Turbulence Scale Dependence of the Richardson Constant in Lagrangian Stochastic Models

We investigate the relative dispersion properties of the well-mixed class of Lagrangian stochastic models. Dimensional analysis shows that, given a model in the class, its properties depend solely on a non-dimensional parameter, which measures the relative weight of Lagrangian-to-Eulerian scales. This parameter is formulated in terms of Kolmogorov constants, and model properties are then studied by modifying its value in a range that contains the experimental variability. Large variations are found for the quantity, g* = 2gC₀^{− 1}, where g is the Richardson constant.     

油浸式高压变压器地震易损性分析

油浸式变压器是由多种材料组成的复杂结构。本文对油浸式高压变压器建立了较为精确的有限元模型，考虑了各组件之间相互作用的影响。对该设备进行了动力性能和地震响应分析以及易损性分析。分析结果表明，大型高压变压器在地震中的首要破坏模式为瓷套破坏，其地震响应的离散度较高。易损性分析得到设备的地震易损性曲线，可直接应用于电力系统的抗震分析。     

北京市朝阳区沙子营垃圾污染物在潜水含水层中迁移规律的现场模拟实验

选择北京平原区水文地质、环境地质等方面都比较典型的沙子营垃圾堆放场,建立了其水文地质模型。在充分收集资料、分析得出部分计算所需参数后,采用现场弥散实验、勘查取样测试等方法,求得了该含水层的弥散系数等参数;用二维非稳定流溶质运移方程对污染物在此含水层中的迁移扩散规律、速度和污染范围等进行了模拟计算;采用现场钻探、取样测试分析等方法,评价了该含水层的实际污染状况。实验模拟计算和现场调查结果表明:污染物在潜水含水层中的运移规律遵循二维非稳定流场中的溶质运移方程,污染物在潜水含水层中的运移速度约为86.25m/a,迁移扩散主要发生在地下水流向上,侧向扩散宽度极小,是地下水流向上的1/17。     

Analysis of the impact of conservation measures on stream flow regime in catchments of the Loess Plateau,China

Catchments in the Loess Plateau have been under the influence of human activities for centuries. In the last four decades, soil conservation measures have accelerated and intensified. These measures were designed to reduce soil erosion, improve agricultural productivity, and enhance environmental quality. It is important to evaluate the effects of these measures on hydrology in order to develop sustainable catchment management plans in the region. This study evaluated changes in stream flow data for four selected catchments in the Loess Plateau following large‐scale soil conservation measures. The non‐parametric Mann–Kendall test was used to identify trends in annual stream flow and the results showed significant downward trends in three of the four catchments. The Pettitt test indicated that a change point occurred in 1978 in these three catchments. Annual precipitation in all the catchments showed no significant trend during the period of record. Comparison of daily flow duration curves for two 20‐year periods (1957–1978) and (1979–2003) showed significant changes in stream flow regime. Reduction in most percentile flows varied between 20 and 45%, and the reduction in low flows was greatest. Overall, the reductions in daily flow were increasing with time, with significant changes occurring in the 1990s. However, it is not clear whether these catchments have seen the full effects of the soil conservation measures, so the results of this study might underestimate the final impact of soil conservation on stream flow regime. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Testing the nonsysmmetric gravitational theory with rotation curves of galaxies

We use the rotation curves of 13 galaxies to test the nonsymmetric gravitaional theory (NGT). If we follow Moffat's assumption of a constant mass-to-light for all galaxies then we shall find that the two supposedly universal constants r₀, L₀ to show a large scatter. By regarding the mass-to-light ratio as a free parameter for each galaxy, and adjusting the values of r₀, L₀, we find that NGT can well account for the observed rotation curves. Further, the mass-to-light ratios so found show the well-known trend along the Hubble morphological sequence.     

Migration and dispersion of trace elements in the rock–soil–plant system in areas underlain by black shales and slates of the Okchon Zone, Korea

The Okchon black shale in Korea provides a typical example of natural geological materials enriched with potentially toxic elements. The Chung-Joo, Duk-Pyung, Geum-Kwan, I-Won, Bo-Eun and Chu-Bu areas are underlain by these black shales and slates of the Guryongsan Formation or the Changri Formation, which are parts of the Okchon Group in the central part of the southern Korean Peninsula. In order to investigate the enrichment levels and dispersion patterns of potentially toxic elements in the rock–soil–plant system, environmental geochemical surveys were undertaken in the above six study areas in the Okchon Zone. After appropriate preparation, rock and soil samples were analyzed for potentially toxic elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), and plant samples by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). In particular, Ba, Cd, Mo, V and U in Okchon black shales are highly enriched, and their mean concentrations are significantly higher than those in black slates. These elements are geochemically associated, and might be enriched simultaneously. The highest mean concentrations of 42.0 μg g⁻¹ As, 2100 μg g⁻¹ Ba, 10.9 μg g⁻¹ Cd, 213 μg g⁻¹ Mo, 83 μg g⁻¹ U, 938 μg g⁻¹ V and 394 μg g⁻¹ Zn are found in black shales from the Duk-Pyung area. Mean concentrations of As, Mo and U in soils overlying black shales occurring in the Duk-Pyung area (30 μg g⁻¹ As, 24 μg g⁻¹ Mo and 50 μg g⁻¹ U) and Chu-Bu area (39 μg g⁻¹ As, 15 μg g⁻¹ Mo and 27 μg g⁻¹ U) are higher than the permissible level. Enrichment index values of the six study areas decrease in the order of Duk-Pyung > Chu-Bu > Bo-Eun > Chung-Joo > Geum-Kwan = I-Won areas. Relationships between trace element concentrations in soils and plants are significantly correlated, and the biological absorption coefficients (BAC) in plants are in the order of Cd > Zn = Cu > Pb, which suggests that Cd is more bioavailable to plants than the other elements. Cadmium concentrations in plant species decrease in the order of chinese cabbage > red pepper > soybean = sesame > rice stalk > corn > rice grain. From the result of sequential extraction analysis of soils, relatively high proportions of Cu, Pb and Zn are present as residual fractions, and that of Cd as non-residual fractions. Cadmium occurs predominantly as exchangeable/water-acid soluble phase in soils, and this is in agreement with the findings of high Cd concentrations in plants.     

