Observation of Arctic surface currents using data from a surface drifting buoy

During the 10th Chinese Arctic scientific expedition carried out in the summer of 2019,the surface current in the high-latitude areas of the Arctic Ocean was observed using a self-developed surface drifting buoy,which was initially deployed in the Chukchi Sea.The buoy traversed the Chukchi Sea,Chukchi Abyssal Plain,Mendeleev Ridge,Makarov Basin,and Canada Basin over a period of 632 d.After returning to the Mendeleev Ridge,it continued to drift toward the pole.Overall,the track of the buoy reflected the characteristics of the transpolar drift and Chukchi Slope Current,as well as the inertial flow,cross-ridge surface flow,and even the surface disorganized flow for some time intervals.The results showed that:(1)the transpolar drift mainly occurs in the Chukchi Abyssal Plain,Mendeleev Ridge,and western Canada Basin to the east of the ridge where sea ice concentration is high,and the average northward flow velocity in the region between 79.41°N and 86.32°N was 5.1 cm/s;(2)the average surface velocity of the Chukchi Slope Current was 13.5 cm/s,and while this current moves westward along the continental slope,it also extends northwestward across the continental slope and flows to the deep sea;and(3)when sea ice concentration was less than 50%,the inertial flow was more significant(the maximum observed inertial flow was 26 cm/s,and the radius of the inertia circle was 3.6 km).

Probabilistic assessment of rock slopes stability using the response surface approach——A case study

This paper examines the stability condition of a jointed rock slope in the south western region of Saudi Arabia using deterministic and probabilistic approaches,under both dry and wet conditions.The study area is characterized by complex geology in rugged terrains.The stability analysis is carried out using the code FLAC3D to generate a 3-dimensional,ubiquitous joint model,to determine the influence of the dominant,unfavourable discontinuity orientation with respect to the slope face.The deterministic analysis is first implemented using the mean values of the selected random variables,namely the dip,dip direction and friction angle of the dominant discontinuity set,and the stability condition is assessed with a factor of safety based on the classical frictional joint constitutive model.A Box-Behnken design(BBD)approach is then adopted to create the surface response function as a second order polynomial for the factor of safety.To do so,fifteen FLAC3D models are generated in accordance with the BBD.Based on this,10,000 simulations of different slope realizations are carried out using Monte-Carlo simulation technique,and the probability of unsatisfactory of performance of the rock slope is assessed.It is shown that the probabilistic approach provides more insight and confidence in the stability condition of the rock slope,both under dry and steady state heavy rainfall conditions.A discussion is presented on the significance of accepting lower safety factors when heavy rainfall conditions are encountered.

Characteristics of runoff processes and nitrogen loss via surface flow and interflow from weathered granite slopes of Southeast China

Rainfall intensity and slope gradient are two of the most important factors affecting the variations of runoff nitrogen(N).However,the effects of slope gradient and rainfall intensity on N loss via surface flow and interflow on weathered granite slopes are poorly understood.In this study,12 artificial rainfalls(three rainfall intensities and four slope gradients)were simulated to investigate the coupling loss characteristics of surface flow–interflow–total nitrogen(TN),nitrate nitrogen(NO_3^--N)and ammonia nitrogen(NH_4^+-N)on weathered granite slopes.The results show that slope gradient has a greater impact on the surface flow when the rainfall intensity is relatively large.The effect gradually weakens with the decrement of rainfall intensity.The interflow yield increases firstly with the prolongation of rainfall duration,then tends to be stable and finally decreases.The total surface flow percentage increases with rainfall intensity while it decreases with increasing slope gradient with a range of 10.88%-71.47%.The TN loss concentration of the surface flow continually decreases with rainfall duration while that of the interflow shows different fluctuations.However,the TN loss loads of both surface flow and interflow increase with increasing rainfall intensity and slope gradient.The NO_3^--N concentration of interflow is much higher than that of the surface flow.The NH_4^+-N concentration is always less than that of NO_3^--N with no significant difference between surface flow and interflow.The percentages of the TN,NO_3^--N,and NH_4^+-N total loss load and concentration of surface flow and interflow were analyzed.The results show that N loss via both surface flow and interflow occurs mainly in the form of NO_3^--N.Most of the N loss is caused by interflow which is the preferential path of runoff nutrient loss.These findings provide data support and underlying insights for the control of runoff and N loss on the weathered granite slopes.

