Could CoRoT-7b and Kepler-10b be remnants of evaporated gas or ice giants?

We present thermal mass loss calculations over evolutionary time scales for the investigation if the smallest transiting rocky exoplanets CoRoT-7b (∼1.68R_Earth) and Kepler-10b (∼1.416R_Earth) could be remnants of an initially more massive hydrogen-rich gas giant or a hot Neptune-class exoplanet. We apply a thermal mass loss formula which yields results that are comparable to hydrodynamic loss models. Our approach considers the effect of the Roche lobe, realistic heating efficiencies and a radius scaling law derived from observations of hot Jupiters. We study the influence of the mean planetary density on the thermal mass loss by placing hypothetical exoplanets with the characteristics of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus to the orbital location of CoRoT-7b at 0.017 AU and Kepler-10b at 0.01684 AU and assuming that these planets orbit a K- or G-type host star. Our findings indicate that hydrogen-rich gas giants within the mass domain of Saturn or Jupiter cannot thermally lose such an amount of mass that CoRoT-7b and Kepler-10b would result in a rocky residue. Moreover, our calculations show that the present time mass of both rocky exoplanets can be neither a result of evaporation of a hydrogen envelope of a “Hot Neptune” nor a “Hot Uranus”-class object. Depending on the initial density and mass, these planets most likely were always rocky planets which could lose a thin hydrogen envelope, but not cores of thermally evaporated initially much more massive and larger objects.     

Flood forecasting with a watershed model: a new method of parameter updating

Abstract

Flood forecasting is of prime importance when it comes to reducing the possible number of lives lost to storm-induced floods. Because rainfall-runoff models are far from being perfect, hydrologists need to continuously update outputs from the rainfall-runoff model they use, in order to adapt to the actual emergency situation. This paper introduces a new updating procedure that can be combined with conceptual rainfall-runoff models for flood forecasting purposes. Conceptual models are highly nonlinear and cannot easily accommodate theoretically optimal methods such as Kalman filtering. Most methods developed so far mainly update the states of the system, i.e. the contents of the reservoirs involved in the rainfall-runoff model. The new parameter updating method proves to be superior to a standard error correction method on four watersheds whose floods can cause damage to the greater Paris area. Moreover, further developments of the approach are possible, especially along the idea of combining parameter updating with assimilation of additional data such as soil moisture data from field measurements and/or from remote sensing.     

流体地质作用的构造效应

许多事实证明，在地壳及地球深部存在着大量的流体，它们以气体、液体、熔融体等形式存在于地球内部不同深度处。这些流体的活动在地壳及岩石圈运动演化过程中扮演着十分重要的角色，其作用贯穿于地壳与岩石圈运动演化的全过程，地球表面形成的各种构造与流体作用的参与有着密切的联系。     

Estimation of soil loss at a regional scale based on plot measurements—some critical considerations

The paper is prompted by apparent deficiencies in the design of plot studies in regional erosion surveys. The principal shortcomings of observational erosion research have been poor sampling design and inadequate analyses of data. The paper identifies various sources of bias which must be taken into account before plot data can be extrapolated to land units in a regional survey. Judging from soil loss data of a case-study in the Ardèche rangelands one may conclude that even accurate plot measurements can still be rather a rough basis for regional erosion assessment. Finally, the paper highlights strategies that might be used to improve erosion sampling.     

Surface runoff and sediment yield in the Ardèche rangelands

This paper presents a case study of runoff and sediment generation under Submediterranean rangeland conditions (Ardèche drainage basin, France). Measurements indicate that on a rough hillslope interrill runoff and sediment are not produced uniformly over the slope surface. It is observed that runoff concentrates immediately in non-permanent interrill flow paths, which under average storm conditions vary in length from 1.0 to 12.5 m. Long interrill flow paths may eventually become permanent. These permanent flow paths, called pre-rills, are introduced as a new source area, and are considered to be the initial stage in the development of rills. Along pre-rills considerable quantities of runoff and sediment are carried away. This study also shows that calculations based on interrill, pre-rill, and rill runoff will only have significance if storm and soil conditions are specified in detail. It is concluded from a correlation analysis between the runoff volume and the amount of soil loss on a storm-by-storm basis that the runoff volume alone cannot explain the amount of sediment that is generated in each source area; soil availability is an additional factor that must be taken into account.     

