Occurrence of spanning of a submarine pipeline with initial embedment

For better understanding the mechanism of the occurrence of pipeline span for a pipeline with initial embedment, physical and numerical methods are adopted in this study. Experimental observations show that there often exist three characteristic phases in the process of the partially embedded pipeline being suspended: (a) local scour around pipe; (b) onset of soil erosion beneath pipe; and (c) complete suspension of pipe. The effects of local scour on the onset of soil erosion beneath the pipe are much less than those of soil seepage failure induced by the pressure drop. Based on the above observations and analyses, the mechanism of the occurrence of pipeline spanning is analyzed numerically in view of soil seepage failure. In the numerical analyses, the current-induced pressure along the soil surface in the vicinity of the pipe (i.e. the pressure drop) is firstly obtained by solving the N-S equations, thereafter the seepage flow in the soil is calculated with the obtained pressure drop as the boundary conditions along the soil surface. Numerical results indicate that the seepage failure (or piping) may occur at the exit of the seepage path when the pressure gradient gets larger than the critical value. The numerical treatment provides a practical tool for evaluating the potentials for the occurrence of pipe span due to the soil seepage failure.

Modeling on Runoff and Sediment Yield in Small Watersheds

The prediction and estimate of water and soil loss is fundamental important for understanding the effect of the spatial heterogeneity of underlying surfaces and preventing ecological environment deterioration. In this paper, a dynamic model of runoff and sediment yield in small watersheds is established. The proposed model includes three components: runoff generation caused by rainfall, soil erosion on hillslopes by overland flow, and runoff concentration and sediment transport on watersheds. Applying the proposed model, the runoff and sediment yield processes in a typical catchment on the loess plateau was estimated, which exhibited a good agreement between predicted results and observation.

Floating islands: a unique fish aggregating method

A fish aggregating device made of aquatic weeds and grass (Phoom) is used in Loktak lake in the northeastern region of India. It has been used successfully in this very productive fishery for centuries. Today, the fishery itself is under pressure from overexploitation, soil erosion leading to siltation and a hydroelectric project that has blocked the migratory route of the fish that used the lake as a breeding ground.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Challenges for Data Sensing and Analysis

The objective of this study was to identify challenges in civil and environmental engineering that can potentially be solved using data sensing and analysis research. The challenges were recognized through extensive literature review in all disciplines of civil and environmental engineering. The literature review included journal articles, reports, expert interviews, and magazine articles. The challenges were ranked by comparing their impact on cost, time, quality, environment and safety. The result of this literature review includes challenges such as improving construction safety and productivity, improving roof safety, reducing building energy consumption, solving traffic congestion, managing groundwater, mapping and monitoring the underground, estimating sea conditions, and solving soil erosion problems. These challenges suggest areas where researchers can apply data sensing and analysis research.

Palm frond biochar production and characterisation

Palm oil has been the world's main source of oil and fats since 2004, producing over 45 million tonnes in 2009. Malaysia alone has over 4·5 million hectares planted with oil palm and, based on common practice, ~300 palm fronds are pruned per hectare per year. This agricultural waste is currently either being used as roughage feed or, more frequently, being left between rows of palm trees to prevent soil erosion, or for nutrient recycling purposes. This paper proposes an alternative use for palm frond as a source of biochar. A traditional method commonly use by gardeners in Malaysia to improve soil fertility was used to produce the biochar. A shallow earth pit was dug in the ground for the carbonisation process. The process is described and the impact of carbonisation on the earth wall is analysed and presented. The process was later re-assessed by using TGA-FTIR. Most of the hemicelluloses had fully disintegrated, but the depolymerisation of the cellulose was still incomplete at the carbonisation temperature. Most of the lignin aromatic structure was still present in the biochar. The carbonisation process was repeated in the laboratory and biochar was characterised by using BET, SEM and FTIR. An adsorption isotherm study was conducted and the experimental data were fitted to the Langmuir model. The model predicted Pb2+ adsorption rates of 83·3 mg/g, Cu2+ 41·4 mg/g, Ni2+ 13·0 mg/g and Zn2+ 19·7 mg/g. Copyright © The Royal Society of Edinburgh 2012.

