Spatial variability of phytoplankton absorption coefficients and pigments off Baja California during November 2002

We have estimated the spatial variability of phytoplankton specific absorption coefficients (a* _ph ) in the water column of the California Current System during November 2002, taking into account the variability in pigment composition and phytoplankton community structure and size. Oligotrophic conditions (surface Chl < 0.2 mg m⁻³) dominated offshore, while mesotrophic conditions (surface Chl 0.2 to 2.0 mg m⁻³) where found inshore. The specific absorption coefficient at 440 [a* _ph (440)] ranged from 0.025–0.281 m²mg⁻¹ while at 675 nm [a* _ph (675)] it varied between 0.014 and 0.087 m²mg⁻¹. The implementation of a size index based on HPLC data showed the community structure was dominated by picoplankton. This would reduce the package effect in the variability of a* _ph (675). Normalized a _ph curves were classified in two groups according to their shape, separating all spectra with peaks between 440 and 550 nm as the second group. Most samples in the first group were from surface layers, while the second group were from the deep chlorophyll maximum or deeper. Accessory photoprotective pigments (APP) tended to decrease with depth and accessory photosynthetic pigments (APS) to increase, indicating the importance of photoprotective mechanisms in surface layers and adaptation to low light at depth. Samples with higher ratios of APP:APS (>0.4) were considered as phytoplankton adapted to high irradiances, and lower ratios (<0.26) as adapted to low irradiances. We found a good relationship between APP:APS and a* _ph (440) for the deeper layer (DCM and below), but no clear evidence of the factors causing the variability of a* _ph (440) in the upper layer.     

Study on visual control system of acoustic in situ measurement technology for survey of seafloor sediment

Abstract

A new kind of visual acoustic measurement system was developed to obtain the acoustic characteristics of seabed sediment and the working state of in situ measuring equipment in real time. The control unit of the system structure is mainly made up of the underwater control unit and the deck control unit. In comparison with similar traditional systems, the system can transmit the working video image, the measured acoustic data and the waveform synchronous from the underwater control equipment to the deck control unit through the connecting cable. Apart from self-contained in situ measurement, the working modes of it include visual online real-time control. In order to guarantee the stability and measurement precision of the video control system, the process control of in situ measurement was strictly tested in the experimental tank. In 2017, sea trials of the in situ measurement system was carried out in the South China Sea. In the process, data related to measurement, including the acoustic velocity and attenuation coefficient of the seabed sediment, were obtained as well. The results from sea trials show that the control process of the visual system is intuitive, reliable and accurate, and therefore it can be popularized and applied.     

Properties of sea ice and overlying snow in the Southern Sea of Okhotsk

The general properties of sea ice and overlying snow in the southern Sea of Okhotsk were examined during early February of 2003 to 2005 with the P/V “Soya”. Thin section analysis of crystal structure revealed that frazil ice (48% of total core length) was more prevalent than columnar ice (39%) and that stratigraphic layering was prominent with a mean layer thickness of 12 cm, indicating that dynamic processes are essential to ice growth. The mean thickness of ice blocks and visual observations suggest that ridging dominates the deformation process above thicknesses of 30 to 40 cm. As for snow, it was found that faceted crystals and depth hoar are dominant (78%), as which is also common in the Antarctic sea ice, and is indicative of the strong vertical temperature gradients within the snow. Stable isotope measurements (δ¹⁸O) indicate that snow ice occupies 9% of total core length and that the mass fraction of meteoric ice accounts for 1 to 2% of total ice volume, which is lower than the Antarctic sea ice. Associated with this, the effective fractionation coefficient during the freezing of seawater was also derived. Snow ice was characterized by lower density, higher salinity, and nearly twice the gas content of ice of seawater origin. In addition, it is shown that the surface brine volume fraction and freeboard are well correlated with ice thickness, indicating some promise for remote sensing approaches to the estimation of ice thickness.     

of regular and irregular waves from a partially perforated caisson breakwater with a rock-filled core

The reflection of regular and irregular waves from a partially perforated caisson breakwater with a rock-filled core is examined. The present mathematical model is developed by means of the matched eigenfunction method. Numerical results of the present model are compared with the experimental data of different researchers. Numerical examples are given to examine the effect of rock fill on the reflection coefficient. The differences between regular and irregular waves are also investigated by means of theoretical and experimental results. It is found that the minimum reflection coefficient of irregular waves is larger than that of corresponding regular waves, but the contrary is the case for the maximum reflection coefficient.     

Simulation of flow and solute coupled 2‐D problems with velocity‐dependent dispersion coefficient based on the network method

The governing equations of coupled density‐driven flow and solute transport problems in porous media, with velocity‐dependent dispersion coefficient, are strongly nonlinear and must be solved numerically. This contribution presents a network model, based on the network simulation method, capable of simulating the transient solution to this kind of problem efficiently and with a relatively low computational time. The mathematical model is formulated using the stream function and concentration variables. Simulation of the network model is carried out in the standard electric circuit simulation code, Pspice. The present model is first applied to simulate the original benchmark Henry problem, and the solution is compared with those obtained by other authors. A study of the grid size is also carried out. In addition, the modified version of Simpson and Clement of the Henry problem, as well as the groundwater flow in the closed desert basin of Pilot Valley, is studied using the proposed model. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of various relationships of reaeration rate coefficient for modeling dissolved oxygen in a river with extreme flow variations in Pakistan

