Shallow magma transport for the 2002–3 Mt. Etna eruption inferred from thermal infrared surveys

The 26 October 2002–28 January 2003 eruption of Mt. Etna volcano was characterised by lava effusion and by an uncommon explosivity along a 1 km-long-eruptive fissure on the southern, upper flank of the volcano. The intense activity promoted rapid growth of cinder cones and several effusive vents. Analysis of thermal images, recorded throughout the eruption, allowed investigation of the distribution of vents along the eruptive fissure, and of the nature of explosive activity. The spatial and temporal distribution of active vents revealed phases of dike intrusion, expansion, geometric stabilization and drainage. These phases were characterised by different styles of explosive activity, with a gradual transition from fire fountaining through transitional phases to mild strombolian activity, and ending with non-explosive lava effusion. Here we interpret the mechanisms of the dike emplacement and the eruptive dynamics, according to changes in the eruptive style, vent morphology and apparent temperature variations at vents, detected through thermal imaging. This is the first time that dike emplacement and eruptive activity have been tracked using a handheld thermal camera and we believe that its use was crucial to gain a detailed understanding of the eruptive event.     

Techniques to measure the dry aeolian deposition of dust in arid and semi‐arid landscapes: a comparative study in West Niger

Seven techniques designed to measure the dry aeolian deposition of dust on a desert surface were tested during field experiments in Niger, central‐west Africa. Deposition fluxes were measured during eight periods of 3–4 days each. Experimental techniques tested were the MDCO (marble dust collector) method, the Frisbee method, the glass plate method (optical analysis of dust deposited on glass surfaces using particle imaging software), the soil surface method (deposition on a simulated desert floor) and the CAPYR (capteur pyramidal) method. Theoretical techniques tested were the inferential method and the combination method (gradient method extended with a deposition term for coarse dust particles). The results obtained by the MDCO, Frisbee, inferential and combination methods could be directly compared by converting the data to identical standard conditions (deposition on a water surface producing no resuspension). The results obtained by the other methods (glass plate, soil surface, CAPYR) were compared relatively. The study shows that the crude (unconverted) deposition fluxes of the five experimental techniques were similar, while the crude deposition fluxes calculated by the two theoretical techniques were substantially higher, of the order of four to five times as high as for the experimental techniques. Recalculation of the data to identical environmental conditions (the standard water surface) resulted in nearly identical deposition fluxes for the MDCO, Frisbee, inferential and combination techniques, although the latter two still had slightly higher values (but the differences remained small). The measurements illustrate the need to include a grain shape factor in theoretical dust deposition models. Without such a factor, theoretical models overestimate the deposition. The paper also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the techniques tested. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wind Tunnel And Field Measurements Of Turbulent Flow In Forests. Part I: Uniformly Thinned Stands

Many forest management methods alterstand density uniformly. The effectsof such a change on the wind andturbulence regimes in the forest arecritical to a number of processes governingthe stability of the stand and itsmicroclimate. We measured wind speed andturbulence statistics with a Dantec tri-axialhot-film probe in model forests of variousdensities (31–333 trees m^-2), created byremoving whole trees in a regular pattern in awind tunnel, and compared them with similarmeasurements made with propeller anemometers insimilarly thinned plots (156–625 trees ha^-1)within a Sitka spruce stand in Scotland. The results agree well, in general, with measurements made inother such studies with diverse canopy types.The systematic variations with density and verticalleaf-area distribution (which differed betweenwind-tunnel and field trees) in our work can explainmuch of the variability shown in scaled profiles ofbasic turbulence statistics reported in theliterature. The wind tunnel and field results are shown to be in good agreement overalldespite the difference in vertical leaf-areadistribution. Within-canopy and isolated-treedrag coefficients in the wind tunnel showthat tree-scale shelter effects increase astree density increases. The measurements indicatethat turbulence in the canopy is dominated bylarge-scale structures with dimensions of the sameorder as the height of the canopy as found inother studies but suggest that inter-tree spacing also modulates the size of these structures. These structures are associated with the sweeps that dominatemomentum exchange in the canopy and it is thisfact that allows the tri-axial probe to operate sowell despite the relatively narrow range of anglesin which the wind vector is correctly measured. Theratio of streamwise periodicity of these structuresto vorticity thickness varies systematically withtree density in the range 2.7–5.1, which spans theexpected range of 3.5–5 found in a laboratorymixing-layer, suggesting that tree spacing imposes another relevant length scale. This test andothers show that the results are in agreement withthe idea that canopy turbulence resembles that of a mixing layer even though they disagree with, and challenge the linear relationship between, streamwise periodicity andshear length scale presented recently in theliterature. The measurements are also in goodoverall agreement with simple drag models presented recently by other researchers.     

