppression method based on a frequency domain geometric model is applied.The algorithm framework has been applied to OSMAR-X,a wave monitoring system developed by Wuhan University,based on nautical X-band radar.Several sea surface images captured on vessels by OSMAR-X are processed using the method proposed in this paper.Inversion schemes are validated by comparisons with data from in situ wave buoys.The root-mean-square error between the significant wave heights(SWH) retrieved from original interference radar images and those measured by the buoy is reduced by 0.25 m.The determinations of surface gravity wave parameters,in particular SWH,confirm the applicability of the proposed method.     

Exploring landslide erosion volume-area scaling relationships by slip depth using changes in DTMs for basin sediment volume estimation

Landslides produce large quantities of sediment deposits and reduce reservoir life. This study investigated landslides at the Shihmen Reservoir basin in Taiwan that were induced by Typhoon Sinlaku and Typhoon Jangmi in 2008. We formulate scaling relationships between landslide erosion volume and area and conclude that sediment budget can be estimated based on the easier-todetermine landslide erosion area. The methodologies applied for the investigation were geomorphological analysis through 5 m × 5 m digital terrain models(DTMs) of the basin created before and after the landslide events and spatial analysis through a geographic information system. The erosion area and volume of landslides were measured through the subtraction of DTMs produced before and after the events. Statistical analysis revealed that the landslide erosion frequency–magnitude distribution exhibited power-law behaviors with a scaling exponent of 2.15 for the frequency–area distribution and 1.66 for the frequency–volume distribution. This paper proposes different scaling relationships for different moving depths, and landslide erosion volumes were estimated on the basis of depth; thus, landslides of different scales can be distinguished to avoid errors in volume estimation. Two different scaling exponents are proposed: 1.21 for landslide erosions with depths of less than 2 m and 1.01 for landslide erosions with depths of more than 2 m. The proposed scaling relationships are practical for landslide erosion volume estimation by different depths according to the landslide area, and they can provide preliminary results for sediment budget planning in a reservoir basin.     

Calculation of significant wave height using the linear mean square estimation method

Significant wave height is an important criterion in designing coastal and offshore structures. Based on the orthogonality principle, the linear mean square estimation method is applied to calculate significant wave height in this paper. Twenty-eight-year time series of wave data collected from three ocean buoys near San Francisco along the California coast are analyzed. It is proved theoretically that the computation error will be reduced by using as many measured data as possible for the calculation of significant wave height. Measured significant wave height at one buoy location is compared with the calculated value based on the data from two other adjacent buoys. The results indicate that the linear mean square estimation method can be well applied to the calculation and prediction of significant wave height in coastal regions.     

A new method for the stability analysis of geosynthetic-reinforced slopes

This paper is concerned with the stability analysis of reinforced slopes. A new approach based on the limit equilibrium principle is proposed to evaluate the stability of the reinforced slopes. The effect of reinforcement is modeled as an equivalent restoring force acting the bottom of the slice and added into the general limit equilibrium (GLE) method. The equations of force and moment equilibrium of the slice are derived and corresponding iterative solution methods are provided. The new method can satisfy both the force and the moment equilibrium and be applicable to the critical failure surface of arbitrary form. Furthermore, the results predicted by the proposed method are compared with the calculation examples of other researchers and the centrifuge model test results to validate its correctness and effectiveness.     

A homogeneous linear estimation method for system error in data assimilation

In this paper, a new bias estimation method is proposed and applied in a regional ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) based on the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. The method is based on a homogeneous linear bias model, and the model bias is estimated using statistics at each assimilation cycle, which is different from the state augmentation methods proposed in previous literatures. The new method provides a good estimation for the model bias of some specific variables, such as sea level pressure (SLP). A series of numerical experiments with EnKF are performed to examine the new method under a severe weather condition. Results show the positive effect of the method on the forecasting of circulation pattern and meso-scale systems, and the reduction of analysis errors. The background error covariance structures of surface variables and the effects of model system bias on EnKF are also studied under the error covariance structures and a new concept ‘correlation scale’ is introduced. However, the new method needs further evaluation with more cases of assimilation.     

一种基于GPS定位的雷达方位标定方法

借助地面参照物,在引入GPS定位功能的基础上,提出了一种灵活、快速的车载雷达方位标定方法。由于其中的地心角计算公式复杂,给出了地心角的近似计算方法。结果表明,当GPS定位精度为2m,相对距离为800m的地方角度误差小于0.286°17.172′,此精度已经超过了低档陀螺电子寻北仪。     

一种CINRAD雷达基数据读取丢失的改进方法

多普勒天气雷达是目前世界上最先进的气象雷达,已成为对灾害性天气监测、预警的重要手段之一.雷达基数据的读取是做雷达应用软件的基础,针对目前常规方法对雷达基数据的读取遇到的数据丢失的问题,提出一种改进方法.通过对大量数据的分析和读取,发现新的方法能够有效地提取出丢失数据,并且能够根据丢失数据的重要性对图像进行修正,对小尺度龙卷天气的分析有重要意义.     

A new spectrophotometric method for measuring COD of seawater

This research studied a new spectrophotometric method for measuring the chemical oxygen demand （COD） of seawater. In this method, the COD was measured using a spectrophotometer instead of titrating with sodium thiosuiphate. The measuring wavelength was selected to be 470 nm, and the COD of three standard glucose solutions （COD = 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 mgL^-1, respectively） and two seawater samples （from the South Yellow Sea and Jiaozhou Bay） were measured using the spectrophotometric method and titrimetric method respectively. The results showed that the spectrophotometric method was somewhat better than the titrimetric method. The relative standard deviation （RSD） of the spectrophotometric method was less than 2.7%, and the recovery of seawater samples ranged from 96.3% to 103.8%. In addition, the spectrophotometric method has other advantages such as expeditiousness, operation simplicity, analysis automatization, etc. Therefore the spectrophotometric method can be used to measure the COD of seawater with satisfactory results.     

