A Novel Testing Apparatus for Hydromechanical Investigation of Rocks: Geo-Sequestration of Carbon dioxide

This paper presents the design, development and application of a new multi-phase high-pressure and elevated temperature rock hydromechanical testing apparatus for the investigation of reservoir and cap rock behaviour in carbon geo-sequestration projects. The triaxial apparatus is designed to support high confining stress, injection pressures and higher temperatures to imitate the natural thermo-hydro-geomechanical conditions of deep underground geological formations. The apparatus also includes an acoustic emission device for the study of the mechanical failure behaviour of rocks under compression. The apparatus is designed to support a range of different rock specimen sizes from 34 to 54?mm in diameter. Since sequestration projects involve the injection of supercritical carbon dioxide, which is extremely sensitive to temperature and pressure, and is highly corrosive in nature, special precautions were taken in the design and manufacture of the apparatus. The data acquisition system is powered and calibrated in accordance with each of the sensors and is guided by a series of in-house developed and commercial softwares for data storage and analysis. The methodology for conducting advanced testing on cap rock and reservoir rocks with the injection of water and supercritical CO₂ is presented with the appropriate theory. Some preliminary tests have been carried out on sandstone specimens sourced from the Melbourne region using the newly designed apparatus and the results are presented in this paper.     

Extreme Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotopic compositions exhibited by the Tinaquillo peridotite massif,Northern Venezuela: implications for geodynamic setting

An origin of the Tinaquillo Peridotite Complex in northern Venezuela, and a model for the tectonic framework of the boundary zone between the southern Caribbean Plate margin and the South American Plate (SAP) during Late Jurassic to Mid-Cretaceous time are developed using newly measured Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf isotopic compositions as well as major and trace element geochemistry for some hornblendite veins and their spinel peridotite host rocks. Depleted geochemical characteristics, principally major element concentrations, and Nd and Hf isotopes (e.g., ε_Nd = + 27; ε_Hf = +50; ca. 3.4 Ga-Nd model age) of the Tinaquillo peridotites suggest a genetic link between this complex and the Guiana Shield farther to the south within Venezuela. Scattered zones within the Tinaquillo peridotite were overprinted by what we interpret as channelized hydrous fluids (<∼3%) derived from the eastward-dipping subduction of the Farallon Plate beneath the SAP in the Late Jurassic, leading to modification of the original Sr, Nd and Hf isotopic compositions as well as the incompatible element concentrations. The hornblendite veins have Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf isotopic compositions, falling within the range of present-day Pacific/Atlantic MORB, but trace element abundance patterns with combinations of arc- and MORB-like characteristics. These results rule out the possibility of local melting of the host peridotites to produce magmas from which the hornblendite veins formed. We suggest that during inception of the westward-dipping subduction of the Protocaribbean Plate immediately following polarity reversal in the Mid-Cretaceous, melts infiltrated the mantle lithosphere and produced the veins.     

The evolving flow of Jupiter’s White Ovals and adjacent cyclones

We present results regarding the dynamical meteorology of Jupiter’s White Ovals at different points in their evolution. Starting from the era with three White Ovals FA, BC, and DE (Galileo), continuing to the post-merger epoch with only one Oval BA (Cassini), and finally to Oval BA’s current reddened state (New Horizons), we demonstrate that the dynamics of their flow have similarly evolved along with their appearance. In the Galileo epoch, Oval DE had an elliptical shape with peak zonal wind speeds of ∼90 m s⁻¹ in both its northern and southern peripheries. During the post-merger epoch, Oval BA’s shape was more triangular and less elliptical than Oval DE; in addition to widening in the north-south direction, its northern periphery was 20 m s⁻¹ slower, and its southern periphery was 20 m s⁻¹ faster than Oval DE’s flow during the Galileo era. Finally, in the New Horizons era, the reddened Oval BA had evolved back to a classical elliptical form. The northern periphery of Oval BA increased in speed by 20 m s⁻¹ from Cassini to New Horizons, ending up at a speed nearly identical to that of the northern periphery of Oval DE during Galileo. However, the peak speeds along the southern rim of the newly formed Oval BA were consistently faster than the corresponding speeds in Oval DE, and they increased still further between Cassini and New Horizons, ending up at ∼140-150 m s⁻¹. Relative vorticity maps of Oval BA reveal a cyclonic ring surrounding its outer periphery, similar to the ring present around the Great Red Spot. The cyclonic ring around Oval BA in 2007 appears to be moderately stronger than observed in 1997 and 2001, suggesting that this may be associated with the coloration of the vortex. The modest strengthening of the winds in Oval BA, the appearance of red aerosols, and the appearance of a turbulent, cyclonic feature to Oval BA’s northwest create a strong resemblance with the Great Red Spot from both a dynamical and morphological perspective.In addition to the White Ovals, we also measure the winds within two compact cyclonic regions, one in the Galileo data set and one in the Cassini data set. In the images, these cyclonic features appear turbulent and filamentary, but our wind field reveals that the flow manifests as a coherent high-speed collar surrounding relatively quiescent interiors. Our relative vorticity maps show that the vorticity likewise concentrates in a collar near the outermost periphery, unlike the White Ovals which have peak relative vorticity magnitudes near the center of the vortex. The cyclones contain several localized bright regions consistent with the characteristics of thunderstorms identified in other studies. Although less studied than their anticyclonic cousins, these cyclones may offer crucial insights into the planet’s cloud-level energetics and dynamical meteorology.     

