First Calibration Results for the SARAL/AltiKa Altimetric Mission Using the Gavdos Permanent Facilities

This work presents the first calibration results for the SARAL/AltiKa altimetric mission using the Gavdos permanent calibration facilities. The results cover one year of altimetric observations from April 2013 to March 2014 and include 11 calibration values for the altimeter bias. The reference ascending orbit No. 571 of SARAL/AltiKa has been used for this altimeter assessment. This satellite pass is coming from south and nears Gavdos, where it finally passes through its west coastal tip, only 6 km off the main calibration location. The selected calibration regions in the south sea of Gavdos range from about 8 km to 20 km south off the point of closest approach. Several reference surfaces have been chosen for this altimeter evaluation based on gravimetric, but detailed regional geoid, as well as combination of it with other altimetric models.

Based on these observations and the gravimetric geoid model, the altimeter bias for the SARAL/AltiKa is determined as mean value of ?46mm ±10mm, and a median of ?42 mm ±10 mm, using GDR-T data at 40 Hz rate. A preliminary cross-over analysis of the sea surface heights at a location south of Gavdos showed that SARAL/AltiKa measure less than Jason-2 by 4.6 cm. These bias values are consistent with those provided by Corsica, Harvest, and Karavatti Cal/Val sites. The wet troposphere and the ionosphere delay values of satellite altimetric measurements are also compared against in-situ observations (?5 mm difference in wet troposphere and almost the same for the ionosphere) determined by a local array of permanent GNSS receivers, and meteorological sensors.     

A probabilistic model for sediment entrainment:The role of bed irregularity

A generalized probabilistic model is developed in this study to predict sediment entrainment under the incipient motion, rolling, and pickup modes. A novelty of the proposed model is that it incorporates in its formulation the probability density function of the bed shear stress, instead of the near-bed velocity fluctuations, to account for the effects of both flow turbulence and bed surface irregularity on sediment entrainment. The proposed model incorporates in its formulation the collective effects of three para-meters describing bed surface irregularity, namely the relative roughness, the volumetric fraction and relative position of sediment particles within the active layer. Another key feature of the model is that it provides a criterion for estimating the lift and drag coefficients jointly based on the recognition that lift and drag forces acting on sediment particles are interdependent and vary with particle protrusion and packing density. The model was validated using laboratory data of both fine and coarse sediment and was compared with previously published models. The study results show that all the examined models perform adequately for the fine sediment data, where the sediment particles have more uniform gra-dation and relative roughness is not a factor. The proposed model was particularly suited for the coarse sediment data, where the increased bed irregularity was captured by the new parameters introduced in the model formulation. As a result, the proposed model yielded smaller prediction errors and physically acceptable values for the lift coefficient compared to the other models in case of the coarse sediment data.     

SANISAND-FN: An evolving fabric-based sand model accounting for stress principal axes rotation

SANISAND is the name of a family of bounding surface plasticity constitutive models for sand within the framework of critical state theory, which have been able to realistically simulate the sand behavior under conventional monotonic and cyclic loading paths. In order to incorporate the important role of evolving fabric anisotropy, one such model was modified within the framework of the new anisotropic critical state theory and named SANISAND-F model. Yet the response under continuous stress principal axes rotation requires further modification to account for the effect of ensuing noncoaxiality on the dilatancy and plastic modulus. This modification is simpler than what is often proposed in the literature, since it does not incorporate an additional plastic loading mechanism and/or multiple dilatancy and plastic modulus expressions. The new model named SANISAND-FN is presented herein and is validated against published data for loading that includes drained stress principal axes rotation on Toyoura sand.     

Sand fabric evolution effects on drain design for liquefaction mitigation

This paper revisits the seminal work of Seed and Booker (1977) [21] on the design of infinitely permeable drains for liquefaction mitigation. It is shown that their basic mathematical assumption for the rate of earthquake-induced excess pore pressure generation overlooks sand fabric evolution effects during cyclic loading and eventually leads to underestimation of the drain effectiveness. This is because such effects cause peak excess pore pressures to be attained at the early stages of partially drained shaking, followed by a gradual attenuation even if shaking continues undiminished, a response feature not predicted by the original formulation. In addition, special emphasis is given to the analytical relation describing the excess pore pressure build-up until liquefaction in undrained tests. This relation was considered unique in the original work, for reasons of simplicity, thus neglecting sand fabric evolution effects that may differentiate it for various sands, densities and loading conditions. Hence, a revised analytical formulation is proposed, which takes into account both above effects of sand fabric evolution. The paper provides a quantitative assessment of their influence on drain effectiveness and establishes a new set of charts for drain design. Experimental measurements from shaking table tests, as well as robust numerical simulations are shown, which underline the necessity for the revised solution and design charts.     

Plasticity model for sand under small and large cyclic strains: a multiaxial formulation

This paper presents the multiaxial formulation of a plasticity model for sand under cyclic shearing. The model adopts a kinematic hardening circular cone as the yield surface and three non-circular conical surfaces corresponding to the deviatoric stress ratios at phase transformation, peak strength and critical state. The shape of the non-circular surfaces is formulated in accordance with the experimentally established failure criteria, while their size is related to the value of the state parameter ψ. To simulate cyclic response under small and large shear strain amplitudes without a change in model parameters, it was found necessary to introduce: (a) a non-linear hysteretic (Ramberg–Osgood type) formulation for the strain rate of elastic states and (b) an empirical index of the effect of fabric evolution during shearing which scales the plastic modulus. This index is estimated in terms of a macroscopic second-order fabric tensor, which develops as a function of the plastic volumetric strain increment and the loading direction in the deviatoric plane. Comparison of simulations to pertinent data from 27 resonant column, cyclic triaxial and cyclic direct simple shear tests provide a measure for the overall accuracy of the model.     

