Field test of an intelligent stiffener for bridges at the I-35 Walnut Creek bridge

The addition of controllable hardware to structures to mitigate vibration that results from dynamic loads is an emerging area of technological development. The paper describes the results of a research project that was conducted to test a relatively new approach to structural control: an adjustable semi-active hydraulic actuation system that was attached to an in service interstate bridge. The system, which is powered by a 12-volt automative battery, has been tested over a 2- year period. Data indicates that the system reduces truck induced peak stresses by over 50 per cent, and calculations, per NCHRP 299, indicate that the safe life of the structure is increased by approximately 50 yr. The installed cost of the system represents less than 10 per cent of the cost to replace the bridge. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Are sea otters being exposed to subsurface intertidal oil residues from the Exxon Valdez oil spill?

Twenty years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, scattered patches of subsurface oil residues (SSOR) can still be found in intertidal sediments at a small number of shoreline locations in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Some scientists hypothesize that sea otters continue to be exposed to SSOR by direct contact when otters dig pits in search of clams. This hypothesis is examined through site-specific examinations where SSOR and otter-dug pits co-occur. Surveys documented the exact sediment characteristics and locations on the shore at the only three subdivisions where both SSOR and otter pits were found after 2000. Shoreline characteristics and tidal heights where SSOR have persisted are not suitable habitat for sea otters to dig pits during foraging. There is clear separation between areas containing SSOR and otter foraging pits. The evidence allows us to reject the hypothesis that sea otters encounter and are being exposed by direct contact to SSOR.     

Experimental Design for the Laboratory Simulation of Magnetized Astrophysical Jets

Concepts of several experimental configurations for the investigation of magnetized jets and their interaction with magnetized environments are presented. In the planned experiments, the plasma jets will be created by laser ablation of shaped targets, while magnetic and electric fields with the required configurations will be produced independently by a pulsed power generator. In particular, the recently coupled Terawatt laser Tomcat and Terawatt pulsed power generator Zebra will be used for experiments.     

Reconstructing past fire regimes: methods,applications, and relevance to fire management and conservation

Biomass burning and resulting fire regimes are major drivers of vegetation changes and of ecosystem dynamics. Understanding past fire dynamics and their relationship to these factors is thus a key factor in preserving and managing present biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Unfortunately, our understanding of the disturbance dynamics of past fires is incomplete, and many open questions exist relevant to these concepts and the related methods. In this paper we describe the present status of the fire-regime concept, discuss the notion of the fire continuum and related proxies, and review the most important existing approaches for reconstructing fire history at centennial to millennial scales. We conclude with a short discussion of selected directions for future research that may lead to a better understanding of past fire-regime dynamics. In particular, we suggest that emphasis should be laid on (1) discriminating natural from anthropogenic fire-regime types, (2) improving combined analysis of fire and vegetation reconstructions to study long-term fire ecology, and (3) overcoming problems in defining temporal and spatial scales of reference, which would allow better use of past records to gain important insights for landscape, fire and forest management.     

Effects of oilfield brine effluent on sediments and benthic organisms in trinity bay,Texas

Field studies have established the concentrations of naphthalenes in bay sediments and water in the vicinity of an oil separator platform and their effects on the benthic fauna. Fifteen stations were occupied monthly, from July, 1974 to December, 1975, along three transects extending from the separator platform outfall outwards for a distance of 4·0 to 5·6 km. A lesser number of stations were occupied from April, 1974 to June, 1974. Bottom sediments at each station were analysed for total naphthalenes content and for number of species and individuals. All stations were located in 2 to 3 m of water. The outfall was located 1 m off the bay bottom.There was a definite correlation between sediment naphthalenes concentration and number of species and individuals. As expected, the first station, located 15 m from the outfall, had the highest concentration of naphthalenes of all stations sampled. The naphthalenes levels dropped sharply from the outfall to the stations located 75 m from the platform where levels were about 20–50% of those found 15 m from the outfall. Naphthalenes concentrations then decreased gradually to near background levels at stations farther out. Hydrocarbon concentrations in bottom water 15 m from the outfall were three orders of magnitude lower than those in the full strength effluent, but sediments 15 m from the outfall had hydrocarbon concentrations four times as great as in the full strength effluent. There were approximately four orders of magnitude more hydrocarbons in the sediment than in the overlying water.The bay bottom was almost completely devoid of organisms within 15 m of the effluent outfall. Stations located 150 m from the outfall had severely depressed benthic faunas but not to the extent of stations nearer the outfall. Stations located 455 m from the platform were unaffected. Both numbers of species and individuals increased with distance from the platform and reached a peak at the first station medial to the control on each transect (685 to 1675 m from the platform) and then dropped at the control station. Physical environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, water depth and sediment type were essentially the same at all stations.The temporary use of a second outfall located 275 m from the main platform outfall resulted in a rapid build up of naphthalenes in surrounding sediments which persisted for at least six months following the termination of use of the second outfall. The benthic fauna was also severely depressed in the vicinity of the second outfall. The use of multiple outfalls, located some distance apart, appears to be more harmful than the use of a single outfall.Trinity Bay, Texas, the site of this investigation, has a mean depth of 2·5 m. The bay water is highly turbid due to the presence of a high concentration of clay-sized particulate material. The brine outfall was located approximately 1 m above the bay bottom. These special conditions undoubtedly contributed significantly to the observed impact of the brine. Therefore, extrapolations from the results of this study to offshore oil production and brine disposal should be made with extreme caution.     

