Stability Of Surface Layer Research Articles

The Crop Succession Systems Under No-Tillage Alters the Surface Layer Soil Carbon Stock and Stability

The main challenge of the no-tillage system (NTS) is to reconcile productivity, the maintenance of surface residues, and the stabilization of soil organic matter (SOM). To address this challenge, particularly in tropical regions, various cover crops have been tested. The objective of this study was to test the effects of agricultural crop succession systems on the stock and stability of soil organic carbon in different surface layers of the soils. The research was carried out in the state of Goiás, Brazil, in an experiment set up in 2016, designed in randomized blocks with a split-plot scheme (treatments and soil layers), comprising four repetitions (blocks). The treatments (plots) consisted of crops grown in succession to soybean, which were as follows: T1—soybean/corn (Zea mays); T2—soybean/pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum); T3—soybean/Urochloa ruziziensis (brachiaria); and T4—corn + Urochloa ruziziensis. The subplots represented the following soil layers: 0–5, 5–10, 10–20, and 20–40 cm. We evaluated the biomass dry mass and the soil parameters such as soil density, total porosity, and light organic matter across all layers. The organic carbon, grain size fractionation (mineral-associated organic carbon—MOC; sand-sized carbon—POC), and isotopic composition (δ13C) were determined in the 0–5 and 5–10 cm layers. The highest biomass dry production was observed in the soybean/pearl millet succession, which reduced the soil density and increased the total porosity in the surface layer. The soybean/pearl millet treatment produced high amounts of light organic matter, particularly in the 0–5 cm layer, a result also found for the soybean/brachiaria and soybean/corn + brachiaria systems. The crop successions did not alter the soil carbon stock or stability; however, the surface layer stored the highest amount of carbon, with elevated total organic carbon values and carbon stocks and stability (MOC and POC). Overall, in this study, replacing corn with other crops in succession with soybean did not affect the stock or stability of soil organic carbon. The species grown in succession with soybean contributed to the higher surface carbon stock and stability, promoting the formation of more stable and recalcitrant carbon.

The root reinforcement on the slope under the condition of colonization of various herbaceous plants

This study assessed root reinforcement on slopes influenced by various herbaceous species. The study examined the distribution, structural traits of these species, and their root systems, as well as their biomass. We established a quantitative model for evaluating root reinforcement at the soil interface influenced by different herbaceous colonizers. The focus was on a mining environment, specifically measuring root reinforcement at a dumpsite slope. The results showed that the herbaceous plants in the dumpsite included Candian fleabane (Conyza canadensis), Annual bluegrass (Poa annua), and Suaeda (Suaeda glauca), and the weights of the three herbaceous plants in descending order were Annual bluegrass, Candian fleabane, and Suaeda. Notably, the tensile strength of annual bluegrass roots peaked when diameters were less than 0.4 mm. Statistical analysis revealed significant variations in root tensile strength (p < 0.05, ANCOVA), root area ratio, and reinforcement (average values from 0 to 10 cm, p < 0.05, ANOVA) among the species. Canadian fleabane demonstrated the greatest root area ratio and reinforcement throughout the soil profiles. The integration of these herbaceous species increased the surface layer's stability of the slope by 21.6 % and marginally expanded the cross-sectional area of the landslide mass.

Thermal stability of nanocrystalline surface layer in an aged Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy induced by ultrasonic surface rolling processing

This paper investigates the thermal stability of nanocrystalline surface layer in an aged Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy fabricated by ultrasonic surface rolling process (USRP). The microstructure of the nanocrystalline surface layer and the microstructure changes of grains and precipitates in the nanocrystalline surface layer after annealing at various temperatures were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. The microhardness after annealing was also analyzed. The results show that a nanostructured lamella with a thickness of about 40 nm was prepared in the surface layer of the aged Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy after USRP. The granulation of the nanostructured lamellae occurs during subsequent annealing due to recovery and becomes more significant with the increase of annealing temperature. Besides, the coarsening η phases occur at the lamellae boundaries by heterogeneous nucleation. Meanwhile, the precipitate inside lamellae gradually changes from GP zone and η' phase to η phase. The thermal stability of the nanostructured lamellae is excellent below 160 °C, but it deteriorates significantly when the temperature exceeds 200 °C. The hardness variation of the nanostructured lamellae is mainly determined by the variation of lamellae thickness and the precipitation behavior plays an auxiliary role.

