Compositions and source apportionments of atmospheric aerosol during Asian dust storm and local pollution in central Taiwan

A study has been carried out on water soluble ions, trace elements, as well as PM_2.5 and PM_2.5–10 elemental and organic carbon samples collected daily from Central Taiwan over a one year period in 2005. A source apportionment study was performed, employing a Gaussian trajectory transfer coefficient model (GTx) to the results from 141 sets of PM_2.5 and PM_2.5–10 samples. Two different types of PM₁₀ episodes, local pollution (LOP) and Asian dust storm (ADS) were observed in this study. The results revealed that relative high concentrations of secondary aerosols (NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻ and NH₄⁺) and the elements Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and As were observed in PM_2.5 during LOP periods. However, sea salt species (Na⁺ and Cl⁻) and crustal elements (e.g., Al, Fe, Mg, K, Ca and Ti) of PM_2.5–10 showed a sharp increase during ADS periods. Anthropogenic source metals, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and As, as well as coarse nitrate also increased with ADS episodes. Moreover, reconstruction of aerosol compositions revealed that soil of PM_2.5–10 elevated approximately 12–14% in ADS periods than LOP and Clear periods. A significantly high ratio of non-sea salt sulfate to elemental carbon (NSS-SO₄²⁻/EC) of PM_2.5–10 during ADS periods was associated with higher concentrations of non-sea-salt sulfates from the industrial regions of China. Source apportionment analysis showed that 39% of PM₁₀, 25% of PM_2.5, 50% of PM_2.5–10, 42% of sulfate and 30% of nitrate were attributable to the long range transport during ADS periods, respectively.     

Ca-Mg inter-diffusion in synthetic polycrystalline dolomite-calcite aggregate at elevated temperatures and pressure

This study measures the reaction rate of dolomite and aragonite (calcite) into Mg-calcite at 800, 850, and 900°C and 1.6 GPa. The dry synthetic dolomite-aragonite aggregate transformed very rapidly into dolomite-calcite polycrystalline aggregate while Mg-calcites formed at a relatively slow rate, becoming progressively richer in Mg with run time. We modeled the reaction progress semi-empirically by the first-order rate law. The temperature dependence of the overall transport rate of MgCO₃ into calcite can be described by the kinetic parameters (E?=?231.7 kJ/mol and A _o ?=?22.69 h^?1). Extrapolation using the Arrhenius equation to the conditions during exhumation of UHPM rocks indicates that the reaction of dolomite with aragonite into Mg-saturated calcite can be completed as the P-T path enters the Mg-calcite stability field in a geologically short time period (<1 Ky). On the other hand, the extrapolation of the rate to prograde metamorphic conditions reveals that the Mg-calcite formed from dolomitic marble in the absence of metamorphic fluid may not reach Mg-saturation until temperatures corresponding to high-grade metamorphism (e.g., >340°C and >10 My). SEM-EDS analysis of individual calcite grains shows compositional gradients of Mg in the calcite grains. The Mg-Ca inter-diffusion coefficient at 850°C is around 1.68?×?10^?14 m²/sec if diffusion is the major control of the reaction. The calculated closure temperatures for Ca-Mg inter-diffusion as a function of cooling rate and grain size reveal that Ca/Mg resetting in calcite in a dry polycrystalline carbonate aggregate (with grain size around 1 mm) may not occur at temperatures below 480°C at a geological cooling rate around 10°C/My, unless other processes, such as short-circuit interdiffusion along grain boundaries and dislocations, are involved.     

Wave boundary layers in rough turbulent flow

A one-layer time-invariant eddy viscosity model is specified to develop a mathematical model for describing the essential features of the turbulent wave boundary layer over a rough bed. The functional form of the eddy viscosity is evaluated based on a modified one-equation turbulence model in which the eddy viscosity varies in time and space. The present eddy viscosity model simplifies much of the mathematical complexity in many existing models. Predictions from the present model have been compared favorably with a wide range of experimental data. It is found that the eddy viscosity model adopted in the present study is physically reasonable.     

A study of transient responses of a submerged spherical shell under shock waves

Based on a procedure which couples the finite element method with the doubly asymptotic approximation, this work addresses the problem of the transient responses of a submerged spherical shell subjected to strong, plane, incident shock waves, in which elastoplastic material behavior is considered. Simulation results indicate that the procedure adopted shows good agreement with related literature, which considered linear elastic behavior of the shell. Also presented herein are the time histories of surface pressure, radial velocity and von Mises stress of the shell. Moreover, deformation diagrams and spreading of the plastic zone of the shell are described as well.     

Coastal Gravity Anomalies from Retracked Geosat/GM Altimetry: Improvement, Limitation and the Role of Airborne Gravity Data

We process geophysical and waveform data records of the Geosat/GM (geodetic mission) satellite altimeter mission for waveform retracking and applications. An improved threshold retracker is developed. The performances of the Beta-5, threshold and improved threshold retrackers are assessed over waters around Taiwan. The improved threshold retracker outperforms the other two. The improvement in the accuracy of sea surface height (SSH) is investigated according to marine zone and the distance of waters to the shore. The improvement rate increases closer to the land, with the largest improvement rate of about 20% in waters within 10 km of the shore. Over waters around islands and coasts, there are still retracked SSHs with large errors. Least-squares collocation is used to compute gravity anomalies from the Geosat/GM altimeter data. Use of retracked SSHs improves the accuracy of gravity anomalies by about 11%. Adding airborne gravity data further improves the accuracy, especially in the immediate vicinity of the coasts. Tide model errors over coastal waters remain a problem in altimetry applications, even if the waveforms are properly retracked.     

Observations and modeling of flat subduction and its geological effects

Flat subduction refers to low-angle(10°) or sub-horizontal subduction of oceanic slabs. Flat subduction is only recognized in ～10% of present-day subduction zones, but its impact on the behavior of the overriding plate is particularly strong.For example, flat subduction zones are typically associated with stronger earthquakes. The deformation caused by typical flat subduction will transfer from the trench to the overriding continental interior and form a broad magma belt. The formation mechanism of flat subduction has been linked to the relative buoyancy of subducted oceanic plateaus, overthrusting of the overriding plate, hydrodynamic suction, and trench retreat. However, these mechanisms remain debated. This paper systematically analyzes and summarizes previous studies on flat subduction, and outlines the possible geological effects of flat subduction, such as intracontinental orogeny and magmatism. Using examples from numerical modeling, we discuss the possible formation mechanisms. The most important factors that control the formation of flat subduction are associated with overthrusting of the overriding plate and the arrival of an oceanic plateau at the subduction zone. In addition, trench retreat is necessary to enable flat subduction. Hydrodynamic suction contributes to the reduction of the slab dip angle, but is insufficient to form flat subduction. Future numerical modeling of flat subduction should carry out three-dimensional high-resolution thermo-mechanical simulation, considering the influence of crustal eclogitization(negative buoyancy) and mantle serpentinization(positive buoyancy) of oceanic lithosphere, in combination with geological and geophysical data.