Evaluation of wave impact loads on caisson breakwaters based on joint probability of impact maxima and rise times

When waves break against seawalls, vertical breakwaters, piers or jetties, they abruptly transfer their momentum into the structure. This energy transfer is always spectacular and perpetually unrepeatable but can also be very violent and affect the stability and the integrity of coastal structures. Over the last 15 years, increasing awareness of wave-impact induced structural failures of maritime structures has emphasised the need for a more complete approach to dynamic responses, including effects of impulsive loads. At the same time, movement of design standards toward probabilistic approaches requires new statistical tools able to account for uncertainties in the variability of wave loading processes. This paper presents a new approach to the definition of loads for use in performance design of vertical coastal structures subject to breaking wave impacts.     

Characterizing impulsive wave-in-deck loads on coastal bridges by probabilistic models of impact maxima and rise times

When waves impact a seawall, a vertical breakwater, an exposed jetty, a pier or a coastal bridge, they abruptly transfer their momentum into the structure. This energy transfer can be very violent and its duration exceptionally short. In the case of coastal bridges, whose spans are designed to have very short vibration period, wave impacts might have duration comparable to the natural period of oscillation of the structure, which therefore becomes prone to damage and failure. Previous forensic studies have documented the relative importance of impulsive loads on deck suspended structure, demonstrating the need to assess the effect of wave impacts on both the stability and the integrity of structural members since the early stages of the design. This requires the estimation of the dynamic characteristics of the loading pattern, and in particular the wave impulse and corresponding impact maxima and rise times. Based on the conservation of momentum, functional relationships between these parameters have been identified since pioneering work dating back to the late '30s of the 20th century. The complexity of the loading process, however, results in a significantly large variability of wave impact maxima and rise times even under similar conditions, suggesting the need for a probabilistic approach to the definition of the relationship between these two variables, to be applied when estimating the dynamic properties of wave for use in structural analysis of coastal structures. In the recent past, some effort has been made to identify functional relationships between such quantities; these require the assessment of the conditional quantiles (or similarly the conditional distribution) of wave impact maxima given the rise times. In this paper, we compare three different statistical methods proposed in the literature to accomplish this task, in order to assess the reliability of the approach and suggest guidelines for practical applications. A copula-based method, Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS), and quantile regression are applied to measurements from large-scale 3-dimensional physical model tests. The investigation suggests that quantile regression gives the simplest results to be used in practice; copula approach and GAMLSS are possible alternative when semi-parametric or fully parametric modeling is needed.     

清代东蒙农业开发的消长及其气候变化背景

利用档案史料、建置沿革史研究成果等提取信息,建立历史代用指标序列,对清代（1644～1911）内蒙古东部地区农业开发的时空进程进行描述,结合当地农业气候资源条件（温度、降水）及清代气候变化（温度）探讨其中的气候因素。结果显示：（1）清代东蒙农业开发集中在现代年均≥10℃积温2500℃、降水量400mm以上区域之内;（2...     

Modelling the impact of a hypothetical sub-Plinian eruption at La Soufrière of Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles)

This paper describes the development and application of an impact model for a future hypothetical sub-Plinian eruption of La Soufrière of Guadeloupe. The model was designed to assess the impact from either a single or multiple eruption scenarios, each defined in terms of a map of the intensity of three volcanic hazards; volcanogenic earthquake, tephra fallout and pyroclastic density currents. The impact from the three hazards can be assessed independently or alternatively the joint impact of the three hazards can be assessed. The outputs that are produced from the model are; the number of buildings with collapsed roofs, and the number of fatal and non-fatal casualties.     

中国人口和富裕对环境的影响

辨明人类活动各因素对环境影响作用的大小,并依此找寻发展的对策是当前可持续发展研究的核心问题之一.分析了IPAT等式在分解环境影响中人文因素的作用;采用生态足迹作为环境影响的测量指标,利用STIRPAT模型,以1999年中国各省市的截面数据为例,分析了人口数量、富裕程度、现代化及经济区位和自然区位对环境影响的具体作用,并在此基础上探讨了中国各省(市)的技术生态效益.结果表明:人口数量是当前环境影响的一个主要驱动因子,环境影响与人口数量近同比例变化,富裕程度或现代化程度增加也将加剧人类对环境的影响.在观测数据范围内,分析结果不支持存在环境Kuznets曲线的观点.最后分析讨论了不支持存在环境Kuznets曲线的原因及STIRPAT模型的优缺点,并指出社会适应性能力可作为下一步深入研究的方向.     

