scholarly journals Short communication: Multiscalar roughness length decomposition in fluvial systems using a transform-roughness correlation (TRC) approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1039-1051
Author(s):  
David L. Adams ◽  
Andrea Zampiron

Abstract. In natural open-channel flows over complex surfaces, a wide range of superimposed roughness elements may contribute to flow resistance. Gravel-bed rivers present a particularly interesting example of this kind of multiscalar flow resistance problem, as both individual grains and bedforms may contribute to the roughness length. In this paper, we propose a novel method of estimating the relative contribution of different physical scales of in-channel topography to the total roughness length, using a transform-roughness correlation (TRC) approach. The technique, which uses a longitudinal profile, consists of (1) a wavelet transform which decomposes the surface into roughness elements occurring at different wavelengths and (2) a “roughness correlation” that estimates the roughness length (ks) associated with each wavelength based on its geometry alone. When applied to original and published laboratory experiments with a range of channel morphologies, the roughness correlation estimates the total ks to approximately a factor of 2 of measured values but may perform poorly in very steep channels with low relative submergence. The TRC approach provides novel and detailed information regarding the interaction between surface topography and fluid dynamics that may contribute to advances in hydraulics, bedload transport, and channel morphodynamics.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Adams ◽  
Andrea Zampiron

Abstract. In natural open-channel flows over complex surfaces, a wide range of superimposed roughness elements may contribute to flow resistance. Gravel-bed rivers present a particularly interesting example of this kind of multiscalar flow resistance problem, as both individual grains and bedforms can potentially be important roughness elements. In this paper, we propose a novel method of estimating the relative contribution of different physical scales of river bed topography to the total drag, using a transform-roughness correlation (TRC) approach. The technique, which requires only a single longitudinal profile, consists of (1) a wavelet transform which decomposes the surface into roughness elements occurring at different wavelengths, and (2) a `roughness correlation' that estimates the drag associated with each wavelength based on its geometry alone, expressed as ks. We apply the TRC approach to original and published laboratory experiments and show that the multiscalar drag decomposition yields estimates of grain- and form-drag that are consistent with estimates in channels with similar morphologies. Also, we demonstrate that the roughness correlation may be used to estimate total flow resistance via a conventional equation, suggesting that it could replace representative roughness values such as median grain size or the standard deviation of elevations. An improved understanding of how various scales contribute to total flow resistance may lead to advances in hydraulics as well as channel morphodynamics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (17) ◽  
pp. 34-1-34-7
Author(s):  
Matthew G. Finley ◽  
Tyler Bell

This paper presents a novel method for accurately encoding 3D range geometry within the color channels of a 2D RGB image that allows the encoding frequency—and therefore the encoding precision—to be uniquely determined for each coordinate. The proposed method can thus be used to balance between encoding precision and file size by encoding geometry along a normal distribution; encoding more precisely where the density of data is high and less precisely where the density is low. Alternative distributions may be followed to produce encodings optimized for specific applications. In general, the nature of the proposed encoding method is such that the precision of each point can be freely controlled or derived from an arbitrary distribution, ideally enabling this method for use within a wide range of applications.


This book addresses different linguistic and philosophical aspects of referring to the self in a wide range of languages from different language families, including Amharic, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Newari (Sino-Tibetan), Polish, Tariana (Arawak), and Thai. In the domain of speaking about oneself, languages use a myriad of expressions that cut across grammatical and semantic categories, as well as a wide variety of constructions. Languages of Southeast and East Asia famously employ a great number of terms for first-person reference to signal honorification. The number and mixed properties of these terms make them debatable candidates for pronounhood, with many grammar-driven classifications opting to classify them with nouns. Some languages make use of egophors or logophors, and many exhibit an interaction between expressing the self and expressing evidentiality qua the epistemic status of information held from the ego perspective. The volume’s focus on expressing the self, however, is not directly motivated by an interest in the grammar or lexicon, but instead stems from philosophical discussions of the special status of thoughts about oneself, known as de se thoughts. It is this interdisciplinary understanding of expressing the self that underlies this volume, comprising philosophy of mind at one end of the spectrum and cross-cultural pragmatics of self-expression at the other. This unprecedented juxtaposition results in a novel method of approaching de se and de se expressions, in which research methods from linguistics and philosophy inform each other. The importance of this interdisciplinary perspective on expressing the self cannot be overemphasized. Crucially, the volume also demonstrates that linguistic research on first-person reference makes a valuable contribution to research on the self tout court, by exploring the ways in which the self is expressed, and thereby adding to the insights gained through philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science.


