Temporal variability of contemporary floodplain sedimentation in the Rhine–Meuse delta,The Netherlands

It is often believed that extreme but infrequent events are most important in the development of landforms. When evaluating the overall effect of large floods on floodplain sedimentation, quantitative measurements of both high- and low-magnitude events should be considered. To analyse the role of flood magnitude on floodplain sedimentation, we measured overbank sedimentation during floods of different magnitude and duration. The measurements were carried out on two embanked floodplain sections along the rivers Rhine and Meuse in The Netherlands, using sediment traps made of artificial grass. The results showed an increase in total sediment accumulation with flood magnitude, mainly caused by enhanced accumulation of sand. At low floodplain sections the increase in sediment deposition was smaller than expected from the strong increase in suspended sediment transport in the river. Spatial variability in sediment accumulation was found to depend both on flood magnitude and duration. Deposition of sand on natural levees mainly takes place during high-magnitude floods, whilst low floods and slowly receding floods are important for the deposition of silt and clay in low-lying areas, at greater distance from the main channel. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The violent past of Cygnus X-2

Cygnus X-2 appears to be the descendant of an intermediate-mass X-ray binary (IMXB). Using Mazzitelli's stellar code we compute detailed evolutionary sequences for the system and find that its prehistory is sensitive to stellar input parameters, in particular the amount of core overshooting during the main-sequence phase. With standard assumptions for convective overshooting a case B mass transfer starting with a 3.5-M_⊙ donor star is the most likely evolutionary solution for Cygnus X-2. This makes the currently observed state rather short-lived, of order 3 Myr, and requires a formation rate > 10⁻⁷–10⁻⁶ yr⁻¹ of such systems in the Galaxy. Our calculations show that neutron star IMXBs with initially more massive donors (≳4 M_⊙) encounter a delayed dynamical instability; they are unlikely to survive this rapid mass transfer phase. We determine limits for the age and initial parameters of Cygnus X-2 and calculate possible dynamical orbits of the system in a realistic Galactic potential, given its observed radial velocity. We find trajectories which are consistent with a progenitor binary on a circular orbit in the Galactic plane inside the solar circle that received a kick velocity ≤200 km s⁻¹ at the birth of the neutron star. The simulations suggest that about 7 per cent of IMXBs receiving an arbitrary kick velocity from a standard kick velocity spectrum would end up in an orbit similar to Cygnus X-2, while about 10 per cent of them reach yet larger Galactocentric distances.     

High-frequency vertical current observations in stratified seas

Although large-scale tidal and inertial motions dominate the kinetic energy and vertical current shear in shelf seas and ocean, short-scale internal waves at higher frequencies close to the local buoyancy frequency are of some interest for studying internal wave breaking and associated diapycnal mixing. Such waves near the upper limit of the inertio-gravity wave band are thought to have relatively short O (10²–10³ m) horizontal scales and to show mainly up- and downward motions, which contrasts with generally low aspect ratio large-scale ocean currents. Here, short-term vertical current (w) observations using moored acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) are presented from a shelf sea, above a continental slope and from the open ocean. The observed w, with amplitudes between 0.015 and 0.05 m s⁻¹, all span a considerable part of the water column, which is not a small vertical scale O(water depth) or O (100–500 m, the maximum range of observations), with either 0 or π phase change. This implies that they actually represent internal waves of low vertical modes 1 or 2. Maximum amplitudes are found in layers of largest stratification, some in the main pycnocline bordering the frictional bottom boundary layer, suggesting a tidal source. These ‘pycnocline-w’ compose a regular train of (solitary) internal waves and linearly decrease to small values near surface and bottom.     

中国近500年来的气候模拟与重建资料对比

介绍了利用全球海气耦合气候模式ECHO G进行的小冰期以来的长时间积分气候模拟试验,并与中国区域温度重建资料作对比。共做了2个模拟试验：控制试验和真实强迫试验。首先将模拟结果与器测资料作对比,验证该模式模拟中国气候的能力;然后将模拟结果与中国10个区域重建的500年温度序列进行比较分析。均值、方差及EOF分析表明,对于1550年至今的时段,除了东北、新疆、西南地区外,其它地区模拟与重建序列的相关性尚好,相关的置信度超过90％;而对于1760年以来的时期,除了华南、西北、西南地区外,其它地区二者较为一致,相关的置信度均超过90％,表明气候模式ECHO G能捕捉到中国大部分地区温度的趋势及低频变化特征,也说明上述强迫条件是近500年来气候变化的主要控制因子。然而模拟的温度距平的空间差异性比重建资料的小,对于年代际、年际等短时间尺度的温度变化模拟与重建结果的吻合度较差。误差来自于重建和模拟两个方面。在重建资料方面,需要提高代用资料的代表性、精确性和可靠性;在模拟方面,应提高各强迫条件序列的精确性,同时应引入更多的强迫因子,如下垫面植被及工业气溶胶等。这样从两方面努力,才能更深入地刻划和认识中国历史气候演变及其成因机制问题。     

