Laboratory investigations of the role of biofilms on stream-bed surfaces in debris-flow runout

Debris-flow runout is a fascinating process to understand due to its implications for downstream alluvial fans. Based on the propagation-deposition behaviors of the Dongyuege (DYG) debris flow, in Yunnan, the effect of biofilms on channel surfaces on debris-flow runout is investigated in laboratory flumes with two different internal surfaces: surfaces are lined with granite slabs (Model I) and gravel (Model II), respectively. Our results show that biofilms can significantly reduce frictional resistance to flows. They increase flow velocities, slow down the deceleration of the snouts, prolong runout distances, and subsequently extend the areas covered with resulting deposits, thus greatly assisting the propagation of experimental debris flows. Slippery biofilms consisting mainly of diatoms and their extracellular mucus (ECM) reduce the contact friction between the flume-beds and the overlying fluids, and greatly promote the propagation of tested flows. Well-developed biofilms are found on the underwater channel surfaces of the DYG Creek. Acting as lubricating layers, they likely played a key role in the DYG debris-flow runout. Most of the debris transported during the DYG event was deposited on overbanks, and the sediment that caused the disaster was transported to the populated fan region through the stream-bed clad in the thick biofilms. Owing to their impacts on the development and width of the temporary debris dam breach, the stream-bed covered with biofilms became a direct contributor to the debris-flow hazard. Because of the ubiquitous presence of biofilms on mountain stream-bed surfaces, the development of perennial streamflows can be viewed as an indicator of gully susceptibility to debris flows threatening creek fans. The underwater areas of pre-event channel cross-sections should be regarded as slip or low-friction boundaries, and the parts above stream-levels can be viewed as no-slip boundaries. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Redundant and Nonredundant Information for Model Calibration or Hydraulic Tomography

Drawdown data from independent pumping tests have widely been used to validate the estimated hydraulic parameters from inverse modeling or hydraulic tomography (HT). Yet, the independent pumping test has not been clearly defined. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to define this independent pumping test concept, based on the redundant or nonredundant information about aquifer heterogeneity embedded in the observed heads during cross-hole pumping tests. The definition of complete, moderate redundancy and high nonredundancy of information are stipulated using cross-correlation analysis of the relationship between the head and heterogeneity. Afterward, data from numerical experiments and field sequential pumping test campaigns reinforce the concept and the definition.     

1988-2016年洞庭湖大型底栖动物群落变化及驱动因素分析

洞庭湖是我国第二大淡水湖泊,其水文条件对湖泊湿地生态系统健康的维系发挥着不可替代的作用.近年来,水环境恶化日益威胁湖区水生态系统健康.然而,有关底栖动物水生态健康评价的研究仍然停留在物种群落结构方面,缺乏底栖动物群落功能对水污染响应的研究,尤其在较长时间尺度上.因而,本研究分析了19882016年近30 a来洞庭湖的水质和底栖动物群落数据,探寻底栖动物群落功能对水环境恶化的响应规律.结果表明,洞庭湖水体总氮浓度是威胁底栖动物物种和功能群落变动的主要因素.此外,不断恶化的水环境驱动底栖动物物种和功能群落结构改变,表现为敏感水生昆虫的比例下降,寡毛类、小型软体动物比例的上升,并伴随着体长为1.00~1.99 cm、背扁型、侧扁型、不移动等功能性状类别比例的下降.同时,水环境恶化降低物种丰富度、功能丰富度和劳氏二次熵多样性.基于距离的冗余分析结果显示,水体氮营养盐、重金属离子和有机污染物共同驱动底栖动物物种群落结构的变异,而营养盐类与无/有机污染物决定着其功能群落结构的变异.鉴于洞庭湖水质不断恶化的状况,本研究建议采取一系列措施,包括合理管控湖区周边废水直排入湖、取缔湖区内的非法采砂以及调控枯水季洞庭湖水位等.生物监测和评价方面,建议将底栖动物物种和功能群落一并纳入评价体系,且优先选用物种丰富度、功能丰富度和劳氏二次熵指数评估换水周期较短的大型浅水湖泊水质变化对底栖动物物种和功能多样性的影响.     

