Observations of estuarine circulation and solitary internal waves in a highly energetic tidal channel

Despite vigorous tidal and wind mixing, observations in an estuarine tidal inlet in the Wadden Sea show that during part of the tidal cycle, vertical stratification and internal waves may still develop. Acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and conductivity, temperature, depth observations, collected over the past 6 years at 13 h anchor stations (ASs), reveal that these occur especially during slack tide, when there is little wind and large freshwater discharge from nearby Lake IJssel. Measurements with a moored ADCP show that in the same tidal phase, strong cross-channel circulation develops, which may suddenly reverse circulation sense due to passing density fronts. In the vertically stratified phase that follows after the front passage, propagating mode-one solitary internal waves are observed. These are resonantly generated during decelerating tidal ebb currents when the (shear) flow passes a transcritical regime (Froude number equal to 1). A combination of photographs (including one from the International Space Station), bathymetric data, and ASs data leads to the discovery of yet another source of internal waves in this area, produced during slackening tide by propagating lee waves that develop over a deep trench. We suggest that both the cross-channel circulation as well as the (solitary) internal waves may locally be of importance for the (re)distribution and transport of sediments and nutrients and may influence tidally averaged transports.     

Impact of Cloud Microphysical Processes on the Simulation of Typhoon Rananim near Shore. Part II: Typhoon Intensity and Track

The impact of cloud microphysical processes on the simulated intensity and track of Typhoon Rananim is discussed and analyzed in the second part of this study. The results indicate that when the cooling effect due to evaporation of rain water is excluded, the simulated 36-h maximum surface wind speed of Typhoon Rananim is about 7 m s⁻¹ greater than that from all other experiments; however, the typhoon landfall location has the biggest bias of about 150 km against the control experiment. The simulated strong outer rainbands and the vertical shear of the environmental flow are unfavorable for the deepening and maintenance of the typhoon and result in its intensity loss near the landfall. It is the cloud microphysical processes that strengthen and create the outer spiral rainbands, which then increase the local convergence away from the typhoon center and prevent more moisture and energy transport to the inner core of the typhoon. The developed outer rainbands are supposed to bring dry and cold air mass from the middle troposphere to the planetary boundary layer (PBL). The other branch of the cold airflow comes from the evaporation of rain water itself in the PBL while the droplets are falling. Thus, the cut-off of the warm and moist air to the inner core and the invasion of cold and dry air to the eyewall region are expected to bring about the intensity reduction of the modeled typhoon. Therefore, the deepening and maintenance of Typhoon Rananim during its landing are better simulated through the reduction of these two kinds of model errors.     

Geochemical baseline of trace elements in the sediment in Dexing area,South China

A baseline might be used as a point of reference to monitor change from some specific data without concern for whether the baseline determination is natural or has been changed by human activity. We selected 326 sediment samples from Dexing area, South China, and analyzed for 17 chemical elements. The geochemical baseline was predicted with the method of the normalization procedure combined with the relative cumulative frequency curve. The results indicate Al was the best reference element for the normalization procedure among four potential reference elements (Al, Fe, Ti, and Mn). The baseline value range obtained from the normalization procedure method included both the regional geochemical background of the sediment and the median value of the measured contents. The median value of baselines obtained from relative cumulative frequency method was lower than that obtained from normalization procedure method. In contrast to the geochemical patterns of heavy metals in 1987, the spatial distribution of anomalies sprawled in 2004 in study area, especially for Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, As, Fe, and Cr.     

Comparative assessment of the relationship of satellite data with the above ground biomass of Sal trees (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Shorea robusta</Emphasis>) determined from phenologically different time periods

