On the “rotational angular momentum” of the oceans and the corresponding polar motion

Periodic polar motions caused by ocean tides are predicted. In the Liouville equations for rotational motion the complete excitation functions for the ocean tides have to be used. This does not depend on the fact that hydrodynamical ocean tide models do not consider the centrifugal acceleration. The observable polar motion of the Celestial Ephemeris Pole CEP (more exactly: the terrestrial location of the CEP) is tabulated for the ten ocean tides M₂, S₂, N₂, K₁, O₁, P₁, M f, M f′, M m, Ssa. Typical amplitudes for the largest ocean tides are 0.4 milliarcseconds. This is within the reach of geodetic VLBI and SLR observations.     

Investigation of the kinematics and structure of the Galaxy in the vicinity of the North galactic pole

In the framework of the programme of studying the meridional section of the Galaxy (MEGA) the absolute proper motions of more than 11000 stars with respect to 3000 galaxies and their stellar magnitudes in the B, V Johnson system are determined in two sky regions near the North Galactic Pole (NGP) by means of Tautenburg Schmidt plates. The limiting and completing apparent stellar magnitudes are B = 20.4 and 18.3 mag, the overall and the investigated sky areas are 16.4 and 14.6 square degrees, respectively. Distances have been determined using the stellar magnitudes, colours, proper motions and reduced proper motions. Stellar kinematics, eccentricities of Galactic orbits, spatial distribution and changes of these characteristics with Z-distance from the Galactic plane are obtained up to 15 kpc. Four subsystems distinguished in the NGP direction, respectively with semithicknesses of 0.25, 0.38, 0.67, 1.48 kpc and density ellipsoid axial ratios of 0.09, 0.20, 0.28, 0.49 show mean velocities in the Galactic rotation direction relative to the LSR of 5.6 ± 0.6, − 11.0 ± 0.6, − 62.5 ± 1.2, − 181.6 ± 4.4 km/s, and ages of 0.1, 0.4, 0.9, 1 of the Galaxy age.     

中国大陆结构地震反应观测系统布设研究

本文简要介绍了结构地震反应观测研究的意义。并以中国地震局防灾大楼和北京市人大办公大楼结构地震反应观测系统为布设实例,阐述了中国大陆地区结构地震反应观测系统的两种布设方式。对两种方式进行了分析,指出简化布设中存在的问题,并提出了布设原则,用于指导结构地震反应观测系统的布设。     

The outer core rotation about an inclined axis from geomagnetic secular variations (Mitteilungen des Zentralinstituts für Physik der Erde,Nr. 1832)

Non-axisymmetric motions of the outer core of the Earth are important for the dynamo problem and the excitation of the decade variations of the polar motion. The components of the vector of a rigid rotation of the outer core about an inclined axis were estimated by a first-order approximation of the frozen- field theory of the geomagnetic secular variation from 1903.5 to 1975.5. The trends and quasi-periodic constituents of these quantities were computed. It was shown that the position and time behaviour of the rotational pole of the outer core differ considerably from the well-know co-ordinates of the dipole axis. Some periods of the equatorial components of the rotational vector are comparable with those of the axial component previously derived for a pure axial rotation. Additionally, the time behaviour of the pole path shows events like the well-known Markowitz wobble but naturally with other extent. These and other results suggested that the investigations are worth to be continued in future by some physical interpretations.     

基于EMD方法的地心运动时间序列分析

针对时间序列混有的高频信息会影响地心运动规律分析的问题,采用网平移法对IGS提供的GNSS周解进行解算,得到2007-2017年地心运动时间序列,对其进行分解重构,剔除高频项,并利用重构时序对地心运动规律作进一步分析探讨。结果表明：本文解算的地心运动在T_x、T_y和T_z方向的精度均为毫米级。EMD方法重构的时序保留了原序列的基本信息,且抑制了高频项的影响,提高了周期贡献率,3个方向的贡献率分别提高了12.3%、16.7%及6.3%。通过分析重构后的时序发现,周年项振幅为各周期对应振幅的最大值,分别为2.32、1.89和2.07 mm;T_y和T_z方向长期变化趋势较T_x更为明显,分别为0.13和-0.27 mm/a;半年项较小,且在T_x和T_y方向上具有时变性。此外,还发现了一些其他较小的年际变化。     

Experimental investigation on a cabin-suspended catamaran in terms of motion reduction and wave energy harvesting by means of a semi-active motion control system

A novel concept catamaran equipped with a suspended cabin, named Wave Harmonizer Type 4 (WHzer-4), is proposed and evaluated. The mass-spring-mass system is constructed by mounting four sets of suspensions in-between the cabin and the twin-hull. Two sets of dual motor/generators (M/Gs) are attached on the center beam of the cabin's deck fore and aft. Each shaft-end of the dual M/Gs is connected to the twin-hull through a rack-pinion gear unit. In this way the vertical relative motion between the cabin and the twin-hull can be transferred into the rotational motion of the M/Gs, and vice versa. A semi-active motion control system, which contains a proportional-integral (PI) controller, is designed and applied to each of the dual M/Gs for the aim of absorbing wave energy under the condition of suppressing the local vertical velocity of the cabin as much as possible. A 1/5 scale model ship with a length of 1.6 m is built, and a forced-oscillation bench test is implemented to validate the performance of the control system. Then, a series of towing tank tests is carried out in regular head waves. The heave and pitch responses of the cabin, those of the twin-hull and the corresponding wave energy capture width ratio (CWR) at five control scenarios and two reference scenarios are investigated. Discussion on the results of the tank test shows that the motion reduction of the cabin and the wave energy harvesting can be achieved simultaneously at a few wave conditions. However, at other conditions, although noticeable amount of wave energy is harvested, motion reduction of the heave and pitch of the cabin could not be obtained at the same time. It is suggested that varying the gain settings of the PI controllers according to the location of the controllers may improve the effectiveness of the proposed control system.     

