Seasonal variation of the soil seed bank of grasses in central Argentina as related to grazing and shrub cover

The objectives of this research were to (a) study seasonal variation of the seed bank of grasses in two areas with different grazing history, (b) analyse the effect of the presence of shrubs on the seed bank and (c) study seed viability and dormancy in buried seeds of Piptochaetium napostaense and Stipa tenuis. The seed density of grasses was in general low and showed seasonal variation. Most of the grasses showed maximum seed density in December when seed dispersal occurs. Shrub cover did not show a marked influence in seed accumulation. The relatively high number of damaged seeds suggests that predation may be an important factor in seed bank dynamics in the Caldenal. Seeds of dominant perennial forage grasses showed dormancy that could explain, at least in part, persistence of these species in spite of periodical disturbance.     

西秦岭中川花岗岩岩浆活动特征及地质效应

西秦岭中川花岗岩为3期5次侵入的复式岩体,其主侵入体为印支—燕山期黑云母同碰撞S型二长花岗岩。该岩浆活动在沉积建造中形成热变质作用带和岩浆侵位构造,并产生成矿地质效应。     

Inelastic dynamic analysis of RC bridges accounting for spatial variability of ground motion,site effects and soil–structure interaction phenomena. Part 1: Methodology and analytical tools

During strong ground motion it is expected that extended structures (such as bridges) are subjected to excitation that varies along their longitudinal axis in terms of arrival time, amplitude and frequency content, a fact primarily attributed to the wave passage effect, the loss of coherency and the role of local site conditions. Furthermore, the foundation interacts with the soil and the superstructure, thus significantly affecting the dynamic response of the bridge. A general methodology is therefore set up and implemented into a computer code for deriving sets of appropriately modified time histories and spring–dashpot coefficients at each support of a bridge with account for spatial variability, local site conditions and soil–foundation–superstructure interaction, for the purposes of inelastic dynamic analysis of RC bridges. In order to validate the methodology and code developed, each stage of the proposed procedure is verified using recorded data, finite‐element analyses, alternative computer programs, previous research studies, and closed‐form solutions wherever available. The results establish an adequate degree of confidence in the use of the proposed methodology and code in further parametric analyses and seismic design. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inelastic dynamic analysis of RC bridges accounting for spatial variability of ground motion,site effects and soil–structure interaction phenomena. Part 2: Parametric study

The methodology for dealing with spatial variability of ground motion, site effects and soil–structure interaction phenomena in the context of inelastic dynamic analysis of bridge structures, and the associated analytical tools established and validated in a companion paper are used herein for a detailed parametric analysis, aiming to evaluate the importance of the above effects in seismic design. For a total of 20 bridge structures differing in terms of structural type (fundamental period, symmetry, regularity, abutment conditions, pier‐to‐deck connections), dimensions (span and overall length), and ground motion characteristics (earthquake frequency content and direction of excitation), the dynamic response corresponding to nine levels of increasing analysis complexity was calculated and compared with the ‘standard’ case of a fixed base, uniformly excited, elastic structure for which site effects were totally ignored. It is concluded that the dynamic response of RC bridges is indeed strongly affected by the coupling of the above phenomena that may adversely affect displacements and/or action effects under certain circumstances. Evidence is also presented that some bridge types are relatively more sensitive to the above phenomena, hence a more refined analysis approach should be considered in their case. Copyright @ 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A hybrid indirect boundary element—discrete wave number method applied to simulate the seismic response of stratified alluvial valleys

A hybrid indirect boundary element – discrete wavenumber method is presented and applied to model the ground motion on stratified alluvial valleys under incident plane SH waves from an elastic half-space. The method is based on the single-layer integral representation for diffracted waves. Refracted waves in the horizontally stratified region can be expressed as a linear superposition of solutions for a set of discrete wavenumbers. These solutions are obtained in terms of the Thomson–Haskell propagators formalism. Boundary conditions of continuity of displacements and tractions along the common boundary between the half-space and the stratified region lead to a system of equations for the sources strengths and the coefficients of the plane wave expansion. Although the regions share the boundary, the discretization schemes are different for both sides: for the exterior region, it is based on the numerical and analytical integration of exact Green's functions for displacements and tractions whereas for the layered part, a collocation approach is used. In order to validate this approach results are compared for well-known cases studied in the literature. A homogeneous trapezoidal valley and a parabolic stratified valley were studied and excellent agreement with previous computations was found. An example is given for a stratified inclusion model of an alluvial deposit with an irregular interface with the half-space. Results are displayed in both frequency and time domains. These results show the significant influence of lateral heterogeneity and the emergence of locally generated surface waves in the seismic response of alluvial valleys.     

