Assessing the Impact of Airborne Toxic Releases on Populations with Special Needs

In this article, we 1) develop and demonstrate an approach for assessing the population at risk to airborne releases of extremely hazardous substances, 2) examine the relationship between potential sources of chemical hazards and the special needs population in a medium‐sized metropolitan area (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), and 3) determine whether the distribution of environmental risks disproportionately impacts the special needs population. Our approach provides a comprehensive view of the risk burden imposed on the population by examining the effects of multiple sources of toxic releases. Disproportionate impacts are evaluated by comparing the existing distribution of the special needs population at risk to 1,000 randomly simulated distribution patterns. The results indicate that a significantly high proportion of the special needs population resides in areas susceptible to worst‐case toxic releases.     

The Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Structure Within A Cold Air Outbreak: Comparison Of In Situ, Lidar And Satellite Measurements With Three-Dimensional Simulations

A cold-air outbreak over the Mediterranean, associated with a Tramontane event, has been simulated with the atmospheric non-hydrostatic model Meso-NH using a horizontal resolution of 2 km. Results are compared with in situ aircraft, airborne lidar and satellite measurements. On average, the mean and turbulent parameters simulated in the surface layer and mixed layer compared well with in situ measurements. The model was able to reproduce accurately the Foehn effect in the wake of Cape Creus, as well as the occurence of rolls in the coastal region in connection with cloud streets observed with AVHRR. Over the sea, the threshold value of turbulent kinetic energy defining the height of the atmospheric boundary-layer top in the model (defined as 25% of the maximum turbulent kinetic energy in the profile) enables the simulated atmospheric boundary-layer height to match the one retrieved from lidar measurements. Nevertheless, the model did not handle very well the abrupt gradients of all meteorological parameters observed at the top of the atmospheric boundary-layer. Reasons for this are investigated.     

Atmospheric stability effect on subgrid-scale physics for large-eddy simulation

Field measurements in the atmospheric boundary layer were carried out to identify the effect of atmospheric stability on subgrid-scale physics for large-eddy simulation. The basic instrumentation setup consisted of 12 three-dimensional sonic anemometers arranged in two parallel horizontal arrays (seven sensors in the lower array and five sensors in the upper array). Data from this setup are used to compute the subgrid-scale (SGS) heat fluxes and SGS dissipation of the temperature variance under stable and unstable stability conditions. The relative contribution of the SGS vertical flux to the total turbulent flux increases when going from unstable to stable conditions. The relative importance of negative SGS dissipation (backscatter) events becomes larger under stable conditions. The model coefficients for two well-known SGS models (eddy-viscosity and non-linear) are computed. Model coefficients are found to depend strongly on stability. Under both stable and unstable conditions, large negative SGS dissipation is associated with the onset of ejection events while large positive SGS dissipation tends to occur during the onset of sweep events. These findings are also supported by conditionally sampled 2D velocity and temperature fields obtained using the 12 anemometers placed in a vertical array.     

Evaluation of combination rules for maximum response calculation in multicomponent seismic analysis

The existing rules for combining peak response to individual components of ground motion are evaluated. The response values r_e to two horizontal components of ground motion estimated by four multicomponent combination rules—SRSS‐, 30%‐, 40%‐ and simplified‐SRSS‐rules—are compared with the critical response, r_cr, obtained by the CQC3‐rule, which takes into account the direction of the principal ground components with respect to the structural axes and provides the largest response over all possible seismic incident angles. The following results are obtained in the first part of the paper and are valid for any elastic structure and any earthquake design response spectrum: For realistic values of the ratio γ of the design spectra for the two principal components of ground motion the SRSS‐rule estimate lies between 0.79r_cr and 1.00r_cr, the Simplified‐SRSS‐rule estimate lies between 1.00r_cr and 1.26r_cr, the 40%‐rule estimate lies between 0.99r_cr and 1.25r_cr, and the 30%‐rule estimate lies between 0.92r_cr and 1.16r_cr. None of the multicomponent combination rules account for the increase in response of systems if the vibration periods of the two modes that contribute most to the response to the x‐ and y‐components of ground motion are close to each other. Evaluated in the second part of the paper is the accuracy of the multicomponent combination rules in estimating the response of a range of one‐storey systems with (a) symmetrical plan and (b) unsymmetrical plan, and of two multistorey buildings. The SRSS‐rule underestimates the response by up to 16% and the other three rules overestimate it by up to 18%. Although these errors appear to be smaller than the many approximations inherent in structural design, they can be eliminated with very little additional computation by using an explicit formula for the critical response based on the CQC3 rule. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparing response of SDF systems to near‐fault and far‐fault earthquake motions in the context of spectral regions

