Reliability of mooring lines and piles for a permanently manned vessel in a tropical cyclone environment

The factors of safety for stationkeeping systems in current standards (ISO, API) are not derived or validated using reliability analyses. As the oil and gas exploration and production is breaking new boundaries, deploying new floating systems and moving into regions with harsher environments, it is of paramount importance to understand what level of reliability these new marine structures are achieving. This paper presents a reliability analysis of the mooring system of a Floating LNG (FLNG) vessel permanently moored and permanently manned offshore North West Australia in a tropical cyclone environment. The reliability analysis addresses both the mooring chain and the pile foundation. The analysis accounts for the long term characteristics of the environment, including the short term variability, in response to a given sea state and the variability and uncertainty in strength of the mooring chain and the pile. The stationkeeping system was analysed using detailed time domain simulations, capturing system non-linearities and low frequency oscillations as well as wave frequency responses and, thereby, reducing modelling uncertainties to a minimum.It is found that for the conditions modelled, neither the chain nor the pile meet a target reliability of 10⁻⁴/annum using the factors of safety commonly used in design following current ISO and API standards. New factors of safety are proposed to achieve this target reliability. For the pile design, one complicating factor is that current design standards do not explicitly define the exceedance probability that should be associated with the characteristic value of the undrained shear strength to be used in the design. It is demonstrated that the required factor of safety is crucially dependent on the definition of this characteristic value and on the level and the type of uncertainty in the soil strength profile. A recommendation is made regarding the definition of this characteristic value and the associated factor of safety. Furthermore, it is found that designing the mooring system to an environmental condition with a return period of 10,000 yr (as an Abnormal Limit State event), and setting the factor of safety to unity, meets the target reliability of 10⁻⁴/annum for the pile, if the characteristic undrained shear strength is a lower bound, defined in this paper by the 10th percentile value. For the chain however, this target reliability is not achieved.     

因子克里格分析支持的重金属元素空间多尺度变化特征——以北部湾东北部海域为例

将因子克里格分析方法应用于海底沉积物重金属元素空间多尺度变化的研究中,分析了北部湾东北部表层沉积物中7种重金属元素,Ni、Cu、Zn、Pb、Cr、As和Cd的空间多尺度结构特征,识别并分离了重金属元素不同尺度的空间变化,并探讨了各个尺度上重金属的物源及控制因素。结果显示,研究区重金属存在块金效应、变程为30km的球状结构(短变程尺度)和变程为140km的球状结构(长变程尺度)等三种尺度的空间结构,并拟合了研究区7种重金属元素的线性协同区域化模型。短变程尺度上,7种重金属元素的空间分布表现为"点状"或"条带状"的局部尺度的空间变化特征;长变程尺度上,7种重金属元素的空间分布反映出"片状"的区域尺度的空间变化特征。局部尺度上,Zn、Cr、Ni、Cu、Pb和Cd等元素主要源于海南岛、雷州半岛、广西大陆等陆地母岩物质,其空间分布特征受到了沉积物粒度的控制作用;而As主要受到海南岛、雷州半岛的人为污染成分的影响。区域尺度上,Zn、Cr、Ni和Cu主要来源于雷州半岛、海南岛的母岩物质,其次为广西大陆;As主要来源于海南岛的母岩物质,其次为雷州半岛、广西大陆。这些重金属元素在北部湾终年逆时针大环流的控制下,进行搬运、迁移并沉积在"汇聚中心",形成了研究区重金属元素区域尺度上NWW-NNW向的分布格局;而As不同于其他元素的亲陆的NNW向分布特征,主要源于其不同的地球化学行为。     

关于气候系统与地球系统的若干思考

分析了地球系统的基本特征和地球系统的能源和运转方式,指出地热涡和地冷涡是地面气候系统的重要成员. 利用全球地磁场资料,研究了地球内部焦耳热的分布和演变规律,结果表明:全球地磁场的变化与全球气温的变化有密切联系,而且焦耳热场的分布与地热带、火山分布、全球最大降水量带有很好的对应. 因此,要对气候变化有一个全面的认识,必须研究整个地球系统.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF INTERANNUAL AND INTERDECADAL VARIABILITY OF SURFACE WIND OVER THE TROPICAL PACIFIC

A global atmospheric general circulation model (L9R15 AGCMs) forced by COADS SST was integrated from 1945 to 1993. Interannual and interdecadal variability of the simulated surface wind over the tropical Pacific was analyzed and shown to agree vey well with observation. Simulation of surface wind over the central-western equatorial Pacific was more successful than that over the eastern Pacific. Zonal propagating feature of interannual variability of the tropical Pacific wind anomalies and its decadal difference were also simulated successfully. The close agreement between simulation and observation on the existence of obvious interdecadal variability of tropical Pacific surface wind attested to the high simulation capability of AGCM.     

