Process identification at a slow‐moving landslide in the Vorarlberg Alps

A fine‐grained slope that exhibits slow movement rates was investigated to understand how geohydrological processes contribute to a consecutive development of mass movements in the Vorarlberg Alps, Austria. For that purpose intensive hydrometeorological, hydrogeological and geotechnical observations as well as surveying of surface movement rates were conducted during 1998–2001. Subsurface water dynamics at the creeping slope turned out to be dominated by a three‐dimensional pressure system. The pressure reaction is triggered by fast infiltration of surface water and subsequent lateral water flow in the south‐western part of the hillslope. The related pressure signal was shown to propagate further downhill, causing fast reactions of the piezometric head at 5·5 m depth on a daily time scale. The observed pressure reactions might belong to a temporary hillslope water body that extends further downhill. The related buoyancy forces could be one of the driving forces for the mass movement. A physically based hydrological model was adopted to model simultaneously surface and subsurface water dynamics including evapotranspiration and runoff production. It was possible to reproduce surface runoff and observed pressure reactions in principle. However, as soil hydraulic functions were only estimated on pedotransfer functions, a quantitative comparison between observed and simulated subsurface dynamics is not feasible. Nevertheless, the results suggest that it is possible to reconstruct important spatial structures based on sparse observations in the field which allow reasonable simulations with a physically based hydrological model. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

风暴潮灾害情景下海岸带暴露指数时空演变研究——以福建省东山湾为例

暴露指数反映了环境在面对极端天气事件时承受灾害的潜在风险程度。研究利用遥感影像数据、数字高程数据(DEM)、海洋水深及风力数据等, 基于暴露指数模型, 以福建省东山湾为案例研究区域, 对风暴潮灾害情景下的海岸带暴露指数及其时空演变进行分析。研究结果显示: (1)近十年来, 东山湾海岸带暴露指数总体呈下降趋势, 潜在风险程度为“中”及以上区域占比由67.14%下降至59.06%, 海岸带在面对风暴潮灾害等极端天气事件时潜在的风险程度总体降低, 海湾地貌类型差异及其形态变化是影响东山湾暴露指数产生波动的主要原因; (2)基于暴露指数评价结果, 结合海岸带开发利用现状, 研究可对东山湾海岸带生态环境的敏感区域进行识别, 并制定具有针对性的开发利用与风险防范对策, 为海岸带空间规划、生态保护修复格局的科学划定提供理论支撑, 在助力海岸带陆海统筹和可持续发展上具有重要意义; (3)研究提出的一种基于时间序列的暴露指数研究技术路线和框架, 可为海岸带脆弱性评估、海岸带韧性评估、海岸带灾害监测预警等相关研究提供新的研究视角, 在基于深度学习的海岸带灾害风险预警与灾害模拟等方面也具有较为广阔的应用前景。     

A review of aridity and groundwater

Surface hydrological studies are seen as inadequate in hyperarid and arid areas to provide reliable estimates of recharge. In most such areas surface discharges are not present so that assessments of groundwater resources are dependent upon ground interpretation and denied the flow control found in assessments elsewhere. Groundwater models show that gradients are sustained by long-term dewatering and very small amounts of modern indirect recharge. Recharge indications are well within the error of a hydrological balance. Discharges appear equally small. The development of groundwater in arid areas frequently faces problems of salination due to recycling of irrigation water and rising groundwater heads. Abstraction is often inadequately managed so that uncontrolled mining of groundwater occurs. The advantage that groundwater has, however, is that it offers staged development and staged appraisal.     

A finite element approach to the simulation of hydraulic fractures with lag

We presented a finite‐element‐based algorithm to simulate plane‐strain, straight hydraulic fractures in an impermeable elastic medium. The algorithm accounts for the nonlinear coupling between the fluid pressure and the crack opening and separately tracks the evolution of the crack tip and the fluid front. It therefore allows the existence of a fluid lag. The fluid front is advanced explicitly in time, but an implicit strategy is needed for the crack tip to guarantee the satisfaction of Griffith's criterion at each time step. We enforced the coupling between the fluid and the rock by simultaneously solving for the pressure field in the fluid and the crack opening at each time step. We provided verification of our algorithm by performing sample simulations and comparing them with two known similarity solutions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

高密度电法在老山隧道勘察中的应用

应用高密度电阻率法勘察宁淮高速公路南京老山隧道工程,查明了隧道YK5 280~ZK5 540段的地层分布和构造特征,并推断出鹰嘴山断层的位置和产状,结合勘察资料证明该断层为高角度逆断层。预测出隧道和断层破碎带相交处为浅部裂隙岩溶含水带中的优良导水带,该处涌水的可能性很大,其推断结果在施工中得到证实。说明高密度电法是进行隧道勘察和构造裂隙岩溶富水带探测的一种可靠手段。     

Modelling the non‐linear hydrological behaviour of a small Mediterranean forested catchment

