Meridional oscillations in an idealized ocean-atmosphere system,Part I: uncoupled modes

Meridional, linear, and free modes of global, primitive-equation, ocean-atmosphere models were analyzed to see if they contain multi-year, especially decadal ( 10–30 years), oscillation time scale modes. A two-layer model of the global ocean and a two-level model of the global atmosphere were formulated. Both models were linearized around axially-symmetric basic states containing mean meridional circulations. The linearized perturbation system was solved as an eigenvalue problem. The operator matrix was discretized in the north-south direction with centered finite differences. Uncoupled, meridional modes of oscillation of the ocean and the atmosphere models were calculated. Calculations were performed at three grid spacings (5°, 2.5° and 1.25°) and for two types of basic states (symmetric and asymmetric). Uncoupled, free oceanic modes in the presence of mean meridional circulations have oscillation time scales ranging from two years to several centuries. Such low frequency meridional modes do not exist in the ocean model if there are no mean meridional circulations. A large number of oceanic modes are grouped around decadal oscillation time scales. All the oceanic modes have neutral growth rates. The spatial structures of some of the oceanic modes are comparable to observed spatial structures of sea surface temperature variations in the Pacific Ocean. Most years to decades variability of meridional modes of the ocean model is contained in tropical and midlatitude modes. Some oceanic modes with years to decades periods have standing oscillations in the tropics and poleward propagation of zonal velocity and layer thickness outside the tropics. Uncoupled, free atmospheric modes in the presence of mean meridional circulations have oscillation time scales ranging from a week to several decades. Such low-frequency meridional modes do not exist in the atmospere model if there are no mean meridional circulations. A large number of modes are grouped around intraseasonal time scales. Unlike the oceanic modes, the atmospheric modes are weakly unstable. Most of the intraseasonal variability of atmospheric modes is contained in tropical, midlatitude, and polar modes. Atmospheric modes with oscillation periods longer than about one year have global extent. Meridional ocean-atmospheric modes exist in the models wherever there are mean meridional circulations, i.e., tropical, midlatitude, polar, and global. Oceanic and atmospheric eigenvectors have symmetric (assymetric) latitudinal structures if their basic states are symmetric (asymmetric) around the equator. For both models, models calculated at coarser than 2.5° grid spacing do not accurately represent low-frequency variability. Scale analysis shows taht advection by tge basic state meridional velocities is the primary cause of the meridional oscillations on time scales longer than two years in the ocean model and longer than a few weeks in the atmosphere model. Meridional modes of the coupled ocean-atmosphere models are the subject of a subsequent paper.This paper was presented at the International Conference on Modelling of Global Climate Change and Variability, held in Hamburg 11–15 September 1989 under the auspices of the Meteorological Institute of the University of Hamburg and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Guest Editor for these papers is Dr. L. Dümenil     

Elastoplastic consolidation above and beneath strip anchors under uplift forces

Although the uplift behavior of offshore plate anchors under undrained conditions has been investigated well in the past, studies on the behavior of anchors under long-term sustained loading are in relatively few numbers. The time required for consolidation under sustained load is important because the shear strength of soil changes after dissipation of excess pore pressure. In this paper, small strain finite-element analyses have been performed to investigate the consolidation time history above and beneath strip anchors. The modified cam clay plasticity constitutive model is used for modeling coupled pore fluid stress analysis. The effects of magnitude of preloading with embedment level have been studied. As expected, the FE results have shown that excess pore pressure dissipation time for soil above the anchor increased with the increase in embedment depth and the magnitude of preload. Rapid dissipation of negative excess pore pressure beneath the anchor was observed with increasing embedment depth, if the preload magnitude is equal to or more than 60% of the undrained capacity. Observed consolidation responses are presented as nondimensional design charts and simplified equations for ease of practice.     

Spatial Variability of Mass Movements in the Satluj Valley,Himachal Pradesh during 1990～2006

Satluj Valley is known to have a history of landslides and related mass movement activities since the geological times.Geological and geomorphological settings combined with anthropogenic activities constitute a propensity towards slope failure.During the last two decades.the area witnessed substantial increase in athropogenic pressure,mainly due to the exploitation of hydropower potential,changing landuse pattern and population growth.In addition,a shift of the climatic Datterns in the form of larger area falling under the influence of rains was observed.These natural as well as anthropogenic changes in the area have resulted in increased spatial coverage of landslide in the area.This paper documents these changes during 1990～2006.     

Events in alpine deformation and metamorphism in the Northern Pennine Zone and Southern Gotthard massif regions,Switzerland

The Pennine nappes consist of broad subrounded anticlinal cores of crystalline basement enveloped by a relatively thin cover of Mesozoic metasediments. They have been subsequently refolded by two more phases of deformation, F 2 and F 3, on a regional scale. The imprint of these deformations, F 2 and F 3, also occur in the southern part of the Gotthard massif and its Mesozoic cover. The main episode of Alpine metamorphism, producing principal porphyroblasts, has occurred after the formation of Pennine nappes as a result of heat emanating from the thermic dome of the Lepontine Alps. The study of metamorphic fabrics suggests that the Alpine metamorphism probably had a higher grade during the time of the rise of thermic dome than during the formation of Pennine nappes.

