An efficient framework for ensemble of natural disaster simulations as a service

Calculations of risk from natural disasters may require ensembles of hundreds of thousands of simulations to accurately quantify the complex relationships between the outcome of a disaster and its contributing factors. Such large ensembles cannot typically be run on a single computer due to the limited computational resources available. Cloud Computing offers an attractive alternative, with an almost unlimited capacity for computation, storage, and network bandwidth. However, there are no clear mechanisms that define how to implement these complex natural disaster ensembles on the Cloud with minimal time and resources. As such, this paper proposes a system framework with two phases of cost optimization to run the ensembles as a service over Cloud. The cost is minimized through efficient distribution of the simulations among the cost-efficient instances and intelligent choice of the instances based on pricing models. We validate the proposed framework using real Cloud environment with real wildfire ensemble scenarios under different user requirements. The experimental results give an edge to the proposed system over the bag-of-task type execution on the Clouds with less cost and better flexibility.     

Assessing the impact of land use change on hydrology by ensemble modelling (LUCHEM) II: Ensemble combinations and predictions

This paper reports on a project to compare predictions from a range of catchment models applied to a mesoscale river basin in central Germany and to assess various ensemble predictions of catchment streamflow. The models encompass a large range in inherent complexity and input requirements. In approximate order of decreasing complexity, they are DHSVM, MIKE-SHE, TOPLATS, WASIM-ETH, SWAT, PRMS, SLURP, HBV, LASCAM and IHACRES. The models are calibrated twice using different sets of input data. The two predictions from each model are then combined by simple averaging to produce a single-model ensemble. The 10 resulting single-model ensembles are combined in various ways to produce multi-model ensemble predictions. Both the single-model ensembles and the multi-model ensembles are shown to give predictions that are generally superior to those of their respective constituent models, both during a 7-year calibration period and a 9-year validation period. This occurs despite a considerable disparity in performance of the individual models. Even the weakest of models is shown to contribute useful information to the ensembles they are part of. The best model combination methods are a trimmed mean (constructed using the central four or six predictions each day) and a weighted mean ensemble (with weights calculated from calibration performance) that places relatively large weights on the better performing models. Conditional ensembles, in which separate model weights are used in different system states (e.g. summer and winter, high and low flows) generally yield little improvement over the weighted mean ensemble. However a conditional ensemble that discriminates between rising and receding flows shows moderate improvement. An analysis of ensemble predictions shows that the best ensembles are not necessarily those containing the best individual models. Conversely, it appears that some models that predict well individually do not necessarily combine well with other models in multi-model ensembles. The reasons behind these observations may relate to the effects of the weighting schemes, non-stationarity of the climate series and possible cross-correlations between models.     

集合卡尔曼平滑和集合卡尔曼滤波在污染源反演中的应用

此文目的是讨论污染源反演问题的统计方法.基于Bayes估计理论,该文将资料同化中的集合平滑、集合卡尔曼平滑和集合卡尔曼滤波应用在污染源反演问题中.在详细给出污染源反演的集合平滑、集合卡尔曼平滑和集合卡尔曼滤波的严格数学表达后,用一个简单的模型演示了集合卡尔曼平滑和集合卡尔曼滤波在污染源反演中的可行性,并且通过对比理想试验结果比较了集合卡尔曼平滑和集合卡尔曼滤波方法在反演污染源排放的效果,讨论了观测误差和污染源先验误差估计对反演结果的影响.试验结果表明在观测间隔小和观测误差小的情况下,集合卡尔曼滤波和集合卡尔曼平滑都可以有效地反演出随时间变化的污染源排放.当观测误差增大时,集合卡尔曼滤波和集合卡尔曼平滑的反演效果都有一定降低,但是反演误差的增加少于观测误差的增加,同时集合卡尔曼平滑(Ensemble Kalman smoother,简称EnKS)对观测误差比集合卡尔曼滤波(Ensemble Kalman filter,简称EnKF)更为敏感.当观测时间间隔较大时,EnKF不能对没有观测时的污染源排放进行估计,仅能对有观测时的污染源排放进行较好的反演.而EnKS可以利用观测对观测时刻前的污染源排放进行反演,因此其效果明显好于EnKF,并且在观测时间间隔较大的情况下依然可以较好地反演出污染源排放.试验结果还显示污染源排放的先验误差估计对反演的结果有较大影响.     

Hydrological data assimilation with the ensemble Kalman filter: Use of streamflow observations to update states in a distributed hydrological model

This paper describes an application of the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) in which streamflow observations are used to update states in a distributed hydrological model. We demonstrate that the standard implementation of the EnKF is inappropriate because of non-linear relationships between model states and observations. Transforming streamflow into log space before computing error covariances improves filter performance. We also demonstrate that model simulations improve when we use a variant of the EnKF that does not require perturbed observations. Our attempt to propagate information to neighbouring basins was unsuccessful, largely due to inadequacies in modelling the spatial variability of hydrological processes. New methods are needed to produce ensemble simulations that both reflect total model error and adequately simulate the spatial variability of hydrological states and fluxes.     

