Morphology and internal structure of a dormant landslide in a hilly area: The Collinabos landslide (Belgium)

This study attempts to reconstruct the history of the Collinabos landslide, a landslide with a fresh morphology that is representative for more than 150 dormant, deep-seated (> 3 m) landslides in the Flemish Ardennes (Belgium). A geomorphological map was created based on LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)-derived maps and detailed field surveys. The map showed that the landslide consisted of three zones with significant differences in surface topography. The northern landslide zone 1 is characterised by at least five reverse slopes, whereas zones 2 and 3, the southern landslide zones, have only two reverse slopes and a convex foot. Electric resistivity profiles measured in zones 1 and 2 revealed that the differences in surface topography were not related to differences in internal structure as both parts of the landslide were initiated as a rotational earth slide with a surface of rupture at 15 m deep, where the displaced material broke apart in two blocks. However, two shear surfaces of reactivations within landslide debris were only distinguished in the accumulation area of zone 1. The observed differences in surface morphology can be caused by a temporary conversion of a forest into cropland in zone 2. It is suggested that reverse slopes of smaller reactivations within landslide debris were obliterated during the agricultural activities. AMS radiocarbon dating of organic material found in ponds located in reverse slopes generally resulted in relatively recent dates (i.e. 1400–1950 Cal AD) suggesting that several of the small local reactivations occurred in that period. One dating at 8700–8440 Cal BP of organic matter collected in a reverse slope in zone 1 suggests that an initiation under periglacial conditions cannot be excluded for the Collinabos landslide. By combining different technologies, this study provides valuable information for a better understanding of dormant landslides.     

Thermal surface characteristics of coal fires 1 results of in-situ measurements

Natural underground coal fires are fires in coal seams occurring subsurface. The fires are ignited through a process named spontaneous combustion, which occurs based on a natural reaction but is usually triggered through human interaction. Coal mining activities expose coal to the air. This leads to the exothermal oxidation of the carbon in the coal with the air's oxygen to CO₂ and – under certain circumstances – to spontaneous combustion. Coal fires occur in many countries world wide – however, currently the Chinese coal mining industry faces the biggest problems with coal fires. Coal fires destroy the valuable resource coal and furthermore lead to many environmental degradation phenomena such as the deterioration of surrounding vegetation, land subsidence and the emission of toxic gasses (CO, N₂O). They additionally contribute to the emission of green house relevant gasses such as CO₂ and CH₄ to the atmosphere.In this paper we present thermal characteristics of coal fires as measured in-situ during a field campaign to the Wuda coal fire area in south-central Inner Mongolia, China. Thermal characteristics include temperature anomaly measurements at the surface, spatial surface temperature profiles of fire areas and unaffected background areas, diurnal temperature profiles, and temperature measurements inside of coal fire induced cracks in the overlying bedrock. For all the measurements the effects of uneven solar heating through influences of slope and aspect are considered.Our findings show that coal fires result in strong or subtle thermal surface anomalies. Especially the latter can easily be influenced by heating of the surrounding background material through solar influences. Temperature variation of background rocks with different albedo, slope, aspect or vegetation cover can substantially influence the detectability of thermal anomalies. In the worst case coal fire related thermal anomalies can be completely masked by solar patterns during the daytime. Thus, night-time analysis is the most suitable for thermal anomaly mapping of underground coal fires, although this is not always feasible. The heat of underground coal fires only progresses very slowly through conduction in the rock material. Anomalies of coal fires completely covered by solid unfractured bedrock are very weak and were only measured during the night. The thermal pattern of underground coal fires manifested on the surface during the daytime is thus the pattern of cracks and vents, which occur due to the volume loss underground and which support radiation and convective energy transport of hot gasses. Inside coal fire temperatures can hardly be measured and can only be recorded if the glowing coal is exposed through a wider crack in the overlaying bedrock. Direct coal fire temperatures measured ranged between 233 °C and 854 °C. The results presented can substantially support the planning of thermal mapping campaigns, analyses of coal fire thermal anomalies in remotely sensed data, and can provide initial and boundary conditions for coal fire related numerical modeling.In a second paper named “Thermal Characteristics of Coal Fires 2: results of measurements on simulated coal fires” [Zhang J., Kuenzer C., Tetzlaff A., Oettl D., Zhukov B., Wagner W., 2007. Thermal Characteristics of Coal Fires 2: Result of measurements on simulated coal fires. Accepted for publication at Journal of Applied Geophysics. doi:10.1016/j.jappgeo.2007.08.003] we report about thermal characteristics of simulated coal fires simulated under simplified conditions. The simulated set up allowed us to measure even more parameters under undisturbed conditions — especially inside fire temperatures. Furthermore we could demonstrate the differences between open surface coal fires and covered underground coal fires. Thermal signals of coal fires in near range thermal remotely sensed imagery from an observing tower and from an airplane are presented and discussed.     

