Sand detachment by wind‐driven raindrops

Wind movement and velocity can have a profound effect on some aspects of the soil erosion process. In the case of wind‐driven rain, differences in raindrop trajectory are expected: wind‐driven raindrops achieve some degree of horizontal velocity, which increases their resultant impact velocity and they strike the soil surface at an angle deviated from the vertical under the effects of both gravitational and drag forces. However, not much is known about the physical impact of raindrops on a soil in situations where this impact is at an angle, and it is also not precise known if oblique raindrops have stronger erosive effects than vertical ones. A series of tests was conducted to assess the effect of wind velocities on sand detachment from splash cups in a wind tunnel facility equipped with a rainfall simulator. Splash cups packed with standard sand were exposed to windless rains and to rains driven by horizontal wind velocities of 6, 10 and 14 m s^?1 to evaluate the sand detachment by wind‐driven raindrops. The average angle of rain inclination from vertical was calculated from the direct intensity measurements implemented with windward and leeward‐facing raingauges placed at different slopes. A kinetic energy sensor measured energy of windless and wind‐driven rains. Results showed that the kinetic energy flux calculated by the resultant impact velocity of drops adequately described the sand detachment from the splash cups by wind‐driven raindrops. However, an additional analysis of Pearson correlation coefficients using the velocity components rather than the resultant velocity of wind‐driven raindrops indicated that the energy flux related to the horizontal component of wind‐driven raindrops had a greater correlation with sand detachment than that related to the normal component. This finding contradicted the general assumption that the component of velocity normal to the surface is related to the detachment. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Particle clusters in gravel‐bed rivers: an experimental morphological approach to bed material transport and stability concepts

Structured gravel river beds clearly exert a major influence on bed stability. Indexing structural stability by field measurements of bed strength neglects the processes operating to entrain and transport bed material in different parts of each structure. This study takes a morphological approach to interpreting the critical processes, using particle tracing to determine the movement of individual cluster particles over a range of flood event magnitudes and durations. The experiment was carried out on the River South Tyne, UK; it uses flow hydrographs measured nearby and also benefits from previous studies of historical development, channel morphology and sediment transport at the same site. More than 30 clusters were monitored over a seven‐month period during which clusters occupied 7–16 per cent of the bed. Threshold flows delimiting three apparently contrasting bed sediment process regimes for cluster particles are tentatively set at 100 m³ s^?1 and 183 m³ s^?1; durations of flow at these levels are critical for cluster development, rather than flow peak values. Wake particles are transported most easily. Flow straightening in the wandering channel planform reduces the stability of clusters, since mechanical strength is markedly reduced by this change of direction. The overall area covered by clusters between significant transport events varies little, implying a dynamic equilibrium condition. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Morphological effects of local scouring in step–pool streams

Step–pool morphology characterizes many high‐gradient streams in a variety of natural settings, but formative processes and evolutionary dynamics are still poorly understood. In this paper, natural step–pool geometry is compared with steep alluvial channels where grade‐control structures such as check‐dams and bed sills make the stream profile resemble a natural stepped stream. Along these channels, local scouring due to falling jets forms plunge pools under each structure, analogous to natural steps determining the formation of pools. In order to test the hypothesis that natural pools are analogous to pools formed below grade‐control works with respect to their dimensions, shape and formative dynamics, 37 natural pools and 73 artificial pools were surveyed in 10 mountain streams of the eastern Italian Alps. Pools below grade‐control works featured a transitional zone between the scour hole and the downstream sloping bed, marked by a depositional berm. When geometric parameters such as maximum pool depth, length and step–berm distances are normalized to the jet virtual energy, no statistically significant differences were detected between natural and artificial systems. These results lend support to an upstream‐forced cascade model for step–pool formation, where the energy of falling jets controls the geometry of the pools, and is therefore regarded as the most important scaling‐independent variable. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coarse sediment transport in mountain streams in Colorado and Wyoming,USA

Since the early 1990s, US Forest Service researchers have made thousands of bedload measurements in steep, coarse‐grained channels in Colorado and Wyoming, USA. In this paper we use data from 19 of those sites to characterize patterns and rates of coarse sediment transport for a range of channel types and sizes, including step–pool, plane‐bed, pool–riffle, and near‐braided channels. This effort builds upon previous work where we applied a piecewise regression model to (1) relate flow to rates of bedload transport and (2) define phases of transport in coarse‐grained channels. Earlier, the model was tested using bedload data from eight sites on the Fraser Experimental Forest near Fraser, Colorado. The analysis showed good application to those data and to data from four supplementary channels to which the procedure was applied. The earlier results were, however, derived from data collected at sites that, for the most part, have quite similar geology and runoff regimes. In this paper we evaluate further the application of piecewise regression to data from channels with a wider range of geomorphic conditions. The results corroborate with those from the earlier work in that there is a relatively narrow range of discharges at which a substantial change in the nature of bedload transport occurs. The transition from primarily low rates of sand transport (phase I) to higher rates of sand and coarse gravel transport (phase II) occurs, on average, at about 80 per cent of the bankfull (1·5‐year return interval) discharge. A comparison of grain sizes moved during the two phases showed that coarse gravel is rarely trapped in the samplers during phase I transport. Moreover, the movement and capture of the D₁₆ to D₂₅ grain size of the bed surface seems to correspond with the onset of phase II transport, particularly in systems with largely static channel surfaces. However, while there were many similarities in observed patterns of bedload transport at the 19 studied sites, each had its own ‘bedload signal’ in that the rate and size of materials transported largely reflected the nature of flow and sediment particular to that system. Published in 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