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Zusammenfassung Die penninischen Decken bestehen aus breiten, abgerundeten antiklinalen Kernen kristallinen Basements, die von relativ geringmÄchtigen mesozoischen Metasedimenten umgeben sind. Sie wurden regional durch zwei weitere Deformationsphasen, F 2 und F 3, noch einmal gefaltet. Die Auswirkungen dieser Deformationen, F 2 und F 3, zeigen sich auch im südlichen Teil des Gotthard-Massivs und seiner mesozoischen Bedeckung. Die Hauptphasen alpiner Metamorphose, die im wesentlichen Porphyroblaste erzeugte, fand nach der Bildung der penninischen Decken statt als Ergebnis von WÄrme, die dem thermischen Dom der Lepontinischen Alpen entströmte. Aus der Untersuchung metamorpher Gefüge geht hervor, da\ die alpine Metamorphose wÄhrend der Zeit der Heraushebung des thermischen Domes offenbar stÄrker war als wÄhrend der Bildung der penninischen Decken.

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Résumé Les nappes pennines consistent en de larges noyaux anticlinaux munis d'une enveloppe relativement peu épaisse de métasédiments mésozoÏques. Elles furent encore plissées à l'échelle régionale au cours de deux autres phases de déformation F 2 et F 3. Les effets de ces déformations F 2 et F 3 se montrent aussi dans la partie méridionale du massif du Gotthard et de sa couverture mésozoÏque. La phase principale du métamorphisme alpin, qui a essentiellement produit des porphyroblastes, a eu lieu après la formation des nappes pennines par suite de l'apport de chaleur émanant du « dÔme thermique » des Alpes Lépontiennes. De l'étude des structures métamorphiques, il ressort que le métamorphisme alpin, pendant la montée du « dÔme thermique », est clairement d'un degré plus élevé que pendant la formation des nappes pennines.

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Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and striped mullet (Mugil cephalus) as vectors of contaminants to human consumers in northwest Florida

The health benefits of regular consumption of fish and seafood have been espoused for many years. However, fish are also a potential source of environmental contaminants that have well known adverse effects on human health. We investigated the consumption risks for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides; n = 104) and striped mullet (Mugil cephalus; n = 170), two commonly harvested and consumed fish species inhabiting fresh and estuarine waters in northwest Florida. Skinless fillets were analyzed for total mercury, inorganic arsenic, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/F), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides. Contaminant levels were compared to screening values (SV) calculated using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommendations for establishing consumption advisories. Largemouth bass were found to contain high levels of total mercury at all sampling locations (0.37–0.89 ug/g) and one location exhibited elevated total PCBs (39.4 ng/g). All of the samples exceeded Florida fish consumption advisory trigger levels for total mercury and one location exceeded the U.S. EPA SV for total PCBs. As a result of the high mercury levels, the non-cancer health risks (hazard index–HI) for bass were above 1 for all locations. Striped mullet from several locations with known point sources contained elevated levels of PCBs (overall range 3.4–59.3 ng/g). However, total mercury levels in mullet were low. Eight of the 16 mullet sampling locations exceeded the U.S. EPA SV for total PCBs and two locations exceeded an HI of 1 due to elevated PCBs. Despite the elevated levels of total PCBs in some samples, only two locations exceeded the acceptable cancer risk range and therefore cancer health risks from consumption of bass and mullet were determined to be low at most sampling locations.     

Continental-scale comparisons of terrestrial carbon sinks estimated from satellite data and ecosystem modeling 1982–1998

A simulation model based on satellite observations of monthly vegetation cover was used to estimate monthly carbon fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems from 1982 to 1998. The NASA–CASA model was driven by vegetation properties derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and radiative transfer algorithms that were developed for Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). For the terrestrial biosphere, predicted net ecosystem production (NEP) flux for atmospheric CO₂ has varied widely between an annual source of −0.9 Pg C per year and a sink of +2.1 Pg C per year. The southern hemisphere tropical zones (SHT, between 0° and 30°S) have a major influence over the predicted global trends in interannual variability of NEP. In contrast, the terrestrial NEP sink for atmospheric CO₂ on the North American (NA) continent has been fairly consistent between +0.2 and +0.3 Pg C per year, except during relatively cool annual periods when continental NEP fluxes are predicted to total to nearly zero. The predicted NEP sink for atmospheric CO₂ over Eurasia (EA) increased notably in the late 1980s and has been fairly consistent between +0.3 and +0.55 Pg C per year since 1988. High correlations can be detected between the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and predicted NEP fluxes on the EA continent and for the SHT latitude zones, whereas NEP fluxes for the North American continent as a whole do not correlate strongly with ENSO events over the same time series since 1982. These observations support the hypothesis that regional climate warming has had notable but relatively small-scale impacts on high latitude ecosystem (tundra and boreal) sinks for atmospheric CO₂.