Effects of the duration of exposure to mercuric chloride on the embryogenesis of the estuarine teleost, Fundulus heteroclitus

Embryos of Fundulus heteroclitus in the 4–8 cell stage were exposed nine Hg⁺⁺ (as mercuric chloride) concentrations from 0 to 100 μg/litre (ppb) for 32 days, 5 days, 2 days and 1 day. All but the chronically (32-day) exposed embryos were allowed to continue development in mercury-free water (20% S) after the exposure period to determine the effect of duration of exposure on three parameters of development. Ninety-six hour survival, total hatching success and per cent incidence of lateral spinal curvature were measured. Only embryos exposed to mercury for a single day showed a significant increase in survival in comparison with embryos exposed for a longer period of time after four days of development. Under all conditions of exposure, survival was reduced at concentrations greater than 40 ppb Hg⁺⁺. Hatching success of chronically exposed embryos was significantly reduced at concentrations greater than 10 ppb Hg⁺⁺. Significant increases in total hatchability were effected by reducing the duration of exposure to five days and one day. Of eleutheroembryos emerging following chronic exposure to mercury, increases in the incidence of lateral spinal curvature were noted at all concentrations above 20 ppb Hg⁺⁺. Significant reductions of this disorder were observed among eleutheroembryos exposed to mercury for 5 days, 2 days or 1 day. Of the three parameters measured, the incidence of lateral spinal curvature and the resulting VH₅₀ value gave a more sensitive evaluation of the embryotoxic effects of Hg⁺⁺ as mercuric chloride on the estuarine teleost, Fundulus heteroclitus.     

Observations of complex terrain flows using acoustic sounders: Drainage flow structure and evolution

This paper presents an analysis of nocturnal drainage flows in a mountainous coastal environment where the elevation of the terrain is comparable with the elevation of the marine temperature inversion. The analysis traces the initiation, evolution, and breakup of the drainage flow using acoustic sounder facsimile data and tethered sonde measurements of wind and temperature. Conditions addressed include (1) opposing seabreeze flow ranging from 2 to 8m s^-1, (2) aiding flow, and (3) large-scale and drainage-induced subsidence. The effect of deep marine temperature inversions pervades the observations, as seen in deeper, more stratified echo layers, weaker drainage, and delayed destruction of the inversion in the morning.     

Bioavailability of chromium from a used chrome lignosulphonate drilling mud to five species of marine invertebrates

The bioavailability of chromium from a used seawater chrome lignosulphonate drilling mud to three marine crustaceans, Portunus spinicarpus, Penaeus aztecus and Palaemonetes pugio, a polychaete worm, Neanthes virens, and a bivalve mollusc, Rangia cuneata, was evaluated. All five species showed an apparent accumulation of chromium during exposure to different types of mud-seawater mixtures. When the crustaceans were returned to mud-free seawater they rapidly released the accumulated chromium. Clams R. cuneata accumulated significant amounts of chromium when exposed to a substrate containing a layer of drilling mud. However, most of the chromium was released within 24 h when the clams were returned to a clean natural substrate, indicating that much of the chromium accumulated was in the form of unassimilated mud components in the digestive tract or on the gills. When the clams were exposed for 16 days to the mud aqueous fraction they accumulated up to 19 ppm chromium in their tissues. When returned to clean seawater, they released approximately half the chromium in 11 days. When exposed to the mud aqueous fraction, polychaetes Neanthes virerns accumulated less chromium than the other species studied, but retained nearly all the chromium during a 96 h depuration period. Bioavailability of chromium from a used chrome lignosulphonate drilling mud during short-term exposure is relatively low and is species dependent. Chromium associated with the soluble or fine particulate phase of the mud appears to be more bioavailable than that associated with the dense, rapidly sedimenting particles.