Parameter identification of framed structures using an improved finite element model‐updating method—Part I: formulation and verification

In this study, we formulate an improved finite element model‐updating method to address the numerical difficulties associated with ill conditioning and rank deficiency. These complications are frequently encountered model‐updating problems, and occur when the identification of a larger number of physical parameters is attempted than that warranted by the information content of the experimental data. Based on the standard bounded variables least‐squares (BVLS) method, which incorporates the usual upper/lower‐bound constraints, the proposed method (henceforth referred to as BVLSrc) is equipped with novel sensitivity‐based relative constraints. The relative constraints are automatically constructed using the correlation coefficients between the sensitivity vectors of updating parameters. The veracity and effectiveness of BVLSrc is investigated through the simulated, yet realistic, forced‐vibration testing of a simple framed structure using its frequency response function as input data. By comparing the results of BVLSrc with those obtained via (the competing) pure BVLS and regularization methods, we show that BVLSrc and regularization methods yield approximate solutions with similar and sufficiently high accuracy, while pure BVLS method yields physically inadmissible solutions. We further demonstrate that BVLSrc is computationally more efficient, because, unlike regularization methods, it does not require the laborious a priori calculations to determine an optimal penalty parameter, and its results are far less sensitive to the initial estimates of the updating parameters. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Atmospheric response to deep-sea injections of fossil-fuel carbon dioxide

The possibility of controlling atmospheric carbon dioxide accumulation and attendant climatic effects from fossil-fuel burning by diverting a fraction of the combustion product and injecting it into the deep-ocean, as proposed by Marchetti, is analyzed using an atmosphere/mixed layer/diffusive deep-ocean model for the carbon cycle. The model includes the nonlinear buffering of CO₂ at the air/sea interface, and considers the long term trends associated with consuming an assumed fossil-fuel reserve equivalent to 7.09 × 10¹⁵ kg carbon as a logistic function of time as in the projections of Siegenthaler and Oeschger, except that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are computed for five alternate strategies: (a) 100% injected into atmosphere, (b) 50% injected at oceanic depth of 1500 m and 50% into atmosphere, (c) 50% injected at sea floor (4000 m) and 50% into atmosphere, (d) 100% at 1500 m depth and (e) 100% at sea floor. Since no carbon leaves the system, all runs approached the same post-fossil fuel equilibrium after several thousand years, C _a - 1150 ppm, almost four times the pre-fossil fuel value (- 300 ppm). But the transient response of these cases showed a marked variation ranging from a peak overshoot value of 2800 ppm in the year 2130 for 100% atmospheric injection to a slight decrease to the pre-fossil fuel 300 ppm lasting till 2300 with a subsequent slow approach to equilibrium for the 100% deep-ocean injection. The implications of these results for an oceanic injection strategy to mitigate the climatic impact of fossil-fuel CO₂ is discussed, as are the ingredients of a second generation carbon cycle model for carrying out such forecasts on an engineering design basis.     

“NO”, a conservative water-mass tracer

A composite property, 9NO₃ + O₂, is proposed as a conservative water-mass tracer. The coefficient 9 is chosen so that the increase in “NO” resulting from nitrate introduction during respiration just balances the consumption of dissolved oxygen gas. Because of the pronounced difference in the preformed nitrate content of deep water produced at the northern and southern ends of the Atlantic Ocean “NO” provides an independent means of disentangling the degree of mixing of various water types in the deep sea. Evidence based on data obtained during the Atlantic Geosecs program is presented to demonstrate the sensitivity and reliability of this conservative tracer.     

