An anisotropic elastic‐decohesive constitutive relation for sea ice

Thermodynamic growth or melt and mechanical redistribution due to lead opening or ridge formation shape the thickness distribution of the Arctic ice cover and impact the overall strength of pack ice. Specifically, the deformation and strength of ice are not isotropic but vary with the thickness and lead orientation. To reflect these facts, we develop an anisotropic, elastic‐decohesive constitutive model for sea ice together with a model to describe an oriented, ice thickness distribution. The tight connection between the mechanical response and the thickness distribution is an improvement over a previous model that only depended on the average ice thickness. The model describes mechanical responses anisotropically in both the elastic and failure regimes. In the elastic regime, the constitutive relation implicitly reflects strong and weak directions of the pack ice depending on the distribution of thin ice (including open water) and thicker ice (e.g., multi‐year ice or ridges). In the failure regime, the model predicts both failure initiation and the lead orientation. Evolution from initial failure to complete failure when traction‐free crack surfaces are formed is also modeled. Crack or lead width is determined during the evolution. Various examples of failure surfaces are presented to describe the behavior of modeled ice when the thickness distribution varies. The model predictions are also illustrated and compared with previous modeling efforts by examining regions of ice under idealized loading. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of Social Learning on Rural Farmers’ Adaptive Capacity: Empirical Insights from the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

Abstract

Environmental challenges in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta characterized by adverse impacts of climate change, upstream hydropower development and localized dyke expansion present imperatives for rural farmers to “learn to adapt.” However, little is known about how learning contributes to improving their capacity in adapting to these “wicked” problems. This study investigates potential effects of farmers’ learning on their adaptive capacity, utilizing nine focus group discussions, 33 interviews, and a structured survey of 300 farmers. The exploratory factor analysis produced two factors for social learning: (1) learning through social interactions and (2) self-reflection, and one factor for adaptive capacity. The regression results show that the social learning factors have significantly positive effects on adaptive capacity. Farmers with a higher level of social learning are likely to demonstrate higher adaptive capacity. The findings call for policy considerations to promote learning in a broader context of the delta to enhance local capacity.     

Use of stable isotopes to understand run‐off generation processes in the Red River Delta

This paper presents the use of stable isotopes of water for hydrological characterization and flow component partitioning in the Red River Delta (RRD), the downstream section of the Red River. Water samples were collected monthly during 2015 from the mainstream section of the river and its right bank tributaries flowing through the RRD. In general, δ¹⁸O and δ²H river signatures were depleted in summer–autumn (May–October) and elevated in winter–spring (November–April), displaying seasonal variation in response to regional monsoon air mass contest. The Pacific equatorial–maritime air mass dominates in summer and the northern Asia continental air mass controls in winter. Results show that water of the RRD tributaries stems solely from local sources and is completely separated from water arriving from upstream subbasins. This separation is due to the extensive management of the RRD (e.g., dykes and dams) for the purposes of irrigation and inundation prevention. Mainstream river section δ¹⁸O and δ²H compositions range from ?10.58 and ?73.74‰ to ?6.80 and ?43.40‰, respectively, and the corresponding ranges inside the RRD were from ?9.35 and ?64.27‰ to ?2.09 and ?15.80‰. A combination of data analysis and hydrological simulation confirms the role of upstream hydropower reservoirs in retaining and mixing upstream water. River water inside the RRD experienced strong evaporation characterized by depleted d‐excess values, becoming negative in summer. On the other hand, the main stream of the Red River has d‐excess values around 10‰, indicating moderate evaporation. Hydrograph separation shows that in upstream subbasins, the groundwater fraction dominates the river flow composition, especially during low flow regimes. Inside the RRD, the river receives groundwater during the dry season, whereas groundwater replenishment occurs in the rainy season. Annual evaporation obtained from this hydrograph separation computation was about 6.3% of catchment discharge, the same order as deduced from the difference between subbasin precipitation and discharge values. This study shows the necessity to re‐evaluate empirical approaches in large river hydrology assessment schemes, especially in the context of climate change.     