A Simple Monte Carlo Method for Locating the Three-dimensional Critical Slip Surface of a Slope

Based on the assumption of the plain-strain problem, various optimization or random search methods have been developed for locating the critical slip surfaces in slope-stability analysis, but none of such methods is applicable to the 3D case. In this paper, a simple Monte Carlo random simulation method is proposed to identify the 3D critical slip surface. Assuming the initial slip to be the lower part of a slip ellipsoid, the 3D critical slip surface is located by means of a minimized 3D safety factor. A column-based 3D slope stability analysis model is used to calculate this factor. In this study, some practical cases of known minimum safety factors and critical slip surfaces in 2D analysis are extended to 3D slope problems to locate the critical slip surfaces. Compared with the 2D result, the resulting 3D critical slip surface has no apparent difference in terms of only cross section, but the associated 3D safety factor is definitely higher.

Statistical Distribution of Surface Slope in A 3-D Ocean Wave Field

A joint probability density function (PDF) for surface slopes in two arbitrary directions is derived on the basis of Longuet Higgins's linear model for three-dimensionol (3-D) random wave field. and the correlation moments of surface slopes. as parameters in the PDF, are expressed in terms of directional spectrum of ocean waves. So long as the directional spectrum model is given, these parameters are determined. Since the directional spectrum models proposed so far are mostly parameterized by the wind speed and fetch, this allows for substituting these parameters with thc wind speed and fetch. As an example, the wind speed and fetch are taken to be 14 m ' s and 200 km, and the Hasselmann and Donclan directional spectra are, respectively, use to compute these parameters. Some novel results a reobtained. One of the increasing interesting results is that the variances of surface slope in downwind and cross-wind directions determined by the Donclan directional spectra are close to those measured by Cox and Munk (1954). Some discussions are made on these results.

Reliability analysis of slopes considering spatial variability of soil properties based on efficiently identified representative slip surfaces

Slope reliability analysis considering inherent spatial variability(ISV)of soil properties is timeconsuming when response surface method(RSM)is used,because of the"curse of dimensionality".This paper proposes an effective method for identification of representative slip surfaces(RSSs)of slopes with spatially varied soils within the framework of limit equilibrium method(LEM),which utilizes an adaptive K-means clustering approach.Then,an improved slope reliability analysis based on the RSSs and RSM considering soil spatial variability,in perspective of computation efficiency,is established.The detailed implementation procedure of the proposed method is well documented,and the ability of the method in identifying RSSs and estimating reliability is investigated via three slope examples.Results show that the proposed method can automatically identify the RSSs of slope with only one evaluation of the conventional deterministic slope stability model.The RSSs are invariant with the statistics of soil properties,which allows parametric studies that are often required in slope reliability analysis to be efficiently achieved with ease.It is also found that the proposed method provides comparable values of factor of safety(FS)and probability of failure(Pf)of slopes with those obtained from direct analysis and lite rature.

3D Identification and Stability Analysis of Key Surface Blocks of Rock Slope

Complicated geological structures make it difficult to analyze the stability of rock slopes, such as faults, weak intercalated layers or joint fissures. Based on 3D geological modeling and surface block identifying methods, an integrated methodology framework was proposed and realized to analyze the stability of surface blocks in rock slopes. The surface blocks cut by geological structures, fissures or free faces could be identified subjected to the four principles of closure, completeness, uniqueness and validity. The factor of safety(FOS)of single key block was calculated by the limit equilibrium method. If there were two or more connected blocks, they were defined as a block-group. The FOS of a block-group was computed by the Sarma method. The proposed approach was applied to an actual rock slope of a hydropower project, and some possible instable blocks were demonstrated and analyzed visually. The obtained results on the key blocks or block-groups provide essential information for determining potential instable region of rock slopes and designing effective support scheme in advance.

