Aeolian transport rates across raked and unraked beaches on a developed coast

Wind characteristics and aeolian transport were measured on a naturally evolving beach and dune and a nearby site where the beach is raked and sand‐trapping fences are deployed. The beaches were composed of moderately well sorted to very well sorted fine to medium sand. The backshore at the raked site was wider and the foredune was more densely vegetated and about 1 m higher than at the unraked site. Wind speeds were monitored using anemometers placed at 1 m elevation and sand transport was monitored using vertical traps during oblique onshore, alongshore and offshore winds occurring in March and April 2009. Inundation of the low backshore through isolated swash channels prevented formation of a continuously decreasing cross‐shore moisture gradient. The surface of the berm crest was dryer than the backshore, making the berm crest the greatest source of offshore losses during offshore winds. The lack of storm wrack on the raked beach reduced the potential for sediment accumulation seaward of the dune crest during onshore winds, and the higher dune crest reduced wind speeds and sediment transport from the dune to the backshore during offshore winds. Accretion at wrack seaward of the dune toe on the unraked beach resulted in a wider dune field and higher, narrower backshore. Although fresh wrack is an effective local trap for aeolian transport, wrack that becomes buried appears to have little effect as a barrier and can supply dry sand for subsequent transport. Aeolian transport rates were greater on the narrower but dryer backshore of the unraked site. Vegetation growth may be necessary to trap sand within zones of buried wrack in order to allow new incipient foredunes to evolve. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interrogating empirical-statistical downscaling

The delivery of downscaled climate information is increasingly seen as a vehicle of climate services, a driver for impacts studies and adaptation decisions, and for informing policy development. Empirical-statistical downscaling (ESD) is widely used; however, the accompanying responsibility is significant, and predicated on effective understanding of the limitations and capabilities of ESD methods. There remain substantial contradictions, uncertainties, and sensitivity to assumptions between the different methods commonly used. Yet providing decision-relevant downscaled climate projections to help support national and local adaptation is core to the growing global momentum seeking to operationalize what is, in effect, still foundational research. We argue that any downscaled climate information must address the criteria of being plausible, defensible and actionable. Climate scientists cannot absolve themselves of their ethical responsibility when informing adaptation and must, therefore, be diligent in ensuring any information provided adequately addresses these three criteria. Frameworks for supporting such assessment are not well developed. We interrogate the conceptual foundations of statistical downscaling methodologies and their assumptions, and articulate a framework for evaluating and integrating downscaling output into the wider landscape of climate information. For ESD there are key criteria that need to be satisfied to underpin the credibility of the derived product. Assessing these criteria requires the use of appropriate metrics to test the comprehensive treatment of local climate response to large-scale forcing, and to compare across methods. We illustrate the potential consequences of methodological choices on the interpretation of downscaling results and explore the purposes, benefits and limitations of using statistical downscaling.     

CHANGES IN THE FOREST-ALPINE TUNDRA ECOTONE: COLORADO FRONT RANGE

On Niwot Ridge, alpine climatic factors dominate today within the upper part of the forest-alpine tundra ecotone on the east slope of the Colorado Front Range. This study provides evidence that the climatic conditions controlling the distribution of the upper limit of tree species and growth forms within the ecotone have changed through time. It appears that much of the present forest-alpine tundra ecotone is a relict of past warm climate episodes. There is much evidence that, in the past, tree forms were more symmetrical and less deformed, tree trunks with larger diameters existed, and the trees were more extensive in areal coverage. However, no evidence exists to show that the upper limit of tree species growth was more than marginally higher in the past than today. The treeline appears to be stable to historical and Holocene climatic fluctuations, but the altitudinal limits of seedling establishment and survival are not stable. The liming of climatic changes in the Front Range and their possible influence on the distribution of the trees within the ecotone are reviewed. Because of its extreme easterly location, slight but significant climatic variations may be observed within the forest-alpine tundra ecotone of Niwot Ridge, but are not observed elsewhere.     