The Above Ground Biomass(AGB) estimates of vegetation comprise both the bole biomass determined through a volumetric equation and litter biomass collected from the ground.For mature trees,the AGB estimated in phenologically different time periods is directly affected by the litter biomass since the Diameter at Breast Height(DBH) and height(H) of such trees that are used in the estimation of bole biomass would remain unchanged over a reasonable time period.In the present study,we have determined the AGB of Sal trees(Shorea robusta) in two contrasting seasons:the peak green period in October being devoid of lit-ter on the ground and the leaf shedding period in February with abundant amount of litter present on the ground.Estimation of AGB for the month of February included the litter biomass.In contrast,the AGB for October represented only the bole biomass.AGB was estimated for ten different plots selected in the study area.The AGB estimated from ten sampling plots for each time period was re-gressed with the individual tree parameters such as the average DBH and height of trees measured from the corresponding plots.The regression analysis exhibited a significantly stronger relationship between the AGB and DBH for the month of October as compared to February.Furthermore,the correlation between the remotely sensed derived data and AGB was also found to be significantly higher for the month of October than February.This observation indicates that inclusion of the litter biomass in AGB will tend to decrease the re-gression relationship between AGB and DBH and also between the remotely sensed data and AGB.Therefore,these conclusions invite careful consideration while estimating AGB from satellite data in phenologically different time periods.     

Site effect on vulnerability of high-rise shear wall buildings under near and far field earthquakes

Worldwide experience repeatedly shows that damages in structures caused by earthquakes are highly dependent on site condition and epicentral distance. In this paper, a 21-storey shear wall-structure built in the 1960s in Hong Kong is selected as an example to investigate these two effects. Under various design earthquake intensities and for various site conditions, the fragility curves or damage probability matrix of such building is quantified in terms of the ductility factor, which is estimated from the ratio of storey yield shear to the inter-storey seismic shear. For high-rise buildings, a higher probability of damage is obtained for a softer site condition, and damage is more severe for far field earthquakes than for near field earthquakes. For earthquake intensity of VIII, the probability of complete collapse (P) increases from 1 to 24% for near field earthquakes and from 1 to 41% for far field earthquakes if the building is moved form a rock site to a site consisting a 80 m thick soft clay. For intensity IX, P increases from 6 to 69% for near field earthquake and from 14 to 79% for far field earthquake if the building is again moved form rock site to soft soil site. Therefore, site effect is very important and not to be neglected. Similar site and epicentral effects should also be expected for other types of high-rise structures.     

Tailings composition effects on shear strength behavior of co-mixed mine waste rock and tailings

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of mine tailings composition on shear behavior and shear strength of co-mixed mine waste rock and tailings (WR&T). Crushed gravel was used as a synthetic waste rock and mixed with four types of tailings: (1) fine-grained garnet, (2) coarse-grained garnet, (3) copper, and (4) soda ash. Co-mixed WR&T specimens were prepared to target mixture ratios of mass of waste rock to mass of tailings (R) such that tailings “just filled” interparticle void space of the waste rock (i.e., optimum mixture ratio, R _opt). Triaxial compression tests were conducted on waste rock, tailings, and mixed waste at effective confining stresses (\(\sigma_{\text{c}}^{{\prime }}\)) ranging from 5 to 40 kPa to represent stresses anticipated in final earthen covers for waste containment facilities. Waste rock and co-mixed WR&T specimens were 150 mm in diameter by 300 mm tall, whereas tailings specimens were 38 mm in diameter by 76 mm tall. Shear strength was quantified using effective stress friction angles (?′) from undrained tests: ?′ for waste rock was 37°, ?′ for tailings ranged from 34° to 41°, and ?′ for WR&T mixtures ranged from 38° to 40°. Thus, shear strength of co-mixed WR&T was comparable to waste rock regardless of tailings composition. Shear behavior of WR&T mixtures was a function of R and tailings composition. Tailings influenced shear behavior for R < R _opt and when tailings predominantly were silt. Shear behavior was influenced by waste rock for R ≥ R _opt and when tailings predominantly were sand or included clay particles.     

