Seismic hazard assessment for derivation of earthquake scenarios in Risk-UE

The main features of the Risk-UE project approach to assessing the ground-shaking (and related hazards) distribution within urban areas are described, as a basis for developing seismic damage scenarios for European cities. Emphasis was placed in the project on adoption of homogeneous criteria in the quantitative treatment of seismicity and in constructing the ground-shaking scenarios, despite wide differences in amount and quality of data available for the cities involved. The initial steps of the approach include treatment of the regional seismotectonic setting and the geotechnical zonation of the urban area, while the hazard assessment itself takes the form of both a deterministic analysis, and of a probabilistic, constant-hazard spectra analysis. Systematic 1D site response analyses were used, mostly in the softer soil zones, to modify (when needed) the obtained ground motion maps. Earthquake induced hazard effects, such as liquefaction and landsliding, are also briefly dealt with at the end.     

Statistics of Scalar Fields in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Based on Large-Eddy Simulations. Part II: Forced Convection

Forced convection in a quasi-steady atmospheric boundary layer is investigated based on a large-eddy simulation (LES) model. The performed simulations show that in the upper portion of the mixed layer the dimensionless (in terms of mixed layer scales) vertical gradients of temperature, humidity, and wind velocity depend on the dimensionless height z/z _i and the Reech number Rn. The peak values of variances and covariances at the top of the mixed layer, scaled in terms of the interfacial scales, are functions of the interfacial Richardson number Ri. As a result expressions for the entrainment rates, in the case when the interfacial layer has a finite depth, and a condition for the presence of moistening or drying regimes in the mixed layer, are derived. Profiles of dimensionless scalar moments in the mixed layer are proposed to be expressed in terms of two empirical similarity functions F _m and F _i , dependent on dimensionless height z/z _i , and the interfacial Richardson number Ri. The obtained similarity expressions adequately approximate the LES profiles of scalar statistics, and properly represent the impact of stability, shear, and entrainment. They are also consistent with the parameterization proposed for free convection in the first part of this paper.     

An approximate analytical solution for the deposition of heavy particles released from an elevated line source

This work re-examines and further develops an analytical solution for the deposition swath of heavy particles released in the atmosphere from an elevated source over uniform terrain, correcting the particle diffusivity for the crossing trajectory effect. The revised (approximate) analytical solution proves to be accurate within 20% over a wide range of micrometeorological conditions and particle size, despite its neglect of the turbulence component of the deposition flux. It compares very satisfactorily with experimental data and with the simulations of a Lagrangian stochastic model, provided the variable U(H)/w _g ≤7 (ratio of the mean horizontal wind speed at source height to the particle settling velocity). In this domain of validity, simple formulae relating the statistics of the deposition swath to U(H)/w _g are derived.     

基于3DCM的武警处突方案演示系统研究

随着三维城市模型(Three Dimensional City Model,3DCM)的蓬勃发展和武警部队建设信息化步伐的快速推进,利用3DCM技术辅助武警指挥员在处置突发性事件(简称处突)中精确地获取信息、直观快速地理解信息、高效地利用信息受到越来越多的重视。本文在论述3DCM在武警处突指挥信息系统具体应用的基础上,设计了3DCM支持下武警处突方案演示系统,内容包括系统组成、主要功能及技术实现途径。     

The effect of mountainous topography on moisture exchange between the “surface” and the free atmosphere

Typical numerical weather and climate prediction models apply parameterizations to describe the subgrid-scale exchange of moisture, heat and momentum between the surface and the free atmosphere. To a large degree, the underlying assumptions are based on empirical knowledge obtained from measurements in the atmospheric boundary layer over flat and homogeneous topography. It is, however, still unclear what happens if the topography is complex and steep. Not only is the applicability of classical turbulence schemes questionable in principle over such terrain, but mountains additionally induce vertical fluxes on the meso-γ scale. Examples are thermally or mechanically driven valley winds, which are neither resolved nor parameterized by climate models but nevertheless contribute to vertical exchange. Attempts to quantify these processes and to evaluate their impact on climate simulations have so far been scarce. Here, results from a case study in the Riviera Valley in southern Switzerland are presented. In previous work, measurements from the MAP-Riviera field campaign have been used to evaluate and configure a high-resolution large-eddy simulation code (ARPS). This model is here applied with a horizontal grid spacing of 350 m to detect and quantify the relevant exchange processes between the valley atmosphere (i.e. the ground “surface” in a coarse model) and the free atmosphere aloft. As an example, vertical export of moisture is evaluated for three fair-weather summer days. The simulations show that moisture exchange with the free atmosphere is indeed no longer governed by turbulent motions alone. Other mechanisms become important, such as mass export due to topographic narrowing or the interaction of thermally driven cross-valley circulations. Under certain atmospheric conditions, these topographical-related mechanisms exceed the “classical” turbulent contributions a coarse model would see by several times. The study shows that conventional subgrid-scale parameterizations can indeed be far off from reality if applied over complex topography, and that large-eddy simulations could provide a helpful tool for their improvement.     

