Simulating Experiment for Temperature Field of Frozen Subgrade Using Regulation Tubes

The main factors that influence the temperature field of frozen subgrade were analyzed.The experimental equipment for simulating frozen subgrade was built up,and the declining regulating tubes were placed at the foot of the embankment. By means of this equipment two simulating experiments of controlling temperature filed of frozen subgrade were carried out in the laboratory. One method is to collect natural cold energy, and the other one is to collect natural cold energy ccompanied by artificial refrigeration simultaneously. The result indicates that the latter is an effective method for maintaining the stability of the frozen subgrade.     

Crop yield, nitrogen uptake and nitrate-nitrogen accumulation in soil as affected by 23 annual applications of fertilizer and manure in the rainfed region of Northwestern China

Application of chemical fertilizers and farmyard manure affects crop productivity and improves nutrient cycling within soil–plant systems, but the magnitude varies with soil-climatic conditions. A long-term (1982–2004) field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizers and farmyard swine manure (M) on seed and straw yield, protein concentration, and N uptake in the seed and straw of 19-year winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and four-year oilseed (three-year canola, Brassica napus L. in 1987, 2000 and 2003; one-year flax, Linum usitatisimum L. in 1991), accumulation of nitrate-N (NO₃-N) in the soil profile (0–210 cm), and N balance sheet on a Huangmian soil (calcaric cambisols, FAO) near Tianshui, Gansu, China. The two main plot treatments were without and with farmyard swine manure (M); sub-plot treatments were control (Ck), N, NP, and NPK.␣The average seed yield decreased in the order MNPK ≥ MNP > MN ≥ NPK ≥ NP > M > N > Ck. The average effect of manure and fertilizers on seed yield was in the order M > N > P > K. The seed yield increase was 20.5% for M, 17.8% for N, 14.2% for P, and 2.9 % for K treatment. Seed yield response to fertilizers was much greater for N and P than for K, and it was much greater for no manure than for manure treatment. The response of straw yield to fertilization treatments was usually similar to that of seed yield. The N fertilizer and manure significantly increased protein concentration and N uptake plant. From the standpoint of increasing crop yield and seed quality, MNPK was the best fertilization strategy. Annual applications of N fertilizer and manure for 23 successive years had a marked effect on NO₃-N accumulation in the 0–210 cm soil profile. Accumulation of NO₃-N in the deeper soil layers with application of N fertilizer and manure is regarded as a potential danger, because of pollution of the soil environment and of groundwater. Application of N fertilizer in combination with P and/or K fertilizers reduced residual soil NO₃-N significantly compared with N fertilizer alone in both no manure and manure plots. The findings suggest that integrated and balanced application of N, P, and K fertilizers and␣manure at proper rates is important for protecting soil and groundwater from potential NO₃-N pollution and for maintaining high crop productivity in the rainfed region of Northwestern China.     

冻结方式影响试样内部结构变化的CT研究

利用CT技术可以在不破坏土体结构的情况下,连续不间断的观测到土体试样内各局部区域参数的变化.研究了两种粉质黏土试样分别以不同冻结方式进行冻结,并对试样进行了无损CT扫描,比较了冻结前后的CT数变化,由此定量得到试样内部各区域含水量和干密度的变化程度.结果表明:对于初始均匀的试样而言,不同冻结方式,对试样冻结后其内部含水量和干密度的变化的影响程度及趋势是不同的,比较而言,轴向冻结方式对冻土试样内部含水量的变化影响要小于径向冻结方式.     

A detection problem: Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of a land surface temperature approach to detecting dynamics of water use by groundwater-dependent vegetation

Sustainable management of groundwater-dependent vegetation (GDV) requires the accurate identification of GDVs, characterisation of their water use dynamics and an understanding of associated errors. This paper presents sensitivity and uncertainty analyses of one GDV mapping method which uses temperature differences between time-series of modelled and observed land surface temperature (LST) to detect groundwater use by vegetation in a subtropical woodland. Uncertainty in modelled LST was quantified using the Jacobian method with error variances obtained from literature. Groundwater use was inferred where modelled and observed LST were significantly different using a Student's t-test. Modelled LST was most sensitive to low-range wind speeds (<1.5 m s⁻¹), low-range vegetation height (<=0.5 m), and low-range leaf area index (<=0.5 m² m⁻²), limiting the detectability of groundwater use by vegetation under such conditions. The model-data approach was well-suited to detection of GDV because model-data errors were lowest for climatic conditions conducive to groundwater use.     

