Impact of the sampling duration on the uncertainty of averaged velocity measurements with acoustic instruments

Average velocity in streams is a key variable for the analysis and modelling of hydrological and hydraulic processes underpinning water resources science and practice. The present study evaluates the impact of the sampling duration on the quality of average velocity measurements acquired with contemporary instruments such as Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters (ADV) an Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP). The evaluation combines considerations on turbulent flows and principles and configurations of acoustic instruments with practical experience in conducting customized analysis for uncertainty analysis purposes. The study sheds new insights on the spatial and temporal variability of the uncertainty in the measurement of average velocities due to variable sampling durations acting in isolation from other sources of uncertainties. Sampling durations of 90 and 150 s are found sufficient for ADV and ADCP, respectively, to obtain reliable average velocities in a flow affected only by natural turbulence and instrument noise. Larger sampling durations are needed for measurements in most of the natural streams exposed to additional sources of data variability.     

Wetland hydroperiod classification in the western prairies using multitemporal synthetic aperture radar

Wetlands represent one of the world's most biodiverse and threatened ecosystem types and were diminished globally by about two‐thirds in the 20th century. There is continuing decline in wetland quantity and function due to infilling and other human activities. In addition, with climate change, warmer temperatures and changes in precipitation and evapotranspiration are reducing wetland surface and groundwater supplies, further altering wetland hydrology and vegetation. There is a need to automate inventory and monitoring of wetlands, and as a study system, we investigated the Shepard Slough wetlands complex, which includes numerous wetlands in urban, suburban, and agricultural zones in the prairie pothole region of southern Alberta, Canada. Here, wetlands are generally confined to depressions in the undulating terrain, challenging wetlands inventory and monitoring. This study applied threshold and frequency analysis routines for high‐resolution, single‐polarization (HH) RADARSAT‐2, synthetic aperture radar mapping. This enabled a growing season surface water extent hyroperiod‐based wetland classification, which can support water and wetland resource monitoring. This 3‐year study demonstrated synthetic aperture radar‐derived multitemporal open‐water masks provided an effective index of wetland permanence class, with overall accuracies of 89% to 95% compared with optical validation data, and RMSE between 0.2 and 0.7 m between model and field validation data. This allowed for characterizing the distribution and dynamics of 4 marsh wetlands hydroperiod classes, temporary, seasonal, semipermanent, and permanent, and mapping of the sequential vegetation bands that included emergent, obligate wetland, facultative wetland, and upland plant communities. Hydroperiod variation and surface water extent were found to be influenced by short‐term rainfall events in both wet and dry years. Seasonal hydroperiods in wetlands were particularly variable if there was a decrease in the temporary or semipermanent hydroperiod classes. In years with extreme rain events, the temporary wetlands especially increased relative to longer lasting wetlands (84% in 2015 with significant rainfall events, compared with 42% otherwise).     

一种从经纬度网格资料获得正方形网格资料的插值方案

本文提出了一种把经纬度网格点上的气象要素值转化到正方形网格点上的多项式插值方案。对插值方案作了稳定性讨论和定量及定性分析。结果表明,这种插值方案方便可行,而且有广泛适用性。     

天气雷达数据处理系统人控应用软件

天气雷达用于抗灾和减灾很重要,本文提出一种人工降雨和驱冰雹软件,给出了程序流图,对编程的关键进行了分析,最后结果表明它能提高人控作业效率。     

Geo-effectiveness of solar wind extremes

Examples of extreme events of solar wind and their effect on geomagnetic conditions are discussed here. It is found that there are two regimes of high speed solar wind streams with a threshold of ∼ 850 km s^-1. Geomagnetic activity enhancement rate (GAER) is defined as an average increase in Ap value per unit average increase in the peak solar wind velocity (Vp) during the stream. GAER was found to be different in the two regimes of high speed streams with +ve and-ve IMF. GAER is 0.73 and 0.53 for solar wind streams with +ve and -ve IMF respectively for the extremely high speed streams (< 850 km s^-1). This indicates that streams above the threshold speed with +ve IMF are 1.4 times more effective in enhancing geomagnetic activity than those with -ve IMF. However, the high speed streams below the threshold with -ve IMF are 1.1 times more effective in enhancing geomagnetic activity than those with +ve IMF. The violent solar activity period (October–November 2003) of cycle 23 presents a very special case during which many severe and strong effects were seen in the environment of the Earth and other planets; however, the z-component of IMF (Bz) is mostly positive during this period. The most severe geomagnetic storm of this cycle occurred when Bz was positive.     