Evaluation of Surface Layer Stability Functions and Their Extension to First Order Turbulent Closures for Weakly and Strongly Stratified Stable Boundary Layer

Evaluation of Surface Layer Stability Functions and Their Extension to First Order Turbulent Closures for Weakly and Strongly Stratified Stable Boundary Layer

Electromagnetic Ducting in the Near‐Shore Marine Environment: Results From the CASPER‐East Field Experiment

AbstractWe used the observations from the east coast of the USA and model simulations to elicit marine atmospheric surface layer (MASL) processes that controlled the spatial variability of electromagnetic ducting conditions in the near‐shore (60 km) marine environment during CASPER‐East field campaign. The estimated evaporation duct height (EDH) showed an average decrease of ∼2.5 m over every 10 km distance from the shore. The surface layer stability conditions chiefly determined the duct heights. While the mean duct height remained ∼10 m under unstable conditions, deeper (&gt;20 m) evaporation ducts were frequently evident (∼40% of the time) during stable MASL conditions, which were responsible for the observed near‐shore EDH variability. Episodes of warm offshore flow and advection of hot and humid air from the Gulfstream region created ideal environmental conditions for stable MASL development and thus deeper ducts over the coastal ocean. A detailed case study of warm and humid Gulfstream air advection over the cooler coastal ocean is presented to elucidate the temporal evolution of the surface layer stability and associated changes in the spatial distribution of the evaporation duct height.

Boundary-layer height and surface stability at Hyytiälä, Finland, in ERA5 and observations

Abstract. We investigate the boundary-layer (BL) height at Hyytiälä in southern Finland diagnosed from radiosonde observations, a microwave radiometer (MWR) and ERA5 reanalysis. Four different, pre-existing algorithms are used to diagnose the BL height from the radiosondes. The diagnosed BL height is sensitive to the method used. The level of agreement, and the sign of systematic bias between the four different methods, depends on the surface-layer stability. For very unstable situations, the median BL height diagnosed from the radiosondes varies from 600 to 1500 m depending on which method is applied. Good agreement between the BL height in ERA5 and diagnosed from the radiosondes using Richardson-number-based methods is found for almost all stability classes, suggesting that ERA5 has adequate vertical resolution near the surface to resolve the BL structure. However, ERA5 overestimates the BL height in very stable conditions, highlighting the ongoing challenge for numerical models to correctly resolve the stable BL. Furthermore, ERA5 BL height differs most from the radiosondes at 18:00 UTC, suggesting ERA5 does not resolve the evening transition correctly. BL height estimates from the MWR are also found to be reliable in unstable situations but often are inaccurate under stable conditions when, in comparison to ERA5 BL heights, they are much deeper. The errors in the MWR BL height estimates originate from the limitations of the manufacturer's algorithm for stable conditions and also the misidentification of the type of BL. A climatology of the annual and diurnal cycle of BL height, based on ERA5 data, and surface-layer stability, based on eddy covariance observations, was created. The shallowest (353 m) monthly median BL height occurs in February and the deepest (576 m) in June. In winter there is no diurnal cycle in BL height; unstable BLs are rare, yet so are very stable BLs. The shallowest BLs occur at night in spring and summer, and very stable conditions are most common at night in the warm season. Finally, using ERA5 gridded data, we determined that the BL height observed at Hyytiälä is representative of most land areas in southern and central Finland. However, the spatial variability of the BL height is largest during daytime in summer, reducing the area over which BL height observations from Hyytiälä would be representative.

