临震天体引潮力和地面长波辐射OLR异常

利用天体引潮力周期变化模型和地面长波辐射(OLR)数据资料,分析2010~2011年云南、西藏地区的4次M5.0以上地震震前OLR异常,探讨了诱发地震的外部因素,即天体引潮力周期与红外异常发展的关联特征。结果显示:以临近发震时刻所在周期引潮力值最低点日期为OLR参照背景,获取的地震前后NOAA长波辐射OLR日增量分布图像显示:震中附近热异常明显,异常受构造控制,且其分布与断裂关系密切;异常演化经历起始-加强-高峰-衰减-再增强-发震-平静的过程,符合岩石因应力增加而破裂的规律。一方面表明地应力的临界状态演化过程可通过OLR辐射变化来反映。另一方面表明引潮力可以改变构造内部地应力的状态。     

近地表大气环境变化对地壳形变观测的影响研究

近地表大气环境变化主要包括近地表气象因素（大气压强、温度、降雨）变化及台风、日食活动等。利用小波分析方法对2003—2013年湖北省数字化地壳形变潮汐分钟值资料进行处理后发现,近地表大气环境因素对形变观测数据具有不同频段上的特征变化影响。大气压强和温度对形变观测的响应频段主要集中在较低频段（64—128分钟）;降雨的影响主要集中在0-全日波（0—32分钟）范围内且存在高频、非潮汐成份。而台风在较高频段上有明显响应,频段分布在1—4秒和2—4分钟之间。黄梅台应变观测对2009年日食事件在128—256分钟低频段上有响应。     

Spatial Variation of Sea Level Trend Along the Bangladesh Coast

The Bangladesh coast is threatened by rising sea level due to various factors. The results based on the analysis of past 22 years of tidal data of the Bangladesh coast reveal that the annual mean tidal level in the eastern Bangladesh coast is rising at an alarmingly high rate of 7.8 mm/year, which is almost twice the observed rate in the western region. This type of sea level trend seems to be the result of changing local conditions like increased precipitation and land subsidence during the recent decades. It seems that the higher rate of land subsidence in the eastern Bangladesh coast is the main causative factor for the steeper sea level trends there. The differential sea level trends show that the subsidence component in the sea level rise may be as high as 4 mm/year in the eastern Bangladesh coast. However, this needs to be verified with actual geological observations.     

Benchmark on the numerical simulations of the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic evolution of tidal channels and tidal inlets

A correct understanding of the hydrodynamics and morphodynamics of tidal basins is of fundamental importance for the fate of the Venice Lagoon, Italy. If on one hand, the development of sophisticated numerical models is called for in order to reproduce the complexity of the mechanisms governing the morphodynamic evolution of many natural environments, including lagoons, on the other hand, a clear knowledge of the reliability and limits of the results provided by these models is crucial in order to establish the condition under which they can be safely applied. To this aim, researchers involved in numerical modeling in the framework of the recent Corila research programmes, agreed to perform an accurate comparison of results provided by three different numerical models, applying them to the test case offered by the experimental investigations performed under controlled conditions by Tambroni et al. (2005a). Here, we consider the following numerical models: (i) a 2D finite element hydrodynamic model coupled with a 2D finite volume morphodynamic model (5 and 3); (ii) a 2D finite element morphodynamic model (Ferrarin et al., 2008); (iii) a 2D depth-averaged model for the inlet region, coupled with a 1D model for the channel (Tambroni et al., 2005b). A first set of simulations concerns the fixed bed case and shows that all the models provide similar results: in particular, they are able to predict the observed free surface oscillations satisfactorily, while comparison with the measured velocity field is less satisfactory. Moreover, as far as the flow field at the inlet is concerned, the models describe accurately the potential flow into the channel during the flood phase, while they are not able to adequately reproduce the occurrence of the fine structure of the shear layers shed by the inlet edges during the ebb phase. This limit is related to the shallow water character of the models. As for the morphodynamics, the long term equilibrium configurations of the bottom of the channel and of the near inlet region show qualitative agreement with the experimental observations, although in this case the differences between the results provided by the distinct numerical approaches are more marked.     

