Farm size comparison with analytical model of linear generator wave energy converters

Ocean wave energy is an emerging kind of renewable energy, and several energy conversion methods are available today. One solution is to connect a buoy to a linear generator. Such units are quite small (10–100 kW), and farm solutions are suggested to increase power production. This paper shows the results from small farm simulations where the translator motion is varied for the generators in the farm.Simulations with five and 10 units show that power fluctuations decrease with an increasing number of generators.     

Impact of lithology and soil properties on abandoned dryland terraces during the early stages of soil erosion by water in south‐east Spain

Soil erosion by water in abandoned dry terraces is one of the most important environmental problems in semiarid areas, enhancing biological degradation and reducing possible resources that can be obtained. However, little is known about the effects of the types of lithology and soil properties on the early stages of soil erosion. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to assess the effect of different lithologies (marls, limestones, and metamorphic—phyllites, schists, and greywackes—materials) and soil properties on the early stages of soil erosion by water in abandoned dry terraces, compared with similar terraces still in agricultural use. Soil analyses (texture, aggregate stability, and bulk density) and 22 rainfall simulations were carried out under dry conditions. During the experiments, local inclination, vegetation and stone cover, total organic matter, and antecedent soil moisture were also quantified. The results showed that the highest soil loss (41.41 g/m² in cultivated plots and 17.05 g/m² in the abandoned plots) and runoff (3.79 L/m² in the abandoned plot) occurred on marl substrata. Marls also showed the shallowest infiltration front (9 cm) and lowest infiltration rate (4.3 cm/min). Limestones and, especially, metamorphic areas, showed a lower degree of soil erosion, higher infiltration rates, and deeper infiltration fronts.     

Hydrological extremes in a southwestern Ontario river basin under future climate conditions/Extrêmes hydrologiques dans un basin versant du sud-ouest de l'Ontario sous conditions climatiques futures

Abstract

The global climate change may have serious impacts on the frequency, magnitude, location and duration of hydrological extremes. Changed hydrological extremes will have important implications on the design of future hydraulic structures, flood-plain development, and water resource management. This study assesses the potential impact of a changed climate on the timing and magnitude of hydrological extremes in a densely populated and urbanized river basin in southwestern Ontario, Canada. An ensemble of future climate scenarios is developed using a weather generating algorithm, linked with GCM outputs. These climate scenarios are then transformed into basin runoff by a semi-distributed hydrological model of the study area. The results show that future maximum river flows in the study area will be less extreme and more variable in terms of magnitude, and more irregular in terms of seasonal occurrence, than they are at present. Low flows may become less extreme and variable in terms of magnitude, and more irregular in terms of seasonal occurrence. According to the evaluated scenarios, climate change may have favourable impacts on the distribution of hydrological extremes in the study area.     

Practical aspects of calibrating and selecting unit hydrograph-based models for continuous river flow simulation

Abstract

A continuous simulation rainfall-streamflow modelling approach that identifies unit hydrographs for total streamflow has been applied to an 11-year record from a national hydrometric monitoring network catchment in the UK. The model is of the parametrically parsimonious conceptual model (PPCM) type that can make efficient use of rainfall, streamflow and air temperature data readily available from established national and regional monitoring networks. A multiple split-sample model calibration and simulation analysis is presented that reveals some guiding principles for calibrating and applying PPCMs generally. The inadequacy of a one-dimensional objective function for calibrating best PPCMs is demonstrated. A two-dimensional objective function approach is superior but is shown to be unreliable in some cases, confirming the need for additional critical inspection of other model performance statistics, model parameters and time series plots as an integral part of the model calibration process. A strong tendency evident from the multiple split-sample analysis is that, for the catchment studied, models that fit relatively well in calibration mode perform relatively poorly in simulation mode.