The influence of the Agulhas Current on the adjacent coastal ocean: possible impacts of climate change

The dynamics of the coastal ocean along the southeastern coast of Africa is dominated by a strong and intense western boundary current, the Agulhas Current. With a near-uniform, narrow continental shelf and a steep shelf slope that stabilizes this current, the trajectory of the Agulhas exhibits great stability. The only substantial perturbation occurs with the irregular passage of a Natal Pulse, a soliton meander. The initiation of this meander at the Natal Bight is due to a barotropic instability when the intensity of the landward border of the current exceeds a certain threshold value. This may come about with natural fluctuations in the current or with the adsorption of deep-sea eddies onto the current. Under a climate change scenario of altered wind stress curl over the South Indian Ocean it is conceivable that the threshold for the triggering of a Natal Pulse will occur more frequently. This will lead to a situation where the current axis on average lies further offshore. The possible consequences of such a situation on the rainfall of the coast, on the ecology of estuaries and the coastal ocean, and on the socio-economics of the region is discussed.     

Interaction study of train-bridge-track systems using Maxwell model

The investigation of problems related to the interaction of train, bridge and track systems has been accelerated by the emergence of high-speed trains. Such studies are required, not only for the endurance issues regarding bridge and tracks, but to assure trains' functionality and performance. The suspension mechanism of train systems is of prime importance in defining the functionality of high-speed trains, and accurate mathematical models of the mechanism are imperative. This paper introduces a numerical technique for an interaction study of train-bridge-track systems based on Maxwell (three-element type) modeling of the suspension mechanisms of vehicles. Track irregularity in sinusoidal form is also integrated into the mathematical model. Although the proposed technique is simple in formulation, it offers phenomenal accuracy in representing the interaction of train, track and bridge systems. In a numerical example, the dynamic behavior of a train-bridge system has been studied. Results of this analysis provide a valuable insight into the contributing roles of different parameters in this subject.     

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.     

应用Delphi语言进行AutoCAD2006二次开发实现重轨孔型优化设计

根据ActiveX Automation技术原理．利用AutoCAD2006提供的类型库。介绍了应用Delphi语言进行AutoCAD2006二次开发的程序设计方法和技巧。     

Surface CO2 measurements in the English Channel and Southern Bight of North Sea using voluntary observing ships

Ships of opportunity have been used to investigate ocean–atmosphere CO₂ fluxes in the English Channel and Southern Bight of the North Sea. Continuous underway measurements of the fugacity of seawater carbon dioxide (fCO₂^sw), chlorophyll, temperature and salinity have been performed along 26 transects during the spring and autumn periods. The spatial fCO₂^sw distribution along the Channel and Southern Bight is modulated by the photosynthetic activity, temperature changes and water mixing between inputs from the North Atlantic Ocean and riverine discharges. The seasonal variability of fCO₂^sw is assessed and discussed in terms of the biology and temperature effects, these having similar impacts. The variation of fCO₂^sw shows similar interannual patterns, with lower values in spring. The annual average of air–sea CO₂ fluxes places the English Channel as neutral area of CO₂ uptake. The spring and autumn data allow differentiating between distal and proximal continental areas. The Southern Bight shows a tendency towards net CO₂ uptake on the distal continental shelf, whereas the Scheldt and Thames Plumes show a CO₂ source behaviour on the proximal continental shelves.     

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.     

Automated Emergency Four-Wheel-Steered Vehicle Using Continuous Gain Equations

Advanced Vehicle Control Systems (AVCS), when realized, should substantially increase the convenience and safety of highway travel. Automated lateral control is an important step in the realization of AVCS. Much research has been concerned with lateral control during low-g maneuvers. However, before passengers' lives are in the hands of any automated laterally-controlled vehicle, the vehicle controller must be designed to respond to emergency situations where high-g maneuvers may be necessary.

This paper presents the development of a nonlinear-gain-optimized (NGO) controller for emergency automated lateral control of four wheel steered automobiles. Continuous gain equations (GE) are used to account for changes in the vehicle speed. The NGO controller uses a linear vehicle/tire model to define the state model. The response of a nonlinear vehicle/tire model is used to choose the performance index that optimizes the feedback gains for high-g emergency maneuvers at discrete speeds. Continuous gain equations are then derived as least-square approximations to each set of gains.

The performance of the four-wheel-steer continuous gain equations (4WS-GE) controller is compared to that of a two-wheel-steer continuous gain equations (2WS-GE) controller. Significant improvements in vehicle response are realized by using the 4WS-GE controller. The robustness of the controller's performance is examined with respect to changes in tire parameters and changes in vehicle mass.     

自动化:中小港口面临的挑战

这是作者 2 0 0 1年在香港举行的TOC亚洲会议上所作的关于集装箱港口发展自动化的报告 ,重点回答了中小集装箱码头要不要发展自动化以及如何实现自动化的问题 ,提出了发展中小集装箱码头自动化的思路和新的方案 ,并对采用自动化技术后所带来的投资效益进行了较深入的分析和评价