Finite difference calculation of traveltime on non-orthogonal grid

Finite difference methods have been widely employed in solving the eikonal equation so as to calculate traveltime of seismic phase. Most previous studies used regular orthogonal grid. However, much denser grid is required to sample the interfaces that are undulating in depth direction, such as the Moho and the 660 km discontinuity.Here we propose a new finite difference algorithm to solve the eikonal equation on non-orthogonal grid(irregular grid).To demonstrate its efficiency and accuracy, a test was conducted with a two-layer model. The test result suggests that the similar accuracy of a regular grid with ten times grids could achieve with our new algorithm, but the time cost is only about 0.1 times. A spherical earth model with an undulant660 km discontinuity was constructed to demonstrate the potential application of our new method. In that case, the traveltime curve fluctuation corresponds to topography. Our new algorithm is efficient in solving the first arrival times of waves associated with undulant interfaces.     

On the stability relationships between tidal asymmetry and morphologies of tidal basins and estuaries

Simple stability relationships are practically useful to provide a rapid assessment of coastal and estuarine landforms in response to human interventions and long‐term climate change. In this contribution, we review a variety of simple stability relationships which are based on the analysis of tidal asymmetry (TA). Most of the existing TA‐based stability relationships are derived using the one‐dimensional tidal flow equations assuming a certain regular shape of the tidal channel cross‐sections. To facilitate analytical solutions, specific assumptions inevitably need to be made, for example by linearizing the friction term and dropping some negligible terms in the tidal flow equations. We find that three major types of TA‐based stability relationships have been proposed between three non‐dimensional channel geometric ratios (represented by the ratio of channel widths, ratio of wet surface areas and ratio of storage volumes) and the tide‐related parameter a/h (i.e. the ratio between tidal amplitude and mean water depth). Based on established geometric relations, we use these non‐dimensional ratios to restate the existing relationships so that they are directly comparable. Available datasets are further extended to examine the utility of these TA‐based relationships. Although a certain agreement is shown for these relationships, we also observe a large scatter of data points which are collected in different types of landscape, hydrodynamic and sedimentological settings over the world. We discuss in detail the potential reasons for this large scatter and subsequently elaborate on the limited applicability of the various TA‐based stability relationships for practical use. We highlight the need to delve further into what constitutes equilibrium and what is needed to develop more robust measures to determine the morphological state of these systems. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adaptive multi-fidelity probabilistic collocation-based Kalman filter for subsurface flow data assimilation: numerical modeling and real-world experiment

Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment - The ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) has received substantial attention in hydrologic data assimilation due to its ease of implementation. In...     

Antagonism between coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus and other bacteria in the gastric cavity of scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis

Scleractinian corals host numerous microbial symbionts with different types of interactions. The gastric cavity of scleractinian coral, as a semiclosed subenvironment with distinct chemical characteristics(e.g., dissolved O2, pH, alkalinity, and nutrients), harbors a distinct microbial community and a diverse array of bacteria that can be pathogenic or beneficial. Galaxea fascicularis is one of the dominant massive scleractinian coral species on inshore fringing reefs in the northern South China Sea.Although the abundance of coral-associated bacteria has been investigated in G. fascicularis, less is known about the microorganisms in the gastric cavity. In this study, we specially isolated cultivable bacterial strains from the gastric cavity of G.fascicularis collected from Hainan Island using a noninvasive sampling approach. Among the 101 representative bacterial strains, one Vibrio coralliilyticus strain, SCSIO 43001, was found to be a temperature-dependent opportunistic pathogen of G.fascicularis. The antagonistic activity between the 100 strains and V. coralliilyticus SCSIO 43001 was tested using a modified Burkholder diffusion assay. Our results showed that V. coralliilyticus SCSIO 43001 inhibits the growth of Erythrobacter flavus and Sphingomonas yabuuchiae. Additionally, we found that three Pseudoalteromonas strains showed moderate to high antibacterial activity against V. coralliilyticus SCSIO 43001 and several other coral-associated Gram-negative bacterial strains.These results suggest that competition between the coral pathogen and other bacteria also occurs in the gastric cavity of coral, and Pseudoalteromonas strains in the gastric cavity of G. fascicularis may provide a protective role in the defense against coinhabiting coral pathogens at elevated temperature.     

Velocity anisotropy characteristics and pre-stack time migration imaging of the marine sedimentary strata in the South Yellow Sea Basin

The South Yellow Sea is a superimposed basin overlying Mesozoic-Cenozoic continental sediments, which in turn overlie Paleozoic-Mesozoic marine deposits that are now the target of hydrocarbon exploration. Strongly modified by multiple tectonic events, the marine sediments feature a large tectonic relief, with obvious horizontal anisotropy in seismic velocity, which significantly affects the seismic image quality. In this study, the sedimentary velocity anisotropy and its influence on image quality were analyzed using an analytical theory method, assuming transversely isotropic medium with vertical axis of symmetry (VTI), and using seismic and well-log data. Additionally, an anisotropic prestack time migration was used for the imaging of the field data. The results showed that the anisotropic pre-stack time migration processing could be used to significantly improve the accuracy of the seismic images in areas with distinct faults, offering clear images of accurately located fault planes and fault edges, thereby improving the lateral resolution of the seismic data and its signal-to-noise ratio.     

