Influence of mountain-valley morphology on in-situ stress distribution

The in-situ stress field is a key factor controlling the successful construction of a large number of underground structures in mountainous areas,and is intensively affected by the mountainvalley topography.The effects of mountain-valley morphology(the width of the mountain top platform,mountain height,slope angle,and width of the valley bottom)on the distribution of the in-situ stress field were analyzed and interpreted using numerical modeling techniques,where the spatial distribution and maximum values of the horizontal and vertical stresses were analyzed.The results showed that there existed a critical value of the topographic influence depth,where the in-situ stress distribution varied significantly as mountain-valley morphology,after which the influence diminishes.Tectonic action has a more remarkable influence on the in-situ stress distribution than gravitational action under the same mountain-valley morphology.Moreover,the relationships between the magnitudes of these stress components and the morphology variables are described using empirical formulas,which can be directly applied to different topographies to rapidly achieve a rational estimation.The findings of this study can be very useful for quickly understanding the in-situ stress distribution and as stress measurement guidelines.

Diurnal Variations of Summer Precipitation in the Beijing Area and the Possible Effect of Topography and Urbanization

The present study examined the diurnal variations of summer precipitation in the Beijing area by usingsubdaily precipitation and wind observations. A combined effect of topography and urbanization on thecharacteristics of diurnal variations was suggested. It was shown that stations located in the plain areaexhibited typical night rain peaks, whereas those in the mountainous area exhibited clear afternoon peaks ofprecipitation diurnal variations. The precipitation peaks were associated with wind fields around the Beijingarea, which were found to be highly modulated by mountain-valley circulation and urban-country circulation.The lower-tropospheric wind exhibited a clear diurnal shift in its direction from north at 0800 LST to southat 2000 LST, which reflected mountain-valley circulation. The transitions from valley to mountain windand the opposite generally happened after sunset and sunrise, respectively, and both occurred earlier for thestations located closer to mountains. By comparing the diurnal variations of precipitation at stations in anortheast suburb, an urban area, and a southwest suburb, it was revealed that the northeast suburb grouphad the highest normalized rainfall frequency, but the southwest group had the lowest from late afternoon tolate evening. On the contrary, in the early morning from about 0200 to 1000 LST, the southwest group andurban group had the highest normalized rainfall frequency. This pattern might originate from the combinedeffects of mountain-valley topography and urbanization.

Observation and Simulation of Near-Surface Wind and Its Variation with Topography in Urumqi,West China

Near-surface wind measurements obtained with five 100-m meteorology towers, 39 regional automatic stations, and simulations by the Weather Research and Forecasting （WRF） model were used to investigate the spatial structure of topography-driven flows in the complex urban terrain of Urumqi, China. The results showed that the wind directions were mainly northerly and southerly within the reach of 100 m above ground in the southern suburbs, urban area, and northern suburbs, which were consistent with the form of the Urumqi gorge. Strong winds were observed in southern suburbs, whereas the winds in the urban, northern suburbs, and northern rural areas were weak. Static wind occurred more frequently in the urban and northern rural areas than in the southern suburbs. In the southern suburbs, wind speed was relatively high throughout the year and did not show significant seasonal variations. The average annual wind speed in this region varied among 1.9-5.5, 1.1-3.6, 1.2 4.3, 1.2 4.3, and 1.1 3.5 m s-1 within the reach of 100 m above ground at Yannanlijiao, Shuitashan, Liyushan, Hongguangshan, and Midong, respectively. The flow characteristics comprised more airflows around the mountain, where the convergence and divergence were dominated by the terrain in eastern and southwestern Urumqi. Further analysis showed that there was a significant mountain-valley wind in spring, summer, and autumn, which occurred more frequently in spring and summer for 10- 11 h in urban and northern suburbs. During daytime, there was a northerly valley wind, whereas at night there was a southerly mountain wind. The conversion time from the mountain wind to the valley wind was during 0800-1000 LST （Local Standard Time）, while the conversion from the valley wind to the mountain wind was during 1900- 2100 LST. The influence of the mountain-valley wind in Urumqi City was most obvious at 850 hPa, according to the WRF model.

Summertime Thermally-Induced Circulations over the Lake Nam Co Region of the Tibetan Plateau

Performance of the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model（MM5） over the Lake Nam Co region of the Tibetan Plateau was evaluated based on the data from five surface observation sites in 2006. The interaction between two thermally-induced circulations（lake breezes and mountain-valley winds） was also investigated. The results show that MM5 could be used to simulate 2-m air temperature; however, MM5 needs improvement in wind field simulation.Two numerical simulations were conducted to study the effect of the lake on the local weather and wind system. The original land cover of the model was used in the control experiment, and the lake was replaced with grassland resembling the area surrounding the lake in the sensitive experiment. The results of the simulations indicate that the lake enhanced the north slope mountain-valley wind and the mountain changed the offshore flow direction at the north shore. During the day, a clear convergent zone and a strong upflow were observed over the north slope of the Nyainq？entanglha Range, which may cause frequent precipitation over the north slope. During the night, the entire area was controlled by a south flow.