Similarity forms for ground-source surface-layer diffusion

Past work on analyzing ground-source diffusion data in terms of surface-layer similarity theory is reviewed; these analyses assume that _z /L orh/L is a function of u ^* x/L (where h = Q/ dy). It is argued that an alternative scaling, h ^*/L versus x/L, is nearly as universal in that it is very weakly influenced by surface roughness, except for a modest influence in the free convective case (h ^* = Q/u ^* dy); the advantage of this scaling is that it eliminates the need to reassess as vertical diffusion progresses. The Prairie Grass data set is adjusted for the difference in source and sampling heights, and is plotted with this scaling. Simple analytic equations are suggested that fit the resultant data plots for stable and unstable conditions, and suggestions are made towards practical application of these results.On assignment from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.     

Mapping the Globalization of the Temporary Staffing Industry*

Very little is currently known about the globalization of the temporary staffing industry, a strategically significant sector given its role in promulgating wider labor market flexibility. This article starts to rectify this research lacuna in four ways: by conceptualizing the international expansion of temporary staffing and comparing it to other business service sectors, by identifying and mapping the top twenty transnational staffing agencies, by offering a typology of the leading transnational agencies based on their functional and geographic characteristics, and by charting a research agenda for future work on this sector.     

Spatial variability of liquefaction potential in regional mapping using CPT and SPT data

Cone penetration test (CPT) and standard penetration test (SPT) are widely used for the site specific evaluation of liquefaction potential and are getting increased use in the regional mapping of liquefaction hazard. This paper compares CPT and SPT-based liquefaction potential characterizations of regional geologic units using the liquefaction potential index (LPI) across the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay, California, USA and examines the statistical and spatial variability of LPI across and within geologic units. Overall, CPT-based LPI characterizations result in higher hazard than those derived from the SPT. This bias may result from either mis-classifications of soil type in the CPT or a bias in the CPT simplified procedure for liquefaction potential. Regional mapping based on cumulative distribution of LPI values show different results depending on which dataset is used. For both SPT and CPT-based characterizations, the geologic units in the area have broad LPI distributions that overlap between units and are not distinct from the population as a whole. Regional liquefaction classifications should therefore give a distribution, rather than a single hazard rating that does not provide for variability within the area. The CPT-based LPI values have a higher degree of spatial correlation and a lower variance over a greater distance than those estimated from SPTs. As a result, geostatistical interpolation can provide a detailed map of LPI when densely sampled CPT data are available. The statistical distribution of LPI within specific geologic units and interpolated maps of LPI can be used to understand the spatial variability of liquefaction potential.     

Direct measurements of volume transports through Fram Strait

Heat and freshwater transports through Fram Strait are understood to have a significant influence on the hydrographic conditions in the Arctic Ocean and on water mass modifications in the Nordic seas. To determine these transports and their variability reliable estimates of the volume transport through the strait are required. Current meter moorings were deployed in Fram Strait from September 1997 to September 1999 in the framework of the EU MAST III Variability of Exchanges in the Northern Seas programme. The monthly mean velocity fields reveal marked velocity variations over seasonal and annual time scales, and the spatial structure of the northward flowing West Spitsbergen Current and the southward East Greenland Current with a maximum in spring and a minimum in summer. The volume transport obtained by averaging the monthly means over two years amounts to 9.5 ± 1.4 Sv to the north and 11.1 ± 1.7 Sv to the south (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³s⁻¹). The West Spitsbergen Current has a strong barotropic and a weaker baroclinic component; in the East Greenland Current barotropic and baroclinic components are of similar magnitude. The net transport through the strait is 4.2 ± 2.3 Sv to the south. The obtained northward and southward transports are significantly larger than earlier estimates in the literature; however, within its range of uncertainty the balance obtained from a two year average is consistent with earlier estimates.     

The Holocene paleohydrology and climatic history of the northern great sandy desert - fitzroy trough: With special reference to the history of the northwest Australian monsoon

The Holocene history of the northwest Australian monsoon is considered in the light of new stratigraphic findings from the southern margin of the monsoon regime. A discussion of the present-day climatology of northwestern Australia and synoptic controls on precipitation in the areas at the southern margin of the monsoon regime is given as background information for the interpretation of stratigraphic findings from swamp and alluvial sequences. The stratigraphic findings point to little change in the intensity of the northwest Australian monsoon since ca. 6.5 ka. A more tentative inference drawn from the field evidence is that the monsoon activity may well have been reduced in this region during the Early Holocene; during this time insolation levels were also reduced. The possible relationship of the northwest Australian monsoon to insolation levels is explored. It is clear that monsoon behavior cannot be accounted for as a simple linear response of monsoon intensity to variations in insolation. Possible controls are discussed with particular emphasis on the plausibility of changes in the damping of convective motions providing the mechanism. Gill's model of heat-induced circulation is used to provide some evidence in favour of this conjecture.     

Site-dependent models of earthquake ground motion

Random vibration analyses of structural systems subjected to seismic loading are dependent upon the characterization of earthquake ground motion as a stochastic process. The response of structural systems to earthquakes is dependent strongly on the local geological conditions, which should be incorporated into seismological models of ground motion. In the study presented herein, three previously developed ground-motion models are adapted to incorporate site-dependent characteristics. Records obtained from two recording stations in California are used as a basis for the ground-motion models. Single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) oscillators are subjected to ensembles of accelerograms generated from these models, and both elastic and inelastic response are considered. Response statistics are compared to those generated by the analysis of structural response to ensembles of recorded motion from the two sites. The important features of the ground motion for effective reproduction of response statistics are identified, and observations are made on the sensitivity of specific response parameters to site-dependent characteristics of the ground motion.     

Tempos of Elderly Age and Geographical Concentration*

This paper presents a method to measure two types of tempos: 1) the tempo of elderly age concentration, the rate of change in the elderly proportion in a region; and 2) the tempo of elderly geographical concentration, the rate of change in a region's share of the national elderly population. The two measurements are applied to historical data for the United States. The results reveal that both tempos vary spatially and temporally. Relative tempos are also introduced to compare the indices between different age groups and regions.