Multi-sourced depositional sequences in the Neogene to Quaternary succession of the Venice area (northern Italy)

The Plio-Pleistocene succession of the Venice area represents part of the infill of a foreland region located between three mountain chains: the Northern Apennines, the Southern Alps and the Dinarides. This structural setting favored the development of a complex stratigraphic architecture of the succession, mostly due to the conveying of sediments from the Southern Alps to the north and the Northern Apennines to the south, in particular since the activation of strong subsidence related to the NE-ward migration of the Apennine foredeep in the early Pleistocene. Accordingly, the studied succession is composed of five third-order sequences mostly controlled by tectonics, the most recent of which display complex patterns due to the interfingering of sedimentary bodies showing contrasting directions of progradation and pinch-out. Despite this, the sequence stratigraphic method still can be applied in the present context, allowing to recognize diagnostic stratal architectures and reconstruct the relative sea-level history of the region. Moreover, the recognized peculiar stratigraphic architecture of the basin fill may serve as an analogue that needs to be taken into account to predict the distribution of porous coarse-grained sedimentary units in similar contexts, aiding for a profitable exploration and production of reservoirs and source/sealing rocks.     

Coherent spectroscopy of a strongly driven triple quantum dot molecule

Based on a calculation model, we study the interference phenomena of serially coupled V-type and Λ-type triple quantum dots (CTQDs) driven simultaneously by a strong driving field and a weak probe field. Strongly depending on the configuration of the three-level CTQD, the probe absorption spectra, which are shown in the tunneling current, exhibit various quantum coherence properties. In the case where the two pairs of transitions of the CTQD have a small eigenfrequency difference Δω, the double-coupling effect of the driving field results in two Autler-Townes doublets and one weak Mollow triplet in one spectrum. With the value of Δω increasing, only one Autler-Townes splitting remains due to the single-coupling of the field. We also find that the effect of spontaneous emission of phonons may lead to an obvious background current, which can be used to distinguish which transition is driven by the driving field in experiment. The interesting quantum property of a CTQD revealed in our results suggests its potential applications in quantum modulators and quantum logic devices.     

天海达工程建设对附近海域水环境影响预测分析

运用三维海洋模型FVCOM(Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model),采用有限体积计算方法,引入了干、湿判断,建立了天海达工程附近海域的三维潮流和泥沙输移模型,预测分析了天海达工程建设后对附近海域水动力和地形冲淤的影响。结果表明工程建设后对其西侧潮流影响较大,东侧与南侧影响较小,且随着距离的增加,影响程度减小,在距离工程1200 m以外海域流速相对变化值大约在8%以内;工程建设前后,静风条件下,工程附近海域地形变化趋势基本一致,但由于岸线的改变,工程东西两侧500m范围内近岸海域淤积程度增大,淤积增大幅度范围为0.05～0.1 cm/a。     

基于船载ADCP观测对罗源湾湾口断面潮流及余流的分析

基于对罗源湾可门水道的25 h连续走航ADCP观测,成功构建了沿走航断面共12个站位的连续海流时间序列,并对这些站位的潮流、余流以及潮通量等进行了分析。结果表明可门水道内的潮流为正规半日潮流,驻波性质明显,涨潮首先出现在水道中下层而退潮则首先发生在水道上层。水道内的潮流为往复流,水道南部M₂分潮流流速较大,并且其倾角自北向南逐渐增加。此外,水道两端的浅水区域内浅水分潮M₄振幅较显著。可门水道内余流呈现出两层结构,20 m以浅余流沿东北向流出海湾,并且出流的核心位置偏南,而20 m以深的余流沿西南向流入湾内,入流的流核位于偏北的近底层区域。对潮通量的积分计算表明通过可门水道进入罗源湾的潮通量约为4.81×108 m3。     

基于解析解的长江口南港悬沙侧向捕集特征分析

为探讨长江口南港的水动力结构及悬沙侧向输运特征,本文从解析解的角度构建了潮汐河口水沙输运数学模型,并将其应用到长江口南港某横断面上。南港水动力主控于半日潮流,余流主要由陆相径流及本地非线性对流项驱动,悬沙分布上北侧副槽远大于南侧主槽,水沙分布的计算结果与实测结果在结构上基本一致。通过输沙函数进一步分析表明,潮流输沙和余流输沙是南港侧向输沙函数的两个主要部分。南港中强劲径流削弱了涨潮流,增强了落潮流,使得向河槽南侧的涨潮流输沙小于向河槽北侧的落潮流输沙,潮流输沙指向河槽北侧。径流驱动的南港侧向余流在涨潮流方向上为一逆时针环流结构,余流输沙指向河槽北侧。扩散输沙指向南侧主槽,因其总是指向悬沙浓度梯度的负方向。在各输沙因子的综合作用下,南港中大量悬沙捕集于河槽北侧,使得河槽北部底层潮平均含沙量值达到最大值。     

