A comparative study of the zooplankton in two adjacent embayments,Port Phillip and Westernport Bays,Australia

We report on a year's study of spatial and seasonal patterns of zooplankton abundance in Port Phillip and Westernport Bays, July 1982 to August 1983. These two bays, closely adjacent on the southern coast of Victoria, Australia, differ in several respects: Port Phillip is a nearly landlocked bay with a broad basin, while Westernport is an open tidal embayment with extensive mud and seagrass banks. Both bays have a resident zooplankton fauna distinct from that of Bass Strait. Although these resident communities have many species in common, patterns of abundance and dominance are quite different. We found that the holoplankton of Port Phillip was about half copepods, mostly Paracalanus indicus, with 23% Caldocera and 21% larvaceans. Westernport Bay zooplankton was dominated by Acartia tranteri, with no resident cladoceran fauna. Bass Strait species were more often found in Westernport than in Port Phillip Bay, but the resident community of Port Phillip Bay was more similar to that of Bass Strait than to that of Westernport.Although this study was undertaken in an exceptionally dry year, the available historical data show that the overall patterns found in 1982–1983 are typical for these bays. The differences in community composition probably relate to differences in depth profile, predator abundance, and suspended matter between the bays.     

On salinity regimes and the vertical structure of residual flows in narrow tidal estuaries

An examination is made of the circulation in narrow estuaries subject to a predominant tidal forcing. Velocity structures are derived separately for residual flow components associated with (a) river flow, (b) wind stress, (c) a well-mixed longitudinal density gradient and (d) a fully stratified saline wedge. Dimensionless parameters are introduced to indicate the magnitude of each component and these parameters are evaluated for 9 major estuaries, thereby revealing their sensitivity to each component.For a channel of constant breadth and depth, formulae are deduced for the length of saline intrusion, L. Comparisons with observed data show that such formulae may be used with confidence to predict changes in L arising from variations in river flow, tidal range or channel depths.The level of stratification is shown to be related to a product of two parameters, one associated with velocity structure and a second involving the square of the ‘flow ratio’ $\text{u}\text{u}\text{?}$ (i.e. residual velocity/amplitude of the tidal velocity). This relationship provides a simple classification system for estuarine stratification which can be used to indicate the sensitivity of any particular estuary to changing conditions.     

Asymmetrical breakwater gap wave diffraction using finite and infinite elements

An experimental technique and configuration has been developed by the author to simulate and measure (using short range photogrammetric techniques) the wave heights of waves diffracting into a model basin of infinite extent. The finite and infinite element program “WAVE” developed in the Department of Civil Engineering, University College of Swansea, Wales, has been modified to run on the UNIVAC 1100 at the University of Cape Town. The program is used to model the experimental configuration being tested mathematically. Two configurations, namely a symmetrical and an asymmetrical breakwater gap configuration, are analysed both experimentally and numerically. It is concluded that there is a good correlation between the finite element and experimental results and that the “WAVE” program is a very useful tool for the prediction of wave heights in large harbour basins.     

Simulating methane emission from a Chinese rice field as influenced by fertilizer and water level

Natural and agricultural wetlands are considered to be the major sources of global atmospheric methane (CH₄). A one‐dimensional model was developed to simulate methane emission and used to examine the influence of various physical processes on the rate of methane emission. Three processes involved in the methane emission are implemented in the model: production, reoxidation and transport. Three transport pathways were considered: diffusion across water–air or soil–air interfaces, ebullition and diffusion through plants. These pathways are influenced by soil properties, plant growth, water‐table conditions, temperature and external inputs (e.g. fertilizer). The model was used to examine the seasonal variation of the methane emission at a rice field in Hunan, China, which was observed during a field experiment for consecutive (early and late) rice seasons in 1992. The observed seasonal variations of methane emission, and role of plants in transporting methane to the atmosphere, are captured by the model simulation. Further model applications were conducted to simulate effects of fertilizer and water‐level condition on the methane emission. The results indicate that unfermented organic fertilizer produces a higher methane emission rate than mineral fertilizer. The simulations with treatments of a deep‐water covering and constant moisture reduced the methane emission. The rice field study provides a framework for further development of the model towards simulations based on spatially distributed variables (e.g. water table, soil temperature and vegetation) at a regional scale. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tensile stresses around boreholes due to transient fluid flow

We present solutions for the effective stress induced by gas flow through a porous solid into a borehole resulting from sudden pressure reduction. Tensile effective stress that exceeds the strength of the solid will lead to borehole failure. This has applications to the intentional creation of cavities, relevant to the efficient recovery of coalbed methane, and the avoidance of borehole stability problems in conventional gas production.     

Transient response of a circular cavity in a poroelastic medium

This paper considers the transient response of a pressurized long cylindrical cavity in an infinite poroelastic medium. To obtain transient solutions, Biot's equations for poroelastodynamics are specialized for this problem. A set of exact general solutions for radial displacement, stresses, pore pressure and discharge are derived in the Laplace transform space by using analytical techniques. Solutions are presented for three different types of prescribed transient radial pressures acting on the surface of a permeable as well as an impermeable cavity surface. Time domain solutions are obtained by inverting Laplace domain solutions using a reliable numerical scheme. A detailed parametric study is presented to illustrate the influence of poroelastic material parameters and hydraulic boundary conditions on the response of the medium. Comparisons are also presented with the corresponding ideal elastic solutions to portray the poroelastic effects. It is noted that the maximum radial displacement and hoop stress at the cavity surface are substantially higher than the classical static solutions and differ considerably from the transient elastic solutions. Time histories and radial variations of displacement, hoop stress, pore pressure and fluid discharge corresponding to a cavity in two representative poroelastic materials are also presented.