Comparative Study on Response Surfaces for Reliability Analysis of Spatially Variable Soil Slope

This paper focuses on the performance of the second-order polynomial-based response surfaces on the reliability of spatially variable soil slope. A single response surface constructed to approximate the slope system failure performance function G（X） （called single RS） and multiple response surfaces constructed on finite number of slip surfaces （called multiple RS） are developed, respectively. Single RS and multiple RS are applied to evaluate the system failure probability pf for a cohesive soil slope together with Monte Carlo simulation （MCS）. It is found thatpe calculated by single RS deviates significantly from that obtained by searching a large number of potential slip surfaces, and this deviation becomes insignificant with the decrease of the number of random variables or the increase of the scale of fluctuation. In other words, single RS cannot approximate G（X） with reasonable accuracy. The value of pc from multiple response surfaces fits well with that obtained by searching a large number of potential slip surfaces. That is, multiple RS can estimate G（X） with reasonable accuracy.

Observational Study of Surface Wind along a Sloping Surface over Mountainous Terrain during Winter

The 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in Pyeongchang, Korea, during February and March. We examined the near surface winds and wind gusts along the sloping surface at two outdoor venues in Pyeongchang during February and March using surface wind data. The outdoor venues are located in a complex, mountainous terrain, and hence the near-surface winds form intricate patterns due to the interplay between large-scale and locally forced winds. During February and March, the dominant wind at the ridge level is westerly; however, a significant wind direction change is ob- served along the sloping surface at the venues. The winds on the sloping surface are also influenced by thermal forcing, showing increased upslope flow during daytime. When neutral air flows over the hill, the windward and leeward flows show a significantly different behavior. A higher correlation of the wind speed between upper- and lower-level stations is shown in the windward region compared with the leeward region. The strong synoptic wind, small width of the ridge, and steep leeward ridge slope angle provide favorable conditions for flow separation at the leeward toot of the ridge. The gust factor increases with decreasing surface elevation and is larger during daytime than nighttime. A significantly large gust factor is also observed in the leeward region.

A Method Combining Numerical Analysis and Limit Equilibrium Theory to Determine Potential Slip Surfaces in Soil Slopes

This paper describes a precise method combining numerical analysis and limit equilibrium theory to determine potential slip surfaces in soil slopes. In this method, the direction of the critical slip surface at any point in a slope is determined using the Coulomb’s strength principle and the extremum principle based on the ratio of the shear strength to the shear stress at that point. The ratio, which is considered as an analysis index, can be computed once the stress field of the soil slope is obtained. The critical slip direction at any point in the slope must be the tangential direction of a potential slip surface passing through the point. Therefore, starting from a point on the top of the slope surface or on the horizontal segment outside the slope toe, the increment with a small distance into the slope is used to choose another point and the corresponding slip direction at the point is computed. Connecting all the points used in the computation forms a potential slip surface exiting at the starting point. Then the factor of safety for any potential slip surface can be computed using limit equilibrium method like Spencer method. After factors of safety for all the potential slip surfaces are obtained, the minimum one is the factor of safety for the slope and the corresponding potential slip surface is the critical slip surface of the slope. The proposed method does not need to pre-assume the shape of potential slip surfaces. Thus it is suitable for any shape of slip surfaces. Moreover the method is very simple to be applied. Examples are presented in this paper to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method programmed in ANSYS software by macro commands.

Analysis of Earthquake-Triggered Failure Mechanisms of Slopes and Sliding Surfaces

