Impact of natural (waves and currents) and anthropogenic (trawl) resuspension on the export of particulate matter to the open ocean: Application to the Gulf of Lion (NW Mediterranean)

Modern sediment deposits on continental margins form a vast reservoir of particulate matter that is regularly affected by resuspension processes. Resuspension by bottom trawling on shelves with strong fishing activity can modify the scale of natural disturbance by waves and currents. Recent field data show that the impact of bottom trawls on fine sediment resuspension per unit surface is comparable with that of the largest storms.     

Discriminating the long distance dispersal of fine ash from sustained columns or near ground ash clouds: The example of the Pomici di Avellino eruption (Somma-Vesuvius,Italy)

Ash samples from tephra layers correlated with the Pomici di Avellino (Avellino Pumice) eruption of Somma-Vesuvius were collected in distal archives and their composition and particle morphology investigated in order to infer their behaviour of transportation and deposition. Differences in composition and particle morphologies were recognised for ash particles belonging to the magmatic Plinian and final phreatomagmatic phases of the eruption. The ash particles were dispersed in opposite directions during the two different phases of the eruption, and these directions are also different from that of coarse-grained fallout deposits. In particular, ash generated during magmatic phase and injected in the atmosphere to form a sustained column shows a prevailing SE dispersion, while ash particles generated during the final phreatomagmatic phase and carried by pyroclastic density currents show a general NW dispersion. These opposite dispersions indicate an ash dispersal influenced by both high and low atmosphere dynamics. In particular, the magmatic ash dispersal was first driven by stratospheric wind towards NE and then the falling particles encountered a variable wind field during their settling, which produced the observed preferential SE dispersal. The wind field encountered by the rising ash clouds that accompanied the pyroclastic density currents of the final phreatomagmatic phase was different with respect to that encountered by the magmatic ash, and produced a NW dispersal. These data demonstrate how ash transportation and deposition are greatly influenced by both high and low atmosphere dynamics. In particular, fine-grained particles transported in ash clouds of small-scale pyroclastic density currents may be dispersed over distances and cover areas comparable with those injected into the stratosphere by Plinian, sustained columns. This is a point not completely addressed by present day mitigation plans in case of renewal of activity at Somma-Vesuvius, and can yield important information also for other volcanoes potentially characterised by explosive activity.     

Hydrochemical dynamics of the “lake–spring” system in the crater of El Chichón volcano (Chiapas,Mexico)

El Chichón volcano (Chiapas, Mexico) erupted violently in March–April 1982, breaching through the former volcano–hydrothermal system. Since then, the 1982 crater has hosted a shallow (1–3.3 m, acidic (pH ∼ 2.2) and warm (∼ 30 °C) crater lake with a strongly varying chemistry (Cl/SO₄ = 0–79 molar ratio). The changes in crater lake chemistry and volume are not systematically related to the seasonal variation of rainfall, but rather to the activity of near-neutral geyser-like springs in the crater (Soap Pool). These Soap Pool springs are the only sources of Cl for the lake. Their geyser-like behaviour with a long-term (months to years) periodicity is due to a specific geometry of the shallow boiling aquifer beneath the lake, which is the remnant of the 1983 Cl-rich (24,000 mg/l) crater lake water. The Soap Pool springs decreased in Cl content over time. The zero-time extrapolation (1982, year of the eruption) approaches the Cl content in the initial crater lake, meanwhile the extrapolation towards the future indicates a zero-Cl content by 2009 ± 1. This particular situation offers the opportunity to calculate mass balance and Cl budget to quantify the lake–spring system in the El Chichón crater. These calculations show that the water balance without the input of SP springs is negative, implying that the lake should disappear during the dry season. The isotopic composition of lake waters (δD and δ¹⁸O) coincide with this crater lake-SP dynamics, reflecting evaporation processes and mixing with SP geyser and meteoric water. Future dome growth, not observed yet in the post-1982 El Chichón crater, may be anticipated by changes in lake chemistry and dynamics.     

World continental modeling for water resources using system dynamics

This research assesses the severity of future water scarcity and its impact on the growth of human civilization through system dynamics modeling of the world at regional level. Six sectors of activities are modeled in each continent to represent the human society. Continental interactions such as migration and trade are also modeled to express the synergy of activities among the various continents. Results of the model simulations from 1960 to 2100 show that water scarcity, unlike other limitations such as nonrenewable resources and persistent pollution, gives severe, detrimental problems within short delays after its occurrence.     

亚热带4种行道树树干表面CO_2释放速率昼夜动态

采用LI-8100土壤碳通量自动测量系统,与自制的树干呼吸观测气室相连,原位观测亚热带春、秋2个季节4种行道树树干呼吸速率及相关环境因子的昼夜动态.结果表明:在秋季土壤水分较低水平下(VWC平均为11.6%),羊蹄甲、香樟树干呼吸速率昼夜动态呈单峰曲线,和温度变化呈极显著指数函数关系,峰值分别出现在17:00和13:00;芒果和高山榕树干呼吸速率昼夜动态单峰不明显,白天与树干温度变化呈极显著指数函数关系,但芒果白天与夜间的树干呼吸速率差异不显著,而高山榕树干呼吸速率夜间显著高于白天,二者出现"白昼抑制"现象.在春季土壤水分较高水平下(VWC平均为22.1%),羊蹄甲、芒果和高山榕树干呼吸速率昼夜动态呈单峰型曲线,峰值分别出现在11:00、15:00和14:00;而香樟树干呼吸速率单峰不明显,4种树种的树干呼吸速率昼夜动态均与温度变化呈极显著指数函数关系.2个季节中,树干温度与树干呼吸的指数函数关系最好,秋季羊蹄甲、芒果和香樟树干呼吸速率对树干昼夜温度变化的Q10值分别为2.04、2.37和2.18,春季羊蹄甲、芒果、香樟和高山榕树干呼吸速率对树干昼夜温度变化的Q10值分别为2.27、2.58、1.90和1.8...     

Hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics in the German Bight. A focus on observations and numerical modelling in the East Frisian Wadden Sea

This work deals with analysis of hydrographic observations and results of numerical simulations. The data base includes acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) observations, continuous measurements on data stations and satellite data originating from the medium resolution imaging spectrometer (MERIS) onboard the European Space Agency (ESA) satellite ENVISAT with a spatial resolution of 300 m. Numerical simulations use nested models with horizontal resolutions ranging from 1 km in the German Bight to 200 m in the East Frisian Wadden Sea coupled with a suspended matter transport model. Modern satellite observations have now a comparable horizontal resolution with high-resolution numerical model of the entire area of the East Frisian Wadden Sea allowing to describe and validate new and so far unknown patterns of sediment distribution. The two data sets are consistent and reveal an oscillatory behaviour of sediment pools to the north of the back-barrier basins and clear propagation patterns of tidally driven suspended particulate matter outflow into the North Sea. The good agreement between observations and simulations is convincing evidence that the model simulates the basic dynamics and sediment transport processes, which motivates its further use in hindcasting, as well as in the initial steps towards forecasting circulation and sediment dynamics in the coastal zone.     

The formation of headland/island sandbanks

There are four extensive sandbanks in the vicinity of the Isle of Portland, a headland in the English Channel. The formation and maintenance of the two most prominent of these sandbanks (one on either side of the headland) can largely be explained by net bedload convergence, driven by instantaneous headland eddies generated by tidal flow past the headland. However, there are also two less prominent sandbanks (again, one on either side of the headland), which are not located in zones of bedload convergence. It is suggested here that these latter two sandbanks were formed when the Isle of Portland was isolated from the mainland by a tidal strait. Relative sea-level data and radiocarbon dates indicate that this would have occurred ca. 9–7 ka BP, prior to the closure of the strait by sedimentation. Tidal flow through this strait generated eddy systems in addition to the headland eddies, leading to the formation of associated headland/island sandbanks. At 7 ka BP, sedimentation resulted in closure of the strait, leading to the present-day headland configuration, and subsequent reworking of these now moribund sandbanks formed by the strait. A series of idealised morphological model experiments, parameterised using bedrock depths and glacial isostatic adjustment model output of relative sea level, are here used to simulate this hypothesised sequence of sandbank evolution over the Holocene. The results of the model experiments are corroborated by in situ observations of bedforms and sediment characteristics, and by acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data applied to predictions of bedload transport over the sandbanks. In addition to demonstrating the mechanism which leads to the formation of sandbanks by tidal flow through a strait, the model results show that upon subsequent closure of such a strait, these sandbanks will no longer be actively maintained, in contrast to sandbanks which are continuously maintained by headland eddies.     

路堑边坡开挖对邻近既有隧道影响研究

设计中的承德迎宾大道路堑边坡邻近既有京承铁路21号隧道,边坡开挖后会对既有隧道产生不利影响。根据现场试验取得的围岩及隧道衬砌的力学参数,对边坡开挖进行了静力学和动力学数值分析,研究了路堑边坡可开挖的最大范围及爆破振动对隧道的影响。结果表明：当路堑二级边坡坡脚距离隧道中心线距离大于等于30 m时,边坡开挖后隧道衬砌内力虽有增加,但仍可保证结构安全。进行边坡爆破开挖时,如考虑3倍的安全系数,当京承铁路21号隧道衬砌振速小于1.5 cm/s时,隧道衬砌内产生的动拉应力小于衬砌极限抗拉强度,可按此控制指标进行现场监测。     

Bedforms and bed material transport pathways in the Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary

Bed features were mapped using a thermal depth recorder and a side-scan sonar in the Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary, and flows were observed and bed surface materials were sampled to investigate bed material transport pathways. Distinct scales and dimensions of dunes were observed in terms of the classification scheme of Ashley [Ashley, G.M., 1990. Classification of large-scale sub-aqueous bedforms: A new look at an old problem. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 61, 160–172], forming a dune set in the flood season. Large dunes occurred predominately in the surveyed area of the estuarine zone, and two-dimensional dunes predominated in the dry season while three-dimensional dunes prevailed in the flood season. Sharp lee sides of dunes have low angles, indicating a significant suspended-load transport for the bedform migration, and the majority of them face down-estuary reflecting the controlling process by the ebb current. The bed material migrations in terms of relative maximum gross transport show a satisfactory agreement with the sonar mapping in the dry season. The relative maximum gross transport as an independent estimator of migration direction, can be used to effectively determine the bed material transport directions in the Changjiang Estuary.     

水下砂土层非线性动力反应的直接差分法

应用多孔介质动力学进行了水下的砂土地层的动力反应分析,水下砂层可以看作是多相介质,孔隙水是可压缩的,土壤采用了非线性本构,考虑了砂土的刚度退化和剪胀性及土水相对运动等因素,并研究了多孔介质波动模拟的边界条件,建立了水体下地层平面动力非线性动力反应的直接差分法,直接求解水体的压力和饱和土层的动孔隙压力,可以进一步分析水下砂土地震液化问题。