Dynamics and driving mechanisms of asymmetric human water consumption during alternating wet and dry periods

Increases in human water consumption (HWC) and consequent degradation of the ecological environment are common in arid regions. Understanding the mechanisms behind these processes is important for sustainable development. Analyses of changes in HWC between alternating wet and dry periods are carried out in four arid inland basins in Central Asia and China (Syr Darya, Tarim, Heihe and Shulehe river basins). Based on runoff records, the presence of an asymmetric HWC response is proved (p < 0.01), with an increase in HWC during wet periods and a muted decrease during subsequent dry periods. This behaviour is interpreted by invoking theories from behavioural economics at the individual and community levels. A simple model based on these theories is shown to be able to reproduce the observed dynamics and is used to discuss the importance of strengthening institutional factors for water sustainability.     

Improved fuzzy weighted optimum curve-fitting method for estimating the parameters of a Pearson Type-III distribution

ABSTRACT

The objective of the curve-fitting method is to determine the optimal distribution by parameter estimation. The selection of the parameter estimation methods and the determination of the parameter estimation results may vary according to the different aims of the curve fitting, as well as the different accuracies and positions of the points. To solve the problem, the fuzzy weighted optimum curve-fitting method (FWOCM) was used to deal with the characters. The deficiencies of the original FWOCM were analysed, and it was found that the membership function and nomograph were unable to effectively deal with the curve fitting. An improved method and its indexes were evaluated, using effectiveness and unbiasedness as the assessment criteria, while scoring and percentage methods were chosen to comprehensively assess the statistical results. Compared with FWOCM, the results showed greater effectiveness and unbiasedness in the improved method.     

整点气温缺测的插补方法研究及其初步应用

长期连续完整的历史气温资料是震前气温异常判别研究的重要数据基础。本文考虑了参考站与缺测站之间的距离,建立改进的线性回归模型。利用该模型插补缺测和错误的气温整点值数据,在一定程度上解决了长期连续观测数据缺测的情况。通过对收集的唐山观测站气温整点值数据进行插补,并应用插补完整的数据分析研究了2012年5月28日唐山4.8级地震前兆异常。结果表明:①插补值与其前后观测值衔接吻合,插补后完整连续数据符合夏高冬低的年变规律;②插补误差在±0.5℃范围内的比例为60.2%,在±0.8℃范围内的比例为80.3%,其误差绝对值大于1.0℃的比例为9.6%,平均绝对误差为0.84℃,插补值与观测值的相关系数大部分在0.9以上;③从3月27日起出现增温异常,特别是震前2天增温幅度约8℃。     

Artificial neural network simulation for prediction of suspended sediment concentration in the River Ramganga,Ganges Basin,India

The relation between the water discharge (Q) and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) of the River Ramganga at Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, in the Himalayas, has been modeled using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). The current study validates the practical capability and usefulness of this tool for simulating complex nonlinear, real world, river system processes in the Himalayan scenario. The modeling approach is based on the time series data collected from January to December (2008-2010) for Q and SSC. Three ANNs (T1-T3) with different network configurations have been developed and trained using the Levenberg Marquardt Back Propagation Algorithm in the Matlab routines. Networks were optimized using the enumeration technique, and, finally, the best network is used to predict the SSC values for the year 2011. The values thus obtained through the ANN model are compared with the observed values of SSC. The coefficient of determination (R2), for the optimal network was found to be 0.99. The study not only provides insight into ANN modeling in the Himalayan river scenario, but it also focuses on the importance of understanding a river basin and the factors that affect the SSC, before attempting to model it. Despite the temporal variations in the study area, it is possible to model and successfully predict the SSC values with very simplistic ANN models.     