Bed morphology and generation of step–pool channels

Flume experiments have been carried out to study the formation processes and the bed morphology of step–pool channels. From the experiments different step types and step configurations could be distinguished depending on the stream power. These step types can be seen as an image of the generation mechanisms of step–pool systems. These results suggest that the bed roughness geometry develops towards a condition that provides the maximum possible bed stability for a given grain size distribution. In contrast to a variety of other studies, antidunes did not contribute to the generation of the step structures. However, the data of the presented study fits well into the region of antidune formation proposed by Kennedy for sand‐bed rivers. This observation points out that step–pool field‐data located in the Kennedy region do not inevitably prove that antidunes played a role in step development. It is rather proposed that in Kennedy's region of antidune formation there exist hydraulic conditions where the flow resistance is maximized. It is suggested that such maximum flow resistance is associated with an optimal distance between the bedforms and their height, independently of whether these are antidunes in sand‐ and gravel‐bed rivers or step–pool units in boulder‐bed streams. The considerations of the Kennedy region of antidune formation and the analysis of planform step types depending on stream power both suggest that steep channels have a potential for self‐stabilization by modifying the step–pool structure towards a geometry that provides maximum flow resistance and maximum bed stability. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Production of Drinking Water from Highly Contaminated Surface Waters: Removal of Organic,Inorganic, and Microbial Contaminants Applying Mobile Membrane Filtration Units

In military out of area missions of the Bundeswehr, it can be necessary to produce drinking water even from highly polluted surface waters containing a variety of organic, inorganic, and microbiological contaminants. Thus, mobile drinking water purification systems must be able to remove such contaminants as far as possible to meet the requirements of the German and European drinking water regulation/directive. Presently, two novel drinking water purification units applying membrane filtration undergo intensive long‐term trials carried out by the Bundeswehr. If these trials positively proof the functionality of these units and their ability to remove all possible contaminants they shall substitute so far available devices which use large amounts of chemicals and charcoal filtration for water purification.In the course of a research project, the functionality of the new devices and their efficacy to remove high amounts of algae, microbes, and organic and inorganic pollutants are additionally tested in “worst‐case” field studies. In September 2000, the first mobile drinking water purification unit was tested at the Teltowkanal in Berlin, Germany.This canal was chosen because it carries high burdens of municipal sewage effluents. The results from the fatigue test confirmed the ability of the water purification unit to reduce the concentrations of all contaminants meeting the maximum tolerance levels set by the German/European drinking water regulation.The pre‐filtration device was very effective in removing algae and solid particles to protect the membranes from clogging and to enable an almost maintenance‐free operation. Residues of pharmaceuticals and some other organic contaminants have almost totally been removed from the surface water where they were detected at individual concentrations up to the μg/L‐level.     

Place cookies and setting spiders in dream cartography

This article contributes to understanding the difference between objective space and subjective place. New data models and visual methods, which make possible the comparison between dream settings, are necessary to an exploratory analysis of dreams. The subjective perception of settings is decomposed by studying dream reports, by applying a survey, and by considering related scientific literature. This leads to the construction of two data models, which are applied in dream cartography. The place cookie model features the dreamer's familiarity with the setting, being visualized in the form of concentric circles. The setting spider model is based on 26 variables, extensively characterizing the setting. These are grouped into eight factors, and visualized in a compact radar chart with eight “legs.” As a superordinate system of the setting spider, the event spider is developed, describing the whole dream scene. The proposed models and visualization methods can be transferred for real‐life events (settings).     

中国沿海海表温度均一性检验和订正

利用惩罚最大T检验（Penalized Maximal T test,PMT）方法,选取均一的邻近气象站为参考站,基于月平均地面气温（SAT）资料,利用相关系数权重平均方法构建参考序列,同时结合元数据信息,对1960-2011年中国沿海27个海洋观测站月平均海表温度（SST）进行了均一性检验与订正,并分析了造成海表温度序列非均一的主要原因。结果表明,中国沿海海洋台站海表温度资料存在较为严重的非均一性问题,几乎所有的台站都存在断点,仪器变更（包括人工观测转自动观测）（占总断点数的52.4%）和迁站（占总断点数的33.3%）是造成序列非均一的主要原因。整套资料负订正量所占比例较高,这种负订正量与人工转自动观测后海表温度观测值偏低有密切关系。这也使得订正后中国沿海平均海表温度趋势与订正前存在明显差异,订正后中国沿海海表温度呈明显的加速上升趋势。