A cellular model of Holocene upland river basin and alluvial fan evolution

The CAESAR (Cellular Automaton Evolutionary Slope And River) model is used to simulate the Holocene development of a small upland catchment (4·2 km²) and the alluvial fan at its base. The model operates at a 3 m grid scale and simulates every flood over the last 9200 years, using a rainfall record reconstructed from peat bog wetness indices and land cover history derived from palynological sources. Model results show that the simulated catchment sediment discharge above the alluvial fan closely follows the climate signal, but with an increase in the amplitude of response after deforestation. The important effects of sediment storage and remobilization are shown, and findings suggest that soil creep rates may be an important control on long term (>1000 years) temperate catchment sediment yield. The simulated alluvial fan shows a complex and episodic behaviour, with frequent avulsions across the fan surface. However, there appears to be no clear link between fan response and climate or land use changes suggesting that Holocene alluvial fan dynamics may be the result of phases of sediment storage and remobilization, or instabilities and thresholds within the fan itself. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A model of equilibrium bed topography for meander bends with erodible banks

Channel curvature produces secondary currents and a transverse sloping channel bed, along which the depth increases towards the outer bank. As a result deep pools tend to form adjacent to the outer bank, promoting bank collapse. The interaction of sediment grains with the primary and secondary flow and the transverse sloping bed also causes meanders to move different grain sizes in different proportions and directions, resulting in a consistent sorting pattern. Several models have been developed to describe this process, but they all have the potential to over‐predict pool depth because they cannot account for the influence of erodible banks. In reality, bank collapse might lead to the development of a wider, shallower cross‐section and any resulting flow depth discrepancy can bias associated predictions of flow, sediment transport, and grain‐size sorting. While bed topography, sediment transport and grain sorting in bends will partly be controlled by the sedimentary characteristics of the bank materials, the magnitude of this effect has not previously been explored. This paper reports the development of a model of flow, sediment transport, grain‐size sorting, and bed topography for river bends with erodible banks. The model is tested via intercomparison of predicted and observed bed topography in one low‐energy (5·3 W m^?2 specific stream power) and one high‐energy (43·4 W m^?2) study reach, namely the River South Esk in Scotland and Goodwin Creek in Mississippi, respectively. Model predictions of bed topography are found to be satisfactory, at least close to the apices of bends. Finally, the model is used in sensitivity analyses that provide insight into the influence of bank erodibility on equilibrium meander morphology and associated patterns of grain‐size sorting. The sensitivity of meander response to bank cohesion is found to increase as a function of the available stream power within the two study bends. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic analysis of base-isolated liquid storage tanks using the BE–FE–BE coupling technique

A three-dimensional soil–structure–liquid interaction problem is numerically simulated in order to analyze the dynamic behavior of a base-isolated liquid storage tank subjected to seismic ground motion. A dynamic analysis of a liquid storage tank is carried out using a hybrid formulation, which combines the finite shell elements for structures and the boundary elements for liquid and soil. The system is composed of three parts: the liquid–structure interaction part, the soil–foundation interaction part, and the base-isolation part. In the liquid–structure interaction part, the tank structure is modeled using the finite elements and the liquid is modeled using the internal boundary elements, which satisfy the free surface boundary condition. In the soil–foundation interaction part, the foundation is modeled using the finite elements and the half-space soil media are modeled using the external boundary elements, which satisfy the radiation condition in the infinite domain. Finally, above two parts are connected with the base-isolation system to solve the system's behavior. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of the developed method, and an earthquake response analysis is carried out to demonstrate the applicability of the developed technique. The properties of a real LNG tank located in the west coast of Korea are used. The effects of the ground and the base-isolation system on the behavior of the tank are analyzed.     

