Experimental testing, numerical modelling and seismic strengthening of traditional stone masonry: comprehensive study of a real Azorian pier     

Alexandre A. Costa  António Arêde  Aníbal Costa  Jo?o Guedes  Bruno Silva 《Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering》2012,10(1):135-159

Stone masonry is one of the oldest building techniques used worldwide and it is known to exhibit poor behaviour under seismic excitations. In this context, this work aims at assessing the in-plane behaviour of an existing double-leaf stone masonry pier by experimental testing. Additionally, a detailed 3D finite element numerical analysis based on micro-modelling of the original pier is presented (fully describing the geometry and division of each individual elements, namely infill, blocks and joints) aiming at simulating the experimental test results. This numerical strategy can be seen as an alternative way of analysing this type of constructions, particularly useful for laboratory studies, and suitable for the calibration of simplified numerical models. As part of a wider research activity, this work is further complemented with the presentation of an effective retrofit/strengthening technique (reinforced connected plaster) to achieve a significant improvement of its in-plane cyclic response which is experimentally verified in the results presented herein.  相似文献   

Extracting sea level residual in tidally dominated estuarine environments   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0  

Jennifer M. Brown  Rodolfo Bola?os  Michael J. Howarth  Alejandro J. Souza 《Ocean Dynamics》2012,62(7):969-982

Sea level comprises a mean level, tidal elevation and a residual elevation. Knowledge of what causes maximum water levels is often key in coastal management. However, different methods to extract deviations in water level (residuals) from modelled and observed elevation can give different results. The Dee Estuary, northwest England is a macrotidal estuary that undergoes periodic stratification. It is used here to demonstrate methods to extract the residual water level in response to the following interactive processes: tidal, river-induced stratification and flow, meteorology and waves. Using modelling techniques, the interaction and contribution of different physical processes are investigated. Classical harmonic tidal analysis, model simulations and filtering techniques have been used to “de-tide” the total elevation for short-term (approximately month long) records. Each technique gives a different result highlighting the need to select the correct method for a required study. Analysis of the residual components demonstrates that all processes inducing residuals interact with the tide generating a semi-diurnal residual component. It is suggested that modelling methods enable the full effect of tidal interaction to remain in the residual, whilst harmonic tidal analysis (partly) modify and filtering methods (fully) remove this component of the residual. The analysis methods presented and their influences on the resultant residual are applicable to other study sites. However, when applied specifically to the mouth of the Dee Estuary, the external surge is found to be the main contributor to the total residual, whilst local wind and stratification effects are of secondary importance.  相似文献   

Extreme flows and unusual water levels near a Caribbean coral reef: was this a case of a “perfect storm”?     

Tal Ezer  William D. Heyman  Chris Houser  Bj?rn Kjerfve 《Ocean Dynamics》2012,62(7):1043-1057

Observations of currents aimed to study the flow near a spawning aggregation reef, Gladden Spit off the coast of Belize, reveal unusually strong currents on 19–20 October 2009 (the current speed was over 1?m?s^?1, when the mean and standard deviation are 0.2?±?0.12?m?s^?1). During this short time, the water level was raised by 60–70?cm above normal in one place, but lowered by 10–20?cm in another location just 2?km away. The temperature dropped by over 2°C within a few hours. Analyses of local and remote sensing data suggest that a rare combination of an offshore Caribbean cyclonic eddy, a short-lived local tropical storm, and a Spring tide, all occurred at the same time and creating a “perfect storm” condition that resulted in the unusual event. High-resolution simulations and momentum balance analysis demonstrate how the unique shape of the coral reef amplified the coastal current through nonlinear flow–topography interactions. The suggested mechanism for the water level change is different than the classical wind-driven storm surge process. The study has implications for the influence of external forcing on mixing processes and physical–biological interactions near coral reefs.  相似文献   

A numerical study of the barotropic tides and tidal energy distribution in the Indonesian seas with the assimilated finite volume coastal ocean model     

Yang Ding  Xianwen Bao  Huaming Yu  Liang Kuang 《Ocean Dynamics》2012,62(4):515-532

