Identification of Pb sources in Yellow Sea sediments using stable Pb isotope ratios

Rapid economic developments in East Asian countries have inevitably resulted in environmental degradation in the surrounding seas, and concern for both the environment and protection from pollutants is increasing. Identification of sources of contaminants is essential to environmental pollution management. In this study, the provenance of anthropogenic lead (Pb), a major pollutant of Yellow Sea sediments, was determined for river mouth sediments, including those of the Changjiang, Huanghe, Han, and Geum Rivers, and for age-determined shelf core sediments through the measurement of Pb isotope ratios in the HCl-leached fraction using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (MC ICP/MS). Anthropogenic Pb has accumulated in shelf core sediments since 1910, and its isotope ratios were estimated as 0.863–0.866 and 2.119–2.125 for ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb, respectively, from the mixing relationships of the two endmembers. River mouth sediments exhibited enough distinction in anthropogenic Pb isotope ratios to be discriminated: 0.874 (2.144) in the Huanghe, 0.856 (2.129) in the Han, 0.857 (2.122) in the Geum, and 0.854 (2.101) in the Changjiang for ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb), respectively. Although isotope ratios of geogenic Pb in sediments dating before 1910 showed narrow ranges (0.842–0.845 and 2.088–2.100 for ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb, respectively), distinct isotope ratios in each core permitted source identification of sediments in the Yellow Sea based on geographic locations and the geogenic Pb of each river. By comparing the isotope ratios of the estimated anthropogenic Pb to source-related materials, the provenances of anthropogenic Pb in Chinese river sediments were presumed to be Chinese coal or ore, which is also a major source of atmospheric particulate Pb. The anthropogenic Pb in the shelf core sediments in the northern Yellow Sea originated from northern Chinese cities such as Beijing and Tianjin through atmospheric pathways. Pb isotope ratios indicated that Pb in Korean river sediments was characteristic of local Korean ores.     

Development of statistical seasonal prediction models of Arctic Sea Ice concentration using CERES absorbed solar radiation

Statistical seasonal prediction models for the Arctic sea ice concentration (SIC) were developed for the late summer (August-October) when the downward trend is dramatic. The absorbed solar radiation (ASR) at the top of the atmosphere in June has a significant seasonal leading role on the SIC. Based on the lagged ASR-SIC relationship, two simple statistical models were established: the Markovian stochastic and the linear regression models. Crossvalidated hindcasts of SIC from 1979 to 2014 by the two models were compared with each other and observation. The hindcasts showed general agreement between the models as they share a common predictor, ASR in June and the observed SIC was well reproduced, especially over the relatively thin-ice regions (of one- or multi-year sea ice). The robust predictability confirms the functional role of ASR in the prediction of SIC. In particular, the SIC prediction in October was quite promising probably due to the pronounced icealbedo feedback. The temporal correlation coefficients between the predicted SIC and the observed SIC were 0.79 and 0.82 by the Markovian and regression models, respectively. Small differences were observed between the two models; the regression model performed slightly better in August and September in terms of temporal correlation coefficients. Meanwhile, the prediction skills of the Markovian model in October were higher in the north of Chukchi, the East Siberian, and the Laptev Seas. A strong non-linear relationship between ASR in June and SIC in October in these areas would have increased the predictability of the Markovian model.     

Regional Distribution of Perceived Temperatures Estimated by the Human Heat Budget Model （the Klima-Michel Model） in South Korea

The regional distribution of perceived temperatures (PT) for 28 major weather stations in South Korea during the past 22 years (1983–2004) was investigated by employing a human heat budget model, the Klima-Michel model. The frequencies of a cold stress and a heat load by each region were compared. The sensitivity of PT in terms of the input of synoptic meteorological variables were successfully tested. Seogwipo in Jeju Island appears to be the most comfortable city in Korea. Busan also shows a high frequenc...     

Study on Ship Automatic Berthing System with Mooring Lines

This study describes an automatic berthing system with mooring lines. It is designed to be berthed by using mooring device on the upper deck of a ship. It is to berth once maintaining parallel with the quay by controlling both forward and aft breast lines. Berthing method is used through length adjustment of mooring lines connected between ship and quay by controlling the angular velocity and the torque of hydraulic motor in mooring device. The study is conducted under three changing conditions of draft, such as even-keel, rise of the gravity center and trim to stern. Variables affecting berthing stability are determined based on the control performance of each condition. Bond graphs method is used to model the system. Controller is designed as PID control method of reference-model algorithm. The control program is composed of synchronous control system based on the equations derived with the numerical analysis. The tank test is conducted to verify the usefulness of the control program.     

