Scaling of capillary,gravity and viscous forces affecting flow morphology in unsaturated porous media

Interplay between capillary, gravity and viscous forces in unsaturated porous media gives rise to a range of complex flow phenomena affecting morphology, stability and dynamics of wetting and drainage fronts. Similar average phase contents may result in significantly different fluid distribution and patterns affecting macroscopic transport properties of the unsaturated medium. The formulation of general force balance within simplified pore spaces yields scaling relationships for motion of liquid elements in which gravitational force in excess of capillary pinning force scales linearly with viscous force. Displacement fluid front morphology is described using dimensionless force ratios expressed as Bond and Capillary numbers. The concise representations of a wide range of flow regimes with scaling relations, and predictive capabilities of front morphology based on dimensionless numbers lend support to certain generalizations. Considering available experimental data, we are able to define conditions for onset of unstable and intermittent flows leading to enhanced liquid and gas entrapment. These results provide a basis for delineation of a tentative value of Bo ∼ 0.05 as an upper limit of applicability of the Richards equation (at pore to sample scales) and related continuum-based flow models.     

An alternative Boussinesq equation considering the effect of hysteresis on coastal groundwater waves

This paper presents an alternative Boussinesq equation considering hysteresis effect via a third‐order derivative term. By introducing an improved moisture–pressure retention function, this equation describes, with reasonable precision, groundwater propagation in coastal aquifers subject to Dirichlet boundary condition of different oscillation frequencies. Test results confirmed that it is necessary to consider horizontal and vertical flows in unsaturated zone, because of their variable influences on hysteresis. Hysteresis in unsaturated zone can affect the water table wave number of groundwater wave motion, such as wave damping rate and phase lag. Oscillations with different periods exert different hysteresis effect on wave propagation. Truncation/shrinkage of unsaturated zones also affects the strength of hysteresis. These impacts can be reflected in the alternative Boussinesq equation by adjusting the parameter representing the variation rate of moisture associated with pressure change, as opposed to traditional computationally expensive hysteresis algorithms. The present Boussinesq equation is simple to use and can provide feasible basis for future coupling of groundwater and surface water models. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

广州市雷暴日数变化特征分析

通过对广州基准站(站号59287,纬度23.00°N,经度113.13°E,海拔高度10.4m)1951-2007年的雷暴观测资料进行对比统计分析,总结出广州市雷暴日数气候变化规律和特征,得到了一些对防雷减灾工作有积极意义的分析结果.     

中国长序列资料测站月降水、月均温相关联系的稳定性分析

选取我国长序列资料测站点中月降水与月均温资料较全的6个站点：西安、广州、汉口、沈阳、重庆、上海,以10a为一次成组实验,时域分辨率定为季,计算出各季月降水与月均温的相关系数,然后用相关分析和贝努里概型分析月均温与月降水之间的相关联系,初步得出我国长序列资料测站点春、夏、秋、冬月降水与月均温的相关稳定性联系。结果表明：①我国月降水与月均温在春、夏、秋、冬季均存在相关关系,以夏、秋季节最显著且为负相关,故我国常见干热或湿凉型夏、秋季;②我国华南地区春季月降水与月均温负相关关系显著,故常呈现干热或湿冷型春季;西北地区冬季月降水与月均温负相关关系较为明显,常呈现干热或湿冷型冬季。     

紫金山天文台55 yr手绘黑子数据系统差分析

对紫金山天文台(简称紫台)自1954年至2011年共55 yr的手描黑子图进行了数字化.将紫台太阳黑子相对数(PRSN)和黑子群数(PGSN)与国际太阳影响数据分析中心(SIDC)中的对应数据(月平均太阳黑子相对数(IRSN)和月平均黑子群数(IGSN))进行对比研究,发现:(1)紫台黑子数据与SIDC黑子数据有很强的正相关性,说明紫台黑子数据的可靠性;(2) PRSN和IRSN、PGSN和IGSN的系统偏差分别处于7%左右、5%左右,紫台数据与SIDC数据在活动周的极小期的差异性显著大于极大期;(3)紫台的视宁度从1995年开始变差,直接导致了PRSN (PGSN)与IRSN (IGSN)的比值明显变大,表明视宁度的变化影响了紫台黑子的观测质量.     

CALCULATING THE DYNAMIC STIFFNESS MATRIX OF 2-D FOUNDATIONS BY DISCRETE WAVE NUMBER INDIRECT BOUNDARY ELEMENT METHODS

Apart from some special cases, calculating the dynamic stiffness matrix of foundations on a layered half-space, especially for embedded foundations, is computationally expensive. An efficient method for two-dimensional foundations in a horizontally layered soil media is presented in this paper. This method is based on indirect boundary element methods and uses discrete wave number solution methods for calculating Green's functions for displacements and analytical methods for the integrations over the boundary. For surface foundations, the present method applies at all frequencies. For embedded foundations or for constructing energy transmitting boundaries, because the free-field part is modelled by boundary elements and the excavated part is modelled by finite elements, the present method applies only at low frequencies for the spring coefficients (the real parts of the dynamic stiffness matrix) but applies at all frequencies for the damping coefficients (the imaginary part of the dynamic stiffness matrix) for undamped sites. The novelty of the method can be used for three-dimensional foundations. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于均值变点法提取地形起伏度的影响因素分析——以黄河流域(山西段)为例

