Erosions on the southern Tibetan Plateau: Evidence from in-situ cosmogenic nuclides 10Be and 26Al in fluvial sediments

Investigating topographic and climatic controls on erosion at variable spatial and temporal scales is essential to our understanding of the topographic evolution of the orogen.In this work,we quantified millennial-scale erosion rates deduced from cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al concentrations in 15 fluvial sediments from the mainstream and major tributaries of the Yarlung Zangbo River draining the southern Tibetan Plateau (TP).The measured ratios of 26Al/10Be range from 6.33 ± 0.29 to 8.96 ± 0.37,suggesting steady-state erosion processes.The resulted erosion rates vary from 20.60 ± 1.79 to 154.00 ± 13.60 m Myr-1,being spatially low in the upstream areas of the Gyaca knickpoint and high in the downstream areas.By examining the relationships between the erosion rate and topographic or climatic indices,we found that both topography and climate play significant roles in the erosion process for basins in the upstream areas of the Gyaca knickpoint.However,topography dominantly controls the erosion processes in the downstream areas of the Gyaca knickpoint,whereas variations in precipitation have only a second-order control.The marginal Himalayas and the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin (YZRB) yielded significantly higher erosion rates than the central plateau,which indicated that the landscape of the central plateau surface is remarkably stable and is being intensively consumed at its boundaries through river headward erosion.In addition,our 10Be erosion rates are comparable to present-day hydrologic erosion rates in most cases,suggesting either weak human activities or long-term steady-state erosion in this area.     

Theoretical constraints to gully erosion research: time for a re‐evaluation of concepts and assumptions?

Gullies are conceptualized in the literature as essentially fluvial forms with dimensional boundaries arbitrarily defined between rills and river channels. This notion is incompatible with the existing variability of form and process, as mass movements frequently exert a fundamental control on gully initiation and expansion, to the point of features outgrowing their original contributing area. The inability of a conceptual framework to incorporate existing observations inevitably constrains methodologies and research results. In this commentary, several examples of published results are contrasted with the prevailing assumption of an essentially fluvial nature, with the purpose of encouraging discussion on the need for a revised conceptual framework in gully erosion research. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil erosion and management on the Loess Plateau

1 Introduction The Loess Plateau situated in northern China covers the drainage basins in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. It starts from the western piedmont of Taihang Mountains in the east, reaches the eastern slope of the Wushao and Riyue mountains, connects the northern part of the Qinling Mountains in the south and borders the Great Wall in the north, covering an area of about 380,000 km2 (Figure 1). The region is overlain extensively by Quaternary loess in great thickness, …     

Extreme wave event along the Guyana coastline in October 2005

The objective of the research is to analyze in detail the causes and consequences of the unusual event at the coast of Guyana (South America) during October 16–19, 2005. Several sea defense structures were damaged and flooding of low-lying areas occurred. A data analysis of offshore wave and water level characteristics shows an abrupt change in wave direction from east to almost north on October 16, 2005 and a sudden increase in the offshore peak period up to extreme values. The offshore significant wave height was also relatively high, and these wave characteristics coincided with springtide conditions. The long-wave periods and the sharp transition in wave direction indicate that this event is associated with swell waves generated by a depression far away. An analysis of hurricanes and depressions reveals that a severe depression in the Northern Atlantic Ocean during October 11–15 was the origin of this swell event. Numerical computations with SWAN have been carried out to investigate the propagation of the offshore wave characteristics towards the shoreline. The SWAN model includes wave damping due to the presence of soft mud deposits. A calibration of the parameters has been carried out using joint offshore and onshore wave data from November 2006. The numerical simulations of the event in October 2005 clearly demonstrate that the mud banks damp the wave heights, but have almost no effect on the peak period. The resulting waves at the steep sea walls can be classified as surging waves causing severe runup and overtopping. The obtained insights are translated into practical recommendations for the Guyana Sea and River Defence Division in Guyana to build a sustainable management and maintenance of the sea defenses in the future.     

Crater formation in soils by raindrop impact

The process of crater formation by the impact of water drops on soil, sand and various other target material was studied. Craters of various shapes and sizes were observed on different target materials or conditions, ranging from circumferential depression to completely hemispherical shape. Crater shape was dependent upon target material, its ?ow stress or shear strength and the presence and thickness of water on the surface. Between 5 and 22 per cent of impact energy was spent on cratering, but the relationship between crater volume and kinetic energy of a raindrop was curvilinear, indicating a lower ef?ciency of impact energy in removing target material as the energy increases. Impact impulse, on the other hand, showed a more linear relationship with crater volume, and the ratio of impulse over crater volume (I/V) remained constant for the entire range of drop sizes, impact velocities, and surface conditions used in this study. Surface shear strength, represented by the penetration depth of fall‐cone penetrometer, appeared to be a key factor involved in this process. An equation was developed which related crater volume to cone penetration depth and impact impulse. Crater volume, which appeared to be a better indicator of the total amount of material dislodged by a raindrop than splash amount, can thus be predicted using this equation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