Application of a finite element model to the computation of tides in the Mersey Estuary and Eastern Irish Sea

A variable mesh finite element model of the Irish and Celtic Sea regions with/without the inclusion of the Mersey estuary is used to examine the influence of grid resolution and the Mersey upon the higher harmonics of the tide in the region. Comparisons are made with observations and published results from finite difference models of the area. Although including a high resolution representation of the Mersey had little effect upon computed tides in the western Irish Sea it had a significant effect upon tidal currents in the eastern Irish Sea. In addition the higher harmonics of the M₂ tide in near-shore regions of the eastern Irish Sea particularly the Solway and Mersey estuary together with Morecambe Bay showed significant small scale variability. The Mersey was used to test the sensitivity to including estuaries because high resolution accurate topography was available. The results presented here suggest that comparable detailed topographic data sets are required in all estuaries and near-shore regions. In addition comparisons clearly show the need for an unstructured grid model of the region that can include all the estuaries. Such an unstructured grid solution was developed here within a finite element approach, although other methods in particular the finite volume, or coordinate transformations/curvilinear grids and nesting could be applied.     

An idealized model study of flocculation on sediment trapping in an estuarine turbidity maximum

Flocculation has an important impact on particle trapping in estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) through associated increases in particle settling velocity. To quantify the importance of the flocculation processes, a size-resolved flocculation model is implemented into an ocean circulation model to simulate fine-grained particle trapping in an ETM. The model resolves the particle size from robust small flocs, about 30 μm, to very large flocs, over 1000 μm. An idealized two-dimensional model study is performed to simulate along-channel variations of suspended sediment concentrations driven by gravitational circulation and tidal currents. The results indicate that the flocculation processes play a key role in generating strong tidal asymmetrical variations in suspended sediment concentration and particle trapping. Comparison with observations suggests that the flocculation model produces realistic characteristics of an ETM.     

Coastal landslides and swelling clays at Røsnæs,Denmark

Prior, D. B., 1973: Coastal landslides and swelling clays at Røsnæs, Denmark. Geografisk Tidsskrift, 72: 45–48. København, September 30, 1973.

The landslide morphology of the Røsnæs area has been examined and materials involved in active landsliding analysed.     

A tracer study in an Alaskan gravel beach and its implications on the persistence of the Exxon Valdez oil

Despite great efforts including bioremediation, the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spills persist in many gravel beaches in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. To explore this mystery, a lithium tracer study was conducted along two transects on one of these beaches. The tracer injections and transports were successfully simulated using the 2-dimensional numerical model MARUN. The tracer stayed much longer in the oil-persisting, right transect (facing landwand) than in the clean, left transect. If the tracer is approximately regarded as oils, oils in the upper layer would have more opportunities to enter the lower layer in the right transect than in the left one. This may qualitatively explain the oil persistence within the right transect. When the tracer is regarded as nutrients, the long stay of nutrients within the right transect implies that the oil persistence along the right transect was not due to the lack of nutrients during the bioremediation.     

Waves and tides responsible for the intermittent closure of the entrance of a small, sheltered tidal wetland at San Francisco, CA

Crissy Field Marsh (CFM; http://www.nps.gov/prsf/planyourvisit/crissy-field-marsh-and-beach.htm) is a small, restored tidal wetland located in the entrance to San Francisco Bay just east of the Golden Gate. The marsh is small but otherwise fairly typical of many such restored wetlands worldwide. The marsh is hydraulically connected to the bay and the adjacent Pacific Ocean by a narrow sandy channel. The channel often migrates and sometimes closes completely, which effectively blocks the tidal connection to the ocean and disrupts the hydraulics and ecology of the marsh. Field measurements of waves and tides have been examined in order to evaluate the conditions responsible for the intermittent closure of the marsh entrance. The most important factor found to bring about the entrance channel closure is the occurrence of large ocean waves. However, there were also a few closure events during times with relatively small offshore waves. Examination of the deep-water directional wave spectra during these times indicates the presence of a small secondary peak corresponding to long period swell from the southern hemisphere, indicating that CFM and San Francisco Bay in general may be more susceptible to long period ocean swell emanating from the south or southwest than the more common ocean waves coming from the northwest. The tidal records during closure events show no strong relationship between closures and tides, other than that closures tend to occur during multi-day periods with successively increasing high tides. It can be inferred from these findings that the most important process to the intermittent closure of the entrance to CFM is littoral sediment transport driven by the influence of ocean swell waves breaking along the CFM shoreline at oblique angles. During periods of large, oblique waves the littoral transport of sand likely overwhelms the scour potential of the tidal flow in the entrance channel.