Modeling the initial stage of the displacement of oil or gas in porous media

The initial stage of evolution of the displacement front is studied as a part of the nonlinear filtration model. Concentration and density profiles in the normal direction to the front are obtained. It turns out that the concentration changes relatively quickly, whereas the density rather slowly. The stability criterion of the displacement front is formulated. The conditions, under which the front retains the initial shape, are determined.     

Airborne Laser Sensing of Scottish Coastal Waters

An Nd:YAG-based airborne lidar system has been used to measure the optical properties of littoral waters off the northwest Scottish coast. The small-scale structure of subsurface scattering layers was also investigated. Methods of solving the Lidar Sensing Equation in the single scattering approximation are described and the values of the derived extinction indices presented. The extinction index averaged over a series of five flights to the northeast of the Gulf Stream was k = 0.224 m -1 with a standard deviation of 0.212 m -1 . Further, it was demonstrated that, in coastal waters, optical inhomogeneities with dimensions between 50 m and 200 km obey the power law Sp k ~ k -P with the parameter P close to two. In turbid or transparent areas, the water extinction index can change by several tenths of a percent with respect to the surrounding water mass. This suggests that the observed nonmonotonic behavior of the power spectra of the water extinction index fluctuations is caused by the outer scale of turbulence, in particular, by the bottom depth at the measurement site.     

Nitrogen loads to estuaries from waste water plumes: modeling and isotopic approaches

We developed, and applied in two sites, novel methods to measure ground water-borne nitrogen loads to receiving estuaries from plumes resulting from land disposal of waste water treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. In addition, we quantified nitrogen losses from WWTP effluent during transport through watersheds. WWTP load to receiving water was estimated as the difference between total measured ground water-transported nitrogen load and modeled load from major nitrogen sources other than the WWTP. To test estimated WWTP loads, we applied two additional methods. First, we quantified total annual waste water nitrogen load from watersheds based on nitrogen stable isotopic signatures of primary producers in receiving water. Second, we used published data on ground water nitrogen concentrations in an array of wells to estimate dimensions of the plume and quantify the annual mass of nitrogen transported within the plume. Loss of nitrogen during transport through the watershed was estimated as the difference between the annual mass of nitrogen applied to watersheds as treatment plant effluent and the estimated nitrogen load reaching receiving water. In one plume, we corroborated our estimated nitrogen loss in watersheds using data from multiple-level sampling wells to calculate the loss of nitrogen relative to a conservative tracer. The results suggest that nitrogen from the plumes is discharging to the estuaries but that substantial nitrogen loss occurs during transport through the watersheds. The measured vs. modeled and stable isotopic approaches, in comparison to the plume mapping approach, may more reliably quantify ground water-transported WWTP loads to estuaries.     

Summer rainstorm associated with a debris flow in the Amarilla gully affecting the international Agua Negra Pass (30°20′S), Argentina

The Central-West region of Argentina was seriously affected by a series of convective summer storms on January–February of 2013 generating many debris flows and rockfall in the Central Andes mountain regions. In particular, the unreported 8th February event caused the sad death of a 10-year-old child being completely ignored by society and local authorities. Despite this, meteorological conditions associated with this event and further episodes were rarely measured and determined mainly due to scarce meteorological stations in Andean mountain areas. In this paper, meteorological data from CMORPH algorithm and measurements of surrounding gauges were analyzed for estimating the triggering precipitation value of this event. As well, the particular debris flow channeled into the main branch of the Amarilla gully in the Agua Negra valley was geomorphologically described. The amount of precipitation associated with this debris flow was 5.5 and 13.2 mm accumulated previous to the event. This violent debris flow was generated in a talus zone in a periglacial environment located just below a covered rock glacier. However, the influence of the permafrost thawing in this process is not feasible. The altitude of the 0 °C isotherm was lower during the previous days of the event, and no monitoring on permafrost is available for this area. The volume of removed mass was estimated in 5 × 10⁴ m³, and the mean velocity was 35 km/h. Boulders of 4 m diameter were found in the source area, while the deposit is up to 75% sandy with clasts that hardly exceed 10 cm in the alluvial fan distal part. Herein the main objective is to advice about the probable catastrophic impact of similar events in the future. These findings could be useful for hazard remediation, mitigation, and prevention plans for the Agua Negra international pass under construction.     

太平洋西北地区面临大地震风险

欢迎来到俄勒冈州波特兰市——我的家乡——参加美国地震学会年会!这里有蓝天（当然是不下雨的时候）,有威拉米特河（Willamette）和哥伦比亚河（Columbia）,有众多的溪流湖泊、壮丽的火山峰（晴天时朝北方和东方看）,有绿树、绿树、     

长周期大地电磁测深研究——青藏高原东部LMT响应函数及应用

长周期大地电磁(LMT)是基于常规MT理论发展起来的电磁测深技术,青藏高原东部岩石圈较厚、视电阻率较低,应用LMT方法能够弥补常规MT仪器对低频信号响应的不足,获得有用的深部信息。文中概述了LMT的数据采集、处理及反演解释,并介绍了将LMT应用于东喜马拉雅构造结及其周围地区完成的长周期观测剖面——下察隅—玉树LMT剖面的岩石圈结构探测实例。实际观测表明,在重叠频段内LMT结果与常规MT具有良好的一致性;LMT数据处理实现的阻抗和倾子估计,在深部信息上具有更高的分辨率。LMT剖面结果揭示了青藏高原东部普遍存在地下低阻体,为局部地区部分熔融和地下流体存在的可能性提供了依据。LMT测深较好地弥补了常规MT方法在巨厚岩石圈和遇到低阻体时探测深度的局限性。     

Estimation of the seismic assessment of residential and public buildings based on the data on the earthquake of August 27, 2008 in South Baikal

The intensity of the earthquake of August 27, 2008 registered 7–8 points on the MSK-64 scale at its epicenter. It was the strongest earthquake in the Pribaikalie in the last 50 years. The main causes of damage in buildings were the considerable depreciation of their construction and the low quality of the construction. The most typical macroseismic characteristics were the failures of brick chimneys and of ovens in one- and two-story wooden buildings.     

Plasmaspheric electron density reconstruction based on the topside sounder model profiler

We apply a model-assisted technique to construct the topside electron density profile based on Digisonde measurements. This technique uses the Topside Sounder Model (TSM), which provides the plasma scale height, O⁺-H⁺ transition height, and their ratio Rt = H _T /h _T , derived from topside sounder data of Alouette and ISIS satellites. The Topside Sounder Model Profiler (TSMP) incorporates TSM and uses the model quantities as anchor points for the construction of topside density profiles. TSMP provides its model ratios with transition height and plasmaspheric scale height. The analysis carried out indicates that Digisonde derived F-region topside scale height Hm is systematically lower than one derived from topside sounder profiles. To construct topside profiles by using Hm, a correction factor of around 3 is needed to multiply the neutral scale height in the α-Chapman formula. It was found that the plasmaspheric scale height strongly depends on latitude and its ratio with the F-region scale height expresses large day-to-day variability.