Spatial distribution of crustaceans associated with shallow soft‐bottom habitats in a coral reef lagoon

The ecology and diversity of the shallow soft‐bottom areas adjacent to coral reefs are still poorly known. To date, the few studies conducted in these habitats dealing with macroinvertebrate fauna have focused on their abundance spatial patterns at high taxonomic levels. Thus, some aspects important to evaluate the importance and vulnerability of these habitats, such as species diversity or the degree of habitat specialization, have often been overlooked. In this study we compared the crustacean assemblages present in four different habitats at Magoodhoo Island coral reef lagoon (Maldives): coral rubble, sandy areas and two different seagrass species (Thalassia hemprichii and Cymodocea sp.). Forty‐two different crustacean species belonging to 30 families and four orders were found. ‘Site’ was a significant factor in all of the statistical analyses, indicating that tropical soft‐bottom habitats can be highly heterogeneous, even at a spatial scale between tens and hundreds of meters. Although traditionally it has been considered that seagrass beds host greater species diversity and abundance of organisms than adjacent unvegetated habitats, no differences in the univariate measures of fauna (abundance of organisms, number of species and Shannon diversity) were observed among habitats. However, sandy areas, coral rubble and seagrass beds exhibited different species composition of crustacean communities. The percentage of taxa considered as potential habitat specialists was 27% and the number of species exclusively occurring in one habitat was especially high in seagrass beds. Thus, degradation of this vegetated habitat would result in a great loss of biodiversity in tropical shallow soft‐bottom habitats.     

福建省平潭岛东北部软质海崖蚀退特征研究

为了揭示软质海崖的侵蚀机制,现场利用量测方法研究了福建省平潭岛东北部软质海崖的蚀退特征、蚀退模式和影响因素,并利用自制崩解仪测试了砂土和粉质黏土的崩解速率。结果表明,软质海崖滑塌物体积、堆积距离均随海崖高度增加而增大,每次滑塌海崖蚀退距离位于0.08~1.23 m;滑塌物覆盖住崖脚后具有临时保护崖脚的作用,但由于其受到扰动较易发生再次蚀退;崖脚海蚀槽的形成对滑塌起到重要控制作用;降雨、海洋水动力、强风和人为活动是造成蚀退的四大因素;在土体抗侵蚀方面,砂土的抗侵蚀能力最弱,粉质黏土的居中,黏土的最强;现场干燥粉质黏土的崩解速率为2.4 cm/min。     

Rotation Center and Horizontal Bearing Capacity of the Bucket Foundation in Soft Ground

In the last 20 years, the bucket foundation has been developed as a new type of offshore platform structure. Because of its short period of application to engineering practices, the theoretical decision on the rotation center and horizontal bearing capacity of the bucket foundation has yet to be agreed. A limit analysis method is used to determine the updated rotation center position and horizontal bearing capacity to evaluate the failure mechanisms of the bucket foundations. The results are compared with numerical simulation and experiments, and also with other theoretical methods. The proposed method can satisfactorily consider the engineering conditions and the result is accurate in determining the rotation center and horizontal bearing capacity.     

Numerical Studies on Piled Gravity Base Foundation for Offshore Wind Turbine

This study aims to investigate a hybrid gravity base foundation to support offshore wind tower. A new hybrid gravity base foundation considered in this study has five component piles, referred to as ‘piled gravity base foundation’. The three-dimensional finite element analyses were carried out for the piled gravity base foundation subjected to a combined load with a lateral load and overturning moment. The parametric analyses were undertaken varying the loading height and direction, the rigidity of the piled gravity base foundation, the field soil layers, and the clay strength. Overall, the response of the piled gravity base foundation was significantly influenced by the interaction between the cone base piles and the surrounding soil. The increased strength of the soil led to a significant reduction of the pile and gravity base foundation responses, in terms of the bending moments, axial forces, lateral displacements, and rotations.     

Evaluation of Effective Depth of PVD Improvement in Soft Clay Deposit: A Field Case Study

This article presents a case history of determination of effective depth of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) under embankment loading on a very soft clay deposit in central China, near Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province. The height of the embankment was 5.3 m and construction time was about one year. The PVDs were installed to a depth of 8.5 m at a spacing of 1.5 m in a triangular pattern. Field observations and the finite element method (FEM) were employed to analyze the performance of the soft deposit during embankment construction. The influential depth of the embankment loading was evaluated based on settlement, excess pore pressure, and stress increase in subsoil, both from the observed data and FEM analysis. The effective PVD depth was determined in the following ways: (1) the depth of 5% subsoil settlement of surface settlement; (2) vertical stress increase in subsoil of 25% in-situ stress; and (3) consolidation time/PVD depth relation by FEM. Based on the analysis, the effective depth of PVDs was determined to be between 10 and 12.8 m for this field case.     