2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (11) ◽  
pp. 93-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Babu ◽  
M.M. Mushi ◽  
N.P. van der Steen ◽  
C.M. Hooijmans ◽  
H.J. Gijzen

Nitrogen removal in wastewater stabilization ponds is poorly understood and effluent monitoring data show a wide range of differences in ammonium. For effluent discharge into the environment, low levels of nitrogen are recommended. Nitrification is limiting in facultative wastewater stabilization ponds. The reason why nitrification is considered to be limiting is attributed to low growth rate and wash out of the nitrifiers. Therefore to maintain a population, attached growth is required. The aim of this research is to study the relative contribution of bulk water and biofilms with respect to nitrification. The hypothesis is that nitrification can be enhanced in stabilization ponds by increasing the surface area for nitrifier attachment. In order to achieve this, transparent pond reactors representing water columns in algae WSP have been used. To discriminate between bulk and biofilm activity, 5-day batch activity tests were carried out with bulk water and biofilm sampled. The observed value for Rnitrbulk was 2.7 × 10−1 mg-N L−1 d−1 and for Rbiofilm was 1,495 mg-N m−2 d −1. During the 5 days of experiment with the biofilm, ammonia reduction was rapid on the first day. Therefore, a short-term biofilm activity test was performed to confirm this rapid decrease. Results revealed a nitrification rate, Rbiofilm, of 2,125 mg-N m−2 d−1 for the first 5 hours of the test, which is higher than the 1,495 mg-N m−2 d−1, observed on the first day of the 7-day biofilm activity test. Rbiofilm and Rnitrbulk values obtained in the batch activity tests were used as parameters in a mass balance model equation. The model was calibrated by adjusting the fraction of the pond volume and biofilm area that is active (i.e. aerobic). When assuming a depth of 0.08 m active upper layer, the model could describe well the measured effluent values for the pond reactors. The calibrated model was validated by predicting effluent Kjeldahl nitrogen of algae ponds in Palestine and Colombia. The model equation predicted well the effluent concentrations of ponds in Palestine.


2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 761-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Duhl ◽  
D. Helmig ◽  
A. Guenther

Abstract. This literature review summarizes the environmental controls governing biogenic sesquiterpene (SQT) emissions and presents a compendium of numerous SQT-emitting plant species as well as the quantities and ratios of SQT species they have been observed to emit. The results of many enclosure-based studies indicate that temporal SQT emission variations appear to be dominated mainly by ambient temperatures although other factors contribute (e.g., seasonal variations). This implies that SQT emissions have increased significance at certain times of the year, especially in late spring to mid-summer. The strong temperature dependency of SQT emissions also creates the distinct possibility of increasing SQT emissions in a warmer climate. Disturbances to vegetation (from herbivores and possibly violent weather events) are clearly also important in controlling short-term SQT emissions bursts, though the relative contribution of disturbance-induced emissions is not known. Based on the biogenic SQT emissions studies reviewed here, SQT emission rates among numerous species have been observed to cover a wide range of values, and exhibit substantial variability between individuals and across species, as well as at different environmental and phenological states. These emission rates span several orders of magnitude (10s–1000s of ng gDW-1 h−1). Many of the higher rates were reported by early SQT studies, which may have included artificially-elevated SQT emission rates due to higher-than-ambient enclosure temperatures and disturbances to enclosed vegetation prior to and during sample collection. When predicting landscape-level SQT fluxes, modelers must consider the numerous sources of variability driving observed SQT emissions. Characterizations of landscape and global SQT fluxes are highly uncertain given differences and uncertainties in experimental protocols and measurements, the high variability in observed emission rates from different species, the selection of species that have been studied so far, and ambiguities regarding controls over emissions. This underscores the need for standardized experimental protocols, better characterization of disturbance-induced emissions, screening of dominant plant species, and the collection of multiple replicates from several individuals within a given species or genus as well as a better understanding of seasonal dependencies of SQT emissions in order to improve the representation of SQT emission rates.


2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Scott Kessler ◽  
A. Sherif El-Gizawy ◽  
Douglas E. Smith

The accuracy of a finite element model for design and analysis of a metal forging operation is limited by the incorporated material model’s ability to predict deformation behavior over a wide range of operating conditions. Current rheological models prove deficient in several respects due to the difficulty in establishing complicated relations between many parameters. More recently, artificial neural networks (ANN) have been suggested as an effective means to overcome these difficulties. To this end, a robust ANN with the ability to determine flow stresses based on strain, strain rate, and temperature is developed and linked with finite element code. Comparisons of this novel method with conventional means are carried out to demonstrate the advantages of this approach.