In spite of important differences in structural response to near‐fault and far‐fault ground motions, this paper aims at extending well‐known concepts and results, based on elastic and inelastic response spectra for far‐fault motions, to near‐fault motions. Compared are certain aspects of the response of elastic and inelastic SDF systems to the two types of motions in the context of the acceleration‐, velocity‐, and displacement‐sensitive regions of the response spectrum, leading to the following conclusions. (1) The velocity‐sensitive region for near‐fault motions is much narrower, and the acceleration‐sensitive and displacement‐sensitive regions are much wider, compared to far‐fault motions; the narrower velocity‐sensitive region is shifted to longer periods. (2) Although, for the same ductility factor, near‐fault ground motions impose a larger strength demand than far‐fault motions—both demands expressed as a fraction of their respective elastic demands—the strength reduction factors R_y for the two types of motions are similar over corresponding spectral regions. (3) Similarly, the ratio u_m/u₀ of deformations of inelastic and elastic systems are similar for the two types of motions over corresponding spectral regions. (4) Design equations for R_y (and for u_m/u₀) should explicitly recognize spectral regions so that the same equations apply to various classes of ground motions as long as the appropriate values of T_a, T_b and T_c are used. (5) The Veletsos–Newmark design equations with T_a=0.04 s, T_b=0.35 s, and T_c=0.79 s are equally valid for the fault‐normal component of near‐fault ground motions. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Conditional Wavelet Technique Applied to Aircraft Data Measured in the Thermal Internal Boundary Layer During Sea-Breeze Events

We describe a wavelet-based technique to determine the spectral turbulentcontribution to the vertical flux of sensible heat in a position-wavelength representation. This technique combines awavelet transform (Morlet wavelet) with conditional sampling. We apply this methodto aircraft datacollected during a sea-breeze circulation (BEMA97 experiment) with heterogeneousturbulence conditions horizontally and vertically as well. The turbulent fluxes are analysed with the conditional wavelet techniqueas a function of the wavelength and the horizontal distance.The turbulent processes within the thermal internal boundary layer associatedwith the sea breeze are clearly identified. The results exhibit the wavelength bands through which the upward flux (originating fromthe surface) and the downward flux (originating from the top of theboundary layer) are important.     

Stochastic Modeling of the Effects of Large-Scale Circulation on Daily Weather in the Southeastern U.S.

Statistical methodology is devised to model time series of daily weather at individual locations in the southeastern U.S. conditional on patterns in large-scale atmosphere–ocean circulation. In this way, weather information on an appropriate temporal and spatial scale for input to crop–climate models can be generated, consistent with the relationship between circulation and temporally and/or spatially aggregated climate data (an exercise sometimes termed `downscaling'). The Bermuda High, a subtropical Atlantic circulation feature, is found to have the strongest contemporaneous correlation with seasonal mean temperature and total precipitation in the Southeast (in particular, stronger than for the El Niño–Southern Oscillation phenomenon). Stochastic models for time series of daily minimum and maximum temperature and precipitation amount are fitted conditional on an index indicating the average position of the Bermuda High. For precipitation, a multi-site approach involving a statistical technique known as `borrowing strength' is applied, constraining the relationship between daily precipitation and the Bermuda High index to be spatially the same. In winter (the time of greatest correlation), higher daily maximum and minimum temperature means and higher daily probability of occurrence of precipitation are found when there is an easterly shift in the average position of the Bermuda High. Methods for determining aggregative properties of these stochastic models for daily weather (e.g., variance and spatial correlation of seasonal total precipitation) are also described, so that their performance in representing low frequency variations can be readily evaluated.     

High-pressure partial melting of garnet pyroxenite: possible mafic lithologies in the source of ocean island basalts

Many ocean island basalts (OIB) that have isotopic ratios indicative of recycled crustal components in their source are silica-undersaturated and unlike silicic liquids produced from partial melting of recycled mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB). However, experiments on a silica-deficient garnet pyroxenite, MIX1G, at 2.0-2.5 GPa show that some pyroxenite partial melts are strongly silica-undersaturated [M.M. Hirschmann et al., Geology 31 (2003) 481-484]. These low-pressure liquids are plausible parents of alkalic OIB, except that they are too aluminous. We present new partial melting experiments on MIX1G between 3.0 and 7.5 GPa. Partial melts at 5.0 GPa have low SiO₂ (<48 wt%), low Al₂O₃ (<12 wt%) and high CaO (>12 wt%) at moderate MgO (12-16 wt%), and are more similar to primitive OIB compositions than lower-pressure liquids of MIX1G or experimental partial melts of anhydrous or carbonated peridotite. Solidus temperatures at 5.0 and 7.5 GPa are 1625 and 1825°C, respectively, which are less than 50°C cooler than the anhydrous peridotite solidus. The liquidus temperature at 5.0 GPa is 1725°C, indicating a narrow melting interval (∼100°C). These melting relations suggest that OIB magmas can be produced by partial melting of a silica-deficient pyroxenite similar to MIX1G if its melting residue contains significant garnet and lacks olivine. Such silica-deficient pyroxenites could be produced by interaction between recycled subducted oceanic crust and mantle peridotite or could be remnants of ancient oceanic lower crust or delaminated lower continental crust. If such compositions are present in plumes ascending with potential temperatures of 1550°C, they will begin to melt at about 5.0 GPa and produce appropriate partial melts. However, such hot plumes may also generate partial melts of peridotite, which could dilute the pyroxenite-derived partial melts.     

