An upgraded version of the Eta model

Upgrades implemented over a number of years in an open source version of the Eta model, posted at the CPTEC web site http://etamodel.cptec.inpe.br/, are summarized and examples of benefits are shown. The version originates from the NCEP’s Workstation Eta code posted on the NCEP web site http://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/mmb/wrkstn_eta, which differs from the NCEP’s latest operational Eta by having the WRF-NMM nonhydrostatic option included. Most of the upgrades made resulted from attention paid to less than satisfactory performance noted in several Eta results, and identification of the reasons for the problem. Others came from simple expectation that including a feature that is physically justified but is missing in the code should help. The most notable of the upgrades are the introduction of the so-called sloping steps, or discretized shaved cells topography; piecewise-linear finite-volume vertical advection of dynamic variables; vapor and hydrometeor loading in the hydrostatic equation, and changes aimed at refining the convection schemes available in the Eta. Several other modifications have to do with the calculation of exchange coefficients, conservation in the vertical diffusion, and diagnostic calculation of 10-m winds. Several examples showing improved performance resulting from the dynamics changes are given. One includes a case of unrealistically low temperatures in several mountain basins generated by a centered vertical advection difference scheme’s unphysical advection from below ground, removed by its replacement with a finite-volume scheme. Another is that of increased katabatic winds in the Terra Nova Bay Antarctica region. Successful forecast of the severe downslope zonda wind case in the lee of the highest peaks of the Andes is also shown, and some of the recent successful verification results of the use of the upgraded model are pointed out. The code is used at numerous places, and along with setup information it is available for outside users at the CPTEC Eta web site given above.     

Downscaling of South America present climate driven by 4-member HadCM3 runs

The objective of this work is to evaluate climate simulations over South America using the regional Eta Model driven by four members of an ensemble of the UK Met Office Hadley Centre HadCM3 global model. The Eta Model has been modified with the purpose of performing long-term decadal integrations and has shown to reproduce “present climate”—the period 1961–1990—reasonably well when forced by HadCM3. The global model lateral conditions with a resolution of 2.5° latitude?×?3.75° longitude were provided at a frequency of 6?h. Each member of the global model ensemble has a different climate sensitivity, and the four members were selected to span the range of uncertainty encompassed by the ensemble. The Eta Model nested in the HadCM3 global model was configured with 40-km horizontal resolution and 38 layers in the vertical. No large-scale internal nudging was applied. Results are shown for austral summer and winter at present climate defined as 1961–90. The upper and low-level circulation patterns produced by the Eta-CPTEC/HadCM3 experiment set-up show good agreement with reanalysis data and the mean precipitation and temperature with CRU observation data. The spread in the downscaled mean precipitation and temperature is small when compared against model errors. On the other hand, the benefits in using an ensemble is clear in the improved representation of the seasonal cycle by the ensemble mean over any one realization. El Ni?o and La Ni?a years were identified in the HadCM3 member runs based on the NOAA Climate Prediction Center criterion of sea surface temperature anomalies in the Ni?o 3.4 area. The frequency of the El Ni?o and La Ni?a events in the studied period is underestimated by HadCM3. The precipitation and temperature anomalies typical of these events are reproduced by most of the Eta-CPTEC/HadCM3 ensemble, although small displacements of the positions of the anomalies occur. This experiment configuration is the first step on the implementation of Eta-CPTEC/HadCM3 upcoming experiments on climate change studies that are discussed in a companion paper.     

Downward longwave radiation estimates for clear and all-sky conditions in the Sertãozinho region of São Paulo, Brazil

The accurate estimate of the surface longwave fluxes contribution is important for the calculation of the surface radiation budget, which in turn controls all the components of the surface energy budget, such as evaporation and the sensible heat fluxes. This study evaluates the performance of the various downward longwave radiation parameterizations for clear and all-sky days applied to the Sertãozinho region in São Paulo, Brazil. Equations have been adjusted to the observations of longwave radiation. The adjusted equations were evaluated for every hour throughout the day and the results showed good fits for most of the day, except near dawn and sunset, followed by nighttime. The seasonal variation was studied by comparing the dry period against the rainy period in the dataset. The least square linear regressions resulted in coefficients equal to the coefficients found for the complete period, both in the dry period and in the rainy period. It is expected that the best fit equation to the observed data for this site be used to produce estimates in other regions of the State of São Paulo, where such information is not available.     

