Field investigation of erosion resistance of common grass species for soil bioengineering in Hong Kong

Grass cover is considered as a sustainable means of controlling soil erosion and enhancing durability of soil slopes. A number of grass species are commonly available for soil bioengineering in Hong Kong, but their capacities to control soil erosion have not been characterized quantitatively. The main objectives of this paper are to study the influence of soil density on characteristics of grass roots, to measure the erodibility parameters of the root-permeated soils at two growth stages, and to select the proper Hong Kong grass species that effectively control soil erosion. Three types of Hong Kong turf grass including Cynodon Dactylon, Paspalum Notatum, and Zoysia Matrella were planted on three soil grounds with degrees of compaction of 80, 90, and 100 %, respectively. The featural parameters of grass roots on each compacted ground, including root mass density, root volume density, and root depth, were measured in two growth stages. A jet index apparatus was applied to measure two erodibility properties (i.e., coefficient of erodibility and critical shear stress) of these vegetated soils in the two test stages. Cynodon Dactylon and Zoysia Matrella have higher root mass density values than Paspalum Notatum does, and reduce the susceptibility of soil erosion more effectively. Therefore, the two grass species are suggested for soil bioengineering in Hong Kong.     

Drought prediction using in situ and remote sensing products with SVM over the Xiang River Basin,China

Natural Hazards - Droughts have caused many damages in many countries and might be aggravated around the world. Therefore, it is urgent to predict and monitor drought accurately. Soil moisture and...     

Dynamic Response and Mechanical Behaviours of Geogrid for High Earth-rockfill Dams

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - Due to the complexity of the interaction between the geogrid and the soil interface in high earth-rock dams, the method of replacing the grid with steel...     

Fracture mechanism of rock collapse in the freeze–thaw zone of the eastern Sichuan–Tibet Mountains under seasonal fluctuating combinations of water and heat

Natural Hazards - In the freeze–thaw zone of the eastern Sichuan–Tibet Mountains, the phases of water in cracks show strong seasonal variations, which significantly affect the stability...     

用GPS位移资料计算应变方法的讨论

目前使用相同或类似的GPS资料求应变,不同研究者给出的结果会有显著差别。为此,对用GPS位移(或速度)资料计算应变(或应变速率)的方法进行了研讨。分析后认为,应变计算可以归结成两大类第一类是利用测点附近资料直接求微分或微分的加权平均值的直接计算法;第二类是用解析曲线拟合观测的位移,然后根据该曲线提供的总的趋势求测点的微分值的位移拟合法,这类方法在拟合中又可以分成整体拟合和分片拟合两种。应变计算应该在球面坐标系下进行,根据研究对象和要求,选择适当的方法。     

Flexural performances of prestressed high strength concrete piles reinforced with hybrid GFRP and steel bars

Abstract

This study developed prestressed high-strength concrete (PHC) piles reinforced with high-strength materials (glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars) for flexural performance enhancement. Flexural strengths and behaviors of PHC piles reinforced with hybrid GFRP and steel bars were experimentally investigated, respectively. Large-scale specimens with total lengths of 12,000?mm and diameters of 600?mm were constructed and tested under bending, accompanied by evaluation of effects of non-prestressed reinforcement type and longitudinal reinforcement ratio. J-factors were calculated to evaluate deformability of all the specimens. PHC piles reinforced with GFRP bars were demonstrated to have much higher flexural capacity than those reinforced with steel bars. Moreover, strains at the midspans of cross sections of all the specimens basically conformed to the assumption of plane section. Failure of PHC piles reinforced with GFRP bars was attributable to gradual concrete crushing, while that of PHC piles reinforced with steel bars resulted from steel yielding. Results of this study were expected to provide theoretical basis for wide engineering applications of PHC piles reinforced with hybrid GFRP bars and steel bars in marine structures.     

Unique achondrite Northwest Africa 11042: Exploring the melting and breakup of the L chondrite parent body

Northwest Africa (NWA) 11042 is a heavily shocked achondrite with medium‐grained cumulate textures. Its olivine and pyroxene compositions, oxygen isotopic composition, and chromium isotopic composition are consistent with L chondrites. Sm‐Nd dating of its primary phases shows a crystallization age of 4100 ± 160 Ma. Ar‐Ar dating of its shocked mineral maskelynite reveals an age of 484.0 ± 1.5 Ma. This age coincides roughly with the breakup event of the L chondrite parent body evident in the shock ages of many L chondrites and the terrestrial record of fossil L chondritic chromite. NWA 11042 shows large depletions in siderophile elements (<0.01×CI) suggestive of a complex igneous history involving extraction of a Fe‐Ni‐S liquid on the L chondrite parent body. Due to its relatively young crystallization age, the heat source for such an igneous process is most likely impact. Because its mineralogy, petrology, and O isotopes are similar to the ungrouped achondrite NWA 4284 (this work), the two meteorites are likely paired and derived from the same parent body.     

1949—2019年中国自然地理学与生存环境应用研究进展

自然地理学是一门以基础研究见长的自然科学,其研究对象是与人类生存和发展密切相关的自然环境。中国的自然环境复杂多样,自然地理学家根据国家需求和区域发展在应用基础和应用研究方面同样取得显著成效,为国家重大经济建设、社会发展的规划,宏观生态系统与资源环境保护及区域可持续发展做出了重要贡献。本文总结了1949—2019年中国自然地理学在自然环境区域差异与自然区划、土地利用与覆被变化、自然灾害致灾因子和风险防控、荒漠化过程与防治、黄淮海中低产田改造、冻土区工程建设、地球化学元素异常和地方病防治、自然地理要素定位观测、地理空间分异性识别和地理探测器等方面的实践与应用,指出了未来自然地理学的应用研究方向。     

Effects of Seawater Acidification on Early Development of Clam Cyclina sinensis

Anthropogenic emission of atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_2) has led to a rapid increase in atmospheric CO_2 concentration. Increasing atmospheric CO_2 can reduce seawater pH and carbonate ions, which may adversely affect the survival of the larvae of calcareous animals. Cyclina sinensis is a commercially and ecologically important species in several Asian countries. Living in coast shallow waters, this species has experienced the coastal environmental changes frequently throughout its life cycle. In this study, we simulated possible future seawater pH values including 8.2, 7.8 and 7.4 and examined the effects of ocean acidification on the early development of C. sinensis. Clam embryos were incubated for 48 h(2 d) in control and high-CO_2 seawater to compare embryogenesis, larval growth and swimming behavior. Fertilization rate was quite sensitive to pH, and moderate acidification could induce a significant decrease in fertilization rate. However, only extreme acidification could bring significant negative effect to hatching rate, body size, and average path velocity of trochophora. Moreover, with seawater acidification, C. sinensis needs much more time to reach the same developmental stage, which increases the risk of larva survival. Together with recent studies demonstrating negative impacts of high CO_2 on fertilization and larva swimming behavior, the results imply a future decrease of C. sinensis populations in oceans if its acclimation to the predicted environmental alteration does not occur.