Mathematical relationships have been developed for reaeration rate coefficient (K_a) by various researchers. These relationships have a number of variables such as depth, velocity, width, slope, Froud number, molecular diffusion coefficient, kinematic viscosity and the gas‐transfer Reynolds number. From these variables, 29 relations have been developed and divided into four groups. To evaluate their predictive capability for highly variable flow rivers receiving high pollution loads form large cities, these relationships have been used to model dissolved oxygen (DO) in the River Ravi. Such rivers are either saturated with DO during high flows or anaerobic during critical low‐flow conditions. The evaluation is based on the agreement between model DO values calculated using K_a obtained from the available equations and the measured DO concentrations in the river samples in terms of sum of square of residuals (SSR) and coefficient of determination (R²). It has been found that in general, the group of equations containing depth and velocity as the only two variables affecting K_a performed better than the equations in other groups as reflected by lower SSR and higher R² values. The study results also reveal that the turbulence‐based reaeration rate coefficient equation containing additional variables also resulted in close agreement between DO model results and the measured values. The study results identify the most important parameters affecting the reaeration rate coefficient and the suitability of various K_a relationships as well for rivers with highly variable flows. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A hydro‐economic modelling framework for flood damage estimation and the role of riparian vegetation

A modelling framework for the quick estimate of flood inundation and the resultant damages is developed in this paper. The model, called the flood economic impact analysis system (FEIAS), can be applied to a river reach of any hydrogeological river basin. For the development of the integrated modelling framework, three models were employed: (1) a modelling scheme based on the Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN model that was developed for any geomorphological river basin, (2) a river flow/floodplain model, and (3) a flood loss estimation model. The first sub‐model of the flood economic impact analysis system simulates the hydrological processes for extended periods of time, and its output is used as input to a second component, the river/floodplain model. The hydraulic model MIKE 11 (quasi‐2D) is the river/floodplain model employed in this study. The simulated flood parameters from the hydraulic model MIKE 11 (quasi‐2D) are passed, at the end of each time step, to a third component, the flood loss model for the estimation of flood damage. In the present work, emphasis was given to the seasonal variation of Manning's coefficient (n), which is an important parameter for the determination of the flood inundation in hydraulic modelling. High values of Manning's coefficient for a channel indicate high flow resistance. The riparian vegetation can have a large impact on channel resistance. The modelling framework developed in this paper was used to investigate the role of riparian vegetation in reducing flood damage. Moreover, it was used to investigate the influence of cutting riparian vegetation scenarios on the flow characteristics. The proposed framework was applied to the downstream part of the Koiliaris River basin in Crete, Greece, and was tested and validated with historical data. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of piled raft with nodular pile subjected to vertical load using a Winkler model approach

An investigation is made to present analytical solutions provided by a Winkler model approach for analysis of piled rafts with nodular pile subjected to vertical loads in nonhomogeneous soils. The vertical stiffness coefficient along a piled raft with the nodular pile in nonhomogeneous soils is derived from the displacement given by the Mindlin solution for elastic continuum analysis. The vertical stiffness coefficients for the bases of the raft and the nodular part in the nodular pile in a soil are expressed by the Muki solution for the 3‐D elastic analysis. The relationship between settlement and vertical load on the pile base is presented considering the Mindlin solution and the equivalent thickness in the equivalent elastic method. The interaction factor between the shaft of the nodular pile and the soil is expressed taking into account the Mindlin solution and the equivalent elastic modulus. The relationship between settlement and vertical load for a piled raft with the nodular pile in nonhomogeneous soils is obtained by using the recurrence equation of influence factors of the pile for each layer. The percentage of each load carried by both nodular pile and raft subjected to vertical load is represented through the vertical influence factors proposed here. Comparison of the results calculated by the present method for piled rafts with nodular piles in nonhomogeneous soils has shown good agreement with those obtained from the finite element method and a field test. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of reaeration‐rate coefficient by modified tracer gas technique

The modified tracer gas technique is used to determine the reaeration coefficient in six different water bodies of the Itajaí River basin, three with rural land use and three in urban areas. Propane was used as the tracer gas and Rhodamine WT as the conservative tracer, providing information on dilution, mixing and dispersion. Liquefied petroleum gas was used instead of high purity propane, aimed at reducing the costs associated with the field trials. Reaeration‐rate coefficients observed in the field ranged from 25.8 to 367.7 d^?1. Two data sets could be observed where smaller streams had substantially larger coefficients of between 133.1 and 367.7 d^?1, while the larger streams had values ??ranging from 25.8 to 54.5 d^?1. Five empirical equations were evaluated by comparing the values ??obtained in the field. The equations proposed by Tsivolgou and Wallace and Tsivoglou and Neal showed greater adherence to the values ??determined in the tests. Reaeration‐rate coefficients obtained in the field were correlated with the hydrodynamic characteristics of the watercourses, thus establishing a mathematical function through which to obtain estimates for future evaluations. The R² value obtained using this equation was 0.959, indicating a high correlation between the calculated values ??and those estimated in the field. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical characterization of dispersion coefficients by meshless‐based inverse analysis

This study presents the preliminary development of a meshless‐based indirect inverse analysis. Two goals are desired to be attained: (a) identifying fewer quantities in an indirect inverse analysis and (b) getting the interpolation results of spatial variation of a quantity insensitive to the replacement of one or few interpolation points with other points. This idea is illustrated by modifying a meshless local Petrov‐Galerkin (MLPG) formulation of a two‐dimensional (2D) contaminant transport problem under the concept of boundary control. Thus, dispersion coefficients to be identified are solved from measured or prescribed pollutant concentrations. A field problem is introduced to test the performance of resulting meshless‐based indirect inverse analysis procedure. This test finds a major motive and a minor one for performing a meshless‐based indirect inverse analysis. The major motive is attaining the aforementioned Goal (b), while the above‐mentioned Goal (a) is the minor motive. In conclusion, the development of a meshless‐based indirect inverse analysis procedure can be a valuable application of the MLPG method. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.