Simulation of coupled pelagic-benthic ecosystem of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass

A one-dimensional coupled pelagic-benthic box model for the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass （YSCWM） is developed. The model is divided into three boxes vertically according to the depths of thermocline and euphotic layer. It simulates well the oligotrophic shelf ecosystem of the YSCWM considering effects of nutrients deposition and microbial loop. Main features of vertical structure of various variables in ecosystem of the YSCWM were captured and seasonal variability of the ecosystem was well reconstructed. Calculation shows that the contribution of microbial loop to the zooplankton can reach up to 60%. Besides, input of inorganic nutrients from atmospheric deposition is an important mechanism of production in upper layer of the YSCWM when stratified.     

1980—2020年中国九大流域蒸散发及其组分时空评估

蒸散发是地表陆气水分交换的纽带,准确量化蒸散发的时空演变格局对于水资源规划与管理至关重要。本文基于GLEAM模型的蒸散发及其组分数据集,借助7个通量观测站数据、120个流域的流域水量平衡及PML_V2蒸散发产品,在中国九大流域系统评估了GLEAM-ET产品,分析了植被恢复背景下,蒸散发（ET）及其组分（植被蒸腾Ec,截留蒸发Ei,土壤蒸发Es）在1980—2020年的时空演变格局。本文主要得到以下结论：① GLEAM-ET产品在中国九大流域具有较好的适用性,其性能与气候类型有关,干旱区效果优于湿润区。此外,GLEAM与PML_V2模型在九大流域相关性较好（R>0.7）,分布格局与变化趋势整体保持一致。② 全国尺度上,ET均值为416.88 mm,增长速率为1.21 mm/a。Ec与ET均呈自东南向西北递减的分布格局,而Es与其相反。Ec、ET在九大流域均呈显著增加趋势（p<0.001）。Ei、Es在季风区流域分别呈显著增加和显著减小趋势;在内陆区流域呈不显著减小（p>0.05）和显著增加趋势。③在植被恢复背景下,ET组分比例发生了变化。Ec占比变化存在南北差异,南方流域Ec占比均减小,北方流域均增加。Ei占比在各流域均增加,Es占比均减小。黄河流域ET组分对植被恢复的响应最为明显,Ec占比增加了5.21%,Es占比减小了5.56%。     

Annual survey of water vapor behavior from the OMEGA mapping spectrometer onboard Mars Express

We present here the annual behavior of atmospheric water vapor on Mars, as observed by the OMEGA spectrometer on board Mars Express during its first martian year. We consider all the different features of the cycle of water vapor: temporal evolution, both at a seasonal and at a diurnal scale; longitudinal distribution; and the vertical profile, through the variations in the saturation height. We put our results into the context of the current knowledge on the water cycle through a systematic comparison with the already published datasets. The seasonal behavior is in very good agreement with past and simultaneous retrievals both qualitatively and quantitatively, within the uncertainties. The average water vapor abundance during the year is ∼10 pr. μm, with an imbalance between northern and southern hemisphere, in favor of the first. The maximum of activity, up to 60 pr. μm, occurs at high northern latitudes during local summer and shows the dominance of the northern polar cap within the driving processes of the water cycle. A corresponding maximum at southern polar latitudes during the local summer is present, but less structured and intense. It reaches ∼25 pr. μm at its peak. Global circulation has some influence in shaping the water cycle, but it is less prominent than the results from previous instruments suggest. No significant correlation between water vapor column density and local hour is detected. We can constrain the amount of water vapor exchanged between the surface and the atmosphere to few pr. μm. This is consistent with recent results by OMEGA and PFS-LW. The action of the regolith layer on the global water cycle seems to be minor, but it cannot be precisely constrained. The distribution of water vapor on the planet, after removing the topography, shows the already known two-maxima system, over Tharsis and Arabia Terra. However, the Arabia Terra increase is quite fragmented compared with previous observations. A deep zone of minimum separates the two regions. The saturation height of water vapor is mainly governed by the variations of insolation during the year. It is confined within 5-15 km from the surface at aphelion, while in the perihelion season it stretches up to 55 km of altitude.     

