Probabilistic evaluation of tunnel face stability in spatially random soils using sparse polynomial chaos expansion with global sensitivity analysis

The sparse polynomial chaos expansion is employed to perform a probabilistic analysis of the tunnel face stability in the spatially random soils. A shield tunnel under compressed air is considered which implies that the applied pressure is uniformly distributed on the tunnel face. Two sets of failure mechanisms in the context of the limit analysis theory with respect to the frictional and the purely cohesive soils are used to calculate the required face pressure. In the case of the frictional soils, the cohesion and the friction angle are modeled as two anisotropic cross-correlated lognormal random fields; for the purely cohesive soils, the cohesion and the unit weight are modeled as two anisotropic independent lognormal random fields. The influences of the spatial variability and of the cross-correlation between the cohesion and the friction angle on the probability density function of the required face pressure, on the sensitivity index and on the failure probability are discussed. The obtained results show that the spatial variability has an important influence on the probability density function as well as the failure probability, but it has a negligible impact on the Sobol’s index.     

Petrology and geochemistry of eclogite xenoliths from the Rietfontein kimberlite,Northern Cape,South Africa

Petrographic and geochemical features of a suite of eclogite xenoliths from the Rietfontein kimberlite that erupted through probable Proterozoic crust west of the Kaapvaal Craton in the far Northern Cape region of South Africa, are described. Group II eclogites dominate the suite both texturally and chemically, but can be subdivided into bimineralic, opx-bearing and kyanite-bearing groups. Temperature estimates from different geothermometers range from 700 to 1,000°C, indicating derivation from relatively shallow mantle depths. Orthopyroxene-bearing eclogites are inferred to originate from depths of 85 to 115 km and lie close to the average cratonic thermal profile for southern Africa. These uppermost mantle temperatures during the late Cretaceous provide evidence for equilibration of the off-craton lithosphere to craton-like thermal conditions following Namaqua-Natal orogenesis. The kyanite eclogites are distinct from the remaining eclogites in terms of both major and trace element compositions and their lesser degree of alteration. Garnets are richer in Ca, and are Cr-depleted relative to garnets from the bimineralic and opx-bearing eclogites, which tend to be more magnesian. Clinopyroxenes from the kyanite eclogites are more sodic, with higher Al₂O₃ and lower MgO contents than the bimineralic and opx-bearing eclogites. LREE-depletion, positive Sr and Eu anomalies, and the Al-rich, Si-poor bulk composition suggest a plagioclase-rich, probably troctolitic protolith for the kyanite eclogites. In contrast, the major and trace element bulk compositions of the high-MgO bimineralic and orthopyroxene-bearing eclogites are consistent with gabbroic or pyroxenitic precursors, or high-pressure cumulates, rather than mafic to ultramafic lavas. δ¹⁸O values for garnets do not deviate significantly from typical mantle values. The observations reported do not discriminate unambiguously between continental and oceanic origins for the various eclogite components in the mantle lithosphere of this region.     

Possible sources of forecast errors generated by the global/regional assimilation and prediction system for landfalling tropical cyclones. Part I: Initial uncertainties

This paper investigates the possible sources of errors associated with tropical cyclone (TC) tracks forecasted using the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System (GRAPES). The GRAPES forecasts were made for 16 landfalling TCs in the western North Pacific basin during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, with a forecast length of 72 hours, and using the default initial conditions (“initials”, hereafter), which are from the NCEP-FNL dataset, as well as ECMWF initials. The forecasts are compared with ECMWF forecasts. The results show that in most TCs, the GRAPES forecasts are improved when using the ECMWF initials compared with the default initials. Compared with the ECMWF initials, the default initials produce lower intensity TCs and a lower intensity subtropical high, but a higher intensity South Asia high and monsoon trough, as well as a higher temperature but lower specific humidity at the TC center. Replacement of the geopotential height and wind fields with the ECMWF initials in and around the TC center at the initial time was found to be the most efficient way to improve the forecasts. In addition, TCs that showed the greatest improvement in forecast accuracy usually had the largest initial uncertainties in TC intensity and were usually in the intensifying phase. The results demonstrate the importance of the initial intensity for TC track forecasts made using GRAPES, and indicate the model is better in describing the intensifying phase than the decaying phase of TCs. Finally, the limit of the improvement indicates that the model error associated with GRAPES forecasts may be the main cause of poor forecasts of landfalling TCs. Thus, further examinations of the model errors are required.     

