Tidal Stress/Strain and the b-values of Acoustic Emissions at the Underground Research Laboratory, Canada

The correlation between the b-values of acoustic emissions (AEs) and the phase of the moon was investigated at the Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in Canada. The same data as those used in Iwata (2002) were examined, which showed that the occurrence of AEs is correlated with the phase of the moon. It was expected, therefore, that the b-value of the AEs would also be sensitive to tidal stress/strain fluctuations. We investigated the variation of the b-values as a function of the phase of the moon. Results show that b-values immediately following the times of full/new moon are higher than those at other times. Using AIC (Akaike Information Criterion) and random (Monte Carlo) simulations, it was confirmed that this feature is statistically significant. We also investigated whether or not there was a change in the b-values immediately before the times of full/new moon, but no statistically significant change was observed. The results suggest that the effect of stress/strain fluctuations on AE occurrences at the URL is asymmetric to the times of full/new moon.All authors are members of the Academic Robotics Group. In listing The Academic Robotics Group, the authors are endeavoring to place each of the participant institutions on an equal footing in terms of effort and authorship. M. A. Talamini is serving as presenter.     

海南博螯沿岸地貌与人类活动的潜在影响

The Boao coastal system along the eastern coast of Hainan Island is a dynamic delta-tidal inlet-barrier formed during the late Holocene. The delta developed inside a shallow lagoon barred by a sandy barrier with a narrow, shallow tidal inlet opening. Two major distributary channels separated by small islands characterize the delta. The lagoon is silting up receiving and trapping sediments from both the river and, in minor measure during storms, through the tidal inlet opening and barrier washovers. The barrier at the tidal inlet is highly dynamic and changes its form, accreting (migrating spit) against the inlet during fair-weather conditions and being eroded during storms and river floods.The delta has almost completely filled the lagoon and major concerns exist on the effect that ongoing large development plans may have on the environment. These concerns include the effect on floods and rate of siltation once banks of the islands have been stabilized and floodwater and sediment load are impeded from spreading over the lowlands, and the effect of increasing pollutant loads from the new facilities on the ecosystems of the increasingly restricting lagoon water and on the seashores.     

The variation of sediments organic carbon content in Chongming east tidal flat during Scirpus mariqueter growing stage

The investigations on the organic carbon (OC) of core sediments were carried out in Chongming east tidal flat (CM) during Scirpus mariqueter growing stage (from April to December 2004) in Yangtze Estuary. The Yangtze River annually transports a runoff discharge of 30,000 m3/s, carrying about 480 million tons of sediments to the estuarine and coastal area, which formed a great OC pool. In the sampling spots, seven quadrats of 50 cm × 50 cm and five sediments cores of 20 cm deep (40 cm deep in December) were randomly established in order to collect vegetations and core sediments samples during the low tide each month except November. After pretreatment, the core sediments were sieved and their OC contents were measured according to the potassium dichromate method. The results show that the higher surface sediment OC content in summer comes from allochthonous terrigenous particle settlements on the Chongming east middle tidal flat S. mariqueter zone. In autumn and winter, the decomposing of the defoliated S. mariqueter increases the surface sediments OC content. Settling velocity, sediment temperature and S. mariqueter growth are the main factors that can control the sediment carbon content. Summer is the "carbon losing" period of the tidal flat sediments, while from September, it changes into the "carbon accumulating" period of sediment OC pool because of the decomposing of dead S. mariqueter community in the sediments. From this alternation of "carbon losing" period and "carbon accumulating" period, we conclude that carbon in the OC pool of the middle tidal flat S. mariqueter zone sediments mainly comes from the atmospheric carbon rooted by S. mariqueter photosynthesis.     

固体潮观测数据预处理中的一些常用方法及其计算机实现

试图从台站产出的原始地形变前兆数据出发,提出一些实际操作性较强的预处理方法,从已编制好的软件中给出处理实例,从而达到提高台站观测人员的科研能力,填补资料预处理方面的某些空白的目的,这对于台站人员集观测、科研于一体有着十分重要的意义。从95-01-02项目厦门地震台前兆数据预处理的实践表明:这些方法取得了明显的实效,直到今天仍然具有很大的使用价值。     

海南新村港潮汐汊道波流联合作用下的动力特征及其沉积动力学意义

基于ADCIRC与STWAVE模型,对海南新村港潮汐汊道的波浪-潮流联合作用进行了数值模拟,结果表明,S、SE向的平均浪与风暴浪在汊道近岸以产生西向沿岸流为主,SSW向平均浪与风暴浪作用时,在落潮主水道西侧形成东向沿岸流与西向沿岸流的交汇带。风暴浪作用下波生流与潮流的相互作用使瞬时流场与余流场均发生相应的变化。在平均浪作用时,汊道附近流速变化很小,而在风暴浪作用时流速增大,汊道内的涨、落潮流速不对称更为显著。在落潮主水道两侧由于波流联合作用产生涡漩,使动力减弱,从而造成泥沙落淤,而西向沿岸流的存在,使落潮主水道南侧边缘沙坝持续西移,泥沙沿落潮三角洲末端与冲流坝转运,导致新村港汊道口门西侧发育了规模较大的堆积地貌。     