下三叠统鲕粒灰岩中微生物矿化组构特征及意义 ——以川东北地区飞仙关组为例

PTB全球最大生物灭绝事件后,早三叠世被认为是微生物发育繁殖的黄金时期,浅水环境是微生物活动及微生物岩形成的最有利环境。借助高分辨率扫描电镜和能谱分析,在川东北地区开江—梁平海槽西侧下三叠统飞仙关组浅水碳酸盐岩台地边缘的鲕粒灰岩中发现了三种微生物矿化组构:空腔状微生物矿化组构、显微瘤状微生物矿化组构和纤状微生物矿化组构;通过沉积学、岩石学及地球化学的综合分析,认为显微瘤状微生物矿化组构是微生物新陈代谢时形成的纳米球状云质颗粒,纤状微生物矿化组构是微生物的胞外聚合物,而空腔状微生物矿化组构则属于微生物个体。这些微生物矿化组构的发现,为早三叠世微生物大爆发提供了一定的直观证据;推测大量的微生物活动是早三叠世碳酸盐快速沉积现象的直接诱因,并导致于二叠纪末发育的克拉通内裂陷——开江—梁平海槽在早三叠世被快速填平。     

Simulation of drilling‐induced compaction bands using discrete element method

Rock failure is observed around boreholes often with certain types of failure zones, which are called breakouts. Laboratory‐scale drilling tests in some high‐porosity quartz‐rich sandstone have shown breakouts in the form of narrow localized compacted zones in the minimum horizontal stress direction. They are called fracture‐like breakouts. Such compaction bands may affect hydrocarbon extraction by forming barriers that inhibit fluid flow and may also be a source of sand production. This paper presents the results of numerical simulations of borehole breakouts using 3D discrete element method to investigate the mechanism of the fracture‐like breakouts and to identify the role of far‐field stresses on the breakout dimensions. The numerical tool was first verified against analytical solutions. It was then utilized to investigate the failure mechanism and breakout geometry for drilled cubic rock samples of Castlegate sandstone subjected to different pre‐existing far‐field stresses. Results show that failure occurs in the zones of the highest concentration of tangential stress around the borehole. It is concluded that fracture‐like breakout develops as a result of a nondilatant failure mechanism consisting of localized grain debonding and repacking and grain crushing that lead to the formation of a compaction band in the minimum horizontal stress direction. In addition, it is found that the length of fracture‐like breakouts depends on both the mean stress and stress anisotropy. However, the width of the breakout is not significantly changed by the far‐field stresses. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

地理国情普查成果在森林资源监测中的关键技术研究与应用

主要研究地理国情普查分类体系与森林资源二类调查分类体系的关系和数据转换思路,以及基于监测数据进行统计分析的内容和技术方法。选择某县进行实验,并对监测成果进行分析,论证了地理国情普查成果应用于森林资源监测的可行性。     

策勒沙漠-绿洲输沙及动力环境特征

利用2012年4月9日—5月9日策勒沙漠和绿洲内部测点的输沙及气象资料,分析了沙漠与绿洲内部沙尘传输的差异性,并从风动力环境上揭示了成因。结果表明:(1)观测期间,通过沙漠测点100 cm(宽)×200 cm(高)断面的沙尘总量为117.5 kg,通过绿洲内部棉田相同断面的沙尘总量为15.1 kg,比沙漠测点减少了87.1%;(2)过渡带和防护林带对风速的消减作用明显,观测期间,沙漠测点起沙风的持续时间为97.4 h,棉田测点仅为18.9 h;(3)观测期间,沙漠测点的总输沙势为114.2 VU,合成输沙势为72.8 VU,合成输沙方向为65.5°;棉田测点的总输沙势为16.1 VU,合成输沙势为15.1 VU,合成输沙方向为104.5°。荒漠过渡带和绿洲防护林通过降低绿洲内部的风速,改变动力环境,削弱沙尘在绿洲区的传输。     

Laboratory study of deep-water breaking waves

In an attempt to elucidate the mechanics of deep-water wave breaking, a variety of breaking waves, including spilling and plunging waves, of different length scales and geometries was studied. The waves were generated through wave-wave interactions using wave packets with constant-steepness components, constant-amplitude components, and also components following the Pierson-Moskowitz distribution. Wave steepening prior to breaking were found to cause an increase in the high frequency spectral slope of the wave spectrum. The slopes were correlated to the type of breaking and the intensity of the breaking. The energy loss through breaking varied with the spectral characteristics of the wave packet. On the other hand, it was also noted that, irrespective of the wave packet, the losses were from the higher frequency end of the first harmonics.     

Urbanization and sustainable metropolitan development in China: Patterns, problems and prospects*

The path of urbanization in the People's Republic of China is largely shaped by the nation's industrial development strategies. In the first three decades of socialist construction, and especially after the Sino-Soviet rift at the end of the 1950s, the adoption of strategies of self-reliance had led to urban biased patterns of development. The introduction of economic reforms and the open door policy in 1978 paved the way for and facilitated national economic development. Two issues, which feature significantly in the processes of development in China, are assessed. The first is the relationship between economic development and the protection of arable land. The second is the quest for a coordinated hyper-development in both urban and rural areas. This paper concludes by proposing a sustainable metropolitan development strategy that suits the case of China. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

苏南太湖流域地下水过度开采引起的地面沉降及其防治对策

因地下水过量开采而引起的地面沉降是重要的地质灾害和生态环境问题,据最新统计资料,全国96个城市或地区发生了不同程度的地面沉降。苏南太湖流域由于城镇用水和工业用水的迅速增加,大量开采地下水,导致区域内出现了5000km^2的地区地面沉降,有些地区累计沉降量超过2．0m。地面沉降已经影响到区域的供水安全和生态安全,增加了基础设施建设成本,加快区域供水步伐,调整工业结构,加强水资源综合规划和管理是防治地面沉降的重要措施。