Influence of Collective Boulder Array on the Surrounding Time-averaged and Turbulent Flow Fields

Arrays of large immobile boulders,which are often encountered in steep mountain streams,affect the timing and magnitude of sediment transport events through their interactions with the approach flow.Despite their importance in the quantification of the bedload rate,the collective influence of a boulder array on the approach timeaveraged and turbulent flow field has to date been overlooked.The overarching objective is,thus,to assess the collective effects of a boulder array on the time-averaged and turbulent flow fields surrounding an individual boulder within the array,placing particular emphasis on highlighting the bed shear stress spatial variability.The objective of this study is pursued by resolving and comparing the timeaveraged and turbulent flow fields developing around a boulder,with and without an array of isolated boulders being present.The results show that the effects of an individual boulder on the time-averaged streamwise velocity and turbulence intensity were limited to the boulder’s immediate vicinity in the streamwise（x/d c 〈 2-3） and vertical（z/d c 〈 1） directions.Outside of the boulder’s immediate vicinity,the time-averaged streamwise velocity was found to be globally decelerated.This global deceleration was attributed to the form drag generated collectively by the boulder array.More importantly,the boulder array reduced the applied shear stress exerted on theindividual boulders found within the array,by absorbing a portion of the total applied shear.Furthermore,the array was found to have a ＂homogenizing＂ effect on the near-bed turbulence thus significantly reducing the turbulence intensity in the near-bed region.The findings of this study suggest that the collective boulder array bears a portion of the total applied bed shear stress as form drag,hence reducing the available bed shear stress for transporting incoming mobile sediment.Thus,the effects of the boulder array should not be ignored in sediment transport predictions.These effects are encapsulated in this study by E     

Parametric investigation of lateral spreading of gently sloping liquefied ground

This paper investigates the main parameters affecting the anticipated maximum surface displacements due to earthquake-induced lateral spreading of mildly sloping ground. The main tool used for this purpose is a numerical methodology employing a bounding surface plasticity model implemented in a finite difference code, which has been thoroughly validated against 16 published centrifuge lateral spreading experiments. This study shows that important problem parameters are the mean ground (surface) acceleration, the duration of strong shaking following the onset of liquefaction, the corrected SPT blowcount, the depth to the sliding plane, the inclination of the ground surface and the fines content of the liquefied soil layers. A new approximate multi-variable relation is proposed for the estimation of ground surface displacements due to lateral spreading in gently sloping ground, which includes the foregoing parameters. The form of the relation builds upon sliding block theory, but its final formulation is based on statistical analysis of the input data and the results from 120 parametric analyses performed with the validated numerical methodology. Comparison of the predictions of the proposed relation for ground surface displacement against pertinent field data (from 256 case histories) and centrifuge test measurements shows satisfactory accuracy. Furthermore, the variation of lateral displacements with depth is explored and distinct displacement patterns are proposed for uniform, 2-layer and 4-layer ground profiles.     

Numerical evaluation of slope topography effects on seismic ground motion

This paper presents results of numerical analyses for the seismic response of step-like ground slopes in uniform visco-elastic soil, under vertically propagating SV seismic waves. The aim of the analyses is to explore the effects of slope geometry, predominant excitation frequency and duration, as well as of the dynamic soil properties on seismic ground motion in a parametric manner, and provide qualitative as well as quantitative insight to the phenomenon. Among the main conclusions of this study is that this kind of topography may lead to intense amplification or de-amplification variability at neighboring (within a few tens of meters) points behind the crest of the slope, especially for high frequency excitations. Nevertheless, a general trend of amplification near the crest and de-amplification near the toe of the slope seems to hold for the horizontal motion. As a result of these two findings, it becomes evident that reliable field evidence of slope topography aggravation is extremely difficult to establish. Furthermore, this study highlights the generation of a parasitic vertical component of motion in the vicinity of the slope, due to wave reflections at the slope surface, that under certain preconditions may become as large as the horizontal. Criteria are established for deciding on the importance of topography effects, while approximate relations are provided for the preliminary evaluation of the topographic aggravation of seismic ground motion and the width of the affected zone behind the crest.     

Modeling the impact of climate change on sediment transport and morphology in coupled watershed-coast systems:A case study using an integrated approach

Climate change is an issue of major concern nowadays.Its impact on the natural and human environment is studied intensively,as the expected shift in climate will be significant in the next few decades.Recent experience shows that the effects will be critical in coastal areas,resulting in erosion and inundation phenomena worldwide.In addition to that,coastal areas are subject to ＂pressures＂ from upstream watersheds in terms of water quality and sediment transport.The present paper studies the impact of climate change on sediment transport and morphology in the aforementioned coupled system.The study regards a sandy coast and its upstream watershed in Chalkidiki,North Greece;it is based on：（a）an integrated approach for the quantitative correlation of the two through numerical modeling,developed by the authors,and（b）a calibrated application of the relevant models Soil and Water Assessment Tool（SWAT）and PELNCON-M,applied to the watershed and the coastal zone,respectively.The examined climate change scenarios focus on a shift of the rainfall distribution towards fewer and more extreme rainfall events,and an increased frequency of occurrence of extreme wave events.Results indicate the significance of climatic pressures in wide-scale sediment dynamics,and are deemed to provide a useful perspective for researchers and policy planners involved in the study of coastal morphology evolution in a changing climate.