P–Y Curves for Piles Under Seismic Lateral Loads

This paper describes an experimentally based procedure for building dynamic P–Y curves for clays from the Campeche sound in the Gulf of Mexico and for Mexico City clays. Cyclic triaxial and resonant column tests were used to derive hyperbolic stiffness–strain and damping–strain functions that depend on soil plasticity and on relative consistency. The dynamic P–Y curves incorporate these functions and also include hysteretical and geometrical damping characteristics of the pile–soil system; they can be used directly in dynamic interaction analyses of structure–pile–soil systems in the time or the frequency domains. Usual practice relies on pseudo static formulations and a simplified alternative to include P–Y curves in this kind of analysis is also proposed, which is essentially the same as the dynamic ones but does not include radiation or hysteretical damping.     

Modelling dispersion in complex open channel flows: Fuzzy calibration (2)

Part 1 of this study assessed the effectiveness of dispersion models based around random particle tracking (RPT) applied an overbank flow in the Flood Channel Facility at HR Wallingford. Several of the RPT models that were used predicted the mixing behaviour of the tracer in the complex channel flow to within an acceptable accuracy. If there is no uniqueness in the model structure which can be used to represent the true system to within the limitations of the available observations, then this implies an inherent degree of ambiguity in our knowledge of the physically based model structure. This suggests that we should be less forthright in the optimisation of each individual model structure, and perhaps investigate more of the parameter combinations for each model which yield feasible simulations of the system. An alternative fuzzy calibration technique is introduced which avoids the optimisation process and takes account of uncertainties in the model structure, parameter sets and observed data in prediction.     

Dynamics of upper tropospheric stationary wave anomalies induced by ENSO during the northern summer: A GCM study

Ensemble seasonal integrations are carried out with the COLA GCM, with a view to understand the dynamical connection between warm SST anomalies in the equatorial central-eastern Pacific Ocean and the upper level stationary wave anomalies seen during drought years over the Indian summer monsoon region. In addition, experiments with and without orography are performed in order to examine the role of the Himalayas in modulating the El Niño induced stationary wave anomalies over the summer monsoon region. The GCM simulations show a statistically significant weakening of the summer monsoon activity over India in response to the SST forcing in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. This weakening of the summer monsoon appears to be largely related to modifications of the local Hadley and Walker cells over the summer monsoon region. In addition, it is seen that the anomalous ENSO divergent forcing over the tropical Pacific Ocean can act as a potential source for Rossby wave dispersion. Here one finds the possibility of meridionally propagating Rossby waves, which emanate from the ENSO forcing region, to interact with the subtropical westerlies and generate anomalous highs and lows in the subtropics and extratropics. The quasi-stationary perturbations seen over west Asia, Pakistan and northwest India during drought years, seem to be generated by the above mechanism. An alternate mechanism that could be important for the persistence of the quasi-stationary perturbations seems to be based on the dynamic excitation of middle latitude normal modes which can extract energy from the zonally varying unstable basic flow. It is seen from the GCM simulations, that the Himalayan orography plays a crucial role in anchoring the El Niño induced extratropical westerly troughs far to the west in the high latitude belt. In the absence of orography it is seen that the ENSO induced extra-tropical cyclonic anomalies tend to intrude southward into the monsoon region thereby destroying the regional scale circulations completely. Another effect due to the Himalayas is to generate lee waves on the eastern side of the topographic barrier which encircle the globe in the subtropics and midlatitudes.     

A Lagrangian stochastic model for the trajectories of particle pairs and its application to the prediction of concentration variance within plant canopies

A simple Lagrangian stochastic model for the trajectories of particle pairs in high Reynolds-number turbulent flows is presented. In this model, the velocities of particle pairs are initially correlated but subsequently each particle moves independently. The independent single-particle trajectories are simulated using Thomson's model [J. Fluid Mech. 180, 529–556, 1987]. This two-particle model exactly satisfies the well-mixed condition for Gaussian turbulence when length scales, characterizing the two-point Eulerian velocity correlation function, vanish. Temperature variances, due to heat released as a passive scalar from an elevated plane source, within a model plant canopy (Coppin et al. Boundary Layer Meteorol. 35, 167–191, 1986) are shown to be well predicted by the model. It is suggested that for strongly inhomogeneous flows, the two-point Eulerian velocity function is of secondary importance in determining the simulated trajectories of particle pairs compared to the importance of ensuring satisfaction of the two-to-one constraint (Borgas and Sawford. J. Fluid Mech. 279, 69–99, 1994); i.e ensuring that one-particle statistics obtained from the two-particle model are the same as those obtained from the corresponding one-particle model. Limitations of this modelling approach are discussed.