The exchange coefficients for latent and sensible heat flux over lakes: Dependence upon atmospheric stability

Components of the energy budget of a small lake were estimated over the autumnal cooling period. Measured values of the stored thermal energy and radiative heating were used to evaluate several bulk formulae for sensible and latent heat transfer. Over 50–100 day intervals, bulk formulae for latent and sensible heat flux without stability corrections were as good as formulae that incorporated such corrections; both satisfactorily reproduced the measured heat storage data. Over shorter (daily to weekly) time-scales, predictions incorporating stability corrections were superior to those without stability corrections. Over daily periods when the atmosphere was nearly neutral or was unstable, a formulation for sensible and latent heat transfer designed for small-scale systems (cooling ponds and reservoirs) agreed closely with the usual large-scale (oceanic) bulk formulations. The corrections for stability in the small-scale formulation are based on laboratory and theoretical studies of free convection; the stability correction in the large-scale formulation uses a bulk Richardson number in a manner consistent with flux-profile theory. Both agreed with the measured data for the unstable and near-neutral cases. Under stable atmospheric conditions (in a daily average sense), both formulations underestimated the measured fluxes     

The last interglacial ocean

The final effort of the CLIMAP project was a study of the last interglaciation, a time of minimum ice volume some 122,000 yr ago coincident with the Substage 5e oxygen isotopic minimum. Based on detailed oxygen isotope analyses and biotic census counts in 52 cores across the world ocean, last interglacial sea-surface temperatures (SST) were compared with those today. There are small SST departures in the mid-latitude North Atlantic (warmer) and the Gulf of Mexico (cooler). The eastern boundary currents of the South Atlantic and Pacific oceans are marked by large SST anomalies in individual cores, but their interpretations are precluded by no-analog problems and by discordancies among estimates from different biotic groups. In general, the last interglacial ocean was not significantly different from the modern ocean. The relative sequencing of ice decay versus oceanic warming on the Stage 6/5 oxygen isotopic transition and of ice growth versus oceanic cooling on the Stage 5e/5d transition was also studied. In most of the Southern Hemisphere, the oceanic response marked by the biotic census counts preceded (led) the global ice-volume response marked by the oxygen-isotope signal by several thousand years. The reverse pattern is evident in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, where the oceanic response lagged that of global ice volume by several thousand years. As a result, the very warm temperatures associated with the last interglaciation were regionally diachronous by several thousand years. These regional lead-lag relationships agree with those observed on other transitions and in long-term phase relationships; they cannot be explained simply as artifacts of bioturbational translations of the original signals.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN ALLUVIAL RIVER WITH FLOODPLAINS

1 INTRODUCTION The transport of sediment in rivers with active floodplains is a two-dimensional process because the main channel and the floodplain can have very different transport capacities. Therefore, two-dimensional (2D) models are often used to simulate the streamwise and transverse variations of sediment erosion and deposition. Many 2D numerical models have been presented to simulate sediment transport in floodplains (James, 1985; Pizzuto, 1987; Howard, 1992; Nicholas and Walli…     

SEDIMENT TRANSPORT AND STREAM POWER

1 INTRODUCTION There are three basic energy dissipation rate approaches used for the derivation of sediment transport functions. They are the gravitational power theory by Velikanov (1954), the stream power theory by Bagnold (1966), and the unit stream power theory by Yang (1973, 1979, 1984, and 1986). The theoretical basis of these approaches has been summarized by Yang (1996) in his book, Sediment Transport Theory and Practice. Yang also made comparisons of the three basic approa…     

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Nonaqueous Phase Liquid Distribution in Unconsolidated Soils Using Discriminatory Freezing

Organic contaminants present as nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in the subsurface often pose a long-term risk to human health and the environment. Investigating the distribution of NAPLs in porous media remains a major challenge in risk assessment and management of contaminated sites. Conventional soil coring and monitoring wells have been widely used over past decades as the primary means of subsurface investigation to determine NAPL extent. Known limitations of conventional approaches have led us to explore an alternative or a complementary technique to provide high-quality information of NAPL source zone architecture. This work advances an imaging tool for a variety of organic NAPL contaminants in unconsolidated soils through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of frozen cores. Using trichloroethylene (TCE) and o-xylene as model species, we illustrate that discriminatory freezing of water, while keeping the NAPL in a liquid state, enables high-resolution qualitative delineation of NAPL distribution within porous media. This novel approach may help improve site conceptual models and consequentially lead to highly tailored, more efficient remedial measures.     

