Laboratory investigation of single floating booms a and series of booms in the prevention of oil slick and jellyfish movement

Laboratory experiments were carried out to test the effectiveness of single floating booms, and series of barriers in preventing oil slick and jellyfish movement under various current, wind, and wave conditions. Samples of Kuwait light crude, Kuwait heavy crude, and emulsified Kuwait heavy crude oil were selected for the test program. It was found that the single floating booms were only effective in preventing the oil slick movement at current speeds less than 0.15 m/s for emulsified oil and 0.25 nits for non-emulsified oil. Double floating booms (with a distance of 16 times the boom's draught between them) prevented both non-emulsified and emulsified oil movement when current speed was less than 0.25 nits. The double floating boom system had the best performance in containing oil slick movement.In the combined air-bubble barrier and floating boom system, the air-bubble plume lifted the jellyfish to the water's surface, and thus most jellyfish accumulated in front of the floating boom. With the help of a proper collection device (such as a suction pump), the accumulated jellyfish could be removed to a desired location. Therefore, the quantity of jellyfish moving into the intake channel was reduced.Based on the test results, three different arrangements were recommended for the protection Kuwait's water intakes and harbors from oil slick and jellyfish movement.     

Determination of zero-plane displacement and roughness length of a forest canopy using profiles of limited height

Flux parameters, zero-plane displancement height and roughness length of a forest canopy are determined taking into consideration a transition layer and atmospheric diabatic influences. The present study, unlike previous studies by DeBruin and Moore (1985) and Lo (1990) that accounted for the velocity profile alone, make use of information from both wind and temperature profiles in formulating the governing equations. However, only the top level measurement is assumed to be within the logarithmic regime. In addition to the mass conservation principle (e.g., Lo, 1990; DeBruin and Moore, 1985), an analytic relationship between the Monin-Obukhov length and the bulk Richardson number is employed as the closure equation for the governing system.The present method is applied to profile measurements taken at Camp Borden (den Hartog and Neumann, 1984) in and above a forest canopy with mean crown height of about 18.5 m. Profile data under neutral or near-neutral conditions yieldedd=12.69 m andz ₀=0.97 m, which are realistic values. In general,z ₀ increases slightly with increasing wind yet remains relatively constant with respect to small variation of stabilities. On the other hand, increases of wind speed reduced values of displacement height,d, by as much as 50%. The influence, if any, of stability ond, however, is not clear from the results of the present study. The validity of using profile data of limited height is also carefully examined. At least for neutral or near-neutral stabilities, the present method can yield realistic results even though the profile heights are substantially below the transition layer height suggested by Garratt (1978).     

3-D Shear Wave Velocity Structure of the Crust and Upper Mantle in South China Sea and its Surrounding Regions by Surface Wave Dispersion Analysis

In this study, we construct a 3-D shear wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle in South China Sea and its surrounding regions by surface wave dispersion analysis. We use the multiple filter technique to calculate the group velocity dispersion curves of fundamental mode Rayleigh and Love waves with periods from 14 s to 120 s for earthquakes occurred around the Southeast Asia. We divide the study region (80° E–140° E, 16° S–32° N) into 3° × 3° blocks and use the constrained block inversion method to get the regionalized dispersion curve for each block. At some chosen periods, we put together laterally the regionalized group velocities from different blocks at the same period to get group velocity image maps. These maps show that there is significant heterogeneity in the group velocity of the study region. The dispersion curve of each block was then processed by surface wave inversion method to obtain the shear wave velocity structure. Finally, we put the shear wave velocity structures of all the blocks together to obtain the three-dimensional shear wave velocity structure of crust and upper mantle. The three-dimensional shear wave velocity structure shows that the shear wave velocity distribution in the crust and upper mantle of the South China Sea and its surrounding regions displays significant heterogeneity. There are significant differences among the crustal thickness, the lithospheric thickness and the shear wave velocity of the lid in upper mantle of different structure units. This study shows that the South China Sea Basin, southeast Sulu Sea Basin and Celebes Sea Basin have thinner crust. The thickness of crust in South China Sea Basin is 5–10 km; in Indochina is 25–40 km; in Peninsular Malaysia is 30–35 km; in Borneo is 30–35 km; in Palawan is 35 km; in the Philippine Islands is 30–35 km, in Sunda Shelf is 30–35 km, in Southeast China is 30–40 km, in West Philippine Basin is 5–10 km. The South China Sea Basin has a lithosphere with thickness of about 45–50 km, and the shear wave velocity of its lid is about 4.3–4.7 km/s; Indochina has a lithosphere with thickness of about 55–70 km, and the shear wave velocity of its lid is about 4.3–4.5 km/s; Borneo has a lithosphere with thickness of about 55–60 km, and the shear wave velocity of its lid is about 4.1–4.3 km/s; the Philippine Islands has a lithosphere with thickness of about 55–60 km, and the shear wave velocity of its lid is about 4.2–4.3 km/s, West Philippine Basin has a lithosphere with thickness of about 50–55 km, and the shear wave velocity of its lid is about 4.7–4.8 km/s, Sunda Self has a lithosphere with thickness of about 55–65 km, and the shear wave velocity of its lid is about 4.3 km/s. The Red-River Fault Zone probably penetrates to a depth of at least 200 km and is plausibly the boundary between the South China Block and the Indosinia Block.     