地形起伏度因子在宏观尺度生态评估中具有重要作用。均值变点法是确定地形起伏度最佳分析窗口的常用方法,但其影响因素尚缺乏研究。本文以黄河流域(山西段)为例,基于DEM数据和均值变点法提取了研究区地形起伏度,并探讨了分析窗口样本数量、DEM分辨率和地貌类型3种因素的影响。结果表明：(1)分析窗口样本数量对最佳分析窗口取值有明显影响。随着样本数量的增加,变点所在的最佳分析窗口面积也不断增加。(2)DEM分辨率对最佳分析窗口取值有一定影响。分析窗口面积取值范围一致时,基于30 m ASTER GDEM计算得到的最佳分析窗口面积小于基于90 m SRTM DEM的最佳分析窗口面积。(3)地貌类型对最佳分析窗口取值的影响不大。当分析窗口样本数量一致时,不同地貌类型区及整个研究区最佳分析窗口相同或接近。总体而言,分析窗口样本数量是最关键的影响因素。     

The population structural transition effect on rising per capita CO2 emissions: evidence from China

ABSTRACT

The per capita CO₂ emissions (PCCE) of many developing countries like China have been rising faster than total CO₂ emissions, and display spatial divergence. Such temporal growth and spatial divergence will have a significant influence on efforts to mitigate CO₂ emissions. Given the research gap on the impact of the structural transition in population on PCCE, we constructed an econometric model using the dynamic panel method. The results reveal that the population structural transition has a significant nonlinear impact on PCCE, as the rate of population growth in China decelerates. Both demographic ageing and urban-rural migration have a stronger impact on PCCE than other factors. This effect, however, decreases beyond a certain threshold. An increase in the number of households due to urbanization and family downsizing has resulted in a positive effect on PCCE, without a threshold turning point. The research also finds that an increased share of the service sector in employment can reduce PCCE only if the sector employs more than 31.56% of the total employed population. Overall, these findings indicate that policymakers should pay attention to the prominence of the demographic structural transition for effective climate policy.

Key policy insights

• Policymakers should address rising per capita carbon emissions (PCCE) and their spatial divergence in future climate policies, not just total CO₂ emissions.

• The transitioning demographics of ageing and urbanization in China show a nonlinear, inverted U-shaped effect on PCCE instead of a continuously positive effect.

• Based on the nonlinear effect of employment structure on PCCE, policymakers should focus on the relationship between the structural transition of the economy and PCCE in future climate mitigation policies.

     

An experimental study on microscopic characteristics of gas-bearing sediments under different gas reservoir pressures

Gas-bearing sediments are widely distributed in five continents all over the world. Most of the gases exist in the soil skeleton in the form of discrete large bubbles. The existence of gas-phase may increase or decrease the strength of the soil skeleton. So far, bubbles’ structural morphology and evolution characteristics in soil skeleton lack research, and the influence of different gas reservoir pressures on bubbles are still unclear. The micro characteristics of bubbles in the same sediment sample were studied using an industrial CT scanning test system to solve these problems. Using the image processing software, the micro variation characteristics of gas-bearing sediments in gas reservoir pressure change are obtained. The results show that the number and volume of bubbles in different equivalent radius ranges will change regularly under different gas reservoir pressure. With the increase of gas reservoir pressure, the number and volume of tiny bubbles decrease. In contrast, the number and volume of large bubbles increase, and the gas content in different positions increases and occupies a dominant position, driving the reduction of pore water and soil skeleton movement.     

The effect of expansion ratio on the critical Reynolds number in single fracture flow with sudden expansion

Flow in a single fracture (SF) is an important research subject in groundwater hydrology, hydraulic engineering, radioactive nuclear waste repository and geotechnical engineering. An abruptly changing aperture is a unique type of SF. This study discusses the relation between the values of the critical Reynolds number (Re_c) for the onset of symmetry breaking of flow and the expansion ratio (E) of SF, which is defined as the ratio between the outlet (D) and inlet (d) apertures. This study also investigates the effect of inlet aperture d on Re_c for flow in an SF with abruptly changing apertures (SF‐ACA) using the finite volume method. Earlier numerical and experimental results showed that flow is symmetric in respect to the central plane of the SF‐ACA at small Reynolds number (Re) but becomes asymmetric when Re is sufficiently large. Our simulations show that the value of Re_c decreases with the increasing E, and the relationship between the logarithm of Re_c and E can be described accurately using either a quadratic polynomial function or a logarithmic function. However, the relationship of Re_c and d for a given E value is vague, and Re_c becomes even less sensitive to d when E increases. This study also reveals that the hydraulic gradient (J) and flow velocity (v) follow a super‐linear relationship that can be fitted almost perfectly by the Forchheimer equation. The inertial component (J_i) of J increases monotonically with Re, whereas the viscous component (J_v) of J decreases monotonically with Re. The Re value corresponding to equal inertial and viscous components of J (named as the transitional point Re) decreases when E increases, and such a transitional point Re should be closely related to the critical Reynolds number Re_c, although a rigorous theoretical proof is not yet available. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.