新疆沙尘天气的演化特征及影响因子

利用1961-2003年新疆90个气象站地面观测资料,分析了新疆沙尘天气的空间分布特征及演变规律,并构建多元线性回归沙尘因子模型,探讨了气温、气温日较差、气压、平均风速、降水量对沙尘天气的影响程度.新疆沙尘天气的高发区在塔克拉玛干沙漠及南缘,年沙尘日数南疆是北疆的7倍.沙尘天气的高发时段在3～9月,43年内呈明显递减趋势.北疆、南疆沙尘天气的历史演变有着较好的10～15年和8～10年的振荡周期.北疆沙尘天气的主要影响因子是平均风速和气温日较差、降水量,春季明显受气温和平均风速的影响,夏季主要受平均风速和气温日较差的影响.南疆平均风速和降水量的影响占主导地位,春季气温日较差的影响也比较显著.另外,南疆春季沙尘天气对日照时数有着显著的影响.     

Deflation rates of different clastic sediments in the arid regions of China

By wind tunnel experiment, we studied the deflation rates of 8 different clastic sediments in the arid regions of China, discussed the sources of aeolian sand and their influence on the development of sand dunes and formation of sand deserts from the view of dynamics of wind erosion. The average deflation rates of 8 typical clastic sediments in the arid regions of China can be arranged in the order of lacustrine sand > alluvial sand > weathered sandstone and shale > pluvial sediments > fluvioglacial sand > weathered granite > slope deposit > glacial sediments. The deflation rates exhibited strong positive correlations with the erodible particle (0.063–2mm) content and sorting features. In contrast, the deflation rates had obvious negative correlations with the contents of silt clay (<0.063 mm) and gravel (>2 mm). According to the deflation rates, the 8 typical clastic sediments can be divided into four categories: (1) lacustrine and alluvial sand, which are readily prone to wind erosion, assumed to be the main source of aeolian sand; (2) weathered sandstone and shale, pluvial sediments and fluvioglacial sand with considerable deflation rates, might be the secondary source of aeolian sand; (3) weathered granite and slope deposit having the lower deflation rates, could supply a little aeolian sand; and (4) glacial sediments with a strong anti-erodibility, could hardly offer any aeolian sand. In addition to the strong wind conditions, the exposure of extensive lacustrine sand induced by the desiccation of inland lake basin, as well as the pre-sorting of clastic sediments by flowing water should be the key factors influencing the development of sand deserts in China. The possible reason the sand deserts in China being mostly distributed around the inland lake basins and along riverbanks could be better understood through sand source analysis.     

岩石激发极化衰减谱的多指数反演

激发极化衰减谱比极化率具有更为丰富的储层信息,与地层的孔隙结构、渗透率、地层水电阻率以及泥质含量密切相关。衰减谱是一系列单指数衰减的线性叠加,因此,可以对衰减谱进行多指数反演,得到弛豫时间谱,从而可以更好地利用激发极化衰减谱来进行储层评价。一般的非负最小二乘反演的结果振荡剧烈,与实际情况不相符。这里采用阻尼最小二乘方法,结合奇异值分解技术对泥质砂岩的激发极化衰减谱进行了多指数反演,得到了光滑连续的弛豫时间谱,弛豫时间分布点数为32点~64点较合适,算法和软件对实际的岩心具有较好的效果。     

Compressibility and Strength Behaviour of Sand–tyre Chip Mixtures

Scrap tyres can be shredded into chips and can easily be mixed with granular soils. To assess the behaviour of the admixtures, compressibility and triaxial compression tests were carried out by varying chip size and chip content. The results demonstrated that sand–tyre chip mixtures up to 20% could be a potential material for highway construction and embankment construction up to around 10 m height.     

Effect of Cement Type on the Mechanical Behavior of a Gravely Sand

The behavior of a cemented gravely sand was studied using triaxial compression tests. Gypsum, Portland cement and lime were used as the cementing agents in sample preparation. The samples with different cement types were compared in equal cement contents. Three cement contents of 1.5%, 3.0% and 4.5% were selected for sample preparation. Drained and undrained triaxial compression tests were conducted in a range of confining pressures from 25 kPa to 500 kPa. Failure modes, shear strength, stress–strain behavior, volume and pore pressure changes were considered. The gypsum cement induced the highest brittleness in soil among three cement types while the Portland cement was found to be the most ductile cementing agent. In lower cement contents and lower confining pressures the soil cemented with Portland cement showed the highest shear strength. However, in the same range of cement content, the soil cemented with gypsum showed highest shear strength for highest tested confining stress. For higher cement contents the shear strength of soil cemented with Portland cement is higher than that for the two other cement types for the range of confining pressures tested in the present study. The samples cemented with lime had the least peak and ultimate shear strength and the highest pore pressure generation in undrained tests. Contrary to the soil cemented with lime, the brittleness of soil cemented with gypsum and Portland cement reduces in undrained condition. Finally it was found that the effect of cement type on the shear strength of cemented soils is more profound in drained condition compared to undrained state.