Distribution Functions of Tsunami Wave Heights

The problem of describing the distribution functions of tsunami wave heights is discussed. Data on runup heights obtained in field surveys of several tsunamis for the last decade are used to calculate the empirical distribution functions. It is shown that the log-normal distribution describes the observed data well. This means that the irregular topography and coastline are major factors which influence the height distribution. The power distribution related with the geometric decay of the propagated wave is a good approximation for one event (Sulawesi, January 1, 1996) only. Results of a numerical simulation of the tsunami event in the Japan (East) Sea on July 12, 1993 are presented. It is shown that the computed wave height distribution, obtained by using the runup correction in the framework of nonlinear shallow-water theory, is in good agreement with the observed height distribution. Simulations are used to study the transformation of the distribution function on different distances from the source.     

新搜集到的《嘉陵江日报》关于叠溪地震的报道(根据原件电子扫描稿校对)

民国期间的《嘉陵江日报》对1933年发生在四川省茂县叠溪的地震进行过系列报道,其中根据地质学家常隆庆先生的信函对于该地震考察情况的报道尤为详尽。过去,这些资料从未被地震历史资料的文献收录,鲜为地震工作者所知,具有较高的史料价值。整理转载这6000余字的资料,并作了注释和说明,相信能够为今后的地震史料研究提供参考。     

A quarter century of declining suspended sediment fluxes in the Mississippi River and the effect of the 1993 flood

Annual fluxes, flow‐weighted concentrations and linear least squares trendline calculations for a number of long‐term Mississippi River Basin (MRB) sampling sites covering 1981 through 2007, whilst somewhat ‘noisy’, display long‐term patterns of decline. Annual flow‐weighted concentration plots display the same long‐term patterns of decline, but are less noisy because they reduce/eliminate variations due to interannual discharge differences. The declines appear greatest in the middle MRB, but also are evident elsewhere. The pattern for the lower Ohio River differs and may reflect ongoing construction at the Olmsted lock and dam that began in 1993 and currently is ongoing. The ‘Great Flood of 1993’ appears to have superimposed a step function (a sharp drop) on the long‐term rate of decline in suspended sediment concentrations (SSC), annual fluxes and flow‐weighted concentrations in the middle MRB at St Louis and Thebes, Missouri and Vicksburg, Mississippi, and in the lower MRB at St Francisville, Louisiana. Evidence for a step function at other sites is less substantial, but may have occurred. The step function appears to have resulted from losses in available (erodible) sediment, rather than to a reduction in discharge; hence, the MRB appears to be supply limited rather than discharge limited. These evaluations support the need for daily discharge and SSC data collections in the MRB to better address questions regarding long‐term trends in sediment‐related issues. This is apparent when the results for the Mississippi River at Thebes and St Louis sites are compared with those from other MRB sites where intensive (daily) data collections are lacking. Published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The volume and shape of the 1991–1993 lava flow field at Mount Etna, Sicily

 The 1991–1993 lava flow is the most voluminous flow erupted at Mount Etna, Sicily, in over 300 years. Estimates of the volume obtained by various methods range from 205×10⁶ m³ (Tanguy 1996) to over 500×10⁶ m³ (Barberi et al. 1993). This paper describes the results of an electronic distance measurement (EDM)-based field survey of the upper surface of the 1991–1993 flow field undertaken in 1995. The results were digitised, interpolated and converted into a digital elevation model and then compared with a pre-eruption digital elevation model, constructed from a 1 : 25 000 contour map of the area, based on 1989 aerial photographs. Our measurements are the most accurate to date and show that the 1991–1993 lava flow occupies a volume of 231±29×10⁶ m³. Received: 20 July 1996 / Accepted: 5 November 1996     

超新星1993J研究

本文给出北京天文台2.16m望远镜SN1993J光谱观测结果.     

用Monte Carlo方法拟合超新星SN 1993J的早期光谱

通过把从光球辐射出来的连续谱能量分成大量的光子包，然后用MonteCarlo方法跟踪这些光子包从光球向超新星包层外运动的过程，这一方法能很好地解决超新星的光谱拟合中的谱线覆盖问题，由于同时编制了用于构造超新星包层中的密度结构和丰度分布的程序，以及大量的用于比较观测和理论拟合的绘图和支持程序，使我们的MonteCarlo光谱拟合软件包能够很好地运用于超新星的早期光谱研究。本文给出了SN1993J在1993年4月13日的观测光谱的运行实例。     

Field survey report on tsunami disasters caused by the 1993 Southwest Hokkaido earthquake

