Modelling the effect of low soil temperatures on transpiration by Scots pine

For ecosystem modelling of the Boreal forest it is important to include processes associated with low soil temperature during spring‐early summer, as these affect the tree water uptake. The COUP model, a physically based SVAT model, was tested with 2 years of soil and snow physical measurements and sap flow measurements in a 70‐year‐old Scots pine stand in the boreal zone of northern Sweden. During the first year the extent and duration of soil frost was manipulated in the field. The model was successful in reproducing the timing of the soil warming after the snowmelt and frost thaw. A delayed soil warming, into the growing season, severely reduced the transpiration. We demonstrated the potential for considerable overestimation of transpiration by the model if the reduction of the trees' capacity to transpire due to low soil temperatures is not taken into account. We also demonstrated that the accumulated effect of aboveground conditions could be included when simulating the relationship between soil temperature and tree water uptake. This improved the estimated transpiration for the control plot and when soil warming was delayed into the growing season. The study illustrates the need of including antecedent conditions on root growth in the model in order to catch these effects on transpiration. The COUP model is a promising tool for predicting transpiration in high‐latitude stands. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interstellar clouds and the formation of stars

Part I gives a survey of the drastic revision of cosmic plasma physics which is precipitated by the exploration of the magnetosphere throughin situ measurements. The pseudo-plasma formalism, which until now has almost completely dominated theoretical astrophysics, must be replaced by an experimentally based approach involving the introduction of a number of neglected plasma phenomena, such as electric double layers, critical velocity, and pinch effect. The general belief that star light is the main ionizer is shown to be doubtful; hydromagnetic conversion of gravitational and kinetic energy may often be much more important.In Part II the revised plasma physics is applied to dark clouds and star formation. Magnetic fields do not necessarily counteract the contraction of a cloud; they may just as well pinch the cloud. Magnetic compression may be the main mechanism for forming interstellar clouds and keeping them together.Part III treats the formation of stars in a dusty cosmic plasma cloud. Star formation is due to an instability, but it is very unlikely that it has anything to do with the Jeans instability. A reasonable mechanism is that the sedimentation of dust (including solid bodies of different size) is triggering off a gravitationally assisted accretion. A stellesimal accretion analogous to the planetesimal accretion leads to the formation of a star surrounded by a very low density hollow in the cloud. Matter falling in from the cloud towards the star is the raw material for the formation of planets and satellites.The study of the evolution of a dark cloud leads to a scenario of planet formation which is reconcilable with the results obtained from studies based on solar system data. This means that the new approach to cosmical plasma physics discussed in Part I logically leads to a consistent picture of the evolution of dark clouds and the formation of solar systems.     

Model of outgrowths in the spiral galaxies NGC 4921 and NGC 7049 and the origin of spiral arms

NGC 4921 and 7049 are two spiral galaxies presenting narrow, distinct dust features. A detailed study of the morphology of those features has been carried out using Hubble Space Telescope archival images. NGC 4921 shows a few but well-defined dust arms midway to its centre while NGC 7049 displays many more dusty features, mainly collected within a ring-shaped formation. Numerous dark and filamentary structures, called outgrowths, are found to protrude from the dusty arms in both galaxies. The outgrowths point both outwards and inwards in the galaxies. Mostly they are found to be V-shaped or Y-shaped with the branches connected to dark arm filaments. Often the stem of the Y appears to consist of intertwined filaments. Remarkably, the outgrowths show considerable similarities to elephant trunks in H ii regions. A model of the outgrowths, based on magnetized filaments, is proposed. The model provides explanations of both the shapes and orientations of the outgrowths. Most important, it can also give an account for their intertwined structures. It is found that the longest outgrowths are confusingly similar to dusty spiral arms. This suggests that some of the outgrowths can develop into such arms. The time-scale of the development is estimated to be on the order of the rotation period of the arms or shorter. Similar processes may also take place in other spiral galaxies. If so, the model of the outgrowths can offer a new approach to the old winding problem of spiral arms.     

