Review of Mercury's dynamic magnetosphere:Post-MESSENGER era and comparative magnetospheres

This review paper summarizes the research of Mercury’s magnetosphere in the Post-MESSENGER era and compares its dynamics to those in other planetary magnetospheres,especially to those in Earth’s magnetosphere.This review starts by introducing the planet Mercury,including its interplanetary environment,magnetosphere,exosphere,and conducting core.The frequent and intense magnetic reconnection on the dayside magnetopause,which is represented by the flux transfer event"shower",is reviewed on how they depend on magnetosheath plasma β and magnetic shear angle across the magnetopause,followed by how it contributes to the flux circulation and magnetosphere-surface-exosphere coupling.In the next,Mercury’s magnetosphere under extreme solar events,including the core induction and the reconnection erosion on the dayside magnetosphere,as well as the responses of the nightside magnetosphere,are reviewed.Then,the dawn-dusk properties of the plasma sheet,including the features of the ions,the structure of the current sheet,and the dynamics of magnetic reconnection,are summarized.The last topic is devoted to the particle energization in Mercury’s magnetosphere,which includes the energization of the Kelvin-Helmholtz waves on the magnetopause boundaries,reconnection-generated magnetic structures,and the cross-tail electric field.In each chapter,the last section discusses the open questions related to each topic,which can be considered by the simulations and the future spacecraft mission.We end this paper by summarizing the future Bepi Colombo opportunities,which is a joint mission of ESA and JAXA and is en route to Mercury.     

Existence,morphology and structure of the Yellow Sea Warm Current Branch approaching waters offshore Qingdao,China

In this study, we focused on full-region cruise survey data, near-bottom continuous mooring observations and sea surface wind products from the western South Yellow Sea in winter; after ensuring the data reliability and accuracy, we processed and analyzed the data. Image resolution experiments were carried out to determine the lowest recognition resolutions for all image types, which represent the resolution characteristics of the data. The existence of a warm water tongue originating from the Yellow Sea Warm Current(YSWC) that approached waters offshore Qingdao was confirmed. For the first time, a high salinity water tongue, corresponding to the warm water tongue, was described and found to be more representative of the YSWC branch path. This warm tongue is a sign of the branch originating from the YSWC, which we defined as the Yellow Sea Warm Current Branch approaching waters offshore Qingdao(YSWC-QDB). The pattern of the warm and salty water tongues showed remarkable rear, branching middle, shrinking neck and expanding top regions. These patterns showed a temporal feature of the tongues, and were the result of multi-temporal branches in front of the YSWC main section as well as the YSWC-QDB crossing the southwestward path of the extension of the North Shandong Coastal Current flowing along the southeast coast of the Shandong Peninsula(NSCC-SESE). Analysis using mooring data at a sensitive and representative station also showed the existence of the YSWC-QDB. It is a probabilistic event that manifests as a northwestward flow that decreases gradually from the bottom to the surface in the early cold air transit stage and consistent in the whole water column profile in the later stage. It varies quasi-periodically with weather processes. It also transports some of the YSWC water stored in the entrance area of the Bohai and Yellow seas under winter wind conditions to the western South Yellow Sea as a compensatory current. This current, caused by northerly winds, especially northwest winds and obstruction of the NSCC-SESE, was present, and strong water reduction and compensation caused significant residual sea level oscillations. The compensatory current, if caused by strong northwest wind,began to appear when its direction was opposite to the wind direction. In addition, confirmation of the YSWC-QDB provides an oceanographic basis for the short cooling time and rapid warming in the Qingdao area in winter. This research provides a basis for further studies of the YSWC-QDB at high spatial and temporal resolutions using large sea surface datasets. For monsoon basin dynamics, this study can also be extended to the whole Bohai and Yellow seas and closed or semi-closed basins on the continental margin.     

