A preliminary study on Typhoon Tim induced resonance at Hualien Harbor,Taiwan

New analysis of wave records at Hualien Harbor during Typhoon Tim in 1994 reveals that for certain wave periods, the ratios of measured wave heights among three available wave stations inside the harbor are unique and roughly remain the same during the severest period of resonance. Since there is no incident infragravity wave (period from 80 to 220 s) information at offshore boundaries, these unique ratios become the surrogate of background truth for checking the performance of numerical simulations. A new simulation effort using a large (45 × 17 km) modeling domain, high-resolution (20 × 20 m) grid and the RIDE wave transformation model were conducted to simulate the observed responses. Comparison of the modeling results with the observations showed reasonable agreement. Additional model studies using ideal bathymetries with the same grid domain and resolution were also conducted to help interpret the prototype modeling results. The effects of two types of commonly used remedies were first examined by using the ideal bathymetry, and then, the prototype bathymetry. The results demonstrated that a single 1-km long, shore-parallel breakwater could significantly reduce the resonance. The results of using three shore-parallel breakwaters, however, are no better. More studies to identify the optimum design associated with the shore-parallel breakwater (location, length, etc.) are necessary for the optimum reduction of resonance at Hualien Harbor.     

高雷诺数顶盖驱动方腔流实验

为得到高雷诺数(1×105~1×106)条件下顶盖驱动方腔水流流场和速度分布,设计了边长为0.2 m和0.5 m的立方腔,并利用粒子图像测速技术(Particle Image Velocimetry,PIV)对方腔流流场进行测量,分析方腔流流场特性和边壁对流场影响规律。结果表明:雷诺数达到5×105时方腔流中主涡旋发生变形,雷诺数从5×105增大到1×106过程中,中间的初级涡旋(Primary eddy,PE)继续变形,并分裂成两个涡旋;随着雷诺数的增大,顺流次级涡旋(Downstream Secondary Eddy Region,DSE)区域面积缩小,雷诺数为5×105时DSE区域可看到成型的涡旋,当雷诺数为1×106时,DSE区域继续缩小,在同样条件下看不到成型的涡旋;雷诺数增大的过程中各边壁的边界层变薄,边壁对方腔流流场特性影响明显。     

Forced oscillation measurements of seismic wave attenuation and stiffness moduli dispersion in glycerine-saturated Berea sandstone

Fluid pressure diffusion occurring on the microscopic scale is believed to be a significant source of intrinsic attenuation of mechanical waves propagating through fully saturated porous rocks. The so-called squirt flow arises from compressibility heterogeneities in the microstructure of the rocks. To study squirt flow experimentally at seismic frequencies the forced oscillation method is the most adequate, but such studies are still scarce. Here we present the results of forced hydrostatic and axial oscillation experiments on dry and glycerine-saturated Berea sandstone, from which we determine the dynamic stiffness moduli and attenuation at micro-seismic and seismic frequencies (0.004–30 Hz). We observe frequency-dependent attenuation and the associated moduli dispersion in response to the drained–undrained transition (∼0.1 Hz) and squirt flow (>3 Hz), which are in fairly good agreement with the results of the corresponding analytical solutions. The comparison with very similar experiments performed also on Berea sandstone in addition shows that squirt flow can potentially be a source of wave attenuation across a wide range of frequencies because of its sensitivity to small variations in the rock microstructure, especially in the aspect ratio of micro-cracks or grain contacts.     

A single vs. double spike approach to improve the accuracy of Th measurements in small-volume seawater samples

