Evolution of a bifurcation in a meandering river with adjustable channel widths,Rhine delta apex,The Netherlands

Rivers may dramatically change course on a fluvial plain. Such an avulsion temporarily leads to two active channels connected at a bifurcation. Here we study the effect of dynamic meandering at the bifurcation and the effect of channel width adjustment to changing discharge in both downstream branches on the evolution of a bifurcation and coexisting channels. As an example, we reconstructed the last major avulsion at the Rhine delta apex. We combined historical and geological data to reconstruct a slowly developing avulsion process spanning 2000 years and involving channel width adjustment and meandering at the bifurcation. Based on earlier idealised models, we developed a one‐dimensional model for long‐term morphodynamic prediction of upstream channel and bifurcates connected at the bifurcation node. The model predicts flow and sediment partitioning at the node, including the effect of migrating meanders at the bifurcation and channel width adjustment. Bifurcate channel width adaptation to changing discharge partitioning dramatically slows the pacing of bifurcation evolution because the sediment balance for width adjustment and bed evolution are coupled. The model further shows that meandering at the bifurcation modulates channel abandonment or enlargement periodically. This explains hitherto unrecognised reactivation signals in the sedimentary record of the studied bifurcation meander belts, newly identified in our geological reconstruction. Historical maps show that bifurcation migration due to meander bend dynamics increases the bifurcation angle, which increases the rate of closure of one bifurcate. The combination of model and reconstruction identifies the relevant timescales for bifurcation evolution and avulsion duration. These are the time required to fill one downstream channel over one backwater length, the time to translate one meander wavelength downstream and, for strong river banks, the adaptation timescale to adjust channel width. The findings have relevance for all avulsions where channel width can adjust to changing discharge and where meandering occurs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diffuse and localized failure modes: Two competing mechanisms

The concept of failure is one of the most debated in soil mechanics, for two reasons essentially. First, this is a crucial issue in the engineering of structures and geotechnical project design. Second, this is still a challenging academic issue mobilizing significant scientific interest in the development of a unique framework to describe the different failure modes. In this respect, this paper revisits the localized failure mode, replacing the well‐known Rice criterion within the wider context of bifurcation. Considering a micro‐mechanical model, the main theoretical results are covered. In particular, it is established that localized failure is a particular case of failures observed within the so‐called bifurcation domain: the incremental strain within the localization band is associated with a vanishing value of the second‐order work. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南海贯穿流季节变化数值模拟研究

本文采用美国伍兹霍尔研究所研发的海洋-大气-波浪-泥沙输运耦合模式COAWST(Coupled Dcean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport)对南海及邻近海域进行了9 km分辨率的数值模拟研究。结果表明,南海贯穿流的季节变化再现了冬强夏弱的特征,在南海内部冬季呈现气旋环流结构,夏季呈现反气旋环流结构,尤其在冬季其流轴结构更为清晰和稳定,海水从吕宋海峡进入南海,从民都洛海峡、卡里马塔海峡、台湾海峡和巴拉巴克海峡流出,吕宋海峡断面流量与其他4个海峡流量合计在数量级上相当,保持南海海水总量不变。吕宋海峡、卡里马塔海峡、民都洛海峡的流量呈现明显相关性,吕宋海峡流量增大时,民都洛海峡和卡里马塔海峡的流量也相应增大,相关系数分别达到0.78和0.9。通过更适于分析中短期变化的简化绕岛环流理论,定量计算2019年吕宋海峡、黑潮和棉兰老流流量与北赤道流分叉点位置的关系,发现夏季北赤道流分叉点NECBL(North Equatorial Current Bifurcation Latitude)偏南,在13.6°N附近;冬季NECBL偏北,在15.6°N左右,同期黑潮流量减少,棉兰老流流量增加,作为南海贯穿流入流的吕宋海峡流量可达13.4 Sv。吕宋海峡输运补偿了北赤道流到达菲律宾海岸后的北向分支的流量,与棉兰老流的流量呈正相关,相关系数达到0.5361。     

Stiffness pathologies in discrete granular systems: Bifurcation,neutral equilibrium,and instability in the presence of kinematic constraints

The paper develops the stiffness relationship between the movements and forces among a system of discrete interacting grains. The approach is similar to that used in structural analysis, but the stiffness matrix of granular material is inherently nonsymmetric because of the geometrics of particle interactions and of the frictional behavior of the contacts. Internal geometric constraints are imposed by the particles' shapes, in particular, by the surface curvatures of the particles at their points of contact. Moreover, the stiffness relationship is incrementally nonlinear, and even small assemblies require the analysis of multiple stiffness branches, with each branch region being a pointed convex cone in displacement space. These aspects of the particle-level stiffness relationship give rise to three types of microscale failure: neutral equilibrium, bifurcation and path instability, and instability of equilibrium. These three pathologies are defined in the context of four types of displacement constraints, which can be readily analyzed with certain generalized inverses. That is, instability and nonuniqueness are investigated in the presence of kinematic constraints. Bifurcation paths can be either stable or unstable, as determined with the Hill–Bažant–Petryk criterion. Examples of simple granular systems of three, 16, and 64 disks are analyzed. With each system, multiple contacts were assumed to be at the friction limit. Even with these small systems, microscale failure is expressed in many different forms, with some systems having hundreds of microscale failure modes. The examples suggest that microscale failure is pervasive within granular materials, with particle arrangements being in a nearly continual state of instability.     

