Investigation on strength and stability of jointed rock mass using three‐dimensional numerical manifold method

This paper proposes a numerical model for jointed rock masses within the 3‐D numerical manifold method (NMM) framework equipped with a customized contact algorithm. The strength of rock sample containing a few sets of discontinuities is first investigated. The results of models with simple geometries are compared with the available analytical solutions to verify the developed computer code, whereas models with complex geometries are simulated to better understand the fundamental behavior and failure mechanism of jointed rock mass. Furthermore, the stability of jointed rock mass in an underground excavation is studied, where rock failure process is determined by the 3‐D NMM simulation. The simulation results provide valuable guidance on excavation process design and stabilization design in rock engineering practice. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lidar sounding of the optical parameter of atmospheric turbulence

The operation of a lidar intended for clear air turbulence (CAT) positioning on the basis of the backscatter enhancement (BSE) effect is analyzed using a turbulence model with a power-law spectrum. Systematic distortions occurring due to a need to regularize the lidar positioning problem solution are estimated. It is shown that the effect of molecular viscosity of air on the positioning result can be neglected if the wave parameter, which characterizes the diffraction manifestation, is higher than 3. This corresponds to sounding ranges of more than 1 km for optical or UV lidars. The analysis results show that the BSE lidar positioning accuracy weakly depends on the exponent in the turbulence spectrum in regions of severe turbulence. The results can justify a physical experiment for the design of an aircraft system for the lidar detection of CAT regions ahead of the flight course.     

Effect of photochemical self-action of carbon-containing aerosol: Wildfires

It has been shown by numerical simulation that the rate of formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) in smoke plumes caused by vegetation and peat fires under real conditions can significantly depend on the aerosol optical thickness (AOT). The AOT determines the photodissociation rate and hydroxyl radical concentration, which in turn determines the rate of SOA generation as a result of oxidation of semivolatile organic compounds. Quantitative analysis has been carried out for the situation that took place in European Russia during the 2010 Russian wildfires. The state-of-the-art 3D chemical transport model is used in this study; the simulations are optimized and validated using the data of monitoring of the particulate matter in the Moscow region and Finland. The findings indicate that it is important to allow for this effect in studies focused on the analysis and prediction of air pollution due to wildfires, as well as climate and weather studies, whose results may depend on the assumptions about the content and properties of atmospheric carbon-containing aerosol.     

Modeling of oil spreading in a problem of radar multiangle diagnostics of Sea surface pollutions

The possibilities of a multiangle method of radar diagnostics to determine thickness of an oil film on a sea surface by comparing the radar data with the quantitative modeling results obtained using the model of oil spreading dynamics are analyzed. The experimental results of the remote sensing of the Caspian Sea water area near the Neftyanye Kamni oil field by the Envisat-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and the new Floating Objects Tracking System (FOTS) model of oil spreading are used for the analysis. The model allows to calculate the dynamics and change in the mass and size of an oil slick basing only on the available data of satellite measurements and atmospheric reanalysis.The model takes into account the main processes that influence the slick formation (gravity spreading, advective transport, dispersion, emulsification, turbulent mixing, and evaporation). This model is used to calculate the thickness evolution and dynamics of the displacement of oil slicks in the period between two consecutive radar images of this region (0.5–4 days) and to estimate the volumes of oil spilled in the field. The good consistence of the height of the oil film calculated using radar measurements and the modeling results confirms the method’s reliability.     

Comparison of Near Coastal Significant Wave Height Measurements from SARAL/AltiKa with Wave Rider Buoys in the Indian Region

Significant Wave Height (SWH) measurement data from the AltiKa Radar Altimeter (RA) for the first 13 cycles of satellite coverage are compared with the SWH from Wave Rider Buoys (WRB) located at nine stations along the Indian coast to assess the performance of the altimeter over the coastal region. AltiKa SWH observations within a 30-minute interval and 50 km distance from WRBs are found to be over estimated by 6%, the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is 0.36 m, the Scatter Index (SI) is 26%, and the correlation coefficient (r) is 0.91. Relaxing the distance criteria by 50 km leads to increase in RMSE and deterioration of r to 0.89. There is a marked difference in the statistics on the comparison pairs pooled separately for the buoys near west and east coasts, with the latter showing RMSE error 26% more than the former. The method of Cressman weights adopted to correct for the errors arising out of the temporal and spatial differences in altimeter and buoy data comparison pairs resulted in reduction of RMSE by 5% and 25%, respectively, for the 30-minute and 50 km criteria and 4% and 56% for the 30-minute and 100 km criteria.     

Impact of satellite observed microwave SST on the simulation of tropical cyclones

The impact of realistic representation of sea surface temperature (SST) on the numerical simulation of track and intensity of tropical cyclones formed over the north Indian Ocean is studied using the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. We have selected two intense tropical cyclones formed over the Bay of Bengal for studying the SST impact. Two different sets of SSTs were used in this study: one from TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) satellite and other is the weekly averaged Reynold’s SST analysis from National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). WRF simulations were conducted using the Reynold’s and TMI SST as model boundary condition for the two cyclone cases selected. The TMI SST which has a better temporal and spatial resolution showed sharper gradient when compared to the Reynold’s SST. The use of TMI SST improved the WRF cyclone intensity prediction when compared to that using Reynold’s SST for both the cases studied. The improvements in intensity were mainly due to the improved prediction of surface latent and sensible heat fluxes. The use of TMI SST in place of Reynold’s SST improved cyclone track prediction for Orissa super cyclone but slightly degraded track prediction for cyclone Mala. The present modeling study supports the well established notion that the horizontal SST gradient is one of the major driving forces for the intensification and movement of tropical cyclones over the Indian Ocean.     

A direct comparison of C and Th ages at Searles Lake, California

Thorium-230 dating on saline of the Lower Salt unit in pluvial Searles Lake, California, shows that this unit was formed between 24,500 and 32,000 years ago. The initial apparent ¹⁴C age of the lake is estimated to be about 900 years. After correcting for nonradiogenic ²³⁰Th and for the initial ¹⁴C age, excellent agreement between ²³⁰Th and ¹⁴C ages is obtained. The reliability of ²³⁰Th dating on salt deposit opens a new way for continuation of absolute chronology below the Lower Salt in Searles Lake.