Horizontal and seasonal patterns of tropical zooplankton from the eutrophic Prado Reservoir (Colombia)

Zooplankton community analyses can reveal valuable information about the trophic status and secondary production in reservoirs. The zooplankton seasonal distribution and important physical and chemical parameters in Prado Reservoir (Tolima, Central Colombia) were studied in monthly surveys throughout a hydrological cycle (February 2000-January 2001) in order to establish seasonal patterns and the biotic and abiotic relationships for the reservoir. Surface zooplankton collections at 1 m depth were taken at six sampling stations with regard to reservoir morphometry, location of main tributaries and mixing areas of the incoming tributaries. Cladocerans numerically dominated (48.1%) the community throughout the study period followed by Copepoda (32.7%), Rotifera (19.1%), and Diptera larvae (0.01%). Among the cladocerans, there was a greater abundance of Bosmina longirostris (69.8%) than other crustaceans. Among the Rotifera, Brachionus falcatus was the most abundant with 23% and Keratella tropica was least abundant with 8%. The only cyclopoid species found was Thermocyclops decipiens. The phantom midge Chaoborus sp. was also part of the zooplankton community. Based on numbers, cladocerans represented a significant component of the zooplankton in both dry and rainy seasons. Four species (Brachionus spp., K. tropica, Diaphanosoma brachyurum, Ceriodaphnia cornuta, Moina sp., and T. decipiens) had never previously been found in the reservoir, but were recorded for other standing Colombian water bodies. The replacement of B. longirostris instead of Daphnia sp. as dominant species was observed. The results of the comparison of the different studies confirmed that the trophic state of this artificial lake may be classified as eutrophic, and in general, physical, and chemical homogeneity were observed both spatially and temporally.     

不透水地基上堤坝上游坡的附加渗径

根据努美罗夫的理论解,附加渗径 与上游水深H成正比,与单宽流量与渗透系数的比值q/k成反比。按该理论解的浸润线方程,应用数值积分法求出比例系数 和 ,并提出了有足够精度的拟合式。边坡有压流的附加渗径 仅与透水层厚度T成正比,而和H、q/k无关, 。根据计算结果, 。对于 反比于q/k,文中作了分析和解释。该计算方法还可推广应用于上游坡下有一定厚度覆盖层的附加渗径计算,并且对附加渗径的各计算式作了比较和分析,并以实例说明了如何应用附加渗径计算堤坝的渗流。     

Dynamics of submerged intake towers including interaction with dam and foundation

The dynamics of a coupled concrete gravity dam-intake tower–reservoir water–foundation rock system is numerically studied considering two hollow slender towers submerged in reservoir of gravity dam. The system is investigated in the frequency-domain using frequency response functions of the dam and the towers, and in the time-domain using time-history seismic analysis under a real earthquake ground motion. The analyzes are separately conducted under horizontal and vertical ground motions. The coupled system is three-dimensionally modeled using finite elements by Eulerian–Lagrangian approach. It is shown that presence of the dam significantly influences the dynamic response of the towers under both horizontal and vertical excitations; however the dam is not affected by the towers. When the dam is present in the model, the water contained inside the towers has different effects if the foundation is rigid, but it alleviates the towers motion if the foundation is flexible. It is concluded that the effects of foundation interaction are of much importance in the response of tall slender towers when they are located near concrete gravity dams.     

Assessment of 80 years of ancient‐badlands restoration in Saldaña,Spain

This paper presents the history of badland generated in the Saldaña region, Spain; as well as the main responses eight decades after the start of restoration – in terms of vegetation, soil and erosive processes. The restoration consisted of intense reforestation and construction of more than 100 check dams and numerous wattle fences. Presently, the dense vegetation (87% cover) contrasts markedly with the degraded landscape from the early 20th century (5% cover). The thickness of litter and the natural presence of some species (Quercus pyrenaica, Paeonia broteroi and Lactarius deliciosus) clearly indicate the recovery of the site. The development of the forest cover shows that the intervention has the potential to recover almost 90% of the area. There is also evidence of soil regeneration, although some properties (erodibility, resistance to penetration and shear‐strength resistance) are not that different between the forested and degraded areas. In the restored zones, runoff is negligible, since a thick layer of moss covers the spillways of all the check dams. Erosion has almost been stopped by the effects of vegetation cover, litter and higher infiltration rates (infiltration rate in forested slopes is 43.4 times greater than in bare slopes). Sediment detachment, such as landslides, mudflows and piping, still occur, but are restricted to the degraded zones. Furthermore, even when sediments are mobilized from the upper degraded hillslopes during the larger storms events (2000–2010), check dams and the lower elevation restored forest‐buffers effectively work to reduce the sediment yield into the Carrión River by almost three orders of magnitude (<10² mg L^‐1), compared with data from the 1930s and 1940s (>10⁵ mg L^‐1). Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic stability of earth-rock dams using finite element limit analysis

In this study, a finite element limit analysis method is developed to assess the seismic stability of earth-rock dams. A pseudo-static approach is employed within the limit analysis framework to determine the lower and upper bounds on the critical seismic coefficients of dams. The interlocking force in the soil is considered, and the rockfill material is assumed to follow the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion and an associated flow rule. Based on the native form of the failure criterion, the lower and upper bound theorems are formulated as second-order cone programming problems. The nonlinear shear strength properties of rockfill materials are also considered. The developed finite element limit analysis is applied to two different types of earth-rock dams. The results indicate that the rigorous lower and upper bounds are very close even for rockfill materials with large internal friction angles. The failure surfaces are easily predicted using the contour of the yield function and the displacement field obtained by the limit analysis method. In addition, the pore water pressures are modelled as external forces in the limit analysis to assess the seismic stability of earth-rock dams in the reservoir filling stage.     

