Three-dimensional numerical prediction of vertical temperature structure of the Huanghai and the Bohai Seas

In the paper, the sea is divided into two layers with density jumping, assuming that the physical parameters in each layer are independent of depth. Two-layer flow field with tide and wind currents is calculated with extended ADI method, after the calculation for flow field is stable , coupled with temperature diffusion equations and thermohaline depth prediction equation, a four-day time prediction of the surface, bottom temperature and thermohaline depth of the Huanghai and the Bohai Seas. At the same time, three dimensional temperature field of sea water is predicted through vertical temperature distribution function. The result indicates that the prediction quality of the whole model and the fitting degree between the predicted result and the measured values are satisfactory.     

Zr-in-rutile thermometry in blueschists from Sifnos, Greece

Zr-in-rutile thermometry on samples of blueschist from Sifnos, Greece, yields temperatures that reflect progressive crystallization of rutile from ca. 445 to 505°C with an analytical precision of + 18/−27 and ± 10°C using the electron microprobe and ± 1.5–3.5°C using the ion microprobe. Individual grains are generally homogeneous within analytical uncertainty. Different grains within a single sample record temperature differences as large 55°, although in most samples the range of temperatures is on the order of 25°. In several samples, Zr-in-rutile temperatures from grains within garnet are lower than temperatures from matrix grains, reflecting growth of rutile with increasing temperature of metamorphism. Although the specific rutile-producing reactions have not been identified, it is inferred that rutile grows from either continuous reaction involving the breakdown of lower grade phases (possibly ilmenite), or from pseudomorph reactions involving the breakdown of relic igneous precursors at blueschist-facies conditions. No systematic variation in rutile temperatures was observed across the blueschist belt of northern Sifnos, consistent with the belt having behaved as a coherent block during subduction.     

Phosphorus removal in low alkalinity secondary effluent using alum

The alkalinity plays an important role in phosphorus removal using coagulant. The dosage of coagulant in the low alkalinity wastewater is limited due to rapid pH changes. In the present study, a series of jar test was conducted using low alkalinity wastewater (50 mg/L) to evaluate the optimum pH, dosage and performance parameters (slow mixing and settling time) for the common coagulant alum. From the experiment, it was found that the dosage of coagulant and removal of phosphorus depend upon the pH of the wastewater after adding coagulant. The final optimum pH for efficient P removal was found to be within the range of 5.7–5.9. This range acts as an indicator and it is the maximum tolerable pH range for phosphorus removal for low alkalinity wastewater. The optimum time for slow mix and settling was found to be 20 min. The optimum mole ratio of alum to remove one mole of phosphorous was found to be 2.3. The alum coagulation at pH 7 produced effluent with the total residual phosphorus and reactive phosphorus content of 0.3 and 0.9 mg/L, respectively.     

Spatiotemporal characteristics of precipitation and extreme events on the Loess Plateau of China between 1957 and 2009

Spatiotemporal trends in precipitation may influence vegetation restoration, and extreme precipitation events profoundly affect soil erosion processes on the Loess Plateau. Daily data collected at 89 meteorological stations in the area between 1957 and 2009 were used to analyze the spatiotemporal trends of precipitation on the Loess Plateau and the return periods of different types of precipitation events classified in the study. Nonparametric methods were employed for temporal analysis, and the Kriging interpolation method was employed for spatial analysis. The results indicate a small decrease in precipitation over the Loess Plateau in last 53 years (although a Mann–Kendall test did not show this decrease to be significant), a southward shift in precipitation isohyets, a slightly delayed rainy season, and prolonged return periods, especially for rainstorm and heavy rainstorm events. Regional responses to global climate change have varied greatly. A slightly increasing trend in precipitation in annual and sub‐annual series, with no obvious shift of isohyets, and an evident decreasing trend in extreme precipitation events were detected in the northwest. In the southeast, correspondingly, a more seriously decreasing trend occurred, with clear shifts of isohyets and a slightly decreasing trend in extreme precipitation events. The result suggests that a negative trend in annual precipitation may have led to decreased soil erosion but an increase in sediment yield during several extreme events. These changes in the precipitation over the Loess Plateau should be noted, and countermeasures should be taken to reduce their adverse impacts on the sustainable development of the region. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

