Climate change projections for the Texas High Plains and Rolling Plains

Potential changes in future climate in the Texas Plains region were investigated in the context of agriculture by analyzing three climate model projections under the A2 climate scenario (medium–high emission scenario). Spatially downscaled historic (1971–2000) and future (2041–2070) climate datasets (rainfall and temperature) were downloaded from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP). Climate variables predicted by three regional climate models (RCMs) namely the Regional Climate Model Version3–Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (RCM3-GFDL), Regional Climate Model Version3–Third Generation Coupled Global Climate Model (RCM3-CGCM3), and Canadian Regional Climate Model–Community Climate System Model (CRCM-CCSM) were evaluated in this study. Gaussian and Gamma distribution mapping techniques were employed to remove the bias in temperature and rainfall data, respectively. Both the minimum and maximum temperatures across the study region in the future showed an upward trend, with the temperatures increasing in the range of 1.9 to 2.9 °C and 2.0 to 3.2 °C, respectively. All three climate models predicted a decline in rainfall within a range of 30 to 127 mm in majority of counties across the study region. In addition, they predicted an increase in the intensity of extreme rainfall events in the future. The frost-free season as predicted by the three models showed an increase by 2.6–3.4 weeks across the region, and the number of frost days declined by 17.9 to 30 %. Overall, these projections indicate considerable changes to the climate in the Texas Plains region in the future, and these changes could potentially impact agriculture in this region.

     

Standing wave pressures due to regular and random waves on a vertical wall

The standing wave pressures due to laboratory-generated regular and random waves exerted on a vertical wall were measured in a wave flume. The standing wave pressures were measured at four relative depths of submergence on the test model. The regular wave test conditions ranged from intermediate to deep water conditions. The measured pressures due to regular waves were compared with results obtained using linear theory and third-order solution. In the case of random wave tests, the dynamic pressures due to the time histories of water surface elevation following the spectral characteristics of Pierson-Moskowitz and Bretschneider spectra were measured. These pressures are compared with simulated pressures obtained through the linear filter technique of Reid. The variation of pressure spectra along the depth are presented. In addition, comparison of spectral parameters, i.e. zeroth moment, spectral width parameter and narrowness parameter of measured and simulated pressure spectra, are reported and discussed. The behaviour of the coherence function between the wave elevation on the wall and the corresponding pressures is also discussed.     

Dynamic pressure distribution on a cylinder due to wave diffraction

The experimental investigations on the dynamic pressure distribution around a large vertical cylinder resting on a flume bed and piercing the free surface subjected to regular waves have been carried out in a 4-m wide wave flume in a constant water depth of 2.5 m at Ocean Engineering Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India. The cylinder of diameter 400 mm was fixed with diaphragm type pressure transducers at eight different locations below the still water level along with one at the still water level. In addition to this, to study the effect of nonlinearity, one pressure transducer was located above the still water level. The experimental results pertaining to mostly deep water conditions are compared with MacCamy and Fuchs theory and the agreement is found to be good. In order to account for the effects of nonlinearities the above said theory has been modified the results of which are found to be in better agreement.     

Asymmetries in waves and velocities in a groin field

The measured wave elevation and the corresponding two horizontal velocity components of in-line and transverse directions at eight different locations across a bar in a groin field off the East Frisian Island off Norderney at the North Sea Coast have been analysed. The variation of the wave and the velocities spectra within the groin field is reported.The waves and their kinematics are seldom linear in nearshore waters. In this paper, the results obtained through an attempt to study the asymmetries in the wave elevation and the in-line velocity time histories are reported. The probability density of the asymmetries are drawn along with theoretical Rayleigh and Weibull distributions. The variation of the different asymmetry factors within the groin field is discussed.     

Flume confinement effect on wave-induced dynamic pressures on twin-tandem cylinders

The estimates of wave-induced dynamic pressures around surface piercing twin-tandem rigid vertical circular cylinders fixed at the bottom of a wave flume, obtained using the source distribution method, are compared with the measured values. The influence of flume confinement on dynamic pressures is estimated by the method of images. The experiments are carried out on cylinders of 40 cm diameter mostly in deep water conditions in a wave flume 4 m wide, for different values of scattering parameters and spacings between the cylinders.     

Hydrodynamic pressures and forces on quadrant front face pile supported breakwater

Quadrant front face pile supported breakwater is a combination of semicircular and closely spaced pile breakwaters which couples the advantages of these two types. This type of structure consists of two parts. The bottom portion consists of closely spaced piles and the top portion consists of a quadrant solid front face on the seaside. The leeward side of the top portion with a vertical face would facilitate the berthing of vessels. An experimental investigation on this breakwater model in a wave flume is carried out for three water depths. For each water depth, three different spacings between the piles were adopted for the investigation. The dynamic pressures exerted along the quadrant front face due to regular waves were measured. The variation of dimensionless pressures with respect to scattering parameter for different gap ratio (spacing between the piles/diameter of pile) and for relative pile depth (water depth/pile height) are presented and discussed. In addition, the dimensionless total forces exerted on the breakwater model as well as its reflection characteristics as a function of scattering parameter are reported.     

