On the significance of wind event frequency for particulate resuspension and light attenuation in coastal waters

Wind-induced resuspension of particulate matter was investigated in a shallow coastal region off southwestern Australia, chosen for its isolation from the complexity of other confounding physical processes. The site had negligible river discharge, low nutrient concentrations and was largely devoid of tidal currents. Moorings were deployed in the micro-tidal waters to measure current speed, wave parameters, backscatter, subsurface irradiance and dissolved oxygen concentration. Two contrasting sites were chosen as representative of high and low wave-energy environments. Turbulent kinetic energy, recorded by the instruments, was dominated by the wind-wave signal. During wind events, at the most exposed site, bed shear stress exceeded the critical stress required to lift and resuspend sediments. At the most enclosed site, bed shear stresses only exceeded the critical stress required to suspend less dense material such as benthic fluff. Wind-waves were found to be the dominant mechanism driving the vertical redistribution of particulate matter. Low frequency storm events and high frequency (daily) sea breezes were found to differ significantly in their retention of particulate matter suspended in the water column. Long periods of calm generally followed the passage of a storm, allowing suspended particulate matter to settle out, while consecutive daily sea breezes were more effective in holding particulate matter in suspension. Linear correlations were found between the backscatter (a proxy for suspended particulate matter), light attenuation and dissolved oxygen concentration. Approximately half the variability in dissolved oxygen concentration could be attributed to the variability in light attenuation, with a decline in concentration during wind resuspension events. Variability in dissolved oxygen concentration was interpreted as a possible indicator of the moderation of pelagic phytoplankton productivity during wind events.     

Rapid uranium-series age screening of carbonates by laser ablation mass spectrometry

Uranium-series dating is a critical tool in quaternary geochronology, including paleoclimate work, archaeology and geomorphology. Laser ablation (LA) methods are not as precise as most isotope dilution methods, but can be used to generate calendar ages rapidly, expanding the range of dating tools that can be applied to late Pleistocene carbonates. Here, existing LA methods are revisited for corals (cold- and warm-water) and speleothems spanning the last 343 thousand years (ka). Measurement of the required isotopes (²³⁸U, ²³⁴U, ²³⁰Th and ²³²Th) is achieved by coupling a laser system to a multi-collector inductively-coupled-plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICPMS) using a combination of a single central ion counter and an array of Faraday cups. Each sample analysis lasts for ∼4.3 min, and fifty samples can be measured in 12 h with an automated set up, after a day of sample preparation. The use of different standard materials and laser systems had no significant effect on method accuracy. Uncertainty on the measured (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) activity ratios ranges from 5.4% to 7.6% for (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) ratios equal to 0.7 and 0.1 respectively. Much of this uncertainty can be attributed to the heterogeneity of the standard material (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) at the length scale of LA. A homogeneous standard material may therefore improve measurement uncertainty but is not a requirement for age-screening studies. The initial (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) of coral samples can be determined within ∼20‰, making it useful as a first indicator of open-system behaviour. For cold-water corals, success in determination of (²³²Th/²³⁸U) – which can affect final age accuracy – by LA depended strongly on sample heterogeneity. Age uncertainties (2 sigma) ranged from <0.8 ka at 0–10 ka, ∼1.5 ka at 20 ka to ∼15 ka at 125 ka. Thus, we have demonstrated that U-series dating by LA-MC-ICPMS can be usefully applied to a range of carbonate materials as a straightforward age-screening technique.     

混合重金属离子侵蚀饱和黏性土渗透特性试验研究

渗透特性是表征黏性土层防渗能力及防污性能的关键控制因素,黏土衬垫渗透系数的正确选择对保证垫层的防污效果具有极其重要的意义。采用柔性壁渗透仪,通过室内试验研究了混合重金属离子共存情况下侵蚀饱和黏性土的渗透特性变化规律。试验结果表明,将可溶性铜、铬离子混合与铜、锰离子混合溶液作为渗液,黏性土渗透性均随着掺入离子浓度比例的增大而逐渐增强,且相同试验条件下,铜、铬离子混合溶液作为渗液测得的黏土渗透系数值大于铜、锰离子混合溶液作为渗液测得的渗透系数值。混合重金属离子的存在削弱了黏土垫层作为工程防污屏障服役的能力,并对黏土层的水力传导性起到了劣化作用。试验土样微观结构分析表明,渗液特性的改变影响了土样内部的微观结构,随着渗液混合离子质量比的增大,土样中出现了凝聚体且有效输运孔隙通道增大,与宏观渗透特性的变化规律相吻合。研究结果能够为有效评估黏土防污屏障的防渗隔污能力及研究堆场渗液在黏土垫层中的运移机制提供参考。     