Unconsolidated sediment distribution patterns in the KwaZulu-Natal Bight,South Africa: the role of wave ravinement in separating relict versus active sediment populations

This paper examines the distribution of unconsolidated sediment in the KwaZulu-Natal Bight located along the east coast of South Africa. Results show that there is a general shelf-wide sediment distribution of coarser grain sizes between depths of 60 and 100?m, punctuated by a broad swathe of mud offshore of the Thukela River. Seasonal changes in sediment distribution patterns are small, being restricted to seaward fining on the inner shelf off the fluvial sources. Sediment distribution reflects a partitioning between sediment populations that are current- influenced and relict (palimpsest) populations associated with submerged shorelines. Wave ravinement during the deglacial transgression, the reworking of submerged shorelines during sea-level stillstands and, to a lesser extent, the Agulhas Current system, are the dominant controls on sediment distribution.     

Distribution and feeding modes of macrobenthos within three oceanographic feature areas of the KwaZulu-Natal Bight,South Africa

The composition and distribution of macrobenthic communities was investigated in three areas in the KwaZulu- Natal Bight, a section of shelf off the east coast of South Africa. Areas were pre-selected on the basis of three known oceanographic features, posited to deliver land- or Agulhas Current-derived nutrients onto the shelf and to drive ecosystem functioning in this region. Replicate sediment samples were collected with a 0.2 m² van Veen grab, during two surveys (A, B) corresponding with normal periods of high and low rainfall, respectively. A subset of the full station array was selected across the shelf in an arrangement of increasing depths (inner-, mid- and outer shelf) through each feature area to investigate the spatial distribution and feeding modes of macrobenthic taxa. The two periods showed some differences in abundance and numbers of macrobenthic taxa, but were not statistically different. Total macrobenthic abundance from Survey A was 20 215 individuals from 642 taxa, decreasing to 18 000 individuals from 503 taxa during Survey B. Polychaeta and Crustacea were the dominant taxa sampled; abundance of the latter was attributed largely to a proliferation of Paguristes sp.1 at inner-shelf samples in the midbight (Thukela) region during Survey B. Similarity classification distinguished seven sample groups reflecting differences in feature areas and shelf positions under investigation. The Thukela River midshelf community supported the highest macrobenthic abundance, while the midshelf off the southern bight (Durban region) was most species rich. Findings were attributed to the habitat complexity of the midshelf which includes a palaeo-dune cordon at the 60 m isobath. Functionally, the community was dominated by interface- and deposit-feeding fauna, emphasising the importance of trophic plasticity in an environmentally variable and heterogeneous shelf environment.     

上海砂性软土地层水平定向钻进泥浆性能调控技术

上海地区水平定向钻进铺管（HDD）钻遇不易成孔的砂性软土的概率甚高,这种地层对泥浆性能有特殊要求。但目前普遍使用的复配型增效商品土粉基调相近,难以就大量工程个案恰如其分地发挥关键功效。为此,论述了该类工程环境下泥浆性能设计要点,分析了材料添配的作用机理,重点给出了泥浆密度、粘度、切力以及失水量等参数调控的宜于实用的若干配材技术,以提供相类似工程条件下泥浆运用的可参考方法。     

软土区旋喷式插筋微型桩工艺试验研究

软土地质条件下建筑物的沉降变形和承载力要求越来越高,对基础施工工艺提出了较高要求。在高压旋喷施工工艺的基础上,提出旋喷式插筋微型桩施工工艺,开展了微型桩工艺试验研究,结果表明该工艺大幅提高了单桩桩基承载性能,为实际工程应用提供了技术数据支持。     

高速公路通道下沉开裂治理实践

河南省省道323线登封市大冶镇一段公路软弱地基以及路面出现不均匀沉降,通道箱涵开裂,边坡为欠稳定边坡。将事故路段分为4个区域进行加固治理。通过采用注浆加固路基基础、设置坡面排水系统、提高地基的承载能力等治理措施,保证了道路的通行能力。