Lateral stability of central Australian longitudinal dunes

Some authors consider that linear dunes migrate laterally on a grand scale, much as rivers move across floodplains. Others have concluded that lateral movement is limited in time and space. During the phase of dune initiation, small ribbons of sand formed in the lee of obstacles merge and coalesce to form recognisable linear dunes. Repeat observations demonstrate that mature sand ridges change position laterally a few metres either way within close limits defined by sand spillages on the slip or avalanche slopes that change orientation in response to changing sand-moving wind directions. This essay considers evidence by which to differentiate these two points of view. Supporting evidence for limited migration take the form of dunes resting on plinths of older alluvial substrates, some capped by gibber and that stand higher than adjacent interdune corridors. Such exposures show that the sand ridges have not migrated laterally during the last several tens of thousands of years. Migration is inhibited by clay cores, calcareous (calcrete) horizons, and the development of vegetated flanks. For these reasons, it is proposed that lateral migration be defined as a change of dune plan position that is greater than the maximum extent of sand deposition that develops in response to changes in the direction of sand-moving winds.     

基于高分辨率遥感影像的车道线提取

车道线是自动驾驶高精度地图的组成部分,利用车载摄像头和激光雷达提取车道线的研究已经比较深入。本文探讨了利用高分辨率遥感影像提取车道线的方法。首先依据直方图原则选取合适的阈值进行二值化分割,其次利用道路中线形成的缓冲区去除道路范围外的要素,然后利用形态学算子去除噪声,最后利用方向和面积因子提取不同的车道线。该方法可以降低数据采集的成本,提高采集效率。     

The influence of wind on the water age in the tidal Rappahannock River

Wind plays an important role in regulating mixing/stratification, estuarine circulation, and transport timescale in estuaries. A three-dimensional model was used to investigate the effect of wind on transport time by using the concept of water age (WA) in the tidal Rappahannock River, a western tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, USA. The model was calibrated for water level, current, and salinity. A series of experiments regarding the effects of wind on WA was conducted under various dynamic conditions. The effect of wind on transport timescale depends strongly on the competition between the wind and buoyancy forcings, and on the pre-status of the circulation. A down-estuary wind generally decreases WA along the estuary. An up-estuary wind increases WA substantially because it changes the vertical mixing and estuarine circulation more significantly. When the buoyancy forcing increases, the up-estuary wind effect decreases whereas the down-estuary wind effect increases. A 2-day period wind pulse with a maximum speed of 15 m s⁻¹ can alter WA for 3 days; but the wind influence on WA lasts up to 40 days in the simulation. Both local and non-local wind forcings alter WA distribution. The local wind enhances vertical mixing and changes the gravitational circulation in the downstream portion of the estuary whereas it enhances transport in the freshwater portion of the estuary. Consequently, the local wind has a significant impact on WA distribution. In contrast, the non-local wind does not change the gravitational circulation significantly by imposing setup (setdown) of water level at the open boundary, resulting in a lesser impact on WA distribution.     

Multi-element otolith chemistry of juvenile sole (Solea solea), whiting (Merlangius merlangus) and European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in the Thames Estuary and adjacent coastal regions

Estuaries are regarded as valuable nursery habitats for many commercially important marine fishes, potentially providing a thermal resource, refuge from predators and a source of abundant prey. To assess the extent of estuarine use by juvenile (0+) common sole (Solea solea), whiting (Merlangius merlangus) and European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) we: (1) developed techniques to distinguish between estuarine and coastally-caught juveniles using otolith chemistry; and (2) examined the accuracy with which multi-elemental signatures could re-classify juveniles to their region of collection.High-resolution solution-based inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HB-SB-ICPMS) was used to quantify 32 elements within the juvenile otoliths; 14 elements occurred above detection limits for all samples. Some elemental distributions demonstrated clear differences between estuarine and coastally-caught fish. Multivariate analysis of the otolith chemistry data resulted in 95–100% re-classification accuracy to the region of collection. Estuarine and coastal signatures were most clearly defined for sole which, compared to bass and whiting, have low mobility and are less likely to move from estuarine to coastal habitats between larval settlement and later migration to adult stocks. Sole were the only species to reveal an energetic benefit associated with an estuarine juvenile phase. The physiological ability of bass to access upper estuarine regions was consistent with some elemental data, while the high mobility and restricted range of whiting resulted in less distinct otolith chemistries.     

