Experimental Evaluation of Leaching Effects on the Compressibility of Marine Clay and its Strain Rate Dependency

This study investigated how leaching affects compressibility behavior of marine clay and its strain rate dependency based on laboratory tests using three pairs of specimens. Each pair of specimens consisted of leached and unleached samples with identical geotechnical properties except soil salinity. The behavior characteristics of the leached and unleached specimens were evaluated using several series of constant rate-of-strain (CRS) tests with differing strain rates. The results revealed that the compressibility of leached clay increased as its salinity decreased. However, void ratio, Atterberg limits, and preconsolidation pressure in leached samples were lower than those in unleached clay. The increased compressibility and decreased preconsolidation pressure may be induced from a weakening of the interparticle bonds in the leached soil skeleton. The CRS test results with differing strain rates revealed that higher strain rates corresponded with higher levels of effective stress and higher apparent preconsolidation pressure in both leached and unleached clays.     

Assessment of Risk Due to Debris Flow and Its Application to a Marine Environment

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the behavior and mechanism of a debris flow on various slopes through numerical simulation. The numerical simulation consisted of using equations related to mass conservation and momentum conservation in order to consider erosion and deposition, and the Finite Difference Method was applied. As the inflow water discharge in the upstream of the channel increases, the curve of the water discharge exhibits instability and, as time passes, the fluctuation of the high water discharge continues. In regions where the mountain areas and the ocean are connected, it is deduced that the high level of sediment concentration can greatly affect the environment surrounding the ocean. The numerical model of this study was applied in Kangwon Province of South Korea. The results show that when the debris flow reaches downstream, the flow discharge and water flow depth increase. Erosion occurs more than deposition and much of the sediment runs off downstream. The result of the simulation performed at point of sediment discharge runoff is 114,216 m³. This study will provide useful information in predicting disasters caused by debris flow and in planning for various countermeasures to prevent debris-flow-related disasters.     

Mechanical Characteristics of Light-Weighted Soils Using Dredged Materials

This study investigates the mechanical characteristics of light-weighted soils (LWS) consisting of expanded polystyrene (EPS), dredged clays, and cement through both unconfined and triaxial compression tests. The mechanical characteristics of the compressive strength of LWS are analyzed with varying initial water contents of dredged clays, EPS ratio, cement ratio, and curing pressure. In the triaxial compression test, it is found that the compressive strength of LWS associated with EPS is independent on the effective confining pressure. When both EPS ratio is less than 2% and cement ratio is more than 2%, the compressive strength rapidly decreases after the ultimate value. This signifies that the compressive strength-strain behavior is quite similar to that of the cemented soil. The ground improved by LWS has the compressive strength of 200 kPa associated with the optimized EPS ratio of 3–4% and initial water content of 165–175%. The ultimate compressive strength under both triaxial and unconfined compression tests is almost constant for a cement ratio of up to 2%.     

A voluntary reduction in the commercial catch of rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) in a New Zealand fishery

We describe the development and application of a management procedure (decision rule) that resulted in a voluntary reduction in the commercial catch of spiny rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) in the lower east coast of North Island of New Zealand. The management procedure was developed from an accepted assessment of the CRA 4 (Wellington‐Hawke's Bay) fishery, which used an integrated length‐based assessment model fitted to commercial fishery catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE) biomass indices, commercial length‐frequency data, and tag‐recapture data. The assessment model had been Bayesian, and used the joint posterior distribution of parameters to predict the effect of 384 alternative harvest control rules on the future size of the CRA 4 stock. The harvest control rules all used CPUE as their input, and generated annual changes in catch, which were then simulated by the population dynamics of the operating model. Uncertainty was added to evaluations through observation error, added to the simulated CPUE observations, and stochastic serial auto‐correlation variation in recruitment. We describe how this management procedure was used to effect a voluntary reduction in catch to address the problem of a rapidly declining population.     

Analysis of recent climate change over the Arctic using ERA-Interim reanalysis data

This study investigates recent climate change over the Arctic and its link to the mid-latitudes using the ERA-Interim global atmospheric reanalysis data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast （ECMWF）. Since 1979, sub- stantial surface warming, associated with the increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gases, has occurred over the Arctic. The great- est warming in winter has taken place offshore in the Kara-Barents Sea, and is associated with the increase in turbulent heat fluxes from the marginal ice zone. In contrast to the marked warming over the Arctic Ocean in winter, substantial cooling appears over Siberia and eastern Asia, linked to the reduction of Arctic sea ice during the freezing season （September-March）. However, in summer, very little change is observed in surface air temperature over the Arctic because increased radiative heat melts the sea ice and the amount of turbulent heat gain from the ocean is relatively small. The heat stored in the upper ocean mixed layer in summer with the opening of the Arctic Ocean is released back to the atmosphere as turbulent heat fluxes during the autumn and through to the following spring. This warming of the Arctic and the reduced sea ice amplifies surface cooling over Siberia and eastern Asia in winter.     

