Nitrate dynamics in a rural headwater catchment: measurements and modelling

This study was designed to improve our understanding of, and mechanistically simulate, nitrate (NO₃) dynamics in a steep 9.8 ha rural headwater catchment, including its production in soil and delivery to a stream via surface and subsurface processes. A two‐dimensional modelling approach was evaluated for (1) integrating these processes at a hillslope scale annually and within storms, (2) estimating denitrification, and (3) running virtual experiments to generate insights and hypotheses about using trees in streamside management zones (SMZs) to mitigate NO₃ delivery to streams. Total flow was mathematically separated into quick‐ and slow‐flow components; the latter was routed through the HYDRUS software with a nitrogen module designed for constructed wetlands. Flow was monitored for two years. High surface‐soil NO₃ concentrations started to be delivered to the stream via preferential subsurface flow within two days of the storm commencing. Groundwater NO₃‐N concentrations decreased from 1.0 to less than 0.1 mg l^?1 from up‐slope to down‐slope water tables, respectively, which was attributed to denitrification. Measurements were consistent with the flushing of NO₃ mainly laterally from surface soil during and following each storm. The model accurately accounted for NO₃ turnover, leading to the hypotheses that denitrification was a minor flux (<3 kg N ha^?1) compared to uptake (98^?127 kg N ha^?1), and that SMZ trees would reduce denitrification if they lowered the water table. This research provides an example of the measurement and modelling of NO₃ dynamics at a small‐catchment scale with high spatial and temporal resolution. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of bed mobility on resistance to overland flow

When sediment grains are transported as bed load in overland flow, there is a net transfer of momentum from the flow to the grains. When these grains collide with other grains, whether on the bed or in the flow, streamwise flow velocity decreases and resistance to flow increases. Resistance to flow generated in this manner is termed bed‐load transport resistance. Resistance to flow f over a plane bed may be partitioned into grain resistance f_g and bed‐load transport resistance f_bt. We use the symbols f_btf and f_btm to denote f_bt for flows over fixed beds and over mobile beds, respectively, and we compute the effect of bed mobility on flow resistance f_mob by subtracting f_btf from f_btm. The data for this study come from 54 flume experiments with fixed beds and 38 with mobile beds. On average f_mob is approximately equal to half of f_btm, which is about one‐quarter of f. Hence, f_mob is about one‐tenth of f. Predictive equations are developed for f_btf, f_btm and f_mob using dimensional analysis to identify the relevant independent variables and regression analysis to evaluate the coefficients associated with these variables. Values of f_mob are always positive which implies that mobile beds offer greater resistance to flow than do fixed beds. Evidently bed‐load grains colliding with mobile beds lose more momentum to the bed than do grains colliding with fixed beds. In other words, grain collisions with mobile beds are less elastic than those with fixed beds. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The dynamics of a channel-fed lava flow on Pico Partido volcano, Lanzarote

A short length of channel on Pico Partido volcano, Lanzarote, provides us the opportunity to examine the dynamics of lava flowing in a channel that extends over a sudden break in slope. The 1–2-m-wide, 0.5–2-m-deep channel was built during the 1730–1736 eruptions on Lanzarote and exhibits a sinuous, well-formed channel over a steep (11° slope) 100-m-long proximal section. Over-flow units comprising smooth pahoehoe sheet flow, as well as evidence on the inner channel walls for multiple (at least 11) flow levels, attest to unsteady flow in the channel. In addition, superelevation is apparent at each of the six bends along the proximal channel section. Superelevation results from banking of the lava as it moves around the bend thus causing preferential construction of the outer bank. As a result, the channel profile at each bend is asymmetric with an outer bank that is higher than the inner bank. Analysis of superelevation indicates flow velocities of ~8 m s^–1. Our analysis of the superelevation features is based on an inertia-gravity balance, which we show is appropriate, even though the down-channel flow is in laminar flow. We use a viscosity-gravity balance model, together with the velocities calculated from superelevation, to obtain viscosities in the range 25–60 Pa s (assuming that the lava behaved as a Newtonian liquid). Estimated volume fluxes are in the range 7–12 m³ s^–1. An apparent down-flow increase in derived volume flux may have resulted from variable supply or bulking up of the flow due to vesiculation. Where the channel moves over a sharp break in slope and onto slopes of ~6°, the channel becomes less well defined and widens considerably. At the break of slope, an elongate ridge extends across the channel. We speculate that this ridge was formed as a result of a reduction in velocity immediately below the break of slope to allow deposition of entrained material or accretion of lava to the channel bed as a result of a change in flow regime or depth.     

