Rock-avalanche dynamics: insights from granular physics experiments

Rock avalanches are known to behave in extraordinary ways unlike other landslides, and their deposits in part reflect their unusual physical behavior. Recent experiments in granular physics suggest that many phenomena and features simply reflect the non-linear nature of granular flows, although some behavior cannot simply be reproduced in lab scale experiments. In a static configuration, grain–grain contact networks dominate the distribution of forces and stresses within a granular mass. During flow, granular collisions damp the system through energy dissipation, while gravitational potential drives the system. The energy distribution between static and collisional stresses within the system can change very rapidly. Threshold events dominate system response, and the challenge is to find which characterization of the static phase helps to predict failure (and thus flow) resistance. Once flowing, many “unusual” rock-avalanche phenomena are entirely consistent with the physics of flow of large granular masses, but the low energy dissipation rate required for long run-out events requires the presence of physical processes that are not involved in experimental flows in the current parameter range or in the assumptions of current models.     

Enhanced albedo feedback in North Africa from possible combined vegetation and soil-formation processes

It has long been recognized that albedo related vegetation feedbacks amplify climate variability in North Africa. Recent studies have revealed that areas of very high albedo associated with certain desert soil types contribute to the current dry climate of the region. We construct three scenarios of North African albedo, one based on satellite measurements, one where the highest albedo resembles that of soils in the desert transition zones, and one based on a vegetation map for the “green Sahara” state of the middle Holocene, ca. 6,000 years ago. Using a series of climate model simulations, we find that the additional amplitude of albedo change from the middle Holocene to the present caused by the very bright desert soils enhances the magnitude of the June-to-August precipitation change in the region of the present Sahara from 0.6 to 1.0 mm/day on average. We also find that albedo change has a larger effect on regional precipitation than changes in either the Earth’s orbit or sea surface temperatures between 6,000 years ago and today. Simulated precipitation agrees rather well with present observations and mid Holocene reconstructions. Our results suggest that there may exist an important climate feedback from soil formation processes that has so far not been recognized.     

大气有机污染分析和评价：Ⅲ.美国迈阿密市大气有机污染监测与分析

自１９９４年６月至１９９５年３月对（美）迈阿密市大气颗粒物及干、湿沉降物中的多种有机化合物进行了定量分析与监测，并依据分析结果结合分子参数对有机污染水平的季节性变化、气候条件影响和清除机理等进行了探讨。     

MASS MOVEMENTS AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORT AS A NATURAL HAZARD

I.INTRODUCTIONFormillionsofyearswindandwaterhaveshapedtheearth,mountainshavebeenliftedanderodedaway,waterhasevaporatedfromtheoceansandfallenbackonland,rivershaveformedandcarriedwaterandsedanmentfromthemoufltainstotheseas.Someoftherivers--suchastheColoradoRiverintheGrandCanyonregionofNorthAJnerica-foundstablecoursesastheycarvedthemselvesintotheground,others--suchastheYellowhiverinChina-havechangedtheircoursesfrequentlyallthewayintorecenthistory.Itwasonlyafewthousandyearsagothatmanstarte…     

ALTERATIONS OF RIVER MORPHOLOGY DUE TO VEGETATION ON SLOPES AND FLOOD PLAINS

LRESEarCHACTIVITIESCharaCtCriedcofunlinedalluvialriVersisthe~linteractionbettVeenwaterflowandmovableriVerbed.Sedimenttransport,bedresistanceandriVermorphologydecisivelydependontheflowconditionsandviceversathesefactorsgovernthehydraulicprocesses.EVenundersimplifiedconditions,e.g.inlaboratorytests,theseillteractionsareeXtremelycomplexandrelldsraliZationmakesengineeringproblemsevenmored~.TomaketheseprocessesmoreunderstandablecomprehensiVeresearchprojectswereconductedatseveralGermanuniv…     

Application of a forest succession model to a continentality gradient through Central Europe

The forest succession model FORSKA was applied to a west-east transect across Central Europe using points from a global climate data set. Climate change experiments were undertaken for two general circulation model scenarios and two different site classes. The simulated climate changes lead to reduced forest productivity and a changed species composition on most sites. Under current climate, the broad scale pattern of the climatically driven distribution of forest communities is quite realistically reproduced. However, the resolution of climate data imposes limitations on the simulation of forest dynamics in subcontinental climate, because climate variability and extreme events are not well represented.     

The mechanism of mine-collapse deduced from seismic observations

On May 2, 1993 more than 200 seismic events from an underground mine in Tyrol/Austria were recorded with short-period seismometers of a local seismic network which was introduced in the late 1980s to monitor the tectonic seismicity in Tyrol in greater detail. The cause of this series of mining-associated events has become the subject of intensive investigations — as it was associated with a subsidence affecting an area of 10.000 m². Underground observations revealed a number of discontinuities along which the rock mass was able to move. Seismic recordings of the close-by seismic stations revealed two types of mechanisms: One mechanism seems to be associated with pure block-sliding along several discontinuities, while other signals indicate additional collapse. The consideration and combination of several seismological principles made possible the construction of a model of the mine collapse.