江苏中部海岸潮沟的形态变化特征

作为一种典型的潮滩地貌单元,潮沟(tidal creeks) 在江苏中部海岸潮间带广泛发育,并表现出复杂的摆动性。本文根据1981-2010 年遥感影像和野外观测数据,对该区潮沟的平面形态变化进行了分析。结果显示,江苏中部海岸潮沟(根据其长度差异) 一般分为4 级,1~3 级潮沟的个数分别为21、97 和688 (1:5:33),其平均长度分别为7587±1544 m、1921±916 m和327±200 m;潮沟在中潮带比较发育,其密度和分汊率明显大于高潮带和低潮带;主潮沟曲率从高潮带向低潮带呈减小趋势;外来引种互花米草扩展和大规模滩涂围垦活动对潮沟产生了较大影响,其中后者明显地抑制了潮沟的发育。研究区潮沟的摆动性具有明显的区域和级别差异。与研究区北部的潮滩区域相比,海岸潮差较大的南部潮滩区潮沟的摆动性较大;同一个潮沟系统其1 级潮沟的摆动性>2 级潮沟>3 级潮沟;同一条潮沟其下段的摆动性>中段>上段;同一区段弯曲岸段的摆动性>顺直岸段;1 级潮沟上段、2 级潮沟中上段、3 级潮沟或位于盐沼内的潮沟其摆动性不明显。     

山西省地下流体观测井地下水类型综合判定

为提升对山西省地下流体观测井承压性的进一步认识,以位于该省北、中、南部的朔州井、静乐井、祁县井、洪洞井和东郭井为研究对象,选取水位、气压观测数据,并利用井水位的理论固体潮数据,分别对井水位进行气压的阶跃响应函数计算、FFT频谱和潮汐相位响应分析,综合判定地下流体观测井—含水层类型,结果表明,5口观测井地下水埋藏类型均为半承压水。     

Algorithm for Harmonic Tidal Analysis along T/P Tracks： Taking Differences of Observed Sea Surface Heights at Adjacent Points as Observations

An algorithm （differential mode） is presented for the improvement of harmonic tidal analysis along T/P tracks, in which the differences between the observed sea surface heights at adjacent points are taken as observations. Also, the observation equations are constrained with the results of the crossover analysis; the parameter estimations are performed at 0.1° latitude intervals by the least squares. Cycle 10 to 330 T/P altimeter data covering the China Sea and the Northwest Pacific Ocean （2°-50° N,105°-150° E） are adopted for a refined along-track harmonic tidal analysis, and harmonic constants of 12 constituents in 8 474 points are obtained, which indicates that the algorithm can efficiently remove non-tidal effects in the altimeter observations, and improve the precision of tide parameters. Moreover, parameters along altimetry tracks represent a smoother distribution than those obtained by traditional algorithms. The root mean squares of the fitting errors between the tidal height model and the observations reduce from 11 cm to 1.3 cm.     

Salinity and periodic inundation controls on the soil‐plant‐atmosphere continuum of gray mangroves

Salinity and periodic inundation are both known to have a major role in shaping the ecohydrology of mangroves through their controls on water uptake, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, gas exchanges, and nutrient availability. Salinity, in particular, can be considered one of the main abiotic regulating factors for halophytes and salt‐tolerant species, due to its influence on water use patterns and growth rate. Ecohydrological literature has rarely focused on the effects of salinity on plant transpiration, based on the fact that the terrestrial plants mostly thrive in low‐saline, unsaturated soils where the role of osmotic potential can be considered negligible. However, the effect of salinity cannot be neglected in the case of tidal species like mangroves, which have to cope with hyperosmotic conditions and waterlogging. We introduce here a first‐order ecohydrological model of the soil/plant‐atmosphere continuum of Avicennia marina—also known as gray mangrove—a highly salt‐tolerant pioneer species able to adapt to hyperarid intertidal zones and characterized by unique morphological and ecophysiological traits. The A. marina's soil‐plant‐atmosphere continuum takes explicitly into account the role of water head, osmotic water potential, and water salinity in governing plant water fluxes. A. marina's transpiration is thus modeled as a function of salinity based on a simple parameterization of salt exclusion mechanisms at the root level and a modified Jarvis' expression accounting for the effects of salinity on stomatal conductance. Consistently with previous studies investigating the physiology of mangroves in response to different environmental drivers, our results highlight the major influence of salinity on mangrove transpiration when contrasted with other potential stressors such as waterlogging and water stress.     

Long‐term monitoring of a mercury contaminated estuary (Ria de Aveiro,Portugal): the effect of weather events and management in mercury transport

The main aim of this research was to assess the mercury transport from an estuarine basin with a background of anthropogenic contamination during a spring tidal cycle (year 2009) and compare it with two previous tidal cycles (years 1994 and 1999), as part of a long‐term monitoring program. Results showed that effective mercury transport occurs both in the dissolved and particulate fractions (0.18 and 0.20 kg per tidal cycle, respectively), and despite an overall decrease in environmental contamination, results more than double previous findings on particulate transport in the system. These findings result essentially from changes in the tidal prism (net export of 2 million m³ of water), given that both dissolved and particulate concentrations did not increase over time. Hydrodynamic simulations were performed to evaluate the effect of physical disturbance (dredging) and weather events (increased freshwater flow) in these processes, and results suggest the increased freshwater flow into the system as the main forcing function for the mercury transport increment. These results highlight the importance of long‐term monitoring programs, since despite an overall improvement in local contamination levels, the enhancement of transport processes through hydrological changes increases environmental pressure away from the contamination source. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.