Correction factors for quantitative analysis of anchovy eggs and larval stages from the southern waters of Korea

Correction factors based on the catch ratios of egg and larval densities in the southern waters of Korea were estimated for anchovyEngraulis japonica. This was undertaken in order to adjust ichthyoplankton data from different sampling methods, gear types and time. Samples were collected during ichthyoplankton surveys in Korean waters from 1983 to 1994. The ratios for egg densities obtained in vertical tows with a NORPAC net (ring Φ, 45 cm) compared to those obtained in oblique tows with a KOB net (ring Φ, 80 cm) were 0.86 (CV = 0.65), 1.22 (CV = 0.36), and 0.93 (CV = 0.42) for early, middle, and later developmental stages, respectively. The ratios for larval densities for vertical and oblique tows varied depending on size. For yolk-sac and small larvae (< 4 mm), the ratios were 3.08 (CV = 0.45) and 1.98 (CV = 1.34), while those of 4-6 mm, 6-8 mm, and 8-10 mm larvae were 0.44 (CV = 1.31), 0.45 (CV = 1.70), and 0.56 (CV = 2.50), respectively. Ratios of day/night densities for larvae of 4-10 mm lengths were lower (0.01-0.06) in offshore catches than values obtained in coastal areas (0.44-0.46) and similar values (0.16-0.04) for vertical and oblique tows. Our results indicated that vertical towing is more efficient for sampling early life stages (from eggs to larvae less than 4 mm long), while oblique towing is more efficient for larvae longer than 4 mm due to depth preferences for each developmental stage (e.g., changes in egg buoyancy and vertical migration of larvae).     

Aquifer storage capacity and maximum annual yield from long-term aquifer fluxes

Long-term time series data of aquifer recharge, groundwater extraction, and discharge are used to estimate aquifer storage capacity and maximum annual yield. Aquifer storage capacity is defined as the maximum volume of water that can be stored in an aquifer. It is estimated using a transient water-balance approach. The maximum annual yield is defined as the maximum combined groundwater extraction plus discharge that can be sustained in an aquifer judged by the historical record of recharge. It is determined according to a graphical mass-curve method. These two quantities are useful in aquifer characterization and groundwater management, the apportionment of groundwater rights and aquifer storage and recovery operations being two frequent applications. Time series data from the Edwards Aquifer, Texas, USA, illustrate the application of the methods presented.

