Changes in an urban water resource,an example from Sydney,Australia

This paper examines present and future resource utilization in the tidal section of the Georges River in the southern part of Sydney. Over the last 30 years, the physical characteristics of the river have changed as a result of urbanization, changed hydrologic regime and sand dredging. Urbanization has resulted in an increase in population from 190,000 in 1947 to 550,000. This has resulted in an increase in runoff, sediment input to the river and waste disposal. The change in hydrologic regime has resulted in a substantial increase in the magnitude and frequency of flooding which has increased erosion. Sand dredging has increased the channel capacity, enlarged the tidal prism and increased water turbidity. It has also resulted in extensive bank erosion in the upper part of the river and extensive deposition lower down as tailings are deposited. Although most of these changes have resulted in the deterioration of environmental quality, use of the river for recreation and as an urban amenity has increased.     

基于近底原位观测的小尺度海底沙波地形小波分解

浅海海床发育着不同尺度的活动性砂体,在大型活动性砂体上常叠加发育着大量小尺度沙波(纹),分析这些小尺度沙波(纹)有助于揭示活动性砂体的成因机制。但它们的尺度较小,常规分析方法往往将其作为高频噪声滤除,难以对该尺度海底沙波(纹)进行分离量化研究。为了解决这个问题,本文设计并实现了一种基于小波分析的小尺度海底沙波地形分解方法,并以台湾浅滩典型区域的高精度近底原位观测数据为例,实现了小尺度海底沙波地形的分解和定量分析,分解出背景地形、小型沙波和沙波纹(波长小于0.6 m)3种地貌类型。本文提出的小尺度海底沙波地形分解量化方法,可广泛应用于浅海高活动性地貌发育演化和海底边界层沉积动力过程研究,对评估海洋工程的稳定性也具有一定的实用价值。     

Numerical study of the 3D failure envelope of a single pile in sand

The paper presents a comprehensive study of the failure envelope (or capacity diagram) of a single elastic pile in sand. The behavior of a pile subjected to different load combinations is simulated using a large number of finite element numerical calculations. The sand is modeled using a constitutive law based on hypoplasticity. In order to find the failure envelope in the three-dimensional space (i.e. horizontal force H, bending moment M and vertical force V), the radial displacement method and swipe tests are numerically performed. It is found that with increasing vertical load the horizontal bearing capacity of the pile decreases. Furthermore, the presence of bending moment on the pile head significantly influences the horizontal bearing capacity and the capacity diagram in the H–M plane manifests an inclined elliptical shape. An analytical equation providing good agreement with the 3D numerical results is finally proposed. The formula is useful for design purposes and the development of simplified modeling numerical strategies such as macro-element.     

巴丹吉林沙漠南缘的植物固沙问题

在野外考察的基础上,选择13个典型样地,研究了巴丹吉林沙漠南缘植被组成、群落特征和植被格局。结果表明：调查的样地中有荒漠植物31种,其中灌木12种,多年生草本11种,一二年生草本8种。种群密度3 000—14 000株·hm^-2,优势种在群落中地位显著,群落稳定性较差;植被斑块面积小、最大斑块指数低。沙漠南缘年降水量虽然仅100 mm左右,但有霸王（Zygophyllum xanthoxylon）、红砂（Reaumuria soongarica）和沙蒿（Artemisia desertorum）等灌木和半灌木天然植物群落分布,有白刺（Nitraria tangutorum）和膜果麻黄（Ephedra przewalskii）灌丛沙堆,沙丘上生长着沙拐枣（Calligonum mongolicum）、沙鞭（Psammochloa villosa）等种群生存,且在沙漠延伸带流动沙丘上已成功建立了梭梭（Haloxylon ammodendron）人工固沙植被,表明在巴丹吉林沙漠南缘建立以乡土植物为主的固沙植被是可行的。在未来研究中,应在山水林田湖草沙生命共同体理念下加强从区域尺度上解析水、植被和沙的关系,系统了解生态系统的原真性、完整性和连通性及生态系统稳定性维持等问题,优化生态景观格局,确定生态保护目标和建设规模,同时要加强对乡土植物适应干旱风沙机制和扩繁保育技术研究,以便为区域生态建设和生态保护提供科技支撑。     

PLAM指数跟踪方法对中国沙尘天气过程及其波动变化特征的研究

采用1980-2011年气象台站地面气象要素观测资料、高空探空资料,时间和空间加密气象观测站资料,以及中国气象档案馆原始天气图表等资料,基于沙尘气溶胶浓度（PM₁₀）潜势源地贡献函数PSCF（Potential source contribution function）的沙尘系统追踪方法,发展空气质量气象条件PLAM（……）指数对沙尘天气过程的路径跟踪,给出1980-2011年东北亚沙尘天气过程特征分布;采用Spline趋势分析,讨论沙尘天气系统强度的年变化特征。结果表明：基于气溶胶浓度PSCF函数和气象条件PLAM指数追踪得出,中国和东亚地区沙尘天气过程年际强度变化并非单调减弱,具有历史持续性与转折突变性并存的波状变化趋势,出现准10 a的高低频活动特征。     

