Spatio‐temporal distribution of near‐surface and root zone soil moisture at the catchment scale

Soil moisture is highly variable both spatially and temporally. It is widely recognized that improving the knowledge and understanding of soil moisture and the processes underpinning its spatial and temporal distribution is critical. This paper addresses the relationship between near‐surface and root zone soil moisture, the way in which they vary spatially and temporally, and the effect of sampling design for determining catchment scale soil moisture dynamics. In this study, catchment scale near‐surface (0–50 mm) and root zone (0–300 mm) soil moisture were monitored over a four‐week period. Measurements of near‐surface soil moisture were recorded at various resolutions, and near‐surface and root zone soil moisture data were also monitored continuously within a network of recording sensors. Catchment average near‐surface soil moisture derived from detailed spatial measurements and continuous observations at fixed points were found to be significantly correlated (r² = 0·96; P = 0·0063; n = 4). Root zone soil moisture was also found to be highly correlated with catchment average near‐surface, continuously monitored (r² = 0·81; P < 0·0001; n = 26) and with detailed spatial measurements of near‐surface soil moisture (r² = 0·84). The weaker relationship observed between near‐surface and root zone soil moisture is considered to be caused by the different responses to rainfall and the different factors controlling soil moisture for the soil depths of 0–50 mm and 0–300 mm. Aspect is considered to be the main factor influencing the spatial and temporal distribution of near‐surface soil moisture, while topography and soil type are considered important for root zone soil moisture. The ability of a limited number of monitoring stations to provide accurate estimates of catchment scale average soil moisture for both near‐surface and root zone is thus demonstrated, as opposed to high resolution spatial measurements. Similarly, the use of near‐surface soil moisture measurements to obtain a reliable estimate of deeper soil moisture levels at the small catchment scale was demonstrated. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assess hydrological responses to a warming climate at the Lysina Critical Zone Observatory in Central Europe

Climate warming is having profound effects on the hydrological cycle by increasing atmospheric demand, changing water availability, and snow seasonality. Europe suffered three distinct heat waves in 2019, and 11 of the 12 hottest years ever recorded took place in the past two decades, which will potentially change seasonal streamflow patterns and long-term trends. Central Europe exhibited six dry years in a row since 2014. This study uses data from a well-documented headwater catchment in Central Europe (Lysina) to explore hydrological responses to a warming climate. We applied a lumped parameter hydrologic model Brook90 and a distributed model Penn State Integrated Hydrologic Model (PIHM) to simulate long-term hydrological change under future climate scenarios. Both models performed well on historic streamflow and in agreement with each other according to the catchment water budget. In addition, PIHM was able to simulate lateral groundwater redistribution within the catchment validated by the groundwater table dynamics. The long-term trends in runoff and low flow were captured by PIHM only. We applied different EURO-CORDEX models with two emission scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathways RCP 4.5, 8.5) and found significant impacts on runoff and evapotranspiration (ET) for the period of 2071–2100. Results from both models suggested reduced runoff and increased ET, while the monthly distribution of runoff was different. We used this catchment study to understand the importance of subsurface processes in projection of hydrologic response to a warming climate.     

Using a H∞ filter assimilation procedure to estimate root zone soil water content

Root zone soil water content impacts plant water availability, land energy and water balances. Because of unknown hydrological model error, observation errors and the statistical characteristics of the errors, the widely used Kalman filter (KF) and its extensions are challenged to retrieve the root zone soil water content using the surface soil water content. If the soil hydraulic parameters are poorly estimated, the KF and its extensions fail to accurately estimate the root zone soil water. The H‐infinity filter (HF) represents a robust version of the KF. The HF is widely used in data assimilation and is superior to the KF, especially when the performance of the model is not well understood. The objective of this study is to study the impact of uncertain soil hydraulic parameters, initial soil moisture content and observation period on the ability of HF assimilation to predict in situ soil water content. In this article, we study seven cases. The results show that the soil hydraulic parameters hold a critical role in the course of assimilation. When the soil hydraulic parameters are poorly estimated, an accurate estimation of root soil water content cannot be retrieved by the HF assimilation approach. When the estimated soil hydraulic parameters are similar to actual values, the soil water content at various depths can be accurately retrieved by the HF assimilation. The HF assimilation is not very sensitive to the initial soil water content, and the impact of the initial soil water content on the assimilation scheme can be eliminated after about 5–7 days. The observation interval is important for soil water profile distribution retrieval with the HF, and the shorter the observation interval, the shorter the time required to achieve actual soil water content. However, the retrieval results are not very accurate at a depth of 100 cm. Also it is complex to determine the weighting coefficient and the error attenuation parameter in the HF assimilation. In this article, the trial‐and‐error method was used to determine the weighting coefficient and the error attenuation parameter. After the first establishment of limited range of the parameters, ‘the best parameter set’ was selected from the range of values. For the soil conditions investigated, the HF assimilation results are better than the open‐loop results. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the exact shape of the horizontal profile of a topographically rectified tidal flow

Abstract

Starting from the nonlinear shallow water equations of a homogeneous rotating fluid we derive the equation describing the evolution of vorticity by a fluctuating bottom topography of small amplitude, using a multiple scale expansion in a small parameter, which is the topographic length scale relative to the tidal wave length. The exact response functions of residual vorticity for a sinusoidal bottom topography are compared with those obtained by a primitive perturbation series and by harmonic truncation, showing the former to be invalid for small topographic length scales and the latter to be only a fair approximation for vorticity produced by planetary vortex stretching. In deriving the exact shape of the horizontal residual velocity profile at a step-like break in the bottom topography, it is shown that the Lagrangian profile only exists in a strip having the width of the amplitude of the tidal excursion at both sides of the break, and that it vanishes outside that interval. Moreover, in the limit of small amplitude topography at least, it vanishes altogether for the generation mechanism by means of planetary vortex stretching. The Eulerian profile is shown to extend over twice the interval of the Lagrangian profile both for production by vortex stretching and by differential bottom friction. These finite intervals over which the residual velocity profiles exist for a step-like topography are not reproduced by harmonic truncation of the basic equation. This method gives exponentially decaying profiles, indicating spurious horizontal diffusion of vorticity. In terms of orders of magnitude, the method of harmonic truncation is reliable for residual velocity produced by vortex stretching but it overestimates the residual velocity produced by differential bottom friction by a factor 2.     

