Acoustic reflectors in the surface layers of deep sea sediments

Using ultrasonic scanning it is possible to display the position of an acoustic discontinuity within a sediment core and the amplitude of the reflected signal which results from it. From these results it has been possible to examine the effect of variations in the geotechnical properties on the reflection of compressional waves at normal incidence within the core at a frequency of 100 kHz. The occurrence of acoustic reflectors in the surface layers of North Atlantic sediments has also been examined.Two ultrasonic scanning systems for the non-destructive testing of marine sediment cores have been developed. The performance of the two systems has been evaluated using the results from measurements made on a suite of marine sediment cores from the North Atlantic in conjunction with X-ray scanning and geological analysis of the same cores.     

The evolution of isolated vortices interacted with steep slope

Numerical solutions are examined for isolated, intense vortices as influenced by western bounding bottom topography through the use of a rigid-lid, two-layer primitive -plane numerical model. Systematic studies are made of the sense of rotation (cyclonic/anticyclonic), the consequence of varying the gradient of bottom slope, and the different vertical shear in a two layer ocean. In the basin with a bottom slope, the nearly barotropic anticyclonic vortex forms a modon-like vortex for S with fixedRo ₂<O(1) (where is the ratio between the variation of the Coriolis parameter across the eddy to the Coriolis parameter in the center, S the topographic effect and,Ro ₂ the Rossby number in the lower layer) and its generation is due to a compound effect of the planetary beta, topographic beta, avvection, and mirror image. The formation of the modon-like vortex and the propagation of the original vortex onto the bottom slope depends on the strength of slope gradient and the baroclinicity of the vortex. The nearly barotropic anticyclonic vortex evolves into the stronger upper ocean one with increasing S: the gradient of the bottom slope becomes steeper. Then the original vortex lives longer because the barotropic component of the energy is converted to the baroclinic one and it moves toward southeast in forming a modon-like vortex in the lower layer. The evolution of a vortex in the model results are compared to observational results of a Kuroshio warm core ring (KWCR) obtained from hydrographic data (June, 1985) and from NOAA satellite infrared images (April, 1985 to July, 1985). It is shown that a KWCR (June, 1985) is influenced by the western continental slope/shelf of the East Japan.     

Alboran Sea late cenozoic tectonic and stratigraphic evolution

Analysis of airgun seismic profiles from the Alboran Sea reveals a complex morphostructure with margins, basins, and structural highs. North of the Alboran Ridge, south-facing margins have a passive style of evolution, with thick progradational sequences of post-Messinian deposits, whereas north-facing margins are tectonized along structural highs with reduced sediment cover. Basins are extensional features developed since the Early Miocene by mechanisms of tectonic escape and pull-apart, under generalized northwest-southeast to north-south compression. Depositional sequences in this semi-land-locked sea were controlled by the local tectonism and influenced by global sea-level oscillations.     

Wave forces on a single and on a group of cylinders in response to two wave spectra of same significant wave height

Spectral analysis is used to determine the wave force characteristics on structures exposed to random waves. Considerable work has been carried out to determine the magnitude of random wave forces acting on a single cylinder, but little information is available in the case of a group of cylinders in random waves. Such situations arise when structures comprise multiple tubular members which are in close proximity, and wave forces cannot be calculated precisely by analytical methods due to complicated flow conditions past the group. Experimental studies are also required for proper understanding and analysis. An experimental scheme was carried out to study the wave force characteristics on a single cylinder and on a group of cylinders in response to two different wave spectra with the same significant wave height, and the results are compared.     

Dynamics and control of a towed underwater vehicle system, part I: model development

Autonomous vehicles are being developed to replace the conventional, manned surface vehicles that tow mine hunting towed platforms. While a wide body of work exists that describes numerical models of towed systems, they usually include relatively simple models of the towed bodies and neglect the dynamics of the towing vehicle. For systems in which the mass of the towing vehicle is comparable to that of the towed vehicle, it becomes important to consider the dynamics of both vehicles. In this work, we describe the development of a numerical model that accurately captures the dynamics of these new mine hunting systems. We use a lumped mass approximation for the towcable and couple this model to non-linear numerical models of an autonomous surface vehicle and an actively controlled towfish. Within the dynamics models of the two vehicles, we include non-linear controllers to allow accurate maneuvering of the towed system.     

Characterization of Estuarine Marine Clays for Coastal Reclamation in Pusan, Korea

Large scale reclamation works in coastal areas of the Nakdong River plain are at various stages of progress, since early 1990's on in-situ soft marine clay deposits. These deposits are of the order of 30 to 40 m thick. A realistic rapid characterization of soft ground would ensure success of any reclamation work in this area. In order to cope with the work carried out with different agencies, it is desirable to evolve a systematic methodology. In this study, engineering properties of clays at three coastal areas, Gadukdo, Noksan and Shinho, have been generated. The analysis of data has been done within the framework of classical developments in soil mechanics. Analysis has also been made by making use of the recent developments in dealing with soft clays. The dominant factors, namely, stress, time, and environment influencing the response of clay to loading are identified.