Massive sedimentation of fine sediment with organic matter and enhanced benthic-pelagic coupling by an artificial dyke in semi-enclosed Chonsu Bay, Korea

To assess the impact of an artificial dyke in Chonsu Bay (CBD) on the organic carbon (C(org)) cycle, we measured excess (210)Pb activities, C(org) and nitrogen content in sediment cores. The C(org) oxidation rates (C(ox)) on the surface sediment and benthic nutrient fluxes were also quantified with an in situ benthic chamber. The higher excess (210)Pb inventory, C(org) and nitrogen in cores near the CBD indicated lateral transport and local, massive deposition of particulate matter due to tidal circulation altered by artificial dyke construction. The C(ox) in sediment near the CBD was about twice as high as that out of the bay, suggesting the importance of benthic remineralization of organic matter. The benthic fluxes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphate were four to six times higher than those outside the bay, corresponding to 141% and 131% respectively, of the requirements for primary production.     

Constructing rainfall depth-frequency curves considering a linear trend in rainfall observations

Comprehensive flood prevention plans are established in large basins to cope with recent abnormal floods in South Korea. In order to make economically effective plans, appropriate design rainfalls are critically determined from the rainfall depth-frequency curves which take the occurrence of abnormal floods into consideration. Conventional approaches to construct the rainfall depth-frequency curves are based on the stationarity assumption. However, this assumption has a critical weak aspect in that it cannot reflect non-stationarities in rainfall observations. As an alternative, this study suggests the non-stationary Gumbel model (NSGM) which incorporates a linear trend of rainfall observations into rainfall frequency analysis to construct the rainfall depth-frequency curves. A comparison of various schemes employed in the model found that the proposed NSGM permits the estimation of the distribution parameters even when shifted in the future by using linear relationships between rainfall statistics and distribution parameters, and produces more acceptable estimates of design rainfalls in the future than the conventional model. The NSGM was applied at several stations in South Korea and then expected the design rainfalls to increase by up to 15–30% in 2050.     

Effect of upward internal flow on dynamics of riser model subject to shear current

Numerical study about vortex-induced vibration(VIV) related to a flexible riser model in consideration of internal flow progressing inside has been performed.The main objective of this work is to investigate the coupled fluid-structure interaction(FSI) taking place between tensioned riser model,external shear current and upward-progressing internal flow(from ocean bottom to surface).A CAE technology behind the current research which combines structural software with the CFD technology has been proposed.According to the result from dynamic analysis,it has been found that the existence of upward-progressing internal flow does play an important role in determining the vibration mode(/dominant frequency),vibration intensity and the magnitude of instantaneous vibration amplitude,when the velocity ratio of internal flow against external current is relatively high.As a rule,the larger the velocity of internal flow is,the more it contributes to the dynamic vibration response of the flexible riser model.In addition,multi-modal vibration phenomenon has been widely observed,for asymmetric curvature along the riser span emerges in the case of external shear current being imposed.     

First retrieval of data regarding spatial distribution of Asian dust aerosol from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager

Aerosol optical thickness (AOT) was retrieved from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) on board the Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) for the first time. AOT values were retrieved over the ocean at a spatial scale of 0.5 × 0.5 km² by using the look-up table (LUT)-based separation technique. The radiative transfer model (RTM) was used for different models of atmosphere-ocean environmental conditions, taking into account the realistic variability of scattering and absorption. Ocean surface properties affected by whitecaps and pigment content were also taken into account. The results show that the radiance observed by the GOCI amounts to only 5% of the radiation that penetrated the ocean and, consequently, 95% of the radiation is scattered in the atmosphere or reflected at the ocean surface in the visible wavelengths longer than 0.6 ìm. Within these wavelengths, radiance variations at the top of atmosphere (TOA) due to pigment variations are within 10%, while the radiance variation due to wind speed is considerably higher. For verification of GOCI-retrieved AOTs, comparison between GOCI and ground-based sunphotometer measurement at Gosan, Korea (126.10°E, 33.23°N)) showed good correlation (r = 0.99). The GOCI observations obtained by using the proposed technique showed promising results for the daily monitoring of atmospheric aerosol loading as well as being useful for environmental supervisory authorities.     

Metabolic plasticity of nitrogen assimilation by Porphyra umbilicalis (Linnaeus) Kützing

The physical stresses associated with emersion have long been considered major factors determining the vertical zonation of intertidal seaweeds.We examined Porphyra umbilicalis(Linnaeus) Kützing thalli from the vertical extremes in elevation of an intertidal population(i.e.upper and lower intertidal zones) to determine whether Porphyra thalli acclimate to different vertical elevations on the shore with different patterns of nitrate uptake and nitrate reductase(NR) and glutamine synthetase(GS) activities in response to different degrees of emersion stress.We found that the nitrate uptake and NR recovery in the emersed tissues took longer in lower intertidal sub-population than in upper intertidal sub-population;and GS activity was also significantly affected by emersion and,interestingly,such an activity was enhanced by emersion of thalli from both upper and lower intertidal zones.These results suggested that intra-population variability in post-emersion recovery of physiological functions such as nutrient uptake and NR activity enables local adaptation and contributes to the wide vertical distribution of P.umbilicalis.The high GS activity during periodic emersion stress may be a protective mechanism enabling P.umbilicalis to assimilate nitrogen quickly when it again becomes available,and may also be an evidence of photorespiration during emersion.