On the dynamics of low latitude,wide and shallow coastal system: numerical simulations of the Upper Gulf of Thailand

A high-resolution (～1 km horizontal grid and 21 vertical layers) numerical model based on the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) has been used to study the 3D dynamics of the Upper Gulf of Thailand (UGOT). While influenced by tides and rivers like other estuarine systems, the UGOT is unique because it is wide (～100 km?×?100 km), it is shallow (average depth of only ～15 m), it is located in low latitudes (～12.5°N–13.5°N), and it is influenced by the seasonal monsoon. Sensitivity studies were thus conducted to evaluate the impact that surface heat fluxes, monsoonal winds, river runoffs, and the low latitude may have on the dynamics; the latter has been evaluated by modifying the Coriolis parameter and comparing simulations representing low and mid latitudes. The circulation in the UGOT changes seasonally from counter-clockwise during the northeast monsoon (dry season) to clockwise during the southwest monsoon (wet season). River discharges generate coastal jets, whereas river plumes tend to be more symmetric near the river mouth and remain closer to the coast in low latitudes, compared with mid-latitude simulations. River plumes are also dispersed along the coast in different directions during different stages of the monsoonal winds. The model results are compared favorably with a simple wind-driven analytical estuarine model. Comparisons between an El Niño year (1998) and a La Niña year (2000) suggest that water temperatures, warmer by as much as 2 °C in 1998 relative to 2000, are largely driven by decrease cloudiness during the El Niño year. The developed model of the UGOT could be used in the future to address various environmental problems affecting the region.     

Particle transport in gravel-bed rivers: Revisiting passive tracer data

Data from tracer experiments were compiled and analysed in order to explore the role of geomorphological, hydrological and sedimentological constraints on fluvial gravel transport in gravel-bed rivers. A large data set from 217 transport episodes of tagged stones were compiled from 33 scientific papers. Our analyses showed that while magnitude of peak discharge is a major control on gravel transport and mobility, tracer travel distances show some scale dependence on the morphological configuration of the channel. Our results also highlight differences in the way tracers are displaced between step–pool and riffle and pool channels. The riffle–pool sequence seems to be a more efficient trap for travelling gravels than the step–pool pair. In addition, in step–pool channels there are clear differences in tracer transport between observations of first displacements after tracer seeding (unconstrained-stone conditions), and second and subsequent observations of tracer displacements (constrained-stone conditions). The comparison between tracer experiments under constrained conditions and those under unconstrained conditions also highlights the importance of bed state and structures in gravel mobility. The results of this study confirm that sediment transport in gravel-bed rivers is a complex process, whereby sedimentological and geomorphological controls are superimposed on the hydraulic forcing. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

全球海洋高频波动主振荡周期的纬向带状分布特征

基于1992年10月至2000年12月的TOPEX/Poseidon和ERS-1/2卫星高度计资料,分析了周期短于150d的高频波动及其能量的空间分布特征.在功率谱密度计算基础上,分析特定频段所含能量占周期短于150d的高濒波动总能量的百分比,发现该频段最强振荡(下文称主振荡)所对应的周期从近赤道的1个月逐步增加至南北纬30°附近的4个月,进一步分析表明主振荡周期的这种变化是连续的,与西向行星Rossby波的相速随纬度增加而变慢相对应.主振荡所对应的周期在全球海洋中呈显著的带状分布.进而表明在14°N(S)附近60d周期的振荡除通常所认为的由于潮汐混淆所造成的虚假信号之外,主要是行星Rossby波形态的真实信号.     

A modeling study of the role that bottom topography plays in Gulf Stream dynamics and in influencing the tilt of mean sea level along the US East Coast

Two aspects of the interactions between the Gulf Stream (GS) and the bottom topography are investigated: 1. the spatial variations associated with the north-south tilt of mean sea level along the US East Coast and 2. the high-frequency temporal variations of coastal sea level (CSL) that are related to Gulf Stream dynamics. A regional ocean circulation model is used to assess the role of topography; this is done by conducting numerical simulations of the GS with two different topographies–one case with a realistic topography and another case with an idealized smooth topography that neglects the details of the coastline and the very deep ocean. High-frequency oscillations (with a 5-day period) in the zonal wind and in the GS transport are imposed on the model; the source of the GS variability is either the Florida Current (FC) in the south or the Slope Current (SC) in the north. The results demonstrate that the abrupt change of topography at Cape Hatteras, near the point where the GS separates from the coast, amplifies the northward downward mean sea level tilt along the coast there. The results suggest that idealized or coarse resolution models that do not resolve the details of the coastline may underestimate the difference between the higher mean sea level in the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) and the lower mean sea level in the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). Imposed variations in the model’s GS transport can generate coherent sea level variability along the coast, similar to the observations. However, when the bottom topography in the model is modified (or not well resolved), the shape of the coastline and the continental shelf influence the propagation of coastal-trapped waves and impact the CSL variability. The results can explain the different characteristics of sea level variability in the SAB and in the MAB and help understand unexpected water level anomalies and flooding related to remote influence of the GS.     

In-situ geotechnical experimentation and stability evaluation of an instrumented 180 m×70 m×12.5 m fill dike constructed on laminated soft ground

 An instrumented trial-fill dike was constructed on soft, laminated soils of the Lisan Peninsula foreshore of the Dead Sea. The earthwork had base dimensions of 180 m by approximately 70 m wide and was raised in two stages to a maximum height of 12.5 m above original ground level. The geotechnical data of the dike were monitored in order to: assess the short- and long-term strength of the foundation, obtain and analyze the pore-pressure response of the foundation soils for potential use in construction control, obtain data on embankment settlement in order to refine end-of-construction and post-construction settlement assessments, and optimize the height of the dike to be constructed by providing information on the construction sequence for use in calculation of capital costs and alternative layouts and dike heights. The successful completion of the trial dike has demonstrated that steep-side dikes up to 12.5 m high can be constructed rapidly on soft soils. The construction of the trial dike has therefore proved a very substantial benefit to the evaluation of the likely performance of a dike constructed along the Lisan shore. The key factor which made this fast construction possible was the unexpected, very rapid consolidation of the majority of the foundation soil which has been shown to occur. The principal observations from the trial dike were: (1) end of construction settlements may be calculated using drained stiffnesses where E′/s_{u initial} has a value of around 65; (2) post-construction settlements can be calculated using a coefficient of secondary compression, Cα equal to 0.015; (3) a rapid increase in undrained shear strength occurred when loading the soil up to a value of s_u equal to around 30 kPa. The value of s_u/σ_v′ was as high as 0.5 at this stage. With further loading the strength increase was more modest and s_u/σ_v fell to around 0.25 for a vertical effective stress of 160 kPa; (4) for the undrained stability analyses of the trial dike, the mean vane shear-strength profile provided an appropriate assessment of the short-term factor of safety against failure, 5) For the drained stability analyses of the trial dike, lower bound effective strength parameters for the foundation and embankment fill (c′=0, φ′=30° and c′=2 kN/m², φ′=33°, respectively), combined with field measurements of end of construction pore water pressures provided an analysis which was broadly compatible with the undrained analysis; and (6) the trial dike has been stable, pre- and post-construction, because of the well drained nature of its foundation which prevented the build up of high pore water pressures and led to rapid consolidation. Received: 22 June 1998 · Accepted: 30 October 1998     

Spatiotemporal variability of the ocean since 1900: testing a new analysis approach using global sea level reconstruction

Ocean Dynamics - A new approach for analysis of spatiotemporal variability across ocean basins was tested using global 1° × 1° monthly sea level reconstruction (RecSL)...