Comparing flow regime,channel hydraulics,and biological communities to infer flow–ecology relationships in the Mara River of Kenya and Tanzania

Abstract

Equatorial rivers of East Africa exhibit unusually complex seasonal and inter-annual flow regimes, and aquatic and adjacent terrestrial organisms have adapted to cope with this flow variability. This study examined the annual flow regime over the past 40 years for three gauging stations on the Mara River in Kenya and Tanzania, which is of international importance because it is the only perennial river traversing the Mara-Serengeti ecoregion. Select environmental flow components were quantified and converted to ecologically relevant hydraulic variables. Vegetation, macroinvertebrates, and fish were collected and identified at target study sites during low and high flows. The results were compared with available knowledge of the life histories and flow sensitivities of the riverine communities to infer flow–ecology relationships. Management implications are discussed, including the need to preserve a dynamic environmental flow regime to protect ecosystems in the region. The results for the Mara may serve as a useful model for river basins of the wider equatorial East Africa region.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Guest editor M. Acreman     

Frictional heat generation and seismic radiation in a foam rubber model of earthquakes

Results from a study of stick-slip particle motion at the interface between two stressed foam rubber blocks indicate that normal vibrations and interface separation are an important part of the stick-slip process in foam rubber. The dimension of the dynamic slip pulse is small compared to the dimension of the model (approximately 10 cm vs. 200 cm) consistent with the abrupt-locking slip pulse model ofBrune (1970, 1976), andHeaton (1990). A comparison of frictional heat generation between stable-sliding and stick-slip foam rubber models indicates a linear relation between the temperature increase on the fault surface (for a given distance of slip) and the driving shear force for the stable-sliding model, while for the stick-slip model there is essentially no variation in frictional heat generation with an increase in shear stress. We performed experiments to investigate the ratio of normal motion to shear motion at different levels of normal stress in the stick-slip foam rubber model. Preliminary result indicate that the normal component of the particle motion increases more rapidly with increasing normal stress than the shear component. The phenomenon of interface separation and normal vibrations may thus explain some of the most frustrating problems in earthquake mechanics, e.g., the heat flow paradox, the long-term weakness of major active faults, and anomalousP-wave radiation.     

中国太阳能热发电站选址模型研究

太阳能热发电技术在我国新世纪能源战略中具有重要地位,太阳能热发电电站位置的合理选择对发电成本有直接影响,涉及到太阳能热发电技术本身、高时空分辨率的太阳能法直辐射分布、土地利用分布、水资源分布、社会经济分布,以及政策税收等众多因素。本文提出了一个太阳能热发电站选址的决策支持系统框架,就其中的太阳能直法辐射调查进行了初步试验。本文依据供需时空平衡原则进一步讨论了多种绿色能源互补的大能源系统运筹问题。     

P–T–t–d evolution of orogenic middle crust of the Roc de Frausa Massif (Eastern Pyrenees): a result of horizontal crustal flow and Carboniferous doming?

Structural, petrological and textural studies are combined with phase equilibria modelling of metapelites from different structural levels of the Roc de Frausa Massif in the Eastern Pyrenees. The pre‐Variscan lithological succession is divided into the Upper, Intermediate and Lower series by two orthogneiss sheets and intruded by Variscan igneous rocks. Structural analysis reveals two phases of Variscan deformation. D1 is marked by tight to isoclinal small‐scale folds and an associated flat‐lying foliation (S1) that affects the whole crustal section. D2 structures are characterized by tight upright folds facing to the NW with steep NE–SW axial planes. D2 heterogeneously reworks the D1 fabrics, leading to an almost complete transposition into a sub‐vertical foliation (S2) in the high‐grade metamorphic domain. All structures are affected by late open to tight, steeply inclined south‐verging NW–SE folds (F3) compatible with steep greenschist facies dextral shear zones of probable Alpine age. In the micaschists of the Upper series, andalusite and sillimanite grew during the formation of the S1 foliation indicating heating from 580 to 640 °C associated with an increase in pressure. Subsequent static growth of cordierite points to post‐D1 decompression. In the Intermediate series, a sillimanite–biotite–muscovite‐bearing assemblage that is parallel to the S1 fabric is statically overgrown by cordierite and K‐feldspar. This sequence points to ~1 kbar of post‐D1 decompression at 630–650 °C. The Intermediate series is intruded by a gabbro–diorite stock that has an aureole marked by widespread migmatization. In the aureole, the migmatitic S1 foliation is defined by the assemblage biotite–sillimanite–K‐feldspar–garnet. The microstructural relationships and garnet zoning are compatible with the D1 pressure peak at ~7.5 kbar and ~750 °C. Late‐ to post‐S2 cordierite growth implies that F2 folds and the associated S2 axial planar leucosomes developed during nearly isothermal decompression to <5 kbar. The Lower series migmatites form a composite S1–S2 fabric; the garnet‐bearing assemblage suggests peak P–T conditions of >5 kbar at suprasolidus conditions. Almost complete consumption of garnet and late cordierite growth points to post‐D2 equilibration at <4 kbar and <750 °C. The early metamorphic history associated with the S1 fabric is interpreted as a result of horizontal middle crustal flow associated with progressive heating and possible burial. The upright F2 folding and S2 foliation are associated with a pressure decrease coeval with the intrusion of mafic magma at mid‐crustal levels. The D2 tectono‐metamorphic evolution may be explained by a crustal‐scale doming associated with emplacement of mafic magmas into the core of the dome.     

