Beaver dam analogues drive heterogeneous groundwater–surface water interactions

Beaver dam analogues (BDAs) are a cost-effective stream restoration approach that leverages the recognized environmental benefits of natural beaver dams on channel stability and local hydrology. Although natural beaver dams are known to exert considerable influence on the hydrologic conditions of a stream system by mediating geomorphic processes, nutrient cycling, and groundwater–surface water interactions, the impacts of beaver-derived restoration methods on groundwater–surface water exchange are poorly characterized. To address this deficit, we monitored hyporheic exchange fluxes and streambed porewater biogeochemistry across a sequence of BDAs installed along a central Wyoming stream during the summer of 2019. Streambed fluxes were quantified by heat tracing methods and vertical hydraulic gradients. Biogeochemical activity was evaluated using major ion porewater chemistry and principal component analysis. Vertical fluxes of approximately 1.0 m/day were observed around the BDAs, as was the development of spatially heterogeneous zones of nitrate production, groundwater upwelling, and anaerobic reduction. Strong contrasts in hyporheic zone processes were observed across BDAs of differing sizes. This suggests that structures may function with size-dependent behaviour, only altering groundwater–surface water interactions after a threshold hydraulic step height is exceeded. Patterns of hyporheic exchange and biogeochemical cycling around the studied BDAs resemble those around natural beaver dams, suggesting that BDAs may provide comparable benefits to channel complexity and near-stream function over a 1-year period.     

Application of micropolar plasticity to post failure analysis in geomechanics

A micropolar elastoplastic model for soils is formulated and a series of finite element analyses are employed to demonstrate the use of a micropolar continuum in overcoming the numerical difficulties encountered in application of finite element method in standard Cauchy–Boltzmann continuum. Three examples of failure analysis involving a deep excavation, shallow foundation, and a retaining wall are presented. In all these cases, it is observed that the length scale introduced in the polar continuum regularizes the incremental boundary value problem and allows the numerical simulation to be continued until a clear collapse mechanism is achieved. The issue of grain size effect is also discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gravitational collapse and equilibrium conditions of a toroidal vortex with thermal pressure

We found the equilibrium conditions for a self-gravitating toroidal vortex by taking thermal pressure into account. These conditions are shown to significantly differ from those for a disk or a sphere. The evolution of a thin vortex turns it into a compact vortex that loses mechanical stability for low masses at a polytropic index γ<4/3 but retains stability for sufficiently high masses and densities determined by the velocity circulation in the vortex.     

Simulation of green water flow on deck using non-linear dam breaking theory

Experiments carried out with models of floating production, storage and offloading platforms (FPSOs) showed that the flow of water over the deck edge, onto the deck resembled a suddenly released wall of water rather than a breaking wave. Therefore green water flow onto the deck was simulated using dam breaking theory, but the theory’s shallow-water assumptions may be limiting. In this paper a non-linear dam breaking problem is formulated. Equations of motion in the Lagrangian form are used and the solution is sought as an infinite series in time. Comparisons with the shallow water approximation are carried out.     

新建水坝对下游已建水工建筑物的影响分析

分析了新建水坝及社会经济发展因素对坝下游水流及泥沙的影响，用一个简易河床模型来说明新建大坝后下游河床的演变规律，通过坝下游河床一般演变分析来阐述局部冲刷对已建水工建筑物基础的影响及对已建水工建筑基础的防护措施。     

Code of Practice For Ocean Mining: An International Effort to Develop a Code For Environmental Management of Marine Mining

A code of practice for ocean mining has been developed by the International Marine Minerals Society. The code provides general guiding Principles for development of marine mineral resources and delineates Operating Guidelines for application, as appropriate, at specific mining sites. In total 11 operating guidelines are provided to serve as benchmarks for industry and targets for regulatory agencies and other stakeholders. They include the following commitments: •To sustainable development, •To environmentally responsible corporate ethics, •To the development of effective community partnership, •To implementation of environmental risk management, •To the integration of environmental management into all phases of development, •To the establishment of corporate environmental performance targets, •To timely environmental improvements and upgrading, •To responsible rehabilitation of operations sites and decommissioning of facilities, and •To accurate and timely, reporting and documentation, archiving, and performance review.     

Fully nonlinear numerical wave tank (NWT) simulations and wave run-up prediction around 3-D structures

A finite-difference scheme and a modified marker-and-cell (MAC) algorithm have been developed to investigate the interactions of fully nonlinear waves with two- or three-dimensional structures of arbitrary shape. The Navier–Stokes (NS) and continuity equations are solved in the computational domain and the boundary values are updated at each time step by the finite-difference time-marching scheme in the framework of a rectangular coordinate system. The fully nonlinear kinematic free-surface condition is implemented by the marker-density function (MDF) technique developed for two fluid layers.To demonstrate the capability and accuracy of the present method, the numerical simulation of backstep flows with free-surface, and the numerical tests of the MDF technique with limit functions are conducted. The 3D program was then applied to nonlinear wave interactions with conical gravity platforms of circular and octagonal cross-sections. The numerical prediction of maximum wave run-up on arctic structures is compared with the prediction of the Shore Protection Manual (SPM) method and those of linear and second-order diffraction analyses based on potential theory and boundary element method (BEM). Through this comparison, the effects of non-linearity and viscosity on wave loading and run-up are discussed.     

广东省五华县地质灾害形成特征及防治对策

五华县主要地质灾害类型有滑坡、崩塌、地面塌陷、水土流失等。其中以滑坡、崩塌为主,多分布在东南、南部花岗岩区、北部花岗岩风化土区等广大中低山及丘陵区,具有点多面广,灾害点个体规模小,稳定性差,活动频繁,地质灾害发育呈明显的地域性与季节性分布等特点。五华县地质灾害的形成与发生是多种致灾因素相互作用的结果。地层岩性是其形成的内在要素,它在一定程度上决定着地质灾害的发育程度与类型;地形地貌与植被是地质灾害形成的外在条件,它制约着崩、滑、塌等致灾地质作用的形成;大气降雨是地质灾害形成与发生的激发因素,决定着地质灾害发生的速度和时间;人类工程活动是影响地质灾害形成与发生的最主要、最直接的因素。对地质灾害的防治应采用避让、预防、监测及治理措施,做到避让与治理结合,以群测群防为基本手段,点状灾害以工程治理与生物防治为主;面状灾害以生物防治为主;采用点、面结合综合治理的方法。     

隧道围岩强度不均地段塌方成因及其处理方法

由于地质构造作用以及风化作用,工程场地岩体中多存在围岩强度不均地段.在隧道施工过程中就经常遇到软硬岩石交汇而形成的地质条件复杂地段;给隧道的施工带来了很多不利情况,并且也是导致隧道塌方的原因之一.2006年1月,承德韩郭线二级公路工程,喇嘛梁隧道软硬岩石交汇地段由于地下水作用导致围岩风化程度不均,产生软弱结构面并造成了大面积塌方.基于现场的追踪调查与考察,本文详细描述了利用拱顶架设工字钢梁并配合超前注浆小导管的支护方法来处理这类围岩.