Truss Spar平台在波流联合作用下运动响应预报方法比较

基于细长体水动力模型比较了Truss Spar平台在波流联合作用下运动响应预报的三种方法。分别采用波流耦合、速度叠加及力叠加计算Truss Spar平台在波流联合作用下的水动力载荷,根据流场水质点运动规律和Truss Spar外部形状特点,分段高效计算水动力载荷。利用Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg方法求解刚体非线性运动方程得Truss Spar在波流场中的运动响应。研究结果表明力叠加法所预报的Truss Spar纵荡和纵摇运动明显大于其他两种方法的相应运动响应预报结果,而波流耦合法与速度叠加法所预报的纵荡与纵摇运动响应幅值相当,三种方法所预报的垂荡运动响应的大小取决于具体波流参数。     

Towards new applications of underwater photogrammetry for investigating coral reef morphology and habitat complexity in the Myeik Archipelago,Myanmar

Photogrammetry represents a non-destructive, cost-effective tool for coral reef monitoring, able to integrate traditional remote sensing techniques and support researchers’ work. However, its application to submerged habitats is still in early stage. We present new ways to employ Structure from Motion techniques to infer properties of reef habitats. In particular, we propose the use of Digital Surface Models and Digital Terrain Models for assessing coral colonies extension and height and discriminating between seabed and coral cover. Such information can be coupled with digital rugosity estimates to improve habitat characterization. DTM, DSM and orthophotos were derived and used to compute a series of metrics like coral morphologies, reef topography, coral cover and structural complexity. We show the potentialities offered by underwater photogrammetry and derived products to provide useful basic information for marine habitat mapping, opening the possibility to extend these methods for large-scale assessment and monitoring of coral reefs.     

现今绝对板块运动

根据热点假设,热点对于中间层是固定的.相对热点的板块运动叫做绝对板块运动.绝对板块运动模型可以通过反演火山链传播的速率和走向数据以确定相对板块运动在角速度空间的原点来得到.利用一组近来(0～7.8 Ma)全球分布的热点的迁移速率和走向数据,结合板块运动模型NNR-NUVEL1A,已研制出一个叫做APM2的现今绝对板块运动模型.按照该模型,太平洋板块围绕60.063°S、102.210°E处的极以(0.833 0°±0.013 3°)/Ma的速率运动,非洲板块围绕46.849°N、44.372°W的极以(0.101 5°±0.013 4°)/Ma的速率运动,南极板块的运动则以46.871°N、146.942°E为极,速率为(0.084 6°±0.017 7°)/Ma,欧亚板块的运动更慢,极为27.291°N、171.925°W,速率为(0.065 5°±0.020 6°)/Ma.这一模型表明,岩石圈相对深部地幔有一个以49.423°S、90.625°E为极,速率为(0.198 3°±0.013 5°)/Ma的净旋转.表明太平洋热点同印度-大西洋热点不一致,显示太平洋热点的运动也不一致.为了分析和比较,还给出了仅用全球分布的热点的走向数据和仅用印度-大西洋热点的走向数据得到的板块绝对运动的角速度.     

Floating and fixed artificial habitats: Spatial and temporal patterns of benthic communities in a coral reef environment

While natural marine habitats with motion capabilities, e.g., kelps and seaweeds, have been studied alongside their associated fouling communities, little is known of the effect of motion on the communities of floating artificial habitats such as buoys, rafts, and pontoons, particularly in tropical systems. Hydrodynamic features greatly differ between floating and fixed artificial substrata, which in turn affect the structure of their associated communities. This study tested the hypothesis that floating and fixed artificial installations in a tropical reef system (Eilat, Red Sea) would support different benthic communities throughout space and time. Specifically, we examined differences in communities recruited onto settlement plates between floating and fixed installations deployed at three different sites, along a two-year monitoring period. The three sites exhibited distinct differences in species assemblages between the monitoring dates (6, 12, 18 and 24 months post deployment), mainly between the first and the last two dates. The average level of dissimilarity between floating and fixed installations increased over time at all sites. Over 50% of the dissimilarity between the floating and fixed installations resulted from five taxonomic groups i.e., bryozoans, bivalves, barnacles, sponges, including the amount of bare space on the settlement plates. The contribution of these groups to the dissimilarity changed both temporally within each site, and spatially among sites. The observed differences were related to the hydrodynamic characteristics of floating and fixed habitats, interacting with biotic features such as predation, successional processes and seasonality; and abiotic features including small-scale spatial changes, light, and position in the water column.