Short-wave radiation flux divergence in arctic cirrus: a case study

Radiation and particle measurements have been performed with an aircraft in deep cirrus cloud fields near the island of Svalbard. The data of 12 March 1993, when measurements at 10 different levels could be obtained, are used in a comparative study with radiative transfer calculations. In a first analysis, the cirrus cloud field was assumed to be horizontally homogeneous and invariable during the time of measurements (frozen properties). Calculations of the up and downward radiative flux densities showed root mean square differences of 9 Wm⁻² from the measurements. To estimate the possible effect of changes of the optical properties of cirrus with time, the flux densities in the upper part (6000–8500 m) and the lower part (3000–5500 m) of the cirrus cloud were analyzed separately. In these simulations, the optical thickness in the lower (upper) part was increased (decreased) by 50%. By this treatment, most of all calculated flux densities were within one standard deviation of the natural variability in each leg. Finally, the effect of inhomogeneities in the cloud field on the solar flux density has been simulated using a Monte Carlo method, since the upper part of the cirrus field has indeed been very inhomogeneous. This paper is a result of a collaborative effort between the MRI in Tsukuba, Japan, and the GKSS in Geesthacht, Germany.     

Rapid vertical sampling in stably stratified turbulent shear flows

A new method for obtaining instantaneous vertical profiles of two components of velocity and temperature in thermally stratified turbulent shear flows is presented. In this report, the design and construction of the traversing system will be discussed and results to date will be presented. The method is based on rapid vertical sampling whereby probe sensors are moved vertically at a high speed such that the measurement is approximately instantaneous. The system is designed to collect many measurements for the calculation of statistics such as vertical wave number spectra, mean square vertical gradients, and Thorpe scales. Results are presented for vertical profiles of temperature and compared to vertical profiles measured by single-point Eulerian time averages. The quality of the vertical profiles is found to be good over many profiles. Some comparisons are made between vertical measurements and standard single-point Eulerian measurements for three cases of stably stratified turbulent shear flow in which the initial microscale Reynolds number, Re_λ≈30. In case 1, the mean conditions are characterized by a gradient Richardson number, Ri_g=0.015, for which the flow is “unstable”, meaning the spatially evolving turbulent kinetic energy (E_k) grows. In case 2, Ri_g=0.095, for which the evolving turbulent kinetic energy is almost constant. In case 3, the flow is highly stable, where Ri_g=0.25 and E_k decays with spatial evolution. The measurements indicate anisotropy in the small scales for all cases. In particular, it is found that the ratio grows initially to a maximum and then decays with further evolution. Maximum Thorpe displacements are measured and compared to single-point measures of the vertical scales. It is found that vertical length scales derived from single-point measurements, such as the Ozmidov scale, L_O=(ε/N³)^1/2 and the overturn scale, L_t=θ′/(dT/dz), do not represent well the wide range of overturning scales which are actually present in the turbulence.     

Comparison Between Kriging Variance and Interpolation Variance as Uncertainty Measurements in the Capanema Iron Mine, State of Minas Gerais—Brazil

The Capanema Mine, an iron ore deposit, is located in the central portion of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, State of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Mine development data from approximately 7000 drillholes were used for a comparative study between kriging variance and interpolation variance as uncertainty measurements associated with ordinary kriging estimates. As known, the traditional kriging variance does not depend on local data and, therefore, does not measure the actual dispersion of data. On the other hand, the interpolation variance measures adequately the local dispersion of data used for an ordinary kriging estimate. This paper presents an application of the concept of interpolation variance for measuring uncertainties associated with ordinary kriging estimates of Fe and silica grades. These data were selected for their distinct statistical characteristics with Fe presenting a negatively skewed distribution and, consequently, a low dispersion, and silica a positively skewed distribution and, therefore, a high variability. Comparative studies between the two uncertainty measurements associated with ordinary kriging estimates of Fe and silica proved the superiority of the interpolation variance as a reliable and precise alternative to the kriging variance.     