Earthquake-induced landslides along the Dujiangyan-Yingxiu highway after the Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 were investigated. It was found that： （1） slopes were shattered and damaged during the earthquake and open tension cracks formed on the tops of the slopes; （2） the upper parts of slopes collapsed and slid, while the lower parts remained basically intact, indicating that the upper parts of slopes would be damaged more heavily than the lower parts during an earthquake. Large-scale shaking table model tests were conducted to study failure behavior of slopes under the Wenchuan seismic wave, which reproduced the process of deformation and failure of slopes. Tension cracks emerged at the top and upper part of model, while the bottom of the model remained intact, consistent with field investigations. Depth of the tension crack at the top of model is 32 cm, i.e., 3.2 m compared to the prototype natural slope with a height of 14 m when the length scale ratio （proto/model） is lo. Acceleration at the top of the slope was almost twice as large as that at the toe when the measured accelerations on shaking table are 4.85 m/s2 and 6.49 m/s2, which means that seismic force at the top of the slope is twice the magnitude of that at the toe. By use of the dynamic-strength-reduction method, numerical simulation was conducted to explore the process and mechanism of formation of the sliding surface, with other quantified information. The earthquake-induced failure surfaces commonly consist of tension cracks and shear zones. Within 5 mfrom the top of the slope, the dynamic sliding surface will be about 1 m shallower than the pseudo-static sliding surface in a horizontal direction when the peak ground acceleration （PGA） is 1 m/s2; the dynamic sliding surface will be about 2 m deeper than the pseudo-static sliding surface in a horizontal direction when the PGA is lo m/sL and the depths of the dynamic sliding surface and the pseudo-static sliding surface will be almost the same when the PGA is 2 m/s2. Based on these findings, it is suggested that the key point of anti-seismic design, as well as for mitigation of post-earthquake, secondary mountain hazards, is to prevent tension cracks from forming in the upper part of the slope. Therefore, the depth of tension cracks in slope surfaces is the key to reinforcement of slopes. The depth of the sliding surface from the pseudo-static method can be a reference for slope reinforcement mitigation.

Comparative study of mining methods for reserves beneath end slope in flat surface mines with ultra-thick coal seams

The paper aims to identify a reasonable method for mining ultra-thick coal seams in an end-slope in surface mine, With a case study of Heidaigou surface coal mine(HSCM), the paper conducted a comparative research on three mining methods, namely Underground Mining Method(UMM), Highwall Mining System(HMS) and Local Steep Slope Mining Method(LSSMM). A model was firstly established to simulate the impact that UMM and HMS exert on monitoring points and surface deformation. The way that stripping and excavation amount varies with different slope angle, and the corresponding end slope stability were analyzed in the mode of LSSMM. Then a TOPSIS model was established by taking into account six indicators such as recovery ratio, technical complexity and adaptability, the impact on surface mining production, production safety and economic benefits. Finally, LSSMM was determined as the best mining method for mining ultra-thick coal seams in end slope in HSCM.

Relationship between soil surface roughness and hydraulic roughness coefficient on sloping farmland

The soil surface roughness and hydraulic roughness coefficient are important hydraulic resistance characteristic parameters. Precisely estimating the hydraulic roughness coefficient is important to understanding mechanisms of overland flow. Four tillage practices, including cropland raking, artificial hoeing, artificial digging, and straight slopes, were considered based on the local agricultural conditions to simulate different values of soil surface roughness in the Loess Plateau. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the soil surface roughness and hydraulic roughness coefficient on sloping farmland using artificial rainfall simulation. On a slope with a gradient of 10°, a significant logarithmic function was developed between the soil surface roughness and Manning＇s roughness coefficient, and an exponential function was derived to describe the relationship between the soil surface roughness and Reynolds number. On the slope with a gradient of 15°, a significant power function was developed to reflect the relationship between the soil surface roughness and Manning＇s roughness coefficient, and a linear function was derived to relate the soil surface roughness to the Reynolds number. These findings can provide alternative ways to estimate the hydraulic roughness coefficient for different types of soil surface roughness.

Impact of backwater on water surface profile in curved channels

Owing to extensive construction of dams, the impact of backwater on flow may lead to navigation or flood control issues in curved channels. To date, the impact of backwater on the water surface profile in curved channels remains unknown and requires investigation. In this study, experiments were conducted in a glass-walled recirculating flume with a length of 19.4 m, a width of 0.6 m, and a depth of 0.8 m, and the impact of backwater on the water surface profile in a 90° channel bend was investigated. The experimental results showed that the backwater degree had a significant impact on the transverse and longitudinal flow depth distributions in the bend. The transverse slope of the flow (Jr) increased linearly with an increase in the Froude number of the approach flow upstream of the bend. Jr increased with the longitudinal location parameter ξ when −0.2 < ξ < 0.5, and decreased with ξ when 0.5 < ξ < 1.2. Furthermore, the results showed that Jr asymptotically decreased to zero with an increase in the degree of backwater. An equation was formulated to estimate the transverse slope of the flow in a 90° bend in backwater zones.

