Coastal processes and environmental hazards: the Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Venetian (Italy) littorals

The Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Venice (Italy) coastlands have experienced significant saltwater contamination of the phreatic aquifer, coastal erosion, hydrodynamic changes and relative sea level rise processes due to natural and man-induced factors. These factors expose coastal areas to morpho-hydro-geological hazards, such as soil desertification, frequency and degree of flooding, littoral erosion, and the silting of river mouths and channels. Man-made interventions and actions, such as beach mining, construction of coastal structures and exploitation of aquifers without an adequate knowledge of the hydrology setting and an adequate management program, worsen these natural hazards. Uncontrolled human activity induces environmental damage to the overall coastal plains. The coastal plains play an important role in the social/economic development of the two regions based on land use, such as agriculture, horticulture, breeding, and tourism, as well as industry. Results of investigations on saltwater contamination, sea level rise and morphological changes recently performed in these two coastal areas are presented here.     

Nonlinear plasma wave processes observed in the polar cusp

We present observations of electric and magnetic field variations from proton (about few Hz) to electron cyclotron frequencies (about few kHz) obtained by STAFF instrument on Cluster satellites during two cusp crossings, at ∼6 R _E altitude, in September 2002. The cusp was identified by the presence of intensive fluxes of counter streaming electrons with low energies and broadband wave activity which is typical for this region. Special attention is given for the interval of measurements when the waveform of the magnetic field fluctuations was taken in this region by CLUSTER satellites. The wave has been processed using the wavelet and bispectral analysis. Results showing the cascade of turbulence and wave-wave interactions are presented in this paper. A three wave process can be responsible for the broadening of the wave spectra in the polar cusp.     

Numerical Simulation of Andhra Severe Cyclone (2003): Model Sensitivity to the Boundary Layer and Convection Parameterization

The Andhra severe cyclonic storm (2003) is simulated to study its evolution, structure, intensity and movement using the Penn State/NCAR non-hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model MM5. The model is used with three interactive nested domains at 81, 27 and 9 km resolutions covering the Bay of Bengal and adjoining Indian Peninsula. The performance of the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) and convective parameterization on the simulated features of the cyclone is studied by conducting sensitivity experiments. Results indicate that while the boundary layer processes play a significant role in determining both the intensity and movement, the convective processes especially control the movement of the model storm. The Mellor-Yamada scheme is found to yield the most intensive cyclone. While the combination of Mellor-Yamada (MY) PBL and Kain-Fritsch 2 (KF2) convection schemes gives the most intensive storm, the MRF PBL with KF2 convection scheme produces the best simulation in terms of intensity and track. Results of the simulation with the combination of MRF scheme for PBL and KF2 for convection show the evolution and major features of a mature tropical storm. The model has very nearly simulated the intensity of the storm though slightly overpredicted. Simulated core vertical temperature structure, winds at different heights, vertical winds in and around the core, vorticity and divergence fields at the lower and upper levels—all support the characteristics of a mature storm. The model storm has moved towards the west of the observed track during the development phase although the location of the storm in the initial and final phases agreed with the observations. The simulated rainfall distribution associated with the storm agreed reasonably with observations.     

Developing a high-resolution climatology for the Central California coastal region

This work presents a procedure for developing a high-resolution, regional climatology estimate, named RClimo, off the coast of central California. This high-resolution climatology may provide an alternative way to initialize numerical nowcast/forecast exercises in coastal regions. The methodology includes two primary steps: (1) averaging available data on a high-resolution grid and (2) objective interpolating the resulting average profiles onto a regular grid. The first step involves the computation of averages over density layers in the vertical and allowing for data gaps in the horizontal if data are unavailable at a high resolution. The OA in the second step uses anisotropic correlation length scales derived from the data themselves and an averaging radius to preserve the scales and variability of the synoptic fields.     

The gas content and buoyancy of strombolian ash plumes

Plinian plumes erupt with a bulk density greater than that of air, and depend upon air entrainment during their gas-thrust phase to become buoyant; if entrainment is insufficient, the column collapses into a potentially deadly pyroclastic flow. This study shows that strombolian ash plumes can be erupted in an initially buoyant state due to their extremely high initial gas content, and in such cases are thus impervious to column collapse. The high gas content is a consequence of decoupled gas rise in the conduit, in which particles are ultimately incidental. The relations between conduit gas flow, eruption style and plume density are explored here for strombolian scenarios and contrasted with conventional wisdom derived from plinian eruptions. Considering the inherent relation between gas content and initial plume density together with detailed measurements of plume velocities can help unravel ambiguities surrounding conduit processes, eruption styles and hazards at poorly understood volcanoes. Analysis of plume dynamics at Santiaguito volcano, Guatemala adds further support for a model involving decoupled gas rise in the conduit.     

