Model identification and parameter estimation of elastoplastic constitutive model by data assimilation using the particle filter

Data assimilation, using the particle filter and incorporating the soil‐water coupled finite element method, is applied to identify the yield function of the elastoplastic constitutive model and corresponding parameters based on the sequential measurements of hypothetical soil tests and an actual construction sequence. In the proposed framework of the inverse analysis, the unknowns are both the particular parameter within the exponential contractancy model, n_E, which parameterizes various shapes for the yield function of the competing constitutive models, including the original/the modified Cam‐Clay models and in‐between models and the parameters of the corresponding constitutive model. An appropriate set, consisting of the yield function of the constitutive model and the parameters of the constitutive model, can be simultaneously identified by the particle filter to describe the most suitable soil behavior. To examine the validity of the proposed procedure, hypothetical and actual measurements for the displacements of a soil specimen were obtained for consolidated and undrained tests through a synthetic FEM computation and for consolidated and drained tests, respectively. After examining the applicability of the proposed procedure to these test results, the present paper then focuses on the actual measured data, ie, the settlement behavior including the lateral deformation of the Kobe Airport Island constructed on reclaimed land.     

A modified method for estimating vertical profiles of turbulent dissipation rate using density inversions in the Kuril Straits

To address the lack of directly measured turbulence data in the Kuril Straits, an existing method was modified to indirectly estimate continuous vertical profiles of turbulent energy dissipation rate ε by using density inversions. A linear relationship was confirmed between directly measured ε and indirectly estimated ε from the existing method, where most of the detected density inversions were discarded as noise. The existing method thus yielded large gaps in the vertical profiles, and the gaps were much greater than the observed mean autocorrelation vertical length scale of about 10 m. To reduce these gaps and produce reasonable estimates for vertical ε profiles, the quality tests were carefully re-examined with directly measured ε data, and one of the quality tests (the water mass test) was excluded because the test rejects real density inversions even with large ε. With this modification, and interpolation and smoothing of the indirectly estimated ε with the mean correlation length scale, continuous vertical ε profiles were obtained. These profiles have an error factor of 3.3 corresponding to one standard deviation of the ratio between directly observed and estimated data, and 95 % of the data were within a factor of 10.5, with the overall correlation coefficient between smoothed directly measured ε and estimated ε equal to 0.80. This method could be useful for areas where 10^?9 < ε < 10^?6.5 W/kg, and where vertical distances between adjacent density inversions are mostly less than the mean autocorrelation scale.     

Horizontal distribution of calanoid copepods in the western Arctic Ocean during the summer of 2008

The horizontal distribution of the epipelagic zooplankton communities in the western Arctic Ocean was studied during August–October 2008. Zooplankton abundance and biomass were higher in the Chukchi Sea, and ranged from 3,000 to 274,000 ind. m^?2 and 5–678 g WM m^?2, respectively. Copepods were the most dominant taxa and comprised 37?94% of zooplankton abundance. For calanoid copepods, 30 species belonging to 20 genera were identified. Based on the copepod abundance, their communities were classified into three groups using a cluster analysis. The horizontal distribution of each group was well synchronized with depth zones, defined here as Shelf, Slope and Basin. Neritic Pacific copepods were the dominant species in the Shelf zone. Arctic copepods were substantially greater in the Slope zone than the other regions. Mesopelagic copepods were greater in the Basin zone than the other regions. Stage compositions of large-sized Arctic copepods (Calanus glacialis and Metridia longa) were characterized by the dominance of late copepodid stages in the Basin. Both the abundance and stage compositions of large copepods corresponded well with Chl. a concentrations in each region, with high Chl. a in the Shelf and Slope supporting reproduction of copepods resulting in high abundance dominated by early copepodid stages.     

