Evolution of sand waves in the Messina Strait, Italy

In the present paper the morphodynamics of sand waves in the Messina Strait, Italy, is analysed by comparing data gathered during two different surveys carried out in 1991 and 2001, respectively. In particular, a morphometric analysis on the most recent data and a qualitative analysis of the differences between bottom bedform patterns, are carried out. At locations characterised by greater depths, only minor changes to the planimetric configuration of the field, i.e. crest orientation (which is seen to be orthogonal to the direction of net gross sand transport) and wave length are observed, while differences in wave length and crest direction are more evident in more shallow areas. On the other hand, wave height has significantly increased in the whole field. A possible explanation of such a change, based on the previsions of a theory which relates sand-wave growth and migration to the main components of the tidal ellipse, is provided.Responsible Editor: Jens Kappenberg     

The organisation of fish assemblages in the regulated Lima basin, Northern Portugal

In order to understand the structure of fish assemblages in the modified Lima basin (Northern Portugal), two distinct datasets concerning the presence and abundance of fish species were subjected to multivariate analysis. On the River Lima two types of flow modification are present within kilometres of one another: (a) a reduced and constant flow due to hypolimnetic release; and (b) an intense and irregular flow. A comparison of their influence on fish assemblages revealed a gradient of assemblage types from tributaries to main river sites. The latter were characterised by a strong dominance of cyprinids, particularly Iberian barbel (Barbus bocagei). The former harboured two kinds of fish assemblages: those closer to the river mouth were dominated by the cyprinids Iberian chub (Squalius carolitertii) and Iberian nase (Chondrostoma polylepis), which were also frequently present in the main river; while in those further upstream the predominant species was the brown trout (Salmo trutta). Although explanatory variables such as distance from source, altitude, substrate coarseness and width were the primary correlates of fish assemblage composition, dam construction and flow regulation also had a significant effect upon assemblage structure, particularly by: i) reducing the importance of migratory species; ii) constraining the presence of trout in the regulated segments; and iii) simplifying the community, especially in the case of the constant and reduced flow regime.     

Estimating the seismic displacement of friction pendulum isolators based on non‐linear response history analysis

A procedure for developing equations that estimate the isolator displacement due to strong ground motion is applied to buildings isolated with the friction pendulum system. The resulting design equations, based on rigorous non‐linear analysis, offer an alternative to the iterative equivalent‐linear methods used by current U.S. building codes. The governing equations of the system are reduced to a form such that the median normalized displacement of the system due to an ensemble of ground motions is found to depend on only the isolation period—a function of the curvature of the isolator—and the friction force at incipient slip normalized by peak ground velocity. The normalization is effective in minimizing the dispersion of the normalized displacement for an ensemble of ground motions, implying that the median normalized displacement is a reliable estimate of response. The design equations reflect the significant (20 to 38%) increase in displacement when the excitation includes two lateral components of ground motion instead of just one component. Equivalent‐linear methods are shown to underestimate by up to 30% the exact median displacement determined by non‐linear response history analysis for one component of ground motion, and building codes include at most a 4.4% increase for a second component. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic response of a cable‐stayed bridge deck under multi‐component non‐stationary random ground motion

A Markov method of analysis is presented for obtaining the seismic response of cable‐stayed bridges to non‐stationary random ground motion. A uniformly modulated non‐stationary model of the random ground motion is assumed which is specified by the evolutionary r.m.s. ground acceleration. Both vertical and horizontal components of the motion are considered to act simultaneously at the bridge supports. The analysis duly takes into account the angle of incidence of the earthquake, the spatial correlation of ground motion and the quasi‐static excitation. A cable‐stayed bridge is analysed under a set of parametric variations in order to study the non‐stationary response of the bridge. The results of the numerical study indicate that (i) frequency domain spectral analysis with peak r.m.s. acceleration as input could provide more r.m.s. response than the peak r.m.s. response obtained by the non‐stationary analysis; (ii) the longitudinal component of the ground motion significantly influences the vertical vibration of the bridge; and (iii) the angle of incidence of the earthquake has considerable influence on the deck response. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A modal pushover analysis procedure to estimate seismic demands for unsymmetric‐plan buildings