A quasi-in-situ EBSD study of the thermal stability and grain growth mechanisms of CoCrNi medium entropy alloy with gradient-nanograined structure

The thermal stability and mechanical properties of a gradient-nanograined structure (GNS) CoCrNi medium entropy alloy (MEA) processed by ultrasonic surface rolling were studied by using isothermal/isochronal annealing tests combined with quasi-in-situ electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) characterization and Vickers micro-hardness (HV) measurements. A layer by layer high-throughput investigation method was used to quantitatively study the grain growth kinetics and grain boundary evolution with different initial grain sizes, which could effectively save specimen and time costs. The grain nucleation and growth, as well as shrink and disappearance process through Σ3 coincidence site lattice boundary migration with slightly lattice rotation during annealing were directly revealed. The layer by layer grain growth kinetics and calculated activation energy indicate that the thermal stability of nano-grained top surface layer is relatively higher than that of nano-twined subsurface layer for the gradient CoCrNi MEA processed by ultrasonic surface rolling. Further analysis show that the grain boundary relaxation and dynamic recrystallization of the topmost nano-grains led to the decrease of grain boundary energy, thus improving their thermal stability. The present work provided theoretical basis for the application of CoCrNi MEA at high temperatures. Moreover, the high-throughput method on the investigation of grain stability by using gradient structure can be easily extended to other materials and it is of great significance for understanding the microstructural evolution of gradient materials.

Investigating Stability of Si Sphere Surface Layer in Ambient–Vacuum Cyclic Measurements Using Ellipsometry

This paper reports an investigation conducted to evaluate the stability of surface layers on a Si sphere in ambient–vacuum cyclic measurements. An ellipsometer equipped with a vacuum chamber and a vapor-controlling system was developed to characterize the surface layers on the Si spheres. To investigate the stability and reproducibility of the surface layer, particularly for realizing and disseminating the kilogram, surface layer thickness measurements by ellipsometry were repeatedly conducted in air and vacuum for 1.5 months on a Si sphere with natural isotopic abundance. The surface layers of the Si sphere were relatively stable throughout the cyclic measurements, and no significant contamination was observed. We also conducted ellipsometry on the Si sphere after introducing water vapor into the vacuum chamber. The adsorbed water layer thickness in the air–vacuum and water vapor–vacuum measurements were almost identical, showing that gas components other than water vapor, such as carbonaceous materials stemming from the environment, had little effect on surface layer thickness in the air-vacuum cyclic measurements.

Assessing the Surface-Layer Stability over China Using Long-Term Wind-Tower Network Observations

Surface-layer stability is important in many processes, such as in the surface energy budget, atmospheric pollution, and boundary-layer parametrizations. Most previous studies on stability, however, conducted either theoretical or observational investigations at specific sites, thus leaving a gap with regard to the large-scale pattern. Here, wind-speed and temperature observations at multiple heights from the wind-tower network of China are used to estimate low-level stability during the 2009–2016 period. A series of data-quality-control procedures are conducted and data from 170 wind towers with more than 2 years of valid observations are selected. The degree of stability is classified by the Obukhov length, which is derived from the wind speed and temperature at 10 m and 70 m above ground level, combined with information regarding the roughness length. Overall, the occurrence frequency of surface-layer instability exhibits significant temporal and spatial variability, being particularly larger in spring and summer than in autumn and winter. The maximum frequency of summertime instability occurs in the time period 1000–1200 local solar time, approximately 2 h earlier than in autumn. Geographically, the peak instability frequency occurs much earlier in the day in north-west China than in other regions, likely owing to the arid and semi-arid land cover. Also noteworthy is the steady increase in instability frequency observed during the period analyzed here, likely resulting from the reduction in the vertical gradient of wind speed. Our findings call for explicit consideration of stability variability in the wind-energy industry and in fundamental boundary-layer investigations in China.

High-cycle fatigue and surface layer stability of case-hardened PM-steels with graded porosity

ABSTRACT In order to increase the fatigue performance of mechanically loaded PM-components, case hardening procedures can be used to improve the surface layer states in terms of hardness and residual stress. In this work, the effects of carbonitriding treatment on two typical PM-steels with multiple densities are investigated in terms of their surface layer state (hardness, residual stress and retained austenite) before and after fatigue testing and their resulting pulsating fatigue performance. The results confirm fatigue strengths that can be formulated linearly as a function of porosity as well as a cyclic stability of the surface layer condition at loads below the fatigue strength. Further optimisation of the fatigue strength can be expected by tailoring the surface layer with respect to residual stresses. Comparisons to other studies are difficult due to many process parameters, different load cases and limited data, but indicate comparable fatigue strengths.