Recent progress of seismic research on tall buildings in China Mainland

To study the seismic behavior of high strength concrete fi lled double-tube(CFDT) columns,each consisting of an external square steel tube and an internal circular steel tube,quasi-static tests on eight CFDT column specimens were conducted.The test variables included the width-to-thickness ratio(β1) and the area ratio(β2) of the square steel tube,the wall thickness of the circular steel tube,and the axial force(or the axial force ratio) applied to the CFDT columns.The test results indicate that for CFDT columns with a square steel tube with β1 of 50.1 and 24.5,local buckling of the specimen was found at a drift ratio of 1/150 and 1/50,respectively.The lateral force-displacement hysteretic loops of all specimens were plump and stable.Reducing the width-to-thickness ratio of the square steel tube,increasing its area ratio,or increasing the wall thickness of the internal circular steel tube,led to an increased fl exural strength and deformation capacity of the specimens.Increasing the design value of the axial force ratio from 0.8 to 1.0 may increase the fl exural strength of the specimens,while it may also decrease the ultimate deformation capacity of the specimen with β1 of 50.1.     

Geological and surfacial processes and major disaster effects in the Yellow River Basin

The Yellow River Basin(YRB) is characterized by active geological and tectonic processes, rapid geomorphological evolution, and distinct climatic diversity. Correspondingly, major disasters in the YRB are characterized by varied types,extensive distributions, and sudden occurrences. In addition, major disasters in the YRB usually evolve into disaster chains that cause severe consequences. Therefore, major disasters in the YRB destroy ecologies and environments and influence geological and ecological safety in the basin. This paper systematically reviews research on geological and surface processes, major disaster effects, and risk mitigation in the YRB, discusses the trends and challenges of relevant research, analyzes the key scientific problems that need to be solved, and suggests prospects for future research based on the earth system science concept. Themes of research that should be focused on include geological, surface and climatic processes in the YRB and their interlinking disaster gestation mechanisms;formation mechanisms and disaster chain evolutions of giant landslides in the upper reach of the YRB;mechanisms and disaster chain effects of loess water-soil disasters in the middle reach of the YRB;occurrence patterns and amplifying effects of giant flood chains in the lower reach of the YRB;and risk mitigations of major disasters in the YRB. Key scientific problems that need to be solved are as follows: how to reveal the geological, surface and climatic processes that are coupled and interlinked with gestation mechanisms of major disasters;how to clarify the mutual feedback effects between major disasters and ecology;and how to develop a human-environmental harmony-based integrated risk mitigation system for major disasters. Prospects for future studies that follow the earth system science concept include the following: highlighting interdisciplinary research to reveal the interlinked disaster gestation mechanisms of the geology, surface and climate in the YRB in the past, present, and future;forming theories to clarify the regional patterns, dynamic mechanisms, and mutual-feedback effects between disaster chains and ecology in the YRB on land and in rivers in the region;solving technological bottlenecks to develop assessment models and mitigation theories for integrated risks in the YRB by following the human-environment harmony concept;and finally, establishing a demonstratable application pattern characterized by "whole-basin coverage" and "zonal controls", thereby guaranteeing ecological and geological safety in the basin and providing scientific support for ecological conservation and high-quality development of the YRB.     

The intrinsic nonlinear multiscale interactions among the mean flow,low frequency variability and mesoscale eddies in the Kuroshio region

Using a new functional analysis tool, multiscale window transform(MWT), and the MWT-based localized multiscale energetics analysis and canonical transfer theory, this study reconstructs the Kuroshio system on three scale windows, namely,the mean flow window, the interannual-scale(low-frequency) window, and the transient eddy window, and investigates the climatological characteristics of the intricate nonlinear interactions among these windows. Significant upscale energy transfer is observed east of Taiwan, where the mean Kuroshio current extracts kinetic energy from both the interannual and eddy windows.It is found that the canonical transfer from the interannual variability is an intrinsic source that drives the eddy activities in this region. The multiscale variabilities of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea(ECS) are mainly controlled by the interaction between the mean flow and the eddies.The mean flow undergoes mixed instabilities(i.e., both barotropic and baroclinic instabilities) in the southern ECS, while it is barotropically stable but baroclinically unstable to the north. The multiscale interactions are found to be most intense south of Japan, where strong mixed instabilities occur; both the canonical transfers from the mean flow and the interannual scale are important mechanisms to fuel the eddies. It is also found that the interannual-scale energy mainly comes from the barotropically unstable jet, rather than the upscale energy transfer from the high frequency eddies.     

