A conceptual model of depositional,rather than erosional,tidal channel development in the rapidly prograding Skagit River Delta (Washington,USA)

The origin and growth of blind tidal channels is generally considered to be an erosional process. This paper describes a contrasting depositional model for blind tidal channel origin and development in the Skagit River delta, Washington, USA. Chronological sequences of historical maps and photos spanning the last century show that as sediments accumulated at the river mouth, vegetation colonization created marsh islands that splintered the river into distributaries. The marsh islands coalesced when intervening distributary channels gradually narrowed and finally closed at the upstream end to form a blind tidal channel, or at mid‐length to form two blind tidal channels. Channel closure was probably often mediated through gradient reduction associated with marsh progradation and channel lengthening, coupled with large woody debris blockages. Blind tidal channel evolution from distributaries was common in the Skagit marshes from 1889 to the present, and it can account for the origin of very small modern blind tidal channels. The smallest observed distributary‐derived modern blind tidal channels have mean widths of 0·3 m, at the resolution limit of the modern orthophotographs. While channel initiation and persistence are similar processes in erosional systems, they are different processes in this depositional model. Once a channel is obstructed and isolated from distributary flow, only tidal flow remains and channel persistence becomes a function of tidal prism and tidal or wind/wave erosion. In rapidly prograding systems like the Skagit, blind tidal channel networks are probably inherited from the antecedent distributary network. Examination of large‐scale channel network geometry of such systems should therefore consider distributaries and blind tidal channels part of a common channel network and not entirely distinct elements of the system. Finally, managers of tidal habitat restoration projects generally assume an erosional model of tidal channel development. However, under circumstances conducive to progradation, depositional channel development may prevail instead. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SIMD correlator library for GNSS software receivers

Software receivers have had a discernable impact on the GNSS research community. Often such receivers are implemented in a compiled programming language, such as C or C++. A software receiver must emulate the digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms executed on dedicated hardware in a traditional receiver. The DSP algorithms, most notably correlation, have a high computational cost; this burden precludes many software receivers from running in real time. However, the computational cost can be lessened by utilizing single instruction multiple data (SIMD) operations found on modern ×86 processors. The following demonstrates how C/C++ compatible code can be written to directly utilize the SIMD instructions. First, an analysis is carried out to demonstrate why real time operation is not possible when using traditional C/C++ code is carried out. Secondly a tutorial outlines how to write and insert ×86 assembly, with SIMD operations, into C/C++ code. Performance gains achieved via SIMD operations are then demonstrated, and pseudo code outlines how SIMD operations can be employed to perform correlation. Finally, a C/C++ compatible SIMD enabled arithmetic library is added to the GPS Toolbox for use in software receivers.     

On the climate response of the low-latitude Pacific Ocean to changes in the global freshwater cycle

Under global warming, the predicted intensification of the global freshwater cycle will modify the net freshwater flux at the ocean surface. Since the freshwater flux maintains ocean salinity structures, changes to the density-driven ocean circulation are likely. A modified ocean circulation could further alter the climate, potentially allowing rapid changes, as seen in the past. The relevant feedback mechanisms and timescales are poorly understood in detail, however, especially at low latitudes where the effects of salinity are relatively subtle. In an attempt to resolve some of these outstanding issues, we present an investigation of the climate response of the low-latitude Pacific region to changes in freshwater forcing. Initiated from the present-day thermohaline structure, a control run of a coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model is compared with a perturbation run in which the net freshwater flux is prescribed to be zero over the ocean. Such an extreme experiment helps to elucidate the general adjustment mechanisms and their timescales. The atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations are held constant, and we restrict our attention to the adjustment of the upper 1,000 m of the Pacific Ocean between 40°N and 40°S, over 100 years. In the perturbation run, changes to the surface buoyancy, near-surface vertical mixing and mixed-layer depth are established within 1 year. Subsequently, relative to the control run, the surface of the low-latitude Pacific Ocean in the perturbation run warms by an average of 0.6°C, and the interior cools by up to 1.1°C, after a few decades. This vertical re-arrangement of the ocean heat content is shown to be achieved by a gradual shutdown of the heat flux due to isopycnal (i.e. along surfaces of constant density) mixing, the vertical component of which is downwards at low latitudes. This heat transfer depends crucially upon the existence of density-compensating temperature and salinity gradients on isopycnal surfaces. The timescale of the thermal changes in the perturbation run is therefore set by the timescale for the decay of isopycnal salinity gradients in response to the eliminated freshwater forcing, which we demonstrate to be around 10–20 years. Such isopycnal heat flux changes may play a role in the response of the low-latitude climate to a future accelerated freshwater cycle. Specifically, the mechanism appears to represent a weak negative sea surface temperature feedback, which we speculate might partially shield from view the anthropogenically-forced global warming signal at low latitudes. Furthermore, since the surface freshwater flux is shown to play a role in determining the ocean’s thermal structure, it follows that evaporation and/or precipitation biases in general circulation models are likely to cause sea surface temperature biases.     