基于DEM的分布式水文模型构建方法

基于 DEM的分布式水文模型是现代水文学同高科技 (如计算机技术、 3S技术等 )相结合的产物 ,是研究变化环境下水文循环与水资源演化规律的理想工具 ,代表了水文模型的最新发展方向。从 DEM的特性出发 ,本文探讨并总结了分布式水文模型的特点、建模思路和模型基本结构框图。在流域离散化方面 ,重点介绍了分布式水文模型常用的三种单元划分方法 ;最后 ,针对分布式水文模型构建问题 ,从“输入模块”、“单元水文模型”、“河网汇流模型”三方面 ,阐述了分布式水文模型微结构构建方法。     

3S一体化技术支持下的西南地区冬小麦估产——以安宁河谷四县为例

农作物遥感估产已经是广泛应用的技术 ,但由于西南地区复杂的地貌类型以及遥感信息源等因素的限制 ,农作物估产方面的研究起步较晚 ,因而研究山区的农作物遥感估产对西南地区有重要的理论价值和现实意义。安宁河谷为一南北走向的山间盆地 ,是四川省第二大粮食生产基地。本文运用遥感 (RemoteSensing)、地理信息系统 (GIS)和全球定位系统(GPS)———简称 3S ,采取全数字式判读方式提取冬小麦的播种面积 ,进行野外点、线采样 ,并利用数理统计方法 ,建立了该地区的冬小麦估产模型     

新疆塔里木河下游植物群落逆向演替分析

通过对塔里木河中下游沿河植物群落的调查分析及地下水位下降对地表植被生态过程影响的研究，探讨塔里木河下游近几十年来植被的逆向演替过程，并划分出不同的演替阶段。根据草、灌、乔植被对地下水位具有不同的适应能力，塔里木河下游植物群落退化顺序也不相同，首先是草本退化，其次是灌木退化，再者是乔木退化。经调查分析表明，塔里木河下游植物群落的逆向演替顺序为：矫灌草群落阶段→乔灌群落阶段→乔木或灌木少阶段，在逆向演替过程中，各阶段有规律地进行，群落结构特征、种类组成也都发生了明显的变化。     

Soulèvement et plissement tectoniques révélés par analyse mathématique empirique de profils longitudinaux de rivières : un cas à TaiwanEmpirical mathematical analysis of longitudinal river profiles reveals tectonic uplift and folding: a case in Taiwan

We analyse longitudinal river profiles in southwestern Taiwan. As all necessary data are not available, a physical modelling of river erosion would be subject to large uncertainties. We thus shortcut this modelling and adopt simple empirical exponential equations giving riverbed elevation as a function of downstream distance. We identify a positive altimetric anomaly, which reveals active uplift of an anticline at the front of the fold-and-thrust belt. To cite this article: J. Angelier, R.-F. Chen, C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 1103–1111.     

Beyond world cities: Central America in a global space of flows

Central America is a region without a world city. Traditionally, the region's national projects have been based upon openness to the world economy: how do the region's contemporary transnational projects connect to the world economy under the new conditions of openness that is contemporary globalization? Focusing upon advanced producer services, three connections into the world city network are identified: global service firms operating directly in Central American cities, local service firms operating indirectly through extra-regional world cities and global service firms operating through Latin American regional offices. Miami is confirmed as the primary world city through which Central America connects into the world economy     

Straight river: its formation and speciality

Straight river is generally regarded as one of the typical river patterns in conventional classifications in terms of their channel plain landforms. However, very few straight patterns were found to be distributed in wider spatial and temporal spans in the self-adjusted fluvial rivers. Thus, the questions occur such as that is it possible for a channel takes on a stable straight pattern? What are the main factors controlling the processes of the river pattern formation and transformation from a straight to other patterns? Various theories and hypotheses including geomorphic threshold hypothesis, the extreme hypothesis on energy dissipation rate, the stability theory, etc. have been developed to explain the aforementioned questions, but none of them is sound for the explanation to the straight-river formation. From the modern fluvial plain patterns, the straight patterns are not as stable as other typical patterns which occurred in nature; from the historic records of the river sedimentation, no apparent evidence was found to support the stable straight river evolution. Based on the analysis of existing theories, observations, evolvement processes of the channel patterns in the experimental results, this paper concluded that the straight pattern should not be included as one of the typical patterns that are self-formed and developed. This study is of importance to understanding of the river pattern formation and transformation.