Statistical characterization of impact of system variables on temporal dynamics of groundwater in highly weathered regoliths

In situations where the water table fluctuates during the rainy season the characterization of the impact of system variables on the temporal dynamics of the groundwater (GW) is essential to improve the understanding at catchment or regional scale behaviour of GW. In this study the appropriateness of the statistical parameters; mean, median, the 80^th percentile (PC80), coefficient of variation (CV), correlation coefficient (r), and multiple regression models were assessed to characterize the impact of system variables on the temporal dynamics of hydraulic head relative to ground surface (HH) during rainy seasons. The study was conducted from 1999 to 2003 in the wet tropical Johnstone River catchment (JRC) in north‐east Queensland, Australia. Piezometer wells were installed at 32 sites under cropping to 5–90 m depth on different soil types, landscape positions, and varying proximity to surface water bodies (i.e. four system variables). The HH was measured, at least at 10–15 day intervals during 1–5 consecutive rainy seasons. The HH in the 32 wells fluctuated throughout each of the five rainy seasons. The mean HH averaged over the seasons ranged from 1·1 to 17·2 m across the wells, the median from 0·9 to 17·3 m, and the PC80 from 0·3 to 16·1 m. The temporal behaviour of HH characterization by mean of means of HH, the mean of medians of HH, and the mean of PC80 of HH, indicated the HH can be classified to belong to three different groups for each one of these parameters. The impact of the system variables on temporal dynamics, explored using multiple regression procedure, indicated that the model for median was marginally better than mean. The CV was found to be most appropriate parameter to characterize the impact of GW system variable (aquifer type), a component of the system variables, on temporal dynamics. The interactions of GW (i) belonging to different GW system and (ii) at shoulder with footslope in a landscape were best characterized by simple linear correlations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wetlands with controlled drainage and sub‐irrigation systems—modelling of the water balance

Over the past centuries, the agricultural use of wetlands in Central Europe has required interference with the natural wetland water balance. Often this has consisted of drainage measures alone. In low‐precipitation areas, it has also involved the operation of combined drainage and sub‐irrigation systems. Model studies conducted as part of planning processes, or with a view to finding out the impact of changing climate conditions on the water balance of wetlands, must take these facts into account. For this reason, a water balance model has been devised for wetlands whose water balance is governed by water resources management systems. It is based on the WBalMo model system. Special modules were integrated into WBalMo to calculate the water balance of wetland areas (WABI module) and to regulate inflow partitioning within the wetland (REGINF module). When calculating the water balance, the WABI module takes into account precipitation and potential evapotranspiration, groundwater levels below surface, soil types, land‐use classes, inflows via the running water system, and data for target water levels. It provides actual evapotranspiration, discharge into the running water system, and groundwater levels in the area. The example of the Spreewald, a major wetland area in north‐eastern Germany, was used to design and test the WBalMo Spreewald model. The comparison of measured and calculated water balance parameters of the wetland area confirms the suitability of the model for water balance studies in wetlands with complex water resources management systems. The results reveal the strong influence of water management on the water balance of such areas. The model system has proved to be excellently suited for planning and carrying out water management measures aimed at the sustainable development of wetlands. Furthermore, scenario analyses can be used to assess the impact of global change on the water balance of wetlands. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial variability of snowmelt timing from AMSR‐E and SSM/I passive microwave sensors,Pelly River,Yukon Territory,Canada

Spring snow melt run‐off in high latitude and snow‐dominated drainage basins is generally the most significant annual hydrological event. Melt timing, duration, and flow magnitude are highly variable and influence regional climate, geomorphology, and hydrology. Arctic and sub‐arctic regions have sparse long‐term ground observations and these snow‐dominated hydrologic regimes are sensitive to the rapidly warming climate trends that characterize much of the northern latitudes. Passive microwave brightness temperatures are sensitive to changes in the liquid water content of the snow pack and make it possible to detect incipient melt, diurnal melt‐refreeze cycles, and the approximate end of snow cover on the ground over large regions. Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR‐E) passive microwave brightness temperatures (T_b) and diurnal amplitude variations (DAV) are used to investigate the spatial variability of snowmelt onset timing (in two stages, ‘DAV onset’ and ‘melt onset’) and duration for a complex sub‐arctic landscape during 2005. The satellites are sensitive to small percentages of liquid water, and therefore represent ‘incipient melt’, a condition somewhat earlier than a traditional definition of a melting snowpack. Incipient melt dates and duration are compared to topography, land cover, and hydrology to investigate the strength and significance of melt timing in heterogeneous landscapes in the Pelly River, a major tributary to the Yukon River. Microwave‐derived melt onset in this region in 2005 occurred from late February to late April. Upland areas melt 1–2 weeks later than lowland areas and have shorter transition periods. Melt timing and duration appear to be influenced by pixel elevation, aspect, and uniformity as well as other factors such as weather and snow mass distribution. The end of the transition season is uniform across sensors and across the basin in spite of a wide variety of pixel characteristics. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

光栅栅距检测与线阵CCD细分技术研究

利用线阵CCD分辨率高、像素均匀等特点对光栅莫尔条纹进行细分是目前广泛采用的一种新技术。由于CCD具有自扫描能力，能将光强随空间分布的莫尔条纹信号转换成随时间变化的电信号，从而可以对光栅刻线的像的移动进行精确定位和直接数字化，改变传统莫尔条纹位相细分方法，实现对光栅栅距进行高倍数的细分。     

Is Ursa Major II the progenitor of the Orphan Stream?

