Inverse modeling of lichen growth curves and implications for lichenometric dating

Lichenometric dating represents a quick and affordable surface exposure dating method that has been widely used to provide a minimum age constraint on tectonic and geomorphic landscape changes as well as buildings and anthropogenic landscape changes in various settings during the late Holocene. Despite its widespread usage, this method has several limitations. Major problems relate to the sampling of lichen population on any given rock surface and the modeling of growth curves. In order to overcome these issues, it has been suggested to subdivide the rock surface into some areas and measure the largest lichen thallus on each one. However, how to express the data in terms of a probability distribution function and link it to an age of last exposure of the rock surface are still a matter of debate. Here, we propose a novel approach to the modeling of lichen growth curves by treating lichen growth as a continuous-time Markov process with a time-varying rate and additive Brownian noise. Given the growth rates, the probability distribution of the lichen population at any time can then be obtained by solving the Fokker–Planck equation. This method is illustrated using a dataset from the Huashan area of eastern China, which consists of measurements of the largest thalli on 12 rock surfaces of known age. We first build up the probability distribution of the lichen population for each rock surface based on extreme value theory and then use these to optimize the growth curve by minimizing the Jensen–Shannon divergence. A new method is also proposed to use the growth curve to map a sample of size data from an undated rock surface to the calendar age domain so as to yield a fully probabilistic estimate of the exposure age of the undated rock surface rather than a point estimate.     

Seismic ground motion relationship in southern China based on stochastic finite-fault model

The characteristics of seismic ground motions in southern China are difficult to determine statistically due to a lack of strong ground motion data. In this study, a stochastic finite-fault ground motion model was adopted to simulate the seismic ground motions at bedrock for southern China, based on parameters derived from small and medium earthquakes that have occurred in the region. From these, the response spectra was estimated. A set of ground motion attenuation relations hipswas then developed based on simulated peak ground motions and response spectral parameters through regression, which would be applicable for use in engineering practice. Through comparisons, it was demonstrated that the proposed ground motion relationships are generally consistent with those obtained from other reported ground motion attenuation models for southern China.     

Eulerian spatial moments for solute transport in three-dimensional heterogeneous,dual-permeability media

A Eulerian analytical method is developed for nonreactive solute transport in heterogeneous, dual-permeability media where the hydraulic conductivities in fracture and matrix domains are both assumed to be stochastic processes. The analytical solution for the mean concentration is given explicitly in Fourier and Laplace transforms. Instead of using the fast fourier transform method to numerically invert the solution to real space (Hu et al., 2002), we apply the general relationship between spatial moments and concentration (Naff, 1990; Hu et al., 1997) to obtain the analytical solutions for the spatial moments up to the second for a pulse input of the solute. Owing to its accuracy and efficiency, the analytical method can be used to check the semi-analytical and Monte Carlo numerical methods before they are applied to more complicated studies. The analytical method can be also used during screening studies to identify the most significant transport parameters for further analysis. In this study, the analytical results have been compared with those obtained from the semi-analytical method (Hu et al., 2002) and the comparison shows that the semi-analytical method is robust. It is clearly shown from the analytical solution that the three factors, local dispersion, conductivity variation in each domain and velocity convection flow difference in the two domains, play different roles on the solute plume spreading in longitudinal and transverse directions. The calculation results also indicate that when the log-conductivity variance in matrix is 10 times less than its counterpart in fractures, it will hardly influence the solute transport, whether the conductivity field is matrix is treated as a homogeneous or random field.     

The effect of random recharge on uniform steady free-surface flow in heterogeneous porous formations

The effect of parametric uncertainty in recharge rate and spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity upon free-surface flow is investigated in a stochastic framework. We examine the three-dimensional free-surface gravitational flow problem for sloped mean uniform flow in a randomly heterogeneous porous medium under the influence of random recharge. We develop analytic solutions for the variance of free-surface position, head, and specific discharge on the free surface. Additionally, we obtain semi-analytic solutions for the statistical moments of head and specific discharge beneath the free-surface. Statistical moments are derived using a first-order approximation and then compared with their parallel in an unbounded medium. The effect of recharge mean and variability on the statistical moments is analyzed. Results can be applied to more complex flows, slowly varying in the mean.     

Bulk motions of flat galaxies on 100-Mpc scales from new data

We use a new expanded and partially modified sample of 1501 thin edge-on spiral galaxies from the RFGC catalog to analyze the non-Hubble bulk motions of galaxies on the basis of a generalized multiparameter Tully-Fisher relation. The results obtained have confirmed and refined our previous conclusions (Parnovsky et al. 2001), in particular, the statistical significance of the quadrupole and octupole components of the galaxy bulk velocity field. The quadrupole component, which is probably produced by tidal forces from overdense regions, leads to a difference in the recession velocities of galaxies on scales of 8000–10000 km s^?1 up to 6% of their Hubble velocity. On Local Supercluster scales (3000 km s^?1), its contribution increases to about 20%. Including the octupole components in the model causes the dipole component to decrease to the 1σ level. In contrast, in the dipole model, the galaxy bulk velocity relative to the frame of reference of the cosmic microwave background is 310±75 km s^?1 toward the apex with l=311° and b=12°. We also consider a sample of 1493 galaxies that was drawn using a more stringent galaxy selection criterion. The difference between the results of our data analysis for this sample and for the sample of 1501 galaxies is primarily attributable to a decrease in the dipole velocity component (290±75 km s^?1 toward the apex with l=310° and b=12°) and a decrease in σ by about 2%.     

