The 15 August 2007 Peru Earthquake and Tsunami: Influence of the Source Characteristics on the Tsunami Heights

The tsunami caused by the 2007 Peru earthquake (M_w 8.0) provoked less damage than by the seismic shaking itself (numerous casualties due to the earthquake in the vicinity of Pisco). However, it propagated across the Pacific Ocean and small waves were observed on one tide gauge in Taiohae Bay (Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia). We invert seismological data to recover the rupture pattern in two steps. The first step uses surface waves to find a solution for the moment tensor, and the second step uses body waves to compute the slip distribution in the source area. We find the slip distribution to consist of two main slip patches in the source area. The inversion of surface waves yields a scalar moment of 8.9 10²⁰ Nm, and body-wave inversion gives 1.4 10²¹ Nm. The inversion of tsunami data recorded on a single deep ocean sensor also can be used to compute a fault slip pattern (yielding a scalar moment of 1.1 10²¹ Nm). We then use these different sources to model the tsunami propagation across the Pacific Ocean, especially towards Nuku Hiva. While the source model taken from the body-wave inversion yields computed tsunami waves systematically too low with respect to observations (on the central Pacific Ocean DART buoy as on the Polynesian tide gauge), the source model established from the surface-wave inversion is more efficient to fit the observations, confirming that the tsunami is sensitive to the low frequency component of the source. Finally we also discuss the modeling of the late tsunami arrivals in Taiohae Bay using several friction coefficients for the sea bottom.     

青藏高原东缘汶川地震断层陡坎类型与级联破裂模型(英文)

The post-earthquake field investigations reveal that the MW7.9 Wenchuan earthquake of 12th May 2008 ruptured three NE-striking imbricate reverse faults and another NW-trending reverse fault, along the middle Longmenshan fold-and-thrust belt at the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau.     

Nested gridding and streamline-based simulation for fast reservoir performance prediction

Detailed reservoir models routinely contain 10⁶–10⁸ grid blocks. These models often cannot be used directly in a reservoir simulation because of the time and memory required for solving the pressure grid on the fine grid. We propose a nested gridding technique that efficiently obtains an approximate solution for the pressure field. The domain is divided into a series of coarse blocks, each containing several fine cells. Effective mobilities are computed for each coarse grid block and the pressure is then found on the coarse scale. The pressure field within each coarse block is computed using flux boundary conditions obtained from the coarse pressure solution. Streamline-based simulation is used to move saturations forward in time. We test the method for a series of example waterflood problems and demonstrate that the method can give accurate estimates of oil production for large 3D models significantly faster than direct simulation using streamlines on the fine grid, making the method overall approximately up to 1,000 times faster than direct conventional simulation.     

台湾海峡铀的来源及保守性混合

Seawater samples are collected in the spring of 2013 from the Taiwan Strait for the analysis of uranium(U)concentrations and isotopic compositions using MC-ICP-MS, and the geochemical behavior patterns of U in the Taiwan Strait are then investigated. Average concentrations of individual U isotopes are(3.23±0.14) μg/kg for 238 U,(2.34±0.09)×10~(–2) μg/kg for ~(235)U and(2.05±0.07)×10~(–4) μg/kg for 234 U. Correspondingly, the U isotopic compositions are 155±18 for δ234U and 138±2 for 238U:235U. The U concentrations and isotopic ratios in the Taiwan Strait are similar to those of open ocean seawater, suggesting the dominance of the open ocean input to the strait's U pool.However, river input, as suggested by the slightly lower salinity than that of the open ocean, also affected the U concentrations and isotopic compositions in the strait. From a compilation of U concentrations in the Taiwan Strait and adjacent areas, including the Jiulong Estuary and Zhujiang Estuary, the Xiamen Bay and the northern South China Sea, a strong and significant relationship between U concentration and salinity [U:S; U=(0.093 4±0.002 4)S+(0.092 0±0.061 5)] is revealed, suggesting conservative mixing of U in the Taiwan Strait. To better understand the U geochemistry in the Taiwan Strait, a multiple endmembers mixing model is applied to estimate the contributions of potential sources. The open ocean seawater contributed 69%–95% of U in the Taiwan Strait, with river water approximately 2%, and dust deposition only around 0.13%. Therefore, the model results supported the open ocean input source and the conservative mixing behavior of U derived from the observation of U concentrations and isotopic ratios and U:S ratios. The sediment interstitial water may be an important source of U to the Taiwan Strait with a possible contribution of 3%–29%, consistent with previous investigations based on radium isotopes.However, further investigations are warranted to examine the U concentration in the sediment interstitial water and its input to the overlying seawater in the Taiwan Strait.     

The Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS critical zone observatory M-TROPICS dataset II: Land use,hydrology and sediment production monitoring in Houay Pano,northern Lao PDR

Mountain regions of the humid tropics are characterized by steep slopes and heavy rains. These regions are thus prone to both high surface runoff and soil erosion. In Southeast Asia, uplands are also subject to rapid land-use change, predominantly as a result of increased population pressure and market forces. Since 1998, the Houay Pano site, located in northern Lao PDR (19.85°N 102.17°E) within the Mekong basin, aims at assessing the long-term impact of the conversion of traditional slash-and-burn cultivation systems to commercial perennial monocultures such as teak tree plantations, on the catchment hydrological response and sediment yield. The instrumented site monitors hydro-meteorological and soil loss parameters at both microplot (1 m²) and small catchment (0.6 km²) scales. The monitored catchment is part of the network of critical zone observatories named Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS (M-TROPICS). The data shared by M-TROPICS in Houay Pano are (1) rainfall, (2) air temperature, air relative humidity, wind speed, and global radiation, (3) catchment land use, (4) stream water level, suspended particulate matter, bed particulate matter and stones, (5) soil surface features, and (6) soil surface runoff and soil detachment. The dataset has already been used to interpret suspended particulate matter and bed particulate matter sources and dynamics, to assess the impact of land-use change on catchment hydrology, soil erosion, and sediment yields, to understand bacteria fate and weed seed transport across the catchment, and to build catchment-scale models focused on hydrology and water quality issues. The dataset may be further used to, for example, assess the role of headwater catchments in large tropical river basin hydrology, support the interpretation of new variables measured in the catchment (e.g., contaminants other than faecal bacteria), and assess the relative impacts of both climate and land-use change on the catchment.     

Can the gold coast beaches withstand extreme events?

The Gold Coast sandy beaches of Queensland (Australia) are exposed to energetic wave conditions. Storms, particularly tropical cyclones, have a high potential of destruction. The Gold Coast has not experienced excessive erosive events over the past 30 years. However, some climate indicators suggest that cyclone frequency is likely to increase in response to global climate change within the near future. Over a 2-month period in early 2006, beach surveys were undertaken with a theodolite total station at four different sites. Offshore wave conditions were provided by SWAN regional wave modelling. During this study, the Gold Coast was exposed to three major storms, the first one being the second most energetic over the past 30 years. Results show a substantial variability of the beach response to these events along the Gold Coast, and that engineering structures do not have marked effects. Easterly swells have the greatest impact on the Gold Coast sub-aerial beach morphology. When low wave-energy conditions prevail, the southern Gold Coast beaches recover more quickly than the northern ones, as they are sheltered from high SE waves and draw advantage from the artificial sand bypassing system. Nevertheless, the data show that the Gold Coast beaches are exceedingly fragile. For instance, the early March decadal event considerably weakened the beaches, which resulted in surprisingly high erosion rates all along the Gold Coast during the two following annual wave events. This study suggests that the Gold Coast beaches would not be able to withstand the impact of an increased frequency of extreme events similar in scale to those of 1967.     

黄金岸线海滩能否抵挡极端事件的冲击

砂质海滩是最变化莫测和脆弱的海岸带类型之一。众所周知,海滩在高能环境中会被侵蚀,但海滩上不同位置点对于极端事件的抵御能力则大不相同。而且,侵蚀速率通常受控于海滩状况、机械结构和前期补给。