On the mechanical interaction between a growing porphyroblast and its surrounding matrix

Whether or not a growing porphyroblast can displace its surrounding matrix is an important but contentious issue affecting the interpretation of metamorphic textures. As an alternative to treating the problem in terms of force of crystallization, this paper examines the mechanics of porphyroblast-matrix interaction using a different and much simpler conceptual framework. New microstructural evidence for matrix displacement is then presented and analysed in detail. This evidence, from a hornfelsed metagreywacke, consists of dome-shaped accumulations of muscovite and graphite, each dome being attached to (and concave towards) a rhombdodecahedral face of a garnet porphyroblast. Muscovite within the domes shows a dimensional preferred orientation subparallel to the dome outlines while, in the matrix away from the domes, there is no preferred orientation.Our model for the origin of the mica domes envisages muscovite and graphite being swept ahead of, and mechanically accumulated onto, the growing garnet faces as they advance through the matrix. Rigorous testing of this model provides strong evidential support for matrix displacement by growing porphyroblasts. A new analysis is provided of the conditions under which matrix grains are included or displaced by porphyroblasts. It is concluded that matrix grain displacement may be very common, although the special combination of circumstances necessary to produce a diagnostic microstructural pattern probably occurs very rarely.     

Discovery of a new blue quasar: SDSS J022218.03–062511.1

We report the discovery of a bright blue quasar: SDSS J022218.03–062511.1. This object was discovered spectroscopically while searching for hot white dwarfs that may be used as calibration sources for large sky surveys such as the Dark Energy Survey or the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope project. We present the calibrated spectrum, spectral line shifts and report a redshift of z = 0.521±0.0015 and a rest‐frame g‐band luminosity of 8.71×10¹¹ L_⊙. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Wave run-up and overtopping on smooth and rough slopes of coastal structures

A series of hydraulic model tests has been carried out in a glass wave flume to investigate the influences of wave height, wave period, wave steepness, surf similarity parameter, roughness, layer thickness and porosity on wave run-up and overtopping of 1:2 sloped impermeable and permeable breakwaters fronted by a 1:10 gentle, smooth beach slope. The analysis of results involves the correlation between the overtopping energy transfer with the relative wall height and the relationship between wave run-up and overtopping rate. Further, measured wave run-up and overtopping rates are compared with the results given in the Shore Protection Manual (1984), Automated Coastal Engineering System (1992)and results of other investigators.     

Geodynamic Settings of the Formation of Microcontinents,Submerged Plateaus,and Nonvolcanic Islands within Continental Margins

During breakup of the continental lithosphere, partial or complete separation of small continental blocks from the mainland frequently occurs, leading to the formation of microcontinents or partially separated submerged plateaus that advance toward the ocean, as well as to emergent nonvolcanic islands. The article reviews the geodynamic settings in which isolated blocks of continental crust can form. Depending on the thermomechanical conditions of continental rifting, such blocks may be preserved as emergent islands or as submerged blocks of continental crust.     

Naming undersea features of the Sea of Japan: History and modern problems

This communication is dedicated to the investigation history and naming of the undersea morphostructures of the Sea of Japan for the last 50 years. Many of them were first described and studied during long-term geological-geophysical investigations in this basin carried out by Russian scientists. The analysis of 60 names of its undersea feature names revealed that only approximately half of them are cited in the GEBCO Gazetteer some of the undersea morphostructures are known under two or more names, the origin of their names is unknown, or their names were chosen voluntarily. For maintaining the priority of Russian investigations, the nomenclature and names of the undersea features should be adjusted in accordance with the national and international principles and regulations.     

A Unified Variational Principle of Fluid Mechanics and Application on Solitary Subdomain or Point

-According to basic equations of fluid mechanics, this paper presents a unified variational principle of fluid mechanics (UVPFM) by using the optimization method of weighted residuals (OMWR). The advantages are as follows, the establishment of the functional and the variational principle is easy, it can change various problems of fluid mechanics derived by basic equations into a unified optimization problem, and the solution is the optimum one in some sense. According to the OMWR for the solitary subdomain, this paper uses UVPFM onto any solitary subdomain and gives the solution of the hydrodynamics equation which is suitable only for that solitary subdomain. According to the OMWR for solitary point, this paper uses UVPFM to any solitary point and gives the solution of the hydrodynamics equation (point solution) which is suitable only for that solitary point. As the solution for the solitary subdomain or solitary point is developed independently, the compatibility with other subdomain or other points, do     