Monitoring of DSP toxins in small-sized plankton fraction of seawater collected in Mutsu Bay,Japan, by ELISA method: relation with toxin contamination of scallop

Monitorings were conducted on DSP toxins in mid-gut gland of scallop (mouse assay), cell numbers of toxic dinoflagellate species of Dinophysis, and diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) toxins in small-sized (0.7-5 microm) plankton fraction of seawater collected from surface (0 m) and 20 m depth at a station in Mutsu Bay, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, in 2000. A specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed for the analysis of DSP toxins in small-sized plankton fraction using a mouse monoclonal anti-okadaic acid antibody which recognizes okadaic acid, dinophysistoxin-1, and dinophysistoxin-3. DSP toxins were detected twice in the mid-gut gland of scallops at 1.1-2.3 MU (mouse units) g(-1) on 26 June and at 0.6-1.2 MU g(-1) on 3 July, respectively. Relatively high cell densities of D. fortii were observed on 26 June and 11 September, and may only contribute to the bivalve toxicity during late June to early July. D. acuminata did not appear to be responsible for the toxicity of scallops in Mutsu Bay in 2000. ELISA monitoring of small-sized plankton fraction in seawater could detect DSP toxins two weeks before the detection of the toxin in scallops, and could do so two weeks after the loss of the bivalve toxicity by mouse assay. On 17 July, toxic D. fortii was detected at only small number, <10 cells l(-1), but DSP toxins were detected by the ELISA assay, suggesting a presence of other toxic small-sized plankton in seawater. For the purpose of reducing negative impacts of DSP occurrences, monitorings have been carried out hitherto on DSP toxins of bivalve tissues by mouse assay and on cell densities of "toxic" species of Dinophysis. Here we propose a usefulness of ELISA monitoring of plankton toxicity, especially in small-sized fraction, which are possible foods of mixotrophic Dinophysis, as a practical tool for detecting and predicting DSPs in coastal areas of fisheries grounds of bivalve aquaculture.     

Anomalous Rayleigh-Wave Propagation Along Oceanic Trench

A clear later phase of amplitude larger than the direct surface wave packet was observed at stations in Hokkaido, Japan, for several events of the December 1991 off-Urup earthquake swarm in the Kuril Islands region. From its particle motion, this phase is likely to be a fundamental Rayleigh wave packet that arrived with an azimuth largely deviated from each great-circle direction. As its origin, Nakanishi (1992) proposed that the sea-trench topography in this area as deep as 10 km may produce a narrow zone of low velocity for Rayleigh waves of periods around 15 sec. Following this idea, we compute ray paths and estimate how Rayleigh waves would propagate if we assume that lateral velocity variations are caused only by seafloor topography. We confirm that thick sea water in the trench indeed produces the phase velocity of Rayleigh waves to be smaller than in a surrounding area by the degree over 100%. Such a low-velocity zone appears only in a period range from 12 to 20 sec. Although this strong low-velocity zone disturbs the direction of Rayleigh wave propagation from its great circle, the overall ray paths are not so affected as far as an epicentre is outside this low-velocity zone, that is, off the trench axis. In contrast, the majority of rays are severely distorted for an event within the low-velocity zone or, in other words, in the neighborhood of the trench axis. For such an event, a part of wave energy appears to be trapped in this zone and eventually propagates outwards due to the curvature or bend of trench geometry, resulting in very late arriving waves of large amplitude with an incident direction clearly different from great circles. This phenomenon is observed only at a very limited period range around 16 sec. These theoretical results are consistent with the above mentioned observation of Nakanishi (1992).     

Rare gases in a phlogopite nodule and a phlogopite-bearing peridotite in South African kimberlites

Rare gas isotopes in a phlogopite nodule and a phlogopite-bearing peridotite nodule in South African kimberlites were studied to examine the state of rare gases in the deep interior of the kimberlite region.Within the experimental error of 1 ～ 2%, rare gas isotopic compositions are atmospheric except for radiogenic⁴He and⁴⁰Ar. No excess¹²⁹Xe was observed.In phlogopite, Ne is more depleted, whereas the heavier rare gases are more enriched than the atmospheric rare gases relative to³⁶Ar.Together with other data these results suggest that the state of rare gases in the upper mantle of the South African kimberlite region might have been changed from the typical primitive mantle by a process such as mixing of crustal materials.