包兰铁路沙坡头段不同编制结构的枝条阻沙栅栏防护效应风洞模拟

对包兰铁路沙坡头段枝条阻沙栅栏流场结构进行风洞模拟试验。结果表明:气流在经过横向、竖向阻沙栅栏时均出现了明显的流速分区。气流在经过阻沙栅栏时速度会减弱,但是竖向枝条阻沙栅栏的综合阻风防沙效果明显优于横向阻沙栅栏,同时竖向枝条阻沙栅栏制作上具有工序简单、原材料广泛及不受枝条长度限制的特性,因此,在防沙治沙应用中,竖向枝条阻沙栅栏更适合推广。虽然孔隙度是阻沙栅栏设计的重要技术参数,但栅栏结构对风沙流场产生直接影响,是决定着其对风沙活动防护效应高低的关键因子。     

离岸型背景风和海陆风对珠江三角洲地区灰霾天气的影响

不同类型的背景场和海陆风对珠江三角洲地区大气灰霾有不同的影响。作者主要利用空气质量模式系统Models-3 (MM5/SMOKE/CMAQ)研究离岸型背景风和海陆风对珠江三角洲一次灰霾天气的影响, 结果表明, 中尺度气象模式MM5对珠江三角洲地区这次灰霾天气的气象模拟, 较好地模拟了风速和风向的变化。多尺度空气质量模式CMAQ模拟出了PM10浓度的变化, 与观测值比较一致。在这次灰霾天气过程中, 由于离岸型背景风与陆风风向一致, 在陆风维持的情况下, 内陆源区的PM10被输送到沿海地区, 导致沿海城市和海面上PM10浓度比较高; 而在海风维持的情况下, 海风与离岸型背景风方向相反, 造成海风较小, 致使整个珠江三角洲地区灰霾天气都比较严重。敏感性试验结果表明离岸背景风和海陆风的相互作用对灰霾天气的生成与分布有重大的影响。     

2008汶川Ms8.0地震发生的深层过程和动力学响应

汶川M_s8.0强烈地震发生在一条现今并不活动的龙门山构造带上,造成了以汶川、映秀为中心及其周边地域的严重破坏和人员的重大伤亡.然而强烈震发生前却未见有可能的确切征兆或浅表层异常活动,即浅层过程与地震发生的深层过程并不匹配.为此对这次强烈地震“孕育”、发生和发展的深层过程进行了分析和探讨,初步研究表明：①在印度洋板块与欧亚板块陆—陆碰撞、挤压作用下,喜马拉雅造山带东构造结向NNE方向顶挤、楔入青藏高原东北缘,迫使高原深部物质向东流展,在受到以龙门山为西北边界的四川盆地阻隔下,一部分物质则转而向东南侧向运移;②龙门山地带在地形上差达3500±500 m左右,而地壳厚度在龙门山西北部为60±5 km左右,四川盆地为40±2 km左右,而龙门山地带与其东、西两侧相比则为地壳厚度变化幅度达15~20 km的突变地域,即为应力作用的耦合地带;③中、下地壳和地幔盖层物质以地壳低速层、低阻层（深20~25 km）为第一滑移面,以上地幔软流层顶面为第二滑移面,且在四川盆地深部“刚性”物质阻 隔下,深部壳、幔物质以高角度在龙门山构造带和四川盆地的耦合地带向上运移（或称逆冲）,且在龙门山地表三条断裂构成的断裂系向下延伸到20 km左右深处汇聚,二者强烈碰撞、挤压、震源介质破裂;在物质与能量的强烈交换下,应力得到释放,故形成了这次M_s.0强烈地震.为此从深部初步揭示了这次强烈地震“孕育”、发生和发展的深层动力过程.     