The tides and tidal energetics in the Indonesian seas are simulated using a three-dimensional finite volume coastal ocean model. The high-resolution coastline-fitted model is configured to better resolve the hydrodynamic processes around the numerous barrier islands. A large model domain is adopted to minimize the uncertainty adjacent to open boundaries. The model results with elevation assimilation based on a simple nudge scheme faithfully reproduced the general features of the barotropic tides in the Indonesian Seas. The mean root-mean-square errors between the observed and simulated tidal constants are 2.3, 1.1, 2.4, and 1.5 cm for M₂, S₂, K₁, and O₁, respectively. Analysis of the model solutions indicates that the semidiurnal tides in the Indonesian Seas are primarily dominated by the Indian Ocean, whereas the diurnal tides in this region are mainly influenced by the Pacific Ocean, which is consistent with previous studies. Examinations of tidal energy transport reveal that the tidal energy for both of the simulated tidal constituents are transported from the Indian Ocean into the IS mainly through the Lombok Strait and the Timor Sea, whereas only M₂ energy enters the Banda Sea and continues northward. The tidal energy dissipates the most in the passages on both sides of Timor Island, with the maximum M₂ and K₁ tidal energy transport reaching about 750 and 650 kW m^–1, respectively. The total energy losses of the four dominant constituents in the IS are nearly 338 GW, with the M₂ constituent dissipating 240.8 GW. It is also shown that the bottom dissipation rate for the M₂ tide is about 1–2 order of magnitudes larger than that of the other three tidal components in the Indonesian seas.  相似文献   

Dynamics of the circulation in the Sea of Marmara: numerical modeling experiments and observations from the Turkish straits system experiment   总被引：4，自引：3，他引：1  

Jacopo?ChiggiatoEmail author  Ewa?Jarosz  Jeffrey?W.?Book  James?Dykes  Lucio?Torrisi  Pierre-Marie?Poulain  Riccardo?Gerin  Jochen?Horstmann  ?ükrü?Be?iktepe 《Ocean Dynamics》2012,62(1):139-159

During September 2008 and February 2009, the NR/V Alliance extensively sampled the waters of the Sea of Marmara within the framework of the Turkish Straits System (TSS) experiment coordinated by the NATO Undersea Research Centre. The observational effort provided an opportunity to set up realistic numerical experiments for modeling the observed variability of the Marmara Sea upper layer circulation at mesoscale resolution over the entire basin during the trial period, complementing relevant features and forcing factors revealed by numerical model results with information acquired from in situ and remote sensing datasets. Numerical model solutions from realistic runs using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) produce a general circulation in the Sea of Marmara that is consistent with previous knowledge of the circulation drawn from past hydrographic measurements, with a westward meandering current associated with a recurrent large anticyclone. Additional idealized numerical experiments illuminate the role various dynamics play in determining the Sea of Marmara circulation and pycnocline structure. Both the wind curl and the strait flows are found to strongly influence the strength and location of the main mesoscale features. Large displacements of the pycnocline depth were observed during the sea trials. These displacements can be interpreted as storm-driven upwelling/downwelling dynamics associated with northeasterly winds; however, lateral advection associated with flow from the Straits also played a role in some displacements.  相似文献   

BAKTRAK: backtracking drifting objects using an iterative algorithm with a forward trajectory model     

?yvind Breivik  Tor Christian Bekkvik  Cecilie Wettre  Atle Ommundsen 《Ocean Dynamics》2012,62(2):239-252

The task of determining the origin of a drifting object after it has been located is highly complex due to the uncertainties in drift properties and environmental forcing (wind, waves, and surface currents). Usually, the origin is inferred by running a trajectory model (stochastic or deterministic) in reverse. However, this approach has some severe drawbacks, most notably the fact that many drifting objects go through nonlinear state changes underway (e.g., evaporating oil or a capsizing lifeboat). This makes it difficult to naively construct a reverse-time trajectory model which realistically predicts the earliest possible time the object may have started drifting. We propose instead a different approach where the original (forward) trajectory model is kept unaltered while an iterative seeding and selection process allows us to retain only those particles that end up within a certain time–space radius of the observation. An iterative refinement process named BAKTRAK is employed where those trajectories that do not make it to the goal are rejected, and new trajectories are spawned from successful trajectories. This allows the model to be run in the forward direction to determine the point of origin of a drifting object. The method is demonstrated using the leeway stochastic trajectory model for drifting objects due to its relative simplicity and the practical importance of being able to identify the origin of drifting objects. However, the methodology is general and even more applicable to oil drift trajectories, drifting ships, and hazardous material that exhibit nonlinear state changes such as evaporation, chemical weathering, capsizing, or swamping. The backtracking method is tested against the drift trajectory of a life raft and is shown to predict closely the initial release position of the raft and its subsequent trajectory.  相似文献   

Interannual variability of the North Pacific Subtropical Countercurrent: role of local ocean–atmosphere interaction     

Fumiaki?KobashiEmail author  Shang-Ping?Xie 《Journal of Oceanography》2012,68(1):113-126