珠江三角洲地区未来海平面上升及风暴潮增水的耕地损失预测

珠江三角洲地区是中国海岸带中风暴潮灾害最集中的区域之一。在全球气候变化和海平面上升的影响下,风暴潮灾害将对该地区农业生产造成巨大的损失。在借鉴相关经验与研究的基础上,建立风暴潮增水灾害耕地产量损失评估模型,选择广东省珠江三角洲地区为研究区域,以该地区的DEM、土地利用等数据为基础,通过实地调研获取当地的作物种植结构、轮作方式、作物单产、不同淹没高度下不同作物的损失率等数据资料,基于未来海平面上升及风暴潮增水的不同时间情景,估算并分析了2030、2050及2100年珠三角地区耕地受灾范围的空间分布特征及产量损失变化情况。结果表明：受气候变化的影响,未来珠三角地区风暴潮影响下的耕地淹没面积比重不断上升,其中阳江、佛山和东莞等地耕地淹没面积从2030年到2100年增加较为明显,广州和珠海的耕地淹没面积增加幅度则较为缓和。从耕地淹没造成的农业产量损失来看,蔬菜、稻谷和花生等主要作物的损失产量比重呈现增加趋势,且蔬菜的增幅最大,其次是稻谷。其中广州、江门、阳江等地稻谷、花生、蔬菜的损失产量比重均表现为持续上升。     

Expected loss‐based alarm threshold set for earthquake early warning systems

Earthquake early warning systems (EEWS) seem to have potential as tools for real‐time seismic risk management and mitigation. In fact, although the evacuation of buildings requires warning time not available in many urbanized areas threatened by seismic hazard, they may still be used for the real‐time protection of critical facilities using automatic systems in order to reduce the losses subsequent to a catastrophic event. This is possible due to the real‐time seismology, which consists of methods and procedures for the rapid estimation of earthquake features, as magnitude and location, based on measurements made on the first seconds of the P‐waves. An earthquake engineering application of earthquake early warning (EEW) may be intended as a system able to issue the alarm, if some recorded parameter exceeds a given threshold, to activate risk mitigation actions before the quake strikes at a site of interest. Feasibility analysis and design of such EEWS require the assessment of the expected loss reduction due to the security action and set of the alarm threshold. In this paper a procedure to carry out these tasks in the performance‐based earthquake engineering probabilistic framework is proposed. A merely illustrative example refers to a simple structure assumed to be a classroom. Structural damage and non‐structural collapses are considered; the security action is to shelter occupants below the desks. The cost due to a false alarm is assumed to be related to the interruption of didactic activities. Results show how the comparison of the expected losses, for the alarm‐issuance and non‐issuance cases, allows setting the alarm threshold on a quantitative and consistent basis, and how it may be a tool for the design of engineering applications of EEW. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

灼烧法中有机质与总有机碳换算关系的重建及其在页岩分析中的应用

有机质与总有机碳(TOC)的换算关系为wo=1.724×wTOC,难以满足当前页岩气开发的现场测定要求,需要作出修正。本文以鄂尔多斯盆地南部页岩样品为研究对象,在传统灼烧法基础上,采用X射线荧光光谱仪测定页岩组成,得出影响烧失量的因素;用热重-差热仪研究页岩灼烧情况,确定了无机盐不分解而有机质分解的最佳灼烧温度和时间。通过线性拟合灼烧法测得的有机质含量与仪器法测得的有机碳含量间的换算关系,建立了一种通过测定烧失量来换算总有机碳含量的新方法。在页岩最佳灼烧温度480℃,灼烧时间1.5 h条件下线性拟合建立了两种新的换算关系,获得TOC测定值与仪器法的标准值相对误差分别为1.691%、0.486%,检出限分别为0.41%、1.60%。综合它们的优缺点,可将测定页岩类样品的换算关系重建为wo=2.125×wTOC。重建的方法通过严格控制灼烧温度,解决了传统灼烧法中烧失量因无机盐高温分解造成有机质代表性不足的问题,可用于精确测定页岩中的有机质或有机碳含量。     

中国地质灾害防治成效与问题对策

文章回顾了中国地质灾害调查评价、监测预警、综合防治、应急响应、信息化建设、技术装备、技术标准、学术研究、行业进步和法治化建设等工作业绩.中国地质灾害造成的遇难人数1995～2000年年均死亡失踪1205人,2001～2005年均死亡失踪884人,2006～2010年均死亡失踪776人(2010年数据不含甘肃舟曲县城山洪...     

利用遥感监测和分析珠江三角洲的城市扩张过程——以东莞市为例

伴随着经济的快速增长,珠江三角洲近年来出现了迅速的城市化以及乡村城市化的过程。沿着城镇边缘和公路两旁,大片的农田被侵占来单方面地满足城市开发的需要,忽略了粮食产量减少以及环境质量恶化等问题。利用遥感可以有效地监测珠江三角洲的城市扩张过程。在遥感多时相监测的基础上通过熵的计算,可以定量地描述城市扩张的空间规律及扩散过程。