On large-scale flow structures in a gravel-bed river

Previous studies have suggested the presence of large-scale flow structures in gravel-bed rivers. These structures are pictured as intermittent high-speed wedges separated by regions of lower velocity. However, the characteristics of these structures have not been examined in detail through either visualisation techniques or detailed field measurements. This paper confirms the presence of large-scale flow structures in gravel bed rivers, pictures their sequence and patterns and characterises their mean and individual properties. The analysis relies on a new technique for displaying velocity fluctuations in a space–time matrix that allows one to see the structures as they pass an array of current meters. Streamwise and vertical velocities were measured simultaneously with an array of three electromagnetic current meters. The sampling frequency was 20 Hz. Five velocity profiles of up to 13 1-min series of measurements and one profile of three 20-min measurements were sampled. These data suggest the presence of large wedges of faster fluid joined by regions of slower fluid. Space–time correlation analysis confirmed the presence of vertical coherence of the flow. The average angle of the front of the wedges is 36°. Although individual structures are variable in size and shape, a new detection technique using all three velocity signals simultaneously showed that their average frequency is nine events per minute and their duration is more than 2 s. The high-speed wedges display a complex organisation and do not show a preferred sequence of events as was postulated by previous studies. Because of their duration and size, these high-speed wedges are likely to play a major role in bedload sediment transport.     

2011年日本9.0级地震的同震位错以及震后应力松弛过程对中国大陆的影响

本文基于日本GEONET的GPS观测资料, 对日本2011年9.0级地震的同震和震后形变过程进行了研究。 结果表明, 日本9.0级地震使中国大陆出现了显著的同震位移, 几乎对整个中国大陆都有影响。 位移量在中国东北地区最大, 接近甚至超过该地区的年运动速率。 震后1年观测到的形变基本上可由沿着断层面的蠕滑进行模拟, 粘弹松弛的贡献不大。 根据所得到的震后蠕滑模型, 震后1年形变所释放的能量等同于发生一个8.7级地震, 其影响主要在东部地区, 最大位移约为年运动速率的30%。 预测在未来2年, 该地震的影响范围将逐渐减小。 地震造成的粘弹松弛在未来50~100年的尺度上, 对东北地区有拉张效应。 日本9.0级地震整体上起到了卸载中国大陆在板块间挤压过程中所累积应变能的作用, 因此该地震发生后的几个月, 中国大陆东部的地震活动水平较震前明显降低。     

汶川大震前数字地震仪位移地脉动低频异常现象研究

选取了2008年4月25日至5月12日间的四川台网14个台宽频带地震仪记录到的地脉动波形资料,把速度波形做适当的数据校正和滤波处理后,经积分转换成位移波形.频谱分析结果表明:地震发生前存在低频异常颤动,地震前2～3天开始0.1～0.3Hz频段傅里叶谱幅值逐渐增大;各个台的位移振幅值逐渐增强.其中靠近龙门山断裂带的台站记录到的地脉动变化较明显.     

巴颜喀拉块体北东地区现今水平运动与变形

本文利用GPS数据研究了巴颜喀拉块体北东地区现今水平运动与变形特征。 在球坐标系中解算了各应变分量, 分析了应变率场的空间分布特征, 并与地球物理学和地震地质学研究结果进行了综合对比分析。 最新的GPS速度场结果表明, 巴颜喀拉块体北东地区与高原整体运动性质一样具有顺时针向南东方向旋转的特征, 自西向东和北东方向测站水平运动速度呈现明显的衰减特征。 应变场结果显示, 研究区以北东向的主压应变为主, 伴随着近北西向的张性应变。 应变较强的区域主要分布在活动块体的边界断裂东昆仑断裂带的东段塔藏段和龙门山断裂带上。 东昆仑断裂带东段塔藏段的主压应变明显, 结合地震地质和活动构造资料, 认为东昆仑断裂带东段塔藏段的运动性质自西向东发生了改变, 水平滑动速率逐渐减小, 垂向运动逐渐增强。 研究区GPS速度场和应变场的这一变形特征表明, 青藏高原内部的块体运动特征较为明显, 变形主要集中在作为活动块体边界的活动断裂带上, 边界断裂带的运动特征在调节活动块体间的相互运动中起着重要作用。