Prediction of depth‐integrated fluxes of suspended sediment in the Amazon River: particle aggregation as a complicating factor

Large rivers have been previously shown to be vertically heterogeneous in terms of suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration, as a result of sorting of suspended solids. Therefore, the spatial distribution of suspended sediments within the river section has to be known to assess the riverine sedimentary flux. Numerous studies have focused on the vertical distribution of SPM in a river channel from a theoretical or experimental perspective, but only a few were conducted so far on very large rivers. Moreover, a technique for the prediction of depth‐integrated suspended sediment fluxes in very large rivers based on sediment transport dynamics has not yet been proposed. We sampled river water along depth following several vertical profiles, at four locations on the Amazon River and its main tributaries and at two distinct water stages. Depending on the vertical profile, a one‐ to fivefold increase in SPM concentration is observed from river channel surface to bottom, which has a significant impact on the ‘depth‐averaged’ SPM concentration. For each cross section, a so‐called Rouse profile quantitatively accounts for the trend of SPM concentration increase with depth, and a representative Rouse number can be measured for each cross section. However, the prediction of this Rouse number would require the knowledge of the settling velocity of particles, which is dependent on the state of aggregation affecting particles within the river. We demonstrate that in the Amazon River, particle aggregation significantly influences the Rouse number and renders its determination impossible from grain‐size distribution data obtained in the lab. However, in each cross section, the Rouse profile obtained from the fit of the data can serve as a basis to model, at first order, the SPM concentration at any position in the river cross section. This approach, combined with acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) water velocity transects, allows us to accurately estimate the depth‐integrated instantaneous sediment flux. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Implementing quality control on a random number stream to improve a stochastic weather generator

For decades, stochastic modellers have used computerized random number generators to produce random numeric sequences fitting a specified statistical distribution. Unfortunately, none of the random number generators we tested satisfactorily produced the target distribution. The result is generated distributions whose mean even diverges from the mean used to generate them, regardless of the length of run. Non‐uniform distributions from short sequences of random numbers are a major problem in stochastic climate generation, because truly uniform distributions are required to produce the intended climate parameter distributions. In order to ensure generation of a representative climate with the stochastic weather generator CLIGEN within a 30‐year run, we tested the climate output resulting from various random number generators. The resulting distributions of climate parameters showed significant departures from the target distributions in all cases. We traced this failure back to the uniform random number generators themselves. This paper proposes a quality control approach to select only those numbers that conform to the expected distribution being retained for subsequent use. The approach is based on goodness‐of‐fit analysis applied to the random numbers generated. Normally distributed deviates are further tested with confidence interval tests on their means and standard deviations. The positive effect of the new approach on the climate characteristics generated and the subsequent deterministic process‐based hydrology and soil erosion modelling are illustrated for four climatologically diverse sites. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulation of probability distributions commonly used in hydrological frequency analysis

Random variable simulation has been applied to many applications in hydrological modelling, flood risk analysis, environmental impact assessment, etc. However, computer codes for simulation of distributions commonly used in hydrological frequency analysis are not available in most software libraries. This paper presents a frequency‐factor‐based method for random number generation of five distributions (normal, log–normal, extreme‐value type I, Pearson type III and log‐Pearson type III) commonly used in hydrological frequency analysis. The proposed method is shown to produce random numbers of desired distributions through three means of validation: (1) graphical comparison of cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) and empirical CDFs derived from generated data; (2) properties of estimated parameters; (3) type I error of goodness‐of‐fit test. An advantage of the method is that it does not require CDF inversion, and frequency factors of the five commonly used distributions involves only the standard normal deviate. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi-agent Blind Model and Its Application to Regional Eco-environmental Quality Assessment

1 Introduction Eco-environmental quality assessment is an activity that is affected by man-made factors. As other environmental systems, regional eco-environment is also a complicated and uncertain system (Wu et al., 2005). Owing to these reasons, people may produce a style of subjective un- certainty in mind in evaluating such system (Liu et al. 1999a; Wu et al., 2004). According to unascertained mathematics (Liu et al., 1997; Liu et al., 1999b), we know that this kind of subjective uncerta…     

快速数论变换的一种算法

本文构造了一种快速数论变换算法,该算法是一种以数论为基础,有效高速的数论变换算法,并且这种算法易于在计算机上实现。     

方斑东风螺不同批次卵质量的比较

2005年5月~8月在雷州市覃斗镇海威水产种苗基地的室内水池进行方斑东风螺亲螺培育,对亲螺不同批次产出的卵囊、卵、及其幼虫进行比较。结果表明:随着亲螺产卵批次的增加,亲螺产卵囊数、卵囊含卵数、产卵量逐次减少;卵囊长、宽逐次变小,厚逐次增加,形状由葵花子片状的比例大变为棒状的比例大;幼虫浮游期逐次延长;变态期幼虫壳长逐次变小;各批次之间的变态率逐次降低;卵径、孵化率、出囊幼虫大小差异不显著。     

A relook at NEH‐4 curve number data and antecedent moisture condition criteria

This paper investigates the variation of the popular curve number (CN) values given in the National Engineering Hand Book–Section 4 (NEH‐4) of the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) with antecedent moisture condition (AMC) and soil type. Using the volumetric concept, involving soil, water, and air, a significant condensation of the NEH‐4 tables is achieved. This leads to a procedure for determination of CN for gauged as well as ungauged watersheds. The rainfall‐runoff events derived from daily data of four Indian watersheds exhibited a power relation between the potential maximum retention or CN and the 5‐day antecedent rainfall amount. Including this power relation, the SCS‐CN method was modified. This modification also eliminates the problem of sudden jumps from one AMC level to the other. The runoff values predicted using the modified method and the existing method utilizing the NEH‐4 AMC criteria yielded similar results. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于单三轴试验与直剪试验的层状软岩模拟

为探究模型试验中层状软岩模拟方法,依托九绵高速层状软岩隧道现场取样的室内试验结果,多次试验确定重晶石粉、石英砂、石膏粉、滑石粉和水的最优配比以模拟软岩基体,采用带孔薄膜模拟层理弱面的黏结作用,并通过直剪试验确定孔隙率,最后对不同层理角度与层理厚度的试样开展直剪与单、三轴试验以反映各向异性情况。结果表明：软岩基体模拟最优配比为0.55:0.15:0.07:0.06:0.17,重晶石粉对强度及破坏变形起决定作用,含量过低易压溃,含量过高产生上下贯通裂缝;采用30%孔洞率的薄膜模拟层理效果最佳;土样强度随层角呈U形变化,层厚减小（不小于2 cm）,强度减小。直剪试验中,45º层理剪切面朝层理方向倾斜,90º层理导致剪切面上下产生裂缝与碎裂,单三轴结果中,0º层理会产生小角度倾斜裂缝,45º层理产生垂直层理面的斜裂缝及二次破裂,90º层理产生顺层理的竖向劈裂;与现场结果对照后确定最优层厚为 3 cm,对层角与层厚的直剪与单三轴试验结果整体一致,揭示土样孔隙压密闭合−弹性−塑性胀裂破坏−徐变的过程。