Tsunami Wave Interaction with Data Buoys

To plan for proper mitigation measures, one should have an advanced knowledge of the phenomenon of tsunami propagation from the deep ocean to coastal waters. There are a few methods to predict tsunamis in the ocean waters; one method is the effective use of data buoy measurements. Although data buoys have been used along the Indian waters there has been a tremendous growth in the number of buoy deployment recently. Under the National Data Buoy Programme (NDBP) of India, the 2.2 m diameter discus data buoys were deployed along the east and west coasts of India for measuring meteorological and ocean parameters. It would be advantageous if these buoys could be efficiently used to measure rare events such as tsunamis. Understanding the dynamic behavior of the buoy is of prime importance if a tsunami warning system is to be successful. This may be accomplished through experimental or numerical studies. A comprehensive experimental study has been conducted to understand the dynamic behavior of a wave rider buoy exposed to a variety of waves. It is common that tsunami waves are represented in terms of shallow water waves, namely solitary and cnoidal waves. Hence, in the present study, the discus type data buoy is scale modeled and tested under the action of solitary and cnoidal waves in the laboratory. The time histories of wave elevations, as well as heave and pitch motions of the buoy model, were analyzed through a spectral approach as well as through wavelet transformations. The wavelet approach gives more detailed insight into the spectral characteristics of the buoy motion in the time scale. The harmonic analyses were performed for the cnoidal wave elevations and subsequent motion characteristics that give an insight into the energy variations. The details of the model, instrumentation, testing conditions and the results are presented in this paper.     

The variation of cosmogenic Kr and Xe in a core from Estherville mesosiderite: direct evidence that the lunar131Xe anomaly is a depth effect

Kr and Xe were measured by a stepwise heating technique in three samples of a drill core in the “Minnesota” fragment of the Estherville mesosiderite. The cosmogenic⁷⁸Kr/⁸³Kr decreased from the “top” sample to the “bottom” sample(“top” = 0.163 ± 0.005, “bottom” = 0.151 ± 0.005) while the cosmogenic¹³¹Xe/¹²⁶Xe ratio increased(“top” = 5.58 ± 0.35, “bottom” = 6.92 ± 0.17). Cosmic-ray track studies have shown that the “top” sample was indeed closer to the preatmospheric surface than the “bottom” sample by ～ 10 cm. This is the first direct evidence, in a sample of known geometry, that the cosmogenic¹³¹Xe/¹²⁶Xe ratio increases as a function of depth, and as such, confirms the hypothesis that the lunar¹³¹Xe anomaly is a bona fide depth effect due to resonance neutron capture in¹³⁰Ba.     

Argon 40-argon 39 chronology of lithic clasts from the Kapoeta howardite

⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar age spectra have been measured on plagioclase separates from three basaltic clasts (A, B, C), a pyroxene separate from clast B, and a total sample of a fourth basaltic clast (ρ) from the Kapoeta achondritic meteorite. The Ar data show that three of the four clasts crystallized ≥4.5 AE ago. Xe measurements indicate all four formed within a 0.1 AE period (Huneke, et al., 1977, Lunar Science VIII, pp. 484–486). Three clasts have suffered various degrees of ⁴⁰Ar loss since that time. The times of ⁴⁰Ar degassing do not cluster about a single time analogous to the lunar cataclysm. The survival of ≥4.5 AE ages contrasts with the general absence of ages ≥4.0 AE on the moon.The Ar retention age of clast B of ≥4.57 AE is atypically older than the Rb-Sr age of 3.6 AE (Papanastassiouet al., 1974, Lunar Science V, p. 583). The 3.5 AE Ar age of clast A is distinctly younger than the Rb-Sr age of 3.9 AE (Papanastassiou et al., 1974). The K-Ar and Rb-Sr systems are clearly not equivalent dating techniques in these instances.The combined evidence of Ar, Xe and Rb-Sr studies suggests the period of volcanism on the Kapoeta parent planet was restricted to the first ~0.2 AE of solar system history. The subsequent thermal metamorphic histories recorded in each of the four clasts after formation are distinctly different. The clasts must have existed as independent fragments at least as recently as 3.5 AE ago. The cosmic ray exposure ages of all the four clasts are similar (~ 3 Myr), and are not significantly different from that of the bulk meteorite. The clasts spent essentially all of the time prior to the formation of Kapoeta at depths greater than a few meters.