Carbon and nutrient dynamics in a hypertrophic lagoon in southwestern Taiwan

Dissolved and particulate phases of carbon (DIC, DOC, POC) and nutrients (DIN, DIP, DSi, DON, DOP, PN) were investigated bimonthly from August 1999 to August 2000 to study biogeochemical dynamics of carbon and nutrients in Tapong Bay, a small semi-enclosed and hypertrophic lagoon in southwestern Taiwan. The lagoon has only a tidal inlet for exchanging water between Tapong Bay and Taiwan Strait, which may result in low water exchange rates and various oxygen-deficient conditions in bottom water of the inner bay during warm seasons. The water exchange time of Tapong Bay ranges from 7 days (summer) to 13 days (winter) with a mean of 10 days. Nutrient dynamics were largely ascribed to allochthonous inputs, biological and exported removals in the lagoon. Diffusion fluxes from sediments to overlying water accounted for only about 7.6% of annual DIN inputs and 1.0% of annual DIP inputs. High primary productivity (89 mol C m⁻² year⁻¹) supported by abundant nutrients primarily drove the lagoon into a hypertrophic condition as particulate organic matter was derived mainly from biological production. Excess of DIP appeared to occur throughout the study period in the lagoon. Temperature, solar radiation and turbidity, rather than nutrients, perhaps controlled seasonal variations of primary productivity. The net ecosystem production (NEP) derived from daily changes of DOC and POC inventories was about 6.3 mmol C m⁻² day⁻¹ that was close to 6.7 mmol C m⁻² day⁻¹ simulated from the biogeochemical modeling. Therefore, the net ecosystem production (NEP) rate of organic carbon estimated from the biogeochemical model was reliable, and the NEP was temporally variable with an annual mean of 5.8 mol C m⁻² year⁻¹, implying that Tapong Bay was an autotrophic system. Although calcification proceeded pronouncedly in warm seasons, an invasion of CO₂ was significant in this system. In terms of nitrogen budget, the annual nitrogen fixation exceeded the annual denitrification with a magnitude of 1.30 mol N m⁻² year⁻¹, which may be supported by the abundance of nitrogen fixation microplanktons in the lagoon.     

Experimental investigation on the drag reducing efficiency of the outer-layer vertical blades

An experimental assessment has been made of the drag reducing efficiency of the outer-layer vertical blades, which were first devised by Hutchins and Choi (Proceedings of ASME FEDSM’02 2002 ASME Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting, Montreal) and Hutchins (An investigation of larger-scale coherent structures in fully developed turbulent boundary layers, Hutchins N (2003), PhD thesis, University of Nottingham). The reported drag reduction efficiency, which was as much as 30%, was quantified only in terms of the reduction in the local skin-friction coefficient. The assessment of the drag reducing efficiency did not take the side effects of the inclusion of the blades into considerations. Those effects are the increase in the wetted surface area and the flow disturbances due to the presence of the blades. In the present study, a series of drag force measurements in towing tank has been performed toward the assessments of the total drag reduction efficiency of the outer-layer vertical blades. It was found that for the case of h 4.0 × z 4.0 (h/δ = 1.04), the outer-layer vertical blades array achieved about 9.6% drag reduction without considering the increase in the wetted surface area. A proper scaling method to give collapsed plot of drag reduction efficiency C _F/C _F0 was attempted, but the correlation remained limited. Of the two scaling methods, the outer scaling is found to be relevant one.     

The funding of hierarchical railway development in China

Transport networks are hierarchal in essence. In this paper, we explore the relationship between the financing structure and the hierarchal evolution of railway network development, using the case of China. Although privatization and corporatization in transport provision have been trends in some parts of the world, the national government is still the main body responsible for railway development in many countries. Among these countries, China and India are the only two that include the Ministry of Railways (MOR). In India, the entire country's railways are clearly defined as public services provided and managed by the MOR. In China, railways have been corporatized; yet, the MOR and the National Railway Corporation are still widely regarded as a single body that has monopolistic power over almost all railway systems at the national and regional levels in both infrastructure development and operation.     

轻轨车辆的关键技术和发展方向

本结合国内外城市轨道车辆及走行部的结构特点,着重比较了动力转向架牵引电机的布置及悬挂方式的各种特征和性能差异;介绍了轻轨车辆的走行、牵引、制动装置和电气系统,提出了新型城市轻轨车辆的主要发展方向。     

Seasonal variability of dissolved major and trace elements in the Gaoping (Kaoping) River Estuary, Southwestern Taiwan

To gain a better understanding of the geochemical behavior of trace elements in estuary and to examine seasonal variations in associated chemical fluxes, more than 50 water samples were collected near the mouth of the Gaoping (formerly spelled Kaoping) River, a major river in southwestern Taiwan. These samples, collected in typical dry and wet tropical monsoon seasons during 1999–2004, were analyzed for dissolved major and trace elements and Sr isotopes. Our results show that dissolved Na, Mg, Ca and Cl behave conservatively along the salinity gradient and display significantly larger fluxes in the wet seasons. Vertical profiles of the major elements reveal mainly two end-member mixing between the riverine freshwater and the seawater. Trace elements of B, Sr and U also display conservative distribution in the vertical profiles. In contrast, dissolved Ba and Mn were affected by uptake/release processes involving groundwater, benthic flux and water/sediment interactions. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios also support a scenario of mixing between a more radiogenic continental source and the seawater. It appears that the wet season samples have higher trace element concentrations due to inputs from topsoils and atmospheric dusts. This implies that chemical compositions in river waters respond sensitively to regional climatic changes. The observed high fluxes of B and Sr in the Gaoping (Kaoping) River emphasize the potential impact of mountainous rivers on the global oceanic mass balance of these constituents.     

