Discrete modelling of time‐dependent rockfill behaviour

This modelling study deals with the time‐dependent behaviour of rockfill media, which is of particular interest during the life of rockfill dams. Breakage of rock blocks and crack propagation are the main processes responsible for rockfill creep and collapse. The modelling procedure presented here is performed on two scales: on the rock block scale, where the grain is taken to be an assembly of rigid particles initially endowed with cohesive bonds, and on the rockfill scale, which is taken to involve a set of breakable grains interacting via contact and friction processes. The grain breakage process is described in term of a thermodynamically consistent damage interface model, where the damage is a gradual delayed process. This model was implemented in a non‐smooth contact dynamics code. The effects of the main parameters involved were analysed by performing numerical studies. The ability of the model to predict the creep behaviour of rockfill media is confirmed by presenting several simulations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tomography: A window on the role of sulfur in the structure of micrometeorites

Abstract– To determine the role played by sulfides in the formation of vesicles and FeNi metal beads, we mapped the locations and tabulated the numbers of sulfides, metal beads, and vesicles in 1583 sectioned micrometeorites (MMs) using conventional microscopy and in 190 whole MMs using synchrotron computed microtomography (SCMT). Both the section and the SCMT images show that sulfides melt, coalesce, and migrate to the MMs surface. The decomposition of sulfides may occur during all these stages. Given the sulfide morphologies and compositions that we see in section, we think the breakdown of Ni sulfides produces the FeNi beads. The SCMT images show that metal beads are common in melted MMs, >50% have them. Vesicles in porphyritic and scoriaceous MMs are also probably formed as sulfides decompose. Not only do sulfides abut the vesicles but also the temperatures at which sulfides decompose overlap those at which MM surfaces first melt and temporarily seal, suggesting that S gases could produce most of these vesicles. As the vesicle shapes and patterns of distribution differ among MM classes, tomography can be used to nondestructively screen for specific types of MMs. Tomography is a powerful tool for visualizing the three‐dimensional distribution of metal beads, sulfides, mean densities, and vesicles in MMs.     

Relative chronology of crust formation on asteroid Vesta: Insights from the geochemistry of diogenites

The eucrites and diogenites are meteorites that probably originate from asteroid 4-Vesta. The upper part of the crust of this body is certainly composed of eucrites which are basaltic or gabbroic rocks. Diogenites are ultramafic cumulates whose relationships with eucritic lithologies are unknown. Here, we show that the orthopyroxenes of some diogenites display very deep negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu∗ close to 0.1 or lower). The contamination of the parental magmas of diogenites by melts derived by partial melting of the eucritic crust can satisfactorily explain the range of the Eu anomalies displayed by diogenites. Thus, these anomalies are the first firm indication that parental melts of diogenites have intruded the eucritic crust, and consequently are younger than eucrites.     

Truncated dunes as evidence of the 2004 tsunami in North Sumatra and environmental recovery post‐tsunami

The 2004 tsunami transformed the coast of Indonesia. This research investigates a sand dune area in Lampuuk, Sumatra, that was scoured by tsunami flow. We assessed geomorphology one‐year post‐event and examine the timescale of vegetation recovery. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) evidence shows an eroded succession of thin dipping units, overlain by aeolian layers 0 to 50 cm thick. Incipient dunes were absent, indicating limited dune rebuilding at one‐year post‐tsunami, possibly resulting from channelised airflow and the absence of vegetation. Recolonisation by vegetation was initially limited but progressed rapidly between 2005 and 2011, highlighting the temporal non‐linearity of recovery processes.     

Seasonal prediction of global sea level anomalies using an ocean–atmosphere dynamical model

Advanced warning of extreme sea level events is an invaluable tool for coastal communities, allowing the implementation of management policies and strategies to minimise loss of life and infrastructure damage. This study is an initial attempt to apply a dynamical coupled ocean–atmosphere model to the prediction of seasonal sea level anomalies (SLA) globally for up to 7 months in advance. We assess the ability of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s operational seasonal dynamical forecast system, the Predictive Ocean Atmosphere Model for Australia (POAMA), to predict seasonal SLA, using gridded satellite altimeter observation-based analyses over the period 1993–2010 and model reanalysis over 1981–2010. Hindcasts from POAMA are based on a 33-member ensemble of seasonal forecasts that are initialised once per month for the period 1981–2010. Our results show POAMA demonstrates high skill in the equatorial Pacific basin and consistently exhibits more skill globally than a forecast based on persistence. Model predictability estimates indicate there is scope for improvement in the higher latitudes and in the Atlantic and Southern Oceans. Most characteristics of the asymmetric SLA fields generated by El-Nino/La Nina events are well represented by POAMA, although the forecast amplitude weakens with increasing lead-time.     

