Estimation for partially observed Markov processes

Many stochastic process models for environmental data sets assume a process of relatively simple structure which is in some sense partially observed. That is, there is an underlying process (X_n, n 0) or (X_t, t 0) for which the parameters are of interest and physically meaningful, and an observable process (Y_n, n 0) or (Y_t, t 0) which depends on the X process but not otherwise on those parameters. Examples are wide ranging: the Y process may be the X process with missing observations; the Y process may be the X process observed with a noise component; the X process might constitute a random environment for the Y process, as with hidden Markov models; the Y process might be a lower dimensional function or reduction of the X process. In principle, maximum likelihood estimation for the X process parameters can be carried out by some form of the EM algorithm applied to the Y process data. In the paper we review some current methods for exact and approximate maximum likelihood estimation. We illustrate some of the issues by considering how to estimate the parameters of a stochastic Nash cascade model for runoff. In the case of k reservoirs, the outputs of these reservoirs form a k dimensional vector Markov process, of which only the kth coordinate process is observed, usually at a discrete sample of time points.     

Studies on groundwater recharge characteristics at a reclaimed land site with an equatorial climate using time‐series and spectral analyses

Groundwater recharge studies are essential for investigating the feasibility of using the reclaimed lands in Singapore for subsurface storage and recovery of water. Through time‐series and spectral analyses, net recharge percentages and stress‐filtering characteristics at the reclaimed land were found to depend strongly on the stress transfer velocity, which was a combined function of rainfall pattern and vadose zone thickness. Based on stress transfer velocity, a theory was established to provide logical explanations for the rainfall–recharge relationship, the observed stress‐filtering characteristics and the recharge percentage characteristics at the unconfined sandy aquifer. Although the reclaimed land site has a lithollogically homogeneous soil profile, a non‐uniform recharge pattern was observed to be influenced pronouncedly by the uneven density distribution of bush grasses. Under a bare soil condition, significantly lower recharge percentages were observed for areas under the influence of offshore tides. The unconfined sandy aquifer appears to dampen out the wave propagation of offshore tides rapidly within a short distance from the tidal source, though it has a fairly straight shoreline and is created from highly compacted sand fills. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

太平洋秋季SSTA与西北地区春季降水的耦合性研究

利用中国西北五省（区）和内蒙古西部的共１０６个测站的１９６０～１９９０年３～５月的月、季总降水量和太平洋１０°Ｓ～５０°Ｎ,１２０°Ｅ～８０°Ｗ范围内２８６个格点（５°×５°）的秋季（９～１１月）的平均海表温度,通过ＥＯＦ、ＲＥＯＦ、ＳＶＤ及交叉谱分析等方法,对秋季太平洋海温的异常特性及其与我国西北干旱半干旱地区后期春季降水之间的空间地域遥相关耦合特征进行了分析研究。结果表明,秋季太平洋海温差异常存在６个关键区域,其中赤道东太平洋地区是最敏感的异常信号区;西北干旱半干旱地区春季降水与前期秋季赤道东太平洋海温异常之间有着清晰的遥相关。当海温异常偏高,即有ＥＬ－Ｎｉｎｏ现象时,西北地区的降水普遍偏少,并以高原东侧青、甘、宁交界地区及渭水流域的偏少为主;Ｌａ－Ｎｉｎａ时的情况正好相反,内蒙西部的春季降水变化趋势与我国西北地区基本一致。     

陇东“1997.8.6”暴雨天气系统影响特征

该文分析了“１９９７．８．６”暴雨过程前期环流转折特点;高低空及地面物理量场分布差异;暴雨过程逐时卫星云图的中尺度云团与雷达回波强度变化特征。     

Spatial distribution of tropical cyclone rainfall and its contribution to the climatology of Puerto Rico

This study explores two different tropical cyclone rainfall (TCR) problems: first, the identification of areas where TCR is highly concentrated and, second, the contribution of tropical cyclones (TCs) to the climatology of Puerto Rico for the period 1970–2010. A total of 86 storms within a 500-km radius of Puerto Rico were analyzed. Daily and monthly rainfall data from 32 weather stations were used to generate interpolated surfaces. Two geostatistical interpolation techniques were implemented: ordinary kriging and ordinary cokriging. Results show that rainfall from most TCs tends to be clustered in the eastern, southeastern, and central regions of the island, with a decrease in values toward the west. TCs closer to Puerto Rico (≤230 km) and embedded in high moisture environments (≥44.5 mm) exhibited the highest rainfall values, with most concentrated in the high elevation areas of the southeastern region of the island. Months with the largest TC contributions to rainfall (20–30%) were August and September, while the lowest contributions were found in June and November. For August, stations in the southern and eastern portions of the island had TCR contributions of >20%, with some stations in the southern coastal plains exhibiting 30%.     

COOL AND FRESHWATER SKIN OF THE OCEAN DURING RAINFALL

Rainfall over the sea modifies the molecular boundary layers of the upper ocean through a variety of different effects. These cover the freshwater flux stabilizing the near-surface layer, additional heat flux established due to rain versus surface temperature differences, modification of physical parameters by temperature and salinity changes, enhancement of the surface roughness, damping of short gravity waves, surface mixing by rain, and transfer of additional momentum from air to sea. They are separately described and included in our surface renewal model to investigate the rain's influence on the cool skin of the ocean and the creation of a haline molecular diffusion layer. Simulations with the upgraded model show that the most important effect on the conductive layer is that of reduced renewal periods followed by additional surface cooling due to rain on the order of 0.1 K. At rain rates below 50 mm h-1 rainfall is not able to completely destroy the mean temperature difference across the cool skin. A freshwater skin is created that exhibits a salinity difference exceeding 4 under strong rainfall. Comparisons with field data of the cool skin taken during the Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment confirm the upgraded renewal model. Surface salinity measurements taken during the same field campaign are consistent with the calculated salinity differences across the freshwater skin. The enhancement of surface roughness by natural rain is less pronounced than described in earlier laboratory studies of rain with large drop sizes only.     

西北降水关联维和平均可预报长度的估计

用西北地区１２站１９５１～１９９６年月降水量序列,估计了分维数和平均可预报时长,初步结果表明,这些序列为具有低阶自由度（４～６）的动力系统。根据二阶Ｒｅｎｙｉ熵（Ｋ２）表征的该地区平均可预报时长在２～３个月,西北地区降水分维特性可能有地域差异。     

基于SWAT模型的晋江西溪流域径流模拟

应用流域分布式水文模型SWAT,综合利用泰森多边形法、土壤粒径的线性变换、土地利用编码的转换等方法以及子流域和水文响应单元(HRU)的适当划分,对闽东南沿海西溪流域1970～1975年的年、月径流进行模拟,以月径流模拟的效率系数、相对误差和相关系数3个指标为标准,对模型的敏感参数进行率定,并对1976～1979年的月径流进行验证模拟.研究结果表明该模型适用于晋江西溪流域的径流模拟,且精度较高,尤其是降水量大,产流量多的月份模拟效率更高.