Assessment of potential outburst floods from the Tsho Rolpa glacial lake in Nepal

Flood and sediment disasters caused by glacial lake outbursts have occurred frequently in recent years in the Himalayas of Nepal. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) can cause catastrophic flooding in downstream areas with serious damage to lives and property. It is thus important to investigate outburst floods from potentially dangerous glacial lakes. In this study, the characteristics of potential outburst floods from the Tsho Rolpa glacial lake due to two types of moraine dam failure caused by seepage flow or water overtopping were analyzed with various scenarios by using integrated modeling system of three numerical models: (1) the flow and bed-surface erosion model, (2) the seepage model and (3) the slope stability model. Flood inundation areas were also identified by using the numerical model of the flow and moraine dam failure and geographical information system tools. Possible threats and damages due to the potential GLOF events from the lake were also analyzed based on numerical results, flood inundation maps and field investigations.     

Movement of water infiltrated from a recharge basin to wells

Local surface water and stormflow were infiltrated intermittently from a 40-ha basin between September 2003 and September 2007 to determine the feasibility of recharging alluvial aquifers pumped for public supply, near Stockton, California. Infiltration of water produced a pressure response that propagated through unconsolidated alluvial-fan deposits to 125 m below land surface (bls) in 5 d and through deeper, more consolidated alluvial deposits to 194 m bls in 25 d, resulting in increased water levels in nearby monitoring wells. The top of the saturated zone near the basin fluctuates seasonally from depths of about 15 to 20 m. Since the start of recharge, water infiltrated from the basin has reached depths as great as 165 m bls. On the basis of sulfur hexafluoride tracer test data, basin water moved downward through the saturated alluvial deposits until reaching more permeable zones about 110 m bls. Once reaching these permeable zones, water moved rapidly to nearby pumping wells at rates as high as 13 m/d. Flow to wells through highly permeable material was confirmed on the basis of flowmeter logging, and simulated numerically using a two-dimensional radial groundwater flow model. Arsenic concentrations increased slightly as a result of recharge from 2 to 6 μg/L immediately below the basin. Although few water-quality issues were identified during sample collection, high groundwater velocities and short travel times to nearby wells may have implications for groundwater management at this and at other sites in heterogeneous alluvial aquifers.     

The lived experience of preparing for earthquakes in households: a phenomenological psychological study

Natural Hazards - This phenomenological study aimed to explore the lived experiences of households after the installation of seismic hazard mitigation measures. Unlike studies aimed at identifying...     

Spectroscopic Evidence for Interstellar Grain Clumps inMeteoritic Inclusions

Aromatic material extracted from the Murchison meteorite shows an absorption atλ2200 Å similar to the well-known interstellar absorption feature at this wavelength. This suggests a link between interstellar grain clumps containing organics and the presolar component of carbonaceous chondrites.     

Assessing genetic diversity of wild populations of Japanese flounderusing AFLP markers

1IntroductionThe Japanese flounder,Paralichthys olivaceus,is one of the most important commercial marine flat-fish that inhabits the coastal waters of China,Japanand Korea.(Tanaka et al.,1989;Masuda andTsukamoto,1998).However,because of overfis-hing durin…     

Numerical studies of azimuthal modulations of the solar wind with magnetic fields

The evolution of azimuthal modulation of the solar wind is examined by numerical integration of the basic equations governing supersonic, super-Alfvénic, polytropic one fluid flow in the equatorial plane of the Sun with radial as well as azumuthal magnetic fields. The computations are started by introducing various sets of finite amplitude perturbations stationary with respect to the Sun. It is shown that for a properly chosen set of simultaneous perturbations of the radial velocity and temperature, quantitative agreement with the averaged observational results at 1 AU can be obtained, including the advance of the density modulation with respect to those of velocity and temperature. It is further shown that modulations at 1 AU depend on the relative azimuthal positions between the Sun and the Earth.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

The wind field over wind-waves

The velocity fluctuations of wind over wind-waves in a wind tunnel are measured with a X-type hot-wire anemometer at some heights over the water surface.The observed vertical profiles of the wave-induced velocity fluctuations and the wave-induced Reynolds stress at the wave spectral peak frequency are different from those expected from the inviscid quasi-laminar model;i.e., the observed vertical profiles of the power spectral density of the wave-induced horizontal or vertical velocity fluctuations of wind have the minimum value at the height much heigher than the critical layer, and the value of the wave-induced Reynolds stress is negative at several heights over the water surface. From the comparison between the experimental results and the numerical solutions of a linear model of the turbulent shear flow over the wavy boundary, it is shown that the discrepancy described above can be attributed to the atmospheric turbulence.     

Short-Range Prediction Experiments with Operational Data Assimilation System for the Kuroshio South of Japan

The short-range (one month) variability of the Kuroshio path was predicted in 84 experiments (90-day predictions) using a model in an operational data assimilation system based on data from 1993 to 1999. The predictions started from an initial condition or members of a set of initial conditions, obtained in a reanalysis experiment. The predictions represent the transition from straight to meander of the Kuroshio path, and the results have been analyzed according to previously proposed mechanisms of the transition with eddy propagation and interaction acting as a trigger of the meander and self-sustained oscillation. The reanalysis shows that the meander evolves due to eddy activity. Simulation (no assimilation) shows no meander state, even with the same atmospheric forcing as the prediction. It is suggested therefore that the initial condition contains information on the meander and the system can represent the evolution. Mean (standard deviation) values of the axis error for all 84 cases are 13, 17, and 20 (10, 10, and 12) km, in 138.5°E, in the 30-, 60-, and 90-day predictions respectively. The observed mean deviation from seasonal variation is 30 km. The predictive limit of the system is thus about 80 days. The time scale of the limit depends on which stage in the transition is adopted as the initial condition. The gradual decrease of the amplitude in a stage from meander to straight paths is also predicted. The predictive limit is about 20 days, which is shorter than the prediction of the opposite transition. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

MODELING OF SOLAR AND INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS

A brief historical review of solar and interplanetary magnetic field modeling and analysis is presented. The modeling was initiated with the routine observation of longitudinal magnetograms and the application of current free potential magnetic fields for its interpretation. Almost simultaneously, the development of detailed H observation motivated the constant-, force-free magnetic field analysis. Subsequent development of transverse magnetograms leads not only to further refinements of the analysis and modeling but also to many physically meaningful interpretations of the observations. In this review, historical development is traced with the emphasis placed on the yet unanswered questions.