GPS软件接收机仿真实验及算法验证

在分析基于软件无线电GPS接收机结构的基础上,在基于PC软件接收机信号处理系统上采用模拟的数字中频信号,对软件接收机信号捕获、跟踪算法进行了分析和验证。信号捕获阶段给出了基于快速傅利叶变换FFT的快速搜索原理和结果,并采用跟踪阶段Q支路信号的统计特性分析了捕获门限和误警概率的关系,给出了一种捕获门限的优化方法;跟踪阶段对系统采用的数字锁相环(PLL)进行了分析,并对I/Q解调原理进行了解析和验证。     

Evaluation of the flushing rates of Apalachicola Bay, Florida via natural geochemical tracers

We used naturally occurring radium isotopes as tracers of water exchange in Apalachicola Bay, a shallow coastal-plain estuary in northwestern Florida. The bay receives fresh water and radium from the Apalachicola River, and mixes with Gulf of Mexico waters through four inlets. We deployed moored buoys with attached Mn-fibers at several stations throughout the estuary during two summer and two winter periods. After deployment for at least one tidal cycle we measured the ratio of the two short-lived radium isotopes ²²³Ra (half-life = 11 d) and ²²⁴Ra (3.6 d) to estimate “radium ages” of the water in the bay.During our four seasonal deployments the river discharge ranged from 338 to 1016 m³ s^− 1. According to our calculations the water turnover time in the bay during these samplings ranged from 6 to 12 days. Age contours in the bay showed that winds and tides as well as river discharge influence the water movement and the residence time of freshwater in the bay. We also calculated the mean age of river water in the bay which was between 5 to 9 days during the studied periods. We suggest that this approach can be used to quantify transport processes of dissolved substances in the bay. For example, soluble nutrient or pollutant transport rates from a point source could be examined. We conclude that the radium age technique is well suited for flushing rate calculations in river dominated shallow estuaries.     

Coastal morphodynamics and Chenier-Plain evolution in southwestern Louisiana, USA: A geomorphic model

Using 28 topographic profiles, air-photo interpretation, and historical shoreline-change data, coastal processes were evaluated along the Chenier Plain to explain the occurrence, distribution, and geomorphic hierarchy of primary landforms, and existing hypotheses regarding Chenier-Plain evolution were reconsidered. The Chenier Plain of SW Louisiana, classified as a low-profile, microtidal, storm-dominated coast, is located west and downdrift of the Mississippi River deltaic plain. This Late-Holocene, marginal-deltaic environment is 200 km long and up to 30 km wide, and is composed primarily of mud deposits capped by marsh interspersed with thin sand- and shell-rich ridges (“cheniers”) that have elevations of up to 4 m.In this study, the term “ridge” is used as a morphologic term for a narrow, linear or curvilinear topographic high that consists of sand and shelly material accumulated by waves and other physical coastal processes. Thus, most ridges in the Chenier Plain represent relict open-Gulf shorelines. On the basis of past movement trends of individual shorelines, ridges may be further classified as transgressive, regressive, or laterally accreted. Geomorphic zones that contain two or more regressive, transgressive, or laterally accreted ridges are termed complexes. Consequently, we further refine the Chenier-Plain definition by Otvos and Price [Otvos, E.G. and Price, W.A., 1979. Problems of chenier genesis and terminology—an overview. Marine Geology, 31: 251–263] and define Chenier Plain as containing at least two or more chenier complexes. Based on these definitions, a geomorphic hierarchy of landforms was refined relative to dominant process for the Louisiana Chenier Plain. The Chenier Plain is defined as a first-order feature (5000 km²) composed of three second-order features (30 to 300 km²): chenier complex, beach-ridge complex, and spit complex. Individual ridges of each complex type were further separated into third-order features: chenier, beach ridge, and spit.To understand the long-term evolution of a coastal depositional system, primary process–response mechanisms and patterns found along the modern Chenier-Plain coast were first identified, especially tidal-inlet processes associated with the Sabine, Calcasieu, and Mermentau Rivers. Tidal prism (Ω) and quantity of littoral transport (M_total) are the most important factors controlling inlet stability. Greater discharge and/or tidal prism increase the ability of river and estuarine systems to interrupt longshore sediment transport, maintain and naturally stabilize tidal entrances, and promote updrift deposition. Thus, prior to human modification and stabilization efforts, the Mermentau River entrance would be classified as wave-dominated, Sabine Pass as tide-dominated, and Calcasieu Pass as tide-dominated to occasionally mixed.Hoyt [Hoyt, J.H., 1969. Chenier versus barrier, genetic and stratigraphic distinction. Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull., 53: 299–306] presented the first detailed depositional model for chenier genesis and mudflat progradation, which he attributed to changes in Mississippi River flow direction (i.e., delta switching) caused by upstream channel avulsion. However, Hoyt's model oversimplifies Chenier-Plain evolution because it omits ridges created by other means. Thus, the geologic evolution of the Chenier Plain is more complicated than channel avulsions of the Mississippi River, and it involved not only chenier ridges (i.e., transgressive), but also ridges that are genetically tied to regression (beach ridges) and lateral accretion (recurved spits).A six-stage geomorphic process-response model was developed to describe Chenier-Plain evolution primarily as a function of: (i) the balance between sediment supply and energy dissipation associated with Mississippi River channel avulsions, (ii) local sediment reworking and lateral transport, (iii) tidal-entrance dynamics, and (iv) possibly higher-than-present stands of Holocene sea level. Consequently, the geneses of three different ridge types (transgressive, regressive, and laterally accreted) typically occur contemporaneously along the same shoreline at different locations.     