Application of wavelet transformation to determine wavelengths and phase velocities of gravity waves observed by lidar measurements

During the last two decades, important advances have been made in the investigation of gravity waves. However, more efforts are needed to study certain aspects of gravity waves. In the real atmosphere, gravity waves occur with different properties at different altitudes and, most often, simultaneously. In this case, when there is more than one dominant wave, the determination of gravity wave characteristics, such as the vertical wavelength and the phase velocity, is difficult. The interpretation of temperature perturbation plots versus the altitude and time as well as the application of the Fourier spectral analysis can produce errors.Exact knowledge of the wave characteristics is important both for determination of other characteristics, for example, the horizontal wave components, and for study of wave climatology. The wavelet analysis of vertical temperature profiles allows one to examine the wave's location in space. Up to now, gravity waves have been studied mainly by continuous wavelet transformation to determine dominant waves. We apply wavelet analysis to a time series of temperature profiles, observed by the ALOMAR ozone lidar at Andoya, Norway, and by the U. Bonn lidar system at ESRANGE, Sweden, both for determination of the dominant waves and for specifying the vertical wavelengths and the vertical component of the phase velocities. For this purpose, the wavelet amplitude spectra and the wavelet phase spectra are filtered and Hovmöller diagrams for dominant wavelengths are constructed. The advantage of this type of diagrams is that they give clear evidence for the localization of the dominant waves in space and time and for the development of their phase fronts.     

Velocity and turbulence variations at the edge of saltmarshes

Saltmarsh vegetation significantly influences tidal currents and sediment deposition by decelerating the water velocity in the canopy. In order to complement previous field results, detailed profiles of velocity and turbulence were measured in a laboratory flume. Natural Spartina anglica plants were installed in a 3 m length test section in a straight, recirculating flume. Different vegetation densities, water depths and surface velocities were investigated. The logarithmic velocity profile, which existed in front of the vegetation, was altered gradually to a skimming-flow profile, typical for submerged saltmarsh vegetation. The flow reduction in the denser part of the canopy also induced an upward flow (the current was partially deflected by the canopy). The skimming flow was accompanied by a zone of high turbulence co-located with the strongest velocity gradient. This gradient moved upward and the turbulence increased with distance from the edge of the vegetation. Below the skimming flow, the velocity and the turbulence were low. The structure of the flow in the canopy was relatively stable 2 m into the vegetation. The roughness length (z₀) of the vegetation depends only on the vegetation characteristics, and is not sensitive to the current velocity or the water depth. Both the reduced turbulence in the dense canopy and the high turbulence at the top of the canopy should increase sediment deposition. On the other hand, the high turbulence zone just beyond the vegetation edge and the oblique upward flow may produce reduced sedimentation; a phenomenon that was observed near the vegetation edge in the field.     