Structural Control of Sand Bodies and Deep Exploration for Oil and Gas

The structural styles can be used to analyses and predict developments and distributions of sand bodies in a rift basin. The dynamic process of faulting and sedimentation can be expressed as follow: the basin topography controlled by fault activity can control water dynamics; which in turn affect the transport and sedimentation of sediments. The corresponding analysis between structural styles and sand depositional types includes the following aspects: (1) in section, the corresponding between development of fault terraces and sand depositional types; (2) in plane, the relationship between faults' association and distributions of sand bodies. There are four types of terrace styles to be identified. They are Steep Slope Single Fault Terrace (SSSFT), Steep Slope Multiple Fault Terrace (SSMFT), Gentle Slope (GS) and Gentle Slope Multiple Fault Terrace (GSMFT), which also can be divided into six subtypes by the timing of the faults activities and the directions of their activity migrations (basinward and landward or marginward). They correspond to the following sand depositions such as alluvial fan, fan delta and turbidite fan etc.. The analysis of structure-sedimentation is a discussion on the rank Ⅲ sequence evolution under the condition of pulsing or episodic fault activities. It has been recognized four plane fault associations such as the comb, the broom, the fork and the fault-fold association as well as the corresponding sand distributions. Structural-sedimentary models above mentioned are significant for the deep oil and gas exploration when lacking of the drill data. It may reduce multiple resolutions in the interpretation of seismic-sedimentary facies and promote sand predictions through the constraints of the structural styles of the basin units. The structural-sedimentary pattern can be used as a geological model in oil and gas exploration in the rift basins.     

The aeolian sedimentation record of the Thar desert

A review of the aeolian sedimentary record of the Thar desert is presented. This includes a regional survey of the major dune forms, their genesis and their relationship to climate and other regional landforms. A key aspect of this work is the chronometry of the dunes using luminescence methods. Luminescence dating of sand has enabled quantification of the duration of the phases of sand aggradation and quiescence, time scales of dune migration and the dating of pedogenic carbonates. We demonstrate that the conventional wisdom of synchronicity of dune aggradation with glacial epoch is not true in the context of Thar sands and here only a short durationwindow of opportunity existed for dune aggradation. Luminescence ages further suggest that this window occurred during a transitional climatic regime from glacial to interglacial about 4–10 ka after the glacial epoch. Other inferences included are that:

陕北风沙区大保当煤矿开采的生态影响分析

陕北风沙区位于毛乌素沙地东南缘,是毛乌素沙地向黄土高原的过渡地带,自然环境十分脆弱。本文通过对陕北风沙区大保当井田进行实地调查研究,结合遥感影像,运用图形叠置法、类比分析法和生态机理法分析了在该地区进行煤矿开采对当地自然植被、野生动物以及神木臭柏自然保护区的影响,并提出相应的生态保护措施。     

A study on the limit void ratio characteristics of medium to fine mixed graded sands

The minimum and maximum void ratios, corresponding to states of densest and loosest packing, of 111 systematically prepared mixed graded sand samples are determined with Method 2A and Method B according to ASTM D 4253 and ASTM D 4254 standards, respectively. Although, those standards are applicable to soils that may contain up to at most 15% fines content, for the harmony of the results even for samples having fines content greater 15%, no other methods are used throughout the experimental program. The test results show that 3rd degree polynomial equations derived from existing experimental data, as a function of packing material percentage, are quite reasonable (R² ≈ 1.0) to estimate the variation of minimum and maximum void ratios for the sands considered. Furthermore, error analysis of the limit void ratios is also carried out. It is found that predictability of maximum void ratio for the soil types and gradations considered is more accurate than that of minimum void ratio.     

Physical modelling of sand injectites

Sand injectites are structures that result from intrusion of fluidized sand into fractures. We have studied them in the Tampen Spur area of the North Sea, and have reproduced them experimentally, by driving compressed air through layers of sand, glass microspheres, and silica powder. The silica powder was cohesive and capable of hydraulic fracturing, whereas the sand and glass microspheres were almost non-cohesive and therefore able to fluidize. The models were dynamically similar to their natural counterparts, for as long as equilibrium was static. When the processes became dynamic, so that inertial forces were significant, the scaling was approximate and the corresponding Reynolds numbers differed. The experimental apparatus was a square box, 1 m × 1 m wide, resting on a grid of fluid diffusers. During the experiments, the fluid pressure increased, until it attained and surpassed the weight of overburden. Flat-lying hydraulic fractures, containing air, formed within cohesive and least permeable layers. Heterogeneities in material properties and layer thicknesses were responsible for localizing fracture networks. When any one network broke through to the surface, rapid flow of air through the fractures fluidized the underlying mobile materials and even depleted some of the layers. Some of the fluidized material extruded at the surface through vents, forming volcanoes and sheets. The remainder lodged at depth, forming sand injectites or laccoliths. Conical sand injectites formed preferentially, where layers had high resistance to bending. Laccoliths formed nearer the surface, where overlying layers had low resistance to bending. The experimental sand injectites were broadly similar to those in the Tampen Spur area of the North Sea, as well as other areas.