Obliquity variations of a moonless Earth

We numerically explore the obliquity (axial tilt) variations of a hypothetical moonless Earth. Previous work has shown that the Earth’s Moon stabilizes Earth’s obliquity such that it remains within a narrow range, between 22.1° and 24.5°. Without lunar influence, a frequency map analysis by Laskar et al. (Laskar, J., Joutel, F., Robutel, P. [1993]. Nature 361, 615–617) showed that the obliquity could vary between 0° and 85°. This has left an impression in the astrobiology community that a big moon is necessary to maintain a habitable climate on an Earth-like planet. Using a modified version of the orbital integrator mercury, we calculate the obliquity evolution for moonless Earths with various initial conditions for up to 4 Gyr. We find that while obliquity varies significantly more than that of the actual Earth over 100,000 year timescales, the obliquity remains within a constrained range, typically 20–25° in extent, for timescales of hundreds of millions of years. None of our Solar System integrations in which planetary orbits behave in a typical manner show obliquity accessing more than 65% of the full range allowed by frequency-map analysis. The obliquities of moonless Earths that rotate in the retrograde direction are more stable than those of prograde rotators. The total obliquity range explored for moonless Earths with rotation periods less than 12 h is much less than that for slower-rotating moonless Earths. A large moon thus does not seem to be needed to stabilize the obliquity of an Earth-like planet on timescales relevant to the development of advanced life.     

Optimization techniques for identifying soil parameters in geotechnical engineering: Comparative study and enhancement

A comparative study of optimization techniques for identifying soil parameters in geotechnical engineering was first presented. The identification methodology with its 3 main parts, error function, search strategy, and identification procedure, was introduced and summarized. Then, current optimization methods were reviewed and classified into 3 categories with an introduction to their basic principles and applications in geotechnical engineering. A comparative study on the identification of model parameters from a synthetic pressuremeter and an excavation tests was then performed by using 5 among the mostly common optimization methods, including genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization, simulated annealing, the differential evolution algorithm and the artificial bee colony algorithm. The results demonstrated that the differential evolution had the strongest search ability but the slowest convergence speed. All the selected methods could reach approximate solutions with very small objective errors, but these solutions were different from the preset parameters. To improve the identification performance, an enhanced algorithm was developed by implementing the Nelder‐Mead simplex method in a differential algorithm to accelerate the convergence speed with strong reliable search ability. The performance of the enhanced optimization algorithm was finally highlighted by identifying the Mohr‐Coulomb parameters from the 2 same synthetic cases and from 2 real pressuremeter tests in sand, and ANICREEP parameters from 2 real pressuremeter tests in soft clay.     

Stochastic Cost Optimization of Multistrategy DNAPL Site Remediation

This paper investigates numerical optimization of dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) site remediation design considering effects of prediction and measurement uncertainty. Results are presented for a hypothetical problem involving remediation using thermal source reduction (TSR) and bioremediation with electron donor (ED) injection. Pump-and-treat is utilized as a backup measure if compliance criteria are not met. Remediation system design variables are optimized to minimize expected net present value (ENPV) cost. Adaptive criteria are assumed for real-time control of TSR and ED duration. Source zone dissolved concentration data enabled more reliable and lower cost operation of TSR than soil concentration data, but using both soil and dissolved data improved results sufficiently to more than offset the additional cost. Decisions to terminate remediation and monitoring or to initiate pump-and-treat are complicated by measurement noise. Simultaneous optimization of monitoring frequency, averaging period, and lookback periods to confirm decisions, in addition to remediation design variables, reduced ENPV cost. Results indicate that remediation design under conditions of uncertainty is affected by subtle interactions and tradeoffs between design variables, compliance rules, site characteristics, and uncertainty in model predictions and monitoring data. Optimized designs yielded cost savings of up to approximately 50% compared with a nonoptimized design based on common engineering practices. Significant improvements in accuracy and reductions in cost were achieved by recalibrating the model to data collected during remediation and re-optimizing design variables. Repeating this process periodically is advisable to minimize total costs and maximize reliability.     

A modeling framework for the design of collector wells

We present results of a design study performed for the Saylorville Wellfield in Iowa, which is owned and operated by the Des Moines Water Works. The purpose of this study was to estimate wellfield capacity and provide a preliminary design for two radial collector wells to be constructed in the outwash aquifer along the Des Moines River near Saylorville, Iowa. After a field investigation to characterize the aquifer, regional two-dimensional and local three-dimensional, steady-state groundwater flow modeling was performed to locate and design the wells. This modeling was the foundation for design recommendations based on the relative performance of 12 collector well designs with varying lateral numbers, elevations, screen lengths, and orientations. For each site, alternate designs were evaluated based on model estimates of the capacity, the percent of surface water captured, and the production per unit length of screen. Many of our results are consistent with current design practices based on experience and intuition, but our methods allow for a quantitative approach for comparing alternate designs. Although the results are site-specific, the framework for evaluating the hydraulic design of the Saylorville radial collector wells is broadly applicable and could be used at other riverbank filtration sites. In addition, many of the conclusions from this design study may apply at other sites where construction of radial collector wells is being considered.     