Effect of estuarine flow on ocean circulation using a coupled coastal-bay estuarine model: an application to the 1999 Orissa cyclone

A coupled coastal-bay estuarine numerical model is described and applied to investigate the combination of wind-estuarine driven circulation off the Orissa coast. The model is based on coupling of a 2-dimensional estuarine model with a 3-dimensional coastal-bay model. The models are linked through the elevation at the interface. Using the coupled model, the numerical experiments are carried out to elicit the dynamical linking between the estuarine outflow and the coastal ocean to simulate the ensuing adjoining coastal circulation. During the southwest monsoon, it is noticed that the estuarine discharge from the northern head-bay river system and the river systems that join the Bay of Bengal along the Orissa coast would sufficiently modify the coastal circulation along the coast. Numerical experiments are also carried for the model simulation of surges generated by the 1999 Orissa cyclone. It is shown that the estuarine system would influence significantly on surge development and associated inundation through the rivers.     

A Conceptual Framework for Enhancing the Utility of Rainfall Hazard Forecasts for Agriculture in Marginal Environments

Semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas (especially in the tropics) are characterized by high inter-annual and intra-seasonal rainfall variability. Agriculture, which employs the bulk of the rapidly increasing populations, is largely rain-fed, low-input based and highly resource dependent. Recent spates of drought have, therefore, exacerbated the now-too-familiar specter of famine and starvation in these areas with glaring examples being the recurring episodes in sub-Saharan Africa since the great Sahel drought of 1969–1973. A great need for accurate and timely hazard forecast products in aid of agriculture thus exists.Several schemes are currently employed by various agencies around the globe in this direction. There does remain, however, a gap between product provision and user expectations. This paper examines this gap suggesting a five-point framework within which it can be addressed as an action agenda for the climate science community. The paper posits that changes are possible to existing methodologies (related to three of these points), which, within the context of current science, can greatly enhance the utility of forecast products for agriculture in marginal areas. The remaining two points have, however, been identified as requiring additional applied research and necessary pointers for addressing these issues are provided. First is the need for appropriate impact-related indicators for intra-seasonal and interannual rainfall variability that are easy to compute, amenable to forecasting and follow closely the experiences of farmers in marginal areas. The second is a consideration of appropriate forecast information formatting and communication medium that guarantee effective feedback between forecast producers and users. Specific examples of the status quo and of work currently underway are cited from southern Africa – a region currently attracting international attention as a result of recent droughts and the threat of famine.     

Cyclicity in the nearshore marine to coastal, Lower Permian, Pebbley Beach Formation, southern Sydney Basin, Australia: a record of relative sea-level fluctuations at the close of the Late Palaeozoic Gondwanan ice age

The Lower Permian (Artinskian to Sakmarian) Pebbley Beach Formation (PBF) of the southernmost Sydney Basin in New South Wales, Australia, records sediment accumulation in shallow marine to coastal environments at the close of the Late Palaeozoic Gondwanan ice age. This paper presents a sequence stratigraphic re‐evaluation of the upper half of the unit based on the integration of sedimentology and ichnology. Ten facies are recognized, separated into two facies associations. Facies Association A (seven facies) comprises variably bioturbated siltstones and sandstones with marine body fossils, interpreted as recording sediment accumulation in open marine environments ranging from lower offshore to middle shoreface water depths. Evidence of deltaic influence is seen in several Association A facies. Facies Association B (three facies) comprises mainly heterolithic, interlaminated and thinly interbedded sandstone and siltstone with some thicker intervals of dark grey, organic‐rich mudstone, some units clearly filling incised channel forms. These facies are interpreted as the deposits of estuarine channels and basins. Throughout the upper half of the formation, erosion surfaces with several metres relief abruptly separate open marine facies of Association A (below) from estuarine facies of Association B (above). Vertical facies changes imply significant basinward shift of environment across these surfaces, and lowering of relative sea level in the order of 50 m. These surfaces can be traced over several kilometres along depositional strike, and are defined as sequence boundaries. On this basis, at least nine sequences have been recognized in the upper half of the formation, each of which is < 10 m thick, condensed, incomplete and top‐truncated. Sequences contain little if any record of the lowstand systems tract, a more substantial transgressive systems tract and a highstand systems tract that is erosionally truncated (or in some cases, missing). This distinctive stacking pattern (which suggests a dominance of retrogradation and progradation over aggradation) and the implied relative sea‐level drop across sequence boundaries of tens of metres are remarkably similar to some other studies of continental margin successions formed under the Neogene icehouse climatic regime. Accordingly, it is suggested that the stratigraphic architecture of the PBF was a result of an Icehouse climate regime characterized by repeated, high‐amplitude cycles of relative sea‐level change.