Investigation of flow and transport processes at the MADE site using ensemble Kalman filter

In this work the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is applied to investigate the flow and transport processes at the macro-dispersion experiment (MADE) site in Columbus, MS. The EnKF is a sequential data assimilation approach that adjusts the unknown model parameter values based on the observed data with time. The classic advection–dispersion (AD) and the dual-domain mass transfer (DDMT) models are employed to analyze the tritium plume during the second MADE tracer experiment. The hydraulic conductivity (K), longitudinal dispersivity in the AD model, and mass transfer rate coefficient and mobile porosity ratio in the DDMT model, are estimated in this investigation. Because of its sequential feature, the EnKF allows for the temporal scaling of transport parameters during the tritium concentration analysis. Inverse simulation results indicate that for the AD model to reproduce the extensive spatial spreading of the tritium observed in the field, the K in the downgradient area needs to be increased significantly. The estimated K in the AD model becomes an order of magnitude higher than the in situ flowmeter measurements over a large portion of media. On the other hand, the DDMT model gives an estimation of K that is much more comparable with the flowmeter values. In addition, the simulated concentrations by the DDMT model show a better agreement with the observed values. The root mean square (RMS) between the observed and simulated tritium plumes is 0.77 for the AD model and 0.45 for the DDMT model at 328 days. Unlike the AD model, which gives inconsistent K estimates at different times, the DDMT model is able to invert the K values that consistently reproduce the observed tritium concentrations through all times.     

基于适应性观测误差和温盐偏差控制的EnKF温盐廓线资料同化试验

通过开展2008年夏季南海北部开放航次CTD的温盐廓线数据资料同化试验,本文采取了观测误差适应的方法来防止EnKF滤波发散问题;同时,从背景误差协方差和温盐模式偏差关系入手,在同化中引入温盐控制来减小模式偏差对同化结果的影响。对于改进的同化方案进行了试验验证,并用卫星高度计观测数据,OSCAR流速数据,走航ADCP数据作为独立观测数据检验。结果证明新的EnKF同化策略能够有效地减小温盐均方根误差。同时整个同化系统能有效地改善高度场和流场的模拟。     

基于集成学习的海岸带变化检测方法研究

随着我国自主研发卫星组网的不断完善,利用遥感变化检测技术进行海岸带变化检测成为海岸带监测的重要手段。针对沿海地区的变化信息提取,文章首先利用多特征构建差异影像,在此基础上采用两种集成学习方式:随机森林（Random Forest）和极端梯度提升（XGBoost）,进行试验区的变化检测,并与传统的机器学习SVM、经典的变化检测方法CVA和IR-MAD进行对比,结果表明集成学习进行变化信息提取效率远超其余方式,且XGBoost在变化信息提取精度方面具有一定优势。研究成果对海岸带及海域使用开展自动化变化监测和海岸带监督管理具有重要意义。     

BMA集合预报在淮河流域应用及参数规律初探

以淮河流域吴家渡水文站作为试验站点,采用基于贝叶斯平均法(BMA)的集合预报模型处理来源于马斯京根法、一维水动力学方法、BPNN(Back Propagation Neural Network)的预报流量序列,通过分析BMA的参数以及其预报结果,对各方法在淮河典型站点流量预报中的适用性进行验证与分析.经2003—2016年19场洪水模拟检验可知,BMA模型能够有效避免模型选择带来的洪水预报误差放大效应,可以提供高精度、鲁棒性强的洪水预报结果.通过进一步比较各模型统计最优的频率与BMA权重值之间的相关性,发现权重值不适用于对单场洪水预报精度评定,而适用于描述多场洪水预报中,模型为最优的统计频率;基于大量先验信息,提前获取BMA的权重等参数,将是指导模型选择、降低洪水预报不确定性、改进洪水预报技术的有效手段.     

基于EEMD分解的气压改正方法研究

利用超导重力仪观测数据精确测定低于1 mHz的地球自由振荡简正模式的分裂频率,是在不与任何弹性系数发生联系的情况下改善一维密度模型的有效方法.但在该频段台站局部气压变化对重力观测数据的影响成为主要干扰来源,且具有频率依赖特性,因此精细地开展气压改正成为利用超导重力数据检测低频自由振荡信号的必要手段.本文基于EEMD方法,提出了一种具有频率依赖特性的气压改正方法.该方法将重力观测和气压变化分解成处于不同频段的本征模态函数,并在相应频段上分别进行重力-气压变化的回归分析,计算得到具有频率依赖特性的气压导纳值,精细地消除气压变化对重力观测的影响,并以此对微弱低频地球自由振荡信号开展高分辨率分析.基于本文提出的气压改正方法,利用大地震后的超导重力数据检测了频率小于1.5 mHz的低频地球自由振荡及其频谱分裂现象.研究结果表明：利用该方法进行气压改正后检测得到的各简正模具有更高的信噪比,估计的本征频率误差水平明显降低,获得的基频球型振荡₀S₂和₀S₃以及一阶球型振荡₁S₂的分裂谱峰的估计精度更高,同时还检测到了部分环型振荡在重力观测中的耦合现象.对低频地球振荡的高分辨率检测结果验证了基于EEMD分解提出的气压改正方法的有效性,同时再次证明了超导重力仪观测数据在低频地球自由振荡检测中的优势.     

辽宁省春季透雨集合预报误差分析

利用2016—2018年4月1日至6月30日三个全球数值预报业务中心(CMA、ECMWF和NCEP)的24 h降水集合预报资料和辽宁省降水观测资料,采用TS评分、预报偏差B、Talagrand分布以及BS评分等方法对辽宁省春季透雨(4—6月)CMA、ECMWF和NCEP三套全球集合预报结果进行对比分析.结果表明:三个集...