Fluvial process and morphology of the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India

The Brahmaputra River finds its origin in the Chema Yundung glacier of Tibet and flows through India and Bangladesh. The slope of the river decreases suddenly in front of the Himalayas and results in the deposition of sediment and a braided channel pattern. It flows through Assam, India, along a valley comprising its own Recent alluvium. In Assam the basin receives 300 cm mean annual rainfall, 66–85% of which occurs in the monsoon period from June through September. Mean annual discharge at Pandu for 1955–1990 is 16,682.24 m³ s^{− 1}. Average monthly discharge is highest in July (19%) and lowest in February (2%). Most hydrographs exhibit multiple flood peaks occurring at different times from June to September. The mean annual suspended sediment load is 402 million tons and average monthly sediment discharge is highest in June (19.05%) and lowest in January (1.02%). The bed load at Pandu was found to be 5–15% of the total load of the river. Three kinds of major geomorphic units are found in the basin. The river bed of the Brahmaputra shows four topographic levels, with increasing height and vegetation. The single first order primary channels of this braided river split into two or more smaller second order channels separated by bars and islands. The second order channels are of three kinds. The maximum length and width of the bars in the area under study are 18.43 km and 6.17 km, respectively. The Brahmaputra channel is characterised by mid-channel bars, side bars, tributary mouth bars and unit bars. The geometry of meandering tributary rivers shows that the relationship between meander wavelength and bend radius is most linear. The Brahmaputra had been undergoing overall aggradation by about 16 cm during 1971 to 1979. The channel of the Brahmaputra River has been migrating because of channel widening and avulsion. The meandering tributaries change because of neck cut-off and progressive shifting at the meander bends. The braiding index of the Brahmaputra has been increasing from 6.11 in 1912–1928 to 8.33 in 1996. During the twentieth century, the total amount of bank area lost from erosion was 868 km². Maximum rate of shift of the north bank to south resulting in erosion was 227.5 m/year and maximum rate of shift of the south bank to north resulting in accretion was 331.56 m/year. Shear failure of upper bank and liquefaction of clayey-silt materials are two main causes of bank erosion.     

Intelligent Transportation Systems and Travel Behavior in Connecticut

In the past decade, there has been significant investment in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies that provide information to both en‐route and pre‐trip travelers. However, there is no definitive evidence that en‐route travelers actually use the information and alter their travel patterns. Previous research employed surveys that relied on motorists' written or spoken responses to questions involving travel information and hypothetical roadway scenarios. This research examines travel behavior on freeways equipped with ITS technologies in Connecticut using collected real‐time traffic count data from the diversionary roadways. Results find that more travel is occurring on the diversionary routes during periods of variable message sign (VMS) messages than during equivalent periods having no messages, indicating a motorist travel response to these messages.     

克州地区一场特大暴雪天气过程分析

对2003年3月初发生在南疆西部的一次特大暴雪天气进行了天气成因分析。着重从大尺度环流的演变、高低空急流的配置、物理量场的特征入手，探讨了南疆西部大降水形成的物理、动力条件。     

Couplex Benchmark Computations Obtained with the Software Toolbox UG

This paper describes the numerical results for the COUPLEX benchmark obtained with the simulation software UG using vertex centered finite volume and higher order discontinuous Galerkin schemes. Multigrid solvers on unstructured grids, local mesh refinement and parallel computation are employed to yield very accurate solutions. Since the full range of results required in the benchmarks is too large to be displayed in this paper we focus on the comparison of discretization schemes, assessment of numerical errors and the presentation of parallel computations.     

Zn–Pb–Cu volcanic-hosted massive sulphide deposits: criteria for distinguishing brine pool-type from black smoker-type sulphide deposition