Shift in the bifurcation points of rotating magnetized newtonian polytropes caused by a magnetic field

Criteria are formulated for determining the critical points and bifurcation points of rotating, magnetized, newtonian polytropes, which coincide in the absence of a magnetic field. The magnitude of the shift in these points is estimated in terms of the flatness parameter e and rotation speed ε. The dependence of the total energy of a polytrope near the bifurcation and critical points is calculated as a function of the asymmetry parameters X for the distribution of mass relative to the axis of rotation and of the rotation speed ε for ε ≪ 1. The stability of the rotating polytrope with respect to the parameter X is analyzed. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 321–327 (May 2008).     

Network concepts to describe channel importance and change in multichannel systems: test results for the Jamuna River,Bangladesh

Most of the largest rivers on Earth have multiple active channels connected at bifurcations and confluences. At present a method to describe a channel network pattern and changes in the network beyond the simplistic braiding index is unavailable. Our objectives are to test a network approach to understand the character, stability and evolution of a multi‐channel river pattern under natural discharge conditions. We developed a semi‐automatic method to derive a chain‐like directional network from images that represent the multi‐channel river and to connect individual network elements through time. The Jamuna River was taken as an example with a series of Landsat TM and ETM+ images taken at irregular intervals between 1999 and 2004. We quantified the overall importance of individual channels in the entire network using a centrality property. Centrality showed that three reaches can be distinguished along the Jamuna with a different network character: the middle reach has dominantly one important channel, while upstream and downstream there are about two important channels. Temporally, relatively few channels changed dramatically in both low‐flow and high‐flow periods despite the increase of braiding index during a flood. Based on the centrality we calculated a weighted braiding index that represents the number of important channels in the network, which is about two in the Jamuna River and which is larger immediately after floods. We conclude that the network measure centrality provides a novel characterization of river channel networks, highlighting properties and tendencies that have morphological significance. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Earthquake prediction: Is it a practicable scientific perspective or a challenge to science?

It is shown that the main problem in earthquake prediction consists not in separating a useful signal on an imminent strong earthquake from noise but in determining the character of the signal itself. The signal, due to the fractal and roughly discontinuous nature of the geological medium, is not an isolated precursor anomaly but always presents a host of varied-rank wavelets that are not distinctly recognizable and, in addition, are fluctuating in their amplitudes and duration. Bifurcation and the extreme dependence of the behavior of nonlinear geological system upon initial and continuously variable current conditions explain the inevitable unreliability of predicting the most mature earthquake sources.     

The Lagrange and Two-Center Problems in the Lobachevsky Space

The generalization of the two-center problem and the Lagrange problem (a mass point motion under the action of attracting center field and the analog of a constant homogeneous field) to the case of a constant curvature space, in the three-dimensional space of Lobachevsky (³), is investigated in this paper. The integrability of these problems is proved. The bifurcation set in the plane of integrals of motion is constructed and the classification of the domains of possible motion is carried out. An analog of a constant homogeneous field is obtained in the Lobachevsky space.     

Stability,morphology and surface grain size patterns of channel bifurcation in gravel–cobble bedded anabranching rivers

This study presents the first detailed field‐based analysis of the morphology of bifurcations within anabranching cobble–gravel rivers. Bifurcations divide the flow of water and sediment into downstream anabranches, thereby influencing the characteristics of the anabranches and the longevity of river islands. The history, morphology, bed grain size, and flow vectors at five bifurcations on the Renous River, New Brunswick, Canada, were studied in detail. The angles of bifurcations within five anabranching rivers in the Miramichi basin were investigated. The average bifurcation angle was 47°, within the range of values cited for braided river bifurcations. Bifurcation angle decreased when anabranches were of similar length. Shields stresses in channels upstream of bifurcations were lower than reported values for braided rivers. Stable bifurcations displayed lower Shields stresses than unstable bifurcations, contrary to experimental results from braided river bifurcations. Bifurcations in anabranching rivers are stabilized by vegetation that slows channel migration and helps to maintain a uniform upstream flow field. The morphology of stable bifurcations enhances their stability. A large bar, shaped like a shallow ramp that increases in elevation to floodplain level, forms at stable bifurcations. Floodplains at stable bifurcations accrete upstream at rates between 0·9 and 2·5 m a^?1. Bars may also form within the entrance of an anabranch downstream of the bifurcation node. These bars are associated with bifurcation instability, forming after a period of stability or an avulsion. Channel abandonment occurs when a bar completely blocks the entrance to one anabranch. The stability of channels upstream of bifurcations and the location of bars at bifurcations influence bifurcation stability and the maintenance of river anabranching in the long term. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

长江口南北槽分流口洪季水沙变化过程研究

河口分流口的水沙变化过程是影响河口三角洲发育的核心环节,对下游河势的稳定起着关键性的作用。本文通过对北槽二、三期工程前后的南北槽分流口河段洪季大潮期间的同步水沙观测数据进行分析,以探讨长江口深水航道工程整治对分流口水沙过程的影响。结果表明:(1)北槽二期工程到三期工程后,分流口洪季以落潮优势流、优势沙为主的格局基本没有发生改变,但南槽优势流、优势沙出现略有变大,而北槽略有变小现象;(2)分流口洪季的水体输移主要受控于欧拉余流的变化,除北槽入口段水体净输移量一直较小外,其他河段在二、三期工程实施期间均有大幅提升,其中斯托克斯余流变化不大,拉格朗日余流与欧拉余流变化相一致,南槽呈波动状上升,北槽先增后减;(3)在二期到三期工程期间,北槽分流比明显减小,入口段落潮流速减小,含沙量较高,水体输移量降低,输沙强度减弱,由此导致二期工程以来北槽入口河段淤积强度加重。