Relating millimeter-scale turbulence to meter-scale subtidal erosion and accretion across the fringe of a coastal mangrove forest

Within a wave-exposed mangrove forest, novel field observations are presented, comparing millimeter-scale turbulent water velocity fluctuations with contemporaneous subtidal bed elevation changes. High-resolution velocity and bed level measurements were collected from the unvegetated mudflat, at the mangrove forest fringe, and within the forest interior over multiple tidal cycles (flood–ebb) during a 2-week period. Measurements demonstrated that the spatial variability in vegetation density is a control on sediment transport at sub-meter scales. Scour around single and dense clusters of pneumatophores was predicted by a standard hydraulic engineering equation for wave-induced scour around regular cylinders, when the cylinder diameter in the equations was replaced with the representative diameter of the dense pneumatophore clusters. Waves were dissipated as they propagated into the forest, but dissipation at infragravity periods (> 30 s) was observed to be less than dissipation at shorter periods (< 30 s), consistent with the predictions of a simple model. Cross-wavelet analysis revealed that infragravity-frequency fluctuations in the bed level were occasionally coherent with velocity, possibly indicating scour upstream of dense pneumatophore patches when infragravity waves reinforced tidal currents. Consequently, infragravity waves were a likely driver of sediment transport within the mangrove forest. Near-bed turbulent kinetic energy, estimated from the turbulent dissipation rate, was also correlated with bed level changes. Specifically, within the mangrove forest and over the unvegetated mudflat, high-energy events were associated with erosion or near-zero bed level change, whereas low-energy events were associated with accretion. In contrast, no single relationship between bed level changes and mean current velocity was applicable across both vegetated and unvegetated regions. These observations support the theory that sediment mobilization scales with turbulent energy, rather than mean velocity, a distinction that becomes important when vegetation controls the development of turbulence.     

Feedbacks between erosion and sediment transport in experimental bedrock channels

Natural bedrock rivers flow in self‐formed channels and form diverse erosional morphologies. The parameters that collectively define channel morphology (e.g. width, slope, bed roughness, bedrock exposure, sediment size distribution) all influence river incision rates and dynamically adjust in poorly understood ways to imposed fluid and sediment fluxes. To explore the mechanics of river incision, we conducted laboratory experiments in which the complexities of natural bedrock channels were reduced to a homogenous brittle substrate (sand and cement), a single sediment size primarily transported as bedload, a single erosion mechanism (abrasion) and sediment‐starved transport conditions. We find that patterns of erosion both create and are sensitive functions of the evolving bed topography because of feedbacks between the turbulent flow field, sediment transport and bottom roughness. Abrasion only occurs where sediment impacts the bed, and so positive feedback occurs between the sediment preferentially drawn to topographic lows by gravity and the further erosion of these lows. However, the spatial focusing of erosion results in tortuous flow paths and erosional forms (inner channels, scoops, potholes), which dissipate flow energy. This energy dissipation is a negative feedback that reduces sediment transport capacity, inhibiting further incision and ultimately leading to channel morphologies adjusted to just transport the imposed sediment load. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

珠江口洪季最大浑浊带的大小潮变化与机制分析*

基于ROMS三维模型, 模拟了珠江口洪季最大浑浊带的轴、侧向分布和大、小潮变化。模拟结果表明, 珠江口伶仃洋最大浑浊带的轴向位置在22.3°—22.45°N之间, 并随着潮流变化而周期性上下游迁移。控制最大浑浊带形成的主要因素是余流作用下的底层泥沙辐聚, 决定最大浑浊带位置的主要因素是水平对流输沙, 泥沙来源主要是上游浅滩沉积物的再悬浮。小潮期间堆积在浅滩的细颗粒沉积物在大潮期间被悬浮, 搬运到下游的滞流点位置, 在中滩南部和西滩外缘落淤。“潮泵”作用在大潮期间将泥沙向下游输运, 在小潮期间向上游输运; 垂向剪切作用则有利于悬浮泥沙的陆向输运; 二者共同作用产生泥沙辐聚, 形成最大浑浊带。大、小潮期间余流结构差异不大, 主要由密度差和潮汐混合不对称共同导致, 其中前者贡献更大。     