Eight Zn–Pb–Cu massive sulphide deposits that appear to have formed on the sea floor (seven in Spain, one in Tasmania) are believed to have been precipitated in brine pools, based on the salinities and temperatures of fluid inclusions in underlying stockworks. Comparing the geological features of these deposits with those of the Zn–Pb–Cu massive sulphide ores of the Hokuroku Basin, Japan, which have formed as mounds from buoyant fluids of low salinity, shows that brine pool deposits have: (1) potentially very large size and tonnage, and high aspect ratio, (2) higher Zn/Cu and Fe/Cu values, (3) no evidence of chimneys, (4) relatively abundant framboidal pyrite and primary mineral banding, (5) reduced mineral assemblages (pyrite-arsenopyrite/pyrrhotite), and minor or rare barite in the massive sulphide, (6) associated stratiform and/or vein carbonates, (7) relatively unimportant zone refining, (8) lack of vertical variation in sphalerite and sulphur isotopic compositions, and (9) evidence of local bacterial sulphate reduction. Application of these criteria to the Rosebery deposit in Tasmania, for which there are no fluid inclusion data, leads to the conclusion that the southern section was deposited as separate lenses in a brine-filled basin or basins. Other potential candidates include Brunswick no. 12 and Heath Steele (Canada), Woodlawn and Captains Flat (New South Wales), Hercules and Que River (Tasmania), and Tharsis and the orebodies at Aljustrel (Spain and Portugal). Recently published fluid inclusion data for Gacun (China) and Mount Chalmers (Queensland) suggest that not all ores deposited from highly saline fluids have reduced mineral assemblages.     

Mobility of a remobilised parabolic dune in Kennemerland, The Netherlands

A parabolic dune in the Netherlands was remobilised in December 1998 by removing vegetation and soil. The main aim of the experiment was ecological: to investigate whether permanent rejuvenation at the landscape scale is possible by restoration of natural processes. If processes can be reactivated at coarse scale, periodic rejuvenation of the landscape over the long term is possible, without the need for managers to interfere further. The experiment provides the opportunity to address another important question: can large parabolic dunes in the Netherlands be mobile in the present climate? Mobility of the dune is investigated by means of erosion pins, aerial photography and measurement of cross sections. Activity indices are derived from erosion pin recordings and correlated to weather conditions. From 1999 to 2001, displacement of the dune ranged from 0 to 12 m in east–northeasterly direction. Activity of the dune is related to wind conditions, but the relationship is strongly influenced by precipitation and therefore differs for wet and dry periods. Periods with extreme wind speeds resulted in much less geomorphic change than expected.     

Movement of a small slipfaceless dome dune in the Namib Sand Sea, Namibia

The migration of a small slipfaceless dome dune close to the northern edge of the Namib Sand Sea has been measured by topographic survey. The dune dimensions are 45-m wide and 1-m high with a volume of 551 m³ that has been calculated as the difference between the dune's surface elevation and an interdune surface extrapolated from measurements around the edge of the dune. The migration direction, 64°, and distance moved, 90 m, are measured against stakes set out in 1976. The dune has moved about 90 m between 1976 and 1999. This is an average linear migration rate of around 4 m year⁻¹, and is equivalent to an annual sand transport rate of about 1.2 tonnes m⁻¹ year⁻¹. The calculated total potential sand flow in this part of the Namib Desert is 119 tonnes m⁻¹ year⁻¹, and the resultant potential sand flow is 63 tonnes m⁻¹ year⁻¹. The dune migration is therefore about 1% of the total potential sandflow and 2% of the resultant indicating that dune migration is only a small part of total potential sand transport. The results suggest that small slipfaceless dome dunes are very inefficient at trapping sand, and that winds blowing across the interdune in this area are undersaturated with sand.     

Geographic Patterns of Air Passenger Transport in China 1980–1998: Imprints of Economic Growth,Regional Inequality,and Network Development*

This research analyzes the geographic patterns of domestic air passenger transport in China from 1980 to 1998, with three foci: (1) impacts of economic reforms, (2) regional inequality in air transport development, and (3) network development. Accessibility to air transport improved significantly as China expanded its air transport system, 1980–1998. The dominance of major airports declined as the air transport system expanded to medium and small cities. The centroid of passenger volume migrated toward southeast, consistent with the expansion of economic growth in southeast coastal areas. The rule of distance decay in air traffic was more applicable to China in 1998 than in 1985 as the market economy worked its way into China's air transport system. The East Region had a much higher share of air passengers than its share of population and GDP, followed by the West and the Middle Regions, reflecting an interesting “flyover” effect. By 1998, a hub‐and‐spoke air transport system was clearly in place in China.     

水及溶质在有大孔隙土壤中运移的研究（I）：田间实验

通过田间原状土和回填土渗透比较试验，揭示了大孔隙对水及溶质在土壤中运移的影响。通过回填土和原状土中含水率实验结果比较分析，指出回填土和原状土含水率的变化呈现不同分布特征。而对回填土和原状土中溶质浓度实验结果分析比较，发现回填土中水分运动和溶质运移的速度显著低于原状土，回填土和原状土都有位置深的检测点先于其上面的检测点出现溴离子的现象，回填土中硝酸根离子的浓度远低于其在原状土相应深度的浓度。