Enhancing understanding of breakdown and collapse in the Yorkshire Dales using ground penetrating radar on cave sediments

Historical evidence shows block breakdown and collapse are actively occurring in large fault aligned caverns in the Yorkshire Dales karst. Deployment of ground penetrating radar at two such sites has provided detailed images of the sedimentary sequences below the present day cavern floor but no large blocks are imaged within the sediments. Solutional processes must be removing limestone from the sediment to allow continued cavern growth. Possible mechanisms to account for the lack of large blocks within the sediment fill are discussed.     

An operational multiscale system for hazards prediction, mapping, and response

By definition, a crisis is a situation that requires assistance to be managed. Hence, response to a crisis involves the merging of local and non-local emergency response personnel. In this situation, it is critical that each participant: (1) know the roles and responsibilities of each of the other participants; (2) know the capabilities of each of the participants; and (3) have a common basis for action. For many types of natural disasters, this entails having a common operational picture of the unfolding events, including detailed information on the weather, both current and forecasted, that may impact on either the emergency itself or on response activities. The Consequences Assessment Tool Set (CATS) is a comprehensive package of hazard prediction models and casualty and damage assessment tools that provides a linkage between a modeled or observed effect and the attendant consequences for populations, infrastructure, and resources, and, hence, provides the common operational picture for emergency response. The Operational Multiscale Environment model with Grid Adaptivity (OMEGA) is an atmospheric simulation system that links the latest methods in computational fluid dynamics and high-resolution gridding technologies with numerical weather prediction to provide specific weather analysis and forecast capability that can be merged into the geographic information system framework of CATS. This paper documents the problem of emergency response as an end-to-end system and presents the integrated CATS–OMEGA system as a prototype of such a system that has been used successfully in a number of different situations.     

松花江哈尔滨段河床冲积物与沙尘天气关系的讨论

笔者重点分析了哈尔滨河床冲积物的粒度组成,结合沙尘沉降物的粒度组成,论述了裸露河床冲积物对沙尘天气的影响。河床冲积物及沙尘沉降物粒度分析结果显示,裸露河床冲积物粒径大于63μm的颗粒占84%以上,而小于63μm粒径的颗粒很少,小于10μm的颗粒微乎其微;沙尘沉降物中小于63μm的粉粘颗粒含量在90%以上。对河床冲积物而言,无论是砂级别的粗颗粒物质还是粉粘级别的细颗粒物质都与沙尘沉降物的粒度无相关性,对沙尘暴物质组成没有影响或影响很小。受砂级别的粗颗粒物质扬起高度和搬运距离的限制,沙尘暴发生时,裸露河床中的冲积物颗粒不会被远距离搬运而影响到整个哈尔滨地区,真正影响整个哈尔滨地区的沙尘物质是小于63μm的粉砂级别的颗粒,特别是小于10μm的粉尘。笔者认为对哈尔滨沙尘天气产生重大影响的是含有大量细颗粒物质的城市地表土和建筑土等,这些地域是防止沙尘天气的重点治理区域。     

GPS卫星反射信号增强技术研究

本文根据GPS卫星反射信号在海洋参数测量、无源雷达目标探测以及大地测绘中的应用,从天线接收、信号处理运算和多路径信号抵消角度,详细地研究了GPS卫星反射信号增强技术,给出了相应天线和电路结构及信号处理方法,并进行了计算机仿真,结果表明所提出的技术能增强GPS卫星反射信号。