Sensitivity of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation to the dynamical framework in an ocean general circulation model

The horizontal coordinate systems commonly used in most global ocean models are the spherical latitude–longitude grid and displaced poles, such as a tripolar grid. The effect of the horizontal coordinate system on Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is evaluated by using an OGCM (ocean general circulation model). Two experiments are conducted with the model—one using a latitude–longitude grid (referred to as Lat_1) and the other using a tripolar grid (referred to as Tri). The results show that Tri simulates a stronger North Atlantic deep water (NADW) than Lat_1, as more saline water masses enter the Greenland–Iceland–Norwegian (GIN) seas in Tri. The stronger NADW can be attributed to two factors. One is the removal of the zonal filter in Tri, which leads to an increasing of the zonal gradient of temperature and salinity, thus strengthening the north geostrophic flow. In turn, it decreases the positive subsurface temperature and salinity biases in the subtropical regions. The other may be associated with topography at the North Pole, because realistic topography is applied in the tripolar grid while the latitude–longitude grid employs an artificial island around the North Pole. In order to evaluate the effect of the filter on AMOC, three enhanced filter experiments are carried out. Compared to Lat_1, an enhanced filter can also augment NADW formation, since more saline water is suppressed in the GIN seas, but accumulated in the Labrador Sea, especially in experiment Lat_2_S, which is the experiment with an enhanced filter on salinity.     

On the interannual variability of the Bonin high associated with the East Asian summer monsoon rain

In order to assess how the Bonin high affects interannual variability of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) around the Korean Peninsula, the pulsation of the Bonin high and its association with teleconnection patterns was examined. The major factor for the interannual intensity of the EASM is the center position of the Bonin high rather than its center pressure. Up to 12 harmonics over time can be used to reconstruct the Bonin high, demonstrating its intraseasonal variation. The interannual variability of the Bonin high correlates with the Tibet high. This correlation is dominant for the EASM onset time, though not its retreat. The primary teleconnection pattern, reliant up on the interannual variability of the Bonin high, is the Western Pacific oscillation (WPO) in April. In relation to long-term variability, the correlation between the WPO and the Bonin high appears to contribute to the retreat stage of the EASM, which has itself increased since the mid-1970s. Furthermore, the WPO in May and the Tibet correlation has marked the onset rather than the retreat of the EASM since the 1970s. This highly correlated pattern since the mid-1970s may be the result of El Niño.     

Temporal and spatial variations in extreme temperatures in the Qilian Mountains-Hexi Corridor over the period 1960-2013

Based on daily maximum and minimum temperatures at 18 meteorological stations in the Qilian Mountains and Hexi Corridor between 1960 and 2013, temporal and spatial variations in extreme temperatures were analysed using linear trends, ten-point moving averages and the Mann-Kendall test. The results are as follows: The trends in the majority of the extreme temperature indices were statistically significant, and the changes in the extreme temperatures were more obvious than the changes in the extreme values. The trends were different for each season, and the changes in rates and intensities in summer and autumn were larger than those in spring and winter. Unlike the cold indices, the magnitudes and trends of the changes in the warm indices were larger and more significant in the Hexi Corridor than in the Qilian Mountains. Abrupt changes were detected in the majority of the extreme temperature indices, and the extreme cold indices usually occurred earlier than the changes in the extreme warm indices. The abrupt changes in the extreme temperatures in winter were the earliest among the four seasons, indicating that these temperature changes were the most sensitive to global climate change. The timing of the abrupt changes in certain indices was consistent throughout the study area, but the changes in the cold indices in the Hexi Corridor occurred approximately four years before those in the Qilian Mountains. Similarly, the changes in the warm indices in the western Hexi Corridor preceded those of the other regions.     