Simulating the effects of induced anisotropy on liquefaction potential using a new constitutive model

The effects of induced anisotropy on the undrained behaviour of very loose and saturated sands have been a subject of intensive investigation, both experimentally and theoretically, by several authors in the past few years. This paper proposes an original constitutive model well‐adapted to simulate the behaviour of sands subject to complex stress histories, in particular, the preloading cycle along the classical drained stress path in compression. The developed model belongs to the family of critical state models. Its construction is based on a few theoretical concepts taken from the theory of ‘Bounding Surface Plasticity’ developed among others by Y. Dafalias and Popov (1975), the ‘Clay And Sand Model’ (CASM) of H. Yu (2006), the CJS model (B. Cambou and K. Jafari (1988)) and the hyperelastic isotropic model of P. Lade (1987). To accurately simulate volume changes, which represent a key element in soil behaviour, a state‐dependent dilatancy rule is proposed, which can account for the influences of stress and void ratio. The current void ratio depends implicitly on the irreversible strains already accumulated hence the strain history. A kinematic hardening is combined with an isotropic hardening, involving rotation and distortion of the bounding surface, in order to capture correctly the experimental observations. Comparisons of experimental results to numerical simulations show that the model is able to simulate with a good precision the major trends of undrained responses of loose and presheared sands. It predicts correctly rapid static liquefaction at small or null drained preloading, as well as the progressive transition to a completely stable behaviour typical of dense sands, while the sample is loose in reality. At intermediate to large amplitudes of preloadings, the model also predicts correctly the temporary stage of instability when the deviatoric stress decreases slightly before rising up again. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigations on meteorological conditions for elevated PM2.5 in Fairbanks,Alaska

The relationships between meteorological conditions (temperature, wind-speed and direction, relative humidity, surface-inversion depth and strength, and stability) and PM_2.5 concentrations in Fairbanks, Alaska were investigated using ten years of observational data. The results show that during wintertime (November through February) PM_2.5 concentrations exceeding the 24 h National Air Quality Standard (35 μg/m³) occurred under calm wind, extremely low temperature (≤20 °C) and moisture (water-vapor pressure < 2 hPa) multiday surface-inversion conditions that trap the pollutants in the breathing level and inhibit transport of polluted air out of Fairbanks. PM_2.5 concentrations tend to be higher under stable than other conditions, but are not sensitive to the degree of stability. The presence of a surface inversion and calm wind are necessary, but in combination with low temperatures and humidity, the conditions are sufficient for high PM_2.5 concentrations. The low temperatures are required because they lead to increased emission rates from domestic heating and power production. During multiday inversions with temperatures above ? 20 °C, high relative humidity (> 75%) partly caused by water-vapor emission reduces PM_2.5 concentrations.     

Relationship between valve activity, microalgae concentration in the water and toxin accumulation in the digestive gland of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas exposed to Alexandrium minutum

The complexity of the relationships between Alexandrium minutum (A.m.) concentration in the water ([A.m.]_w), Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning contamination in the digestive gland ([PSP]_dg) and valve behavior was explored in oysters Crassostrea gigas. Two experiments were conducted, during which oysters’ valve behaviour were analyzed. Oysters, first acclimated for 10-days with the non harmful microalgae Heterocapsa triquetra (H.t.), were exposed to four microalgae mixtures at constant total concentrations of 10 × 10³ cells ml⁻¹ (experiment-1) and 5 × 10³ cells ml⁻¹ (experiment-2): 100% A.m.; 50% A.m.-50% H.t.; 25% A.m.-75% H.t.; 100% H.t. At the end of experiment-2, [PSP]_dg were measured.At 10 × 10³ cells ml⁻¹, the microalgal ingestion decreased (p < 0.05) with increasing [A.m.]_w but not at 5 × 10³ cells ml⁻¹ (p > 0.05). The frequency of microclosures specifically increased with [A.m.]_w (p < 0.05) and the opening duration with [PSP]_dg (p < 0.0001). Oysters exhibiting the maximum increase in opening duration also exhibited the highest [PSP]_dg. The results are discussed in terms of oyster physiology and origin of the behavioral response.     