近60年我国土壤侵蚀科学研究进展

在系统总结我国近60年土壤侵蚀科学研究取得的成就的基础上,通过分析与整合,重点介绍全国土壤侵蚀时空特征与动态变化、土壤侵蚀过程及其调控机制、黄河泥沙来源与粗泥沙集中来源区的界定、风力侵蚀机制及沙漠化防治、侵蚀环境演变与调控等5个对土壤侵蚀学科发展有重大意义的进展,提出了我国土壤侵蚀学科亟待加强的3个领域。

基于GIS和CSLE的陕西省土壤侵蚀定量评价方法研究

通过对陕西省土壤侵蚀的定量评估,探索省域尺度上土壤侵蚀定量评价制图方法,以期为第四次全国土壤侵蚀普查提供技术支撑。利用陕西省日降雨数据、土壤类型图、土地利用图、DEM、植被覆盖图,选择CSLE模型,在ArcGIS平台上计算研究区2006年土壤侵蚀量,并与水利部标准评价结果进行对比分析。探索了坡度坡长变换对土壤侵蚀的影响。定量化的评价结果能较好的反映气候、土壤及水保措施对土壤侵蚀的影响,比水利部标准评价结果更能反映实际侵蚀。坡度坡长变换后对土壤侵蚀有明显影响。在GIS支持下,通过土壤侵蚀模型进行定量评价,可高效、客观反映土壤侵蚀情况及其主要影响因子,对区域治理和有关决策有极其重要参考价值。为了准确真实的反映土壤侵蚀程度,必须进行坡度坡长变换。

地面坡度对红壤坡面土壤侵蚀过程的影响研究

通过室内模拟降雨试验,研究了地面坡度对红壤坡面产流过程和侵蚀过程的影响,结果表明:坡面总径流量随坡度的增大呈减小趋势,其中25°坡面比5°坡面的径流量减小22.3%;随坡度的增加,坡面产流达到稳定的历时减少。径流含沙量和坡面侵蚀产沙量随坡度的变化在5°~20°呈增大趋势,而当坡度由20°增加到25°时,径流含沙量和侵蚀产沙量随坡度的增加呈减少的趋势,即在红壤坡面,坡度对侵蚀产沙量影响存在着临界坡度,其值变化于20°~25°之间。

黄土高原半干旱区集雨补灌生态农业研究进展

黄土高原半干旱地区在中国旱作农业生产中占有重要地位。干旱缺水与水土流失并存是制约该区域经济发展的两大瓶颈因素。水保农业和径流农业两种旱作农业生产方式已趋于成熟,但对天然降水调控利用能力低下,难于实现农业生产的优质高产高效。集雨补灌生态农业是在继承水保农业和径流农业成功技术基础上,对降雨调控利用方式的进一步发展,它能在时间和空间两个方面实现降雨径流的富集叠加,能充分发挥环境资源与水肥光热因子的协同增效作用,大幅度提高农业生产力,实现同步缓解干旱缺水与水土流失双重目标。集雨补灌是黄土高原半干旱区农业可持续发展的一种综合模式和战略性措施,对黄土高原半干旱区生态型现代农业发展具有重要推动作用。

黄土坡面下坡位土壤侵蚀过程的模拟试验

在中国科学院水利部水土保持研究所,采用2个不同坡长小区室内模拟降雨试验方法,对黄土坡面下坡位侵蚀过程进行研究。结果表明:1)坡面下坡位侵蚀模数随降雨过程、降雨强度及坡度的变化均具有大小交错,上下波动的特征,侵蚀模数随降雨过程的变化总体呈先上升后趋于稳定的态势,随降雨强度的增大而增加,随坡度的增大而先增大后减小,再增大再减小;2)坡面上、下坡位侵蚀模数随降雨过程、坡度及降雨强度的变化均具有明显差异,下坡位明显不如上坡位;3)坡面上坡位汇流和下坡位产流与坡面上坡位输沙对坡面下坡位侵蚀模数的影响可用二元线性方程很好地描述,前者的贡献率为47.8%,后者为20.4%;只通过观测分析小区平均侵蚀特征得出的坡面侵蚀过程,掩盖了坡面下坡位的真实侵蚀过程,采取水土保持措施减少坡面上坡位汇流及增加降雨就地入渗,可以有效地治理坡面下坡位的水土流失。

土丘陵沟壑区植被恢复过程中的土壤抗蚀与细沟侵蚀演变

对黄土丘陵沟壑区安塞纸坊沟和县南沟、延安燕沟3个流域不同恢复年限的植物群落的土壤抗蚀性和侵蚀程度进行了研究。对12个土壤抗蚀性指标进行主成分分析表明,土壤抗蚀性(主成分综合指数)强弱为灌木群落阶段>多年生草本和蒿类群落阶段>一二年生草本群落阶段,与一二年生草本群落阶段相比,灌木群落阶段与多年生草本和蒿类群落阶段的土壤抗蚀性分别增加了362.29%～673.33%和574.71%～930.00%;野外调查结果分析表明,随着植被的恢复演替,土壤侵蚀量呈现明显的下降趋势,灌木群落阶段的土壤侵蚀量仅为演替初期的1.42%～5.59%;通过回归分析,土壤侵蚀量和水稳性团聚类因子,以及有机质含量之间分别存在极显著与显著相关关系,鉴于土壤分析的易获性,可选择>0.5mm水稳性团聚体与有机质含量作为反映土壤侵蚀程度的指标。