Establishment of a multiple-Doppler radar wind retrieval system and its application to the analysis of mesoscale convective systems

A multiple-Doppler radar wind retrieval system is established by using a three dimensional variation method. The system consists of two parts. One is to interpolate reflectivities and radial velocities of nine Doppler radars of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) into one analysis domain. The other is to retrieve three dimensional winds by minimizing a cost function that includes the following costs and constraints: the observed radial velocity cost, background wind cost, continuity constraint and smoothness constraint. In order to verify the performance of the system, retrieved winds are compared with observed winds obtained from five wind profilers of KMA. The performance of the system depends on the relative position to the baselines between Doppler radars. However, the performance of the system is enhanced when the number of overlaps among the radial velocities increases. The system is applied to the analysis of the evolution of a mesoscale convective system (MCS) on the Changma front on 1 July 2005. The analysis result shows that a new convective cell is developed by the convergence of the low troposphere winds at the organizing stage. The analysis of the vertical vorticity reveals that, among the two vorticity generation terms to be calculated utilizing the retrieved winds, tilting or twisting source dominates the divergence source in most convective regions. The strong downdrafts associated with the storm are produced on the downdraft branch of a meridional direction secondary circulation across the Changma front.     

Restoration of an inner-city stream and its impact on air temperature and humidity based on long-term monitoring data

Spatiotemporal changes in air temperature and humidity associated with the restoration of an inner-city stream in Seoul, Korea, are investigated based on long-term monitoring data. The Cheonggye stream, covered under a concrete structure for 46 years, was restored in 2005 and runs 5.8 km eastward through a central region of Seoul. Long-term monitoring of the air temperature and relative humidity was made along the stream throughout the restoration and across the stream after the restoration. The area along the stream had a higher air temperature than the entire metropolitan area. The temperature anomaly between the monitoring area and the surrounding metropolitan area was 0.13^oC lower on average at the center of the stream after the restoration. The stream's effect on the air temperature was also evident in the temperature distribution along a street traversing the stream. The relative and specific humidities were increased due to the restoration. The restored stream modified the nearby urban climate in the opposite direction compared to urbanization. The results could be used as a model case in mitigating urban climate by a stream in future urban planning practices.     

Seasonal climate predictability with Tier-one and Tier-two prediction systems

In this study seasonal predictability of Tier-one and Tier-two predictions are evaluated and compared. Through the comparison of these two predictions, it is demonstrated that the air–sea coupled process is an important factor not only for climatological simulation but also for seasonal predictability. In particular, the air–sea coupling plays a crucial role over the warm pool region, as the atmosphere tends to lead the ocean in anomalous variability. In this region, the Tier-one prediction has better climatology compared to the Tier-two prediction despite the presence of a climatological SST bias. Furthermore, the Tier-one has a relatively higher seasonal predictive skill than that of the Tier-two although its SST prediction skill is relatively poor. It is suggested that the air–sea coupled process plays a role to reduce both the climatological and anomalous biases in the uncoupled AGCM by means of the negative feedback of the SST-heat flux-precipitation loop. Using the CliPAS and DEMETER seasonal prediction data, the robustness of these results are demonstrated in the multi-model frame works. This paper is a contribution to the AMIP-CMIP Diagnostic Sub-project on General Circulation Model Simulation of the East Asian Climate, coordinated by W.-C. Wang.

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出乎意料的火星温度

日前,对火星北极冰层以下的探测显示：这颗红色星球的温度可能远远低于过去的估计。因此研究人员提出,火星上可能存在的液态水或许是深藏不露,出乎预料,其位置离火星温暖的核心部位更近。     

Maximum daily rainfall in South Korea

Annual maxima of daily rainfall for the years 1961–2001 are modeled for five locations in South Korea (chosen to give a good geographical representation of the country). The generalized extreme value distribution is fitted to data from each location to describe the extremes of rainfall and to predict its future behavior. We find evidence to suggest that the Gumbel distribution provides the most reasonable model for four of the five locations considered. We explore the possibility of trends in the data but find no evidence suggesting trends. We derive estimates of 10, 50, 100, 1000, 5000, 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000 year return levels for daily rainfall and describe how they vary with the locations. This paper provides the first application of extreme value distributions to rainfall data from South Korea.     

Effects of El Ni?o Modoki on winter precipitation in Korea

This study compares the impacts of El Ni?o Modoki and El Ni?o on precipitation over Korea during the boreal winters from 1954 to 2009. Precipitation in Korea tends to be equal to or greater than the normal level during an El Ni?o Modoki winter, whereas there is no significant change during an El Ni?o winter. Greater than normal precipitation during El Ni?o Modoki was also found over the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China and much of southern Japan. The latitudes of these regions are 5–10° further north than in southern China, where precipitation increases during El Ni?o. The following two anomalous atmospheric circulations were found to be causes that led to different precipitation distributions over East Asia. First, an atmospheric wave train in the lower troposphere, which propagated from the central tropical Pacific (cyclonic) through the southern Philippine Sea (anticyclonic) to East Asia (cyclonic), reached the southern China and northern Philippine Sea during El Ni?o, whereas it reached Korea and southern Japan during El Ni?o Modoki. Second, an anomalous local meridional circulation, which consists of air sinking in the tropics, flowing poleward in the lower troposphere, and rising in the subtropics, developed between the southern Philippine Sea and northern Philippine Sea during El Ni?o. During El Ni?o Modoki, however, this circulation expanded further to the north and was formed between the southern Philippine Sea and regions of Korea and southern Japan.