Crustal structure of the Southwest Subbasin,South China Sea,from wide-angle seismic tomography and seismic reflection imaging

The Southwest Subbasin (SWSB) is an abyssal subbasin in the South China Sea (SCS), with many debates on its neotectonic process and crustal structure. Using two-dimensional seismic tomography in the SWSB, we derived a detailed P-wave velocity model of the basin area and the northern margin. The entire profile is approximately 311-km-long and consists of twelve oceanic bottom seismometers (OBSs). The average thickness of the crust beneath the basin is 5.3 km, and the Moho interface is relatively flat (10–12 km). No high velocity bodies are observed, and only two thin high-velocity structures (~7.3 km/s) in the layer 3 are identified beneath the northern continent-ocean transition (COT) and the extinct spreading center. By analyzing the P-wave velocity model, we believe that the crust of the basin is a typical oceanic crust. Combined with the high resolution multi-channel seismic profile (MCS), we conclude that the profile shows asymmetric structural characteristics in the basin area. The continental margin also shows asymmetric crust between the north and south sides, which may be related to the large scale detachment fault that has developed in the southern margin. The magma supply decreased as the expansion of the SWSB from the east to the west.     

A catastrophe progression approach based index sensitivity analysis model for the multivariate flooding process

Flood mitigation should deal with those most sensitive flooding elements to very efficiently release risks and reduce losses. Present the most concerns of flood control are peak level or peak discharge which, however, may not always be the most sensitive flooding element. Actually, along with human activities and climate change, floods bring threats to bear on human beings appear in not only peak level and peak discharge, but also other elements like maximum 24-h volume and maximum 72-h volume. In this paper, by collecting six key flooding intensity indices (elements), a catastrophe progression approach based sensitivity analysis algorithm model is developed to identify the indices that mostly control over the flood intensity. The indices sensitivity is determined through a selected case study in the Wujiang River, South China, based on half a century of flow record. The model results indicate that there is no evident relationship of interplay among the index sensitivities, but the variability of the index sensitivity is closely related to the index variability and the index sensitivity increases with the decrease of index value. It is found that peak discharge is not the most influential flooding factor as is generally thought in this case. The sensitivity value of the maximum 24-h volume is the greatest influential factor among all the other indices, indicating that this index plays a leading role in the flood threat of the Wujiang River, South China. It is inferred that, for the purpose of flood warning and mitigation, the peak flood discharge is not always the most sensitive and dominant index as opposed to the others, depending on the sensitivity.     

A direct scaling analysis for the sea level rise

The estimation of long-term sea level variability is of primary importance for a climate change assessment. Despite the value of the subject, no scientific consensus has yet been reached on the existing acceleration in observed values. The existence of this acceleration is crucial for coastal protection planning purposes. The absence of the acceleration would enhance the debate on the general validity of current future projections. Methodologically, the evaluation of the acceleration is a controversial and still open discussion, reported in a number of review articles, which illustrate the state-of-art in the field of sea level research. In the present paper, the well-proven direct scaling analysis approach is proposed in order to describe the long-term sea level variability at 12 worldwide-selected tide gauge stations. For each of the stations, it has been shown that the long-term sea level variability exhibits a trimodal scaling behaviour, which can be modelled by a power law with three different pairs of shape and scale parameters. Compared to alternative methods in literature, which take into account multiple correlated factors, this simple method allows to reduce the uncertainties on the sea level rise parameters estimation.     

Large-eddy simulations of convection-driven dynamos using a dynamic scale-similarity model

Dynamo simulations require sub-grid scale (SGS) models for the momentum and heat flux, the Lorentz force, and the magnetic induction. Previous large eddy simulations (LES) using the scale similarity model have represented many aspects of the SGS motion. However, discrepancies are observed due to interchanging the order of filtering operation and spatial differentiation. In this study, we implement a correction term for this commutation error specifically for the scale-similarity model. Furthermore, we implement a dynamic scheme to evaluate time-dependent coefficients for the SGS models. We perform dynamo simulations in a rotating plane layer with different spatial resolutions, and compare results for the time dependence of the large-scale magnetic field. Simulations are performed at two different Rayleigh numbers, using constant values for the other dimensionless numbers (Ekman, Prandtl, and magnetic Prandtl numbers). Both cases show that the dynamic LES can accurately represent the large-scale magnetic field, whereas the dynamo failed in the direct simulations without the SGS terms at the same spatial resolutions. We conclude that the dynamic versions of the SGS and commutation error correction are essential for successful dynamos on coarser grids.     

2013年甘肃岷县漳县M_s6.6地震前地壳形变特征研究

基于2013年岷县漳县M6.6地震震源区及其邻区1999年以来的GPS观测资料,通过应变率动态特征分析、多期次GPS剖面分析和基线变形速率的分析讨论了地震的震前变形特征.GPS速度场和块体应变率表明,汶川地震的发生导致了柴达木地块运动与变形状态发生明显调整,但由于西秦岭北缘等深大断裂的存在,岷-秦地块对其响应不明显;GPS连续应变率显示,在汶川地震引起的区域地壳变形调整过程中岷县漳县地震震源区附近的应变积累速率有减缓的迹象;GPS剖面显示,平行于岷县漳县主破裂带的运动分量对汶川地震响应显著,汶川震后表现为剪切变形速率的增强,而垂直于主破裂带的运动分量则对汶川地震响应不明显;震中周边GPS基线变形速率表明,基线伸缩变化率总体呈现NW向拉张、NE向压缩状态,且拉张量明显小于压缩量.上述地壳变形动态特征表明西秦岭北缘断裂及其附近地区的应变积累水平和断层闭锁程度可能处于较高水平,在岷县漳县地震前该区表现出局部“硬化”迹象.     