Prominent in the 'Field of Streams'– the Sloan Digital Sky Survey map of substructure in the Galactic halo – is an 'Orphan Stream' without obvious progenitor. In this numerical study, we show a possible connection between the newly found dwarf satellite Ursa Major II (UMa II) and the Orphan Stream. We provide numerical simulations of the disruption of UMa II that match the observational data on the position, distance and morphology of the Orphan Stream. We predict the radial velocity of UMa II as −100 km s⁻¹, as well as the existence of strong velocity gradients along the Orphan Stream. The velocity dispersion of UMa II is expected to be high, though this can be caused both by a high dark matter content or by the presence of unbound stars in a disrupted remnant. However, the existence of a gradient in the mean radial velocity across UMa II provides a clear-cut distinction between these possibilities. The simulations support the idea that some of the anomalous, young halo globular clusters like Palomar 1 or Arp 2 or Ruprecht 106 may be physically associated with the Orphan Stream.     

Dust coma morphology in the Deep Impact images of Comet 9P/Tempel 1

We present an overview of the dust coma observations of Comet Tempel 1 that were obtained during the approach and encounter phases of the Deep Impact mission. We use these observations to set constraints on the pre-impact activity of the comet and discuss some preliminary results. The temporal and spatial changes that were observed during approach reveal three distinct jets rotating with a 1.7-day periodicity. The brightest jet produces an arcuate feature that expands outward with a projected velocity of about 12 m s⁻¹, suggesting that the ambient dust coma is dominated by millimeter-sized dust grains. As the spatial resolution improves, more jets and fans are revealed. We use stereo pairs of high-resolution images to put some crude constraints on the source locations of some of the brightest features. We also present a number of interesting coma features that were observed, including surface jets detected at the limb of the nucleus when the exposed ice patches are passing over the horizon, and features that appear to be jets emanating from unilluminated sources near the negative pole. We also provide a list of 10 outbursts of various sizes that were observed in the near-continuous monitoring during the approach phase.     

Coupled HM analysis using zero‐thickness interface elements with double nodes—Part II: Verification and application

In a companion Part I of this paper (Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2008; DOI: 10.1002/nag.735 ), a coupled hydro‐mechanical (HM) formulation for geomaterials with discontinuities based on the finite element method (FEM) with double‐node, zero‐thickness interface elements was developed and presented. This Part II paper includes the numerical solution of basic practical problems using both the staggered and the fully coupled approaches. A first group of simulations, based on the classical consolidation problem with an added vertical discontinuity, is used to compare both the approaches in terms of accuracy and convergence. The monolithic or fully coupled scheme is also used in an application example studying the influence of a horizontal joint in the performance of a reservoir subject to fluid extraction. Results include a comparison with other numerical solutions from the literature and a sensitivity analysis of the mechanical parameters of the discontinuity. Some simulations are also run using both a full non‐symmetric and a simplified symmetric Jacobian matrix. On top of verifying the model developed and its capability to reflect the conductivity changes of the interface with aperture changes, the results presented also lead to interesting observations of the numerical performance of the methods implemented. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Non‐local damage modelling of concrete: a procedure for the determination of model parameters

This paper presents a procedure for the determination of parameters of non‐local damage models. This is to assure a consistent response of a non‐local damage model, as choice of the internal length and other parameters of the model are varied. Correlations between the internal length and other parameters governing the local constitutive behaviour of the model are addressed and exploited. Focus is put on the relationship between the internal length of the non‐local model and the width of the fracture process zone. Numerical examples are used to demonstrate the rigour of the proposed method. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Storm‐event rainfall–runoff modelling approach for ungauged sites in Taiwan

This work develops a top‐down modelling approach for storm‐event rainfall–runoff model calibration at unmeasured sites in Taiwan. Twenty‐six storm events occurring in seven sub‐catchments in the Kao‐Ping River provided the analytical data set. Regional formulas for three important features of a streamflow hydrograph, i.e. time to peak, peak flow, and total runoff volume, were developed via the characteristics of storm event and catchment using multivariate regression analysis. Validation of the regional formulas demonstrates that they reasonably predict the three features of a streamflow hydrograph at ungauged sites. All of the sub‐catchments in the study area were then adopted as ungauged areas, and the three streamflow hydrograph features were calculated by the regional formulas and substituted into the fuzzy multi‐objective function for rainfall–runoff model calibration. Calibration results show that the proposed approach can effectively simulate the streamflow hydrographs at the ungauged sites. The simulated hydrographs more closely resemble observed hydrographs than hydrographs synthesized using the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) dimensionless unit hydrograph method, a conventional method for hydrograph estimation at ungauged sites in Taiwan. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.