A computer model for forecasting ocean wave parameters at specific sites around the the New Zealand coast

An applications model for forecasting frequency‐directional wave spectra at any appropriately specified site is described. There are two stages to the calculations. Firstly, a spectrum is calculated based on results at nearby gridpoints from an ocean wave prediction model. This is then adjusted to make the spectrum consistent with the local wind history. Verifications of the model are made at sites off Cape Egmont and Great Barrier Island, North Island, New Zealand. These give encouraging results for the shape of the frequency spectrum, with reasonable skill evident in the energetic parts of the spectrum. The significant wave heights also agree well, with the model estimates explaining two thirds of the measured variance.     

Stability of an artificially nourished beach,Balaena Bay,Wellington Harbour,New Zealand

Balaena Bay, Wellington Harbour, New Zealand, has a small pocket beach that was covered originally by pebbles and cobbles. In February and October 1982, the beach was nourished with sandy granular gravel, the stability of which was monitored until February 1984. Although isolated from oceanic swell, the new beach readily responded to locally generated wind waves which induced both northwards and southwards longshore drift. The net effect was erosion of the southern beach, aggradation over the central beach, and minor fluctuations at the northern end. Yet despite this mobility nearly all the nourishment sediment was retained in the littoral zone. Beach volumes, calculated for each survey, varied little and sediment distribution patterns revealed negligable transport of nourishment sediment to adjacent beaches and offshore areas. Stability is further confirmed by compositional data which record no preferential loss of the sandstone, argillite, and quartz components. The only compositional changes were the incorporation into the new beach of small (< 10%) quantities of sediment derived from the old beach surface and from biogenic productivity.     

Food and feeding of small fish in the Rakaia River,New Zealand

Benthic macroinvertebrates and fish species were collected at monthly intervals during a 12‐month period, from 3 areas of the lower Rakaia River. The composition and abundance of the benthos and stomach contents of the fish were analysed for seasonal trends, food niche breadth and overlap between pairs of fish species, and overlap between the benthos and the diet of each fish species. The diets of bluegilled bully (Gobiomorphus hubbsi), upland bully (G. breviceps), juvenile longfinned eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii), Galaxias brevipinnis, G. paucispondylus, and juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta) were similar to the proportions of prey species in the benthos. Deleatidium and chironomid larvae dominated the benthos in all seasons and formed the majority of food items in the diet of these species. Food niche overlap between these species was high, indicating potential competition, but preferred habitat and feeding habit differences plus low fish population density and abundance of main prey items probably eliminate the occurrence of any serious competition. The diet of the other fish species differed from this pattern. The common bully (Gobiomorphus cotidianus) ate proportionally more chironomid larvae and fish eggs than occurred in the benthos; torrentfish (Cheimarrichthys fosteri) ate proportionally more chironomid larvae than occurred in the benthos; and quinnat salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) depended largely upon prey species of terrestial origin, such as adult Deleatidium and dipterans.     

Ocnus sacculus new species (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea), a brood‐protecting holothurian from southeastern New Zealand

A new species in the dendrochirotid holothurian genus Ocnus sensu lato is described from approximately 600 m depth in Taiaroa Canyon, off Otago, New Zealand. Ocnus sacculus new species has single rows of tubefeet only in the 3 ventral radii. Body‐wall ossicles consist of cups, knobbed 4‐holed buttons, and multi‐layered plates averaging 0.7 mm in diameter. Three brood pouches lie anteriorly on the inner surface of the body wall in 3 dorsal interradii; the mid‐dorsal pouch is largest. The pouches apparently have no permanent contact with the exterior; presumably birth takes place by rupture of the body wall.     

Larval shell development of the toheroa,Paphies ventricosa (Gray, 1843) (Mactracea: Mesodesmatidae)

The larval shells of Paphies ventricosa, reared to settlement in the hatchery, are similar in longitudinal profile to shells of some other mactracean larvae; the umbo‐stage larval shells are nearly round with the anterior margin less broadly curved than the posterior margin, the anterior end is longer than the posterior end, and the umbo is broadly rounded. Straight‐hinge larvae had total lengths up to 149 μm, and total heights up to 126 μm, and umbo larvae had total lengths up to 320 μm, and total heights up to 282 μm. The larvae settled in about 22 days at a size of about 270 μm. The larval hinge structure bears some similarities to those of other mactracean larvae.     

Land use effects on habitat,water quality,periphyton, and benthic invertebrates in Waikato,New Zealand,hill‐country streams

Water quality, habitat, and biota were compared during spring amongst c. 100 m reaches on 11 streams draining pasture, native (podocarp‐broadleaf) forest, and exotic pine forest established on pasture 15 years previously. Differences were greatest between the pasture and native forest streams. Only 1–3% of incident light reached native and pine forest streams whereas 30% reached pasture streams. Pasture streams had 2.2°C higher mean temperature than the native streams, and 5‐fold higher nitrate, 30‐fold higher algal biomass, and 11‐fold higher gross photosynthesis. Native streams were 60% wider than pasture, with pine streams intermediate. Pine and pasture streams had 3‐fold higher suspended solids and fine sediment stored in the streambed than native streams. Woody debris volume was 17‐fold greater in pine than pasture streams, with native streams intermediate. Invertebrate taxa richness did not differ between land uses. Community composition differed most between pasture and native forest, with pine forest streams intermediate. Invertebrate densities were 3‐fold higher in pasture than native streams, mainly because of more chironomids and snails, but mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies densities were 2–3‐fold higher in forest streams than pasture.     