快速测量非饱和土渗透系数的湿润锋前进法适用性研究

非饱和土渗透系数函数是非饱和土体渗流分析中必不可少的参数。然而非饱和土渗透系数函数测量非常困难,其中稳态法测量范围过于狭小,而瞬时截面法耗时动辄数月,难以应用。为此,提出了湿润锋前进法,有望在一周内测得渗透系数函数。采用数值模拟手段检验湿润锋前进法的测量精度和适用范围。数值模拟结果显示：对于砂土、粉土、黏土,湿润锋前进法得到的渗透系数函数均与输入的理论渗透曲线一致,但测量范围限于高吸力范围（大于进气值）。此外,还采用瞬时截面法计算了渗透系数函数,结果表明：瞬时截面法计算的渗透系数在理论渗透曲线附近波动,其精度取决于监测截面的间距,间距越大,精度越低。在给出的20、60、100 mm这3种间距中,20 mm间距时计算得到的渗透系数精度最高,但与湿润锋前进法的精度仍有一定差距。因此,湿润锋前进法是一种可靠的能够快速得到渗透系数函数的测量手段。     

Anabranching in mixed bedrock-alluvial rivers: the example of the Orange River above Augrabies Falls, Northern Cape Province, South Africa

Anabranching is characteristic of a number of rivers in diverse environmental settings worldwide, but has only infrequently been described from bedrock-influenced rivers. A prime example of a mixed bedrock-alluvial anabranching river is provided by a 150-km long reach of the Orange River above Augrabies Falls, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Here, the perennial Orange flows through arid terrain consisting mainly of Precambrian granites and gneisses, and the river has preferentially eroded bedrock joints, fractures and foliations to form multiple channels which divide around numerous, large (up to 15 km long and 2 km wide), stable islands formed of alluvium and/or bedrock. Significant local variations in channel-bed gradient occur along the river, which strongly control anabranching style through an influence on local sediment budgets. In relatively long (>10 km), lower gradient reaches (<0.0013) within the anabranching reach, sediment supply exceeds local transport capacity, bedrock usually only crops out in channel beds, and channels divide around alluvial islands which are formed by accretion in the lee of bedrock outcrop or at the junction with ephemeral tributaries. Riparian vegetation probably plays a key role in the survival and growth of these islands by increasing flow roughness, inducing deposition, and stabilising the sediments. Less commonly, channels may form by eroding into once-continuous island or floodplain surfaces. In shorter (<10 km), higher gradient reaches (>0.0013) within the anabranching reach, local transport capacity exceeds sediment supply, bedrock crops out extensively, and channels flow over an irregular bedrock pavement or divide around rocky islands. Channel incision into bedrock probably occurs mainly by abrasion, with the general absence of boulder bedforms suggesting that hydraulic plucking is relatively unimportant in this setting. Mixed bedrock-alluvial anabranching also occurs in a number of other rivers worldwide, and appears to be a stable and often long-lived river pattern adjusted to a number of factors commonly acting in combination: (1) jointed/fractured granitoid rock outcrop; (2) erosion-resistant banks and islands; (3) locally variable channel-bed gradients; (4) variable flow regimes.     

The squeezing potential of rocks around tunnels; Theory and prediction

Summary The deformational behaviour of tunnels, which underwent large deformations, socalled squeezing, have been recently receiving great attention in the field of rock mechanics and tunnelling. Contrary to rockbursting phenomenon in which the deformation of the medium takes place instantaneously, the deformation of the surrounding rock in squeezing phenomenon takes place slowly and gradually when the resulting stress state following the excavation exceeds the strength of the surrounding medium. Although there are some proposals for the definition of squeezing rocks and prediction of their squeezing potential and deformations of tunnels in literature, it is difficult to say that they are concise and appropriate.In the first half of this paper, the squeezing phenomenon of rock about tunnels and its mechanism and associated factors are clarified by studying carefully observed failures in-situ and laboratory model tests. Then, an extensive survey of tunnels in squeezing rocks in Japan is presented and the results of this survey are summarised. In the second half of the paper, a new method is proposed to predict the squeezing potential and deformations of tunnels in squeezing rock. Then, the method is applied to actual tunnelling projects, where squeezing problems have been encountered, to check its validity and applicability. As a concrete example, an application of the method to predict the squeezing potential and deformations of the rock along a 300 m long section of an actual tunnel was made.     