改进的BP神经网络在双塔水库水质预测中的应用

疏勒河下游的瓜州绿洲水资源形成困难、水环境脆弱,属国家极端干旱荒漠自然保护区.研究利用加入动量项的BP神经网络并基于时间序列对1993年至2008年双塔水库水质指标年均值进行模拟和预测,确定模型参数为:输入节点数2,输出节点数1,隐含层数2,最小训练速率0.1,动态参数0.6,SIGMOID函数调整值0.9,允许误差0.0001,最大迭代次数10000.模型拟合相对误差值小于5％,预测检验误差小于10％.根据预测结果,水库在2009年至2013年属Ⅱ类水质,水质符合生活以及农业灌溉用水标准,但仍存在富营养化的风险.     

An automatic tool for reconstructing monthly time-series of hydro-climatic variables at ungauged basins

Integrative information models for filling/reconstructing hydro-climatic time-series are required for a variety of practical applications. A GIS-based model for a rapid and reliable assessment of monthly time-series of several key hydro-climatic variables at the basin scale, is here developed as plug-in and applied to the entire region of Sicily (Italy). The plug-in, once the desired basin outlet section and time-window are selected, uses appropriate spatial techniques and algorithms to identify its drainage area and estimate the corresponding mean areal rainfall and temperatures time-series. A recent regional regressive rainfall-runoff model is successively applied for the assessment of the runoff time-series. Finally, a consolidated temperature-based method is applied to estimate monthly potential evapotranspiration time-series, while, actual evapotranspiration and soil moisture storage time-series are derived through a classical water balance model. The tool, supported by a preliminarily developed database, includes automatic procedures for data retrieving and processing and a user friendly interface.     

A critical review of soil moisture measurement

Soil moisture content has paramount importance in dictating engineering, agronomic, geological, ecological, biological and hydrological characteristics of the soil mass. Though earlier researchers have employed various techniques of moisture content determination of soils, both in laboratory and in situ conditions, ascertaining the applicability of these techniques to soils of entirely different characteristics and the ‘types of moisture content’, which they can measure, is still a point of debate. As such, a critical review of all the established and emerging soil moisture measurement techniques with respect to their merits and demerits becomes necessary. With this in view, efforts have been made in this paper to critically evaluate all the soil moisture measurement techniques, limitations associated with them and the influence of various soil-specific parameters (viz., mineralogy, salinity, porosity, ambient temperature, presence of the organic matter and matrix structure of the soil) on the measured soil moisture content. This paper also highlights the importance of various innovations based on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and nano-sensors that are emerging in this context.     

The freeze-thaw cycles-time analogy method for forecasting long-term frozen soil strength

To determine the stability of a frozen soil structure, the soil’s long-term shear strength must first be determined. Freeze-thaw cycling is a weathering process in soil (i.e., a process of energy input and output). In cold climates, the freeze-thaw cycle (FTC) has a great influence on long-term strength and stability of soil, which are important considerations for frozen soil engineering. This paper offers a brief introduction to the spherical template indenter and introduces the FTC-time analogy method for forecasting long-term strength of frozen soil. Using the number of cycle repetitions (numbers of freeze-thaw cycles) and the cycle duration (minutes), we calculate the long-term strength of the curve family and their normalized curves, which allows us to predict the long-term frozen soil deformation and strength. Because of the soil transformation that occurs due to the number of repetitions and the duration of FTCs, the results of earlier research can be compared. The FTC-time analogy method can be used to solve problems of forecasting long-term frozen soil strength, as well as for research concerning frozen soil engineering.     

Recovering CH4 from natural gas hydrate with CO2 in porous media below the freezing point

The recovery of methane from gas hydrate layers that have been detected in permafrost regions is a promising perspective in the future. In order to study the replacement characteristics of CO₂–CH₄ hydrate in permafrost environments, simulation experiment was carried out in this work. The results indicated that the replacement rate and efficiency increased with the increasing of injection pressure of CO₂ gas. And the replacement rate and efficiency reached up to 0.403?mmol/h and 13.20% during the experiment. Furthermore, the results also showed that the replacement rate of CO₂–CH₄ hydrate was slower below the freezing point.