Detailed field work at Okushiri Island and along the southwest coast of Hokkaido has revealed quantitatively (1) the advancing direction of tsunami on land, (2) the true tsunami height (i.e., height of tsunami, excluding its splashes, as measured from the ground) and (3) the flow velocity of tsunami on land, in heavily damaged areas. When a Japanese wooden house is swept away by tsunami, bolts that tie the house to its concrete foundation resist until the last moment and become bent towards the direction of the house being carried away. The orientations of more than 850 of those bent bolts and iron pipes (all that can be measured, mostly at Okushiri Island) and fell-down direction of about 400 trees clearly display how tsunami behaved on land and caused serious damage at various places. The true tsunami height was estimated by using several indicators, such as broken tree twigs and a window pane. The flow velocity of tsunami on land was determined by estimating the hydrodynamic force exerted on a bent handrail and a bent-down guardrail by the tsunami throughin situ strength tests.Contrary to the wide-spread recognition after the tsunami hazard, our results clearly indicate that only a few residential areas (i.e., Monai, eastern Hamatsumae, and a small portion at northern Aonae, all on Okushiri Island) were hit by a huge tsunami, with true heights reaching 10 m. Southern Aonae was completely swept away by tsunami that came directly from the focal region immediately to the west. The true tsunami height over the western sea wall of southern Aonae was estimated as 3 to 4 m. Northern Aonae also suffered severe damage due to tsunami that invaded from the corner zone of the sand dune (8 m high) and tide embankment at the northern end of the Aonae Harbor. This corner apparently acted as a tsunami amplifier, and tide embankment or breakwater can be quite dangerous when tsunami advances towards the corner it makes with the coast. The nearly complete devastation of Inaho at the northern end of Okushiri Island underscored the danger of tsunami whose propagation direction is parallel to the coast, since such tsunami waves tend to be amplified and tide embankment or breakwater is constructed low towards the coast at many harbors or fishing ports. Tsunami waves mostly of 2 to 4 m in true height swept away Hamatsumae on the southeast site of Okushiri Island where there were no coastal structures. Coastal structures were effective in reducing tsunami hazard at many sites. The maximum flow velocity at northern Aonae was estimated as 10 to 18 m/s (Tsutsumi et al., 1994), and such a high on-land velocity of tsunami near shore is probably due to the rapid shallowing of the deep sea near the epicentral region towards Okushiri Island. If the advancing direction, true height, and flow velocity of tsunami can be predicted by future analyses of tsunami generation and progagation, the analyses will be a powerful tool for future assessment of tsunami disasters, including the identification of blind spots in the tsunami hazard reduction.     

Analysis of Factors Influencing Simulations of the 1993 Hokkaido Nansei-Oki and 1964 Alaska Tsunamis

The purpose of this paper is to examine factorsinfluencing numerical simulations of tsunamis, andtheir implications for hazard mitigation. We focus ona specific finite element hydrodynamic model, chosenfor its role in the systematic development ofinundation maps for regions threatened primarily byCascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) tsunamis. However, inpart for generality and in part because of poorhistorical records for CSZ events, we discuss here theperformance of the model in the context of betterdocumented past events with epicenters locatedelsewhere: the July 12, 1993 Hokkaido Nansei-Oki andthe March 28, 1964 Alaska tsunamis. Our analysisincludes the influence of grid refinement,interactions between tides and tsunamis, artificialenergy loss, and numerical parameterization. We showthat while the ability exists to reproduce pastevents, limitations remain in the modeling processthat should be accounted for in translating modelingresults into information for tsunami mitigation andresponse.     

Onshore tsunami deposits caused by the 1993 Southwest Hokkaido and 1983 Japan Sea earthquakes

Onshore tsunami deposits resulting from the 1993 Southwest Hokkaido and 1983 Japan Sea earthquakes were described to evaluate the feasibility of tsunami deposits for inferring paleoseismic events along submarine faults. Tsunami deposits were divided into three types, based on their composition and aerial distribution: (A) deposits consisting only of floating materials, (B) locally distributed siliclastic deposits, and (C) widespread siliclastic deposits. The most widely distributed tsunami deposits consist of the first two types. Type C deposits are mostly limited to areas where the higher tsunami runup was observed. The scale of tsunami represented by vertical tsunami runup is an important factor controlling the volume of tsunami deposits. The thickest deposits, about 10 cm, occur behind coastal dunes. To produce thick siliclastic tsunami deposits, a suitable source area, such as sand bar or dune, must be available in addition to sufficient vertical tsunami runup. Estimation of the amounts of erosion and deposition indicates that tsunami deposits were derived from both onshore and shoreface regions. The composition and grain size of the tsunami deposits strongly reflect the nature of the sedimentary materials of their source area. Sedimentary structures of the tsunami deposits suggest both low and high flow régimes. Consequently, it seems very difficult to identify tsunami deposits based only on grain size distribution or sedimentary structure of a single site in ancient successions.     

彗木碰撞时刻及位置的确定

Shoemaker－Levy9号童星于1994年7月与木星碰撞己成为事实．本文依据众多碰撞时刻的观测报道，并结合碰撞预报，对其进行了系统研究．分析了用不同观测技术和观测手段所给出的碰撞时刻的报道，强调了碰撞物理过程的重要性．最后，按照统一的物理模式初步确定了各个碎核的碰撞时刻．并归算出木星南纬碰撞带区的自转速度约为9h55min-周，说明它没有受到营核连续撞击的影响．本文还将各管核撞击点在水面上的位置与预报做了比较．