Assessing the performance of a large-scale irrigation system by estimations of actual evapotranspiration obtained by Landsat satellite images resampled with cubic convolution

Remote sensing techniques allow monitoring the Earth surface and acquiring worthwhile information that can be used efficiently in agro-hydrological systems. Satellite images associated to computational models represent reliable resources to estimate actual evapotranspiration fluxes, ET_a, based on surface energy balance. The knowledge of ET_a and its spatial distribution is crucial for a broad range of applications at different scales, from fields to large irrigation districts. In single plots and/or in irrigation districts, linking water volumes delivered to the plots with the estimations of remote sensed ET_a can have a great potential to develop new cost-effective indicators of irrigation performance, as well as to increase water use efficiency. With the aim to assess the irrigation system performance and the opportunities to save irrigation water resources at the “SAT Llano Verde” district in Albacete, Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) was applied on cloud-free Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) images, processed by cubic convolution resampling method, for three irrigation seasons (May to September 2006, 2007 and 2008). The model allowed quantifying instantaneous, daily, monthly and seasonal ET_a over the irrigation district. The comparison between monthly irrigation volumes distributed by each hydrant and the corresponding spatially averaged ET_a, obtained by assuming an overall efficiency of irrigation network equal to 85%, allowed the assessment of the irrigation system performance for the area served by each hydrant, as well as for the whole irrigation district. It was observed that in all the investigated years, irrigation volumes applied monthly by farmers resulted generally higher than the corresponding evapotranspiration fluxes retrieved by SEBAL, with the exception of May, in which abundant rainfall occurred. When considering the entire irrigation seasons, it was demonstrated that a considerable amount of water could have been saved in the district, respectively equal to 26.2, 28.0 and 16.4% of the total water consumption evaluated in the three years.     

BHαBAR: big Hα kinematical sample of barred spiral galaxies – I. Fabry–Perot observations of 21 galaxies

We present the Hα gas kinematics of 21 representative barred spiral galaxies belonging to the BHαBAR sample. The galaxies were observed with FaNTOmM, a Fabry–Perot integral-field spectrometer, on three different telescopes. The three-dimensional data cubes were processed through a robust pipeline with the aim of providing the most homogeneous and accurate data set possible useful for further analysis. The data cubes were spatially binned to a constant signal-to-noise ratio, typically around 7. Maps of the monochromatic Hα emission line and of the velocity field were generated and the kinematical parameters were derived for the whole sample using tilted-ring models. The photometrical and kinematical parameters (position angle of the major axis, inclination, systemic velocity and kinematical centre) are in relative good agreement, except perhaps for the later-type spirals.     

地球轨道旋回沉积节律研究进展——兼论轨道旋回的沉积学特征、年代学意义和研究方法

地球轨道旋回是古代沉积记录中常见的由地球轨道参数变动控制的沉积节律,它不仅自身表现显著的节律性,而且通过反馈体系强烈影响着沉积作用。同时,轨道旋回节律在不同的沉积背景下以不同的沉积特征显现和规则性叠加。地球轨道旋回赋有的规则频率变化特征又使其具有年代学意义和应用价值,它是天文地质学、地层学及沉积学研究的重点内容。根据国内外资料综述了这些方面的研究进展,并探讨了地球轨道旋回的研究方法。     

Torsional oscillations of magnetized relativistic stars

Strong magnetic fields in relativistic stars can be a cause of crust fracturing, resulting in the excitation of global torsional oscillations. Such oscillations could become observable in gravitational waves or in high-energy radiation, thus becoming a tool for probing the equation of state of relativistic stars. As the eigenfrequency of torsional oscillation modes is affected by the presence of a strong magnetic field, we study torsional modes in magnetized relativistic stars. We derive the linearized perturbation equations that govern torsional oscillations coupled to the oscillations of a magnetic field, when variations in the metric are neglected (Cowling approximation). The oscillations are described by a single two-dimensional wave equation, which can be solved as a boundary-value problem to obtain eigenfrequencies. We find that, in the non-magnetized case, typical oscillation periods of the fundamental     torsional modes can be nearly a factor of 2 larger for relativistic stars than previously computed in the Newtonian limit. For magnetized stars, we show that the influence of the magnetic field is highly dependent on the assumed magnetic field configuration, and simple estimates obtained previously in the literature cannot be used for identifying normal modes observationally.     

地震平点技术与应用进展

利用平点技术进行地震勘探虽然经历了50多年的发展历程,但是国内外尚缺乏对平点技术与应用进展的系统分析。通过对平点技术的基本原理、平点识别方法、平点技术应用进展及应用"陷阱"进行全面的调研与梳理认为,不同流体纵波阻抗的差异是产生平点反射的基本条件;水平反射与AVO振幅异常突变处吻合并且具有统一的深度值,是烃类平点最重要的判别标准;通过地震反射特征,结合共等值线抽道集叠加技术和基于信号强化处理的平点增强技术等,可以提高平点的识别效果;地震资料产生的假象、非储层因素导致的平点假象以及流体界面由于速度和压力的变化都会导致平点"陷阱"的产生。研究指出,加强地质与地球物理综合分析,进一步提高地震资料的保真度、信噪比和分辨率,加强与其他烃类检测方法的综合应用及大力发展多波多分量地震技术在平点勘探中的应用是平点技术的发展趋势,未来其应用必然会更加广泛。     

确定先期固结压力的数学模型法

地基土的先期固结压力是判断土体应力历史的一个指标。在不同应力历史状况的土体变形分析中它也是一个重要的计算参数。因此,方便、准确地确定先期固结压力就显得尤为重要。依据理论研究和试验分析,提出了一种新的确定方法：数学模型法。润扬大桥土样试验的结果证明了此法的可行性。     

Hydrodynamical simulations of Galactic fountains – I. Evolution of single fountains

The ejection of the gas out of the disc in late-type galaxies is related to star formation and is due mainly to Type II supernovae. In this paper, we studied in detail the development of the Galactic fountains in order to understand their dynamical evolution and their influence on the redistribution of the freshly delivered metals over the disc. To this aim, we performed a number of 3D hydrodynamical radiative cooling simulations of the gas in the Milky Way where the whole Galaxy structure, the Galactic differential rotation and the supernova explosions generated by a single OB association are considered. A typical fountain powered by 100 Type II supernovae may eject material up to ∼2 kpc which than collapses back mostly in the form of dense, cold clouds and filaments. The majority of the gas lifted up by the fountains falls back on the disc remaining within a radial distance  Δ R = 0.5 kpc  from the place where the fountain originated. This localized circulation of disc gas does not influence the radial chemical gradients on large scale, as required by the chemical models of the Milky Way which reproduce the metallicity distribution without invoking large fluxes of metals. Simulations of multiple fountains fuelled by Type II supernovae of different OB associations will be presented in a companion paper.