Seismology software: state of the practice

We analyzed the state of practice for software development in the seismology domain by comparing 30 software packages on four aspects: product, implementation, design, and process. We found room for improvement in most seismology software packages. The principal areas of concern include a lack of adequate requirements and design specification documents, a lack of test data to assess reliability, a lack of examples to get new users started, and a lack of technological tools to assist with managing the development process. To assist going forward, we provide recommendations for a document-driven development process that includes a problem statement, development plan, requirement specification, verification and validation (V&V) plan, design specification, code, V&V report, and a user manual. We also provide advice on tool use, including issue tracking, version control, code documentation, and testing tools.     

Bayesian Monitoring Design for Streambed Heat Tracing: Numerical Simulation and Sandbox Experiments

Heat tracing methods have been widely employed for subsurface characterization. Nevertheless, there were very few studies regarding the optimal monitoring design for heat tracing in heterogeneous streambeds. In this study, we addressed this issue by proposing an efficient optimal design framework to collect the most informative diurnal temperature signal for Bayesian estimation of streambed hydraulic conductivities. The data worth (DW) was measured by the expected relative entropy between the prior and posterior distributions of the conductivity field. An adaptively refined Gaussian process surrogate was employed to alleviate the computational burden, resulting in at least three orders of magnitude of speed-up. The applicability of the optimal experimental design framework was evaluated by both numerical and sandbox experimental cases. Results showed that the most informative locations centered in the transition zones among the main patterns of the hydraulic conductivity field, while the most informative times centered in a short period after the minimum/maximum temperature appeared. With the fixed number of measurements, extending the calibration period was more beneficial than increasing the monitoring frequency in improving the estimation results. To our best knowledge, this work is the first study on Bayesian monitoring design for streambed characterization with the heat tracing method. The method and results can provide guidance on selecting monitoring strategies under budget-limited conditions.     

伊朗库姆大桥大口径基桩孔钻进工艺

介绍了在伊朗库姆大桥工地利用泵吸反循环冲洗一次成孔工艺,施工大口径基桩孔的技术问题,包括埋设护筒、移机定位、对鱼尾导向和燕尾导向刮刀钻头镶焊角度的改进和变换泵轴密封材料等,提高了成孔效率和质量。      

Preliminary study on community structures of meiofauna in the middle and eastern Chukchi Sea

Sediment core samples were collected from 17 stations in the middle and eastern Chukchi Sea during the sixth Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition(CHINARE-Arctic) in summer 2014.The samples were analyzed for composition,abundance,biomass,vertical distribution,size spectra,and ecological indexes of meiofauna.A total of 14 meiofauna taxa were detected,and the free-living marine nematodes comprised the most dominant taxon,accounting for 97.21% of the average abundance.The abundance and biomass of meiofauna were within ranges of(218.12±85.83)-(7 239.38±1 557.15) ind./(10 cm~2) and(130.28±52.17)-(3 309.56±1 751.80) μg/(10 cm~2),with average values of(2 391.90±1 966.19) ind./(10 cm~2) and(1 549.73±2 042.85) μg/(10 cm~2)(according to dry weight)respectively.Furthermore,91.26% of the individuals were distributed in the top layer of 0-5 cm of surface sediment,and 90.84% had sizes of 32-250 μm.Group diversity index of meiofauna in the survey area was low,and the variation of abundance was the main difference in meiofauna communities among all stations.Abundance and biomass of meiofauna were not significantly correlated with environmental factors except concentration of nutrient Si in bottom seawater.Abundance of meiofauna in shallow water of marginal seas in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean is likely at a same level and higher than that in most of China sea areas,suggesting that the shallow water of the summer Chukchi Sea is a continental shelf area with rich resources of meiofauna.The Chukchi Sea is important for studying the ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean and environmental responses.However,studies on meiofauna in the Chukchi Sea are still not enough,and in the future,natural and human disturbances may increase due to global warming,the Arctic channel opening,and other factors.Thus,more studies on meiofauna should be required,in order to know more about how the Arctic benthic community would alter.     

蓝藻膦酸酯代谢及其生态意义研究进展

膦酸酯是新近发现的一类生物可利用磷,其广泛存在于水生生态系统,是水体有机磷库的重要组成,构成水体磷氧化还原循环的关键环节。随着研究的深入,越来越多的蓝藻藻株被证实参与膦酸酯的生物利用与合成,有助于阐明其适应低磷环境的机制,促进了对蓝藻磷策略与水体磷循环的全面理解,具有重要的生态学意义。与此同时,蓝藻对膦酸酯的利用性状,使得膦酸酯作为环境污染物与蓝藻磷源的双重作用开始显现,这会对水体浮游生物竞争格局的研究产生深远影响;而蓝藻的甲基膦酸代谢也被认为是水体好氧甲烷发生的来源之一。本文回顾了蓝藻膦酸酯利用与合成的研究历史,对目前蓝藻膦酸酯代谢过程生态风险与生态意义的研究进展进行了梳理,并对这一领域未来发展趋势进行了评述。