Predicting river width,depth and velocity at ungauged sites in England and Wales using multilevel models

Using a dataset of gauged river discharges taken from sites in England and Wales, linear multilevel models (also known as mixed effects models) were applied to quantify the variability in discharge and the discharge‐hydraulic geometry relationships across three nested spatial scales. A jackknifing procedure was used to test the ability of the multilevel models to predict hydraulic geometry, and therefore width, mean depth and mean velocity, at ungauged stations. These models provide a framework for making predictions of hydraulic geometry parameters, with associated levels of uncertainty, using different levels of data availability. Results indicate that as one travels downstream along a river there is greater variability in hydraulic geometry than is the case between rivers of similar sizes. This indicates that hydraulic geometry (and therefore hydrology) is driven by catchment area, to a greater extent than by natural geomorphological variations in the streamwise direction at the mesoscale, but these geomorphological variations can still have a major impact on channel structure. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simplified numerical modelling of pile penetration – the press‐replace technique

This paper presents a simplified finite element analysis technique, the ‘Press‐Replace’ technique, to model pile penetration problems in geotechnical engineering, particularly, pile jacking. The method is employed in standard finite element analysis software. The method involves a straining and a consequent geometry update phase. First, a cone penetration test in (undrained) clay is modelled and compared with the results of analytical, semi‐analytical and more advanced finite element techniques. The model sensitivity for the step size and mesh is investigated using a hypoplastic constitutive model. An optimum way of modelling based on the numerical performance is shown. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Empirical evaluation of microtremor H/V spectral ratio

The objective of this work is to perform a purely empirical assessment of the actual capabilities of the horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectral ratio technique to provide reliable and relevant information concerning site conditions and/or site amplification. This objective has been tackled through the homogeneous (re)processing of a large volume of earthquakes and ambient noise data recorded by different research teams in more than 200 sites located mainly in Europe, but also in the Caribbean and in Tehran. The original recordings were first gathered in a specific database with information on both the sites and recorded events. Then, for all sites close to an instrumented reference, average site-to-reference spectral ratios (“spectral ratio method” (SSR)) were derived in a homogeneous way (window selection, smoothing, signal-to-noise ratio threshold, averaging), as well as H/V ratios (“HVSRE–RF”) on earthquake recordings. H/V ratios were also obtained from noise recordings at each site (either specific measurements, or extracted from pre- or post-event noise windows). The spectral curves resulting from these three techniques were estimated reliable for a subset of 104 sites, and were thus compared in terms of fundamental frequency, amplitude and amplification bandwidth, exhibiting agreements and disagreements, for which interpretations are looked for in relation with characteristics of site conditions. The first important result consists in the very good agreement between fundamental frequencies obtained with either technique, observed for 81% of the analyzed sites. A significant part of the disagreements correspond to thick, low frequency, continental sites where natural noise level is often very low and H/V noise ratios do not exhibit any clear peak. The second important result is the absence of correlation between H/V peak amplitude and the actual site amplification measured on site-to-reference spectral ratios. There are, however, two statistically significant results about the amplitude of the H/V curve: the peak amplitude may be considered as a lower bound estimate of the actual amplification indicated by SSR (it is smaller for 79% of the 104 investigated sites), and, from another point of view, the difference in amplitude exhibits a questioning correlation with the geometrical characteristics of the sediment/basement interface: large SSR/HV differences might thus help to detect the existence of significant 2D or 3D effects.     

Evaluation of the influence of experimental conditions on H/V results from ambient noise recordings

The H/V-noise technique is now widely used to estimate site effect parameters (fundamental frequency and sometimes the associated soil amplification), and many surveys using this technique have provided convincing results. However, a general agreement on a methodology for data acquisition, data processing and result interpretation has yet to be found. H/V measurements from ambient noise recordings imply both reliability of the results and rapidity of data collection. It is therefore important to understand which experimental conditions (1) influence data quality and reliability, and (2) can help speeding up the recording process. Within the framework of the SESAME European project, a specific task was defined to investigate the reliability of the H/V spectral ratio technique in assessing the site effects. The aim of WP02, one specific Work Package of the SESAME project, is to study the effects of experimental conditions on both stability and reproducibility of H/V results. This study has been conducted in a purely experimental way, by testing the possible influence of various experimental conditions on H/V results both on the frequency peak value and on its amplitude. WP02 results help setting up the experimental conditions under which ambient noise recordings have to be performed in order to provide reproducible, reliable and meaningful H/V results. In this paper we present the results of the WP02 SESAME project concerning the evaluation of the influence of experimental conditions of ambient noise recording on H/V results.     

