Numerical Simulation of Soil Squeezing Effects of a Jacked Pipe Pile in Soft Foundation Soil and in Foundation Soil with an Underlying Gravel Layer

A three-dimensional finite-element analysis was carried out using ABAQUS to evaluate the squeezing effects of a prestressed high-strength concrete (PHC) pipe pile, including land upheaval, lateral soil displacement, and soil stress field with depth-varying during pile-sinking. Field data used in the analysis were obtained from the settlement building project in Hefei City, Anhui Province, China. In coastal areas of China, PHC pipe piles are normally used for reinforcement of soft foundation. The changes of displacement with the increase of soil depth and radial distance during pile-sinking are simulated for both soft foundation and soft clay with an underlying gravel layer. The numerical simulation results show that there is little difference in land upheaval with soil depth during pile-sinking, and the obvious land upheaval occurs within 0.8 m from the center of the pile. The lateral soil displacement is evident within the area of 1.0 m from the axis of the PHC, decreases with the increase of radial distance during pile-sinking, and becomes negligible beyond 4.0 m. The existence of the gravel layer helps reduce soil squeezing substantially, and the soil squeezing effects during pile-sinking have less influence on the surrounding area of foundation with a gravel layer than that in a soft foundation soil without gravel layer.     

A Multi-method Approach for Estimating the Failure Depth of Coal Seam Floor in a Longwall Coal Mine in China

Determining the failure depth of coal seam floor is necessary for safe mining operations, especially when the coal seam is located above confined aquifers with high water pressure. Geomechanical, geophysical, and hydrogeological data collected during the longwall mining of the first working face of coal seam no. 16 in the Nantun coal mine, Shandong Province, China, were used to calculate the failure depth of the coal seam floor above the Ordovician limestone confined aquifer. The multiple method approach employed by this study made use of the plastic sliding theory, empirical formulas, water injection test, and numerical simulation. Multiple methods can compensate for and validate each other and also overcome the intrinsic limitations of any single method. The results showed that the most appropriate value of the failure depth of the coal seam floor in the mine was 14.6 m and this value proved useful for knowing the effective thickness of water pressure-resistant layer below the coal seam. The failure depth also proved to be an important parameter when preventing groundwater flow into the mine from the coal seam floor.     

Habitat suitability analysis of eelgrass <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera marina</Emphasis> L. in the subtidal zone of Xiaoheishan Island

We present a GIS-based habitat suitability index (HSI) model to identify suitable areas for Zostera marina L. restoration in the subtidal zone of Xiaoheishan Island. The controlling factors in the model, in order of importance, are Secchi depth, sediment composition, water temperature, salinity, current velocity, water depth and nutrient quality. Specific factor piecewise functions have been used to transform parameter values into normalized quality indexes. The weight of each factor was defined using expert knowledge and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. All of the data thus obtained were interpolated using the inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation method to create maps for the entire region. In this study, the analysis of habitat suitability in the subtidal zone of Xiaoheishan Island was conducted for four seasons. According to the GIS-based HSI model, the optimal habitat of Zostera marina L. appears in spring, although habitat remains suitable all year round. On the whole, the optimum site for eelgrass restoration is located in the eastern region, followed by the western and southern regions. We believe that the GIS-based HSI model could be a promising tool to select sites for Zostera marina L. restoration and could also be applicable in other types of habitat evaluation.     

Variations of dissolved iron in the Amur River during an extreme flood event in 2013

As a key factor limiting primary productivity in marine ecosystem, dissolved iron(DFe) export from fluvial systems has increased recently. There is particular concern about discharges of DFe during extreme flooding, when they are thought to increase considerably. An extreme flood event that caused inundation of extensive areas of Far Eastern Russia and Northeastern China occurred in the basin of the Amur River during summer and autumn 2013. During this event, water samples were collected in the middle reaches of the Amur River and the lower reaches at Khabarovsk City and analyzed for DFe concentrations and other aquatic parameters. The results show that the average DFe concentrations in the middle reaches of the Amur River(right bank) and at Khabarovsk were 1.11 mg/L and 0.32 mg/L, respectively, during the extreme flood in 2013. The total discharge of DFe during the flood event was 6.25 × 104 t. The high discharge of DFe during the flood reflects the elevated discharge of the river, hydrologically connected riparian wetlands, vast quantities of terrestrial runoff, and flood discharges from the Zeya and Bureya reservoirs. These results show that long-term monitoring is needed to identify and assess the impacts of DFe transport on the downstream reaches, estuarine area, and coastal ecosystems of the Amur River.     

黔北桐梓狮溪志留纪埃隆晚期石牛栏段的生物滩相

志留纪兰多维列世埃隆晚期,滇黔桂古陆以北的陆表海缓坡上沉积了石牛栏组石牛栏段浅水灰岩。珊瑚—层孔虫为主的后生动物格架岩建造的点礁分布北界仅延伸到桐梓水坝塘一带;更远岸的狮溪镇白芷垭剖面虽然远离古陆剥蚀区,层状灰岩中极低的粉砂质、泥质含量指示高清澈度的环境指标,内碎屑和少量生屑混合沉积的滩相灰岩沉积深度在最大浪基面之上,但珊瑚—层孔虫密度偏低,后生动物格架岩的丰度以及个体大小均达不到礁灰岩的标准,也不呈现生物礁特有的正向海底地貌。本文实例诠释了海底深度变化显著制约底栖群落的古生态分异,后生动物点礁栖居的深度范围有限。     

Anomalous circulation patterns in association with two types of daily precipitation extremes over southeastern China during boreal summer