Identification of dynamic soil properties through shaking table tests on a large saturated sand specimen in a laminar shear box

Many laminar shear boxes have recently been developed into sliding-frame containers that can reproduce 1D ground-response boundary conditions. The measured responses of such large specimens can be utilized to back-calculate soil properties. This study investigates how the boundary effect in large specimens affects the identified soil properties through shaking table tests on a soil-filled large laminar box conducted at the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Taiwan. The tested soil-box system is unique because only 80% of the container is filled with soil. This system can be regarded as a two-layer system: an empty top and soil-filled bottom. The dynamic properties of this two-layer system are identified through various approaches, including theoretical solutions of wave propagation, free vibration, and nonparametric stress–strain analyzes. Therefore, the coupling effect of the box and soil can be evaluated. Results show that, compared with the two-layer system considering the influence of the box, the conventional approach with a single-layer system slightly underestimates shear wave velocity but obtains the same damping ratio of the soil layer. In addition, the identified modulus reduction and damping curves in the two-layer system are consistent with those obtained in a laboratory test on a small specimen. Furthermore, based on detailed acceleration measurements along different depths of soil, a piecewise profile of shear wave velocity is built. The identified shear wave velocity increases with depth, which is not uniform and differs from the constant velocity typically assumed for the specimen.     

A study of the reduction of ground vibrations by an active generator

This paper presents the concept of using an additional generator to prevent ground vibrations. A linear, transversally isotropic three dimensional half-space with the hysteretic damping model, acted upon by a harmonic vertical excitation is assumed. Equations of motion for the transversally isotropic ground model with the absorbing boundary conditions are presented and numerically integrated using FlexPDE software, based on the finite element method. The efficiency of the solution is analysed in terms of reducing the vertical and horizontal components of ground surface vibrations. Results in the form of a dimensionless amplitude reduction factor are presented for four different locations of a generator. The influence of the soil parameters and layers locations on the additional generator's efficiency is investigated. The vibration reduction efficiency in a four-story building is also presented.     

Wave dissipation by vegetation with layer schematization in SWAN

The energy of waves propagating through vegetation is dissipated due to the work done by the waves on the vegetation. Dalrymple et al. (1984) estimated wave dissipation by integrating the force on a cylinder over its vertical extent. This was extended by Mendez and Losada (2004) to include varying depths and the effects of wave damping due to vegetation and wave breaking for narrow-banded random waves. This paper describes the wave dissipation over a vegetation field by the implementation of the Mendez and Losada formulation in a full spectrum model SWAN, with an extension to include a vertical layer schematization for the vegetation. The present model is validated with the original equation and results from Mendez and Losada (2004). The sensitivity of the model to the shape of the frequency spectrum, directional spreading and layer schematization are investigated. The model is then applied to field measurements by using a vegetation factor. This model has the ability to calculate two-dimensional wave dissipation over a vegetation field including some important aspects such as breaking and diffraction as used in SWAN model.     

尕海DG03孔元素地球化学特征及其环境意义

通过对柴达木盆地尕海DG03孔沉积物的Ti、V、Cr、Mn、Ni、Zn、C、N等元素含量变化以及m(C)/m(N)、m(Sr)/m(Ba)比值变化的测定,结合DG03孔沉积序列的年代学测定和沉积物分布特征,分析了尕海地区11·52ka BP以来的气候环境变化过程。研究表明尕海地区在11·52ka BP以来存在明显的气候波动;4·70kaBP以来的全新世晚期气候波动频率加大,存在5次较为明显的冷干和暖湿的气候旋回,并且表现出冷干气候时段长,暖湿气候时段短的特征。