沁水煤层气田高阶煤解吸气碳同位素分馏特征及其意义

沁水盆地是我国煤层气勘探开发的重要有利区,沁水煤层气田位于盆地东南部。对采自沁水煤层气田两口井的煤开展了罐解吸实验。结果表明,该地区煤层气解吸速率很快,96 h后解吸气量都达到了总解吸气量的60%~85%,720 h后解吸过程基本结束;解吸气量大,平均在18 m3/t以上。煤层气解吸过程中甲烷发生碳同位素分馏,δ13C1值变化与解吸率呈良好的线性关系,参考这种正相关关系曲线,定期监视煤层气降压排采过程中甲烷δ13C1值的变化情况,可以大致推测出该地区煤层气解吸率,从而预测煤层气的采出程度。跟踪测试沁水煤层气田A1和A1-3井在试采过程的甲烷δ13C1变化情况,推测现在采出的煤层气可能主要是煤层裂隙中以游离形式存在的煤层气,表明该区煤层气稳产性较好,资源前景广阔。     

扬子陆块西缘安益南华纪火山岩的厘定及其地质意义

扬子陆块西缘安益大湾山地区出露一套由变质玄武岩等组成的变质基性火山岩,前人将其归为中元古界,并作为寻找磁铁矿的主要对象。调查发现,安益大湾山变质基性火山岩与下伏浅变质岩系间发育一套稳定沉积的砾岩。应用LA-ICP-MS技术对其底砾岩之上最底部的变质玄武岩进行了锆石U-Pb年龄测定,获得了781.3±1.9Ma的岩浆锆石~(206)Pb/~(238)U年龄加权平均值和1008±14Ma、1142±15Ma、2714±10Ma的继承性岩浆锆石~(207)Pb/~(206)Pb年龄,指示该套变质基性火山岩形成于南华纪,并将其从浅变质岩系中解离出来,对比为澄江组。继承性锆石年龄数据指示,扬子地块西缘安益地区存在新太古界和中元古界物质记录。结合前人研究成果和近来获得的年龄数据,将滇中澄江组的时代界定于820～740Ma,并将南华系的底界界定于820Ma。大湾山中-大型磁铁矿产于扬子地块西缘澄江组的变质基性火山岩中,其主成矿期为南华纪,可能属于热液氧化物-铜-金矿床。     

Plant drought tolerance trait is the key parameter in improving the modeling of terrestrial transpiration in arid and semi-arid regions

陆面过程蒸腾作用的模拟制约着天气,气候降水预测的精确度.近几十年来,为了更好地描述植被蒸腾的水力约束,陆面过程模式发展了基于植物性状的植物水力胁迫方案.然而,我们对于植物性状在蒸腾模拟中的地位仍然缺乏了解,植物性状对蒸腾的重要性仍需进一步量化.本研究利用Morris方法评估植物性状参数在通用陆面模式植物水力胁迫方案(CoLM-P₅₀HS)中的重要性,针对17种植物性状,筛选出最为重要的:耐旱性状(P₅₀),气孔性状,和光合作用性状.在12个FLUXNET站点中,参数的重要性由归一化敏感度来衡量.P₅₀的重要性随着降水的减少而增加,而气孔性状和光合作用性状的重要性则随着降水的减少而减少.在干旱或半干旱地区,P₅₀比气孔性状和光合作用性状更重要,这意味着当植物经常经历干旱时,水力安全策略比植物生长策略更关键.而耐旱性状的巨大变异性进一步暗示了多种植物水力安全策略的共存.忽视P₅₀的变异性可能会对陆面过程模式蒸腾作用的模拟造成严重误差.因此,为了更好地表示植物水力功能的变异性,需要增加对耐旱性状的观测并耦合到陆面模式中.     

A rapid seismic safety assessment method for mid-rise reinforced concrete buildings

The majority of existing buildings are not safe against earthquakes in most of the developing countries. Existing building stocks should be assessed with a seismic safety assessment method before a devastating earthquake. Cheaper and quicker rapid seismic safety assessment methods can be used instead of code-based assessment methods to determine the seismic performance of existing buildings. In this study, an approach was introduced to determine the seismic performance of existing mid-rise reinforced concrete buildings with fewer parameters and process steps than code-based detailed assessment procedures. Calibration and regulation of the introduced method were conducted on the 39 collapsed buildings’ projects in 1999 Kocaeli, Turkey, earthquake. Finally, 55 existing buildings located in Eskisehir, Turkey, assessed with this calibrated method and the results were compared with the results of a code-based detailed assessment method; the results showed a very good agreement of about 83%. This study shows that the proposed method can be applied for the determination of the seismic performance of existing mid-rise reinforced concrete buildings quickly and without compromising reliability.