Substrate selection and seasonal variation in abundance and size composition of isopod Lirceus fontinalis in Ontario streams, Canada

The abundance and size composition of stream isopods Lirceus fontinalis were investigated from April 2001 to August 2002 in 3 streams in southern Ontario, Canada. Effects of current speed was released from the analysis by choosing slow flowing water. The effects of substrate, season and water depth on the abundance, distribution and size composition of the isopods were analyzed. It was found that substrate and season influence isopods the most. The rocky substrate with attached filamentous macro-algae contains an isopod abundance 7.05 times that of bare rock substrate and 14.6 times that of fine-sand and mud substrate. There was a large variation with respect to seasonality in both abundance and size composition of the isopods, with the highest abundance occurring in summer and the lowest in winter and spring; individual isopods also tend to be larger in the winter and spring. In all substrates, shallow areas tend to support higher densities of isopods than deeper areas.     

Soil nutrients in relation to vertical roots distribution in the riparian zone of Three Gorges Reservoir,China

Since the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), the riparian zone has been subjected to numerous environmental changes. This study was conducted to recognize the distribution of grass roots and its impacts on soil nutrients in the water level fluctuation zone of TGR. Roots of four predominant herbaceous plants in the study area, specifically, Cynodon dactylon, Hemarthria altissima, Hemarthria compressa, and Paspalum paspaloides, and their corresponding relation with soil nutrient contents were investigated. Root surface area density was determined with WinRHIZO, and the relationships of root distribution with soil depths and soil nutrient contents were studied. The results indicates that most roots are distributed in the top soil layer of 0–10 cm. Estimated root surface area density for the selected grass species ranges from 0.16 to 13.44 cm2/cm3, and decreases exponentially with an increase in soil depth. Soil organic matter and total nitrogen contents are significantly lower on bare control area than the corresponding values on the grasslands. Total nutrient contents on grasslands of C. dactylon and H. compressa are higher than those of other grass areas. Root length density and root surface area density are significantly correlated with soil organic matter and total nitrogen content for the four grasslands. The present results suggests that plant roots have significant effects on the distribution of soil nutrients in soil profiles in the riparian zone along the TGR. Nevertheless, additional investigations are needed to reveal the specific interactions between plant roots distribution, soil nutrients and water level fluctuations.     

A Note on Reviving the Goddard Satellite-Based Surface Turbulent Fluxes （GSSTF） Dataset

Accurate sea surface flux measurements are crucial for understanding the global water and energy cycles. The oceanic evaporation, which is a major component of the global oceanic fresh water flux, is useful for predicting oceanic circulation and transport. The global Goddard Satellite-based Surface Turbulent Fluxes Version-2 (GSSTF2; July 1987--December 2000) dateset that was officially released in 2001 has been widely used by scientific community for global energy and water cycle research, and regional and short period data analyses. We have recently been funded by NASA to resume processing the GSSTF dataset with an objective of continually producing a uniform dataset of sea surface turbulent fluxes, derived from remote sensing data. The dataset is to be reprocessed and brought up-to-date (GSSTF2b) using improved input datasets such as a recently upgraded NCEP/DOE sea surface temperature reanalysis, and an upgraded surface wind and microwave brightness temperature V6 dataset (Version 6) from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) produced by Remote Sensing Systems (RSS). A second new product (GSSTF3) is further proposed with a finer temporal (12-h) and spatial (0.25^ox0.25^o) resolution. GSSTF2b (July 1987--December 2008) and GSSTF3 (July 1999--December 2009) will be released for the research community to use by late 2009 and early 2011, respectively.     

Ground roll attenuation based on an empirical curvelet transform

In the field of seismic exploration, ground roll seriously affects the deep effective reflections from subsurface deep structures. Traditional curvelet transform cannot provide an adaptive basis function to achieve a suboptimal denoised result. In this paper, we propose a method based on empirical curvelet transform (ECT) for ground roll attenuation. Unlike the traditional curvelet transform, this method not only decomposes seismic data into multiscale and multi-directional components, but also provides an adaptive filter bank according to frequency content of seismic data itself. So, ground roll can be separated by using this method. However, as the frequency of reflection and ground roll components are close, we apply singular value decomposition (SVD) in the curvelet domain to differentiate the ground roll and reflection better. Examples of synthetic and field seismic data reveal that the proposed method based ECT performs better than the traditional curvelet method in terms of the suppression of ground roll.