The formation and closure of the Big Breach of Sacalin spit associated with extreme shoreline retreat and shoreface erosion

We document a case of exceptionally large natural breaching of a sandy spit (Sacalin spit, Danube Delta) using multiannual to seasonal surveys of topography and bathymetry on successive cross-barrier and shoreface profiles, LiDAR data, satellite imagery, and wind and wave data. The large breach, which quickly reached 3.4 km in May 2014, is attributed to morphological preconditioning of the narrow (50–150 m) barrier, which was susceptible to breaching even during moderate storm conditions. The event switched the barrier's decadal evolution from low cross-shore transport to high cross-shore transport over the barrier, which is an order of magnitude larger than during the non-breach period. Upper shoreface erosion, as indicated by the extensive erosion down to −4 m, indicates that this zone is a significant source for the rebuilding of the barrier. Barrier recovery and widening trigger a negative feedback which limits the back-barrier sediment transfer. As a result, back-barrier deposition decreases whilst the barrier aggradation through overwash becomes more frequent. The Big Breach (TBB) closed naturally in three years. The very high deposition rate of sediment in the breach is a testimony of the high sediment volumes supplied by the longshore transport and the high sediment released through shoreface retreat, and resulted in widening the barrier to a maximum of 1 km. Since the newly-formed barrier shoreline retreated 500 m, this reveals that barrier breaching is an important mechanism which significantly accelerates the landward migration of the barrier system and is a proof of the highly non-linear morphodynamics involved in the barrier island translation. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

长江口南汇边滩冲淤变化规律与机制

根据1842—2004年海图资料分析发现,南汇边滩存在近百年尺度的强烈冲刷—淤积旋回。长江主泓走南港或北港是造成冲刷期"北滩、东滩淤积,南滩、过渡带冲刷"或淤积期冲淤态势反相的主要原因;冲刷期内风暴强度和频数明显多于淤积期,造成冲刷期滩面叠置记忆的是暴风浪成因的"高滩冲刷、低滩淤积"的冲淤态势,而淤积期保存的是弱风浪成因的"高滩淤积、低滩冲刷"叠置增强的剖面特征。尽管三角洲整体冲淤态势的转变主要受流域来沙量的控制,但不同岸段受河口河势分水分沙作用、潮流和波浪等共同作用,明显存在此冲彼淤、冲淤动态调整等特征。已有的入海泥沙含量阈值研究以点代面或以局部代整体,这是造成阈值估算偏高的主要原因。2003年三峡水库开始蓄水后平均年输沙量154 Mt/a已低于低阈值184 Mt/a,但三角洲尚未如预测那样发生由净淤积向净侵蚀的转变。已有的河口水文观察资料显示,水体含沙量也未发生明显下降,这可能是潮控型三角洲潮流对泥沙在河口的再分配起主导作用,并可能由此延长三角洲冲淤转变对入海泥沙量减少的滞后。今后需进一步加强潮控型河口复杂过程的综合研究,提高对泥沙含量阈值估算和应对可能面临的海岸侵蚀及其相关的环境地质灾害的能力。     

Rainfall regionalization on the basis of the precipitation convective features using a raingauge network and weather radar observations

The main objective of the present paper is to show a methodology for undertaking rainfall regionalization of a region taking into account the convective features of the precipitation, and useful for establishing homogeneous zones for improving the alert system. This methodology has been applied to a hydrographic region located in northeast Spain, with an area of 16000 km² and characterized by a highly contrasted topography. Information provided by meteorological radar and 5-min precipitation data for 126 automatic raingauges has been used for the period 1996–2002. The previous analysis done on the basis of the 1927–1981 rainfall rate series for the Jardí raingauge, located in Barcelona, has also been considered. To that end, the first step was to draw up a proposal for classification of the pluviometric episodes. Recourse was had for this purpose to definition of the β parameter, related with the greater or lesser convective character of the event and calculated on the basis of the rainfall intensity at the surface (Llasat, 2001) and, when data are available, on the basis of radar reflectivity. Results show that the threshold of 35 mm/h to characterize convective episodes from raingauge data can be corroborated from the radar point of view when convective precipitation is identified using 2-D algorithms with a reflectivity threshold of 43 dBZ. Once the soundness of the β parameter had been corroborated, it was applied to more than 2900 precipitation episodes recorded in the region, in order to discriminate the features of the different subregions and their time and space distribution throughout the entire series of the samples. Using this definition, 92% of the precipitation events recorded in this region, with accumulated rainfall above 35 mm, are classified as convective ones, representing 95% of the precipitation amount. Application of the β parameter combined with monthly rainfall data allows differentiation of 8 regions with different convective precipitation features.     

Analysis of mesoscale convective systems in Catalonia using meteorological radar for the period 1996–2000

The aim of this paper is to show a climatology of Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS) in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula, on the basis of meteorological radar observations. Special attention was paid to those cases that have produced heavy rainfalls during the period 1996–2000. Identification of the MCS was undertaken using two procedures. Firstly, the precipitation structures at the lowest level were recognised by means of a 2D algorithm that distinguishes between convective and non-convective contribution. Secondly, the convective cells were identified using a 3D procedure quite similar to the SCIT (Storm Cell Identification and Tracking) algorithm that looks for the reflectivity cores in each radar volume. Finally, the convective cells (3D) were associated with the 2D structures (convective rainfall areas), in order to characterize the complete MCS. Once this methodology was presented the paper offers a proposal for classifying the precipitation systems, and particularly the MCS. 57 MCS structures were classified: 49% of them were identified as linearly well-organised systems, called TS (39%), LS (18%) and NS (43%). In addition to the classification, the following items were analysed for each MCS found: duration, season, time of day, area affected and direction of movement, and main radar parameters related with convection. The average features of those MCS show an area of about 25000 km², Z_max values of 47 dBz, an echotop of 12 km, the maximum frequency at 12 UTC and early afternoon and a displacement towards E-NE. The study was completed by analysing the field at surface, the presence of a mesoscale low near the system and the quasi-stationary features of three cases related with heavy rainfalls. Maximum rainfall (more then 200 mm in 6 h) was related with the presence of a cyclone in combination with the production of a convective train effect.     