石斑鱼虹彩病毒SGIV在宿主细胞内依赖微管运动的行为特征

病毒是非常微小的简单生物, 不能独立生存, 必须借助宿主细胞完成自身的繁衍。病毒侵染进入细胞后, 通常借助于微管通过黏稠的细胞质运动到特定的复制位点。然而, 有关病毒依赖微管运动行为的精细动态研究还比较少。石斑鱼虹彩病毒(Singapore grouper iridovirus, SGIV)为虹彩病毒科蛙病毒属的一个新种, 是海水养殖鱼类的重要病毒性病原, 对海水养殖业造成重大经济损失。利用单粒子示踪技术实时追踪了SGIV病毒粒子沿微管运动的行为, 观察到SGIV在细胞边缘至微管中心之间的双向运动, 最高瞬时速度约0.2μm·s^-1, 均表现为主动运输。病毒粒子运动至微管交叉位置会减速迂回, 而后或受限于此, 平均运动速率约0.008μm·s^-1, 或通过交叉处继续快速运动, 最高瞬时速度为0.2μm·s^-1。同时, SGIV感染会影响微管的形态结构, 随着SGIV感染, 微管逐渐围绕细胞核和病毒加工厂形成环状结构。研究结果初步揭示了SGIV病毒和细胞微管之间相互作用的复杂过程, 丰富了我们对虹彩病毒胞内生命活动的认识, 有助于深入地理解海水鱼类虹彩病毒感染致病机理。     

Sediment transport patterns at Trafalgar offshore windfarm

A simple analytical model of wave propagation has been developed in order to study the potential sediment transport patterns due to the action of currents and waves in the neighborhood of cylindrical structures as well inside a group of these structures. The attention is focused on the study of Trafalgar offshore windfarm, a case in which it has been necessary to analyze the flow trough porous structures in order to model fish growing-cages planned to be installed at each aerogenerator structure. The results are obtained by averaging over one period of wave in order to evaluate the net potential sediment transport. The analysis of the results reveals how the processes of wave diffraction and reflection give rise to periodic patterns of sediment transport around and between the structures.     

Two-dimensional,two-phase granular sediment transport model with applications to scouring downstream of an apron

We present a two-dimensional, two-phase model for non-cohesive sediment transport. This model solves concentration-weighted averaged equations of motion for both fluid and sediment phases. The model accounts for the interphase momentum transfer by considering drag forces. A collisional theory is used to compute the sediment stresses, while a two-equation (k–ε) fluid turbulence closure is implemented. A benchmark sediment transport problem concerning the scouring downstream of an apron is carried out as an example and numerical results agree with existing experimental data.     

Improvement and Application of the Similarity Saltation Model: Wind-Tunnel Experimental Investigation and Numerical Simulation of the Vertical Sand Mass Flux Distribution in the Saltation Layer

Based upon comparisons between published experimental data and simulated results on the vertical sand flux distribution in the saltation layer, Shao’s similarity saltation model has been greatly improved by correcting the average vertical particle lift-off velocity and using a more suitable universal roughness length. By the improved model, the vertical sand flux profile over the bare, dry and loose uniform sandy surface, which is quite representative of real desert surfaces, can be reproduced very well. Meanwhile, the surface transport rate and the characteristic and average saltation heights have been simulated and analyzed in detail, disclosing their relationships with friction velocity, particle size and roughness length, and the possible underlying mechanisms. Besides, the average particle lift-off velocity and the average mean vertical aerodynamic action upon the ascending particle, which determine the saltation process, are explicitly expressed by parameters involved in the similarity model, and their relationships with friction velocity, particle size and roughness length are also described concisely. The corrected average particle lift-off velocity makes it possible to investigate the characteristic particle trajectory, whose initial velocity equals the average lift-off velocity, so as to estimate the average particle against surface impacting velocity and the average aerodynamic action upon the saltation process.     

青藏高原一次强对流过程对水汽垂直输送的数值模拟

本文采用中尺度天气研究预测模式(WRF)模拟了青藏高原那曲地区的一次强对流过程,分析了强对流对水汽的垂直输送量及对模式不同云微物理参数化方案的敏感性.通过与实测资料的比较,发现此次模拟在对流发生时间、地点、降水时间等方面均与实际接近.敏感性试验表明:当对流发生时,对流区域向上的水汽通量随海拔高度呈先增大后减小的趋势,该...