An analytic solution to the mild slope equation for waves propagating over an axi-symmetric pit

An analytic solution to the mild slope equation is derived for waves propagating over an axi-symmetric pit located in an otherwise constant depth region. The water depth inside the pit decreases in proportion to an integer power of radial distance from the pit center. The mild slope equation in cylindrical coordinates is transformed into ordinary differential equations by using the method of separation of variables, and the coefficients of the equation in radial direction are transformed into explicit forms by using the direct solution for the wave dispersion equation by Hunt (Hunt, J.N., 1979. Direct solution of wave dispersion equation. J. Waterw., Port, Coast., Ocean Div., Proc. ASCE, 105, 457–459). Finally, the Frobenius series is used to obtain the analytic solution. Due to the feature of the Hunt's solution, the present analytic solution is accurate in shallow and deep waters, while it is less accurate in intermediate depth waters. The validity of the analytic solution is demonstrated by comparison with numerical solutions of the hyperbolic mild slope equations. The analytic solution is also used to examine the effects of the pit geometry and relative depth on wave transformation. Finally, wave attenuation in the region over the pit is discussed.     

Changes in spatial variations of sap flow in Korean pine trees due to environmental factors and their effects on estimates of stand transpiration

It is difficult to scale up measurements of the sap flux density (Js) for the characterization of tree or stand transpiration (E) due to spatial variations in JS and their temporal changes. To assess spatial variations in the sap flux density of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) and their effects on E estimates, we measured the Js using Granier-type sensors. Within trees, the Js decreased exponentially with the radial depth, and the Js of the east aspects were higher than those of the west aspects. Among trees, there was a positive relationship between Js and the tree diameter at breast height, and this positive relationship became stronger as the transpiration demand increased. The spatial variations that caused large errors in E estimates (i.e., up to 110.8 % when radial variation was ignored) had varied systematically with environmental factors systematic characteristics in relation to environmental factors. However, changes in these variations did not generate substantial errors in the E estimates. For our study periods, the differences in the daily E (E _D) calculated by ignoring radial, azimuthal and tree-to-tree variations and the measured E _D were fairly constant, especially when the daily vapor pressure deficit (D__D) was higher than 0.6 kPa. These results imply that the effect of spatial variations changes on sap flow can be a minor source of error compared with spatial variations (radial, azimuthal and tree-to-tree variations) when considering E estimates.     

Groundwater responses to the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake on Jeju Island,Korea

Groundwater responses at 15 monitoring wells on Jeju Island were observed in relation to the magnitude 9.0 Tohoku Earthquake off the Pacific coast of Honshu, Japan, on 11 March 2011, at 14:46:23 h local time (05:46:24 h UTC time). In coastal areas, the groundwater level responses to the earthquake were oscillatory at 12 wells, and the range of the maximum groundwater level changes was 3–192.4 cm. The response durations were approximately 1–62 min. The relationship between the maximum groundwater level changes and the response durations displayed a high correlation coefficient (r = 0.81). Groundwater temperature changes were also observed at 7 of 12 wells 3–10 min after the seismic wave arrived, and the range was from 0.01 °C to 1.20 °C. In mid‐elevation areas, the groundwater level changes appeared in three different forms: oscillatory, spiky and persistent. The groundwater temperature changes were also observed at two wells. One indicated decreasing and recovering temperatures, and the other exhibited rising and persistent temperatures. The primary temperature changes occurred 5–6 min after the earthquake and 2–3 min after the seismic wave arrived. In addition, the electrical conductivities at the depth of the transition zone were monitored, and the responses to the earthquake appeared at all three wells. Although the electrical conductivity and temperature changes were not well understood, groundwater inflow and mixing were likely caused by the earthquake, and the responses were various and site specific. The responses to the earthquake were closely related to the hydrogeological characteristics at each monitoring well, and a more detailed hydrogeological characterization is needed to understand the mechanisms related to earthquakes in general. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of the impact of climate change on the flow regime of the Han River basin using indicators of hydrologic alteration

Most natural disasters are caused by water‐/climate‐related hazards, such as floods, droughts, typhoons, and landslides. In the last few years, great attention has been paid to climate change, and especially the impact of climate change on water resources and the natural disasters that have been an important issue in many countries. As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall, the number of water‐related disasters is expected to rise. In this regard, this study intends to analyse the changes in extreme weather events and the associated flow regime in both the past and the future. Given trend analysis, spatially coherent and statistically significant changes in the extreme events of temperature and rainfall were identified. A weather generator based on the non‐stationary Markov chain model was applied to produce a daily climate change scenario for the Han River basin for a period of 2001–2090. The weather generator mainly utilizes the climate change SRES A2 scenario driven by input from the regional climate model. Following this, the SLURP model, which is a semi‐distributed hydrological model, was applied to produce a long‐term daily runoff ensemble series. Finally, the indicator of hydrologic alteration was applied to carry out a quantitative analysis and assessment of the impact of climate change on runoff, the river flow regime, and the aquatic ecosystem. It was found that the runoff is expected to decrease in May and July, while no significant changes occur in June. In comparison with historical evidence, the runoff is expected to increase from August to April. A remarkable increase, which is about 40%, in runoff was identified in September. The amount of the minimum discharge over various durations tended to increase when compared to the present hydrological condition. A detailed comparison for discharge and its associated characteristics was discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A hybrid modeling approach to evaluate the groundwater flow system at the low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal site in Gyeong-Ju, Korea

