Nonlinear saturation-based whitecapping dissipation in SWAN for deep and shallow water

This study investigates the effectiveness of a revised whitecapping source term in the spectral wind wave model SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) that is local in frequency space, nonlinear with respect to the variance density and weakly dependent on the wave age. It is investigated whether this alternative whitecapping expression is able to correct the tendency towards underprediction of period measures that has been identified in the default SWAN model. This whitecapping expression is combined with an alternative wind input source term that is more accurate for young waves than the default expression. The shallow water source terms of bottom friction, depth-induced breaking and triad interaction are left unaltered. It is demonstrated that this alternative source term combination yields improved agreement with fetch- and depth-limited growth curves. Moreover, it is shown, by means of a field case over a shelf sea, that the investigated model corrects the erroneous overprediction of wind-sea energy displayed by the default model under combined swell-sea conditions. For a selection of field cases recorded at two shallow lakes, the investigated model generally improves the agreement with observed spectra and integral parameters. The improvement is most notable in the prediction of period measures.     

Neural network modelling of wave overtopping at coastal structures

A method has been developed to estimate wave overtopping discharges for a wide range of coastal structures. The prediction method is based on Neural Network modelling. For this purpose use is made of a data set obtained from a large number of physical model tests (collected within the framework of the European project CLASH, see e.g. [Steendam, G.J., Van der Meer, J.W., Verhaeghe, H., Besley, P., Franco, L. and Van Gent, M.R.A. (2004). The international database on wave overtopping. World Scientific, Proc. 29th ICCE, vol. 4, pp. 4301–4313, Lisbon, Portugal.]). Moreover, a method was developed to obtain confidence intervals for the overtopping predictions of the neural network.     

A New GIS-based Solar Radiation Model and Its Application to Photovoltaic Assessments

The solar radiation model r.sun is a flexible and efficient tool for the estimation of solar radiation for clear‐sky and overcast atmospheric conditions. In contrast to other models, r.sun considers all relevant input parameters as spatially distributed entities to enable computations for large areas with complex terrain. Conceptually the model is based on equations published in the European Solar Radiation Atlas (ESRA). The r.sun model was applied to estimate the solar potential for photovoltaic systems in Central and Eastern Europe. The overcast radiation was computed from clear‐sky values and a clear‐sky index. The raster map of the clear‐sky index was computed using a multivariate interpolation method to account for terrain effects, with interpolation parameters optimized using a cross‐validation technique. The incorporation of terrain data improved the radiation estimates in terms of the model's predictive error and the spatial pattern of the model outputs. Comparing the results of r.sun with the ESRA database demonstrates that integration of the solar radiation model and the spatial interpolation tools in a GIS can be especially helpful for data at higher resolutions and in regions with a lack of ground measurements.     

Morphological and geological aspects related to large slope failures on oceanic islands: The huge La Orotava landslides on Tenerife, Canary Islands

Huge volcanic landslides are one of the most hazardous geomorphological processes that can occur during the evolution of volcanic ocean islands. The causes of these phenomena, however, are very complex and combine non-volcanic and volcanic factors. In the Canary Islands, more than 20 events have been detected during the last decades. A detailed analysis was carried out for La Orotava amphitheatre on Tenerife in order to understand the relationship between geomorphological and geological aspects and huge volcanic landslides. The results indicated four major features that play a significant role in such mass movements: deep erosive canyons, high coastal cliffs, widespread residual soils and structural axes. High coastal cliffs and deep erosive canyons locally reduce the stability conditions and control both the seaward and the lateral boundary of the landslide. Weak residual soils formed above phonolitic pyroclastic deposits occur repeatedly in the stratigraphic column of La Orotava and are characterised by their large extent. Thus, one of these soils may have evolved into the slip surface of the failure. Part of the head scarp of the amphitheatre is defined by a volcanic rift zone, as indicated by the measurement of dike orientation and a density map of eruptive vents. The four features are not able to trigger a failure, but to destabilise the volcano flank and determine the boundary of the slide. Therefore, information on depth and orientation of canyons; location and height of coastal cliffs; stratigraphic repetition, extension and thickness of residual soils and orientation and density of dikes and eruptive vents along structural axes should be incorporated into a hazard assessment on large landslides on volcanic islands.     

Optimum determination of Euler Angles

a m m n¶rt; uua ¶rt; au anauu a nmu n¶rt;nuu, m u ¶rt;a a ¶rt;u -um, ma u amu um ¶rt;uam. a namu unm ¶rt;a anau, nu a¶rt;u m m aua n-a. nuam n¶rt; n¶rt;u au — D-nmuamu — naa uu anau ¶rt; n¶rt;u a.     

Solar UV radiation and its absorption in the mesosphere and stratosphere

Solar radiation of >175 nm and of Lyman-alpha at 121.6 nm is absorbed in the mesosphere and stratosphere by molecular oxygen (<242 nm) and also by ozone molecules at >200 nm. This paper describes the photodissociation processes resulting from absorption in the Schumann-Runge bands and Herzberg continuum of molecular oxygen and also in the Hartley, Huggins and Chappuis bands of ozone. Special consideration is given to differences between the stratospheric and mesospheric problems.     

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Ohne Zusammenfassung     

DETERMINATION OF FLUORINE, CHLORINE, BROMINE AND IODINE IN SEVEN GEOCHEMICAL REFERENCE SAMPLES

The concentrations of fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine of seven geochemical reference samples have been determined. Analytical techniques were neutron activation analysis for chlorine, bromine and iodine and ion-selective potentiometry for fluorine. After irradiation of the samples, these halogens were separated from the matrix elements by pyrohydrolysis in presence of vanadium (V) oxide. This extraction allows to measure the four halogens in the same sample.