1995 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 500-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.P. Nicholas ◽  
P.J. Ashworth ◽  
M.J. Kirkby ◽  
M.G. Macklin ◽  
T. Murray

Variations in fluvial sediment transport rates and storage volumes have been described previously as sediment waves or pulses. These features have been identified over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales and have been categorized using existing bedform classifications. Here we describe the factors controlling the generation and propagation of what we term sediment slugs. These can be defined as bodies of clastic material associated with disequilibrium conditions in fluvial systems over time periods above the event scale. Slugs range in magnitude from unit bars (Smith, 1974) up to sedimentary features generated by basin-scale sediment supply disturbances (Trimble, 1981). At lower slug magnitudes, perturbations in sediment transport are generated by local riverbank and/or bed erosion. Larger-scale features result from the occurrence of rare high- magnitude geomorphic events, and the impacts on water and sediment production of tectonics, glaciation, climate change and anthropogenic influences. Simple sediment routing functions are presented which may be used to describe the propagation of sediment slugs in fluvial systems. Attention is drawn to components of the fluvial system where future research is urgently required to improve our quantitative understanding of drainage-basin sediment dynamics.


1992 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Hoey

Temporal variability in bedload transport rates and spatial variability in sediment storage have been reported with increasing frequency in recent years. A spatial and temporal classification for these features is suggested based on the gravel bedform classification of Church and Jones (1982). The identified scales, meso-, macro-, and mega- are each broad, and within each there is a wide range of processes acting to produce bedload fluctuations. Sampling the same data set with different sampling intervals yields a near linear relationship between sampling interval and pulse period. A range of modelling strategies has been applied to bed waves. The most successful have been those which allow for the three-dimensional nature of sediment storage processes, and which allow changes in the width and depth of stored sediment. The existence of bed waves makes equilibrium in gravel-bed rivers necessarily dynamic. Bedload pulses and bed waves can be regarded as equilibrium forms at sufficiently long timescales.


1944 ◽  
Vol 22b (3) ◽  
pp. 66-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilfred Gallay ◽  
Ira E. Puddington ◽  
James S. Tapp

The texture and other physical properties of soap dispersions in mineral oil, or lubricating greases, depend largely on the degree of dispersion of the soap. Calcium and aluminium soap dispersions yield in general a very short unctuous texture owing to the small size of the soap fibres in these systems. Sodium soap dispersions show a wide range of texture from a smooth to a very fibrous character, and this is related to the dimensions of the soap fibres in the dispersion.A novel method of examination of these fibres is described, and this procedure is compared with other means. Data and photographs of soap fibres are shown.The development of large fibres is discussed and the growth of fibres by orientation and overlapping of smaller fibrils is described. Evidence is adduced by micro-manipulator examination of soap and non-soap fibres in mineral oil. The effect of glycerol, present in greases manufactured from fats, is shown to be essential for the production of long fibres in ordinary practice, and this effect is ascribed mainly to the ability of oil to wet the soap in the presence of glycerol.


Author(s):  
Graham A. Sexstone ◽  
Steven R. Fassnacht ◽  
Juan I. López-Moreno ◽  
Christopher A. Hiemstra

Given the substantial variability of snow in complex mountainous terrain, a considerable challenge of coarse scale modeling applications is accurately representing the subgrid variability of snowpack properties. The snow depth coefficient of variation (CVds) is a useful metric for characterizing subgrid snow distributions but has not been well defined by a parameterization for mountainous environments. This study utilizes lidar-derived snow depth datasets spanning alpine to sub-alpine mountainous terrain in Colorado, USA to evaluate the variability of subgrid snow distributions within a grid size comparable to a 1000 m resolution common for hydrologic and land surface models. The subgrid CVds exhibited a wide range of variability across the 321 km2 study area (0.15 to 2.74) and was significantly greater in alpine areas compared to subalpine areas. Mean snow depth was the dominant driver of CVds variability in both alpine and subalpine areas, as CVds decreased nonlinearly with increasing snow depths. This negative correlation is attributed to the static size of roughness elements (topography and canopy) that strongly influence seasonal snow variability. Subgrid CVds was also strongly related to topography and forest variables; important drivers of CVds included the subgrid variability of terrain exposure to wind in alpine areas and the mean and variability of forest metrics in subalpine areas. Two statistical models were developed (alpine and subalpine) for predicting subgrid CVds that show reasonable performance statistics. The methodology presented here can be used for characterizing the variability of CVds in snow-dominated mountainous regions, and highlights the utility of using lidar-derived snow datasets for improving model representations of snow processes.


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