3mm多普勒云雷达测量反演云内空气垂直速度的研究

垂直指向的W-波段大气云雷达(WACR)不仅测量云粒子的反射率因子Z, 而且测量多普勒速度谱。本文利用寿县气象站WACR在2008年11月1日一个时段的测量, 进行云内空气垂直速度反演试验。首先讨论个例中反射率、 Doppler平均速度及谱宽的分布特征及原因, 然后利用小粒子示踪法和改进的以小粒子示踪法为基础的粒子下降速度w0—反射率因子 (w0－Z) 关系法反演了云内空气垂直速度, 进而结合Doppler谱数据分析反演结果。结果显示: 小粒子示踪法在湍流较弱时能比较精确地反演空气垂直速度, 而湍流较强时, 湍流造成的误差不可忽略; 改进算法在湍流较强时能够减少湍流对反演结果的影响。     

未来极端降水对气候平均变暖敏感性的蒙特卡罗模拟试验

利用Weibull分布拟合逐日降水的原始分布模式,并基于统计降尺度和蒙特卡罗随机模拟方法,对中国东部区域各站逐日极端降水量在未来气候变暖条件下的响应特征进行统计数值试验.结果表明,在全球变暖背景下,区域平均温度的改变即可导致区域极端降水概率分布特征的变动.从两个典型代表区域的预估结果中可见,长江中下游南部平均降水量对平均温度升高有正响应,模拟得到的区域极端降水概率分布曲线有明显的向右平移,导致大量级的极端降水的再现期缩短即概率增大.山东及渤海湾区域平均降水量对平均温度升高有负响应,模拟得到的区域极端降水概率密度分布尺度参数变小更明显,即方差增大,表现为左右两侧概率密度增加,同样导致大量级的极端降水再现期缩短即概率增大.本文仅考察了气候均值改变条件下,未来区域气候极端值的概率预估的可行性方案.对于未来气候方差的变化并未作试验,但理论上已经证明,未来气候极端值的概率对于气候方差变化的敏感性可能更大.由于目前尚未整卵出考察方差变化的较为完整的实际观测资料,该问题还有待进一步深入研究.     

Analysis of the three-dimensional stellar velocity field using vector spherical functions

We apply vector spherical functions to problems of stellar kinematics. Using these functions allows all of the systematic components in the stellar velocity field to be revealed without being attached to a specific physical model. Comparison of the theoretical decomposition coefficients of the equations for a particular kinematical model with observational data can provide precise information about whether the model is compatible with the observations and can reveal systematic components that are not described by this model. The formalism of vector spherical functions is particularly well suited for analyzing the present and future (e.g., GAIA) catalogs containing all three velocity vector components: the propermotions in both coordinates and the radial velocity. We show that there are systematic components in the proper motions of Hipparcos stars that cannot be interpreted in terms of the linear Ogorodnikov-Milne model. The same result is also confirmed by an analysis of the radial velocities for these stars.     

Assessing probability of surface manifestation of liquefaction at a given site in a given exposure time using CPTU

This paper is a follow-up to a previous paper on the subject of liquefaction potential index (LPI), a parameter that is often used to characterize the potential for surface manifestation of liquefaction at a given site subjected to a given shaking level (represented by a pair of peak ground surface acceleration a_max and moment magnitude M_w). In the previous paper by Juang and his coworkers, the LPI was re-calibrated for a piezocone penetration test (CPTU) model, and a simplified model based on LPI was created for computing the conditional probability of surface manifestation of liquefaction (P_G). In this paper, the model for this conditional probability P_G is extended into a complete framework for assessing the probability of surface manifestation of liquefaction in a given exposure time at a given site subjected to all possible ground motions at all seismic hazard levels. This new framework is formulated and demonstrated with an example site in 10 different seismic regions in the United States.     

Estimating economic losses of midrise reinforced concrete shear wall buildings in sedimentary basins by combining empirical and simulated seismic hazard characterizations

Studies of recorded ground motions and simulations have shown that deep sedimentary basins can greatly increase the intensity of earthquake ground motions within a period range of approximately 1–4 s, but the economic impacts of basin effects are uncertain. This paper estimates key economic indicators of seismic performance, expressed in terms of earthquake‐induced repair costs, using empirical and simulated seismic hazard characterizations that account for the effects of basins. The methodology used is general, but the estimates are made for a series of eight‐ to 24‐story residential reinforced concrete shear wall archetype buildings in Seattle, WA, whose design neglects basin effects. All buildings are designed to comply with code‐minimum requirements (i.e., reference archetypes), as well as a series of design enhancements, which include (a) increasing design forces, (b) decreasing drift limits, and (c) a combination of these strategies. As an additional reference point, a performance‐based design is also assessed. The performance of the archetype buildings is evaluated for the seismic hazard level in Seattle according to the 2018 National Seismic Hazard Model (2018 NSHM), which explicitly considers basin effects. Inclusion of basin effects results in an average threefold increase in annualized losses for all archetypes. Incorporating physics‐based ground motion simulations to represent the large‐magnitude Cascadia subduction interface earthquake contribution to the hazard results in a further increase of 22% relative to the 2018 NSHM. The most effective of the design strategies considered combines a 25% increase in strength with a reduction in drift limits to 1.5%.