Field investigation of erosion resistance of common grass species for soil bioengineering in Hong Kong

Grass cover is considered as a sustainable means of controlling soil erosion and enhancing durability of soil slopes. A number of grass species are commonly available for soil bioengineering in Hong Kong, but their capacities to control soil erosion have not been characterized quantitatively. The main objectives of this paper are to study the influence of soil density on characteristics of grass roots, to measure the erodibility parameters of the root-permeated soils at two growth stages, and to select the proper Hong Kong grass species that effectively control soil erosion. Three types of Hong Kong turf grass including Cynodon Dactylon, Paspalum Notatum, and Zoysia Matrella were planted on three soil grounds with degrees of compaction of 80, 90, and 100 %, respectively. The featural parameters of grass roots on each compacted ground, including root mass density, root volume density, and root depth, were measured in two growth stages. A jet index apparatus was applied to measure two erodibility properties (i.e., coefficient of erodibility and critical shear stress) of these vegetated soils in the two test stages. Cynodon Dactylon and Zoysia Matrella have higher root mass density values than Paspalum Notatum does, and reduce the susceptibility of soil erosion more effectively. Therefore, the two grass species are suggested for soil bioengineering in Hong Kong.     

Safety Assessment of Buried Pipeline during Pile Driving Vibration in Offshore Engineering

To assess the impact of pile driving on adjacent submarine pipelines during the reconstruction of a pier berth, the local damage model of submarine pipelines is established to explore the safety thresholds of the particle peak velocity and horizontal displacement. The results are analyzed and adjusted by the existing standards and the corresponding literatures. Then, a three-dimensional numerical model is presented to assess the feasibility of the construction of piles by the obtained safety limits, in which the nonlinear behavior of the soil and stress–seepage coupling analysis are considered. After the construction, the safety of submarine pipelines is rechecked by the measured value of the particle peak velocity and horizontal displacement. Meanwhile, the propagation law of vibration, the horizontal displacement of underground soil, and the pore pressure during pile driving are explored. The results indicate that the construction of piles of 2# mooring pier did not cause damage to adjacent submarine pipelines. However, the construction of piles of 1# mooring pier which is nearer may cause damage to submarine pipelines.     

Emissions of biogenic sulfur gases (H<Subscript>2</Subscript>S,COS) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phragmites australis</Emphasis> coastal marsh in the Yellow River estuary of China

Emissions of biogenic sulfur gases (hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and carbonyl sulfide (COS)) from Phragmites australis coastal marsh in the Yellow River estuary of China were determined during April to December in 2014 using static chamber-gas chromatography technique with monthly sampling. The results showed that the fluxes of H₂S and COS both had distinct seasonal and diurnal variations. The H₂S fluxes ranged from 0.09 μg/(m²·h) to 7.65 μg/(m²·h), and the COS fluxes ranged from–1.10 μg/(m²·h) to 3.32 μg/(m²·h). The mean fluxes of H₂S and COS from the P. australis coastal marsh were 2.28 μg/(m²·h), and 1.05 μg/(m²·h), respectively. The P. australis coastal marsh was the emission source of both H₂S and COS over the whole year. Fluxes of H₂S and COS were both higher in plant growing season than in the non-growing season. Temperature had a dramatic effect on the H₂S emission flux, while the correlations between COS flux and the environmental factors were not found during sampling periods. More in-depth and comprehensive research on other related factors, such as vegetation, sediment substrates, and tidal action is needed to discover and further understand the key factors and the release mechanism of sulfur gases.     

Variation of Thornthwaite moisture index in Hengduan Mountains,China

The Thornthwaite moisture index, an index of the supply of water(precipitation) in an area relative to the climatic demand for water(potential evapotranspiration), was used to examine the spatial and temporal variation of drought and to verify the influence of environmental factors on the drought in the Hengduan Mountains, China. Results indicate that the Thornthwaite moisture index in the Hengduan Mountains had been increasing since 1960 with a rate of 0.1938/yr. Annual Thornthwaite moisture index in Hengduan Mountains was between –97.47 and 67.43 and the spatial heterogeneity was obvious in different seasons. Thornthwaite moisture index was high in the north and low in the south, and the monsoon rainfall had a significant impact on its spatial distribution. The tendency rate of Thornthwaite moisture index variation varied in different seasons, and the increasing trends in spring were greater than that in summer and autumn. However, the Thornthwaite moisture index decreased in winter. Thornthwaite moisture index increased greatly in the north and there was a small growth in the south of Hengduan Mountains. The increase of precipitation and decrease of evaporation lead to the increase of Thornthwaite moisture index. Thornthwaite moisture index has strong correlation with vegetation coverage. It can be seen that the correlation between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI) and Thornthwaite moisture index was positive in spring and summer, but negative in autumn and winter. Correlation between Thornthwaite moisture index and relative soil relative moisture content was positive in spring, summer and autumn, but negative in winter. The typical mountainous terrain affect the distribution of temperature, precipitation, wind speed and other meteorological factors in this region, and then affect the spatial distribution of Thornthwaite moisture index. The unique ridge-gorge terrain caused the continuity of water-heat distribution from the north to south, and the water-heat was stronger than that from the east to west part, and thus determined the spatial distribution of Thornthwaite moisture index. The drought in the Hengduan Mountains area is mainly due to the unstable South Asian monsoon rainfall time.     

Complete nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence amplification and molecular analyses of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bangia</Emphasis> (Bangiales,Rhodophyta) from China

Filamentous Bangia, which are distributed extensively throughout the world, have simple and similar morphological characteristics. Scientists can classify these organisms using molecular markers in combination with morphology. We successfully sequenced the complete nuclear ribosomal DNA, approximately 13 kb in length, from a marine Bangia population. We further analyzed the small subunit ribosomal DNA gene (nrSSU) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence regions along with nine other marine, and two freshwater Bangia samples from China. Pairwise distances of the nrSSU and 5.8S ribosomal DNA gene sequences show the marine samples grouping together with low divergences (00.003; 0–0.006, respectively) from each other, but high divergences (0.123–0.126; 0.198, respectively) from freshwater samples. An exception is the marine sample collected from Weihai, which shows high divergence from both other marine samples (0.063–0.065; 0.129, respectively) and the freshwater samples (0.097; 0.120, respectively). A maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree based on a combined SSU-ITS dataset with maximum likelihood method shows the samples divided into three clades, with the two marine sample clades containing Bangia spp. from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia; and one freshwater clade, containing Bangia atropurpurea from North America and China.