气候波动对莱州湾地区水资源及极端旱涝事件的影响

通过对莱州湾地区１９６０～１９９３年气候波动水资源及极端旱涝事件的影响分析,楞以看出该地区水资源对气候波动敏感。当降水增加１０％,全区水资源总量可增加２２％;若降水减少１０％,全区水资源总量则减少２３％。在气候处于少雨时期,极端干旱频高远高于多雨时期。同时还分析了未来气候变化对莱州湾地区水资源的可能影响。     

北极快速增暖背景下冰冻圈变化及其影响研究综述

北极具有独特的地理位置和战略地位,是当前全球变化研究的热点区域之一.北极增暖是全球平均值的两倍以上,被称为"北极放大"现象.在北极快速增暖背景下,冰冻圈尤其是海冰显著萎缩,对北极乃至中纬度天气气候产生深远影响.对北极快速增暖背景下冰冻圈主要要素(包括海冰、冰盖、冰川、积雪和冻土)时空变化特征及未来预估进行了综述,同时总...     

Quantification of human and climate contributions to multi-dimensional hydrological alterations: A case study in the Upper Minjiang River,China

Dual factors of climate and human on the hydrological process are reflected not only in changes in the spatiotemporal distribution of water resource amounts but also in the various characteristics of river flow regimes. Isolating and quantifying their contributions to these hydrological alterations helps us to comprehensively understand the response mechanism and patterns of hydrological process to the two kinds of factors. Here we develop a general framework using hydrological model and 33 indicators to describe hydrological process and quantify the impact from climate and human. And we select the Upper Minjiang River(UMR) as a case to explore its feasibility. The results indicate that our approach successfully recognizes the characteristics of river flow regimes in different scenarios and quantitatively separates the climate and human contributions to multi-dimensional hydrological alterations. Among these indicators, 26 of 33 indicators decrease over the past half-century(1961–2012) in the UMR, with change rates ranging from 1.3% to 33.2%, and the human impacts are the dominant factor affecting hydrological processes, with an average relative contribution rate of 58.6%. Climate change causes an increase in most indicators, with an average relative contribution rate of 41.4%. Specifically, changes in precipitation and reservoir operation may play a considerable role in inducing these alterations. The findings in this study help us better understand the response mechanism of hydrological process under changing environment and is conducive to climate change adaptation, water resource planning and ecological construction.     

极端事件对人类系统的影响

在IPCC特别报告《管理极端事件和灾害风险,推进气候变化适应》中,极端天气气候事件对人类系统的影响是最重要的影响评估内容之一,其评估结果为：极端影响可能缘于极端天气气候事件,但也可能并非极端事件的后果。暴露度和脆弱性是灾害风险的重要决定因素;极端和非极端天气气候事件的严重程度和影响在很大程度上取决于对这些事件的脆弱性和暴露度水平;人居模式、城市化和社会经济状况的变化已经影响观测到的脆弱性和暴露度的变化趋势;无论在发达国家还是发展中国家,沿海人居环境均暴露于极端事件,并受其影响,如小岛屿国家和亚洲大三角洲地区;脆弱人口还包括难民、国内流离失所的人和那些生活在边远地区的人;极端事件将极大地影响与气候联系密切的部门,如水、农业、食物安全、健康和旅游业。     

气候变化对湖库水环境的潜在影响研究进展

本文着重归纳气候变化对湖库热力特性、冰期、溶解氧、营养盐、浮游植物和水生植物等方面的影响规律,探讨气候变化对湖库水环境潜在影响的区域差异,讨论现有研究方法的优缺点和发展前景.研究表明,气候变暖对湖库物理过程的影响最为显著;热带草原气候和温带海洋性气候对于气候变暖和降雨变化的响应较其他气候类型突出;气候变化对湖库水环境的影响效果具有两面性.通过分析各气候类型中气候变暖对磷水平的潜在影响差异表明,亚热带季风气候的湖库更可能受气候变暖的影响趋于富营养状态.在今后研究中,建议深入开展各气候类型中区域性气候变化对湖库水环境影响的实例研究.