Algorithms for time synchronization of wireless structural monitoring sensors

Dense networks of wireless structural health monitoring systems can effectively remove the disadvantages associated with current wire‐based sparse sensing systems. However, recorded data sets may have relative time‐delays due to interference in radio transmission or inherent internal sensor clock errors. For structural system identification and damage detection purposes, sensor data require that they are time synchronized. The need for time synchronization of sensor data is illustrated through a series of tests on asynchronous data sets. Results from the identification of structural modal parameters show that frequencies and damping ratios are not influenced by the asynchronous data; however, the error in identifying structural mode shapes can be significant. The results from these tests are summarized in Appendix A. The objective of this paper is to present algorithms for measurement data synchronization. Two algorithms are proposed for this purpose. The first algorithm is applicable when the input signal to a structure can be measured. The time‐delay between an output measurement and the input is identified based on an ARX (auto‐regressive model with exogenous input) model for the input–output pair recordings. The second algorithm can be used for a structure subject to ambient excitation, where the excitation cannot be measured. An ARMAV (auto‐regressive moving average vector) model is constructed from two output signals and the time‐delay between them is evaluated. The proposed algorithms are verified with simulation data and recorded seismic response data from multi‐story buildings. The influence of noise on the time‐delay estimates is also assessed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Marine C reservoir ages for 19th century whales and molluscs from the North Atlantic

In order to compare radiocarbon dates on marine and terrestrial samples the former have to be corrected for a reservoir age. We present reservoir ages from dating 21 whales collected 1860–1901 and recalculating dates of 23 molluscs collected 1857–1926. Most of the whales were caught along the coast of Norway, but one is from France and one from Iceland. We assume the former mainly lived in the North and equatorial Atlantic and in the Norwegian Sea. Whales feed only on pelagic organisms and will provide the reservoir age for the open ocean surface water. However, they travel long distances and will integrate the reservoir ages of the different water masses along their way. Molluscs (dated from Norway, Spitsbergen and Arctic Canada) are stationary and monitor the sea water passing their dwelling site, but some also take up carbon from particulate food or sediment pore water. Coastal water also often contains some continental carbon. We present two different views on how to analyze and interpret the data. Mangerud recommends to use reservoir ages based on a combination of the whale and mollusc dates, i.e. 380±30 and 360±30 yr relative to Intcal04 and British oak, respectively, and a ΔR value of 20±30 for the surface water in the N-Atlantic and Norwegian Sea. Bondevik and Gulliksen maintain that the reservoir age—and ΔR—along the Norwegian coast is latitude dependant, with ΔR-values increasing from −3±22 in the South to 105±24 at Spitsbergen. Whales, reflecting North Atlantic open ocean surface water have lower ΔR (7±11) than most molluscs.     

Effects of Increased Salinity and Inundation on Inorganic Nitrogen Exchange and Phosphorus Sorption by Tidal Freshwater Floodplain Forest Soils, Georgia (USA)

We investigated the effects of increasing salinity and inundation on inorganic N exchange and P sorption/precipitation in soils of tidal freshwater floodplain forests (TFFF) of coastal Georgia, USA. Our objectives were to better understand how sea level rise, increasing inundation, and saltwater intrusion will affect the ability of TFFFs to retain nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). We collected soil cores (0–5 cm) from three TFFFs that do not currently experience saltwater intrusion and from one TFFF currently experiencing saltwater intrusion and measured NH₄-N exchange and PO₄-P removal over five simulated 6-h tidal cycles using nutrient-enriched freshwater (30 μM NH₄-N and 5 μM PO₄-P). In a second experiment, we exposed soil cores to three salinities (0, 2, and 5) and two inundation depths (5 and 10 cm) using the same nutrient enrichment. When flooded with nutrient-enriched freshwater, soils from the three TFFFs that do not experience saltwater intrusion removed inorganic N and P in amounts ranging from 5.2 to 10.7 and 2.3 to 4.4 mg/m², respectively, and the TFFF soils experiencing saltwater intrusion removed 2.1 to 3.8 mg P/m². However, TFFF soils experiencing saltwater intrusion released inorganic N to the water column in amounts ranging from 7.1 to 67.5 mg/m². In the second experiment, soils from TFFFs not experiencing saltwater intrusion released NH₄-N to the water column when exposed to 2 and 5 salinity, and the amount of N released increased with salinity and number of tidal cycles. In contrast, the same TFFF soils sorbed two and three times more PO₄-P when exposed to 2 and 5 salinity than when exposed to 0 salinity. P removal on a mass basis was greater under 10 cm of inundation, but the efficiency of removal was greater under the 5 cm flooding depth. Our findings suggest that saltwater intrusion caused by sea level rise will promote N release into the water column through organic matter mineralization and/or ion exchange and may promote P sorption, or precipitation of P with metal cations. In addition, release of N and resulting increased N/P could exacerbate eutrophication of estuaries in the future.     

