Variation of infiltration rate through karstic surfaces due to land use changes: A case study in Murgia (SE-Italy)

Groundwaters of the Murgia carbonate aquifer represent the main groundwater resource of the Apulia region (SE Italy). In the highlands (Alta Murgia) karst crops out in different forms and textures which have been preserved up to the 1970s: little evolved agriculture and sheep rearing produced only a marginal modification of the epikarst while a high degree of division into parcels by drystone walls helped in preserving soils from erosion. In the last years the original scenery of the Alta Murgia changed due to widespread transformations of surface karstic textures for agricultural purposes, with undeniable negative consequences on the hydrogeological balance, concerning both the infiltration and the runoff terms. Stone shattering led to flattening and deep alteration of a large part of the original karstic landscape and to demolition of drystone walls.In a study area of about 139 km² located in the Alta Murgia, the comparison of aerial photos related to the period 1950–2001 indicated that stone shattering had occurred for about 42% of the area.The hydrological behaviour of the first soil layer of experimental parcels representing both shattered stone and natural karstic surface textures was analysed by using the numerical model Hydrus-2D with the aim of estimating the variation on infiltration rate due to stone shattering. Intensive field and laboratory measurements concerned soil texture, soil water content, pressure head, saturated hydraulic conductivity, pan evaporation and meteorological parameters.     

Influence of Structural Non-Stationarity of Surface Roughness on Morphological Characterization and Mechanical Deformation of Rock Joints

Summary Structural non-stationarity of surface roughness affects accurate morphological characterization as well as mechanical behaviour of rock joints at the laboratory scale using samples with a size below the stationarity threshold. In this paper, the effect of structural non-stationarity of surface roughness is investigated by studying the scale dependence of surface roughness and mechanical behaviour of rock joints. The results show that the structural non-stationarity mainly affects the accurate characterization of the surface roughness of the fracture samples. It also controls the amount and location of the contact areas during shear tests, which in turn affects the mechanical properties and asperity degradation of the samples. It is concluded that for accurate determination of the morphological and mechanical properties of rock joints at laboratory and field scales, samples with size equal to or larger than the stationarity threshold are required. Author’s address: Nader Fardin, Rock Mechanics Group, Department of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box: 11365/4563, Tehran, Iran     

Nonlinear Analysis of Local Site Effects on Seismic Ground Response in the Bam Earthquake

The influence of local geologic and soil conditions on the intensity of ground shaking is addressed in this study. The amplification of the ground motion due to local site effects resulted in severe damage to dwellings in the Bam area during the 2003 Bam Earthquake. A unique set of strong motion acceleration recordings was obtained at the Bam accelerograph station. Although the highest peak ground acceleration recorded was the vertical component (nearly 1 g), the longitudinal component (fault-parallel motion) clearly had the largest maximum velocity as well as maximum ground displacement. Subsurface geotechnical and geophysical (down-hole) data in two different sites have been obtained and used to estimate the local site condition on earthquake ground motion in the area. The ground response analyses have been conducted considering the nonlinear behavior of the soil deposits using both equivalent linear and nonlinear approaches. The fully nonlinear method embodied in FLAC was used to evaluate the nonlinear soil properties on earthquake wave propagation through the soil layer, and compare with the response from the equivalent linear approach. It is shown that thick alluvium deposits amplified the ground motion and resulted in significant damage in residential buildings in the earthquake stricken region. The comparison of results indicated similar response spectra of the motions for both equivalent and nonlinear analyses, showing peaks in the period range of 0.3–1.5 s. However, the amplification levels of nonlinear analysis were less than the equivalent linear method especially in long periods. The observed response spectra are shown to be above the NEHRP building code design requirements, especially at high frequencies.     

Interference of Multiple Strip Footings on Sand Using Small Scale Model Tests

By using small scale model tests, the interference effect on the vertical load-deformation behavior of a number of equally spaced strip footings, placed on the surface of dry sand, was investigated. At any stage, all the footings were assumed to (i) carry exactly equal magnitude of load, and (ii) settle to the same extent. No tilt of the footing was permitted. The effect of clear spacing (s) among footings on the results was explored. A new experimental setup was proposed in which only one footing needs to be employed rather than a number of footings. The bearing capacity increases continuously with decrease in spacing among the footings. The interference effect becomes further prominent with increase in soil friction angle. In contrast to an increase in the bearing capacity, with decrease in spacing of footings, an increase in the footing settlement associated with the ultimate state of shear failure was observed. The present experimental observations were similar to those predicted by the available theory, based on the method of characteristics. As compared to the theory, the present experimental data, however, indicates much greater effect of interference especially for larger spacing among footings.     