Based on the daily rainfall data from China Meteorological Administration, the tropical cyclone (TC) best track data from Japan Meteorological Agency, and the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data from NOAA, regional mean daily precipitation extreme (RDPE) events over southeastern China (specifically, the Fujian-Jiangxi region (FJR)) and the associated circulation anomalies are investigated. For the summers of 1979–2011, a total of 105 RDPE events are identified, among which 35 are TC-influenced (TCIn-RDPE) and 70 are TC-free events (TCFr-RDPE). Distinct differences between these two types of RDPEs are found in both their statistical features and the related circulation patterns. TCFr-RDPEs usually occur in June, while TCIn-RDPEs mainly take place during July–August. When TCFr-RDPEs happen, a center of the anomalous cyclonic circulation is observed over the FJR, with an anomalous anticyclonic circulation to the south of this region. The warm/moist air flows from the South China Sea (SCS) and western Pacific meet with colder air from the north, forming a narrow convergent belt of water vapor over the FJR. Simultaneously, positive diabatic forcing anomalies are observed over the FJR, whereas negative anomalies appear over both its south and north sides, facilitating the formation and maintenance of the cyclonic circulation anomaly, as well as the upward motion of the atmosphere, over the FJR. When TCIn-RDPEs occur, southeastern China is dominated by a TC-related stronger anomalous cyclonic circulation. An anomalous anticyclonic circulation in the mid and high latitudes north of the FJR exists in the mid and upper troposphere, opposite to the situation during TCFr-RDPE events. Abundant warm/wet air is carried into the FJR from both the Indian Ocean and the SCS, leading to a large amount of latent heat release over the FJR and inducing strong ascending motion there. Furthermore, large differences are also found in the manifestation of Rossby wave energy propagation between these two types of RDPE events. The results of this study are helpful to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms behind these two types of RDPE events.     

Study of spatial patterns and spatial effects of energy eco-efficiency in China

Energy eco-efficiency is a concept integrating ecological and economic benefits arising from energy utilization and serves as a measure of efficiency in the energy–environment–economy system. Using the slacks-based measure (SBM) model considering undesirable output, this study first measures the energy eco-efficiency of provinces in China from 1997 to 2012. It then analyzes the spatial distribution and evolution of energy eco-efficiency from three aspects: scale, intensity, and grain of spatial patterns. Finally, it examines the spatial spillover effects and influencing factors of energy eco-efficiency in different provinces by means of a spatial econometric model. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) The overall energy eco-efficiency is relatively low in China, with energy-inefficient regions accounting for about 40%. Guangdong, Hainan and Fujian provinces enjoy the highest energy eco-efficiency, while Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang are representative regions with low efficiency. Thus, the pattern of evolution of China’s overall energy eco-efficiency is U-shaped. Among local regions, four main patterns of evolution are found: increasing, fluctuating, mutating, and leveling. (2) At the provincial level, China’s energy eco-efficiency features significant spatial agglomeration both globally and locally. High–high agglomeration occurs mainly in the eastern and southern coastal regions and low–low agglomeration in the northwestern region and the middle reaches of the Yellow River. Changes in spatial patterns have occurred mainly in areas with high–low and low–high agglomeration, with the most remarkable change taking place in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. (3) There exist significant spatial effects of energy eco-efficiency among provinces in China. For the energy eco-efficiency of a given region, spatial spillovers from adjacent regions outweigh the influence of errors in adjacent regions. Industrial structure has the greatest influence on energy eco-efficiency.     

1998年南海夏季风环流与动能 收支的多尺度特征

利用1998年NCEP/NCAR日平均资料研究南海夏季风环流及动能收支的多尺度变化。 结果表明1998年南海夏季风环流在对流层高层以季节变化为主，在低空以季节内变化为主；但在整个对流层，动能收支各项的变化均表现为短周期变化过程较强，而季节变化则较弱。在夏季风爆发前后，动能收支主要取决于120d和30～60d变化，爆发阶段突出了准两周与天气尺度变化的重要作用。     

Induction of EROD activity in Paralichthys olivaceus by polychlorinated biphenyl CB-28

Abstract-The test organisms (Paralichthys olivaceus) were exposed to CB-28 with differentspiked concentrations. After 72 h, EROD activities in livers of the test organisms were measured. It wasfound that EROD activities significantly mounted up with the increase of spiked quantity. Therefore,there existed a dose-response relationship between EROD activities and specific pollutant concentrations.In the meantime, the optimal conditions for the analysis of EROD activity were discussed. The limita-tion of EROD activities as a monitoring parameter was also analyzed.     

Global estimates of wind energy input to subinertial motions in the Ekman-Stokes layer

By incorporating the wave-induced Coriolis-Stokes forcing into the classical Ekman model, the wind energy input to the Ekman-Stokes layer is investigated, with an emphasis on the surface wave effects when the direction of Stokes drift deviates from that of wind stress. Theoretical analysis of the kinetic energy balance of the Ekman-Stokes layer shows that the total wind energy input consists of the direct wind energy input and the wave-induced energy input. Details of the direct wind and wave-induced energy input are discussed. Based on the ECMWF ERA-40 Re-Analysis wind stress and surface wave data, the global total wind energy input to subinertial motions in the Ekman-Stokes layer is estimated at 2.19 TW, including 0.26 TW (12%) wave-induced energy input and 1.93 TW (88%) direct wind energy input. The effect of sea-ice coverage on the energy input to the Ekman-Stokes layer is also considered. It is shown that the global total energy input could be overestimated by 0.08 TW (about 4%) without taking the sea-ice coverage into account.