Evaluation of vertical impact factor coefficients for continuous and integral railway bridges under high-speed moving loads

In the railway bridge analysis and design method,dynamic train loads are regarded as static loads enhanced by an impact factor(IF).The IF coefficients for various railway bridges have been reported as a function of span length or frequency of the bridges in Eurocode(2003).However,these IF coefficient values neglect the effects of very high speeds(>200 km/h)and soil-structure interaction(SSI).In this work,a comprehensive study to assess the impact factor coefficients of mid-span vertical displacements for continuous and integral railway bridges subjected to high-speed moving loads is reported.Three different configurations,each for the three-dimensional(3D)continuous and integral bridge,are considered.Also,single-track(1-T)and two-track(2-T)“real train”loading cases for both these bridge types are considered.Subsequently,finite element analysis of the full-scale 3D bridge models,to identify their IF values,considering the effects of SSI for three different soil conditions,is conducted.The IF values obtained from the study for both bridge types are comparable and are greater than the values recommended by Eurocode(2003).The results reveal that with a loss of soil stiffness,the IF value reduces;thus,it confirms the importance of SSI analysis.     

Distribution and structural characteristics of the Xi'an Section of the Weihe Fault

The results of seismic deep reflection,high resolution refraction and shallow artificial seismic exploration indicate that the fault on the northern bank of the Weihe river is composed of two faults,one is the Yaodian-Zhangjiawan fault and the other is the Chuanzhang-Zuitou fault.The 22 km long Yaodian-Zhangjiawan fault of EW-striking starts from Chenjiagou via Yaodian town,Qianpai village,Bili village,Wujia town and Zhangjiawan to Jiajiatan.The 15 km long Chuanzhang-Zuitou fault striking near EW starts from Chuanzhang via Mabei to Zuitou.The Weihe fault offset the basement and upper crust,the reflecting layers of TQ,TN,TE and Tg are ruptured at depth of about 15 km.In the deep part,the Weihe fault and the secondary fault form a Y-shaped structure or a synthetic low angle intersection.The Weihe fault is a listric normal fault.The fault has obvious structural characteristics of a reversed-drag normal fault and a normal drag normal fault with the depth of 1 000 m,and also has the characteris-tics of syngenetic sediment.The Weihe fault is one of the faults which control the basin sediment,and it is the boundary fault of Xi’an depression and Xianyang salient.The depth of the fault decreases from the west to east gradually,the deep part intersects with the Lintong-Chang’an fault at the intersection part of Weihe River,Jinghe River and Bahe River and the shallow part connects with the Weinan-Jingyang fault.The seismic exploration re-sults indicate that no fault exists on southern bank of the Weihe River.     

Prestack reverse-time depth migration of arbitrarily wide-angle wave equations

Based on arbitrarily wide-angle wave equations,a reverse-time propagation scheme is developed by substituting the partial derivatives of depth and time with central differences. The partial derivative of horizontal direction is replaced with high order difference. The imaging condition is computed by solving the eikonal equations. On the basis of above techniques,a prestack reverse-time depth migration algorithm is developed. The processing exam-ples of synthetic data show that the method can remove unwanted internal reflections and decrease the migration noise. The method also has the advantage of fidelity and is applicable of dip angle reflector imaging.     

Local scour around two side-by-side cylindrical bridge piers under ice-covered conditions

In the current study, 108 flume experiments with non-uniform, cohesionless sediments have been done to investigate the local scour process around four pairs of side-by-side bridge piers under both open channel and ice-covered flow conditions. Similar to local scour around bridge piers under open channel conditions and a single bridge pier, it was observed in the experiments that the maximum scour depth always occurred at the upstream face of the pier under ice-covered conditions. Further, the smaller the pier size and the greater the spacing distance between the bridge piers, the weaker the horseshoe vortices around the bridge piers, and, thus, the shallower the scour holes around them. Finally, empirical equations were developed to estimate the maximum scour depth around two side-by-side bridge piers under both open channel and ice-covered flow conditions.     