Evaluation of surface layer stability of surface-modified polyester biomaterials.

Surface modification of biomaterials is a strategy used to improve cellular and in vivo outcomes. However, most studies do not evaluate the lifetime of the introduced surface layer, which is an important aspect affecting how a biomaterial will interact with a cellular environment both in the short and in the long term. This study evaluated the surface layer stability in vitro in buffer solution of materials produced from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (50:50) and polycaprolactone modified by hydrolysis and/or grafting of hydrophilic polymers using grafting from approaches. The data presented in this study highlight the shortcomings of using model substrates (e.g., spun-coated films) rather than disks, particles, and scaffolds. It also illustrates how similar surface modification strategies in some cases result in very different lifetimes of the surface layer, thus emphasizing the need for these studies as analogies cannot always be drawn.

Avaliação da previsão de estabilidade na camada atmosférica de superfície do modelo WRF e efeitos na previsão de geração eólica no Uruguai

This work evaluates forecasts of vertical stability of the surface atmospheric layer obtained with the WRF regional model in Uruguay, for different times of the day and seasons of the year. The temperature and humidity values obtained from the model outputs and from field measurements at different heights in an anemometric tower allow to calculate the vertical gradient of virtual static stability both for predictions and field measurements. With the results obtained, it was possible to know the behavior of the WRF model in relation to the stability of the surface layer, which is closely related to the wind potential that may exist at different times of the day. In this way, a possible relationship between the systematic errors of forecasts of wind power and surface layer stability in Uruguay can be proposed.

Degradation of AZ31 and AZ91 magnesium alloys in different physiological media: Effect of surface layer stability on electrochemical behaviour

Abstract This work deals with the degradation of AZ31 and AZ91 magnesium alloys when they are exposed to three types of physiological media for seven days at 37 °C: Ringer's, Hanks', and simulated body fluid (SBF) solutions. A combination of immersions tests and surface characterisation methods were employed to evaluate the attack on the surface, and the stability of the formed corrosion product layers for each alloy/electrolyte system. Measurements of the Mg-ion released into the electrolytes were also carried out in order to be correlated with the degradation of the alloys. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarisation (PDP) techniques were employed to compare the performance of the alloys in these different aggressive electrolytes. According to the obtained results, the Mg-alloys exposed to Hanks' media were the less affected, which fact was attributed to a higher stability of the corrosion products layer formed in this medium, in comparison of those formed in Ringer's and SBF solutions. In addition, the corrosion damage was lower for AZ91 than for AZ31 alloy in all environments due to its higher Al content. The mass loss rates calculated from both immersion tests and electrochemical methods followed the same trend for comparative purposes between alloys.

Factors controlling the latent and sensible heat fluxes over Erhai Lake under different atmospheric surface layer stability conditions

The stratification of the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) plays an important role in regulating the water vapor and heat exchange across the lake–air interface. Based on one year of data measured b...

Surface Stress and Atmospheric Boundary Layer Response to Mesoscale SST Structure in Coupled Simulations of the Northern California Current System

