Springs of Great Britain

Predictably, in a country such as Britain, with its preponderance of consolidated, sedimentary, mainly fissure-flow aquifers, there is a very large number of springs, many of which are, or have been, used for public supply. Migratory springs are a feature of the British (Ur. Cretaceous) Chalk, the most important British aquifer. The Chalk's low specific yield and high capillary moisture retention together give rise to very considerable fluctuations (more than 33 m in some areas) of the unconfined water table. Along the gentle dip slopes of the Chalk (North and South Downs of southern and southeastern England) springs may migrate laterally for several miles, giving rise to seasonal streams locally known as bournes or lavants. However, springs such as at Duncton, West Sussex, at the base of the much steeper scarp slopes of the Chalk, form point sources, the flows from which tend to be relatively steady; such springs commonly supply and are the original reason for the existence of many of the small towns and villages which nestle along the bases of the chalk scarps of Sussex and Kent.Where the Chalk forms coastal cliffs, a number of springs break out at the base of the cliff between high and low tide levels; there are major chalk coastal springs, for instance, at St. Margaret's Bay (Kent) and at Arish Mells, east of Lulworth Cove, Dorset. Such springs are not used for direct supply (their salinity is usually too high) but are indicators of the presence of local reserves of groundwater for possible future development.     

CSU－RAMS模式在区域气侯模拟中的应用

将ＣＳＵ－ＲＡＭＳ（中尺度）数值模式改造成“区域气候数值模式”以及进行区域气候数值模拟的试验研究。说明将有限区域中尺度数值模式与ＧＣＭ模式嵌套应用到区域气候数值模拟研究上能够取得有意义的结果。它能在一定程度上改善ＧＣＭ模式的不足。可以更为细致地描述大气环流的变化特征,是了解区域气候变化的有效方法之一。     

暖切变型江淮梅雨锋结构及其形成和维持机制

对在1991年7月上旬特别稳定的梅雨形势下持续10天的特大暴雨期作了合成和典型过程研究,并进一步探讨了暖切变型江淮梅雨锋天气系统模型。它在自由大气层表现为结构竖立的相当正压切变线和一种不同于经典地转动量近似的带状准二维运动场。边界层的浅层锋生倾斜环流以及偏于切变线轴以南的Ekman抽吸与自由大气层中基本上由积云对流加热驱动的竖直环流相互依存和耦合,造成持续的大暴雨。这种系统的初生和中断后复苏的机制可能是由斜压性极弱的副热带高空东移的短波扰动在低层“湿度锋”带紧南侧触发导致的一种带状CISK。     

Weak-contrast approximation of the elastic scattering matrix in anisotropic media

The plane-wave reflection and transmission coefficients at a plane interface between two anisotropic media constitute the elements of the elastic scattering matrix. For a 1-D anisotropic medium the eigenvector decomposition of the system matrix of the transformed elasto-dynamic equations is used to derive a general expression for the scattering matrix. Depending on the normalization of the eigenvectors, the expressions give scattering coefficients for amplitudes or for vertical energy flux.Computing the vertical slownesses and the corresponding polarizations, the eigenvector matrix and its inverse can be found. We give a simple formula for the inverse, regardless of the normalization of the eigenvectors. When the eigenvectors are normalized with respect to amplitudes of displacement (or velocity), the calculation of the scattering matrix for amplitudes is simplified.When the relative changes in all parameters are small, a weak-contrast approximation of the scattering matrix, based on the exactly determined polarization vectors in an average medium, is obtained. The same approximation is also derived directly from the transformed elasto-dynamic equations for a smooth vertically inhomogeneous medium, proving the consistency of the approximation.For monoclinic media, with the mirror symmetry plane parallel to the interface, the approximative scattering matrix is given in terms of analytic expressions for the non-normalized eigenvectors and vertical slownesses. For transversely isotropic media with a vertical axis of symmetry (VTI) and isotropic media, explicit solutions for the weak-contrast approximations of the scattering matrices have been obtained. The scattering matrix for amplitudes for isotropic media is well known. The scattering matrix for vertical energy flux may have applications in AVO analysis and inversion due to the reciprocity of the reflection coefficients for converted waves.Numerical examples for monoclinic and VTI media provide good agreement between the approximative and the exact reflection matrices. It is, however, expected that the approximations cannot be used when the symmetry properties of the two media are very different. This is because the approximation relies on a small relative contrast between the eigenvectors in the two media.Presented at the Workshop Meeting on Seismic Waves in Laterally Inhomogeneous Media, Castle of Trest, Czech Republic, May 22–27, 1995.     

Oil and gas resource assessment: The linkage between geological analysis and discovery process model results

Two widely-used techniques to estimate the volume of remaining oil and gas resources are discovery process modeling and geologic assessment. Both were used in a recent national assessment of oil and gas resources of the United States. Parallel estimates were obtained for 27 provinces. Geological-based estimates can typically see into areas not available to discovery process models (that is areas with little or no exploration history) and thus, on average, yield higher estimates. However, a linear relation does exist between the mean estimates obtained from these two methods. In addition, other variables were found in a multiple regression model that explained much of the difference. Thus, it is possible to perform discovery process modeling and adjust the estimates to yield results that might be expected from geological-based assessments.     