Evaluation of the fishbone model in simulating the seismic response of multistory reinforced concrete moment-resisting frames

The fishbone model is a simplified numerical model for moment-resisting frames that is capable of modelling the effects of column-beam strength and stiffness ratios. The applicability of the fishbone model in simulating the seismic responses of reinforced concrete moment-resisting frames of different sets of column-beam strength and stiffness ratios are evaluated through nonlinear static, dynamic and incremental dynamic analysis on six prototype buildings of 4-, 8-and 12-stories. The results show that the fishbone model is practically accurate enough for reinforced concrete frames, although the assumption of equal joint rotation does not hold in all cases. In addition to the ground motion characteristics and the number of stories in the structures, the accuracy of the model also varies with the column-beam stiffness and strength ratios. The model performs better for strong column-weak beam frames, in which the lateral drift patterns are better controlled by the continuous stiffness provided by the strong columns. When the inelastic deformation is large, the accuracy of the model may be subjected to large record-to-record variability. This is especially the case for frames of weak columns.     

昆仑山脉和喀喇昆仑山脉地区的地壳上地幔电性结构特征

本文简介从新疆叶城至西藏狮泉河的大地电磁测深剖面．它北起塔里木盆地，横跨昆仑山脉和喀喇昆仑山脉地区到冈底斯西段，全长８００余公里．探测结果表明，不同测点的地壳内部有的有两个低阻层，有的则只有一个低阻层，壳内第１低阻层的埋藏深度约１０－３５ｋｍ，第２低阻层的埋藏深度约３０－６５ｋｍ。在南昆仑缝合带以南，壳内低阻层的埋藏深度有从南向北不断加深的趋势；而在其以北的壳内低阻层的埋藏深度则与此相反．上地幔第１低阻层的埋藏深度约在１００－１５０ｋｍ之间，第２低阻层的埋藏深度约在３５０－５５０ｋｍ之间．     

内核地球自转动力学理论的研究进展(Ⅴ)——地球自转耦合运动方程组

本文是序列文章的第五篇,其内容包括：基于连续介质力学的基本理论,在考虑到地球的自引力、液核对核幔边界的压力和外部引潮力的作用下,严格地给出了地幔的角动量方程.利用前文的有关结论,进而给出了整体地球自转的动力学方程和内核地球模型的地球自转耦合运动学方程组.本文顾及了高阶岁差章动力矩对地球自转的影响,因而在理论上扩展了文献〔1〕给出的理论模型.本文的理论对进一步研究在高阶岁差章动力矩作用下的内核地球章动是非常有意义的.     

内核地球的自转运动和地球固定参考系的研究

本文研究了内核地球模型下的地球表面的旋转运动和地球形变场的复数矢量球函数表示,以及外壳固定参考架、地球参考系的理论定义和它们之间等价性的理论证明.同时给出了液体外核（FOC）、固体内核（SIC）和整体地球的转动惯量张量和角动量的具体表达式.在考虑到引潮力位对地球形变场的影响下,研究了地幔相对角动量的具体表述.本文的工作是对前人有关理论的扩展和改进,对进一步研究内核地球自转的动力学理论是非常重要的.     

Primary study on pattern of general circulation of atmosphere before uplift of the Tibetan Plateau in eastern Asia

The Tibetan Plateau is a key factor for the pattern of the general circulation of the atmosphere (GCA) in eastern Asia. The pattern of the GCA after the uplift of the plateau is well known, while the pattern of the GCA before the uplift of the plateau is lack of direct evidences. Based on the knowability of desert, a section recording wind directions across the Cretaceous northern hemisphere mid-low latitude desert belt is measured and the pattern of the GCA in the Cretaceous is revealed. The result shows that the eastern Asia was really controlled by the planetary circulation before the uplift of the plateau, i.e. westerlies in the north and northeast trades in the south. The convert belt between westerlies and trades had drifted northwards and southwards. The possibility of existence of paleo-monsoon is also dealt with and a possibly imposed paleo-monsoon is suggested.     