A progressive perceptual understanding approach was used to identify a model structure able to represent the non‐linear behaviour of the hydrological cycle in a small intermittent Mediterranean stream. The initial lumped model structure consisting of a series of four connected water tanks (LU3) progressed to a model with five tanks (LU4), and finally to a semidistributed model structure (SD4) in which spatial variability of the evapotranspiration according to the vegetation cover and to the local aspect was considered. In the final model structure, which gave the best fit (Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency index = 0·78), an additional tank representing the riparian zone was included (SD4‐R). Results showed that the abrupt changes of the riparian water table during summer and the formation of a perched water table during the transition from dry to wet conditions were the main mechanisms leading to the non‐linear hydrological behaviour. The transpiration process from the saturated zone and the spatial variability of evapotranspiration resulted in key factors successfully representing the annual water balance. The spatial and temporal validations carried out for each of the four model structures considered in this study supported the hypothesis adopted during the calibration process. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Probabilistic aspects of micropaleontologic assemblage zones

A micropaleontologic assemblage zone is defined by occurrence of some characteristic species among many coeval species. When number of assemblage-defining species and total number of species observed are designated as Aand N,respectively, the ratio, A/N,is strongly dependent on duration of the assemblage. Theoretical consideration on the basis of a micropaleontologic cohort model shows that, when origination rate and extinction rate of species are obtained, the most reasonable ratio (A/N) and duration of the assemblage can be determined. The probabilistic model described in this paper provides a theoretical relation between the ratio and the duration. Inaccuracy in correlating micropaleontologic data to certain assemblage zones established can not be avoided because of many natural sorting and artificial biases. Ambiguity arising when data with a small number of characteristic species are correlated with a certain assemblage is numerically estimated.     

辽南早元古宙变质热液型金矿床成矿机理探讨

辽南早元古宙辽河群变质岩系中的金矿床为变质热液成因金矿床,矿床的形成与吕梁期变质变形作用关系密切。金矿化带的展布与金矿体的产出受韧性剪切带控制。剪切带内岩石具有明显的动态性组构特征,直接赋矿围岩为辽河群盖县组糜棱岩化千枚岩、变砂岩及云母石英糜棱岩等。韧性剪切带为含矿流体的运移提供通道。作者定义这类金矿床为变质热液型含金剪切带金矿床。     

Hydrologic characteristics of lake‐ and stream‐side riparian wetted margins in the McMurdo Dry Valleys,Antarctica

Water is a limiting factor for life in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica. The active layer (seasonally thawed soil overlying permafrost) accommodates dynamic hydrological and biological processes for 10–16 weeks per year. Wetted margins (visually wetted areas with high moisture content) adjacent to lakes and streams are potential locations of great importance in the MDV because of the regular presence of liquid water, compared with the rest of the landscape where liquid water is rare. At 11 plots (four adjacent to lakes, seven adjacent to streams), soil particle size distribution, soil electrical conductivity, soil water content and isotopic signature, width of the wetted margin, and active layer thaw depth were characterised to determine how these gradients influence physicochemical properties that determine microbial habitat and biogeochemical cycling. Sediments were generally coarse‐grained in wetted margins adjacent to both lakes and streams. Wetted margins ranged from 1·04 to 11·01 m in average length and were found to be longer at lakeside sites than streamside. Average thaw depths ranged from 0·12 to 0·85 m, and were found to be deepest under lake margins. Lake margins also had much higher soil electrical conductivity, steeper topographic gradients, but more gradual soil moisture gradients than stream margins. Patterns of soil water δ¹⁸O and δD distribution indicate capillary action and evaporation from wetted margins; margin pore waters generally demonstrated isotopic enrichment with distance from the shore, indicating evaporation of soil water. Lake margin pore waters were significantly more negative in D_XS (D_XS = δD‐8δ¹⁸O) than streamside pore waters, indicating a longer history of evaporation there. Differences between lake and stream margins can be explained by the more consistent availability of water to lake margins than stream margins. Differences in margin characteristics between lakes and streams have important consequences for the microbial habitat of these margins and their functional role in biogeochemical cycling at these terrestrial–aquatic interfaces. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A numerical method for the study of shear band propagation in soft rocks

This paper investigates the possibility of interpreting progressive shear failure in hard soils and soft rocks as the result of shear propagation of a pre‐existing natural defect. This is done through the application of the principles of fracture mechanics, a slip‐weakening model (SWM) being used to simulate the non‐linear zone at the tips of the discontinuity. A numerical implementation of the SWM in a computation method based on the boundary element technique of the displacement discontinuity method (DDM) is presented. The crack and the non‐linear zone at the advancing tip are represented through a set of elements, where the displacement discontinuity (DD) in the tangential direction is determined on the basis of a friction law. A residual friction angle is assumed on the crack elements. Shear resistance decreases on elements in the non‐linear zone from a peak value at the tip, which is characteristic of intact material, to the residual value. The simulation of a uniaxial compressive test in plane strain conditions is carried out to exemplify the numerical methodology. The results emphasize the role played by the critical DD on the mechanical behaviour of the specimen. A validation of the model is shown through the back analysis of some experimental observations. The results of this back analysis show that a non‐linear fracture mechanics approach seems very promising to simulate experimental results, in particular with regards to the shear band evolution pattern. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.