Evaluation of modal pushover analysis using generic frames

An Erratum has been published for this article in Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics 2003; 32:1795. The recently developed modal pushover analysis (MPA) has been shown to be a significant improvement over the pushover analysis procedures currently used in structural engineering practice. None of the current invariant force distributions accounts for the contribution of higher modes—higher than the fundamental mode—to the response or for redistribution of inertial forces because of structural yielding. By including the contributions of a sufficient number of modes of vibration (generally two to three), the height‐wise distribution of responses estimated by MPA is generally similar to the ‘exact’ results from non‐linear response history analysis (RHA). Although the results of the previous research were extremely promising, only a few buildings were evaluated. The results presented below evaluate the accuracy of MPA for a wide range of buildings and ground motion ensembles. The selected structures are idealized frames of six different heights: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 stories and five strength levels corresponding to SDF‐system ductility factor of 1, 1.5, 2, 4, and 6; each frame is analysed for 20 ground motions. Comparing the median values of storey‐drift demands determined by MPA to those obtained from non‐linear RHA shows that the MPA predicts reasonably well the changing height‐wise variation of demand with building height and SDF‐system ductility factor. Median and dispersion values of the ratios of storey‐drift demands determined by MPA and non‐linear‐RHA procedures were computed to measure the bias and dispersion of MPA estimates with the following results: (1) the bias and dispersion in the MPA procedure tend to increase for longer‐period frames and larger SDF‐system ductility factors (although these trends are not perfect); (2) the bias and dispersion in MPA estimates of seismic demands for inelastic frames are usually larger than for elastic systems; (3) the well‐known response spectrum analysis (RSA), which is equivalent to the MPA for elastic systems, consistently underestimates the response of elastic structures, e.g. up to 18% in the upper‐storey drifts of 18‐storey frames. Finally, the MPA procedure is simplified to facilitate its implementation in engineering practice—where the earthquake hazard is usually defined in terms of a median (or some other percentile) design spectrum for elastic systems—and the accuracy of this simplified procedure is documented. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Asymmetric one‐storey elastic systems with non‐linear viscous and viscoelastic dampers: Earthquake response

Investigated are earthquake responses of one‐way symmetric‐plan, one‐storey systems with non‐linear fluid viscous dampers (FVDs) attached in series to a linear brace (i.e. Chevron or inverted V‐shape braces).Thus, the non‐linear damper is viscous when the brace is considered rigid or viscoelastic (VE) when the brace is flexible. The energy dissipation capacity of a non‐linear FVD is characterized by an amplitude‐dependent damping ratio for an energy‐equivalent linear FVD, which is determined assuming the damper undergoes harmonic motion. Although this formulation is shown to be advantageous for single‐degree‐of‐freedom (SDF) systems, it is difficult to extend its application to multi‐degree‐of‐freedom (MDF) systems for two reasons: (1) the assumption that dampers undergo harmonic motion in parameterizing the non‐linear damper is not valid for its earthquake‐induced motion of an MDF system; and (2) ensuring simultaneous convergence of all unknown amplitudes of dampers is difficult in an iterative solution of the non‐linear system. To date, these limitations have precluded the parametric study of the dynamics of MDF systems with non‐linear viscous or VE dampers. However, they are overcome in this investigation using concepts of modal analysis because the system is weakly non‐linear due to supplemental damping. It is found that structural response is only weakly affected by damper non‐linearity and is increased by a small amount due to bracing flexibility. Thus, the effectiveness of supplemental damping in reducing structural responses and its dependence on the planwise distribution of non‐linear VE dampers were found to be similar to that of linear FVDs documented elsewhere. As expected, non‐linear viscous and VE dampers achieve essentially the same reduction in response but with much smaller damper force compared to linear dampers. Finally, the findings in this investigation indicate that the earthquake response of the asymmetric systems with non‐linear viscous or VE dampers can be estimated with sufficient accuracy for design applications by analysing the same asymmetric systems with all non‐linear dampers replaced by energy‐equivalent linear viscous dampers. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.