Mercury concentration in ecosystem components in water bodies and streams in Khanh Hoa province (Central Vietnam)

Total mercury concentration in water, seston, soils, and muscle tissues of fish in water bodies in Khan Hoa province was determined. Hg concentration in water does not exceed 40 ng/l. It migrates in water mostly in dissolved form. Hg concentration in soils of the examined water bodies varies from 0.01 to 0.05 mg/(kg dry mass) and that in the muscle tissues of fish on the average does not exceed 1.4 mg/(kg dry mass).     

Early Mesozoic lamprophyres in Gorny Altai: petrology and age boundaries

The Mesozoic Chuya dike complex was recognized by R.V. Obolenskaya based on the similar mineral composition of dikes and their age characteristics. Lamprophyres occur along the large Terekta–Tolbonur and Kurai–Kobda shear zones. The Chuya complex was studied by the example of two areas, South Chuya and Yustyd, with different levels of erosional truncation. The dikes of the first area are localized in the South Chuya Ridge, where they cut Cambrian–Ordovician metamorphic rocks, and the dikes of the Yustyd area occur in the Devonian terrigenous blackshale deposits of the Yustyd trough. The dikes of these areas differ in structures, textures, the degree of carbonatization, and mineral composition. The performed studies of rocks and minerals confirmed that the dikes of both areas belong to the same complex. They helped to establish the regularities of the lithologic composition of the entire complex and its local areas and to substantiate the recognition of areas not only from their geologic position but also by the composition, structures, and textures of rocks and their mineral composition. Geochronological data show two stages of the complex formation: 236–234 and 250–242 Ma. The results of studies also demonstrate that the lamprophyres and coeval syenites of the Tarkhata massif are fractionates of the same parental melt and can be united into a hypabyssal-plutonic complex. Comparison with other Permo-Triassic lamprophyre complexes showed that the wide variations of the composition of the Chuya rocks and its trend as well as the geochemical anomalies are specific features of complexes of high-K lamprophyres.     

Thermochronology of the PoSen complex,northern Vietnam: Implications for tectonic evolution in SE Asia

The PoSen complex, located closely adjacent to the southwestern margin of the Red River shear zone represents the uplifted basement of north Vietnam and may record the motion of the shear zone. However, its thermochronological history has not been fully examined yet. Here we applied U–Pb and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating methods to reveal its thermochronological history. U–Pb analysis of composite zircon grains by TIMS yielded an average age of 760 ± 25 Ma, clustering on the concordia line. Twelve SHRIMP U–Pb analyses also yielded a consistent result of 751 ± 7 Ma. Along with the geochemical features, the U–Pb dating results suggest the PoSen complex was a late Proterozoic magmatic complex, which could correspond to the Chengjiang orogeny, a widespread thermal event in southwest China. Results of ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of micas and K-feldspars were in the range of 36–30 Ma, revealing a rapid cooling and exhumation history of the PoSen complex during the late Paleogene. The time span of cooling and exhumation of the PoSen complex is slightly older than the main cooling phases of the Ailao Shan–Red River (ASRR) metamorphic massifs (28–17 Ma), but is synchronous with the early igneous activity stage in the eastern Indo-Asian collision zone of southeast China and north Vietnam. Owing to the ongoing debate about the initiation and offset of the ASRR shear zone, the tectonic force for the late Paleogene cooling of the PoSen complex is still inconclusive. The rapid exhumation of the PoSen complex could be in response to either the detachment of the Neo-Tethyan slab or a transpressional phase of continental subduction along the ASRR shear system in the eastern Indo-Asian collision zone.     

Spatial smoothing and minimum variance beamforming on data fromlarge aperture vertical line arrays

Various approaches to the beamforming of data from large aperture vertical line arrays are investigated. Attention is focused on the conventional beamforming problem where the angular power spectrum is estimated, in this case by the adaptive minimum variance processor. The data to be processed are 200 Hz CW transmissions collected at sea by a 900 m vertical line array with 120 equally spaced sensors. Correlated multipath arrivals result in signal cancellation for the adaptive processor, and spatial smoothing techniques must be used prior to beamforming. The processing of subapertures is proposed. Full aperture and subaperture processing techniques are used on the 200 Hz data. Multipath arrivals are found to illuminate only parts of the array, thus indicating that the wavefield can be highly inhomogeneous with depth