Using Stable Isotopes to Assess the Contribution of Terrestrial and Riverine Organic Matter to Diets of Nearshore Marine Consumers in a Glacially Influenced Estuary

Terrestrial and marine ecosystems in Southeast Alaska are linked by the flow of freshwater from precipitation and glacial runoff, which transports nutrients and organic matter (OM) downstream to estuaries. We examined the contribution of terrestrial-riverine and marine OM to diets of fishes (N = 257, four species) and invertebrates (N = 90, six species) collected from glacially influenced estuaries in Southeast Alaska using multiple stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, and δ³⁴S). Multivariate analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) was used to quantify variation in stable isotope composition of consumers across 6 months and three sites with watersheds that differed in their glacier and forest composition. Fishes showed weak differences (ANOSIM R = 0.141) in stable isotope composition among sampling months, moderate differences (ANOSIM R = 0.375) among sites, and strong differences (ANOSIM R = 0.583) among species. Invertebrates showed moderate differences (ANOSIM R = 0.352) in stable isotope composition among sampling months and strong differences among sites (ANOSIM R = 0.710) and species (ANOSIM R = 0.858). We found the greatest differences in stable isotope composition between the two estuary sites with watersheds containing the highest and lowest glacial coverage, indicating that the contribution of allochthonous OM to consumer diets varies across watershed types. Invertebrates collected from the site with the lowest glacial coverage in the watershed were more depleted in δ¹³C and δ³⁴S, indicating higher use of terrestrial-riverine OM, than those at sites with higher watershed glacial coverage. High variation in stable isotope composition among species, months, and sites underscores the complexity of estuary food web responses to future glacier loss.     

A spatial and temporal drought risk assessment of three major tree species in Britain using probabilistic climate change projections

Probabilistic climate data have become available for the first time through the UK Climate Projections 2009, so that the risk of change in tree growth can be quantified. We assessed the drought risk spatially and temporally using drought probabilities calculated from the weather generator data and tree species vulnerabilities using Ecological Site Classification model across Britain. We evaluated the drought impact on the potential yield class of three major tree species (Picea sitchensis, Pinus sylvestris, and Quercus robur), which cover around 59 % (400,700 ha) of state-managed forests, across the lowlands and uplands. We show that drought impacts result mostly in reduced tree growth over the next 80 years when using B1, A1B, and A1FI IPCC emissions scenarios, but varied spatially. We found a maximum reduction of 94 % but also a maximum increase of 56 % in potential stand yield class in the 2080s from the baseline climate (1961–1990). Furthermore, potential production over the state-managed forests for all three species in the 2080s is estimated to decrease due to drought by 42 % in the lowlands and by 32 % in the uplands in comparison to the baseline climate. Our results reveal that potential tree growth and forest production on the state-managed forests in Britain is likely to reduce, and indicate where and when adaptation measures are required. Moreover, this paper demonstrates the value of probabilistic climate projections for an important economic and environmental sector.     

Timescales associated with climate change and their relevance in adaptation strategies

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions that induce changes in the Earth’s climate affect particular variables and locations differently. A key part of this difference is the timescale at which this change takes place, which will eventually have important consequences for adaptation requirements. This idea of timescale associated with climate change has been used several times in the past to estimate the urgency of adaptation in particular regions. The definition of climate-change timescale is, however, not unique. For example, we can think of it in terms of an expected trend (e.g. in temperature) reaching a given threshold, or think of it in terms of the time it may take this trend to become statistically significant. We may also wonder about the validity of this speculation given that, due to natural variability, the expected trend may in fact not be realized. In this article we explore alternative ways of defining the timescale of climate-change, compare their properties, and illustrate them with an example for the case of projected surface temperature over North America. It is shown that these timescales are analytically related but may differ substantially in magnitude under certain conditions. In particular, it is shown that climate change impact on vulnerable systems may arrive before statistical detection of the variable’s trend takes place. This fact may have implications on how climate change impacts are seen by those with diverging interests.     

Optical remote sensing of submerged aquatic vegetation: Opportunities for shallow clearwater streams

Remote sensing has rarely been used as a tool to map and monitor submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in rivers, due to a combination of insufficient spatial resolution of available image data and strong attenuation of light in water through absorption and scattering. The latter process reduces the possibility to use spectral reflectance information to accurately classify submerged species. However, increasing availability of very high resolution (VHR) image data may enable the use of shape and texture features to help discriminate between species by taking an object based image analysis (OBIA) approach, and overcome some of the present limitations.This study aimed to investigate the possibility of using optical remote sensing for the detection and mapping of SAV. It firstly looked at the possibilities to discriminate submerged macrophyte species based on spectral information only. Reflectance spectra of three macrophyte species were measured in situ across a range of submergence depths. The results showed that water depth will be a limiting factor for the classification of species from remote sensing images. Only Spiked Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) was indicated as spectrally distinct through ANOVA analysis, but subsequent Jeffries–Matusita distance analysis did not confirm this. In particular Water Crowfoot (Ranunculus fluitans) and Pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus) could not be discriminated at 95% significance level. Spectral separability of these two species was also not possible without the effect of an overlying water column.Secondly, the possibility to improve species discrimination, using spatial and textural information was investigated for the same SAV species. VHR image data was acquired with a Near Infrared (NIR) sensitive DSLR camera from four different heights including a telescopic pole and a Helikite UAS. The results show that shape and texture information can improve the detection of the spectrally similar Pondweed and Water Crowfoot from VHR image data. The best performing feature ‘length/width ratio of sub-objects’ was obtained through expert knowledge. All of the shape and texture based features performed better at species differentiation than the spectrally based features.In conclusion this study has shown that there is considerable potential for the combination of VHR data and OBIA to map SAV in shallow stream environments, which can benefit species monitoring and management.