Response prediction,experimental characterization and P‐spectra design of frames with viscoelastic–plastic dampers

Viscoelastic–plastic (VEP) dampers are hybrid passive damping devices that combine the advantages of viscoelastic and hysteretic damping. This paper first formulates a semi‐analytical procedure for predicting the peak response of nonlinear SDOF systems equipped with VEP dampers, which forms the basis for the generation of Performance Spectra that can then be used for direct performance assessment and optimization of VEP damped structures. This procedure is first verified against extensive nonlinear time‐history analyses based on a Kelvin viscoelastic model of the dampers, and then against a more advanced evolutionary model that is calibrated to characterization tests of VEP damper specimens built from commercially available viscoelastic damping devices, and an adjustable friction device. The results show that the proposed procedure is sufficiently accurate for predicting the response of VEP systems without iterative dynamic analysis for preliminary design purposes. A design method based on the Performance Spectra framework is then proposed for systems equipped with passive VEP dampers and is applied to enhance the seismic response of a six‐storey steel moment frame. The numerical simulation results on the damped structure confirm the use of the Performance Spectra as a convenient and accurate platform for the optimization of VEP systems, particularly during the initial design stage. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Near‐bed shear stress,turbulence production and dissipation in a shallow and narrow tidal channel

Near‐bed, highly resolved velocity profiles were measured in the lower 0.03 m of the water column using acoustic Doppler profiling velocimeters in narrow tidal channels in a salt marsh. The bed shear stress was estimated from the velocity profiles using three methods: the log‐law, Reynolds stress, and shear stress derived from the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). Bed shear stresses were largest during ebbing tide, while near‐bed velocities were larger during flooding tide. The Reynolds stress and TKE method gave similar results, while the log‐law method resulted in smaller bed shear stress values during ebbing tide. Shear stresses and turbulent kinetic energy followed a similar trend with the largest peaks during ebbing tide. The maximum turbulent kinetic energy was on the order of 1 × 10^{? 2} m²/s². The fluid shear stress during flooding tide was approximately 30% of the fluid shear stress during ebbing tide. The maximum TKE‐derived shear stress was 0.7 N/m² and 2.7 N/m² during flooding and ebbing tide, respectively, and occurred around 0.02 m above the bed. Turbulence dissipation was estimated using the frequency spectrum and structure function methods. Turbulence dissipation estimates from both methods were maximum near the bed (~0.01 m). Both the structure function and the frequency spectrum methods resulted in maximum dissipation estimates on the order of 4 × 10^{? 3} m²/s³. Turbulence production exceeded turbulence dissipation at every phase of the tide, suggesting that advection and vertical diffusion are not negligible. However, turbulence production and dissipation were within a factor of 2 for 77% of the estimates. The turbulence production and dissipation decreased quickly away from the bed, suggesting that measurements higher in the water column cannot be translated directly to turbulence production and dissipation estimates near the bed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Species-specific responses of late Miocene Discoaster spp. to enhanced biosilica productivity conditions in the equatorial Pacific and the Mediterranean

Census data of a major Cenozoic calcareous nannofossil genus (Discoaster) have been acquired from Site U1338, located near the Equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean and drilled in 2009 during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 321. The investigated 147.53 m thick upper Miocene sediment sequence is primarily composed of biogenic carbonate and biogenic silica. Diatom biostratigraphic data were used to develop a revised biomagnetostratigraphic age model, resulting in more variable late Miocene sedimentation rates. Carbonate content variations mainly reflect dilution by biogenic silica production, although intense carbonate dissolution affects a few shorter intervals. Abundance variations of discoasters show no distinct correlation with either carbonate or biosilica contents. The two dominant Discoaster taxa are D. brouweri and D. variabilis, except for a 12 m thick interval where D. bellus outnumbers the sum of all other discoasters by a factor of 4.6. Data presented indicate that first D. hamatus and then D. berggrenii both evolved from D. bellus. Three unusual morphotypes, here referred to as Discoaster A, B and C, increase in relative abundance during episodes of enhanced biosilica production in the upper half of the investigated sequence (Messinian). Strikingly similar morphotypes have been observed previously in Messinian age sediments from the Mediterranean, characterized by alternating deposition of biogenic carbonate and biosilica. This suggests a species-specific response among some of the late Miocene discoasters to broader oceanographic and climatic forcing that promoted episodes of enhanced deposition of biogenic silica.