Landscape allometry and prediction in estuarine ecology: Linking landform scaling to ecological patterns and processes

Spatial variation in landforms and associated physical processes can often be described by allometric scaling relationships, similar to those describing organismal allometry. Because plant and animal distribution, abundance, and behavior are generally affected, if not sometimes controlled, by the physical environment, landform scaling likely causes parallel scaling of ecological patterns and process across the landscape, i.e., landscape allometry. Organismal allometry has a long history, well-established tradition, and well-developed body of theory. Landscape allometry is a newly emerging conceptual framework that offers explanation for ecological patterns and utility for practical issues such as allowing landscape-scale replication of experimental and control treatments, providing landscape-scale predictions of ecological pattern and process, providing design guidelines for landscape management, and providing diagnostic methods for assessing historical anthropogenic effects to landscapes. Organismal and landscape allometry could be used in complementary fashion, and perhaps ultimately integrated, to form a useful theoretical framework for ecology.     

Analysis of drought determinants for the Colorado River Basin

Ongoing drought in the Colorado River Basin, unprecedented urban growth in the watershed, and numerical model simulations showing higher temperatures and lower precipitation totals in the future have all combined to heighten interest in drought in this region. In this investigation, we use principal components analysis (PCA) to independently assess the influence of various teleconnections on Basin-wide and sub-regional winter season Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (PHDI) and precipitation variations in the Basin. We find that the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) explains more variance in PHDI than El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), and the planetary temperature combined for the Basin as a whole. When rotated PCA is used to separate the Basin into two regions, the lower portion of the Basin is similar to the Basin as a whole while the upper portion, which contains the high-elevation locations important to hydrologic yield for the watershed, demonstrates poorly defined relationships with the teleconnections. The PHDI for the two portions of the Basin are shown to have been out of synch for much of the twentieth century. In general, teleconnection indices account for 19% of the variance in PHDI leaving large uncertainties in drought forecasting.     

The problem of underpowered rivers

This study has hypothesized that for many rivers the trade-off between flow accumulation and the decrease in slope along channel length means that stream power increases downstream and, moreover, that given the low slope angles in headwater and low-order streams, they would have insufficient stream power to erode let alone transport sediment. The study considered the stream power profile, the particle travel distances and the application of the Hjulström curve based on the velocity profile of nine, large UK catchments. The study showed that:

1. Some rivers never showed a maximum in their longitudinal stream power profile, implying that some rivers never develop a deposition zone before they discharge at the tidal limit.
2. Particle travel distances during a bankfull discharge event showed that for some rivers 91% of the upper main channel would not be cleared of sediment. Furthermore, while some rivers could transport a 2 mm particle their entire length in one bankfull event, for another river it would take 89 such events.
3. The Hjulström curve shows that for three of the study rivers the upper 20 km of the river was not capable of eroding a 2 μm particle.
4. The study has shown that for all rivers studied, erosion is focused downstream and deposition upstream. Many UK rivers have a dead zone where, on time scales of the order of centuries, no erosion or transport occurs and erosion only occurs in the lower courses of the channel where discharge rather than slope dominates – we propose these as underpowered rivers.

© 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

颅脑外伤分类的CT特征

本文目的在于进一步提高对多种颅脑损伤的认识水平。所用材料和方法为本组１３５例,男９８例,女３７例,年龄４＿７７岁,平均年龄２４．８３岁。车祸伤９３例,跌伤２８例,击伤１４伤,１０１例有昏迷史,全部病例均作头颅ＣＴ轴位平扫。从相互伴发的多种颅脑损伤的角度,详细分析了它们的ＣＴ表现。结果得到了１３５例中,有多种类型颅脑损伤１３３例,单纯脑挫裂伤２例;硬膜外血肿１０４例,合并同一部位骨折７５例,占７２．１５％,合并脑挫裂伤占７０．３７％;硬膜下血肿２０例,位于外力对冲部位１５例．占７５％,合并脑挫伤裂伤１２例,其中１１例邻近硬膜下血肿;外伤后２小时内ＣＴ检查,并于外伤后４小时至５天内ＣＴ复查４７例,发现病变进展３８例,占８０．９５％。结论为硬膜外血肿多伴同部位骨折;在硬膜外血肿中,伴发的脑挫裂伤多位于对冲部位;硬膜下血肿多发生于对冲部位;颅脑损伤后,短期内病变可能会继续发展。     

Distribution of airborne pollen and spores and their long distance transport

The atmosphere near the ground contains a mixed population of pollen and spores in the 1 to 90 m diameter range. Continuous sampling at Rothamsted Experimental Station at 2 m above ground level indicated concentrations averaging 12,000 m^–3 over 5 summer months, but 1 million m^–3 can occur for short periods. Concentrations change rapidly with locality, season, time of day or night and weather. Normally concentration in the troposphere decreases logarithmically with height. The occurrence of long distance transport of pollen and spores by wind is demonstrated by sampling from aircraft, and supported by much circumstantial evidence. Possible effects of this air spora on the atmosphere may be sought in alterations to: opacity, ionization, condensation nuclei, and sinks for minor gases.