An Erratum has been published for this article in Earthquake Engng. Struct. Dyn. 2004; 33:1429. Based on structural dynamics theory, the modal pushover analysis (MPA) procedure retains the conceptual simplicity of current procedures with invariant force distribution, now common in structural engineering practice. The MPA procedure for estimating seismic demands is extended to unsymmetric‐plan buildings. In the MPA procedure, the seismic demand due to individual terms in the modal expansion of the effective earthquake forces is determined by non‐linear static analysis using the inertia force distribution for each mode, which for unsymmetric buildings includes two lateral forces and torque at each floor level. These ‘modal’ demands due to the first few terms of the modal expansion are then combined by the CQC rule to obtain an estimate of the total seismic demand for inelastic systems. When applied to elastic systems, the MPA procedure is equivalent to standard response spectrum analysis (RSA). The MPA estimates of seismic demand for torsionally‐stiff and torsionally‐flexible unsymmetric systems are shown to be similarly accurate as they are for the symmetric building; however, the results deteriorate for a torsionally‐similarly‐stiff unsymmetric‐plan system and the ground motion considered because (a) elastic modes are strongly coupled, and (b) roof displacement is underestimated by the CQC modal combination rule (which would also limit accuracy of RSA for linearly elastic systems). Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Approximate modal decomposition of inelastic dynamic responses of wall buildings

Two approximate methods for decomposing complicated inelastic dynamic responses of wall buildings into simple modal responses are presented. Both methods are based on the equivalent linear concept, where a non‐linear structure is represented by a set of equivalent linear models. One linear model is used for representing only one vibration mode of the non‐linear structure, and its equivalent linear parameters are identified from the inelastic response time histories by using a numerical optimizer. Several theoretical relations essential for the modal decomposition are derived under the framework of complex modal analysis. Various numerical examinations have been carried out to check the validity of the proposed modal decomposition methods, and the results are quite satisfactory in all cases. Fluctuating bending moment and shear at any location along the wall height contributed by each individual vibration mode can be obtained. Modal contributions to shear and flexural strength demands, as well as the corresponding modal properties, under various seismic loading conditions can also be identified and examined in detail. Furthermore, the effects of higher vibration modes on seismic demands of wall buildings are investigated by using the modal decomposition methods. Several new insights into the complicated inelastic dynamics of multi‐story wall buildings are presented. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

兰州CAWS600-R自动站与人工观测资料对比分析

利用2002年11月到2003年2月兰州CAWS600-R型自动站与人工观测的温度、本站气压、水汽压、相对湿度、5～320cm地温等资料，分析了对比观测资料的差值。结果表明：对气温、本站气压、水汽压、相对湿度及320cm地温等要素观测误差较小，5～160cm地温的观测误差较大。自动观测仪器的系统性偏差、测量元件的精度及对气象要素变化响应的灵敏度、观测时间的差异和人为因素的影响是造成对比观测误差的原因。     

湖南汛期降水异常的时空分布特征研究

利用湖南19个测站23年(1959～2001年)4～9月的降水量资料，用EOF、REOF、小波分析对湖南汛期降水的特征场分布、分区特征、周期性和突变性等时空分布特征进行了诊断研究。研究结果表明：EOF分析得到的前三个典型场可以很好的反映湖南汛期降水空间分布的异常结构，即具有整体一致的空间结构，南北相反的空间结构，中部和周围地区相反变化的空间结构。旋转后的前6个空间模态可以较好地代表湖南汛期降水的6个异常敏感区：湘北、湘中、湘南、湘东南、湘西、湘东北。利用小波分析方法研究湖南汛期降水的周期性及其突变性发现，湖南汛期降水存在着明显的3年、7年和23年的特征时间尺度和周期性振荡；并且在今后相当长的一段时间内，湖南汛期的降水将逐年减少，并将转入干旱时期。     

国家气象中心客观要素预报--MOS系统

面向全国2000多个台站，应用数值预报产品释用MOS技术制作温度、降水、相对湿度、风、云量及能见度等要素预报，并实现了预报业务运行。通过建立MOS预报系统，表明预报因子和预报对象的处理、建方程前的参数选择以及预报因子的选取都会影响要素预报的质量，需要做大量的细致工作。预报检验结果显示，降水预报尚未达到可用程度．温度和相对湿度的短期预报在大多数情况下是可用的或是可参考的，但还有待进一步改进。降水预报尚需在预报因子和充分运用多种探测信息方面加以改进。