Characterisation of nano magnesia–cement-reinforced seashore soft soil by direct-shear test

Abstract

In this study, the mechanical behaviour of nano magnesia–cement-reinforced seashore soft soil (NmC3S) was evaluated and characterised by the direct-shear testing of seashore soft soil (3S), cement reinforced seashore soft soil (C3S) and NmC3S. The comparison among these three types of soils indicates that NmC3S has greater shear strength and deformation modulus than C3S and 3S. The shear stress of both C3S and NmC3S increase significantly prior to a shear displacement of 1.0?mm, followed by a sharp decline before reaching the critical state. The failure displacement increases as the applied normal stress increases. NmC3S demonstrated greater friction angle than both C3S and 3S; however, the magnitude of its cohesion lies between that of C3S and 3S. Moreover, a mathematical model that describes the shear stress–displacement curve was proposed, which can effectively model the strain-hardening and strain-softening curves of these three types of clays. Finally, a generalised formula for capturing the stress–displacement behaviour of these three materials is presented with the explanations for the physical meaning of each parameter.     

城市游憩空间形态的刻画基础:场模型还是要素模型

城市游憩空间是连续的还是离散的?在以往的研究中似乎不言自明的采用离散观.该文认为市区游憩空间更适于场模型,而郊区游憩空间更适于要素模型,在城市的边缘地带则兼有场模型和要素模型的特征,属于"灰色"地带.据此提出了城市游憩空间体系的结构模式,即:由市区游憩圈、城市边缘地带游憩圈、郊区游憩圈所构成的圈层结构.     

1900-2007年横断山区部分海洋型冰川变化

横断山区7条海洋型冰川近百年进退速度变化呈现出以退缩为总趋势的阶段性变化,具体表现为20世纪初至1930s的冰川稳定,1930s-1960s的冰川后退,1970s-1980s的冰川稳定或减速后退,20世纪80年代中期以来的冰川后退,这与我国、北半球及横断山区同期的气候变化呈明显对应,展现出冷干阶段冰川稳定或前进、暖湿阶段后退的态势,但各冰川的变化幅度因纬度位置、坡向、冰川规模、局地环境等而存在明显差异.1982/83年大、小贡巴冰川、海螺沟冰川冰舌段的消融水当量分别为2710mm、3139 mm和5281 mm,1990/91-97/98期间海螺沟冰川冰舌段的年均消融水当量为6157 mm,比1982/83年增加了876 mm.2002年夏季白水1号冰川的积雪消融量由于表碛覆盖较少表现出明显的随海拔升高而降低的特征,平均消融水当量为1086.25 mm,2008.9-19.10.13期间白水1号冰川物质平衡花竿的观测表明,花竿布设区域10月6号左右转入物质积累期.期间日均积累深为1cm,折合水当量5mm.     

In situ characterization of grain‐scale fluvial morphology using Terrestrial Laser Scanning

The grain‐scale morphology of fluvial sediments is an important control on the character and dynamics of river systems; however current understanding of its role is limited by the difficulties of robustly quantifying field surface morphology. Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) offers a new methodology for the rapid acquisition of high‐resolution and high‐precision surface elevation data from in situ sediments. To date, most environmental and fluvial applications of TLS have focused on large‐scale systems, capturing macroscale morphologies. Application of this new technology at scales necessary to characterize the complexity of grain‐scale fluvial sediments therefore requires a robust assessment of the quality and sources of errors in close‐range TLS data. This paper describes both laboratory and field experiments designed to evaluate close‐range TLS for sedimentological applications and to develop protocols for data acquisition. In the former, controlled experiments comprising high‐resolution scans of white, grey and black planes and a sphere were used to quantify the magnitude and source of three‐dimensional (3D) point errors resulting from a combination of surface geometry, reflectivity effects and inherent instrument precision. Subsequently, a methodology for the collection and processing of grain‐scale TLS data is described through an application to a coarse grained gravel system, the River Feshie (D₅₀ 32 to 63 mm). This stepwise strategy incorporates averaging repeat scans and filtering scan artefact and non‐surface points using local 3D search algorithms. The sensitivity of the results to the filter parameter values are assessed by careful internal validation of Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) created from the resulting point cloud data. The transferability of this methodology is assessed through application to a second river, Bury Green Brook, dominated by finer gravel (D₅₀ 18 to 33 mm). The factor limiting the resolution of DTMs created from this second dataset was found to be the relative sizes of the laser footprint and smallest grains. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.