Variability of volume strain in bounded heterogeneous media

The deformation of the solid matrix affects the fluid pore pressure and flow by altering the pore volume. Such interaction in turn affects the storage of groundwater in the void space. Obviously, this subject is of interest in groundwater hydrology. This paper describes an investigation of the effect of aquifer heterogeneity on the variability of the fluid pressure head and solid's volume strain, where the assumption of a constant vertical total stress leads to a relatively simple relationship between changes in solid's volume strain and fluid pressure head. To solve the problem analytically, focus is placed on the one‐dimensional models. It is found from our closed‐form solutions that the variance and correlation length of the log hydraulic conductivity are important in increasing the variability of pressure head and solid's volume strain. It is hoped that our findings will provide a basic framework for understanding and quantifying field‐scale volume strain processes and be useful in stimulating further research in this area. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Copper‐gold mineralisation in New Guinea: Numerical modelling of collision,fluid flow and intrusion‐related hydrothermal systems

Two‐ and three‐dimensional numerical modelling techniques, constrained by key geodynamic data, provide insights into the controls on development of porphyry‐related Cu–Au mineralisation in the Tertiary collision zone of New Guinea. Modelling shows that the creation of local dilation to facilitate magma emplacement can be caused by reactivation of arc‐normal transfer faults, where they cut the weakened fold belt. Additionally, dilation occurs where fluid overpressuring is caused by collision‐related, south‐directed fluid flow being localised into the more permeable units of the Mesozoic passive‐margin sedimentary succession. Rapid uplift and erosion, which may be a mechanism for magmatic fluid release in these systems, is shown to be greatest in the west of West Papua, where the stronger Australian crust acts as a buttress. Within the Papuan Fold Belt, uplift is greatest near the margins, where the weaker fold belt abuts the stronger crust and/or major faults have been reactivated. Increased orographically induced precipitation and erosion exposes the lower parts of the stratigraphy within or on the margins of these uplifted zones. On a smaller scale, 2–D coupled fluid‐flow ‐ thermal‐chemical modelling uses a scenario of fluid mixing to calculate metal precipitation distribution and magnitude around an individual intrusive complex. Modelling highlights the interdependence of the spatial permeability structure, the regional temperature gradient, and the geometry of the convection cells and how this impacts on the distribution of metal precipitation.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INLAND LAKES EVOLUTION AND CLIMATIC FLUCTUATION IN ARID ZONE

The evolution of the inland lakes in arid and semi-arid zones is accorded with the climatic fluctuation. The humid climate is in harmony with the higher water level and greater lake water quantity budget while arid climate is in correspondence with the lower water level and little water budget. Based on the analysis of the lake fluctuation and lake budget change, with the aid of the data of geom'orphology, palynology, sedimentology and chronology, It is found that the climate experienced a warm and humid period during 7000-3500 yr. B. P. and showed a drying and warming trend in the last century in the Central Asia.     

双基地激光测风雷达回波信号仿真研究

本文针对传统的体散射模型并未考虑大气不均匀性对信号传输的影响等问题,通过引入垂直非均匀的大气参数改进了模型,并利用其建立了体目标的双基地激光测风雷达方程,仿真了侧向散射回波信号,并与单基地雷达进行了对比分析。研究表明:水平方向上,双基地激光测风雷达的回波信号分布特征与单基地雷达差异较大,其回波信号等值线在近地面为卵形线,随着探测高度的增加,回波信号等值线逐渐变为以主、被动雷达为焦点的椭圆形,并最终趋近于圆形;垂直方向上,双基地激光测风雷达的回波信号随高度衰减剧烈,近地面的回波能量约为10^-10 J,4 km高度的回波能量约为10^-15J,在中低层大气(0~10 km),回波信号中气溶胶散射占比大,在高层大气(10 km以上),分子散射占比大。     

论弱势群体的法律保护

弱势群体是社会分层的结果,对其进行保护是法律追求正义与秩序的必然要求,具体途径为通过法律再分配社会性资源,缩小强弱差距,保护弱势群体的正当权益。完善我国的弱势群体法律保护制度,须遵循“一个协调,两个结合”的指导原则,即效率与公平相协调,长远措施与短期措施相结合,全面保护与重点保护相结合。     

马超营断裂带地质及地球化学特征

根据对马超营断裂带系统进行的地质—地球化学剖面研究，探讨了该带断裂构造活动及其元素地球化学迁移富集规律与构造地球化学分异之间的关系；分析了蚀变、矿化与成矿的关系，认为早期面型蚀变伴有成矿元素的活化和迁移，但无矿化富集，后期带状蚀变伴有金的富集成矿且以硅化、绢云母化为主要标志。从而，为马超营断裂带这一重要的以金为主成矿带的进一步工作、研究，提供了地球化学方面的依据。