The origin of accretionary lapilli

Experimental investigations in a recirculating wind tunnel of the mechanisms of formation of accretionary lapilli have demonstrated that growth is controlled by collision of liquid-coated particles, due to differences in fall velocities, and binding as a result of surface tension forces and secondary mineral growth. The liquids present on particle surfaces in eruption plumes are acid solutions stable at 100% relative humidity, from which secondary minerals, e.g. calcium sulphate and sodium chloride, precipitate prior to impact of accretionary lapilli with the ground. Concentric grain-size zones within accretionary lapilli build up due to differences in the supply of particular particle sizes during aggregate growth. Accretionary lapilli do not evolve by scavenging of particles by liquid drops followed by evaporation — a process which, in wind tunnel experiments, generates horizontally layered hemispherical aggregates. Size analysis of particles in the wind tunnel air stream and particles adhering to growing aggregates demonstrate that the aggregation coefficient is highly grain-size dependent. Theoretical simulation of accretionary lapilli growth in eruption plumes predicts maximum sizes in the range 0.7–20 mm for ash cloud thicknesses of 0.5–10 km respectively.     

Information structure analysis for quantitative assessment of mineral resources and the discovery of a silver deposit

We propose an information-structure-analysis (ISA) method to quantify the correlations between quantitative and qualitative variables as well as within each type of variable. This method is applied to the evaluation of mineral resources in the western Zheijiang Province of China. The district contains a number of silver-bearing Fe–Cu–Pb–Zn mineral deposits near igneous complexes and FeCuPbZn zones away from the complexes. Silver anomalies occur not only in the known Fe–Cu–Zn–Pb deposits, but also in the country rock, suggesting the possible existence of silver deposits far from the igneous complexes.The tonnage distribution of silver is modeled by Monte Carlo simulation. This simulation is conducted on the basis of the correlations between silver (Ag) and lead (Pb), since no known data on silver is available. The known tonnage distribution of lead in 11 control cells was used to approximate the tonnage distribution of silver in the Monte Carlo simulation. With ISA and Monte Carlo methods, the total amount of potential polymetallic resources in 49 cells in the western Zhejiang Provice is predicted. Significantly, a deposit with about 24 tonnes of silver has been found within our exploration target area.     

Palaeolimnological studies of the eutrophication of volcanic Lake Albano (Central Italy)

We use palaeolimnological techniques to reconstruct the eutrophication history of a volcanic lake (Lake Albano, central Italy) over the past three centuries. The presence of annual varves down to the bottom of the core (c. 1700 A.D.) indicated the lack of bioturbation and likely long-term meromixis. Sedimentation rates were estimated by varve counts (calcite/diatom couplets), indicating a mean rate of 0.15 cm yr^–1. The reconstruction of eutrophication was traced using past populations of algal and photosynthetic bacteria (through their fossil pigment), and geochemistry, as well as fossil remains of chironomids. Phaeophorbidea and the red carotenoid astaxanthin were used to detect past zooplankton development.The first sign of trophic change related to human activities is datedc. 1870 A.D. From that period onward a sharp increase of authigenic CaCO₃, nitrogen, N:P ratio, and dinoxanthin, a characteristic carotenoid of Chrysophyceae and Dinophyceae, is observed.Chironomid analyses showed the near absence of a deep water fauna throughout the core length. The populations of chironomid larvae are restricted to oxygenated littoral zones. In fact, the few fossil remains found are primarily of littoral origin, representing shallow water midges that were transported to profundal waters. The reduction of total chironomid in the uppermost layers of the core is to be related to human land uses.     

An integrable case of a rotational motion analogous to that of Lagrange and Poisson for a gyrostat in a Newtonian force field

The scope of the present paper is to provide analytic solutions to the problem of the attitude evolution of a symmetric gyrostat about a fixed point in a central Newtonian force field when the potential function isV ⁽²⁾.We assume that the center of mass and the gyrostatic moment are on the axis of symmetry and that the initial conditions are the following: (t ₀)=₀, (t ₀)=₀, (t ₀)=(t ₀)=₀, ₁(t ₀)=0, ₂(t ₀)=0 and ₃(t ₀)= ₃ ⁰ .The problem is integrated when the third component of the total angular momentum is different from zero (B ₁ 0). There now appear equilibrium solutions that did not exist in the caseB ₁=0, which can be determined in function of the value ofl ₃ ^r (the third component of the gyrostatic momentum).The possible types of solutions (elliptic, trigonometric, stationary) depend upon the nature of the roots of the functiong(u). The solutions for Euler angles are given in terms of functions of the timet. If we cancel the third component of the gyrostatic momentum (l ₃ ^r =0), the obtained solutions are valid for rigid bodies.     

Simco,a simulation software for CONICA,the coude nir camera for the very large telescope

CONICA is an acronym for COudé Near Infrared Camera. It is one of the four currently planned Infrared instruments for ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. This multimode instrument is to be installed at the Coudé-focus (of Unit Telescope no. 1), where adaptive optics and speckle interferometry will also be available. High angular resolution imaging (to the diffraction limit) will be possible in the 1–5 m range, as well as spectroscopy with low- and medium resolution and polarimetry by means of Wollaston prism and wiregrid analysers. Various softwares are developed for this instrument. One of them: the Simulation Software has a threefold aim: 1. provide the user with feedback information on his/her choices of observational parameters. This is be achieved by displaying the calculated performance and throughput of the combined Source-Atmosphere-Telescope-Camera-Detector system in various formats, such as images, tables, isophotical images ... for point as well as for extended sources (also annular, double, etc.); 2. verify if his expectations are realistic, before actually using CONICA itself. 3. give feedback on the design to the developers of the instrument.On leave from his original institute, now at ESTEC in the ISO-project