On causality in dynamic response analysis by time-dependent boundary element methods

The ramifications of a particular type of causality constraint, namely so-called shadow-zones, are explored in the context of time-dependent boundary element methods. In particular, wave propagation problems in 2-D elastic soil media with a non-convex shape are analysed.     

Dissolution kinetics of magnesite in acidic aqueous solution: a hydrothermal atomic force microscopy study assessing step kinetics and dissolution flux

Magnesite (104) dissolution kinetics were studied in acidic aqueous solutions (2.0 < pH < 4.2) at temperatures between 60 and 90°C by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Comparison of dissolution fluxes obtained by AFM and chemical methods revealed six to seven times larger dissolution fluxes obtained by chemical analysis. Corresponding empirical activation energies were found to be 74 ±22 kJ/mol and 41 ± 4 kJ/mol (at pH 4.2) for the AFM and chemical methods, respectively. The empirical reaction order with respect to proton concentration was 0.36 ± 0.13 and 0.47 ± 0.03 for AFM and chemical methods, respectively. These comparisons suggest that the two experimental measurement methods differ as a result of the different sampling length scales associated with the methods. Negligible changes in step dissolution velocity with changes in bulk pH were found, suggesting that the principal source of increasing dissolution flux with decreasing pH is an increase in step density. However, the observed stable step orientation, which is dependent on pH, suggests that more than one proton adsorption equilibrium should be used to describe the surface chemistry of magnesite in acidic solution.     

Seasonal dynamics of CO2 profiles across a soil chronosequence,Santa Cruz,California

Concentrations of CO₂ in soil atmosphere and CO₂ efflux were measured across a marine terrace soil chronosequence near Santa Cruz, California. Soil development, specifically the formation of an argillic horizon, has created a two-tier soil gas profile in the older terrace soils. The soil above the argillic horizon has seasonal variations in soil CO₂ associated with plant respiration. The older soils with dense argillic horizons maintain a year round ～1%CO₂ below the argillic horizon. The CO₂efflux during the growing season is higher on the older terraces.     

Infiltration von Flusswasser in Dünengebieten

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Zur Ökologie des Brachsen (Abramis brama (L.)) im Bodensee

The reactions of the bream,Abramis brama, to the ecological changes due to man-made eutrophication of Lake Constance were investigated. It could be demonstrated that the bream adapted only to a negligible amount. Likely due to its largeness, structure of the body and population composition the bream is more conservative than perch, roach and whitefish. The only reactions to the changed environment are modificated vertical and horizontal distribution and partly plancton feeding in summer.      

Contents of Volume 48

Volume Contents

Contents of Volume 48     

Predicting the resilience of transport infrastructure to a natural disaster using Cox’s proportional hazards regression model

Transport infrastructure is at significant risk of direct damage from extreme climate events such as flooding, where the cost implications of delayed recovery are generally significant. Previous research in this regard has focused on the technical and engineering aspects of infrastructure construction. The risk management of resilient transport infrastructure is poorly considered, and little has been done to quantify the capacity of transport infrastructure to recover from the impact of natural disasters under varying conditions. This paper applies Cox’s proportional hazards regression model to determine the rate of recovery and cumulative probability that recovery occurs for transport infrastructure across regional areas in New South Wales, Australia. Data for post-disaster reconstruction projects over the period 1992–2012 are used to analyze recovery rate against geographic region, natural disaster type and post-disaster transport infrastructure reconstruction cost. Results demonstrate that transport infrastructure recovered slowest when the failure is the result of a flood rather than bushfire or storm, and in regions with a riverine geography. To validate the accuracy of the model, a bootstrap resampling technique is used. The bootstrap result confirms that the model is robust and reasonable.

     

Magnetics in geoexploration

The magnetic method is the oldest and one of the most widely used geophysical techniques for exploring the earth’s subsurface. It is a relatively easy and inexpensive tool to employ, being applicable to a wide variety of subsurface exploration problems involving horizontal magnetic property variations occurring from near the base of the crust to within the uppermost meter of soil. Successful applications of the magnetic method require an in-depth understanding of its basic principles and careful field work, data reduction, and interpretation. Commonly, interpretations are limited to qualitative approaches which simply map the spatial location of anomalous subsurface conditions, but under favourable circumstances the technological status of the method will permit more quantitative interpretations involving specification of the nature of the anomalous sources. No other geophysical method provides critical input to such a wide variety of problems. However, seldom does the magnetic method provide the complete answer to an investigation problem. As a result, it is generally used in concert with other geophysical and geological data to limit its interpretational ambiguities.     

Deriving snow‐cover depletion curves for different spatial scales from remote sensing and snow telemetry data

During the melting of a snowpack, snow water equivalent (SWE) can be correlated to snow‐covered area (SCA) once snow‐free areas appear, which is when SCA begins to decrease below 100%. This amount of SWE is called the threshold SWE. Daily SWE data from snow telemetry stations were related to SCA derived from moderate‐resolution imaging spectroradiometer images to produce snow‐cover depletion curves. The snow depletion curves were created for an 80 000 km² domain across southern Wyoming and northern Colorado encompassing 54 snow telemetry stations. Eight yearly snow depletion curves were compared, and it is shown that the slope of each is a function of the amount of snow received. Snow‐cover depletion curves were also derived for all the individual stations, for which the threshold SWE could be estimated from peak SWE and the topography around each station. A station's peak SWE was much more important than the main topographic variables that included location, elevation, slope, and modelled clear sky solar radiation. The threshold SWE mostly illustrated inter‐annual consistency. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.