近海多种卫星测高联合数据处理技术

海域海况复杂多变 ,潮汐不但受外海能量输入的控制 ,而且在复杂的海岸线、浅海海底和内陆河流运输的作用下变得异常复杂。卫星测高由于受复杂的海洋动力环境和陆地反射的影响 ,数据质量普遍较深海差。将多种卫星测高数据联合处理 ,可以大大提高近海海域平均海面高的精度与分辨率 ,增强测高卫星监测近海复杂动力现象与反演近海复杂动力机制的能力。本文讨论近海多种卫星联合数据处理的技术与方法 ,分别从提取海平面稳态和时变信息的角度较系统地研究了多种卫星测高联合数据处理方法 ,通过提取不同测高卫星海平面观测数据中与时间无关的系统偏差 ,建立多种卫星测高数据的海平面时变基准 ,从而将多种测高卫星海面监测数据融合到一个动力系统中。大大提高测高卫星海平面监测的时空分辨率 ,为联合多种卫星测高数据在大地测量与近海海洋动力学研究中的应用创造基本条件。     

近百年全球平均气温年际变率中的QBO长期变化特征

应用奇异谱分析(SSA)方法和奇异交叉谱分析(SCSA)方法，对全球及南北半球近100多年(1856～1997年)逐月地面气温距平序列中的准两年周期振荡(QBO)的长期演变特征进行诊断分析。结果表明:全球平均气温序列蕴含显著的QBO分量，它们与全球气候系统中其他各个子系统所隐含的QBO信号具有各种耦合对应关系，尤其突出地表现在Nino区海温和以SLP序列为代表的全球大气环流系统中QBO信号的耦合对应关系上。而平均气温的QBO的年代际特征及其变率的阶段性，不但表现在振幅上，而且其位相亦很明显。上述特征在全球、两半球具有明显的差异。     

近百年全球平均地面气温准周期信号及其长期演变特征的分析

应用奇异谱分析(SSA)方法,对全球及南北半球近100多年(1856～1997年)逐月地面气温距平序列的年际变化准周期性进行诊断分析,结果表明,全球平均气温序列中以准5～6年和准4年周期振荡最显著,其次是准两年周期振荡.各种准周期振荡年代际演变特征及其变率的阶段性,不但表现在振幅上,而且其波数亦很明显.上述特征在全球、南北半球都各有明显的差异.奇异交叉谱分析(SCSA)表明,全球平均地面气温的年际振荡与气候系统中其他各子系统所隐含的准周期信号具有各种耦合关系,尤其表现在与Nino区海温或南方涛动指数中的准周期信号的耦合关系上.     

Quaternary vertical offset and average slip rate of the Nojima Fault on Awaji Island, Japan

Abstract Drilling was carried out to penetrate the Nojima Fault where the surface rupture occurred associated with the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake. Two 500 m boreholes were successfully drilled through the fault zone at a depth of 389.4 m. The drilling data show that the relative uplift of the south-east side of the Nojima Fault (south-west segment) was approximately 230 m. The Nojima branch fault, which branches from the Nojima Fault, is inferred to extend to the Asano Fault. From the structural contour map of basal unconformity of the Kobe Group, the vertical component of displacement of the Nojima branch–Asano Fault is estimated to be 260–310 m. Because the vertical component of displacement on the Nojima Fault of the north-east segment is a total of those of the Nojima Fault of the south-west segment and of the Nojima branch–Asano Fault, it is estimated to total to 490–540 m. From this, the average vertical component of the slip rate on the Nojima Fault is estimated to be 0.4–0.45 m/10³ years for the past 1.2 million years.     

脉冲电镀金刚石钻头试验研究

介绍脉冲电镀在人造金刚石孕镶钻头上的应用研究，探讨脉冲电镀机理，采用正交试验法优化脉冲电镀工艺参数；研制了脉冲电镀钻头，生产钻头周期缩短了３０％。在室内和野外生产试验中，发现脉冲电镀钻头较直流电镀钻头有如下优点：钻进地层适用范围广、钻进时效高。