斜压气流中波包的演变及其对外压不稳定波的激发

把斜压气流中的短波槽看成波包，并把波包作为准地转模式的初值进行研究，发现波包的结构对其演变有重要影响，初始阶段急流轴下面向西倾斜的波包能够获得较快的发展，而向东倾斜的波包则是衰减的，这与ＷＫＢＪ方法得出的结论［１］是一致的，但是无论西倾还是东倾的波包，除了其自身随时间的演变外，还会激发出斜压不稳定波动，而且随着扰动的发展，不稳定斜压波会逐步在扰动中占主导地位。由此可以解释某些中纬度气旋的发生发展问题。     

多层基础隔震房屋结构在水平地震力作用下的振动传递

文章将周期结构原理与导纳方法结合起来，分析了带复合结构单元的有阻尼的有限周期系统的波传播和振动特性，得到了有限周期结构自振频率的一般表达式。     

Flow resistance adjustments of channel and bars in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in response to the operation of the Three Gorges Dam

Journal of Geographical Sciences - Since the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) was put into operation, the flood water level at an identical discharge rate has not displayed a decreasing trend along the...     

Hydrologic response of engineered media in living roofs and bioretention to large rainfalls: experiments and modeling

The hydrologic response of engineered media plays an important role in determining a stormwater control measure's ability to reduce runoff volume, flow rate, timing, and pollutant loads. Five engineered media, typical of living roof and bioretention stormwater control measures, were investigated in laboratory column experiments for their hydrologic responses to steady, large inflow rates. The inflow, medium water content response, and outflow were all measured. The water flow mechanism (uniform flow vs. preferential flow) was investigated by analyzing medium water content response in terms of timing, magnitude, and sequence with depth. Modeling the hydrologic process was conducted in the HYDRUS‐1D software, applying the Richards equation for uniform flow modeling, and a mobile–immobile model for preferential flow modeling. Uniform flow existed in most cases, including all initially dry living roof media with bimodal pore size distributions and one bioretention medium with unimodal pore size distribution. The Richards equation can predict the outflow hydrograph reasonably well for uniform flow conditions when medium hydraulic properties are adequately represented by appropriate functions. Preferential flow was found in two media with bimodal pore size distributions. The occurrence of preferential flow is more likely due to the interaction between the bimodal pore structure and the initial water content rather than the large inflow rate.     

单次极端高温过程中城市热岛效应的识别

利用高密度自动观测站逐时气温资料和NCEP再分析资料,按照客观的标准选择参考站,分析2010年7月2~6日北京一次极端高温过程中城市热岛强度(IUHI)对城区地面气温时空分布的影响。此次高温过程连续5日的日最高气温均超过35.0°C,为北京站1951年以来连续5日平均最高气温的最高值。大陆暖高压控制我国大部分地区,北京处于高压脊前,西北气流下沉增温,加之气流越山引起的焚风效应,是导致此次极端高温过程发生的环流背景。但受城市热岛效应影响,最高、最低和平均气温的空间分布均出现了以城区为中心的高值区,从城区中心向郊区平均IUHI逐渐减小,最低气温IUHI较大,四环线以内5日平均IUHI达到2.93°C,四、五环线之间1.87°C,五、六环线之间1.43°C;最高气温IUHI较小,但四环线以内,四、五环线之间和五、六环线之间5日平均IUHI仍分别达到1.45°C、0.96°C和0.72°C。在7月3~6日夜间,四环内IUHI极值均在3.00°C以上,特别是7月6日凌晨达到5.50°C;白天IUHI相对较小,其中2日早晨甚至还出现了负值。城区各地带IUHI日变化规律几乎同步,具有两个相对稳定阶段和两个快速变化阶段。稳定的强IUHI阶段从21:00(北京时间,下同)持续到次日05:00,稳定的弱IUHI阶段从08:00至18:00;05:00至08:00是IUHI快速衰减阶段,而18:00至21:00是IUHI快速上升阶段。因此,城市热岛效应对北京城区夏季单次极端高温过程的强度及其空间分布具有显著影响,在很大程度上加重了城区特别是中心城区的高温影响。     

The Coarse-Grained Lacustrine Slope Apron Deposits in the Moliqing Area, Yitong Basin, Northeast China

Overlapping gravity accumulation bodies were formed on the northwestern steep slope of the Shuangyang Formation in the Moliqing fault depression of northeast China. This study analyzed in detail the spatial distribution of the lithofacies and lithofacies associations of these accumulation bodies based on more than 600 m of core sections, and summarized 12 major types of lithofacies and three types of lithofacies associations: (1) the proximal zone consists of gravelly debris flows dominated by alluvial channel conglomerates; (2) the middle zone is dominated by various gravity flow deposits and traction flow deposits; and (3) the distal zone is dominated by mudstones with intercalations of sandy debris and turbidites. Combining with the grain size cumulative probability curves analysis, we determined the transformation of debris flows to sandy debris flows and to turbidity currents in the slope zone of the basin margin, and further proposed a lacustrine slope apron model that is characterized by (1) an inconstant multiple source (line source), (2) an alternation of gravity flow deposits and traction flow deposits dominated by periodical changes in a source flood flow system, and (3) the transformation of sandy debris flow deposits into distal turbidity current deposits. This sedimentary model may be applicable to other fault depressions for predicting reservoir distribution.