Using satellite observations of ocean color to categorize the dispersal patterns of river-borne substances in the Gaoping (Kaoping) River, Shelf and Canyon system

Mapping the water constituents from remotely sensed ocean color data enables a better understanding of the dispersal patterns of river-borne substances in the Gaoping (formerly spelled Kaoping) River, Shelf and Canyon (KPRSC) system. Based on twelve MODIS-Aqua images in the KPRSC region taken in 2005, we apply a newly developed GA-SA approach to derive maps of chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a), colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and non-algal particle/detritus/mineral (NAP). The results demonstrated that the different characteristics of Chl-a, CDOM and NAP make them ideal tracers for observing large-scale dispersal patterns. With ancillary information of averaged daily precipitation, the daily wind field obtained from QuikSCAT (Quick Scatterometer), and the 8-day composite of the temperature field obtained from MODIS-Aqua, we categorized the surface dispersal patterns as coastal, northwestward and frontal patterns. Also, for the first time, we observed a sudden increase of biomass on a large scale from a pair of ocean color images taken over only a 2-day interval. Another remarkable feature is the interaction between the southeastward flow and the intrusion of the Kuroshio Branch, resulting in complicated patterns with various scales of vortex structures and current fronts. The observed features could be used for model validation of the flow field of the KPRSC system.     

Aeronumeric optimal design of a wing-in-ground-effect craft

An optimization technique was used to generate a wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) configuration which can achieve the maximum lift and satisfy the height stability criteria within the design constraints. For the analysis of the aerodynamic coefficients, the vortex lattice method (VLM) was applied with the inviscid and potential flow approximations. The sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method, which is a nonlinear optimization method, was employed as an optimization tool. The lift and moment coefficients, including the stability analysis computed by VLM, were compared with the experimental results of a medium-sized WIG, and a good correlation was found between them. In addition, the optimization tool was validated by finding the optimal position of the side wing attached on the WIG craft. Then, various optimum examples are shown, with generation of the wing section, the determination of the planform configuration, the aspect ratio, and the position of the tail wing within the design constraints. It was shown that the present optimization tool can be used effectively for the optimal design of a WIG craft.     

Comparison between a reanalyzed product by 3-dimensional variational assimilation technique and observations in the Ulleung Basin of the East/Japan Sea

Reanalyzed products from a MOM3-based East Sea Regional Ocean Model with a 3-dimentional variational data assimilation module (DA-ESROM), have been compared with the observed hydrographic and current datasets in the Ulleung Basin (UB) of the East/Japan Sea (EJS). Satellite-borne sea surface temperature and sea surface height data, and in-situ temperature profiles have been assimilated into the DA-ESROM. The performance of the DA-ESROM appears to be efficient enough to be used in an operational ocean forecast system.Comparing with the results from Mitchell et al. [Mitchell, D. A., Watts, D. R., Wimbush, M., Teague, W.J., Tracey, K. L., Book, J. W., Chang, K.-I., Suk, M.-S., Yoon, J.-H., 2005a. Upper circulation patterns in the Ulleung Basin. Deep-Sea Res. II, 52, 1617-1638.], the DA-ESROM fairly well simulates the high variability of the Ulleung Warm Eddy and Dok Cold Eddy as well as the branching of the Tsushima Warm Current in the UB. The overall root-mean-square error between 100 m temperature field reproduced by the DA-ESROM and the observed 100-dbar temperature field is 2.1 °C, and the spatially averaged grid-to-grid correlation between the two temperature fields is high with a mean value of 0.79 for the inter-comparison period.The DA-ESROM reproduces the development of strong southward North Korean Cold Current (NKCC) in summer consistent with the observational results, which is thought to be an improvement of the previous numerical models in the EJS. The reanalyzed products show that the NKCC is about 35 km wide, and flows southward along the Korean coast from spring to summer with maximum monthly mean volume transport of about 0.8 Sv in August–September.     

具初始裂纹钢桥梁焊接构件疲劳裂纹扩展和疲劳寿命计算

钢桥梁构件因焊接缺陷或者在疲劳应力交互作用下萌生裂纹,钢桥梁构件因存在初始裂纹大大地降低焊接构件的疲劳性能.文中考虑到焊接构件往往会存在初始缺陷,研究了含初始缺陷的桥梁焊接构件的疲劳分析方法.在已有的大量含裂纹构件的疲劳实验工作基础上,结合课题组所做的焊接构件疲劳实验资料,假设初始裂纹焊接构件在疲劳裂纹扩展过程中裂纹形状保持为半椭圆形状;针对桥梁构件实际受力特征,由钢桥梁构件的高周疲劳损伤演化方程入手,考虑初始裂纹条件下裂纹前缘的损伤区的存在及其对裂纹扩展的影响,采用虚拟裂纹扩张方法推导了适用于钢桥梁构件的疲劳裂纹扩展分析的疲劳裂纹扩展率公式,建议了裂纹扩展和疲劳寿命数值计算方法.采用文中的计算方法,研究了已有的钢桥梁结构焊接构件疲劳实验的裂纹扩展过程和疲劳寿命的计算.计算结果表明:裂纹的扩展过程中裂纹的深度和表面半长度之比a/c是一个变化的数值,且在一定的a0/t0条件下,随着a0/c0的增加,循环次数逐渐增大.     

粤海铁路轮渡运营管理建议

我国第一条跨海铁路于去年12月5日开通旅客列车，至此，到海南岛的旅客除了乘飞机、汽车外，又多了一种出行选择，可以乘坐火车观赏海上风光；这趟“夕发朝至”快速旅客列车的开行结束了海南岛与大陆不通旅客列车的历史，并将进一步促进海南旅游市场迅速发展和壮大．形成了以火车带动旅游产业的经济增长新这点。[编者按]