Long‐term temporal and spatial patterns in bioeroding sponge distribution at the Abrolhos Bank,Brazil, Southwestern Atlantic

Bioeroding sponges belong to the most dominant bioeroders, significantly contributing to the erosion of coral reefs. Some species are tolerant or even benefit from environmental conditions such as ocean warming, acidification, and eutrophication. In consequence, increases in sponge bioerosion have been observed on some coral reefs over the last decades. The Abrolhos Bank is the largest coral reef system in the South Atlantic. It has been affected by sedimentation, eutrophication, overfishing, and climate change, mainly affecting coastal reefs, and at lesser intensity outer ones as well. This study aimed to describe spatial and temporal patterns in bioeroding sponge distribution in carbonate substrates in the Abrolhos Bank. Photo‐quadrats were used to compare bioeroding sponge abundance between two shallow reefs: a coastal, Pedra de Leste (PL), and an outer reef, Parcel dos Abrolhos (PAB). Each individual was delimitated over the substrate by determining the sponge surface through a line connecting the outermost papillae. The study was conducted over 6 years in 2008–2009 and 2013–2016. Four species of bioeroding sponges were identified: Cliona carteri Ridley, 1881, C. delitrix Pang, 1973, C. cf. schmidtii Ridley, 1881, and Siphonodictyon coralliphagum Rützler, 1971. The distribution and abundance of species varied between the inner and outer reefs and across the years, and displayed certain selectivity for the calcareous substrates recorded. Crustose coralline algae (CCA) were the main substrate excavated by the most abundant bioeroding species, C. carteri, and represented 70% of the substrate types occupied by this sponge (CCA, coral overgrown by CCA and plain coral). The highest abundance of bioeroding sponges observed in photo‐quadrats was 21.3 individuals/m² at the outer reefs (PAB) in 2014. The abundances or areal extents of bioeroding sponges were up to 10 times greater on the outer reefs than on the coastal ones, where sedimentation is higher and more strongly influenced by siliciclastic material. Moreover, a higher herbivorous fish biomass has been reported on outer reefs which could also influence the higher abundance of bioeroding sponges in outer reefs. During the study period of 6 years, an increase in bioeroding sponge abundance was observed at the outer reefs (PAB), with the sea surface temperature increase. As CCA have an important role in reefal cementation and carbonate production in the Abrolhos reefs, a bioerosion impact might be expected, in particular, on the outer reefs.     

A hybrid distinct element–boundary element approach for seismic analysis of cracked concrete gravity dam–reservoir systems

This paper proposes a new algorithm for modeling the nonlinear seismic behavior of fractured concrete gravity dams considering dam–reservoir interaction effects. In this algorithm, the cracked concrete gravity dam is modeled by distinct element (DE) method, which has been widely used for the analysis of blocky media. Dynamic response of the reservoir is obtained using boundary element (BE) method. Formulation and various computational aspects of the proposed staggered hybrid approach are thoroughly discussed. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study of a hybrid DE–BE approach for seismic analysis of cracked gravity dam–reservoir systems. The validity of the algorithm is discussed by developing a two-dimensional computer code and comparing results obtained from the proposed hybrid DE–BE approach with those reported in the literature. For this purpose, a few problems of seismic excitations in frequency- and time-domains, are presented using the proposed approach. Present results agree well with the results from other numerical methods. Furthermore, the cracked Koyna Dam is analyzed, including dam–reservoir interaction effects with focus on the nonlinear behavior due to its top profile crack. Results of the present study are compared to available results in the literature in which the dam–reservoir interaction were simplified by added masses. It is shown that the nonlinear analysis that includes dam–reservoir interaction gives downstream sliding and rocking response patterns that are somehow different from that of the case when the dam–reservoir interaction is approximated employing added masses.     

空间光滑地震活动性模型中光滑函数的比较研究

使用Frankel提出的基于空间光滑地震活动性模型的地震危险性分析方法,选择华南、华北、川滇3个地区的地震记录,比较分析了高斯、幂律和地震分形分布光滑函数3种光滑函数在不同地区的适用性.结果表明,使用交叉验证法可以为高斯光滑函数选取合适的相关距离c值,光滑得到的地震活动性模型能够真实反映研究区域的地震活动特征,根据活动性模型计算得出的峰值加速度(PGA)分布也符合人们对研究区域地震危险性的认识.幂律光滑函数适用于地震活动性较强的地区,且具有容易求取光滑参数的优点.光滑程度较低的幂律光滑函数不适用于地震活动性弱的地区,在该类地区应选择光滑程度较高的高斯光滑函数.地震分形分布光滑函数不适用于地震活动较强且地震活动强度差异较大的地区,其容易过分高估高震级地震对地震危险性的影响,而忽略了低震级地震对地震危险性的贡献.但对于地震活动较弱且地震活动强度差异较小的地区,可使用地震分形分布光滑函数,且同样具有容易求取光滑参数的优点.