Inverse reconstructions of ecosystem flows in investigating regime shifts: impact of the choice of objective function

Inverse analysis is increasingly used in ecosystem modelling to objectively reconstruct a large number of unknown flows or interactions from a small number of observations. This type of analysis may be useful in relating observed regime shifts in ecosystem structure to underlying processes. Inversions of ecosystem flow networks currently use a constrained least-squares solution which at the same time minimizes the squared norm (the sum of squares) of the reconstructed flows. This minimum norm (MN) inversion is thought to be a parsimonious solution to the ecosystem flow inverse problem, but it may well not reflect how ecosystems are organised. It has been proposed instead that ecosystems evolve to maximize energy/mass flows or that they maximize the information content of the network weighted by ecosystem flows (ascendancy). We used simulated inverse experiments, where inverse analyses are applied to simulations of flow networks, to explore objective functions different than the MN generally used. We could not compute inverse solutions that maximize ascendancy because the objective function is unbounded. We could calculate inversions that maximize flows; however, these generally overestimated the simulated flows, even though the simulations were designed to maximize flows. It appears that the ecosystem flow inverse problem is too under-determined (too few data relative to the number of unknowns) to allow the use of these maximizing goal functions. We introduce a new minimization that simultaneously minimizes the squared flows and the squared differences between flows. This smoothing minimization makes the inverse flows as even as possible and it helps with some technical issues with MN inversions. The simulated inverse experiments indicated that this smoothed norm (SM) is the most robust in comparative analyses of contrasting ecosystem states, such as those that can be associated with regime shifts. Like the MN inversion, the SM inversion has no ecological basis. However, it is a conservative norm that is less likely to produce false differences between the dynamics of regimes.     

波浪作用下海床动力反应的数值分析

近海和离岸建筑物的基通常处于连续不断的小风浪作用之下，可将其变形视为弹性。基于二维广义Biot理论，提出了线性或非线性波浪作用下饱和弹性海床动力应应的时域有限元数值解法。静力平衡条件和Biot方程组成的边值方程可视为其特例，在比较算例中，数值计算得到的孔压和有效应力幅值沿海床深度的分布与解析解十分吻合。土骨架和孔隙流体的加速度对海床动力反应的影响很小。具体算例表明，线性波沿缓坡海床传播时，土层中超静孔压和有效应力幅值随之增大，有可能发生滑动坡坏。所提出的数值解法能够灵活地处理非线性波浪荷载，海底复杂地质条件和波浪沿缓坡传播等复杂情况。     

On the geologic structure of the Explora Escarpment (Weddell Sea,Antarctica) revealed by satellite and Shipboard data evaluation

Bathymetric, gravity, and magnetic data from Antarctic expeditions with RV POLARSTERN and satellite altimeter data from the Geosat Geodetic Mission are analysed using methods from geostatistics and geophysical inverse theory.The Explora Escarpment represents the edge between the Antarctic Continental Shelf and the Weddell Abyssal Plain. It is an important link in the reconstruction of Gondwana breakup, but a feature as large as the 2000 m deep Wegener Canyon was only discovered in 1984, when extensive bathymetric, gravimetric, and magnetic surveys with RV POLARSTERN began.Geostatistics, the theory of regionalized variables, is applied to integrate dense surveys of Wegener Canyon and sparse observations in adjacent areas into maps with full coverage of the 230 km by 330 km area at 10°–20° W/70°–72° S. The resultant highresolution bathymetric and gravity maps reveal detailed structures of the Explora Escarpment. Using geophysical inversion, the gravity terrain effect is calculated. Satellite data are used for their better coverage, but have much lower resolution. Nevertheless, the structures of Wegener Canyon and other more prominent features appear with surprisingly good correlation also in the Geosat altimeter data. While it was initially supposed that Wegener Canyon is purely an erosional structure, the magnetic map now provides evidence of the canyon's tectonic origin.     

Drag force on a circular cylinder in unseparated laminar high Reynolds number nonlinear random oscillatory flow

The stochastic properties of the drag force maxima on a circular cylinder subjected to nonlinear random waves are investigated. Unseparated laminar high Reynolds number flow is considered. A simplified approach based on second order Stokes waves is presented, including the sum-frequency effect only. It is demonstrated how a drag force formula valid for regular linear waves can be used to find the cumulative distribution function of individual drag force maxima for nonlinear irregular waves. Here the [Wang, 1968] drag force coefficient is used.     

Theory and Practice of Soft Clay Engineering

-The shear strength and deformation properties of soft clay are discussed first. Then some methods for predicting the performance of soft clay foundation are proposed. Finally, case histories are presented to illustrate some discussed aspects of soft clay.     

Effects of high-order nonlinear interactions on unidirectional wave trains

Numerical simulations of gravity waves with high-order nonlinearities in two-dimensional domain are performed by using the pseudo spectral method. High-order nonlinearities more than third order excite apparently chaotic evolutions of the Fourier energy in deep water random waves. The high-order nonlinearities increase kurtosis, wave height distribution and H_max/H_1/3 in deep water and decrease these wave statistics in shallow water. Moreover, they can generate a single extreme high wave with an outstanding crest height in deep water. High-order nonlinearities (more than third order) can be regarded as one cause of freak waves in deep water.     

基于AHP法和灰色模式识别理论的海底管道系统路由定量风险评估

根据海底管道路由潜在风险的特点及风险类型,提出了一种将层次分析法（AHP法）和灰色模式识别理论相结合的海底管道系统路由定量风险评估方法,该方法利用AHP确定风险评价指标体系,运用灰色模式识别理论,建立识别结果标准,并结合实际工程进行计算,计算结果表明该方法是可行的.     

Meadow fragmentation and reproductive output of the SE Asian seagrass Enhalus acoroides

Flower and fruit production of the abundant, tall, long-lived, dioecious, surface-pollinating seagrass species Enhalus acoroides (L.) Royle were estimated at seven sites in the reef flats off Bolinao (NW Luzon, The Philippines) featuring different fragmentation of the seagrass meadows. Fragmentation of the seagrass meadow was quantified as cover of E. acoroides and all seagrass species present in 20×20 m plots. E. acoroides and overall seagrass cover were correlated positively. The proportion of female flowers of E. acoroides that developed a fruit increased sharply as overall seagrass cover was around 50%. Apparent sex ratio bore no relationship with overall seagrass cover. This threshold-type of relationship suggests that fragmentation of seagrass meadows can have a major effect on the reproductive output of this species. A possible mechanism underlying these results would be a non-linear increase of the efficiency of trapping the surface-dispersed pollen with increasing seagrass canopy density. This provides the first evidence based on real data that fragmentation can affect the population dynamics of seagrass species.     

层结流体中的非线性惯性重力内波

根据地球流体力学基本方程组,在密度垂直层结的情况下,引进行波坐标,研究非线性定形波在相平面上的几何拓扑结构。严格论证了不存在定形孤立波,并通过Ｈａｍｉｌｔｏｎ函数及其角作用变把行波系统化成最简形式,由此而得到非线性惯性重力内波的解析解。