山区河流准三维水沙输运与河床演变模拟

在渠道水力学和河流动力学研究的基础上，对不规则河流形态下的纵向流速分布和弯道水流进行了讨论，并分析了任意断面和垂线位置的流场计算公式。在综合各种泥沙动力学研究成果基础之上，探讨了在天然河流中的悬移质输沙能力与沉积条件，分析了河床质起动的控制性因素及推移质输沙方程。提出了受冲淤影响的河床质粒径组成和动态递推公式。结合这些流场与泥沙计算方法及河床形态调整技术，作者提出一个准三维河流动力学模型。该模型只需要河流几何形状、人流条件以及泥沙级配参数，能够模拟出不规则几何形态的河道断面流速分布及平面流场分布，并且对于弯道水流特征与泥沙输送一沉积特征也能得到较好的表现。该模型是对有关河流演变理论和实验成果的综合应用，为研究山区高含沙水流下的河床变形以及洪水演进提供了强有力的工具。     

Textural attributes, mineralogy and provenance of sand dune fields in the greater Al Ain area, United Arab Emirates

Sand dunes and interdune sediments around Al Ain city have markedly high carbonate contents which increase towards Jabal Hafit mountain and the Arabian Gulf coast. The dunes are composed predominantly of well-sorted fine sands, consisting of unstrained quartz and carbonate grains together with minor proportions of chert and feldspars. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination reveals that quartz grains display various mechanically- and chemically-formed surface textures. The heavy minerals are dominated by opaques and pyroxenes with minor tourmaline, garnet, rutile, epidote, monazite, zircon, hornblende and staurolite.Interdune sediments consist of fine and very fine, poorly- to extremely poorly-sorted sands together with small concentrations of gravel, silt and clay. The light sand fractions compositionally resemble those of dunes but contain, in addition, gypsum, anhydrite, halite and celestite. Percentages of pyroxenes are higher whereas those of zircon, tourmaline and rutile are lower than in dunes. X-ray diffractometry reveals that the clay fractions consist solely of palygorskite. Generally, interdune sediments are much less mature texturally and mineralogically than dune sands; the maturity of both types of sediments decreases toward the NE of the study area.Sand dunes in the various districts of the greater Al Ain area are genetically related. Also, there is a partial genetic relationship between the dunes and interdune sediments; both are mainly multicyclic. Their major parts were brought mainly by the dominant north-west (El Shamal) winds from older dune fields in other localities in U.A.E., Qatar and El-Rub El-Khali. Local contributions to the dune fields from Jabal Hafit mountain, the Oman Mountains and the calcareous coast of the Arabian Gulf were, in cases, significant. Also, authigenesis by groundwater under highly evaporitic conditions played a major role in the formation of interdune sediments through the genesis of the clay and some nonclay minerals.     

安徽月山矿田铜、金矿床氢氧同位素地球化学及成矿流体输运-化学反应成矿动力学

本文基于氢氧同位素的地球化学研究，论述了安徽月山矿田两类铜、金矿床成矿流体的来源、演化及成矿流体输运扣化学反应扣成矿作用动力学过程。结论认为。月山矿田金属矿床成矿流体为具复杂演化历史的岩浆水或多成因水的混合，主要成矿阶段成矿热液均以岩浆水占绝对优势，两类矿床是同源岩浆热液系统在不同的地质、地球化学环境下演化的产物，是成矿流体的等温输运反应及温度梯度输运反应等综合作用的结果。     

二维滞弹性非静力平衡云模式第二部分──中低空风切变对云微物理过程的影响

本文运用已建立的二维时变云模式［1］，就中低空风垂直切变对对流和云微物理过程的影响进行了模拟研究。为此设计了五种方案进行了对比试验。结果表明：中低空风切变较小时，容易爆发对流；中低空切变不超过某一值时，对流发展缓慢，但最终会爆发强对流；一旦中低空风切变超过某一值时，则对流发展不起来。另一方面，中低空风切变可加强各云微物理过程及地面降水量。