Seasonal and interannual variability of the Subtropical Countercurrent (STCC) in the western North Pacific are investigated using observations by satellites and Argo profiling floats and an atmospheric reanalysis. The STCC displays a clear seasonal cycle. It is strong in late winter to early summer with a peak in June, and weak in fall. Interannual variations of the spring STCC are associated with an enhanced subtropical front (STF) below the surface mixed layer. In climatology, the SST front induces a band of cyclonic wind stress in May north of the STCC on the background of anticyclonic curls that drive the subtropical gyre. The band of cyclonic wind and the SST front show large interannual variability and are positively correlated with each other, suggesting a positive feedback between them. The cyclonic wind anomaly is negatively correlated with the SSH and SST below. The strong (weak) cyclonic wind anomaly elevates (depresses) the thermocline and causes the fall (rise) in the SSH and SST, accelerating (decelerating) STCC to the south. It is suggested that the anomalies in the SST front and STCC in the preceding winter affect the subsequent development of the cyclonic wind anomaly in May. Results from our analysis of interannual variability support the idea that the local wind forcing in May causes the subsequent variations in STCC.  相似文献   

Decadal seesaw of the Central and Subtropical Mode Water formation associated with the Kuroshio Extension variability   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0  

Eitarou?OkaEmail author  Bo?Qiu  Shinya?Kouketsu  Kazuyuki?Uehara  Toshio?Suga 《Journal of Oceanography》2012,68(2):355-360

Available Argo profiling float data from 2002 to 2011 were analyzed to examine the effect of the Kuroshio Extension (KE) current system variability on the formation of the Central Mode Water. Just north of the upstream portion of the KE at 140–152°E, formation of a lighter variety of the Central Mode Water in winter was active during the unstable period of the upstream KE in 2006–2009 and was reduced when the upstream KE was in the stable period of 2002–2005 and 2010–2011. This decadal formation variability is out of phase with that of the Subtropical Mode Water just south of the KE.  相似文献   

Mapping Baltic Sea shallow water environments with airborne remote sensing     

Ele Vahtm?e  Tiit Kutser  Jonne Kotta  Merli P?rnoja  Tiia M?ller  Lennart Lennuk 《Oceanology》2012,52(6):803-809

It is known that the structure of benthic macrophyte and invertebrate habitats indicate the quality of coastal water. Thus, a large-scale analysis of the spatial patterns of coastal marine habitats makes it possible to adequately estimate the status of valuable coastal marine habitats, provide better evidence for environmental changes, and describe the processes behind the changes. Knowing the spatial distribution of benthic habitats is also important from the coastal management point of view. Our previous results clearly demonstrated that remote sensing methods can be used to map water depth and distribution of taxonomic groups of benthic algae (e.g., red, green, and brown algae) in the optically complex coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. We have as well shown that benthic habitat mapping should be done at high spatial resolution owing to the small-scale heterogeneity of such habitats in Estonian coastal waters. Here we tested the capability of high spatial resolution hyperspectral airborne image in its application for mapping benthic habitats. A big challenge is to define appropriate mapping classes that are also meaningful from the ecological point of view. In this study two benthic habitat classification schemes??broader level and finer level??were defined for the study area. The broader level classes were relatively well classified, but discrimination among the units of the finer classification scheme posed a considerable challenge and required a careful approach. Benthic habitat classification provided the highest accuracy in the case of the Spectral Angle Mapper classification method applied to a radiometrically corrected image. Further processing levels, such as spatial filtering and glint correction, decreased the classification accuracy.  相似文献   

A two-dimensional morphological model based on next generation circulation solver II: Application to Caofeidian, Bohai Bay, China     

Cui-Ping Kuang  Si-Yu Chen  Yu Zhang  Jie GuLing Deng  Yi PanJing Huang 《Coastal Engineering》2012,59(1):14-27

This paper is a companion of a two-part papers on the development of a two-dimensional morphological model—CurWaC2D-Sed, based on next generation circulation solver. In this paper, the model developed in paper I is applied to the large-scale construction of near-harbor industrial zone with deep water harbor by reclamation in Caofeidian, Bohai Bay, which is a typical sandbar-lagoon bay-type tidal inlet system. Characteristics of tides, currents, waves and sediments in Caofeidian are firstly analyzed with field data from comprehensive field observations carried out in 2008. These data are then used for model calibration and validation, showing a good agreement between simulated results and field measurements for tides, currents and suspended sediments. The verified model is applied to study the effects of the construction of Caofeidian embankment and the on-going engineering scheme on hydrodynamics and sediment transports as compared with no constructions under three representative tide conditions and their combinations with normal and strong waves as well as on morphology evolution. The simulated results indicate that the present scheme leads to morphological changes in Caofeidian with acceptable rates of erosion and sedimentation. However, some attentions should be paid to erosion at offshore wharf in front of Caofedian foreland which may lead to potentially increasing landslide risks due to steep slope and sedimentation in Laogonggou creek.  相似文献