Mathematical Model of the Identical Slope Surface

The formation of the identical slope surface and the method of construction are discussed. On the basement of building the parameter equation of variable-radius circle family envelope, the frequently used parameter equation of the identical slope surface of the top of taper moving along column helix, horizental arc and line is built. The equation can be used to construct the identical slope surface’s contours, gradient lines and three dimensional figures correctly.

Seismic stability analysis of slopes with pre-existing slip surfaces

In analyzing seismic stability of a slope with upper bound limit analysis method, the slip surface is often assumed as a log-spiral or plane slip surface. However, due to the presence of a weak layer and unfavorable geological structural surface or a bedrock interface with overlying soft strata, the preexisting slip surface of the slope may be irregular and composed of a series of planes rather than strictly logspiral or plane shape. A computational model is developed for analyzing the seismic stability of slopes with pre-existing slip surfaces. This model is based on the upper bound limit analysis method and can consider the effect of anchor bolts. The soil or rock is deemed to follow the Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion. The slope is divided into multiple block elements along the slip surface. According to the displacement compatibility and the associated flow rule, a kinematic velocity field of the slope can be obtained computationally. The proposed model allows not only calculation of the rate of external work owing to the combined effect of self-weight and seismic loading, but also that of the energy dissipation rate caused by the slip surface, interfaces of block elements and anchorage effect of the anchors. Considering a direct relationship between the rate of external work and the energy dissipation rate, the expressions of yield acceleration and permanent displacement of anchored slopes can be derived. Finally, the validity of this proposed model is illustrated by analysis on three typical slopes. The results showed that the proposed model is more easily formulated and does not need to solve complex equations or time consuming iterations compared with previous methods based on the conditions of force equilibrium.

Evaluation of the possible slip surface of a highly heterogeneous rock slope using dynamic reduction method

A new method, the dynamic reduction method(DRM) combined with the strain-softening method, was applied to evaluate the possible slip surface of a highly heterogeneous rock slope of the Dagangshan hydropower station in Southwest China.In DRM, only the strength of the failure elements is reduced and the softening reduction factor K is adopted to calculate the strength parameters. The simulation results calculated by DRM show that the further slip surface on the right slope of the Dagangshan hydropower station is limited in the middle part of the slope, while both SRM(strength reduction method) and LEM(limit equilibrium method) predict a failure surface which extends upper and longer. The observations and analysis from the three recorded sliding events indicate that the failure mode predicted by DRM is more likely the scenario.The results in this study illustrate that for highly heterogeneous slopes with geological discontinuities in different length scales, the proposed DRM can provide a reliable prediction of the location of the slip surface.

Liquid-plastic Limit of Surface Sediments in North Slope of South China Sea

1 Introduction China has a vast area of continental shelf and is very rich in marine resources,but because of the complex geological environment and frequent geological disasters,the utilization of marine resources and the construction of marine engineering are limited(Zhu et al.,2016).As the

Influence of depth-thickness ratio of mining on the stability of a bedding slope with its sliding surface in concave deformation

In order to study the influence of depth-thickness ratio on bedding slope stability, whose sliding surface is flexural concave in shape under mining conditions, this paper aims to study the characteristics ofdeformarion and damage of bedding sliding with depth-thickness ratios of 200：1,150：1,120：1,100：1 and 50：1 by adopting numerical simulation analysis software combined with laboratory-made ＂under the influence of mining variable sliding surface slope similar simulation test bed＂, and to propose identification methods for slope stability under the infuence of mining. The results show that mining activities under the slope reduce slope stability. With a decrease in the mining depth ratio, the influence of mining on the slope increases gradually, and the damage to the slope gradually expands, the stability of the slope grad- ually reduces, fracture occurs on the slope toe and the central fissure gradually develops to the surface, and reaches slide threshold when the depth-thickness ratio is 50：1.

Surface Sediment Density and Moisture Content in North slope of South China Sea

Marine engineering geology is mainly based on the actual project to study the seabed.This provides a variety of engineering geological parameters for the development of marine engineering(Zhu et al.,2016).This is an early