A method for surface roughness parameter estimation in passive microwave remote sensing

Surface roughness parameter is an important factor and obstacle for retrieving soil moisture in passive microwave remote sensing.Two statistical parameters,root mean square (RMS) height (s) and correlation length (l),are designed for describing the roughness of a randomly rough surface.The roughness parameter measured by traditional way is independence of frequency,soil moisture and soil heterogeneity and just the ″geometric″ roughness of random surface.This ″geometric″ roughness can not fully explain the scattered thermal radiation by the earth's surface.The relationship between ″geometric″ roughness and integrated roughness (contain both ″geometric″ roughness and ″dielectric″ roughness) is linked by empirical coefficient.In view of this problem,this paper presents a method for estimating integrated surface roughness from radiometer sampling data at different frequencies,which mainly based on the flourier relationship between power spectral density distribution and spatial autocorrelation function.We can obtain integrated surface roughness at different frequencies by this method.Besides "geometric" roughness,this integrated surface roughness not only contains "dielectric" roughness but also includes frequency dependence.Combined with Q/H model the polarization coupling coefficient can also be obtained for both H and V polarization.Meanwhile,the simulated numerical results show that radiometer with a sensitivity of 0.1 K can distinguish the different surface roughness and the change of roughness with frequency for the same rough surface.This confirms the feasibility of radiometer sampling method for estimating the surface roughness theoretically.This method overcomes the problem of ″dielectric″ roughness measurement to some extent and can achieve the integrated surface roughness within a microwave pixel which can serve soil moisture inversion better than the ″geometric″ roughness.     

A new method to determine the tropopause

The tropopause has a complex structure and some interference information may exist in high-resolution global positioning system （GPS）/low earth-orbiting （LEO） radio occultation （RO） data. The position of the tropopause cannot be accurately determined using traditional cold point tropopause （CPT） and lapse rate tropopause （LRT） algorithms. In this paper, an integrative algorithm is developed to determinate tropopause parameters. The algorithm is applied to GPS/COSMIC RO data to obtain a global distribution of the height and temperature of the tropopause. This algorithm improves the utilization rate of GPS/LEO RO data by 30% compared with that from the traditional CPT method. The rationality and reliability of GPS/LEO RO data in probing the Earth＇s atmosphere are verified by our study of the tropopause using COSMIC data.     

A new method for the estimation of fine-sediment resuspension ratios in estuaries-taking the turbidity maximum zone of the Changjiang(Yangtze) estuary as an example

Based on the principle of conservative matter removal in estuary,a new method is proposed for estimating the ratio of sediment resuspension in estuaries with fine suspended sediments in the turbidity maximum zone(TMZ) of the Changjiang(Yangtze) estuary during 2005.Results show that there was a range of 18.7%±27.9% to 73.9%±22.5% per annum of total suspended particulate matter(SPM),with an average of 49.2%.Nearly half of the particulate matter in the TMZ originates from sediment resuspension.This indicates that sediment resuspension is one of the major mechanisms involved in formation of the TMZ.Compared with traditional method for calculating these ratios in the estuary,this new method evaluates the dynamic variation of SPM content carried by river runoff from the river mouth to the ocean.The new method produced more reliable results than the traditional one and could produce a better estimation of resuspension flux for particulate matter in estuaries.     

A new simple screening method for the detection of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins

The current testing for paralytic shellfish poisoning(PSP) in shellfish is based on the mouse bioassay(MBA).To alleviate animal welfare concerns,we evaluated the utility of using sublethal indicators of toxicity as an alternative to measuring time to death.Live mice were injected with a PSP congener and the changes in neurotransmitter levels were measured 60,90,and 120 min after injection.Acetylcholine(ACh) was the most sensitive marker for PSP toxicity.The changes in neurotransmitter levels were most pronounced in the blood.Thus,measurement of Ach levels in the blood may serve as a sensitive predictor for PSP that would not require sacrifice of the mice.This method was relatively simple,sensitive(less than 1 μg/kg weight,equivalent to 20 ng/mL),low maintenance,and rapid(less than 60 min).     

A New Method for the Non-destructive Determination of Fish Freshness by Nuclear Imaging

A new method for determining the freshness of harvested carp using nuclear imaging technology is presented. This research attempted to determine the freshness of carp by measuring the radioactive area increase （RAI） value of fish. The carp samples were maintained under refrigerated condition for 12 d, and RAI and total volatile base nitrogen （T-VBN） values were determined during the storage. The results showed that the RAI value increased with the T-VBN content during the storage. Also, there is a significant correlation between T-VBN content and RAI value of the carp kept in refrigerated condition. The results of this study suggest that the RAI value could be utilized to evaluate rapidly the freshness of carp.     

Contrast validation test for retrieval method of high frequency ground wave radar

1 INTRODUCTION Ocean wave and sea wind, are important oce-anic dynamic phenomena having great influence on the development of marine economy, exploitation of marine resources, and location selection, planning and designing, construction and operation of marine projects; so study on measuring methods of ocean wave and sea wind is important. High frequency ground wave radar (HF radar) was a technique developed in the last decades for the detection of oceanic environment. Long radio wave (mu…     

A METHOD FOR EPICENTER LOCATNG BY USING T WAVES

Two OBS arrays were deployed in the southern Okinawa Trough.Some of the OBS records revealedmany earthquakes with intensive T waves but ambiguous body waves.A new method using T waves for epicenter locating was developed that was found to be as precise as the body wave method for locatingepicenters when T waves are clearly recorded.