Simplified vibratory characterization of alluvial basins

For the analysis of seismic wave amplification, modal methods are interesting tools to study the modal properties of geological structures. Modal approaches mainly lead to information on such parameters as fundamental frequencies and eigenmodes of alluvial basins. For a specific alluvial deposit in Nice (France), a simplified modal approach involving the Rayleigh method is considered. This approach assumes a set of admissible shape functions for the eigenmodes and allows a fast estimation of the fundamental frequency of the basin. The agreement with other numerical results (Boundary Element Method) and experimental ones is fully satisfactory. The simplified modal method then appears as an efficient mean for the global vibratory characterization of geological structures towards resonance. To cite this article: J.-F. Semblat et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Late Holocene climates of the Near East deduced from Dead Sea level variations and modern regional winter rainfall

The Dead Sea is a terminal lake of one of the largest hydrological systems in the Levant and may thus be viewed as a large rain gauge for the region. Variations of its level are indicative of the climate variations in the region. Here, we present the decadal- to centennial-resolution Holocene lake-level curve of the Dead Sea. Then we determine the regional hydroclimatology that affected level variations. To achieve this goal we compare modern natural lake-level variations and instrumental rainfall records and quantify the hydrology relative to lake-level rise, fall, or stability. To quantify that relationship under natural conditions, rainfall data pre-dating the artificial Dead Sea level drop since the 1960s are used. In this respect, Jerusalem station offers the longest uninterrupted pre-1960s rainfall record and Jerusalem rains serve as an adequate proxy for the Dead Sea headwaters rainfall. Principal component analysis indicates that temporal variations of annual precipitation in all stations in Israel north of the current 200 mm yr⁻¹ average isohyet during 1940–1990 are largely synchronous and in phase (70% of the total variance explained by PC1). This station also represents well northern Jordan and the area all the way to Beirut, Lebanon, especially during extreme drought and wet spells. We (a) determine the modern, and propose the past regional hydrology and Eastern Mediterranean (EM) climatology that affected the severity and length of droughts/wet spells associated with multiyear episodes of Dead Sea level falls/rises and (b) determine that EM cyclone tracks were different in average number and latitude in wet and dry years in Jerusalem. The mean composite sea level pressure and 500-mb height anomalies indicate that the potential causes for wet and dry episodes span the entire EM and are rooted in the larger-scale northern hemisphere atmospheric circulation. We also identified remarkably close association (within radiocarbon resolution) between climatic changes in the Levant, reflected by level changes, and culture shifts in this region.     

福建省干旱概况及夏旱期间人工增雨条件分析

对福建省干旱的成因和干旱的环流形势进行了探讨,着重分析了夏旱期间人工增雨作业的天气形势、云状、回波特征及云顶温度等条件,结果表明福建省干旱的形成与大型环流形势、地形、地貌及土壤植被条件有关;平均而言,闽东南沿海干旱多于内陆地区;西太平洋副热带高压是夏季致旱的主要天气系统;夏季,西风槽前型、台风外围影响型、副热带辐合带型是进行人工增雨作业的有利天气形势,Sc、Cb、Cu云都有一定的人工增雨作业条件,其中降水时长1～5 h,过程雨量1.0～5.0 mm的云是旱季作业比较适合的作业云.这些结果为开展人工增雨作业提供理论依据,达到解除或缓解干旱的目的.     

华北北部场源前兆观测资料分析(一)──场源前兆特征与机制

1976年唐山地震前，在距震源很远的地区内都观测到一些前兆趋势变化，如重力、重力位二次徽商W△、水氧、地电阻率、水位和油井出油量等变化。作者认为这些变化不是由震源体直接引起的，而是在区域应力场的作用下，在某些活动断层附近，浅层岩，尤其是含水砂岩层和含油层受挤压出现的一些与地震有关的异常现象。其特征是：（1）异常范围大，可能在距震源很远的地方发生，但就同一种方法的多个观测点来说却又是局部的，即只有其中部分测点才能观测到异常，不少测点观测不到异常。（2）异常发生的时间大致相同。有些异常有同步变化的特征，如同时上升或同时下降。（3）临震前多数异常有恢复的趋势。这些特征与引起异常的机理有关。作者还从理论上计算了这种趋势异常量级，重力变化100×10-6cm／s2左右，重力位二次微商变化（1～2）×10－9／s2，地电阻率变化2％～3％，Rn变化7．4～11．1Bq／L，这样的变化量在活动断层附近的一些台站可能观测到。作者还研究了干旱降雨对某些前兆的影响，其影响量级可以被一些方法观测到，因此在确定是否是地震异常时，必须注意利用综合分析的方法排除干旱降雨的影响，减少异常的多解性。