地震作用下非贯通节理岩体斜坡破坏的物理模型试验研究

地震作用下高斜坡破坏的发生发展过程比较短暂、剧烈,破坏机理相对复杂。本文采用模型试验的方法来研究地震作用下非贯通节理岩体斜坡的反应。试验结果表明:节理上的应变最大,模型上部应变大于下部应变;节理贯通机理复杂,多为拉剪复合型破坏;节理的贯通并不意味着斜坡的破坏,而是破坏了斜坡的整体性,使其处于临界状态。试验揭示了此类斜坡在地震作用下的动力响应及破坏机理,可为理论和工程实践应用提供有益的参考和指导。     

Extracting sea level residual in tidally dominated estuarine environments

Sea level comprises a mean level, tidal elevation and a residual elevation. Knowledge of what causes maximum water levels is often key in coastal management. However, different methods to extract deviations in water level (residuals) from modelled and observed elevation can give different results. The Dee Estuary, northwest England is a macrotidal estuary that undergoes periodic stratification. It is used here to demonstrate methods to extract the residual water level in response to the following interactive processes: tidal, river-induced stratification and flow, meteorology and waves. Using modelling techniques, the interaction and contribution of different physical processes are investigated. Classical harmonic tidal analysis, model simulations and filtering techniques have been used to “de-tide” the total elevation for short-term (approximately month long) records. Each technique gives a different result highlighting the need to select the correct method for a required study. Analysis of the residual components demonstrates that all processes inducing residuals interact with the tide generating a semi-diurnal residual component. It is suggested that modelling methods enable the full effect of tidal interaction to remain in the residual, whilst harmonic tidal analysis (partly) modify and filtering methods (fully) remove this component of the residual. The analysis methods presented and their influences on the resultant residual are applicable to other study sites. However, when applied specifically to the mouth of the Dee Estuary, the external surge is found to be the main contributor to the total residual, whilst local wind and stratification effects are of secondary importance.     

Analysis of the Characteristics of Low-Latitude GPS Amplitude Scintillation Measured During Solar Maximum Conditions and Implications for Receiver Performance

Ionospheric scintillations are fluctuations in the phase and/or amplitude of trans-ionospheric radio signals caused by electron density irregularities in the ionosphere. A better understanding of the scintillation pattern is important to make a better assessment of GPS receiver performance, for instance. Additionally, scintillation can be used as a tool for remote sensing of ionospheric irregularities. Therefore, the study of ionospheric scintillation has both scientific as well as technological implications. In the past few years, there has been a significant advance in the methods for analysis of scintillation and in our understanding of the impact of scintillation on GPS receiver performance. In this work, we revisit some of the existing methods of analysis of scintillation, propose an alternative approach, and apply these techniques in a comprehensive study of the characteristics of amplitude scintillation. This comprehensive study made use of 32?days of high-rate (50?Hz) measurements made by a GPS-based scintillation monitor located in S?o José dos Campos, Brazil (23.2°S, 45.9°W, ?17.5° dip latitude) near the Equatorial Anomaly during high solar flux conditions. The variability of the decorrelation time (τ₀) of scintillation patterns is presented as a function of scintillation severity index (S ₄). We found that the values of τ₀ tend to decrease with the increase of S ₄, confirming the results of previous studies. In addition, we found that, at least for the measurements made during this campaign, averaged values of τ₀ (for fixed S ₄ index values) did not vary much as a function of local time. Our results also indicate a significant impact of τ₀ in the GPS carrier loop performance for S ₄?≥?0.7. An alternative way to compute the probability of cycle slip that takes into account the fading duration time is also presented. The results of this approach show a 38% probability of cycle slips during strong scintillation scenarios (S ₄ close to 1 and τ₀ near 0.2?s). Finally, we present results of an analysis of the individual amplitude fades observed in our set of measurements. This analysis suggests that users operating GPS receivers with C/N ₀ thresholds around 30?dB-Hz and above can be affected significantly by low-latitude scintillation.     

Ore-forming fluid and mineralization of Caijiaying and Dajing polymetallic ore deposits

Fluid inclusions from the Dajing and Caijiaying deposits have nearly the same ho-mogenization temperature. Correlation between temperature and salinity shows that both Sn-and Cu-bearing fluids Sn and Cu were present in the Dajing deposit but only one kind of fluids continuously evolved in the Caijiaying deposit. Study on rare earth elements (REE) in ancient fluid from the inclusions indicates that the fluid of Sn mineralizing stage in Dajing was derived from remelting magma of the continental crust, and the fluid of Cu-Pb-Zn mineralizing stage in the Dajing deposit and the fluid of Cu-Pb-Zn mineralization in the Caijiaying deposit were derived from the mantle. It is concluded that the Cu-Pb-Zn mineralizations in the Dajing and Caijiaying deposits resulted from the identical tectono-thermal event of magma-fluids induced by Mesozoic tectonic transition and extension in the eastern part of North China Craton.     

Synthetically adaptive robust filtering for satellite orbit determination

The precise orbit information is the premise of the application of satellite, and the precise orbit deter- mination includes dynamic and geometric methods. The dynamic method estimates the position and veloc-ity of a satellite at one epoch by extending the obser-vational arc in order to include more observations of different epochs in it. It is realized by integrating the dynamic equation of the satellite so that the observa-tions at different epochs are related to the particular state. The dy…