The development and implementation of a hybrid discrete fracture network/equivalent porous medium (DFN/EPM) approach to groundwater flow at the Gyeong-Ju low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILW) disposal site in the Republic of Korea is reported. The geometrical and hydrogeological properties of fractured zones, background fractures and rock matrix were derived from site characterization data and implemented as a DFN. Several DFN realizations, including the deterministic fractured zones and the stochastic background fractures, whose statistical properties were verified by comparison with in-situ fracture and hydraulic test data, were suggested, and they were then upscaled to continuums using a fracture tensor approach for site-scale flow simulations. The upscaled models were evaluated by comparison to in-situ pressure monitoring data, and then used to simulate post-closure hydrogeology for the LILW facility. Simulation results demonstrate the importance of careful characterization and implementation of fractured zones. The study highlighted the importance of reducing uncertainty regarding the properties and variability of natural background fractures, particularly in the immediate vicinity of repository emplacement.     

Laboratory experiments of tsunami run-up and withdrawal in patchy coastal forest on a steep beach

Laboratory experiments were carried out to study tsunami flow dynamics in the presence of patchy macro-roughness, representing coastal forest, on a 1:10 steep beach. The experimental setup included four cross-shore rows of roughness patches affixed to the dry beach in a staggered array, such that 12 % of the staggered array region had higher roughness. The flow field during run-up and withdrawal was quantified using point measurements of velocity and flow depth at 20 locations, while high-resolution video was used to track bore position during run-up. Data analysis revealed that while inundated area was marginally impacted when patchy roughness was present, flow depths and flow force were, respectively, increased by more than 40 and 30 % in some areas within the patch array; a decrease in flow force was also observed in some areas. Alongshore variation in flow depth, induced by the roughness patches, was most pronounced during withdrawal. These findings suggest that patchy macro-roughness, like that created by coastal forest, will simultaneously lead to increased protection in some areas and decreased protection in others.     

Delineation of Egyptian mud bricks using magnetic gradiometer techniques

A near-surface magnetic gradiometer survey of a site at Hawara, Fayoum city is used to delineate archaeological features made by mud bricks at shallow depths in the northeast of the pyramid of Amenemhat III. Magnetic survey data were processed to a precise forward processing sequence, including clipping, de-sloping, removing stripes and edge discontinuities, de-spiking, filtering, interpolating, and finally detecting statistically significant results. The processed magnetic data indicate high amplitude anomalies in the northeastern part of the pyramid Amenemhat III, suggesting the presence of shallow cemeteries of mud brick walls. Low pass filtering of the vertical gradient data helped reveal the relatively deep mud brick features in the generally shallow section. These features were isolated using a statistical detection technique, and verified by the correlation with the surrounding mud brick discoveries. This required the analysis of the magnetic behavior of exposed mud bricks and man-made objects for comparison with the magnetic signature of buried material. These were then matched with the vertical magnetic gradients of the exposed mud brick features from here and three other Egyptian localities. They are mostly the extension of the 12th Dynasty cemeteries, which exist in the western and southwestern parts of the study area.     

Effects of BPA and DES on longchin goby (Chasmichthys dolichognathus) in vitro during the oocyte maturation

This study was performed in order to assess whether bisphenol (BPA) and diethylstilbestrol (DES) had agonistic or antagonistic effects on oocyte maturation using marine fish. We tested the effects of these chemicals on in vitro maturation, germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), assay using oocytes from the longchin goby, Chasmichthys dolichognathus. During the maturation process, low concentrations of BPA and DES triggered GVBD depending on the stage of oocyte development; BPA at 0.044 nM and DES at 0.037, 0.37, and 3.73 nM induced GVBD in 0.82-0.88 mm diameter oocytes (germinal vesicle located near the center of oocytes). In 0.76-0.80 mm diameter oocytes (fully vitellogenic oocytes), BPA induced GVBD at relatively higher concentrations (4.38, 43.8, and 438 nM). In 0.86-0.90 mm diameter oocytes, BPA and DES had no observable effect on GVBD at the concentrations tested. Oocytes with diameters between 0.82 and 0.88 mm appeared to be more sensitive to these chemicals. Moreover, our results showed that BPA and DES did not inhibit GVBD.