Using chloride and other ions to trace sewage and road salt in the Illinois Waterway

Chloride concentrations in waterways of northern USA are increasing at alarming rates and road salt is commonly assumed to be the cause. However, there are additional sources of Cl⁻ in metropolitan areas, such as treated wastewater (TWW) and water conditioning salts, which may be contributing to Cl⁻ loads entering surface waters. In this study, the potential sources of Cl⁻ and Cl⁻ loads in the Illinois River Basin from the Chicago area to the Illinois River’s confluence with the Mississippi River were investigated using halide data in stream samples and published Cl⁻ and river discharge data. The investigation showed that road salt runoff and TWW from the Chicago region dominate Cl⁻ loads in the Illinois Waterway, defined as the navigable sections of the Illinois River and two major tributaries in the Chicago region. Treated wastewater discharges at a relatively constant rate throughout the year and is the primary source of Cl⁻ and other elements such as F⁻ and B. Chloride loads are highest in the winter and early spring as a result of road salt runoff which can increase Cl⁻ concentrations by up to several hundred mg/L. Chloride concentrations decrease downstream in the Illinois Waterway due to dilution, but are always elevated relative to tributaries downriver from Chicago. The TWW component is especially noticeable downstream under low discharge conditions during summer and early autumn when surface drainage is at a minimum and agricultural drain tiles are not flowing.     

Derivation of regression coefficients for sea surface temperature retrieval over East Asia

Among the regression-based algorithms for deriving SST from satellite measurements, regionally optimized algorithms normally perform better than the corresponding global algorithm. In this paper,three algorithms are considered for SST retrieval over the East Asia region (15°-55°N, 105°-170°E),including the multi-channel algorithm (MCSST), the quadratic algorithm (QSST), and the Pathfinder algorithm (PFSST). All algorithms are derived and validated using collocated buoy and Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS-5) observations from 1997 to 2001. An important part of the derivation and validation of the algorithms is the quality control procedure for the buoy SST data and an improved cloud screening method for the satellite brightness temperature measurements. The regionally optimized MCSST algorithm shows an overall improvement over the global algorithm, removing the bias of about -0.13℃ and reducing the root-mean-square difference (rmsd) from 1.36℃ to 1.26℃. The QSST is only slightly better than the MCSST. For both algorithms, a seasonal dependence of the remaining error statistics is still evident. The Pathfinder approach for deriving a season-specific set of coefficients, one for August to October and one for the rest of the year, provides the smallest rmsd overall that is also stable over time.     

Inverse Vening Meinesz formula and deflection-geoid formula: applications to the predictions of gravity and geoid over the South China Sea

Using the spherical harmonic representations of the earth's disturbing potential and its functionals, we derive the inverse Vening Meinesz formula, which converts deflection of the vertical to gravity anomaly using the gradient of the H function. The deflection-geoid formula is also derived that converts deflection to geoidal undulation using the gradient of the C function. The two formulae are implemented by the 1D FFT and the 2D FFT methods. The innermost zone effect is derived. The inverse Vening Meinesz formula is employed to compute gravity anomalies and geoidal undulations over the South China Sea using deflections from Seasat, Geosat, ERS-1 and TOPEX//POSEIDON satellite altimetry. The 1D FFT yields the best result of 9.9-mgal rms difference with the shipborne gravity anomalies. Using the simulated deflections from EGM96, the deflection-geoid formula yields a 4-cm rms difference with the EGM96-generated geoid. The predicted gravity anomalies and geoidal undulations can be used to study the tectonic structure and the ocean circulations of the South China Sea. Received: 7 April 1997 / Accepted: 7 January 1998     

Viscous fluid characteristics of liquefied soils and behavior of piles subjected to flow of liquefied soils

Lateral movement of sloping ground due to flow liquefaction has caused many pile foundations to fail, especially those in ports and harbor structures. Several researchers have found and verified that the behavior of liquefied soils can be simulated appropriately by modeling the liquefied soils as viscous fluid. In this study, the influence of the lateral movement of liquefied sloping ground on the behavior of piles was analyzed on the assumption that the flow of liquefied soils can be treated as viscous fluid flow. Sinking ball tests and pulling bar tests were performed to measure the viscosity of liquefied Jumoonjin sand. Then, the behavior of a single pile installed in liquefiable infinite slopes consisting of sand was investigated by numerical analyses. The liquefied sand behaved as non-Newtonian fluid, whose viscosity decreased with increasing shear strain rate. Furthermore, the flow of liquefied soils had a crucial effect on the stability of piles installed in the sloping ground.