How are large western hemisphere warm pools formed?

During the boreal summer the Western Hemisphere warm pool (WHWP) stretches from the eastern North Pacific to the tropical North Atlantic and is a key feature of the climate of the Americas and Africa. In the summers following nine El Niño events during 1950–2000, there have been five instances of extraordinarily large warm pools averaging about twice the climatological annual size. These large warm pools have induced a strengthened divergent circulation aloft and have been associated with rainfall anomalies throughout the western hemisphere tropics and subtropics and with more frequent hurricanes. However, following four other El Niño events large warm pools did not develop, such that the mere existence of El Niño during the boreal winter does not provide the basis for predicting an anomalously large warm pool the following summer.In this paper, we find consistency with the hypothesis that large warm pools result from an anomalous divergent circulation forced by sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the Pacific, the so-called atmospheric bridge. We also find significant explanations for why large warm pools do not always develop. If the El Niño event ends early in the eastern Pacific, the Pacific warm anomaly lacks the persistence needed to force the atmospheric bridge and the Atlantic portion of the warm pool remains normal. If SST anomalies in the eastern Pacific do not last much beyond February of the following year, then the eastern North Pacific portion of the warm pool remains normal. The overall strength of the Pacific El Niño does not appear to be a critical factor. We also find that when conditions favor a developing atmospheric bridge and the winter atmosphere over the North Atlantic conforms to a negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) pattern (as in 1957–58 and 1968–69), the forcing is reinforced and the warm pool is stronger. On the other hand, if a positive NAO pattern develops the warm pool may remain normal even if other circumstances favor the atmospheric bridge, as in 1991–92. Finally, we could find little evidence that interactions internal to the tropical Atlantic are likely to mitigate for or against the formation of the largest warm pools, although they may affect smaller warm pool fluctuations or the warm pool persistence.     

Eddy Diffusion Coefficients of Suspended Particulate Matter: Effects of Wind Energy Transfer and Stratification

Gross sedimentation rates (GSR) have been measured using sediment traps placed at nine different levels above the bed (0·3, 0·5, 0·8, 1·0, 2·0, 4·0, 6·0, 8·0 and 10·0 m). The sediment traps were deployed for 1·25 years and recovered 28 times during the study period. Low average GSR values of 5·5 g m^-2 day^-1 were obtained at 10·0 m, and high average GSR values of 114·8 g m^-2 day^-1 were obtained at 0·3 m. An expression for the eddy diffusion coefficient of suspended particulate matter (K_s), based on the measured GSR is given. The expression has been used for modelling of K_s at the different trap levels above the bed. High values (≈42 cm² s^-1) of K_s were obtained at the upper traps, whereas low values (≈2 cm² s^-1) were obtained near the bed. Comparison between level of turbulent energy in terms of shear stress at the boundaries of the water column, i.e. from the wind and the bed flow, showed that wind energy exceeded that of the bed flow by a factor 16. At 5·0 m K_s was positively correlated (r=0·66) to the eddy diffusion coefficient of momentum (K_m) derived from the wind energy transfer to the water, giving an average β of 0·5 for K_s =βK_m. The density difference between surface and bottom waters has been designated a parameter of stratification, and is discussed in relation to variations of K_s and K_m .     

Baroclinic Buoyancy-Inertia Joint Stability Parameter

At present, the barotropic buoyant stability parameter has been derived from a vertical virtual displacement of a water parcel. The barotropic inertial stability parameter in the eccentrically cyclogeostrophic, basic current field was derived in 2003 from a horizontal cross-stream virtual displacement of a parcel. By expressing acceleration of a parcel due to a virtual displacement, which is arbitrarily sloping within a vertical section across the basic current, in terms of natural coordinates, we derived the vertical component of baroclinic buoyant stability parameter B ₂ ², the horizontal component of baroclinic inertial stability parameter I ₂ ², the baroclinic joint stability parameter J ², its buoyant component B ² and its inertial component I ². B ² is far greater than I ₂ ², and when neglecting relative vorticity except for vertical shear, a downward convex curve of J ² plotted against the slope of a virtual displacement follows a trend of B ² curve. If a parcel displaces along a horizontal surface or an isopycnal surface, however, B ² vanishes, and J ² becomes equal to I ². Actual parcel is apt to displace not only along the bottom slope, but also along the sea surface and an isopycnal interfacial surface, which is approximately equivalent to an isentropic surface, preferred by lateral mixing and exchange of momentum. Such actual displacement makes B ² vanishing, and grants I ² an important role. The present analysis of I ² examining effects due to curvature and horizontal and vertical shear vorticities are useful in deepening our understanding of baroclinic instability in actual oceanic streams.     