---

Résumé Des données sur le long terme de la recharge d’aquifère, de l’exploitation de l’eau souterraine et de la vidange sont utilisées pour estimer la capacité d’emmagasinement de l’aquifère et la capacité annuelle maximum. La capacité d’emmagasinement de l’aquifère est définit comme le volume maximum de l’eau qui peut être emmagasinée dans le réservoir. Elle est estimée en utilisant une approche par bilan hydrologique en transitoire. La capacité annuelle maximum est définit comme la combinaison de l’extraction de l’eau souterraine et de la vidange, combinaison qui peut être jugée durable ou non au regard de l’examen des valeurs de recharge. Elle est déterminée au moyen d’une méthode de courbe des valeurs cumulées. Ces deux quantités sont très utiles pour caractériser les aquifères et pour gérer les eaux souterraines, l’imputation des droits aux eaux souterraines, et du fait que les opérations de recharge des aquifères et de récupération sont très fréquentes. Les données temporelles provenant de l’aquifère Edwards, Texas, USA, illustrent l’application de la méthode présentée.

---

Resumen Para estimar la capacidad de almacenamiento de un acuífero y su rendimiento máximo anual, se han utilizado series temporales largas de datos de recarga al acuífero, de extracciones de agua subterránea y de descarga. La capacidad de almacenamiento de un acuífero se define como el volumen máximo de agua que puede ser almacenado en el mismo. Se estima utilizando una aproximación con un balance de agua en régimen transitorio. El rendimiento máximo anual se define como el máximo resultante de la combinación de la extracción de aguas subterráneas y la descarga que puede ser sostenido por un acuífero según los registros históricos de recarga y se define según un método gráfico masa-curva. Estos dos valores son útiles en la caracterización de los acuíferos y en la gestión de las aguas subterráneas, el reparto de los derechos sobre las aguas subterráneas y las operaciones de almacenaje y recuperación de los acuíferos, que son dos aplicaciones frecuentes. Las series de tiempo para el Acuífero Edwards, Texas, USA, ilustra la aplicación de los métodos presentados.

     

An embedded fracture modeling framework for simulation of hydraulic fracturing and shear stimulation

A numerical modeling framework is described that is able to calculate the coupled processes of fluid flow, geomechanics, and rock failure for application to general engineering problems related to reservoir stimulation, including hydraulic fracturing and shear stimulation. The numerical formulation employs the use of an embedded fracture modeling approach, which provides several advantages over more traditional methods in terms of computational complexity and efficiency. Specifically, the embedded fracture modeling strategy avoids the usual requirement that the discretization of the fracture domain conforms to the discretization of the rock volume surrounding the fractures. As fluid is exchanged between the two domains, conservation of mass is guaranteed through a coupling term that appears as a simple source term in the governing mass balance equations. In this manner, as new tensile fractures nucleate and propagate subject to mechanical effects, numerical complexities associated with the introduction of new fracture control volumes are largely negated. In addition, the ability to discretize the fractures and surrounding rock volume independently provides the freedom to choose an acceptable level of discretization for each domain separately. Three numerical examples were performed to demonstrate the utility of the embedded fracture model for application to problems involving fluid flow, mechanical deformation, and rock failure. The results of the numerical examples confirm that the embedded fracture model was able to capture accurately the complex and nonlinear evolution of reservoir permeability as new fractures propagate through the reservoir and as fractures fail in shear.     

Iranian ultrapotassic volcanism at ~11 Ma signifies the initiation of post‐collisional magmatism in the Arabia–Eurasia collision zone

Ultrapotassic rocks are a common, but volumetrically minor, hallmark of post‐collisional magmatism along the Alpine–Himalayan orogenic belt. Here, we document the occurrence of ultrapotassic volcanic rocks from the Eslamy peninsula, NW Iran in the Arabia–Eurasia collision zone. Our results indicate that magma genesis involved melting of phlogopite‐ and apatite‐bearing peridotites in the sub‐continental lithospheric mantle at ~11 Ma. These peridotites likely formed by metasomatism involving components derived from subducted sediments during Neotethyan subduction. The ~11 Ma ultrapotassic volcanism was preceded by a magmatic gap of ~11 Ma after the cessation of arc magmatism in NW Iran and Armenia, thus likely representing the initiation of post‐collisional magmatism. The age coincides with the onset of collision‐related magmatic activity and topographic uplift in the Caucasus–Iran–Anatolia region, and also with other regional geological events including the closure of the eastern Tethys gateway, the end of Arabian underthrusting and the start of escape tectonics in Anatolia.