Blossom Heath Harbor/USCG Station St. Clair Shores Harbor Entrance Study

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96628/1/39015087358381.pd

OMAE2002-28536 COUPLED DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF A MINI TLP: COMPARISON WITH MEASUREMENTS

ABSTRACT A numerical code (COUPLE) was recently developed for computing 6 Degree-Of-Freedom (DOF) motions of a moored floating structure dynamically interacting with its mooring/riser/tendon system. The computation of hydrodynamic forces on the moored structure can be conducted based on a diffraction wave theory model, e.g. WAMIT, and/or the Morison Equation based upon a slender body assumption. Wave kinematics up to the free surface, used in the Morison Equation, is computed using nonlinear deterministic Hybrid Wave Models, and is accurate up to second order in wave steepness. Experimental data from the model tests of a mini TLP was used as the basis for investigation of the numerical computation. Using COUPLE and its alternatives, coupled as well as quasi-static analyses were conducted for the mini TLP model that incorporates four risers and four tendons. Two different methods for computing hydrodynamic loads, namely, WAMIT and Morison Equation, were used, respectively. Through the comparison between the numerical results and the corresponding measurements, dynamic interactions between the riser/tendon system and the hull were examined. Findings made in this study, though based upon a mini TLP may have valuable applications to the design and simulation of a wide range of compliant deep-water structures

Assessment of alternative strategies for sludge disposal into deep ocean basins off Southern California

The general framework of engineering alternatives for regional ocean sludge disposal is well described in a report by Raksit, and will not be repeated here. The various ocean disposal alternatives are less costly than all land-disposal and incineration/pyrolysis systems studied. Even though ocean sludge disposal is currently contrary to both state and federal regulations, it is hoped that this study will advance our scientific and engineering knowledge of the behavior and effects of sludge discharge in deep water, in case the regulatory policy is reexamined in the future. With this report we hope we have demonstrated the potential and difficulties of some new modeling techniques for predicting the effects of sludge discharge in the ocean. In the future. we believe it will be possible to formulate policy of ocean sludge discharges with much better case-by-case predictions of impacts for comparison with other alternatives (such as land disposal). not only for the Los Angeles/Orange County areas, but for all coastal urban areas

Geo-Engineering in the Southern Ocean

Ocean Dumping A German research vessel, the Polarstern, is on a 70 day exercise of dumping 20 tonnes of ferrous sulphate (iron sulphate, FeSO4) in the Southern Ocean at a latitude of 46° south. The LOHAFEX experiment of the Alfred Wegner Institute for Polar & Marine Research project will increase the iron level of the treated ocean area by a factor of up to 24 times “the natural iron concentration”. The target area is 20 kilometres in diameter, i.e. approximately 320 square kilometres. It could be argued that the Southern Ocean being far away from sources of pollution,as well as international media, is an ideal place to conduct such a geo-engineering experiment, and that maybe this ocean fertilization experiment will be the seed for a whole new lucrative ocean-dumping industry that might even save the planet.Alternatively, it could be argued that this is a further exercise in Euro-arrogance, in an expropriation of the commons, and that it is a continuation and extension of the Northern eco-malfeasance that we of the South have witnessed too frequently. Europe has “form” for latitude-shifting its eco-crimes. France travelled half way around the planet to detonate its “safe” nuclear weapons in the otherwise pacific Polynesia. The eco-credentials of artificial fertilization are poor on both land and sea. Yes we can bloom the ocean, but because we can is not an argument that we ought. Shifting the carbon “problem” from the land to the sea may be just a new version of sweeping the dirt under the mat. In this case, Europe’s carbon “dirt” under the Southern Ocean“mat”

Mapping Ocean Wealth: Livelihoods, Economies and Integrated Ocean-Use Planning

The Conservancy's goal is to calculate and describe—in quantitative and spatial terms—all that the ocean does for us today, so we can make smart investments and decisions affecting what the ocean can do for us tomorrow. In mapping our ocean wealth, we move from broad global averages of habitat science to specific local details, and evaluate nature as an asset. This local data then becomes actionable, translating directly into the engineering, financial and policy language that can inform and improve coastal and ocean planning, conservation, development and investment decisions

Engineering works and the tidal Chesapeake

The tidal tributaries of the ocean and coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic region and the ecological significance of engineering projects are discussed. The effects of engineering works on maritime environments and resources, with the Chesapeake Bay as the area of prime interest are examined. Significant engineering projects, both actual and proposed, are described. The conflict of navigational demands and maintenance of an estuarine environment for commercial and sport fishing and recreation is described. Specific applications of remote sensors for analyzing ecological conditions of the bay are included

Progress on the experimental set-up for the testing of a floating offshore wind turbine scaled model in a field site

This document describes design and realization of a small-scale field experiment on a 1:30 model of spar floating support structure for offshore wind turbines. The aim of the experiment is to investigate the dynamic behaviour of the floating wind turbine under extreme wave and parked rotor conditions. The experiment has been going on in the Natural Ocean Engineering Laboratory of Reggio Calabria (Italy). In this article, all the stages of the experimental activity are presented, and some results are shown in terms of motions and response amplitude operators. Finally, a comparison with corresponding results obtained using ANSYS AQWA software package is shown, and conclusions are drawn. The presented experimental set-up seems promising to test offshore floating structures for marine renewable energy at a relatively large scale in the Natural Ocean Engineering Laboratory field site

Mapping Ocean Wealth

This document describes a major new initiative to develop detailed and spatially explicit accounting of the value of marine ecosystem services at different scales. This information will inform key decision-makers in sectors ranging from international development to insurance and extractive industries to engineering. The Nature Conservancy's vision is to change perception and utilization of marine and coastal ecosystems. Working with stakeholders, it will catalyse a transformation in ocean management toward a paradigm based on explicit understanding of how and where "ocean wealth" is built, stored and generated

Use of microwave satellite data to study variations in rainfall over the Indian Ocean

The University of Wisconsin Space Science and Engineering Center mapped rainfall over the Indian Ocean using a newly developed Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) rain-retrieval algorithm. The short-range objective was to characterize the distribution and variability of Indian Ocean rainfall on seasonal and annual scales. In the long-range, the objective is to clarify differences between land and marine regimes of monsoon rain. Researchers developed a semi-empirical algorithm for retrieving Indian Ocean rainfall. Tools for this development have come from radiative transfer and cloud liquid water models. Where possible, ground truth information from available radars was used in development and testing. SMMR rainfalls were also compared with Indian Ocean gauge rainfalls. Final Indian Ocean maps were produced for months, seasons, and years and interpreted in terms of historical analysis over the sub-continent