塔里木盆地北部志留系顶面不整合中陆相原油的成藏历史与油气富集机制

塔里木盆地志留系发育厚层沥青砂,显示优越的含油气性.继塔中地区志留系原油勘探取得突破之后,塔北地区志留系砂岩风化壳型储层也发现了工业油藏.根据原油的甾、萜烷和噻吩类生物标记化合物的分布特征,结合原油的物理化学性质以及族组分稳定碳同位素特征分析,明确了塔北西部英买35井区志留系风化壳原油来源于库车凹陷三叠系黄山街组湖相烃源岩,与塔北东部同发育在志留系风化壳剥蚀尖灭线附近的哈得18C井海相原油形成鲜明对比.通过志留系砂岩流体包裹体均一温度测试,结合地层埋藏史研究成果,推断英买35井区志留系砂岩主要成藏时间为距今5 ～ 8Ma的晚喜山期.结合库车凹陷两套陆相烃源岩的生烃演化重构了该区域湖相原油的成藏过程,表明康村组沉积后白垩系卡普沙良群与志留系风化壳是湖相油气向台盆区输导的重要通道,预示着湖相原油运移充注的范围十分广泛.成藏机理分析表明,志留系风化壳的构造幅度和面积控制了油气的充注范围,直接盖层的封盖条件控制了风化壳储层的含油气性.塔北地区东、西部志留系风化壳的暴露时间和地层组合关系的差异,是东部形成海相含油气系统,而西部发育海、陆相油藏垂向上叠置,互不交叉的复式含油气系统的重要原因.     

基于新型单相MICP技术改性黏性土力学特性的试验研究

微生物诱导碳酸钙沉积(MICP)是一种绿色低碳的新型土体改性技术.该技术当前主要适用于渗透性较好的砂土,普遍使用两相处理方法,即菌液和胶结液分开施用.然而,对于渗透性相对较差的黏性土,传统的两相处理方法难以适用.为此,引入新的单相胶结方法,即菌液和胶结液混合施用,通过调节溶液的初始pH值为细菌水解作用提供窗口期,避免微生物絮凝阻塞孔隙,使混合液均匀分布于土体一定深度范围内,从而达到显著提升胶结效果的目的.利用喷洒法将混合液喷洒至土体表层进行MICP处理,处理完成后使用超微型贯入仪SMP-1测试土体表层不同深度处的结构强度,分析土体力学特性的空间差异,对土体的胶结效果进行定量评价.此外,探究了胶结液浓度(0.2M、0.5M和1.0M)及胶结方法(调节pH与否)对于土体结构强度及MICP改性效果的影响.结果表明:采用单相MICP技术对黏性土进行改性,能够显著提高其结构强度,具有较好的适用性;在不高于1.0 M的胶结液浓度范围内,黏性土的胶结效果随着胶结液浓度增加而提升;相比较而言,调节pH的单相胶结方法对于提升土体胶结的深度和均匀性有明显积极作用.新型单相MICP技术简单易行,能够节约成本,在黏性土表层加固方面具有潜在推广应用价值.     

太湖流域西氿湖沉积岩芯中重金属污染及潜在生态风险

通过对太湖流域西沈湖沉积物岩芯XJ2中Cu、Pb、Zn、Cd、Cr等5种重金属元素总量的分析,结合测年结果,揭示了不同时间段重金属污染物的分布特征,并利用Hakansen潜在生态风险评价法对沉积物岩芯的污染状况及潜在生态风险的历史变化进行了研究.结果表明岩芯受Cd元素污染最重,其它4种元素较Cd则轻得多,因此Cd元素是影响该地区沉积物潜在生态风险的绝对主导因素.从20世纪初叶开始,沉积物中的重金属元素污染及其相应的潜在生态风险开始上升,并且上升幅度不断加剧,到20世纪90年代达到最大值,沉积物污染及潜在生态风险级别均为很高,随后便开始迅速下降,然而直到2004年这两个参数仍然维持在很高级别.     

海浪预报产品数据库管理系统开发研究

本文介绍海浪预报产品数据库管理系统，包括数据库管理系统的总体设计，硬软件的配置，数据库管理系统的主要内容和解决的关键技术。该数据库管理系统的建成，提供了我国近海和西北太平洋海浪预报的系统性资料，不仅对提高海浪预报准确率提供基础资料，也给海浪中长期预测预报方法研究和区域海洋学研究带来极大帮助。     

黄土斜坡地震动时程分析

应用地震危险性分析理论和地震动人工合成技术，给出Newmark法中所需的地震动时程，解决了斜坡稳定性分析Newmark法中难以选取合适地震动时程的难题。通过对黄土斜坡实例计算，给出了坡体中地震动峰值加速度与深度的关系；在计算坡体位移时，提出了等效峰值加速度的概念；对比了使用地面地震动时程和使用坡体内等效地震动时程的计算结果。