Mutual effects of nitric oxide and iron on the growth of marine algae

Experiments on the effects of nitric oxide （NO） and iron on the growth of marine microalgae Skeletonema costatum were conducted. The results are as follows： exogenous NO could increase the growth rate of marine algae and raise the biomass remarkably under iron-deficient conditions. But it was a complicated process that the phytoplankton growth was influenced by NO and iron, which was controlled by the NO concentration, the nutrition level of the culture medium and the iron concentration, etc. Meanwhile, the iron concentration in the medium also has a direct influence on the growth and NO release capacity of the algae. Therefore, the effects of NO and iron on the growth of marine phytoplankton were mutual.     

微生物碳酸酐酶对石灰岩的溶蚀驱动作用研究

来源于西南几个不同类型岩溶地区土壤样品分离出来的微生物菌株中,有很多能够产生分泌胞外碳酸酐酶。以一株编号为GLCa102的菌株为代表,模拟岩溶自然环境条件,研究其胞外碳酸酐酶对灰岩的溶蚀驱动作用。结果表明微生物碳酸酐酶能使灰岩溶出的导电离子总量和[Ca2+ ]提高40%以上,从而对灰岩有显著的酶促溶蚀驱动作用。本研究表明微生物碳酸酐酶在生物岩溶中有重要的作用和地位,同时为深入研究生物对石灰岩的溶蚀作用提供了一定的科学依据。      

软土中已打入桩对土体位移的遮帘作用研究

采用侧向移动土中桩的理论分析结果以及有限元数值模拟,较为系统地分析了沉桩工程中已打入桩对土体侧向位移及地表隆起的遮帘作用,结果表明已打入桩对土体侧向位移的总体遮帘作用并不显著。采用不同切向劲度系数的接触面单元以模拟已打入桩间隔时间长短对地表隆起的遮帘效应,结果表明：打入桩间隔期较短时,已打入桩对地表隆起的遮拦作用主要体现在对土体位移的“水平阻隔”上,土体沿桩土界面发生流动向上隆起;而间隔期较长时,桩土间存在有较大的摩阻力而限制了土体的位移,此时已打入桩对地表隆起的遮拦作用体现在竖向摩阻力对土体隆起的“抑制”上。     

土地利用/土地覆盖变化与土壤侵蚀关系研究进展

土壤侵蚀作为LUCC引起的主要环境效应之一,是自然和人为因素叠加的结果。不合理的土地利用和地表植被覆盖的减少对土壤侵蚀具有放大效应。土地利用/土地覆盖变化与土壤侵蚀关系的研究已逐渐成为LUCC研究和土壤侵蚀研究的一项新的重要课题。目前,涉及土地利用/土地覆盖的土壤侵蚀研究方法有很多,本文介绍了基于模型的定量研究、基于GIS和RS的研究、基于放射性同位素的研究以及基于湖泊(水库)沉积物的研究的基本原理与研究进展,同时指出了每种方法中存在的不足。     

Closure to “performance of a transparent Flexible Shear Beam container for geotechnical centrifuge modelling of dynamic problems” by Ghayoomi M., Dashti S., and McCartney J.S.

In response to the discussion, this closure presents a new set of analyses to confirm the satisfactory performance of the recently-developed transparent Flexible Shear Beam (FSB) container and its limitations. The lateral deformations of the box estimated using Finite Element analyses and measured during centrifuge experiments were compared. The maximum deformation to height ratio was sufficiently small to retain at-rest lateral earth pressures for loose to medium-dense cohesionless soils and all cohesive materials. In addition, higher frequency modes of vibration were estimated for the container, and were found to occur where the earthquake energy is less significant. Further, the box is expected to approximately replicate free field conditions under 1-D horizontal shaking for the range of soil properties under investigation. Overall, the deformation and vibration analyses indicate that the selection of appropriate rubber material properties and boundary conditions are critical when analyzing the performance of the container.