Subaqueous mass flow origin for Lower Permian diamictites and associated facies of the Grant Group, Barbwire Terrace, Canning Basin, Western Australia

The intracratonic Canning Basin is Western Australia's largest sedimentary basin (>400 000 km²) and has experienced repeated episodes of Phanerozoic extension and subsidence, resulting in deposition of a number of first-order 'megasequences'. A major phase of basin extension and sedimentation (Grant Group) occurred in the Late Carboniferous/Early Permian when Australia lay at high palaeolatitudes. Facies analysis of 5000 m of drill core from 25 continuously cored wells in Grant Group strata on the fault-bounded Barbwire Terrace in the northern Canning Basin identified three facies associations (FAs). These record the predominance of fault-generated, subaqueous mass flow and sediment reworking. The lowest association (FA I; up to 355 m thick) rests unconformably on tilted older strata and consists of coarse-grained, subaqueously deposited, sediment gravity flow facies. These include fault-generated breccias, massive and graded sandstones and conglomerates deposited by turbidity currents and diamictites generated by mixing of different textural populations during downslope remobilization. FA I is overlain abruptly by relatively fine-grained deposits of FA II (up to 140 m thick), which consist of laminated to thin-bedded mudstone and sandstone turbidites, recording an abrupt increase in relative water depths. In turn, these facies coarsen upwards and are transitional into shallow-water, swaley cross-stratified and rippled sandstones of FA III (up to 125 m thick). The overall stratigraphic succession probably records an initial phase of faulting and accommodation of coarse sediment (FA I), a subsequent phase of rapid subsidence, increasing water depths and 'sediment underfilling' (FA II) and, finally, a regressive phase of shoreface progradation. The occurrence of rare striated clasts in FA I suggests reworking of glacial sediment, but no direct glacial influence on sedimentation can be identified.     

斜压气流中波包的演变及其对外压不稳定波的激发

把斜压气流中的短波槽看成波包，并把波包作为准地转模式的初值进行研究，发现波包的结构对其演变有重要影响，初始阶段急流轴下面向西倾斜的波包能够获得较快的发展，而向东倾斜的波包则是衰减的，这与ＷＫＢＪ方法得出的结论［１］是一致的，但是无论西倾还是东倾的波包，除了其自身随时间的演变外，还会激发出斜压不稳定波动，而且随着扰动的发展，不稳定斜压波会逐步在扰动中占主导地位。由此可以解释某些中纬度气旋的发生发展问题。     

祁连山七一冰川表面运动特征最新观测研究

为了保持对祁连山七一冰川运动变化情况观测的连续性,进一步揭示全球气候变暖背景下山岳冰川的运动变化规律,对布设在七一冰川表面的花杆进行了定期观测,获取了2012年7-8月以及2013年8-9月冰川考察期间的最新观测数据（花杆位置、冰川末端边界以及物质平衡等数据资料）,通过对数据进行分析,获得了七一冰川表面的运动状况以及末端进退变化情况. 结果表明：空间分布特征方面,七一冰川在横剖面以及纵剖面的运动保持了一般山岳冰川的运动规律;横剖面上,主流线附近冰川运动速度较两侧运动速度要大;纵剖面上,由冰川末端到零物质平衡线,冰川运动速度逐渐增大;运动方向上,七一冰川运动速度矢量大多沿主流线向下运动,或者稍微偏离主流线一定方向. 在冰川运动速度时间分布特征方面,七一冰川在消融季与非消融季的运动速度差异显著,消融季运动速度要明显大于非消融季运动速度. 最近几十年,七一冰川整体运动速度呈现出了逐年减小的趋势. 在2012年8月至2013年8月期间,冰川末端退缩了大约5～7 m,退缩较为显著.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987111000508

This paper presents the results of a set of numerical models focussing on structural controls on hydrothermal mineralization.We first give an overview of natural phenomena of structurally-controlled ore formation and the background theory and mechanisms for such controls. We then provide the results of a group of simple 2D numerical models validated through comparison with Cu-vein structure observed near the Shilu Copper deposit(Yangchun,Guangdong Province, China) and finally a case study of 3D numerical modelling applied to the Hodgkinson Province in North Queensland(Australia).Two modelling approaches,discrete deformation modelling and continuum coupled deformation and fluid flow modelling,are involved.The 2D model-derived patterns are remarkably consistent with the Cu-vein structure from the Shilu Copper deposit,and show that both modelling approaches can realistically simulate the mechanical behaviours of shear and dilatant fractures.The continuum coupled deformation and fluid flow model indicates that pattern of the Cuveins near the Shilu deposit is the result of shear strain localization,development of dilation and fluid focussing into the dilatant fracture segments.The 3D case-study models(with deformation and fluid flow coupling) on the Hodgkinson Province generated a number of potential gold mineralization targets.