热带风暴中波动特征的研究进展和问题

在分析热带风暴眼壁和螺旋雨带中尺度波动特征最新研究的基础上，指出这些研究所忽略的问题，其中包括重力惯性波和涡旋Rossby波波解存在的前提条件和约束、理论分析与观测研究存在的差异等。提出一种基于准平衡动力条件下，热带风暴内中尺度扰动涡散运动共存时，区别于标准模混合的不可分的混合涡旋Rossby-重力惯性波，并讨论了位涡守恒条件下这一类不可分混合波的可能成波机制。利用高分辨率的模式大气资料，采用非对称波分量的分解方法分析了Bonnie飓风中的中尺度波动特征，结果表明，热带风暴中1波型扰动既具有涡旋波性质，但也存在散度扰动的变化，而2波型扰动则体现了明显的不可分混合波的特性。     

Interpolation between Businger–Dyer Formulae and Free Convection Forms: A Revised Approach

In this study, profile functions for flux calculations during unstable conditions are proposed and examined. These functions are based on a direct interpolation for the dimensionless wind speed and temperature gradients between the standard Businger–Dyer formulae, , , and free convection forms, , being the Monin–Obukhov stability parameter. A previously presented interpolation between the corresponding profile relationships, in attempting to provide a general relationship for the whole unstable regime, leads to serious restrictions for the values of in the free convection forms. These restrictions rendered available experimental data almost inapplicable, since the behaviour of the formulae in the near-neutral range controls the values of those parameters. The proposed interpolation provides functions that, firstly, fit the standard Businger–Dyer forms for near-neutral conditions and, secondly, satisfy the asymptotic behaviour as , permitting wider ranges of possible values. This step is very important, taking into account the large spread of the experimental data. Thus, as further and more accurate observations at strong instability become available, this approach could prove very efficient in fitting these data while retaining correct near-neutral behaviour.     

Length Scales of Scalar Diffusion in the Convective Boundary Layer: Laboratory Observations

A laboratory study of scalar diffusion in the convective boundary layer has found results that are consistent with a 1999 large-eddy simulation (LES) study by Jonker, Duynkerke and Cuijpers. For bottom-up and top-down scalars (introduced as ‘infinite’ area sources of passive tracer at the surface and inversion, respectively) the dominant length scale was found to be much larger than the length scale for density fluctuations, the latter being equal to the boundary-layer depth h. The variance of the normalized passive scalar grew continuously with time and its magnitude was about 3–5 times larger for the top-down case than for the bottom-up case. The vertical profiles of the normalized passive scalar variance were found to be approximately constant through the convective boundary layer (CBL) with a value of about 3–8c_*² for bottom-up and 10–50c_*² for top-down diffusion. Finally, there was some evidence of a minimum in the variance and dominant length scale for scalar flux ratios (top-down to bottom-up flux) close to −0.5. All these convection tank results confirm the LES results and support the hypothesis that there is a distinct difference in behaviour between the dynamic and passive variables in the CBL.     

中国冬夏季模式降水方案的应用分析研究

通过对中国冬夏季各一次降水过程的模拟分析 ,研究了不同云降水方案在中国区域的应用特征。结果指出 ,夏季 ,Kain Fritsch(KF)和Betts Miller(BM)积云方案模拟产生的积云降水是有差异的 ,KF方案对本次连续降水过程的预报要优于BM方案 ;KF方案和BM方案可以使周围环境大气状况发生不同的变化 ,KF方案可以使周围环境大气变得更湿、上升气流更加深厚 ,更有利于网格尺度降水的产生 ,即不同积云对流方案对网格尺度降水具有重要的影响 ;冬季 ,中国北方大陆基本没有对流降水产生 ,不同积云对流方案对网格尺度降水预报的影响基本可以不予考虑 ,中国北方的冬季降水主要是由网格尺度降水构成的。     

近50年北京的沙尘天气及治理对策

2000年春天北京出现多次沙尘天气,多为扬沙和浮尘。从北京50a的沙尘天气观测资料分析:① 71%为扬沙,浮尘和沙尘暴分别占20%和9%,沙尘为就地起沙,而沙尘暴和浮尘则来自内蒙古高原中部农牧交错地区;②风沙天气是呈波动式减少的,其中可以分出4个11~14a的周期性变化,2000年,进入新的一轮变化周期,这一轮的风沙天气仍以扬沙为主,沙尘暴强度很弱。从过去的变化规律看,至少在未来的4~5a之内,不会发生类似去年沙尘天气猛增的现象。继续绿化首都的环境,减少就地起沙;在沙尘暴和浮尘源区划定旱作农业北界,科学地实施"退耕还林还草"是解决北京风沙问题的关键。