Automatic tracing of the foot of the continental slope

The UNCLOS III (Article 76, Section 4(b)) defines the foot of the continental slope as the point of maximum change in the gradient at its base. It is impossible to locate so defined afoot and thus to trace the foot‐line objectively by eye. In this study we show a method designed automatically to detect and trace the foot‐line of the continental slope from an irregular array of bathymetrical data. Our algorithm first transforms the bathymetric surface to a maximum curvature surface. On this new surface, the foot‐line corresponds to one of the ridges; instead of tracing the foot‐line on the bathymetric surface, we now can trace the ridges on the maximum curvature surface. The tracing of the ridges can be done automatically and objectively and the foot‐line is identified as being one of these ridges. We devote particular attention to the case when the ridge‐line is not defined, i.e., to the case when the point of maximum gradient change becomes a region of maximum gradient change.     

Characteristics and implications of some Loch Lomond Stadial moraine ridges and later landforms,eastern Lake District,northern England

Moraine ridges and mounds of inferred Loch Lomond Stadial (LLS) age have been mapped at three sites (Fordingdale, Swindale and Wet Sleddale) in part of the eastern Lake District, northern England, and indicate glaciers were more widespread than envisaged by Sissons (1980, Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences, Vol. 71, pp. 13–27). The moraines delimit closely the downslope/downvalley limits of the former glaciers but there is no geomorphological evidence with which to define their upslope/upvalley margins. The former glaciers are considered to have been nourished within the confines of their individual valley, cirque and hillside embayment respectively, rather than being outlet glaciers of plateau icefields. Estimated equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) are within the range of values determined previously for LLS glaciers in the Lake District and do not necessitate revision of established palaeoclimatic parameters. Individual ELAs were probably influenced by local factors; all three former glaciers had accumulation-area aspects between north and east, limiting the impact of direct solar radiation during the ablation season, and were adjacent to extensive areas of high ground to the west and/or south that would have facilitated transfer of snow to their surfaces by winds from those directions. In Fordingdale, three essentially contemporaneous depositional landforms occur upslope of the moraines and are considered to represent hillslope adjustments following wastage of glacier ice from the site. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

极地海区等距离正圆柱投影平面上等角航线的展绘方法

墨卡托投影由于其纬度渐长的特性导致在极地海区投影存在严重的长度变形,无法在南北纬80°以外高纬度海区航海图中较好地应用。将长度变形程度明显低于墨卡托投影的等距离正圆柱投影作为极地海区的海图投影,研究了该投影平面中等角航线在极地海区的展绘方法。建立了等距离正圆柱投影平面上等角航线方程并对其曲率进行了分析,推导了绘制一般曲线形态的"以直代曲"公式;最后提出了一种可满足给定精度要求的等角航线展绘算法。实验结果表明:该算法简单易行,可在海图编绘规范规定的误差范围内,实现等角航线的精确展绘。     

新疆鄯善康古尔塔格蛇绿岩及其大地构造意义

康古尔塔格蛇绿岩的岩石组合为变质橄榄岩-堆晶橄榄岩-辉长岩-斜长花岗岩-辉绿岩-玄武岩。方辉橄榄岩（蛇纹岩）、蛇纹石化辉石岩、蚀变辉长岩与特罗多斯蛇绿岩中同类型岩石类似，岩石总体低钾。变质橄榄岩MgO／（MgO＋TFeO）为0．834～0．866，TiO，（wt％）为0．02％，为SSZ型蛇绿岩的变质橄榄岩。玄武岩的构造环境判别显示其形成于边缘海盆。放射虫硅质岩的Al2O3／（Al2O3＋Fe2O3）值平均为0．047，MnO／TiO2比值平均为0．93，Ce具负异常，Ce／Ce^＊=0．548，Lan／Cen=1．661．表明放射虫硅质岩的形成环境与洋中脊有密切关系。该蛇绿岩位于塔里木板块和哈萨克斯坦-准噶尔板块的艾比湖-康古尔塔格缝合线上，为一套无序产出的古生代北天山洋在该区的古洋壳残片。     

导线覆冰大跨越输电塔-线体系动力特性分析

大跨越输电塔-线体系对导线覆冰等环境荷载反应敏感,容易发生动态倒塌破坏。目前对线路覆冰下输电塔的振动问题虽然取得了一定的研究成果,但是线路覆冰下输电塔的动力特性规律尚需进一步研究。本文以实际工程为例,建立了大跨越输电塔-线体系数值分析模型,分析了导线划分精度对输电塔-线体系动力特性的影响,并在此基础上分析了导线覆冰对输电塔-线体系动力特性的影响。研究结果表明：导线划分精度对输电塔振动影响较大;导线覆冰不仅影响输电塔振动频率,而且对输电塔振型也有较大影响,尤其是对输电塔横担的振动影响更大。     

Changes in cetacean presence,relative abundance and distribution over 20 years along a trans‐regional fixed line transect in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea

From 1989 to 1992, systematic cetacean surveys were carried out twice weekly along a trans‐regional fixed transect in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea, utilising passenger ferries as research platforms. Using the same protocol and supervised by the same investigators, the research restarted in 2007, providing the opportunity to compare consistent data over a long 20‐year period. The monitored transect (Civitavecchia‐Golfo Aranci) runs along a strategic area just outside the southeastern border of the Pelagos Sanctuary. Over the last two decades, an increasing trend of temperature and salinity, in the deep and intermediate layers, has been documented in the region, as well as general changes over the Mediterranean basin. These changes, together with the increasing impact of some pressures (e.g. maritime traffic) may have led to changes in oceanographic and anthropogenic features and, subsequently, in cetacean presence and distribution. The research aimed to verify whether any changes occurred in the pattern of cetacean occurrence over the 20‐year period along the representative transect in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea. Data from 90 summer weekly runs undertaken in the 1990s were compared with data obtained from 95 runs undertaken in the 2000s. Each ferry run was considered an independent statistical unit: the encounter rate (ER = number of sightings per hour spent on effort) was calculated to compare relative abundance between periods, years and months. Spatial analysis was performed on geographical data using Kernel analysis to map the distribution of sightings. Logistic regression (GLM) was performed to compare habitat preference. Total encounter rate in the 1990s (ER = 0.59 ± CI 0.08) was significantly lower (P < 0.01) compared with the 2000s (ER = 0.94 ± CI 0.15). The same seven out of eight species known for their regular presence in the Mediterranean Sea were sighted in both the investigated periods. The most common species were striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Neither the pilot whale nor any other rare or occasional species were sighted during the 6 years of the study. Despite the time span, no dramatic changes were observed for any species, bar fin whale, in terms of distribution, relative abundance, group size or habitat preference. Sightings of fin whale have surprisingly increased (+300%, P< 0.001), and their spatial and temporal distribution and habitat preference showed a radical difference between the two periods. The 2000s surveys confirmed the existence of high density areas of cetaceans, especially of fin whale, and the consequent necessity of specific legislative acts for cetacean conservation.     

Variable and broad iron lines around black holes

“Variable and Broad Iron Lines around Black Holes” was the topic of the first scientific workshop organized by the XMMNewton Science Operations Centre. This foreword gives a brief introduction to the history of black hole research, which motivated the workshop's scientific topic. The organizing committees are listed and the meeting is shortly outlined. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Lattice dynamical system modelling of molecular clouds

Because a comprehensive microscopic treatment of interstellar molecular clouds is out of reach, an alternative approach is proposed in which most of the crucial ingredients of the problem are considered, but at some 'minimal' level of modelling. This leads to the elaboration of a lattice dynamical system , i.e. a time-dependent, spatially extended, deterministic system of macroscopic cells coupled through radiative transfer. Each cell is characterized by a small set of variables and supports a caricatural chemistry possessing the essential dynamical features of more realistic reaction schemes.   This approach naturally precludes quantitative results, but allows heretofore unavailable insights into some of the basic mechanisms at play. We focus on the response of the transfer process and the chemistry to a frozen 'turbulent' velocity field. It is shown that the system settles generically into a state where the effective coupling between cells is neither local nor global, and for which no single length-scale exists.   The spectral lines reconstructed from the spatiotemporal evolution of our model may, depending on the velocity field, exhibit profiles ranging from Gaussian to bimodal with strong realization effects. In the bimodal case, the model intrinsically displays an energy cascade transport mechanism to the cells that cool most efficiently: the feedback of chemistry on radiative transfer cannot be neglected.   Finally, extensions of this work are discussed and future developments are outlined.     

边界层风廓线雷达在降水时段中的在线分析应用研究

本研究提出了一种在边界层风廓线雷达连续运行的降水探测时段中对降水频谱进行在线分析的新的应用方式。详细介绍了边界层风廓线雷达在线分析原理和方法。同时结合典型降水频谱个例,分析了可获得的多个潜在的气象参数和信息。并指出,该在线分析方式的实施可以使风廓线雷达的应用领域从晴空探测向降水测量拓展;有效缓解当前风廓线雷达应用存在的瓶颈问题;间接证明边界层风廓线雷达组网间距不固定的观点。文章分析说明,随着在线分析方式的推广应用,边界层风廓线雷达将成为单站精细化气象探测和预报/服务的重要工具。     

库水位升降联合降雨作用下库岸边坡中的浸润线研究

库岸边坡中的地下水对其稳定性有重大影响,目前还没有统一的公式用来计算岸坡中的浸润线。为此,建立隔水底板呈缓倾角的均质岸坡模型,采用稳定渗流情况下的浸润线作为非稳定渗流的初始值,推导出库水位升降联合降雨作用下该模型中浸润线的近似解析解。利用Geo-Slope中的SEEP/W程序,对浸润线的近似解析解进行验证分析,结果表明,在不同库水位升降和降雨的组合条件下,由近似解析解确定的浸润线与数值模拟结果基本一致。对库水位升降联合降雨作用下赵树岭滑坡中的浸润线进行研究,利用实测浸润线验证了近似解析解的正确性,并预测了赵树岭滑坡在快速蓄水、快速蓄水＋暴雨、快速泄水及快速泄水＋暴雨4种工况下（库水位波动范围为145～175 m）浸润线的变化情况。最后,从解析解的适用条件出发剖析了近似解析解误差产生的原因,为应用浸润线解析解解决实际问题提供依据。