陕北黄河中游淤地坝拦沙功能失效的判断标准

利用2011 年第一次全国水利普查中4157 座骨干坝数据、1989 年陕北淤地坝调查中1640座中小坝数据,分别计算了1950-2011 年期间骨干坝、1956-1989 年期间中小坝的逐年平均淤积比例,得到截至2011 年,1980 年前修建骨干坝的平均淤积比例基本稳定,平均值为0.77,1980 年后开始逐渐下降;截至1989 年,1980 年前修建中小坝的平均淤积比例基本稳定,平均值为0.88,1980 年后开始逐渐下降的变化趋势,确定平均淤积比例0.77、0.88 分别为骨干坝、中小坝拦沙能力失效的判断标准。利用陕北淤地坝调查数据计算得到的骨干坝拦沙功能失效判断一致;在无定河、延河流域,水文站输沙数据的变化趋势与淤地坝是否拦沙显著相关。最后从淤地坝工程结构的角度,剖析了排水排沙位置的改变是判断标准形成的原因。     

泥石流拦砂坝底扬压力分布及影响因素试验

泥石流拦砂坝底的扬压力会抵消坝体的部分有效荷重,影响其抗倾覆稳定性。为了研究拦砂坝底扬压力的分布规律及其影响因素,设计制作了拦砂坝模型和扬压力采集系统,开展了不同沟床坡度和不同坝前堆积条件下的扬压力模拟试验。试验结果表明,扬压力自坝踵至坝趾不断减小,且与渗流距离呈线性关系,当坝前有堆积物时相关系数绝对值达到0.98以上;沟床坡度明显影响坝底扬压力的分布。随着沟床坡度的增加,扬压力不断减小,且对坝踵处扬压力的影响较坝趾处更大;坝底和坝前堆积物的渗透性对扬压力的影响也很显著,它们的渗透性越差,扬压力就越小;坝前堆积物的渗透性还显著影响扬压力的分布规律,渗透性越差,其分布规律性就越强。研究成果为深入研究泥石流拦砂坝底扬压力的作用过程和作用机制奠定了基础。     

Effect of ground-motion asynchronism on the equivalent acceleration of earth dams

Under seismic loads the deformability of an earth dam may induce several effects, including ground-motion amplification and asynchronism between different points of the dam embankment. The paper analyses the asynchronous effects occurring in two existing earth dams, representing well-documented case histories: the El Infiernillo Dam (Mexico) and the Camastra Dam (Italy). Asynchronous effects are analysed by theoretical predictions of the dam seismic response by adopting an advanced dynamic approach, which takes into account the main features that dam soils exhibit under cyclic loading conditions. For different potentially unstable masses within the dam embankment, equivalent accelerations were computed as the ratio between the resultant of the inertial forces and the weight of the volume V associated to the unstable mass. With the exception of very cortical sliding surfaces – not significant for dam stability – in most of the analysed cases the equivalent seismic coefficients do not exceed the peak acceleration at the dam base.     

Seismic performance sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of gravity dams

Uncertainties in structural engineering are often arising from the modeling assumptions and errors, or from variability in input loadings. A practical approach for dealing with them is to perform sensitivity and uncertainty analysis in the framework of stochastic and probabilistic methods. These analyses can be statically and dynamically performed through nonlinear static pushover and IDA techniques, respectively. Of the existing structures, concrete gravity dams are infrastructures which may encounter many uncertainties. In this research, probabilistic analysis of the seismic performance of gravity dams is presented. The main characteristics of the nonlinear tensile behavior of mass concrete, along with the intensity of earthquake excitations are considered as random variables in the probabilistic analysis. Using the tallest non‐overflow monolith of the Pine Flat gravity dam as a case study, its response under static and dynamic situations is reliably examined utilizing different combinations of parameters in the material and the seismic loading. The sensitivity analysis reveals the relative importance of each parameter independently. It will be shown that the undamaged modulus of elasticity and tensile strength of mass concrete have more significant roles on the seismic resistance of the dam than the ultimate inelastic tensile strain. In order to propagate the parametric uncertainty to the actual seismic performance of the dam, probabilistic simulation methods such as Monte Carlo simulation with Latin hypercube sampling, and approximate moment estimation techniques will be used. The final results illustrate the possibility of using a mean‐parameter dam model to estimate the mean seismic performance of the dam. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南京江宁区某退役小型硫铁矿尾矿库的治理方法

针对江宁区某退役小型硫铁矿出现的不良地质现象,对该尾矿坝进行了抗滑以及抗渗稳定性计算和分析,指出坝体处于不稳定状态,并提出具体治理方法。治理的方案包括降低坝体高度减载,在坡脚处反压坝体增加坝体稳定性,设置排渗设施降低浸润线高度,修筑排水沟阻止地表水停留在库区表面。最后需验证治理后尾矿坝在地震作用下的稳定性,运用时程分析法对设计后的坝体进行了动力有限元的分析,结果表明坝体内部和整体处于较稳定的状态。