Adapting without Retreating: Responses to Shoreline Change on an Inlet-Associated Coastal Beach

Coastal barrier systems around the world are experiencing higher rates of flooding and shoreline erosion. Property owners on barriers have made significant financial investments in physical protections that shield their nearby properties from these hazards, constituting a type of adaptation to shoreline change. Factors that contribute to adaptation on Plum Island, a developed beach and dune system on the North Shore of Massachusetts, are investigated here. Plum Island experiences patterns of shoreline change that may be representative of many inlet-associated beaches, encompassing an equivocal and dynamically shifting mix of erosion and accretion. In the face of episodic floods and fleeting erosive events, and driven by a combination of strong northeast storms and cycles of erosion and accretion, the value of the average Plum Island residence increases by 34% for properties on the oceanfront where protection comprises a publicly constructed soft structure. Even in the face of state policies that ostensibly discourage physical protection as a means of adaptation, coastal communities face significant political and financial pressures to maintain existing protective structures or to allow contiguous groups of property owners to build new ones through collective action. These factors mitigate against adapting to shoreline change by retreating from the coast, thereby potentially increasing the adverse effects of coastal hazards.     

Benthic sediment composition and nutrient cycling in an Intermittently Closed and Open Lake Lagoon

Surfical sediments within Corunna Lake, a moderate size Intermittently Closed and Open Lake Lagoon (ICOLL), were examined for solid phase nutrient concentrations (TN, TP, TOC,) and solute exchange rates between the sediment and water column (O₂, NO₃–N, NH₄–N, FRP, and N₂). The surfical sediments in Corunna Lake contained high concentrations of TN (5 mg/g dry mass), total phosphorus (0.6 mg/g dry mass), and TOC (~ 5% dry mass). The carbon stable isotope ratio (δ¹³C) and TOC:TN ratios (δ¹³C ~ ? 24, TOC:TN ~ 11–14) demonstrated that the composition of the organic matter in the sediment was a mixture derived primarily of degraded planktonic matter. The close association between TP and Fe concentrations highlighted the potential role Fe plays in mediating Filterable Reactive Phosphorus (FRP) concentrations in the water column of Corunna Lake. In situ benthic chamber incubations were used to measure benthic fluxes. Solute exchange rates between the sediment and water column in Corunna Lake were similar to other reported studies (O₂ = ? 469 to ? 1765 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1, NH₄–N = 0.1–63 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1, NO₂/NO₃–N = 0 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1, FRP = ? 4–1.6 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1and N₂ = 12–356 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1). As more carbon was deposited and mineralized the efficiency of the bacterial population to denitrify nitrogen in the sediment decreases. The linkage between land use and benthic biogeochemistry was also explored. A dairy farm exists in the middle catchment of Corunna Lake, and the receiving bay sediment consistently demonstrated the highest oxygen consumption rates in winter and spring (? 1408 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1 in winter, ? 1691 µmol m^? 2 h^? 1 in spring) and lowest denitrification efficiencies during summer (~ 3%). Nitrate/nitrite fluxes were not observed during any of the chamber incubations, with the concentrations of nitrate/nitrite being below detection limits (< 10 μg/L). Seasonal changes influenced the rates of solute exchange between the sediment and water column. Critical measures of solute exchange for NH₄–N and biogenic N₂ indicated that seasonal temperature changes play a significant role in mediating the reaction rates of sedimentary based biogeochemical processes. Measurable FRP fluxes were small but greater in the benthic sediments which received higher carbon inputs. Sediments have a high capacity to adsorb P which is released as sediment oxygen demand increases as a result of increases in labile carbon loads.     

Blast loaded plates

Plates form one of the basic elements of structures. Land-based structures may be subjected to air blast loads during combat environment or terrorist attack, while marine structures may be subjected to either air blast by the attack of a missile above the water surface or an underwater explosion by the attack of a torpedo or a mine or a depth charge and an aircraft structure may be subjected to an in-flight attack by on-board explosive devices. Furthermore, gas explosion occurs in offshore installations and industries. This review focuses on the phenomenological evolution of blast damage of plates.     

Long-term changes of inorganic nutrients in the Lagoon of Venice (Italy)

The paper aims at investigating the trends of the concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphorous in the Lagoon of Venice, Italy, in the last 35 years. The trend analysis of ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and reactive phosphorus (RP) yielded rather different results. The decrease in ammonia nitrogen concentration, in particular, in the basin influenced by severe industrial discharges, is accurately described by a negative exponential model. The nitrate concentration did not show significant interannual trends, while wide seasonal variations have been detected. Reactive phosphorus concentration increased until the end of the 1970s at the stations close to the industrial area as well as in those influenced by river discharges and by sewages of the city of Venice. The sudden decrease that followed was most likely related with environmental policies, namely the improvement of wastewater purification treatments and the regulation of phosphorus use in detergents.     