Abstract The influence of mesoscale sea surface temperature (SST) variations on wind stress and boundary layer winds is examined from coupled ocean–atmosphere numerical simulations and satellite observations of the northern California Current System. Model coupling coefficients relating the divergence and curl of wind stress and wind to downwind and crosswind SST gradients are generally smaller than observed values and vary by a factor of 2 depending on planetary boundary layer (PBL) scheme, with values larger for smoothed fields on the 0.25° observational grid than for unsmoothed fields on the 12-km model grid. Divergence coefficients are larger than curl coefficients on the 0.25° grid but not on the model grid, consistent with stronger scale dependence for the divergence response than for curl in a spatial cross-spectral analysis. Coupling coefficients for 10-m equivalent neutral stability winds are 30%–50% larger than those for 10-m wind, implying a correlated effect of surface-layer stability variations. Crosswind surface air temperature and SST gradients are more strongly coupled than downwind gradients, while the opposite is true for downwind and crosswind heat flux and SST gradients. Midlevel boundary layer wind coupling coefficients show a reversed response relative to the surface that is predicted by an analytical model; a predicted second reversal with height is not seen in the simulations. The relative values of coupling coefficients are consistent with previous results for the same PBL schemes in the Agulhas Return Current region, but their magnitudes are smaller, likely because of the effect of mean wind on perturbation heat fluxes.

Brazil Offshore Wind Resources and Atmospheric Surface Layer Stability

Brazil’s offshore wind resources are evaluated from satellite winds and ocean heat flux datasets. Winds are extrapolated to the height of modern turbines accounting for atmospheric stability. Turbine technical data are combined with wind and bathymetric information for description of the seasonal and latitudinal variability of wind power. Atmospheric conditions vary from unstable situations in the tropics, to neutral and slightly stable conditions in the subtropics. Cabo Frio upwelling in the southeast tends to promote slightly stable conditions during the spring and summer. Likewise, Plata plume cold-water intrusions in southern shelf tends to create neutral to slightly stable situations during the fall and winter. Unstable (stable) conditions are associated with weaker (stronger) vertical wind shear. Wind technical resource, accounting for atmospheric stability and air density distribution, is 725 GW between 0–35 m, 980 GW for 0–50 m, 1.3 TW for 0–100 m and 7.2 TW for the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Resources might vary from 2 to 23% according to the chosen turbine. Magnitudes are 20% lower than previous estimates that considered neutral atmosphere conditions. Strong winds are observed on the north (AP, PA), northeast (MA, PI, CE, RN), southeast (ES, RJ) and southern states (SC, RS). There is significant seasonal complementarity between the north and northeast shelves. When accounting for shelf area, the largest integrated resource is located on the north shelf between 0–20 m. Significant resources are also found in the south for deeper waters.

A Multifractal Random-Walk Description of Atmospheric Turbulence: Small-Scale Multiscaling, Long-Tail Distribution, and Intermittency

The prevalent multifractal characteristics of turbulent velocity fluctuations in the atmosphere are important for estimating various wind effects in wind engineering. Here, the multifractal characteristics of turbulent velocity fluctuations, including the small-scale multiscaling, the long-tail distributions and the intermittency, are thoroughly investigated by using a high-frequency dataset of three-dimensional velocities (100 Hz) collected at three levels during one month. To reduce uncertainties in the estimate of multiscaling exponents, a new method, the sequential extended self-similarity, is proposed. Based on this method, we obtain the multiscaling exponents of qth-order moments of velocity increments as a function of q, that is the so-called multifractal spectrum. The multifractal random walk (MRW) model is then shown to describe the various multifractal spectra of turbulent velocity fluctuations. With the help of this model, we find a connection between the small-scale multiscaling and the long-tail distributions, which is generally observed in our dataset, again validating the MRW model. A non-linear multifractal spectrum is commonly considered to be related to the intermittency of turbulent velocity fluctuations at small scales and its curvature is usually used as a quantification of intermittency intensity. However, we suggest that models capturing the non-linear multifractal spectrum may fail to represent the long-tail distribution, which is a more direct quantification of intermittency. Finally, qualitative variations of validated indicators with specific boundary-layer parameters are investigated. Results show that the intermittency of turbulent velocity fluctuations is more relevant to the friction velocity, compared with the average wind speed, the average temperature, and the surface-layer stability.