²³⁴Th is a particle-reactive radionuclide widely used to trace biogeochemical oceanic processes occurring over short timescales. During the last few years, small-volume techniques based on the co-precipitation of ²³⁴Th with MnO₂ coupled with beta-counting have been developed as an alternative to large volume gamma-spectrometric techniques. Here a procedure has been developed to enhance quantitative measurement of ²³⁴Th in MnO₂ precipitates. The main objectives were to obtain a purified Th fraction for beta-counting and to determine the chemical recovery of ²³⁴Th using Th spikes and alpha-spectrometry as an alternative to ICP-MS based methods. Two variations of the procedure are presented. In the first “1 spike” method a ²³⁰Th tracer is added to the sample prior to precipitation of MnO₂, and UTEVA® extraction chromatography is used to obtain a NdF₃(Th) purified source that can be used for both beta-counting of ²³⁴Th and alpha-spectrometry of ²³⁰Th. In the “2 spike” method a ²³⁰Th spike is added and the MnO₂(Th) precipitate is directly beta-counted for ²³⁴Th and subsequently spiked with ²²⁸Th or ²²⁹Th prior to UTEVA® purification and alpha-spectrometry. The results confirm the need to process small-volume seawater samples for ²³⁴Th measurement in presence of a yield tracer, and show that both the 1 spike and 2 spike methods allow an accurate and precise determination of ²³⁴Th (relative percent difference, RPD, between expected and mean measured value < 1%; CV between replicate samples < 3%). Our work also suggests that, although the combined analytical uncertainty on total ²³⁴Th measurements accomplished with both versions of the NdF₃ procedure is promising (6% for 2-L samples), the precision of the ²³⁴Th flux estimation will ultimately depend on the degree of disequilibrium between ²³⁴Th and ²³⁸U.     

Modal decomposition method for stationary response of non-classically damped systems

The stationary response of multi-degree-of-freedom non-classically damped linear systems subjected to stationary input excitation is studied. A modal decomposition procedure based on the complex eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the system is used to derive general expressions for the spectral moments of response. These expressions are in terms of cross-modal spectral moments and explicitly account for the correlation between modal responses; thus, they are applicable to structures characterized with significant non-classical damping as well as structures with closely spaced frequencies. Closed form solutions are presented for the important case of response to white-noise input. Various quantities of response of general engineering interest can be obtained in terms of these spectral moments. These include mean zero-crossing rate and mean, variance and distribution of peak response over a specified duration. Examples point out several instances where non-classical damping effects become significant and illustrate the marked improvement of the results of this study over conventional analysis based on classical damping approximations.     

Evidence for Non-Conservative Behaviour of Chlorine in Humid Tropical Environments

The knowledge of the biogeochemical cycle of chlorine (Cl)is important since this element is used as a tracer of geochemical and hydrological processes in oceanic or continental environments. More specifically, Cl can be used to correct surface water composition from atmospheric contribution in order to calculate precise chemical weathering rates in watersheds. Beyond the problem of potential Cl sources in a given watershed, which is directly related to the lithology, vegetation, and industrial activities, the Cl normalization is based on the assumption that this element behaves conservatively during surface processes (e.g., chemical weathering, adsorption/desorption processes).The purpose of the present study is to forecast the geochemical behavior of Cl in a forested ecosystem located under humid tropical environment.For this reason, we have analyzed the Cl (and also Ca and Na) concentrations ofsurface waters (rainwater, groundwater, river water) over a two-year period in the Nsimi–Zoetele watershed (Cameroon).The Cl mass balance for the watershed appears to be equilibrated over the studied period (1995–1996) but Cl behavior in Mengong River draining the watershed suggests a non-conservative behavior. Indeed, Cl concentrationsin the Mengong River are low during dry seasons and high during wet seasons, which is the reverse tendency to what is usually observed taking into account dilution and evaporation processes. As Cl concentrations in the Mengong River are lower than those measured in all the feeding reservoirs, Cl should be adsorbed onto the soils of the watershed. However, as the Cl mass balance is equilibrated over the whole-year, Cl should be adsorbed and releasedat a seasonal scale. The results we obtained for this small watershed were not generalized for a larger studied basin (i.e., Nyong River basin). Even if these results should be followed by further investigations, this study suggests that Cl normalization should be used with caution to avoid under- or over-estimation of chemical weathering rates.     

Temperature calibration of expendable bathythermographs

A non-destructive temperature calibration system for expendable bathythermographs (XBT) is described. A transfer standard technique has been used to estimate XBT thermistor probe-to-probe temperature variability. One-point calibration results suggest that a standard deviation of 0.025°C is typical at 10°C. Additional calibration data from nine XBT thermistors suggest that probe-to-probe temperature variability is largest at 0°C (ca. 0.03°C) and decreases uniformly to a minimum at 30°C (ca. 0.01°C).