Simulated responses of the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia to variations in climate and anthropogenic nutrient loading

A mathematical model was used to simulate monthly responses of the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia to variations in climate and anthropogenic nutrient loading over a 45-year period. We examined six hypothetical future scenarios that are based on observed and projected changes in the Mississippi River discharge, Mississippi River nitrate concentrations, and ambient water temperatures. In particular, we investigated the implications of a 30% decrease in the Mississippi River nitrogen flux, which was recently proposed by the Mississippi River Watershed/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force as a measure to reduce the size of the hypoxic zone. Model simulations suggest that the frequency of hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico is highly sensitive to variations in riverine nitrate flux, but also to variations in freshwater discharge and ambient water temperatures. A 30% decrease in the Mississippi River nitrate flux, for example, would reduce the frequency of hypoxia by 37%. Nevertheless, a 20% increase the Mississippi River discharge, which may occur under some climate change scenarios, would produce an increase in the frequency of hypoxia of the same magnitude. Thus, if the potential climatic variations are taken into account, a 30% decrease in the nitrogen flux of the Mississippi River may not be sufficient to accomplish the proposed hypoxia management goal.     

The structure of dissipation in the western Irish Sea front

We report on an intensive campaign in the summer of 2006 to observe turbulent energy dissipation in the vicinity of a tidal mixing front which separates well mixed and seasonally stratified regimes in the western Irish Sea. The rate of turbulent dissipation ε was observed on a section across the front by a combination of vertical profiles with the FLY dissipation profiler and horizontal profiles by shear sensors mounted on an AUV (Autosub). Mean flow conditions and stratification were obtained from a bed mounted ADCP and a vertical chain of thermistors on a mooring. During an Autosub mission of 60 h, the vehicle, moving at a speed of ~ 1.2 m s^− 1, completed 10 useable frontal crossings between end points which were allowed to move with the mean flow. The results were combined with parallel measurements of the vertical profile of ε which were made using FLY for periods of up to 13 h at positions along the Autosub track. The two data sets, which show a satisfactory degree of consistency, were combined to elucidate the space–time variation of dissipation in the frontal zone. Using harmonic analysis, the spatial structure of dissipation was separated from the strong time dependent signal at the M₄ tidal frequency to yield a picture of the cross-frontal distribution of energy dissipation. A complementary picture of the frontal velocity field was obtained from a moored ADCP and estimates of the mean velocity derived from the thermal wind using the observed density distribution. which indicated the presence of a strong (0.2 m s^− 1) jet-like flow in the high gradient region of the front. Under neap tidal conditions, mean dissipation varied across the section by 3 orders of magnitude exceeding 10^− 2 W m^− 3 near the seabed in the mixed regime and decreasing to 10^− 5 W m^− 3. in the strongly stratified interior regime. The spatial pattern of dissipation is consistent in general form with the predictions of models of tidal mixing and does not reflect any strong influence by the frontal jet.     

1/32° real-time global ocean prediction and value-added over 1/16° resolution

A 1/32° global ocean nowcast/forecast system has been developed by the Naval Research Laboratory at the Stennis Space Center. It started running at the Naval Oceanographic Office in near real-time on 1 Nov. 2003 and has been running daily in real-time since 1 Mar. 2005. It became an operational system on 6 March 2006, replacing the existing 1/16° system which ceased operation on 12 March 2006. Both systems use the NRL Layered Ocean Model (NLOM) with assimilation of sea surface height from satellite altimeters and sea surface temperature from multi-channel satellite infrared radiometers. Real-time and archived results are available online at http://www.ocean.nrlssc.navy.mil/global_nlom. The 1/32° system has improvements over the earlier system that can be grouped into two categories: (1) better resolution and representation of dynamical processes and (2) design modifications. The design modifications are the result of accrued knowledge since the development of the earlier 1/16° system. The improved horizontal resolution of the 1/32° system has significant dynamical benefits which increase the ability of the model to accurately nowcast and skillfully forecast. At the finer resolution, current pathways and their transports become more accurate, the sea surface height (SSH) variability increases and becomes more realistic and even the global ocean circulation experiences some changes (including inter-basin exchange). These improvements make the 1/32° system a better dynamical interpolator of assimilated satellite altimeter track data, using a one-day model forecast as the first guess. The result is quantitatively more accurate nowcasts, as is illustrated by several model-data comparisons. Based on comparisons with ocean color imagery in the northwestern Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, the 1/32° system has even demonstrated the ability to map small eddies, 25–75 km in diameter, with 70% reliability and a median eddy center location error of 22.5 km, a surprising and unanticipated result from assimilation of altimeter track data. For all of the eddies (50% small eddies), the reliability was 80% and the median eddy center location error was 29 km. The 1/32° system also exhibits improved forecast skill in relation to the 1/16° system. This is due to (a) a more accurate initial condition for the forecast and (b) better resolution and representation of critical dynamical processes (such as upper ocean – topographic coupling via mesoscale flow instabilities) which allow the model to more accurately evolve these features in time while running in forecast mode (forecast atmospheric forcing for the first 5 days, then gradually reverting toward climatology for the remainder of the 30-day forecast period). At 1/32° resolution, forecast SSH generally compares better with unassimilated observations and the anomaly correlation of the forecast SSH exceeds that from persistence by a larger amount than found in the 1/16° system.     