Numerical and experimental study on hydrodynamic interaction of side-by-side moored multiple vessels

This paper aims to investigate the basic interaction characteristics of side-by-side moored vessels both numerically and experimentally. A higher-order boundary element method (HOBEM) combined with generalized mode approach is applied to analysis of motion and drift force of side-by-side moored multiple vessels (LNG FPSO, LNGC and shuttle tankers). Model tests were carried out for the same floating bodies investigated in the numerical study in regular and irregular waves. Global and local motion responses and drift forces of three vessels are compared with those of calculations. Discussions is highlighted on applicability of numerical method to prediction of sophisticated multi-body interaction problem of which motion behavior is very important to analysis of mooring dynamics of deep sea floating bodies.     

Constructing rainfall depth-frequency curves considering a linear trend in rainfall observations

Comprehensive flood prevention plans are established in large basins to cope with recent abnormal floods in South Korea. In order to make economically effective plans, appropriate design rainfalls are critically determined from the rainfall depth-frequency curves which take the occurrence of abnormal floods into consideration. Conventional approaches to construct the rainfall depth-frequency curves are based on the stationarity assumption. However, this assumption has a critical weak aspect in that it cannot reflect non-stationarities in rainfall observations. As an alternative, this study suggests the non-stationary Gumbel model (NSGM) which incorporates a linear trend of rainfall observations into rainfall frequency analysis to construct the rainfall depth-frequency curves. A comparison of various schemes employed in the model found that the proposed NSGM permits the estimation of the distribution parameters even when shifted in the future by using linear relationships between rainfall statistics and distribution parameters, and produces more acceptable estimates of design rainfalls in the future than the conventional model. The NSGM was applied at several stations in South Korea and then expected the design rainfalls to increase by up to 15–30% in 2050.     

Hybrid continuum–discrete simulation of granular impact dynamics

Acta Geotechnica - Granular impact—the dynamic intrusion of solid objects into granular media—is widespread across scientific and engineering applications including geotechnics....     

Estimation and improvement in the geolocation accuracy of rational polynomial coefficients with minimum GCPs using KOMPSAT-3A

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we propose a method to regenerate Rational Polynomial Coefficients (RPCs) using KOMPSAT-3A imagery and to reduce the geolocation error using minimum ground control points (GCPs). To estimate the new RPCs, the physical sensor model fitted to KOMPSAT-3A imagery was utilized and virtual GCPs over the study area were created. The size of the virtual grid used was 20x20x20. To remove the sensor-related errors in physical sensor model, three different image correction models (image coordinate translation model, shift and drift model, and affine transformation model) were additionally applied. We evaluated our proposed method in two areas within Korea, one in urban (Seoul) and one in rural (Goheung) areas. The results showed that there was a significant improvement after applying the suggested approach in the two areas. The image coordinate translation model is suggested in terms of GCP requirement and expected errors estimated from the error propagation analysis using Gauss–Markov Model (GMM).     

Study of accretion disk dynamics in presence of cooling

We examine the behaviour of accretion flow around a rotating black hole in presence of cooling. We obtain global flow solutions for various accretion parameters that govern the accreting flow. We show that standing isothermal shock wave may develop in such an advective accretion flow in presence of cooling. This shocked solution has observational consequences as it successfully provides the possible explanations of energy spectra as well as generation of outflows/jets of various galactic and extra-galactic black hole candidates. We study the properties of isothermal shock wave and find that it strongly depends on the cooling efficiency. We identify the region in the parameter space spanned by the specific energy and specific angular momentum of the flow for standing isothermal shock as a function of cooling efficiencies and find that parameter space gradually shrinks with the increase of cooling rates. Our results imply that accretion flow ceases to contain isothermal shocks when cooling is beyond its critical value.     

Origin of Halogens and Nitrogen in Enstatite Chondrites

The EH and EL enstatite chondrites are the most reduced chondrite groups, having formed in nebular regions where the gas may have had high C/O and/or pH₂/pH₂O ratios. Enstatite chondrites (particularly EH) have higher CI- and Mg-normalized abundances of halogens (especially F and Cl) and nitrogen than ordinary chondrites and most groups of carbonaceous chondrites. Even relative to CI chondrites, EH and EL chondrites are enriched in F. We have found that literature values for the halogen abundance ratios in EH and EL chondrites are strongly correlated with the electronegativities of the individual halogens. We suggest that the most reactive halogens were the most efficient at forming compounds (e.g., halides) that were incorporated into EH-chondrite precursor materials. It seems plausible that, under the more-oxidizing conditions pertaining to the other chondrite groups, a larger fraction of the halogens remained in the gas. Nitrogen may have been incorporated into the enstatite chondrites as simple nitrides that did not condense under the more-oxidizing conditions in the regions where other chondrite groups formed. Literature data show that unequilibrated enstatite chondrites have light bulk N (δ ¹⁵N ≈ −20‰) compared to most ordinary (−5 to +20‰) and carbonaceous (+20 to +190‰) chondrites; this may reflect the contribution in enstatite chondrites of nitride condensates with δ¹⁵ N values close to the proposed nebular mean (~−400‰). In contrast, N in carbonaceous chondrites is mainly contained within ¹⁵N-rich organic matter. The major carrier of N in ordinary chondrites is unknown.