Temperatures and thermophysical properties of the lunar outermost layer

Comparisons of calculated diurnal and eclipse temperatures of the lunar outermost layer are made with Earth-based infrared and millimeter data. The thermophysical model upon which the calculations are based incorporates variable physical properties. The thermal conductivity is a function of both density (depth) and temperature; the specific heat is a function of temperature; the density is a function of depth; and the dielectric constant and loss tangent are functions of density (depth). Laboratory measurements and Apollo sample results are incorporated in the property data. Calculational cases are based largely upon different density profiles. The model is consistent with the data, and the comparisons of theoretical and observational temperatures are very favorable. For such comparisons, further sophistication of the thermophysical model of the outermost layer is probably not justified.     

The Near Infrared Spectrum of Miranda: Evidence of Crystalline Water Ice

A spectrum from 1.2 to 2.5 μm of Uranus' small satellite Miranda obtained in June 1999 reveals strong water-ice signatures. It confirms the existence of a 2.0-μm water feature previously detected on Miranda and shows a strong second broad 1.5-μm water-ice absorption feature. The spectra also reveal a weak absorption band at 1.65 μm that is indicative of crystalline water ice. Reflectance models which combine the new spectra with new photometry indicate that the spectra are characteristic of a mostly water-ice surface, with a large fraction of carbonaceous or silicate contaminates, and the possible presence of ammonia hydrate, as implied by an apparent weak feature near 2.2 μm. The possible presence of other volatiles is also investigated.     

阿拉斯加德纳里国家公园公路沿线冰椎和融化失稳问题的减灾备选方案

Only one access road leads into Denali Park. The serviceability and safety of this gravel road is obviously of paramount importance to the National Park Service (NPS). Since the late 1950s and mid1960s major icings and a landslide, respectively, have occurred along the Denali Park access road. During the summer of 1990 the landslide activity intensified. The central section of the Park through which the access road traverses is designated as a wilderness area. Consequently, off road field exploration required to quantify the hazards and remediation activities that may be proposed to mitigate icings and stabilize the landslide, are severely restricted and closely scrutinized by the NPS. The results of an evaluation of (1) the current state-of-the-practice to control icings, and (2) thaw stabilization techniques that could be appiled to the northwest corner of the landslide are presented herein. The recommendations which followed, respecting the wilderness area designation for the Park, are also presented.     

On the use of enriched finite element method to model subsurface features in porous media flow problems

In this paper, a new enrichment scheme is proposed to model fractures and other conduits in porous media flow problems. Inserting this scheme into a partition of unity based method results in a new numerical method that does not require the mesh to honor the specific geometry of these subsurface features. The new scheme involves a specially designed integration procedure and enrichment functions, which can capture effects of local heterogeneity introduced by subsurface features on the pressure solution. The new method is also capable of modeling fractures with low as well as high conductivity. Another feature of the proposed scheme is that, even though two enrichment functions are used to model the permeability change at the two rock/fracture interfaces of a fracture, only one element partition is made for numerical integration. To demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed approach, production problems for wells that were stimulated or completed by longitudinal fracture, transverse fractures, and perforations are studied.     

A computer method for stability analysis of caverns in jointed rock

A simple rigid block model has been developed for analysing the stability of caverns and tunnels in jointed rock. Rigid block interactions are idealized as linear edge-to-edge contacts with a zero joint tension constraint and a Mohr-Coulomb friction law. In the method, the minimum friction angle for stability is determined by sequentially eliminating tension and then minimizing the shear. It is demonstrated through examples that the minimum joint friction angle which results in a stable configuration is independent of the stiffness of the joint, and depends only upon the loading and geometry of the jointing and cavern. This insensitivity of stability to the normal and tangential joint stiffnesses, which can be difficult to obtain, is very useful for design purposes.