New method for predicting full-scale power performance of pumpjet propulsion system based on statistical learning北大核心CSCD

[目的]针对“适配于螺旋桨的船尾线型+泵喷推进器”构成的船舶泵喷推进系统,提出一种基于统计学习的实船快速性预报新方法。[方法]以某大型水面船舶泵喷推进系统为对象,通过神经网络学习典型推进泵的推力系数图谱曲线,综合运用船-桨配合时的K_(T)-J曲线和船体-喷泵配合时的推力特性曲线,建立“仅需船舶阻力曲线就能实现船舶泵喷推进系统实船快速性预报”的新方法,并基于船模阻力试验、泵喷模型敞水试验及船体-泵喷自航试验的测量换算结果对实船推进性能的预报结果开展精度校验。[结果]校验结果表明:在航速18~30 kn范围内,船舶泵喷推进系统的自航转速、推力和功率的预报误差可控制在5.4%以内,其中设计航速附近的误差甚至小于2%;船体-泵喷的相互作用程度介于船-桨与船体-喷泵之间且幅值相对较小,推力减额系数为趋向于0的极小值,故船舶泵喷推进系统是介于桨轴推进系统和喷水推进系统之间的产物。[结论]该预报方法有利于提升船舶泵喷推进系统实船快速性预报的能力,可为新型舰艇泵类推进系统总体设计/研究提供参考。     

Management of coastal eutrophication: Integration of field data, ecosystem-scale simulations and screening models

A hybrid approach for eutrophication assessment in estuarine and coastal ecosystems is presented. The ASSETS screening model (http://www.eutro.org) classifies eutrophication status into five classes: High (better), Good, Moderate, Poor and Bad (worse). This model was applied to a dataset from a shallow coastal barrier island system in southwest Europe (Ria Formosa), with a resulting score of Good. A detailed dynamic model was developed for this ecosystem, and the outputs were used to drive the screening model. Four scenarios were run on the research model: pristine, standard (simulates present loading), half and double the current nutrient loading. The Ria Formosa has a short water residence time and eutrophication symptoms are not apparent in the water column. However, benthic symptoms are expressed as excessive macroalgal growth and strong dissolved oxygen fluctuations in the tide pools. The standard simulation results showed an ASSETS grade identical to the field data application. The application of the screening model to the other scenario outputs showed the responsiveness of ASSETS to changes in pressure, state and response, scoring a grade of High under pristine conditions, Good for half the standard scenario and Moderate for double the present loadings. The use of this hybrid approach allows managers to test the outcome of measures against a set of well-defined metrics for the evaluation of state. It additionally provides a way of testing and improving the pressure component of ASSETS. Sensitivity analysis revealed that sub-sampling the output of the research model at a monthly scale, typical for the acquisition of field data, may significantly affect the outcome of the screening model, by overlooking extreme events such as occasional night-time anoxia in tide pools.     

Second-order perturbation added mass fluctuation on vertical vibration of tension leg platforms

Total motion in waves can be considered as a superposition of the motion of the body in still water and the forces on the restrained body. In this study the effect of added mass fluctuation on vertical vibration of tension leg platforms (TLP) in the case of vibration in still water for both free and forced vibration subjected to axial load at the top of the leg is presented. This effect is more important when the amplitude of vibration is large. Also this is important in fatigue life study of tethers. The structural model used here is very simple. Perturbation method is used to formulate and solve the problem. First- and second-order perturbations are used to solve the free and forced vibrations, respectively.