Multiple equilibrium states of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current

It has been established that idealized western boundary currents, which encounter a gap in their supporting boundary, will assume one of two dominant steady states: a loop current state and a gap leaping state, and that transitions between these states display hysteresis. However, a question of whether the idealized geometries considered to date apply to the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current (LC) remained. Here, the nonlinear potential vorticity advection-diffusions equations are solved, for Gulf of Mexico topography, using Newton’s method. We demonstrate that, in application to the LC in the Gulf of Mexico, the original conclusions do hold and additionally describe peculiarities of the more realistic steady states. The existence of our numerically calculated steady LC states in the actual Gulf of Mexico are supported through analysis of historical sea surface height data, and implications of our results for LC modeling and forecasting are discussed.

     

Antenna design and implementation for the future space Ultra-Long wavelength radio telescope

In radio astronomy, the Ultra-Long Wavelengths (ULW) regime of longer than 10 m (frequencies below 30 MHz), remains the last virtually unexplored window of the celestial electromagnetic spectrum. The strength of the science case for extending radio astronomy into the ULW window is growing. However, the opaqueness of the Earth’s ionosphere makes ULW observations by ground-based facilities practically impossible. Furthermore, the ULW spectrum is full of anthropogenic radio frequency interference (RFI). The only radical solution for both problems is in placing an ULW astronomy facility in space. We present a concept of a key element of a space-borne ULW array facility, an antenna that addresses radio astronomical specifications. A tripole–type antenna and amplifier are analysed as a solution for ULW implementation. A receiver system with a low power dissipation is discussed as well. The active antenna is optimized to operate at the noise level defined by the celestial emission in the frequency band 1 ? 30 MHz. Field experiments with a prototype tripole antenna enabled estimates of the system noise temperature. They indicated that the proposed concept meets the requirements of a space-borne ULW array facility.     

Evaluation of statistical tropospheric scintillation models using SUPERBIRD-C satellite for Malaysia

The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate and compare some of the statistical tropospheric scintillation models for one-year data (1999–2000) measured using SUPERBIRD-C satellite in Tronoh, Malaysia. Eight statistical models of monthly mean scintillation intensity are briefly reviewed and their predictions compared with measurements. Results are discussed in order to understand the potentials and the limits of each prediction model within this case study. In the context of our measurements, the Karasawa and Ortgies-T models have the best overall performance. The agreement with satellite measurements is found to be mainly dependent on the parameterization of prediction models to the radiometeorological variables along the earth-space path.     

Improving sustainability of urban drainage systems for climate change adaptation using best management practices: a case study of Tehran,Iran

Although the effectiveness of best management practices (BMPs) in reducing urban flooding is widely recognized, the improved sustainability achieved by implementing BMPs in upstream suburban areas, reducing downstream urban floods, is still debated. This study introduces a new definition of urban drainage system (UDS) sustainability, focusing on BMP usage to enhance system performance after adaptation to climate change. Three types of hydraulic reliability index (HRI) plus robustness and improvability indices were used to quantify the potential enhanced sustainability of the system in a changing climate, together with a climate change adaptability index (CCAI). The sustainability of UDS for the safe conveyance of storm-water runoff was investigated under different land-use scenarios: No BMP, BMP in urban areas, and BMP inside and upstream of urban areas, considering climate change impacts. Rainfall–runoff simulation alongside drainage network modelling was conducted using a storm-water management model (US EPA SWMM) to determine the inundation areas for both base-line and future climatic conditions. A new method for disaggregating daily rainfall to hourly, proposed to provide a finer resolution of input rainfall to SWMM, was applied to a semi-urbanized catchment whose upstream runoff from mountainous areas may contribute to the storm-water runoff in downstream urban parts. Our findings confirm an increase in the number of inundation points and reduction in sustainability indices of UDS due to climate change. The results present an increase in UDS reliability from 4% to 16% and improvements in other sustainability indicators using BMPs in upstream suburban areas compared to implementing them in urban areas.     

Interaction between land-use change,flooding and human health in Metro Vancouver,Canada

Many regions of the world are experiencing an increase in frequency and intensity of floods. There has been increasing understanding among emergency preparedness and natural disaster planners that rapid urbanization is enhancing the risk from river flooding in urban areas. Many regions of Canada have been exposed to particularly severe floods over the course of the last few years, much of this due to land-use change. This study aims at understanding the risk of flooding for the City of Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, which is located in the Fraser River Delta. The paper presents a fast, efficient and reliable method that can be used to produce vegetation maps from advanced very high resolution radiometer images and SPOT vegetation maps. A 10-day maximum normalized difference vegetation index maps were produced to assess the dynamics of the urbanization process in Vancouver. Remotely sensed data show a significant decrease in vegetation cover in the Metro Vancouver City between 1984 and 2012. The proposed method can be used as an effective tool for raising early land-use change awareness and assist with flood risk management. Flood risk management has a substantial impact on human health and well-being in urban areas, and this flood risk information will be used to assess the impact of flooding and explore the complex relationship between land-use change, urbanization, flooding and impact on urban dwellers.     

The origin of mafic rocks in the Naqadeh intrusive complex, Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, NW Iran

The Naqadeh mafic plutonic rocks are located on a plutonic assemblage and include different granitoid rocks related to ～40 Ma. U-Pb SHRIMP data shows different ages of 96?±?2.3 Ma for mafic rocks. Naqadeh mafic plutonic rocks consist of diorite to diorite-gabbros with relatively high contents of incompatible elements, low Na2O, and $ {\hbox{Mg\# }} = \left[ {{\hbox{molar}}\;{100} \times {\hbox{MgO/}}\left( {{\hbox{MgO}} + {\hbox{FeO}}} \right)} \right] > 44.0 $ . These features suggest that the Naqadeh mafic rocks originate from enriched lithospheric mantle above subducted slab during Neotethys subduction under Iranian plate.     

The effect of specimen diameter size on uniaxial compressive strength,P-wave velocity and the correlation between them

Estimation of uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) by P-wave velocity (V_P) is of great interest to geotechnical engineers in various design projects. The specimen diameter size is one of the main factors that influence rock parameters such as UCS and V_P. In this study, the diameter size of specimens that effect UCS and V_P is investigated. Moreover, the correlation between UCS and V_P are examined via empirical analysis. For this purpose, 15 travertine samples were collected and core specimens with a diameters size of 38, 44, 54, 64 and 74 mm were prepared. Then, uniaxial compressive strength and P-wave velocity tests were conducted according to the procedure suggested by ISRM (1981). It is concluded that the diameter size of the specimen has a significant effect on UCS and V_P. Moreover, it was found that the best correlation between relevant parameters obtained for the specimen diameter of 38 mm.