Stability and Sea State as Limiting Conditions for TKE Dissipation and Dissipative Heating

Abstract This study analyzes high-resolution ship data collected in the Gulf of Mexico during the Lagrangian Submesoscale Experiment (LASER) from January to February 2016 to produce the first reported measurements of dissipative heating in the explicitly nonhurricane atmospheric surface layer. Although typically computed from theory as a function of wind speed cubed, the dissipative heating directly estimated via the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation rate is also presented. The dissipative heating magnitude agreed with a previous study that estimated the dissipative heating in the hurricane boundary layer using in situ aircraft data. Our observations that the 10-m neutral drag coefficient parameterized using TKE dissipation rate approaches zero slope as wind increases suggests that TKE dissipation and dissipative heating are constrained to a physical limit. Both surface-layer stability and sea state were observed to be important conditions influencing dissipative heating, with the stability determined via TKE budget terms and the sea state determined via wave steepness and age using direct shipboard measurements. Momentum and enthalpy fluxes used in the TKE budget are determined using the eddy-correlation method. It is found that the TKE dissipation rate and the dissipative heating are largest in a nonneutral atmospheric surface layer with a sea surface comprising steep wind sea and slow swell waves at a given surface wind speed, whereas the ratio of dissipative heating to enthalpy fluxes is largest in near-neutral stability where the turbulent vertical velocities are near zero.

Modelling sound propagation from a wind turbine under various atmospheric conditions

Sound propagation from a wind turbine is investigated with the help of coupled atmospheric and acoustical simulation. Eight instants of time during nine diurnal cycles of idealized large-scale cases result in 72 meteorological situations for which the boundary-layer profiles of wind and temperature, the downstream wake flow of the rotor, and the sound propagation from the wind turbine into upwind and downwind direction were calculated. The resulting sound levels are evaluated relative to a non-refractive atmosphere to focus on the impact of meteorologically induced refraction. Within a range of 1 km from the turbine the sound levels vary stronger in upwind direction than in downwind direction, and the varying background wind speed at hub level causes a higher variability of the relative sound levels than the variations of the surface-layer stability. Surface-layer parameters turn out to be of only limited suitability for a meteorological classification of the wind-turbine noise impact.

Contrasting variations in the surface layer structure between the convective and non-convective periods in the summer monsoon season for Bangalore location during PRWONAM

An attempt has been made here to examine the contrasting variations in mean surface layer parameters including surface fluxes, and in surface layer stability between the convective and non-convective periods in the southwest monsoon season for the Bangalore experiment location (12.54° N, 77.22° E). The micrometeorological measurements analysed during 2009 and 2010 are from the instrumentation network established during the programme, “Prediction of Regional Weather using Observational meso-Network and Atmospheric Modelling (PRWONAM)”.The Short Wave (SW) radiative flux at the surface is observed to be respectively at 799 ± 188 Wm−2 (772 ± 195 Wm−2) and 436 ± 113 Wm−2 (257 ± 101 Wm−2) at 12:00 LT (Local Time, UTC+05:30) during the non-convective and convective periods in 2009 (2010). The significant difference in SW radiative flux is due to the difference of cloud cover between the non-convective and convective periods. This significant reduction of 515 W m−2 at 12:00 LT in SW radiative flux caused maximum cooling in skin temperature (air temperature) by 6.2 °C (3.8 °C) at 12:00 LT (18:30 LT) from 30.8 ± 3.9 °C (27.1 ± 1.4 °C) in the non-convective period. The impact of convection on soil temperature is observed up to 0.2 m deep. The diurnal amplitudes in composites of air temperature are 8.4 °C (8.4 °C) and 5.7 °C (4.7 °C) during the non-convective and convective periods respectively in 2009 (2010); and the amplitudes in relative humidity are 41.5% (39.7%) and 29% (22.8%).Low wind speeds prevailed 63.4% of the time, all through the day and night, in the monsoon season. The diurnal variations in wind speed during the convective period showed higher variability than in non-convective period. The momentum flux varied in accordance with the strength of the wind speed during the monsoon seasons of both the years 2009 and 2010. The peak sensible heat flux in the convective period is noted to be smaller than that in the non-convective period by 128 W m−2 in 2009 and 124 W m−2 in 2010. The moisture flux showed no significant variations between the two periods. Sensible heat and moisture flux peaked up at 334 W m−2 and 258 W m−2 respectively at low wind strong unstable situation.