Density-Stratified Flow Events in Great Salt Lake,Utah, USA: Implications for Mercury and Salinity Cycling

Density stratification in saline and hypersaline water bodies from throughout the world can have large impacts on the internal cycling and loading of salinity, nutrients, and trace elements. High temporal resolution hydroacoustic and physical/chemical data were collected at two sites in Great Salt Lake (GSL), a saline lake in the western USA, to understand how density stratification may influence salinity and mercury (Hg) distributions. The first study site was in a causeway breach where saline water from GSL exchanges with less saline water from a flow restricted bay. Near-surface-specific conductance values measured in water at the breach displayed a good relationship with both flow and wind direction. No diurnal variations in the concentration of dissolved (<0.45 μm) methylmercury (MeHg) were observed during the 24-h sampling period; however, the highest proportion of particulate Hg_total and MeHg loadings was observed during periods of elevated salinity. The second study site was located on the bottom of GSL where movement of a high-salinity water layer, referred to as the deep brine layer (DBL), is restricted to a naturally occurring 1.5-km-wide “spillway” structure. During selected time periods in April/May, 2012, wind-induced flow reversals in a railroad causeway breach, separating Gunnison and Gilbert Bays, were coupled with high-velocity flow pulses (up to 55 cm/s) in the DBL at the spillway site. These flow pulses were likely driven by a pressure response of highly saline water from Gunnison Bay flowing into the north basin of Gilbert Bay. Short-term flow reversal events measured at the railroad causeway breach have the ability to move measurable amounts of salt and Hg from Gunnison Bay into the DBL. Future disturbance to the steady state conditions currently imposed by the railroad causeway infrastructure could result in changes to the existing chemical balance between Gunnison and Gilbert Bays. Monitoring instruments were installed at six additional sites in the DBL during October 2012 to assess impacts from any future modifications to the railroad causeway.     

Understanding geomorphic responses to environmental change: a 19 000‐year case study from semi‐arid central Texas,USA

Understanding the impact of past climatic changes on landscape stability is crucial in order to predict and mitigate the effects of future changes. However, in arid and semi‐arid environments, reconstructions are often hampered by a poor understanding of the relationship between sediment deposition and climate. We present here data from central Texas, a region that is sensitive to environmental change but has received relatively little attention. The study integrates a chronology of 29 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages from six sedimentary sites in a range of depositional contexts with a 19 000 a climate record derived from pollen extracted from the adjacent Boriack Bog. By comparing the two records, we aimed to assess the relationship between climate change and geomorphic activity. Data show that extensive aeolian and colluvial deposition occurred during the mid to late Holocene, with sedimentation generally increasing during more arid phases. However, a number of depositional events on slopes were associated with moister episodes, and sediment was also deposited in a summit setting immediately after phases of increased precipitation. Linkages between climate change and geomorphic response were therefore complex, being controlled by both sediment supply and transport energy. The climatic fluctuations identified in the Boriack Bog record highlight the sensitivity of central Texas to environmental change, while disparities in conditions recorded between it and other palaeoenvironmental sites in the southern USA emphasise the need for further work in order to enhance understanding of landscape sedimentary response to climate. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The radio properties of the cD galaxy of Abell 2390

We present multifrequency, multi-epoch radio imaging of the complex radio source B2151+174 in the core of the cluster, Abell 2390  ( z ≃ 0.23)  . From new and literature data, we conclude that the Faranoff–Riley type II (FRII)-powerful radio source is the combination of a compact, core-dominated 'medium-sized symmetric object' (MSO) with a more extended, steeper spectrum mini-halo. B2151+174 is unusual in a number of important aspects. (i) It is one of the most compact and flat spectrum sources in a cluster core known; (ii) it shows a complex, compact twin-jet structure in a north–south orientation; (iii) the orientation of the jets is 45° misaligned with apparent structure (ionization cones and dust disc) of the host galaxy on larger scales. Since the twin-jet of the MSO has its northern half with an apparent 'twist', it might be that precession of the central supermassive black hole explains this misalignment. B2151+174 may be an example of the early stage (10³–10⁴ yr duration) of a 'bubble' being blown into the intracluster medium where the plasma has yet to expand.     

Dynamics of disk galaxies (invited review)

Astrophysics and Space Science - In order to detect the gravitational effect of the dark corona component of disk galaxies, it is necessary to have surface photometry and rotation data that extend...