Evaporation effects on the formation of martian gullies

In order to investigate the formation of martian gullies and the stability of fluids on Mars, we examined about 120 gully images. Twelve HiRISE images contained a sufficient number of Transverse Aeolian Ridges (TARs) associated with the gullies to make the following measurements: overall gully length, length of the alcove, channel and apron, and we also measured the frequency of nearby TARs. Six of the 12 images examined showed a statistically significant negative correlation between overall gully length (alcove, channel and apron length) and TAR frequency. Previous experimental work from our group has shown that at temperatures below ∼200 K, evaporation rate increases by about an order of magnitude as wind speed increases from 0 to ∼15 m/s. Thus the negative correlations we observe between gully length and dune frequency can be explained by formation at temperatures below ∼200 K where wind speed/evaporation is a factor governing gully length. In these cases evaporation of the fluid carving the gully was a constraint on their dimensions. Cases where there is no correlation between gully length and TAR frequency, can be explained by formation at temperatures >200 K. The temperatures are consistent with Global Circulation Model and Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) data for these latitudes. The temperatures suggested by these trends are consistent with the fluid responsible for gully formation being a strong brine, such as Fe₂(SO₄)₃ which has a eutectic temperature of ∼200 K. We also find that formation timescales for gullies are 10⁵-10⁶ years.     

THEMIS-VIS observations of clouds in the martian mesosphere: Altitudes, wind speeds, and decameter-scale morphology

We present measurements of the altitude and eastward velocity component of mesospheric clouds in 35 imaging sequences acquired by the Mars Odyssey (ODY) spacecraft’s Thermal Emission Imaging System visible imaging subsystem (THEMIS-VIS). We measure altitude by using the parallax drift of high-altitude features, and the velocity by exploiting the time delay in the THEMIS-VIS imaging sequence.We observe two distinct classes of mesospheric clouds: equatorial mesospheric clouds observed between 0° and 180° L_s; and northern mid-latitude clouds observed only in twilight in the 200–300° L_s period. The equatorial mesospheric clouds are quite rare in the THEMIS-VIS data set. We have detected them in only five imaging sequences, out of a total of 2048 multi-band equatorial imaging sequences. All five fall between 20° south and 0° latitude, and between 260° and 295° east longitude. The mid-latitude mesospheric clouds are apparently much more common; for these we find 30 examples out of 210 northern winter mid-latitude twilight imaging sequences. The observed mid-latitude clouds are found, with only one exception, in the Acidalia region, but this is quite likely an artifact of the pattern of THEMIS-VIS image targeting. Comparing our THEMIS-VIS images with daily global maps generated from Mars Orbiter Camera Wide Angle (MOC-WA) images, we find some evidence that some mid-latitude mesospheric cloud features correspond to cloud features commonly observed by MOC-WA. Comparing the velocity of our mesospheric clouds with a GCM, we find good agreement for the northern mid-latitude class, but also find that the GCM fails to match the strong easterly winds measured for the equatorial clouds.Applying a simple radiative transfer model to some of the equatorial mesospheric clouds, we find good model fits in two different imaging sequences. By using the observed radiance contrast between cloud and cloud-free regions at multiple visible-band wavelengths, these fits simultaneously constrain the optical depths and particles sizes of the clouds. The particle sizes are constrained primarily by the relative contrasts at the available wavelengths, and are found to be quite different in the two imaging sequences: r_eff = 0.1 μm and r_eff = 1.5 μm. The optical depths (constrained by the absolute contrasts) are substantial: 0.22 and 0.5, respectively. These optical depths imply a mass density that greatly exceeds the saturated mass density of water vapor at mesospheric temperatures, and so the aerosol particles are probably composed mainly of CO₂ ice. Our simple radiative transfer model is not applicable to twilight, when the mid-latitude mesospheric clouds were observed, and so we leave the properties of these clouds as a question for further work.