A Numerical Model for Natural Backfill of Pipeline Trenches Subjected to Unidirectional／Oscillatory Flows

A numerical model for the self-burial of a pipeline trench is developed. Morphological evolutions of a pipeline trench under steady-current or oscillatory-flow conditions are simulated with/without a pipeline inside the trench. The oscillatory flow in this study represents the action of waves. The two-dimensional Reynolds-averaged continuity and Navier-Stokes equations with the standard k-e turbulence closure, as well as the sediment transport equations, are solved with the finite difference method in a eurvilirrear coordinate system. Both bed and suspended loads of sediment transport are included in the morphological model. Because of the lack of experimental data on the backfilling of pipeline trenches, the numericalmodel is firstly verified against three closely-relevant experiments available in literature. A detailed measurement of the channel migration phenomenon under steady currents is employed for the assessment of the integral performance of themodel. The two experimental results from U-tube tests are used to validate the model‘s ability in predicting oscillatory flows. Different time-marching schemes are employed for the morphological computation under unidirectional and oscillatory conditions. It is found that vortex motions within the trench play an important role in the trench development.     

The dimensions of sand ripples in full-scale oscillatory flows

New large-scale experiments have been carried out in two oscillatory flow tunnels to study ripple regime sand suspension and net sand transport processes in full-scale oscillatory flows. The paper focuses on ripple dimensions and the new data are combined with existing data to make a large dataset of ripple heights and lengths for flows with field-scale amplitudes and periods. A feature of the new experiments is a focus on the effect of flow irregularity. The combined dataset is analysed to examine the range of hydraulic conditions under which oscillatory flow ripples occur, to examine the effects of flow irregularity and ripple three-dimensionality on ripple dimensions and to test and improve existing methods for predicting ripple dimensions.The following are the main conclusions. (1) The highest velocities in a flow time-series play an important role in determining the type of bedform occurring in oscillatory flow. Bedform regime is well characterised by mobility number based on maximum velocity in the case of regular flow and based on the mean of the highest one tenth peak velocities in the case of irregular flow. (2) For field-scale flows, sand size is the primary factor determining whether equilibrium ripples will be 2D or 3D. 2D ripples occur when the sand D₅₀ ≥ 0.30 mm and 3D ripples occur when D₅₀ ≤ 0.22 mm (except when the flow orbital diameter is low). (3) Ripple type (2D or 3D) is the same for regular and irregular flows and ripple dimensions produced by equivalent regular and irregular flows follow a similar functional dependence on mobility number, with mobility number based on maximum velocity in the case of regular flow and based on the mean of the highest one tenth velocities in the case of irregular flow. For much of the ripple regime, ripple dimensions have weak dependency on mobility number and ripple dimensions are similar for regular and irregular flows with the same flow orbital amplitude. However, differences in ripples produced by equivalent regular and irregular flows become significant at the high mobility end of the ripple regime. (4) Ripple dimensions predicted using the Wiberg and Harris formulae are in poor agreement with measured ripple dimensions from the large-scale experiments. Predictions based on the Mogridge et al. and the Nielsen formulae show better overall agreement with the data but also show systematic differences in cases of 3D ripples and ripples generated by irregular flows. (5) Based on the combined large-scale data, modifications to the Nielsen ripple dimension equations are proposed for the heights and lengths of 2D ripples. The same equations apply to regular and irregular flows, but with mobility number appropriately defined. 3D ripples are generally smaller than 2D ripples and estimates of 3D ripple height and length may be obtained by applying multipliers of 0.55 and 0.73 respectively to the 2D formulae. The proposed modified Nielsen formulae provide an improved fit to the large-scale data, accounting for flow irregularity and ripple three-dimensionality.     

Sensitivity of a global ocean model to increased run-off from Greenland

We study the reaction of a global ocean–sea ice model to an increase of fresh water input into the northern North Atlantic under different surface boundary conditions, ranging from simple restoring of surface salinity to the use of an energy balance model (EBM) for the atmosphere. The anomalous fresh water flux is distributed around Greenland, reflecting increased melting of the Greenland ice sheet and increasing fresh water export from the Arctic Ocean. Depending on the type of surface boundary condition, the large circulation reacts with a slow-down of overturning and gyre circulations. Restoring of the total or mean surface salinity prevents a large scale redistribution of the salinity field that is apparent under mixed boundary conditions and with the EBM. The control run under mixed boundary conditions exhibits large and unrealistic oscillations of the meridional overturning. Although the reaction to the fresh water flux anomaly is similar to the response with the EBM, mixed boundary conditions must thus be considered unreliable. With the EBM, the waters in the deep western boundary current initially become saltier and a new fresh water mass forms in the north-eastern North Atlantic in response to the fresh water flux anomaly around Greenland. After an accumulation period of several decades duration, this new North East Atlantic Intermediate Water spreads towards the western boundary and opens a new southward pathway at intermediate depths along the western boundary for the fresh waters of high northern latitudes.