Seasonal variability of SST fronts and winds on the southeastern continental shelf of Brazil

Fourteen years (September 2002 to August 2016) of high-resolution satellite observations of sea surface temperature (SST) data are used to describe the frontal pattern and frontogenesis on the southeastern continental shelf of Brazil. The daily SST fronts are obtained using an edge-detection algorithm, and the monthly frontal probability (FP) is subsequently calculated. High SST FPs are mainly distributed along the coast and decrease with distance from the coastline. The results from empirical orthogonal function (EOF) decompositions reveal strong seasonal variability of the coastal SST FP with maximum (minimum) in the astral summer (winter). Wind plays an important role in driving the frontal activities, and high FPs are accompanied by strong alongshore wind stress and wind stress curl. This is particularly true during the summer, when the total transport induced by the alongshore component of upwelling-favorable winds and the wind stress curl reaches the annual maximum. The fronts are influenced by multiple factors other than wind forcing, such as the orientation of the coastline, the seafloor topography, and the meandering of the Brazil Current. As a result, there is a slight difference between the seasonality of the SST fronts and the wind, and their relationship was varying with spatial locations. The impact of the air-sea interaction is further investigated in the frontal zone, and large coupling coefficients are found between the crosswind (downwind) SST gradients and the wind stress curl (divergence). The analysis of the SST fronts and wind leads to a better understanding of the dynamics and frontogenesis off the southeastern continental shelf of Brazil, and the results can be used to further understand the air-sea coupling process at regional level.

     

筑坝拦截对黑河河道沉积物粒度空间分布的影响

河流沉积物对流域环境变化具有敏感响应,其粒度参数能反映沉积环境中物质来源和水动力环境.本文以黑河流域上中游为研究区域,探究河流沉积物粒度对流域环境变化的响应.从黑河上中游干流22个主要控制断面采集河床沉积物样品,采用筛分法和吸管法对沉积物样品粒度参数进行测定,并分析其空间分布规律对筑坝拦截为主的环境改变响应.研究结果表明：受梯级水库建设影响,黑河上中游泥沙粒径大小差异显著.干流库区泥沙粒径较自然河段明显减小,分选很好,呈正偏或极正偏尖锐分布,而且在库区不同沉积高度上表现出分层沉积特征;坝下游河段因遭受强烈冲刷,较自然河段泥沙粒径粗化显著,分选变差,偏态趋向极正偏,峰态尖锐化;水库回水区受水库壅水及下泄清水的双重制约,泥沙粒度参数介于自然河段和坝下游河段之间,整体分选中等,呈极正偏尖锐分布;沉积环境分析表明,上游支流河段沉积物粒度特征受泥沙供给和物源特征的影响较水动力条件显著,干流河段沉积物粒度特征主要受水动力条件控制.研究结果既符合河流上中游沉积物粒度分布规律,也反映了河流环境变化对沉积物粒度组成的影响.     

广东新丰江水库XFJ-1孔DDTs和HCHs的沉积记录

以~(210)Pb对广东新丰江水库XFJ-1孔进行了定年,以GC-ECD测定新丰江水库沉积钻孔中DDTs和HCHs的含量,通过对比其剖面变化特征与该类农药在我国的生产、使用历史,探讨了水库中DDT、HCH的历史输入途径.过去30年来,XFJ-1孔平均沉积速率为1.42cm/a,沉积物中HCHs和DDTs的含量分别为1.26-3.90ng/g和1.00-3.96ng/g.DDTs、HCHs含量从20世纪80年代初逐渐下降,总体上与我国1983年开始禁止DDT、HCH的大规模生产和使用这一历史事件相符.DDTs、HCHs及其化合物比值的剖面变化特征均表明:流域内后期土壤侵蚀、搬运的再循环污染物质(即二次污染源)对水库DDT和HCH的贡献不明显;相反,农药历史使用(即一次污染源)是其主要来源,大气沉降是其主要输入途径.此外,γ-HCH、o,p′-DDT和p,p′-DDT含量的垂直变化表明,大规模禁用以后这些化合物仍有少量新的输入,需引起重视.