基于贡献权重叠加法的滑坡风险区划

贡献权重叠加法是对滑坡本底因子和承灾体因子在滑坡发育中的贡献率进行统计后,通过贡献率均值化、规一化处理,利用权重转换模型计算出每一个因子内部的权重——自权重和因子相互之间的权重——互权重。将滑坡因子、承灾体因子和两者的自权重、互权重分别相乘叠加,得到滑坡危险度和易损度区划结果,再将2项结果相乘得出滑坡风险区划结果。     

Diel Patterns in Chlorophyll <Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis> Specific Absorption Coefficient and Absorption Efficiency Factor of Picoplankton

Diel patterns in the chlorophyll a specific absorption coefficient of surface picoplankton, a*_pico (γ) (m²·[mg chlorophyll a]⁻¹), were studied at 7 stations under daily cycle of in situ light condition in the western subarctic Pacific and Japan Sea. All the data were normalized by dividing the anomaly with daily averaged a*_pico (γ). Opposite diel patterns were observed for the normalized a*_pico (443) and a*_pico (675) with maximum toward dawn or dusk and minimum toward midday at 4 stations under low-irradiance (LI) conditions and vice versa at 3 stations under high-irradiance (HI) conditions. The absorption efficiency factors at red absorption peak, Q _a (675), were determined by reconstruction with intracellular chlorophyll a concentration and cell diameter. The normalized Q _a (675) also showed diel pattern with maximum toward midday and minimum toward dawn or dusk under LI. The diel pattern in a*_pico (675) and Q _a (675) were primarily caused by changes in intracellular chlorophyll a concentration due to photoadaptation under LI. The diel pattern in a*_pico (443) was influenced by pigmentation, as recognized by blue to red ratio [a*_pico (443)/a*_pico (675)] under HI. This study proposed that the opposite diel pattern in a*_pico (γ) might occur for a wide range of algal species. The results presented here have important consequences for the interpretation of diel variations in optical properties observed in the open ocean.     

Effect of Cyclic Loading Frequency on Undrained Behaviors of Undisturbed Marine Clay

Based on a series of cyclic triaxial tests, the effect of cyclic frequency on the undrained behaviors of undisturbed marine clay is investigated. For a given dynamic stress ratio, the accumulated pore water pressure and dynamic strain increase with the number of cycles. There exists a threshold value for beth the accumulated pore water pressure and dynamic strain, below which the effect of cyclic frequency is very small, but above which the accumulated pore water pressure and dynamic strain increase intensely with the decrease of cyclic frequency for a given number of cycles. The dynamic strength increases with the increase of cyclic frequency, whereas the effect of cyclic frequency on it gradually diminishes to zero when the number of cycles is large enough, and the dynamic strengths at different frequencies tend to the same limiting minimum dynamic strength. The test results demonstrate that the reasons for the frequency effect on the undrained soil behaviors are beth the creep effect induced by the loading rate and the decrease of sample effective confining pressure caused by the accumulated pore water pressure.     

庵东浅滩沉积分带和沉积速率

杭州湾南岸的庵东浅滩具有地貌特征、沉积类型和沉积构造各异的三个沉积相带。垂向沉积带为潮滩沉积体的盖层,以泥滩、粘土质粉砂和薄砂泥交互层为特征;改造带位于中低潮位线附近,以粉砂滩、潮沟系统、粉砂沉积和沙波层理为特征;横向沉积带为潮滩堆积体的基础,以滩坡、粉砂及细砂质粉砂沉积、冲刷-充填构造为特征。据潮汐韵律层的统计,庵东浅滩沉积速率的短周期分量,常态条件下为每半日潮周期0.1～2.0cm,异常条件下可达每半日潮周期4～64cm。沉积速率的长周期分量,据地形对比和~(210)Pb推算,垂向沉积带为2～4.5cm/a;改造带中的粉砂滩为2.1～4.5cm/a,潮沟影响范围内为1～10~1cm/a量级;横向沉积带则以高于50cm/a的高沉积速率和变幅为主。近10年来,该浅滩的年淤积量为6×10~7t/a,其中85％集中于横向沉积带。     

鲢鱼(Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)摄食强度和节律的实验研究

报道用室内实验方法对鲢鱼摄食强度和摄食节律的研究结果,探讨了影响它们的因子。提出鲢鱼在不同水温、不同花粉密度及不同鱼规格下的摄食量的统计分析。指出:食粒密度和水温与摄食量正相关,而鱼规格与摄食量负相关;食粒密度对摄食量影响最大(P<0.01),其次为水温;水温和食粒密度在影响摄食量的过程中可能有一定的交互作用。鲢鱼摄食强度在室内条件下也具明显的昼夜节律。在食粒规格较小、密度较低且溶氧充足条件下,鲢鱼夜晚非但不停食且出现摄食率次高峰。在本实验条件下,鲢鱼的日摄食节律与水温和光照无关,可能受饵料可得性和自身的生物钟节律等制约。     

用包埋脱水法冰冻保存海洋饵料金藻

用包埋脱水法冰冻保存绿色巴夫藻(Pavlova uiridis)、湛江等鞭金藻(Isochrysis zhanjiangensis)和球等鞭金藻(Isochrysis galbana 3011)等三种海洋饵料金藻，探讨了脱水速率、胶球含水量以及化冻后恢复方法对冰冻保存存活率的影响。结果表明，三种藻都在-0．9％含水量／h的平均脱水速率下获得最高存活率：各种藻在冰冻前的胶球最佳含水量不同，绿色巴夫藻为35％，湛江等鞭金藻和球等鞭金藻都为30％。化冻后，含绿色巴夫藻的胶球在培养基中22℃暗放置48h存活率最高；另两种藻在相对湿度为75％的气相中22℃暗放置12h存活率最高。在本实验条件下，绿色巴夫藻、湛江等鞭金藻和球等鞭金藻的冰冻保存的存活率可分别达到74％、15％和17％。