内核地球自转动力学理论的研究进展--Ⅲ液核自转动力学方程

本文是序列文章的第三篇,其内容包括：基于连续介质力学的基本理论,给出了液体外核（FOC）两种形式的角动量方程,对作用在FOC上外力矩进行了详细研究,同时对液核作用在固体内核（SIC）上的压力产生的压力矩进行了讨论,在O(ms)的量级上给出了它们的表达式.本文改正了文献〔1〕在推导过程中的某些错误（例如：（B18）、（B28）、（B29）、（B30）、（B35a）和（B35b）式）.本文是对文献〔1〕有关理论的扩展和改进,对进一步研究内核地球自转的动力学理论是非常重要的.     

内核地球自转动力学理论的研究进展(Ⅳ)——内核自转动力学方程

本文是序列文章的第四篇,其内容包括：基于连续介质力学的基本理论,给出了固体外核（SIC）自转的动力学方程,考虑了地球的自引力、液核对内核边界的压力和二阶外部引潮力位对SIC自转的影响,并在O(mε)的量级上给出了其实用的表达式.本文的理论推导更加严密和细致,改正了文献〔1〕在推导过程中的某些错误（例如：（B39）、（B44）和（B59c）式）.本文的工作是对文献〔1〕有关理论的扩展和改进,对进一步研究内核地球自转的动力学理论是非常重要的.     

三轴刚体地球自转的自由加速

地球自转是天文学和地球科学领域的交叉学科,对其研究具有重要的理论和实际意义.地球自转动力学理论的研究一般是在旋转对称模型基础上进行的,并得到了一系列与观测相符合的结论.但实际地球是一个非旋转对称的椭球体,甚至是梨形椭球体.因此,三轴地球模型的自转理论研究应该是有一定意义的.文献[17～19]认为,三轴刚体地球除了Euler自由摆动外,还存在第二自由摆动,以及地球自转存在自由加(减)速运动等.本文在经典力学和刚体地球自转Euler方程的基础上,研究了地球自转的自由运动,指出文献[17～19]给出的关于地球自转存在自由加速或减速的证明是不正确的,完全刚体地球自转也不可能存在第二自由摆动.     

2003年新疆巴楚-伽师6.8级地震异常的阶段性特征

对6．8级地震的中期和短期以及短临阶段异常特征进行了系统的分析研究。从新疆大区域范围到震源区,对这次地震前地震活动图像和前兆观测资料的动态演化过程进行了深入分析,研究不同孕震阶段各类异常的基本特征。结果认为,6．8级地震前异常的中期阶段,新疆中强地震平静显著;短期阶段中等地震显著增强．震源区出现前震活动;同时全疆定点前兆观测资料出现较为明显的短期异常,并观测到少量的临震异常。异常具有准同步性、显著性、突发性和响应性等特征。     

摩擦摆基础隔震上部偏心结构地震反应影响因素分析

对上部结构存在偏心的摩擦摆基础隔震结构进行了水平双向地震作用下的地震反应分析,研究了上部结构偏心距和抗扭刚度对结构地震反应的影响。分析表明:上部结构偏心距对上部结构和隔震层的位移反应和加速度反应均有较大影响,即使在上部结构偏心距较小时,其对结构地震反应仍有一定程度的影响;上部结构的抗扭刚度对上部结构的加速度反应影响较小,而对上部结构的位移反应影响较大;上部结构的抗扭刚度对隔震层的加速度反应和位移反应影响较小。因而,对于上部结构存在偏心的摩擦摆基础隔震结构,应减小上部结构偏心距并增大其抗扭刚度以减小摩擦摆基础隔震结构的扭转反应。     

对地磁九倍法的思考

地磁九倍法是没有道理的,在地磁地震可能前兆的探讨过程中,应加强科学性。地磁场的变化绝不都是地震所引起的。