Effect Of Initial Disturbance Research Articles

Are we restoring functional fens? - The outcomes of restoration projects in fens re-analysed with plant functional traits.

In peatland restoration we often lack an information whether re-established ecosystems are functionally similar to non-degraded ones. We re-analysed the long-term outcomes of restoration on vegetation and plant functional traits in 38 European fens restored by rewetting (18 sites) and topsoil removal (20 sites). We used traits related to nutrient acquisition strategies, competitiveness, seed traits, and used single- and multi-trait metrics. A separate set of vegetation records from near-natural fens with diverse plant communities was used to generate reference values to aid the comparisons. We found that both restoration methods enhanced the similarity of species composition to non-degraded systems but trait analysis revealed differences between the two approaches. Traits linked to nutrient acquisition strategies indicated that topsoil removal was more effective than rewetting. After topsoil removal competitive species in plant communities had decreased, while stress-tolerant species had increased. A substantial reduction in nutrient availability ruled out the effect of initial disturbance. An ability to survive and grow in anoxic conditions was enhanced after restoration, but the reference values were not achieved. Rewetting was more effective than topsoil removal in restricting variation in traits values permitted in re-developing vegetation. We found no indication of a shift towards reference in seed traits, which suggested that dispersal constraint and colonization deficit can be a widespread phenomena. Two functional diversity indices: functional richness and functional dispersion showed response to restoration and shifted values towards reference mires and away from the degraded systems.We concluded that targeting only one type of environmental stressor does not lead to a recovery of fens, as it provides insufficient level of stress to restore a functional ecosystem. In general, restoration efforts do not ensure the re-establishment and long-term persistence of fens. Restoration efforts result in recovery of fen ecosystems, confirmed with our functional trait analysis, although more rigid actions are needed for restoring fully functional mires, by achieving high and constant levels of anoxia and nutrient stresses.

Mathematical modeling of sway, roll and yaw motions: order-wise analysis to determine coupled characteristics and numerical simulation for restoring moment’s sensitivity analysis

This paper investigates sway, roll and yaw motions of a floating body with the aim to determine coupled motion characteristics based on the order-wise analysis of hydrodynamic coefficients. To compute the hydrodynamic coefficients and wave force exerted on the floating body, we employ speed-dependent strip theory. The governing equations are solved analytically for linear restoring moment. For nonlinear restoring moment which is expressed as an odd-order polynomial of fifth degree in roll angle, we apply the Runge–Kutta–Gill method to solve the coupled equations. To investigate the effect of initial disturbances on sway, roll, yaw and speed of the body, numerical experiments have been carried out for a Panamax Container ship under the action of a sinusoidal wave of periodicity 11.2 s with varying wave height and speed. For the linear restoring moment, we first derive associated motion equations for various cases based on the relative magnitude of the hydrodynamic coefficients. The order-wise analysis leads to the classification of coupled characteristics exhibiting the nature of coupling. For the nonlinear restoring moment, we notice that the initial disturbance plays an important role in the ship’s stability. The effects of forward speed and variation in wave heights are illustrated through typical numerical experiments.

Effect of initial disturbance on the detonation front structure of a narrow duct

The effect of an initial disturbance on the detonation front structure in a narrow duct is studied by three-dimensional numerical simulation. The numerical method used includes a high-resolution fifth-order weighted essentially non-oscillatory scheme for spatial discretization, coupled with a third-order total variation diminishing Runge-Kutta time-stepping method. Two types of disturbances are used for the initial perturbation. One is a random disturbance which is imposed on the whole area of the detonation front, and the other is a symmetrical disturbance imposed within a band along the diagonal direction on the front. The results show that the two types of disturbances lead to different processes. For the random disturbance, the detonation front evolves into a stable spinning detonation. For the symmetrical diagonal disturbance, the detonation front displays a diagonal pattern at an early stage, but this pattern is unstable. It breaks down after a short while and it finally evolves into a spinning detonation. The spinning detonation structure ultimately formed due to the two types of disturbances is the same. This means that spinning detonation is the most stable mode for the simulated narrow duct. Therefore, in a narrow duct, triggering a spinning detonation can be an effective way to produce a stable detonation as well as to speed up the deflagration to detonation transition process.

Effect of initial disturbances on the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in a Hele-Shaw cell

The effect of the initial state on the development of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in a Hele-Shaw cell is studied. The initial disturbances were initiated using two techniques, namely, by exciting the standing Faraday waves by means of a vibrator and by periodically distorting the interface between the fluids by means of thin connecting needles. The Rayleigh-Taylor instability was realized by inverting the cell. The process of wave development at the interface between the fluids was filmed with subsequent computer processing of the videofilm obtained. It was found that the initial state is the decisive factor in the development of the process up to large times.

Unsteady Behavior of an Elastic Beam Floating on the Surface of an Infinitely Deep Fluid

The effect of initial disturbances and unsteady external loading on an elastic beam of finite length which floats freely on the surface of an ideal incompressible fluid is studied in a linear treatment. The fluid flow is considered potential. The beam deflection is sought in the form of an expansion in the eigenfunctions of beam vibrations in vacuum with time-dependent amplitudes. The problem reduces to solving an infinite system of integrodifferential equations for unknown amplitudes. The memory functions entering this system are determined by solving the radiation problem. The beam behavior is studied for various loads with and without allowance for the weight of the fluid. The effect of fluid depth on beam deformation was determined by comparing with the previously obtained solutions of the unsteady problem for a beam floating in shallow water.