In search of an elusive Antarctic circumpolar wave in sea ice extents: 1978–1996

For ease in discerning an Antarctic circumpolar wave in the perimeter of the ice pack, we construct a time series of the sea ice extents (essentially the area within the ice perimeter) in 1-degree longitudinal sectors for the period 1978–1996, as observed with the multichannel microwave imagers on board the NASA Nimbus 7 and the DOD (Dept. of Defense) DMSP (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) F8. F11, and F13 satellites. After converting the time series into complex numbers by means of a Hilbert transform, we decompose the time series of the 360 sectors into its complex principal components (CPCs), effectively separating the spatial and temporal values. Then we decompose the real and imaginary parts of the temporal portions of the first three CPCs (complex principal compenents) by Empirical Mode Decomposition into their intrinsic modes, each representing a narrow frequency band, resulting in a collection of three CPCs for each intrinsic mode. Finally, we reconstruct the data in two different ways. First, we low-pass filter the data by combining all of the intrinsic modes of each CPC with periods longer than two years, which we designate as low-pass filtered. Next, we select the intrinsic mode of each CPC with periods of approximately four years, which we designate the quasiquadrennial (QQ) modes. The low-pass filtered time series shows eastward propagating azimuthal motion in the Ross and Weddell Seas, but no clearly circumpolar motion. The QQ time series, on the other hand, clearly shows castward propagating circumpolar waves, but with occasional retrograde motion to the west.     

Simulation of nonlinear wave run-up with a high-order Boussinesq model

This paper considers the numerical simulation of nonlinear wave run-up within a highly accurate Boussinesq-type model. Moving wet–dry boundary algorithms based on so-called extrapolating boundary techniques are utilized, and a new variant of this approach is proposed in two horizontal dimensions. As validation, computed results involving the nonlinear run-up of periodic as well as transient waves on a sloping beach are considered in a single horizontal dimension, demonstrating excellent agreement with analytical solutions for both the free surface and horizontal velocity. In two horizontal dimensions cases involving long wave resonance in a parabolic basin, solitary wave evolution in a triangular channel, and solitary wave run-up on a circular conical island are considered. In each case the computed results compare well against available analytical solutions or experimental measurements. The ability to accurately simulate a moving wet–dry boundary is of considerable practical importance within coastal engineering, and the extension described in this work significantly improves the nearshore versatility of the present high-order Boussinesq approach.     

Velocity potential formulations of highly accurate Boussinesq-type models

The highly accurate Boussinesq-type equations of Madsen et al. (Madsen, P.A., Bingham, H.B., Schäffer, H.A., 2003. Boussinesq-type formulations for fully nonlinear and extremely dispersive water waves: Derivation and analysis. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 459, 1075–1104; Madsen, P.A., Fuhrman, D.R., Wang, B., 2006. A Boussinesq-type method for fully nonlinear waves interacting with a rapidly varying bathymetry. Coast. Eng. 53, 487–504); Jamois et al. (Jamois, E., Fuhrman, D.R., Bingham, H.B., Molin, B., 2006. Wave-structure interactions and nonlinear wave processes on the weather side of reflective structures. Coast. Eng. 53, 929–945) are re-derived in a more general framework which establishes the correct relationship between the model in a velocity formulation and a velocity potential formulation. Although most work with this model has used the velocity formulation, the potential formulation is of interest because it reduces the computational effort by approximately a factor of two and facilitates a coupling to other potential flow solvers. A new shoaling enhancement operator is introduced to derive new models (in both formulations) with a velocity profile which is always consistent with the kinematic bottom boundary condition. The true behaviour of the velocity potential formulation with respect to linear shoaling is given for the first time, correcting errors made by Jamois et al. (Jamois, E., Fuhrman, D.R., Bingham, H.B., Molin, B., 2006. Wave-structure interactions and nonlinear wave processes on the weather side of reflective structures. Coast. Eng. 53, 929–945). An exact infinite series solution for the potential is obtained via a Taylor expansion about an arbitrary vertical position z = zˆ. For practical implementation however, the solution is expanded based on a slow variation of zˆ and terms are retained to first-order. With shoaling enhancement, the new models obtain a comparable accuracy in linear shoaling to the original velocity formulation. General consistency relations are also derived which are convenient for verifying that the differential operators satisfy a potential flow and/or conserve mass up to the order of truncation of the model. The performance of the new formulation is validated using computations of linear and nonlinear shoaling problems. The behaviour on a rapidly varying bathymetry is also checked using linear wave reflection from a shelf and Bragg scattering from an undulating bottom. Although the new models perform equally well for Bragg scattering they fail earlier than the existing model for reflection/transmission problems in very deep water.     