Tertiary coal geology and stratigraphy of the Port Phillip Basin,Victoria

Results from coal‐exploration drilling in the onshore part of the Port Phillip Basin, Victoria, have established stratigraphic and age correlations of the Lower Miocene Werribee Formation brown coal deposits at Bacchus Marsh to similar brown coals at Altona. The coal deposits occur in a northwest‐southeast structural depression (the Parwan Trough) that appears to be a southeast continuation of the Ballan Graben. Recent drilling for potential coal‐bed methane in the trough has provided new data on the deeper stratigraphy not penetrated by earlier drilling, including recognition of an Upper Cretaceous to Eocene Yaloak Formation coal‐bearing interval, similar to the Anglesea area, Ballan Graben and Lal Lal Basin. Up to 200 m of coal‐bearing sediment and minor volcanics underlie the Miocene coal measures. A marine facies transition takes place between the Miocene coal swamps of the Parwan Trough, through barrier sands west of Werribee, to carbonate facies near Geelong. To the south beneath Port Phillip Bay, a similar transition probably occurs between coal swamps of the Parwan Trough and fully marine carbonate environments of the contiguous Sorrento Graben. The palaeogeographical reconstructions suggest a similar coal‐to‐carbonate facies transition as in the adjacent onshore Gippsland Basin.     

Classification of Streaky Bay,Mangalo, Ethiudna and Crockers Well: Stony meteorites from South Australia

Abstract— Four meteorites from South Australia are described and classified. Streaky Bay (L4b) and Mangalo (L6e) were received by the South Australian Museum in December, 1989. Ethiudna (L4a) and Crockers Well (LL7) were previously thought to be paired and were previously described only as chondrites.     

Climate change influences on agricultural research productivity

This paper investigates the impacts of climate change on US returns to research investments on agricultural productivity. We examine this using a historical data set in a panel time-series econometric model of state agricultural productivity. The fitted model allows derivation of the rate of return to research investments and the effects of climate change thereon. We find climate change is altering the rate of return to public agricultural research in a spatially heterogeneous manner. Increases in precipitation raise returns to research, while the impact of higher temperatures varies by region, are negative in Southern areas, particularly the Southern Plains, and positive in northern areas. We simulate the impact of projected climate change and find cases where agricultural productivity is reduced, for example in the Southern Plains. Finally, we consider the amount of research investment that is needed to adapt to overcome the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity. Under the 2100 scenario, a 7–17 % increase in total US research investment is needed to adapt, but effects by region differ greatly—some requiring little changes and the Southern Plain requiring an increase as high as 57 %.     

The NOAA Goes-12 Solar X-Ray Imager (SXI) 2. Performance

The Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) was launched on 23 July 2001 on NOAAs GOES-12 satellite and completed post-launch testing on 20 December 2001. It was brought into operations on 21 January 2003. This paper documents SXI performance and calibrations prior to an instrument degradation that occurred on 5 November 2003 and thus covers more than 420000 soft X-ray images of the Sun. This paper details component-level as well as full-system calibrations characterizing the spatial and spectral performance of the instrument, including the grazing-incidence mirror, filters, and the properties of the MCP-intensified CCD detector system. Routine image corrections are also described. These include background (dark current) subtraction, flat-fielding, off-band light-leak correction, and image pointing and timing considerations. In addition, a signal-to-noise analysis is presented. The information contained in this study is intended to enable researchers to conduct quantitative analysis of GOES-12 SXI images.     

Southern high latitude climate variability in the Late Cretaceous greenhouse world

A palynological study of oil exploration wells in the Gippsland Basin southeastern Australia has provided a record of southern high latitude climate variability for the last 12 million years of the Cretaceous greenhouse world. During this time, the vegetation was dominated by a cool to temperate flora of Podocarpaceae, Proteaceae and Nothofagidites spp. at a latitude of 60°S. Milankovitch forced cyclic alternations from drier to wetter climatic periods caused vegetation variability from 72 to 77 Ma. This climate change was probably related to the waxing and waning of ephemeral (100 ky) small ice sheets in Antarctica during times of insolation minima and maxima. Drying and cooling after 72 Ma culminated from 68 to 66 Ma, mirroring trends in global δ¹⁸O data. Quantitative palynofloral analyses have the potential to provide realistic proxies for small-scale climate variability in the predominantly ice-free Late Cretaceous.