黄土丘陵区草地土壤微生物C、N及呼吸熵对植被恢复的响应

以野外样地调查和室内分析法研究了黄土丘陵区不同植被恢复年限下草地土壤微生物C、N及土壤呼吸熵的变化。结果表明,土壤微生物量碳明显地随着植被恢复年限的增加而增加。在恢复前23a,土壤微生物量碳在0～20cm土层年增加率为24.1%;20～40cm为104.4%。植被恢复23a后,0～20cm土层增长率为0.83%,20～40cm为0.19%。土壤微生物量N表现为在植被恢复的初期略有下降,3a后,开始出现明显增加。0～20cm土层年增长率为20.14%,20～40cm为15.11%。在植被恢复23a后,0～20cm土层的年增长率为0.14%,20～40cm变化不大。土壤微生物呼吸强度随着恢复年限的增加逐渐加强;土壤呼吸熵随植被封育时间的增加而呈对数降低趋势。土壤呼吸熵(qCO2)在反映土壤的生物质量变化时,显得更加稳定,受植物生长状况影响较小。相关分析表明,土壤微生物量和土壤微生物活性与土壤有机质、碱解氮和粘粒含量显著正相关;与土壤粉粒含量明显负相关;表层土壤pH值对其也有明显影响。草地植被自然恢复过程可增加土壤微生物活性,有利于土壤质量的提高。

黄土高原丘陵沟壑区草地植物群落健康动态评价

植被恢复重建是遏制水土流失的有效措施之一,研究植被恢复重建过程、评价植物群落健康状况对加速植被建设具有重要的实践意义。本文根据黄土丘陵沟壑区的特点,建立了植物群落健康评价指标体系,对草地植被恢复重建过程中的不同阶段的植物群落的健康状况进行了评价。结果表明:植被群落活力变化过程呈抛物线型;群落组织力基本呈波动性变化;恢复力的变化则与活力变化过程相反,在群落活力达到最高水平时,群落的恢复力降至最低;土壤健康呈波动性上升的变化趋势。综合评价表明,植物群落健康水平随着演替过程的发展呈波动性且逐渐上升的变化过程。

~7Be示踪坡耕地次降雨细沟与细沟间侵蚀

对于坡面细沟与细沟间侵蚀过程的了解是建立侵蚀预报模型的基础,但传统方法难以对其进行深入研究。利用7Be示踪技术并结合人工模拟降雨,考虑坡脚沉积作用,研究了25°坡耕地径流小区次降雨过程中细沟与细沟间侵蚀动态。结果表明:根据流出径流小区泥沙7Be含量变化计算坡面明显细沟出现时间,由于坡脚沉积作用使得A、B两试验小区这一时间比实际细沟出现分别延迟了45min和11min;根据坡面-侵蚀泥沙中7Be总量守恒和泥沙质量平衡原理,坡面细沟间侵蚀及细沟侵蚀在坡面总侵蚀、坡脚沉积区泥沙及流出径流小区泥沙中的比例被定量区分开;总体上,细沟间侵蚀量在径流泥沙中的比例逐渐减少,而细沟侵蚀量逐渐增加。两试验小区中7Be示踪计算坡面细沟侵蚀量和坡脚沉积量与实测值相比相对误差均较小,因此7Be示踪技术可以对土壤侵蚀进行较为准确地定量研究。

确定~(137)Cs背景值所需的采样点数与采样面积

137Cs背景值的确定是利用核示踪技术研究土壤侵蚀的前提和根本,直接关系到侵蚀速率计算的准确与否。而大部分研究对137Cs背景值的确定均采取随机采样,没有统一的采样点数与确定的采样面积。本研究利用网格加密采样法,对未扰动地和长期耕种且未平整的农耕地各两块样地的137Cs背景值空间变异进行了分析,结果表明:在未扰动地与农耕地采样地块,137Cs采样点数与背景值空间变异系数都存在指数回归关系;在未扰动地块137Cs背景值存在较大空间变异性,且随着网格面积的扩大137Cs空间变异系数表现为增加趋势,在0.25m2范围内选取最少11个样点才能满足试验精度;在农耕地采样地块,因长期的耕种作用使得137Cs在耕层中混合相对均匀,137Cs背景值空间变异性显著变小,最少选取7个样点就能满足试验精度,且不受采样面积的影响。