Fine-grained sediment transport in Chignecto Bay, Bay of Fundy, Canada

This paper describes measurements of suspended sediment fluxes at a total of 32 stations situated on four reference sections in the turbid estuary of Chignecto Bay, Bay of Fundy, Canada. The purpose of the study was to determine the sediment budget (sources, transport paths and sinks) and the seasonal variations in particulate fluxes. The major sources of sediment are the eroding cliffs surrounding the bay (1.0 × 10⁶ m³ y⁻¹) and the seabed (6 × 10⁶ m³ y⁻¹. There are no present-day sinks within the estuary; sediment is principally moved in suspension to the wider part of the Bay of Fundy. Residuals in sediment mass transport are strongly affected by storms. These disrupt the logarithmic longitudinal sediment concentration profile which is normally present, and cause sediment to be transported out of the estuary. Well-defined turbid ribbons occur which meander unpredictably through the sampling sites; estimates of sediment mass transport are thus dubious.     

Comparison of large-scale structures and velocities in the local universe

Comparison of the large-scale density and velocity fields in the local universe shows detailed agreement, strengthening the standard paradigm of the gravitational origin of these structures. Quantitative analysis can determine the cosmological density parameter, , and biasing factor,b; there is virtually no sensitivity in any local analyses to the cosmological constant,. Comparison of the dipole anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background with the acceleration due to theIRAS galaxies puts the linear growth factor in the range ^0.6 /b = 0.6 _–0.3 ^+0.7 (95% confidence). A direct comparison of the density and velocity fields of nearby galaxies gives = 1.3 _–0.6 ^+0.7 , and from nonlinear analysis the weaker limit > 0.45 forb > 0.5 (again 95% confidence). A tighter limit, > 0.3 (4–6), is obtained by a reconstruction of the probability distribution function of the initial fluctuations from which the structures observed today arose. The last two methods depend critically on the smooth velocity field determined from the observed velocities of nearby galaxies by thePOTENT method. A new analysis of these velocities, with more than three times the data used to obtain the above quoted results, is now underway and promises to tighten the uncertainties considerably, as well as reduce systematic bias.     

Erroneous interpretation of historical documents related to the epicenter of the 1927 Jericho earthquake in the Holy Land

The 1927 earthquake was the strongestseismic event (M = 6.2) of the 20th centuryin the Holy Land and the first significantone in the region to be recorded worldwideby seismometers. By quoting theseismological station in Ksara, the ISSlocated the epicenter 40 km north of theDead Sea. This location, which wassupported by secondary and tertiarymacroseismic `evidence' and became one ofthe most accepted `facts', was neverquestioned nor reevaluated.We show how an initial mistaken earthquakelocation, supported by questionableevidence, struck roots and eventually becamean accepted fact. This typical `chain oferrors' may serve as a warning regardingtreatment of historical macroseismicsources, as well as historical microseismicdocuments. The conclusions drawn from thisstudy, while focusing on historicaldocumentation, fit well the new epicenterof the 1927 earthquake, recalculated in ourformer study.     

Hydrological Characteristics of Estuary in Wulan Delta in Demak Regency,Indonesia

Water Resources - Understanding estuarine characteristics is crucial for managing aquatic ecosystem and aquaculture. A delta is a dynamic area that influence by both sea and river. Research on a...     

Assessment of the Intake and the Pretreatment Design in Existing Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Plants by Hasse Diagram Technique (HDT)

Seawater desalination is a rising technology intended to overcome water scarcity and is increasingly being used for the production of drinking water. A good quality pretreatment process is prominent to the successful operation of a Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plant. The tasks of the intake and the pretreatment modules are to prevent fouling and to extend the lifetime of the reverse osmosis membranes. To practice the method of assessment design, 19 seawater plants with 11 different design strategies have been evaluated. The assessed strategies consist of: (i) Intake treatment, (ii) pretreatment aid (coagulation, flocculation, clarification), and (iii) pretreatment unit. Every possible combination of the design elements has been evaluated by a set of 15 attributes. The comparative evaluation has been conducted by Hasse diagram technique (HDT) using PyHasse software. The result of the HDT application includes 7 favorable incomparable design strategies. In order to solve the incomparability, the Condorcet–Kemeny–Young–Levenglick (C–K–Y–L) ranking procedure was additionally used and rendered the optimal design that is based on subsurface intake and membrane (ultrafiltration) pretreatment facilities. According to the results, both mathematical methods, i.e., the HDT in combination with the C–K–Y–L, procedure can be powerful and helpful tools to assist decisions concerning design strategies.     

Underwater glider modelling and analysis for net buoyancy, depth and pitch angle control

Underwater glider is an autonomous underwater vehicle that glides by controlling their buoyancy and attitude using internal actuators. By changing the vehicle's buoyancy intermittently, vertical motion can be achieved. Characteristics of glider motion include upward and downward movement in a saw tooth pattern, turning and gliding in a vertical spiral motion and gliding without using thrusters or propellers. This paper presents the modelling and identification on net buoyancy, depth and pitching angle of an underwater glider system. A ballast tank subsystem is considered appropriate for the identification process since it is the main parameter for the motion control. By selecting the ballast rate as the input, three aspects of the dynamics of a glider can be observed: buoyancy, depth of the glider and pitching angle. The MATLAB System Identification Toolbox^TM is used to obtain a mathematical model of the glider ballast-buoyancy, ballast-depth and ballast-pitching angle conditioning system. The best three parametric estimation models are chosen, and the results of the comparison between simulated and estimated outputs are presented. The information obtained from the modelling and identification approaches are used for USM's Underwater Glider Prototype controller design. The information observed during this procedure are utilised for optimisation, stability, reliability and robustness analysis of the underwater glider.