Estimation of Sea Ice Thickness from SARAL/AltiKa in Drifting Orbit Phase

Abstract

Intra and inter-annual variations in the sea ice thickness are highly sensitive indicators of climatic variations undergoing in the earth’s atmosphere and oceans. This paper describes the method of estimating sea ice thickness using radar waveforms data acquired by SARAL/Altika mission during its drifting orbit phase from July 2016 onwards yielding spatially dense data coverage. Based on statistical analysis of return echoes, classification of the surface has been carried out in three different types, viz. floe, lead and mixed. Time delay correction methods were suitably selected and implemented to make corrections in altimetric range measurements and thereby freeboard. By assuming hydrostatic equilibrium, freeboard data were converted into sea ice thickness. Results show that sea ice thickness varies from 4 to 5?m near ice shelves and 1 to 2.5?m in the marginal sea ice regions. Freeboard and sea ice thickness estimates were also validated using NASA’s Operation Ice Bridge (OIB) datasets. Freeboard measurements show very high correlation (0.97) having RMSE of 0.13. Overestimation of approximately 1–2?m observed in the sea ice thickness, which could be attributed to distance between AltiKa footprint and OIB locations. Moreover, sensitivity analysis shows that snow depth and snow density over sea ice play crucial role in the estimation of sea ice thickness.     

A combined study of macroseismic data and focal mechanisms applied to the West-Bohemian earthquake,Czechoslovakia

The main shock of the West-Bohemian earthquake swarm, Czechoslovakia, (magnitudem=4.5, depthh=10 km) exhibits an irregular areal distribution of macroseismic intensities 6° to 7° MSK-64. Four lobes of the 6° isoseismal are found and the maximum observed intensity is located at a distance of 8 km from the instrumentally determined epicentre. This distribution can be explained by the energy flux of the directS wave generated by a circular source, the hypocentral location and focal mechanism of which are taken from independent instrumental studies. The theoretical intensity, which is assumed to be logarithmically proportional to the integrated squared ground-motion velocity (i.e.,I=const+log v ² (t)dt), fits the observed intensity with an overall root-mean-square error less than 0.5°. It is important that the present intensity data can also be equally well explained by the isotropic source. The fit was attained by means of a horizontally layered model though large fault zones and an extended sedimentary basin suggest a significant lateral heterogeneity of the epicentral region. The results encourage a broader application of the simple modelling technique used.     

A broad‐scale assessment of the effect of improved soil management on catchment baseflow index

Although the importance of sustainable soil management is recognized, there are many threats to soils including widespread soil structural degradation. This reduces infiltration through the soil surface and/or the percolation of water through the soil profile, with important consequences for crop yields, nutrient cycling and the hydrological response of catchments. This article describes a broad‐scale modelling approach to assess the potential effect that improved agricultural soil management, through reduced soil structural degradation, may have on the baseflow index (BFI) of catchments across England and Wales. A daily soil–water balance model was used to simulate the indicative BFI of 45 696 thirty‐year model runs for different combinations of soil type, soil/field condition, land cover class and climate which encapsulate the variability across England and Wales. The indicative BFI of catchments was then calculated by upscaling the results by spatial weighting. WaSim model outputs of indicative BFI were within the 95% confidence intervals of the national‐average BFI values given for the Hydrology of Soil Type (HOST ? ) classes for 26 of the 28 classes. At the catchment scale, the concordance correlation coefficient between the BFI from the WaSim model outputs and those derived from HOST was 0·83. Plausible improvements in agricultural soil/field condition produced modest simulated increases of up to 10% in the indicative BFI in most catchments across England and Wales, although for much of southern and northern England the increases were less than 5%. The results suggest that improved soil management might partially mitigate the expected adverse effects of climate change on baseflow to rivers. Healthy, well‐functioning soils produce many additional benefits such as better agricultural yields and reduced pollutant movement, so improved soil management should provide win‐win opportunities for society, agricultural systems and the environment and provide resilience to some of the expected environmental impacts of climate change. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Urban stormwater thermal gene expression models for protection of sensitive receiving streams

Thermal impact of typical high‐density residential, industrial, and commercial land uses is a major concern for the health of aquatic life in urban watersheds, especially in smaller, cold, and cool‐water streams. This is the first study of its kind that provides simple easy‐to‐use equations, developed using gene expression programming (GEP) that can guide the assessment and the design of urban stormwater management systems to protect thermally sensitive receiving streams. We developed 3 GEP models using data collected during 3 years (2009–2011) from 4 urban catchments; the first GEP model predicts event mean temperature at the inlet of the pond; the second model predicts the stormwater temperature at the outlet of the pond; and the third model predicts the temperature of the stormwater after flowing through a cooling trench and before discharging to the receiving stream. The new models have high correlation coefficients of 0.90–0.94 and low prediction uncertainty of less than 4% of the median value of the predicted runoff temperatures. Sensitivity analysis shows that climatic factors have the highest influence on the thermal enrichment followed by the catchment characteristics and the key design variables of the stormwater pond and the cooling trench. The general method presented here is easily transferable to other regions of the world (but not necessarily the exact equations developed here); also through sensitivity and parametric analysis, we gained insight on the key factors and their relative importance in modelling thermal enrichment of urban stromwater runoff.