土工布充砂袋的应用及其研究进展

对土工布充砂袋技术和国内外的应用进行了介绍。鉴于土工布充砂袋属于一种新兴起的土工新材料和新技术，在设计和工程实际中还存在着许多急待解决的问题，着重对各种典型状态和典型环境下的土工布充砂袋的变形、应力和土工布充砂袋堆的稳定性研究进展进行综述，最后提出进一步研究的思路。     

Time domain modelling of the transient asymmetric flooding of Ro-Ro ships

This work aims at contributing to improve knowledge on transient asymmetric flooding through theoretical and experimental research. First, a time domain theoretical model of ship motions and flooding is described. Results from experimental work are presented evidencing that transient asymmetric flooding may cause the capsizing of a Ro-Ro shaped barge. The theoretical model is used to predict the capsize of the Ro-Ro shaped barge. Reasonable agreement between experimental and theoretical results was found. Finally, a review of the European Gateway accident is given and the theoretical model is applied to the study of this type of accident. The conclusion is that this theoretical model, together with an accurate modelling of the flooding of machinery compartments, reproduces successfully the capsizing of the European Gateway due to transient asymmetric flooding. Therefore, the internal arrangement of Ro-Ro ships should be carefully studied at the design stage in order to avoid this phenomenon.     

Stability of Temperature and Conductivity Sensors of Argo Profiling Floats

After recalibration of the temperature and conductivity sensors of three Argo profiling floats recovered after operations for four to nine months, the results indicate that the floats basically showed no significant drift, either in temperature or salinity, and adequately fulfilled the accuracy requirement of the Argo project (0.005°C for temperature and 0.01 psu for salinity). Only the third float showed a significant offset in salinity of about −0.02 psu, as expected from comparison between the float data and the shipboard conductivity-temperature-depth data. This offset was caused by the operational error of the PROVOR-type float, in which the surface water was pumped immediately after the launch, fouling the conductivity sensor cell. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Experimental Study on Stability of Breakwaters with Penetrating Box Foundations

1 .ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＴｈｅｐｅｎｅｔｒａｔｉｎｇｂｕｃｋｅｔａｎｄｂｏｘｆｏｕｎｄａｔｉｏｎｉｓａｎｅｗｔｙｐｅｏｆｓｔｒｕｃｔｕｒｅ ,ｗｈｉｃｈｈａｓｂｅｅｎａｐｐｌｉｅｄｉｎｍａｎｙｅｎｇｉｎｅｅｒｉｎｇｆｉｅｌｄｓ .Ｉｎｖｉｅｗｏｆｔｈｅｈｉｇｈｃｏｎｓｔｒｕｃｔｉｏｎｃｏｓｔａｎｄｔｈｅｆｏｒｍｉｄａｂｌｅｃｏｎｓｔｒｕｃｔｉｂｉｌｉｔｙｏｆｏｆｆ ｓｈｏｒｅｐｌａｔｆｏｒｍｓｗｉｔｈｐｉｌｅｄｆｏｕｎｄａｔｉｏｎｓ ,Ｂａｅｒｈｅｉｍｅｔａｌ.(1 990 )ｐｒｏｐｏｓｅｄｔｈｅｃｏｎｃ…     

边坡整体稳定的可靠性分析方法

边坡整体滑动稳定性的可靠性分析是建立在土体具有的抗力大于荷载效应的概率基础上进行设计和校验的。在条分法的基础上推导出了进行边坡稳定可靠性分析的统一极限状态方程 ,将土的容重γ、内摩擦角φ、粘聚力 c作为随机变量 ,当其为非正态分布时 ,进行当量正态化 ,考虑变量相关的情况 ,用简化相关法对随机变量进行统计分析 ,并以 Bishop圆弧滑动法为例 ,用 JC法求解边坡的可靠性指标及失效概率 ,给出计算安全系数和可靠性指标的算法程序。并就影响可靠性指标的因素如抗剪强度指标、变量分布形式、土性参数的变异性等进行了讨论。     

Influence of stratification and irradiance regime on summer phytoplankton composition in coastal and shelf seas of the British Isles

The effect of interaction between stratification and irradiance regimes on phytoplankton community structure was investigated in three shelf/coastal regions of the British Isles, each of which displayed ranges of vertical stability and light attenuation. Relationships between vertical stability, light penetration and community structure were indicated by the ordination of dominance (assessed using cell volume) of the main phytoplankton phyletic groups—diatoms, dinoflagellates and microflagellates—on a surface defined by a bulk stratification index () and water column depth, scaled by transparency (λh). Diatom- and dinoflagellate-dominated communities occupied distinctly different domains on the - λh surface, diatoms being favoured in well-mixed water columns with high values for λh and dinoflagellates dominating where stratification was strong and λh was low. Microflagellates were not abundant in any of the study areas and showed no clear ordination on the - λh surface. The domain of co-dominance of diatom and dinoflagellates on the - λh surface was narrow with small changes in the irradiance or stratification regime resulting in a switch to diatom or dinoflagellate dominance. It is suggested that loss of non-motile diatom communities in strongly stratified water columns might be a strong selective force in favour of dinoflagel-lates. However, in water columns with intermediate stratification and optical properties, the outcome of competition may be decided by physiological attributes of the two groups with respect to growth in low and fluctuating irradiances.