我国低钛月海型模拟月壤初始物质选择的地球化学依据

以Apollo14月壤样品和美国JSC-1模拟月壤的地球化学特征为基础,结合我国低钛玄武岩火山的分布,对我国不同地区新生代玄武岩的化学成分、年龄、储量等方面进行对比分析结果表明,滇西北金沙江地区和吉林辉南红旗林场-四海地区的玄武质火山喷发物的化学成分与Apollo14月壤样品和美国JSC-1模拟月壤相似,比较适合用于我国低钛月海玄武岩模拟月壤研制的初始物质。野外地质调查发现,吉林省辉南县金川镇红旗林场—四海一带产出的玄武质火山渣为距今1600 a的该玄武质火山岩的喷发物,其储量大、质地纯、粒度均匀,而且比滇西北金沙江地区最近一期的玄武质火山渣新鲜,最适合作为我国低钛月海玄武岩模拟月壤研制的初始物质。     

Modeling of gold mass transfer during the listwanitization and rodingitization using the example of the Ust’-Dep ophiolite complex in the upper Amur territory

Gold mass transfer with chloride and carbonate-chloride solutions was examined at the 300 and 400°C isotherms and P _tot = 1 kbar by means of experimental modeling and theoretical simulations. CO₂ was confirmed to suppress Au solubility in fluids. The low Au solubility (mAu < 10^?8) determined in the experiments explains the mechanism of its precipitation when serpentinites and listwanites interact with acidic mineralized solutions. Listwanitization, which was genetically related with the emplacement of orogenic granitoids, was determined to have overprinted serpentinites and rodingites and strongly affected Au transport in the oregeochemical system. The characteristics of the metasomatic processes in the Ust’-Dep ophiolites and the gold concentration in the rocks produced by these processes confirm this conclusion.     

Galactic Dynamo and Spiral Arms - 3D MHD Simulations

In the present project we investigate the evolution of a three-dimensional (3D), large-scale galactic magnetic field under the influence of gas flows in spiral arms and in the presence of dynamo action. Our principal goal is to check how the dynamical evolution of gaseous spiral arms affects the global magnetic field structure and to what extent our models could explain the observed spiral patterns of polarization B-vectors in nearby galaxies. A two-step scheme is used: the N-body simulations of a two-component, self-gravitating disk provide the time-dependent velocity fields which are then used as the input to solve the mean-field dynamo equations. We found that the magnetic field is directly influenced by large-scale non-axisymmetric density wave flows yielding the magnetic field locally well-aligned with gaseous spiral arms in a manner similar to that discussed already by Otmianowska-Mazur et al. 1997. However, an additional field amplification, introduced by a non-zero -term in the dynamo equations, is required to cause a systematic increase of magnetic energy density against the diffusive losses. Our simulated magnetic fields are also used to construct the models of a high-frequency (Faraday rotation-free) polarized radio emission accounting for effects of projection and limited resolution, thus suitable for direct comparisons with observations.     

Numerical simulation of fully saturated porous materials

Fully coupled, porous solid–fluid formulation, implementation and related modeling and simulation issues are presented in this work. To this end, coupled dynamic field equations with u?p?U formulation are used to simulate pore fluid and soil skeleton (elastic–plastic porous solid) responses. Present formulation allows, among other features, for water accelerations to be taken into account. This proves to be useful in modeling dynamic interaction of media of different stiffnesses (as in soil–foundation–structure interaction). Fluid compressibility is also explicitly taken into account, thus allowing excursions into modeling of limited cases of non‐saturated porous media. In addition to these features, present formulation and implementation models in a realistic way the physical damping, which dissipates energy. In particular, the velocity proportional damping is appropriately modeled and simulated by taking into account the interaction of pore fluid and solid skeleton. Similarly, the displacement proportional damping is physically modeled through elastic–plastic processes in soil skeleton. An advanced material model for sand is used in present work and is discussed at some length. Also explored in this paper are the verification and validation issues related to fully coupled modeling and simulations of porous media. Illustrative examples describing the dynamical behavior of porous media (saturated soils) are presented. The verified and validated methods and material models are used to predict the behavior of level and sloping grounds subjected to seismic shaking. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.