Tsunami generation,propagation, and run-up with a high-order Boussinesq model

In this work we extend a high-order Boussinesq-type (finite difference) model, capable of simulating waves out to wavenumber times depth kh < 25, to include a moving sea-bed, for the simulation of earthquake- and landslide-induced tsunamis. The extension is straight forward, requiring only an additional term within the kinematic bottom condition. As first test cases we simulate linear and nonlinear surface waves generated from both positive and negative impulsive bottom movements. The computed results compare well against earlier theoretical, numerical, and experimental values. Additionally, we show that the long-time (fully nonlinear) evolution of waves resulting from an upthrusted bottom can eventually result in true solitary waves, consistent with theoretical predictions. It is stressed, however, that the nonlinearity used far exceeds that typical of geophysical tsunamis in the open ocean. The Boussinesq-type model is then used to simulate numerous tsunami-type events generated from submerged landslides, in both one and two horizontal dimensions. The results again compare well against previous experiments and/or numerical simulations. The new extension compliments recently developed run-up capabilities within this approach, and as demonstrated, the model can therefore treat tsunami events from their initial generation, through their later propagation, and final run-up phases. The developed model is shown to maintain reasonable computational efficiency, and is therefore attractive for the simulation of such events, especially in cases where dispersion is important.     

Improving the Coastal Mean Dynamic Topography by Geodetic Combination of Tide Gauge and Satellite Altimetry

Abstract

The ocean mean dynamic topography (MDT) is the surface representation of the ocean circulation. The MDT may be determined by the ocean approach, which involves temporal averaging of numerical ocean circulation model information, or by the geodetic approach, wherein the MDT is derived using the ellipsoidal height of the mean sea surface (MSS), or mean sea level (MSL) minus the geoid as the geoid. The ellipsoidal height of the MSS might be estimated either by satellite or coastal tide gauges by connecting the tide gauge datum to the Earth-centred reference frame. In this article we present a novel approach to improve the coastal MDT, where the solution is based on both satellite altimetry and tide gauge data using new set of 302 tide gauges with ellipsoidal heights through the SONEL network. The approach was evaluated for the Northeast Atlantic coast where a dense network of GNSS-surveyed tide gauges is available. The typical misfit between tide gauge and satellite or oceanographic MDT was found to be around 9?cm. This misfit was found to be mainly due to small scale geoid errors. Similarly, we found, that a single tide gauge places only weak constraints on the coastal dynamic topography.     

Mangrove expansion and rainfall patterns in Moreton Bay, Southeast Queensland, Australia

Changes in rainfall pattern have been suggested as a mechanism for the landward incursion of mangrove into salt marsh. The aim of the research was to assess the relationship between rainfall patterns and the spatial distribution of mangrove forests at study sites in Moreton Bay, Southeast Queensland, Australia, over a 32-year period from 1972 to 2004. To identify periods of relatively consistent rainfall patterns points at which rainfall patterns changed (change-points) were identified using the non-parametric Pettitt–Mann–Whitney-Statistic and the cumulative sum technique. The change-points were then used to define the temporal periods over which changes to mangrove area were assessed. Both mangrove and salt marsh area were measured by digitizing aerial photographs acquired in 1972, 1990 (the year with the most significant change-point), and 2004. The rates of change in mangrove area pre-1990 (a wetter period) and post-1990 (a drier period) were estimated. A significant positive relationship was demonstrated between rainfall variables and landward mangrove expansion, but not for seaward expansion. We concluded that rainfall variability is one of the principal factors influencing the rate of upslope encroachment of mangrove. However, the rate of expansion may vary from site to site due to site-specific geomorphological and hydrological characteristics and the level of disturbance in the catchment.