Turbulent viscosity optimized by data assimilation

International audienceAs an alternative approach to classical turbulence modelling using a first or second order closure, the data assimilation method of optimal control is applied to estimate a time and space-dependent turbulent viscosity in a three-dimensional oceanic circulation model. The optimal control method, described for a 3-D primitive equation model, involves the minimization of a cost function that quantifies the discrepancies between the simulations and the observations. An iterative algorithm is obtained via the adjoint model resolution. In a first experiment, a k + L model is used to simulate the one-dimensional development of inertial oscillations resulting from a wind stress at the sea surface and with the presence of a halocline. These results are used as synthetic observations to be assimilated. The turbulent viscosity is then recovered without the k + L closure, even with sparse and noisy observations. The problems of controllability and of the dimensions of the control are then discussed. A second experiment consists of a two-dimensional schematic simulation. A 2-D turbulent viscosity field is estimated from data on the initial and final states of a coastal upwelling event

Lagrangian transport of particles in Ria de Aveiro lagoon, Portugal

A two-dimensional vertically integrated hydrodynamic model coupled to a particle tracking model is applied to study the dispersion processes and residence time in Ria de Aveiro lagoon (Portugal). The only dispersion process that is considered in this study is the advection, according to the main characteristics of the local hydrodynamic. The particle tracking model computes the particles position at each time step, using a fourth-order Runge-Kutta integration method. The dispersion of passive particles released along the lagoon and in critical areas are studied in this work. The residence time is also determined for the entire lagoon. The results show that the mixture between particles coming from different channels of the lagoon is negligible in a time scale higher than 2 tidal cycles. The residence time for the lagoon central area is about 2 days, revealing a strong marine influence in this area. At the upper reaches of the channels were found values higher than 2 weeks

An approach to fulfill art 8 of directive 2009/128: procedure of risk assessment for pesticide application equipment

The EU Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of pesticides requires that Member States (MS) shall ensure that all Pesticide Application Equipment (PAE) in professional use shall be subject to inspection at regular intervals. Article 8.3 of the Directive allows the MS to derogate from the mandatory inspection at regular intervals or to apply different timetables and inspection intervals for certain types of PAE based on a Risk Assessment (RA) for human health, food safety and environment and an assessment of the scale of use. In order to fulfill Article 8.3, a risk assessment protocol was developed in Belgium within the framework of the SIRA-APESTICON project. Risk is now evaluated for the human health and the environment on all Belgian equipment. It will offer guidelines about the necessity to carry out an inspection of every PAE in use. The protocol is based on technical parameters subject to inspections, their occurrences and severities, but also on national scale of use of the PAE types. Results are expressed at different scale levels: the defect, the machine and the country.The EU Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of pesticides requires that Member States (MS) shall ensure that all Pesticide Application Equipment (PAE) in professional use shall be subject to inspection at regular intervals. Article 8.3 of the Directive allows the MS to derogate from the mandatory inspection at regular intervals or to apply different timetables and inspection intervals for certain types of PAE based on a Risk Assessment (RA) for human health, food safety and environment and an assessment of the scale of use. In order to fulfill Article 8.3, a risk assessment protocol was developed in Belgium within the framework of the SIRA-APESTICON project. Risk is now evaluated for the human health and the environment on all Belgian equipment. It will offer guidelines about the necessity to carry out an inspection of every PAE in use. The protocol is based on technical parameters subject to inspections, their occurrences and severities, but also on national scale of use of the PAE types. Results are expressed at different scale levels: the defect, the machine and the country

LONG LIFE FOR THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN MESOSCALE EDDIES

Abstract The three-dimensional structure of the eastern Mediterranean mesoscale eddies was studied using a combination of a high horizontal resolution numerical model (∼5 km) outputs, in-situ and satellite data. Most of these eddies show good similarity between model results and observations. The structure, formation, development and propagation of each feature were studied separately and the results were then compared. Westward propagation in the southern Ionian Sea and eastward propagation in the southern Levantine Basin were observed with lifetime of more than two years

Assessment of Higher-Order RANS Closures in a Decelerated Planar Wall-Bounded Turbulent Flow

A reference DNS database is presented, which includes third- and fourth-order moment budgets for unstrained and strained planar channel flow. Existing RANS closure models for third- and fourth-order terms are surveyed, and new model ideas are introduced. The various models are then compared with the DNS data term by term using a priori testing of the higher-order budgets of turbulence transport, velocity-pressure-gradient, and dissipation for both the unstrained and strained databases. Generally, the models for the velocity-pressure-gradient terms are most in need of improvement

Lateral diffusivity coefficients from the dynamics of a SF6 patch in a coastal environment

The dispersion of a patch of the tracer sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is used to assess the lateral diffusivity in the coastal waters of the western part of the Gulf of Lion (GoL), northwestern Mediterranean Sea, during the Latex10 experiment (September 2010). Immediately after the release, the spreading of the patch is associated with a strong decrease of the SF6 concentrations due to the gas exchange from the ocean to the atmosphere. This has been accurately quantified, evidencing the impact of the strong wind conditions during the first days of this campaign. Few days after the release, as the atmospheric loss of SF6 decreased, lateral diffusivity coefficient at spatial scales of 10 km has been computed using two approaches. First, the evolution of the patch with time was combined with a diffusion-strain model to obtain estimates of the strain rate (γ = 2.5 10- 6 s- 1) and of the lateral diffusivity coefficient (Kh = 23.2 m2s− 1). Second, a steady state model was applied, showing Kh values similar to the previous method after a period of adjustment between 2 and 4.5 days. This implies that after such period, our computation of Kh becomes insensitive to the inclusion of further straining of the patch. Analysis of sea surface temperature satellite imagery shows the presence of a strong front in the study area. The front clearly affected the dynamics within the region and thus the temporal evolution of the patch. Our results are consistent with previous studies in open ocean and demonstrate the success and feasibility of those methods also under small-scale, rapidly-evolving dynamics typical of coastal environments

The Antares Collaboration : Contributions to the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2015, The Hague)

The ANTARES detector, completed in 2008, is the largest neutrino telescope in the Northern hemisphere. Located at a depth of 2.5 km in the Mediterranean Sea, 40 km off the Toulon shore, its main goal is the search for astrophysical high energy neutrinos. In this paper we collect the 21 contributions of the ANTARES collaboration to the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2015). The scientific output is very rich and the contributions included in these proceedings cover the main physics results, ranging from steady point sources, diffuse searches, multi-messenger analyses to exotic physics

Search for muon-neutrino emission from GeV and TeV gamma-ray flaring blazars using five years of data of the ANTARES telescope

The ANTARES telescope is well-suited for detecting astrophysical transient neutrino sources as it can observe a full hemisphere of the sky at all times with a high duty cycle. The background due to atmospheric particles can be drastically reduced, and the point-source sensitivity improved, by selecting a narrow time window around possible neutrino production periods. Blazars, being radio-loud active galactic nuclei with their jets pointing almost directly towards the observer, are particularly attractive potential neutrino point sources, since they are among the most likely sources of the very high-energy cosmic rays. Neutrinos and gamma rays may be produced in hadronic interactions with the surrounding medium. Moreover, blazars generally show high time variability in their light curves at different wavelengths and on various time scales. This paper presents a time-dependent analysis applied to a selection of flaring gamma-ray blazars observed by the FERMI/LAT experiment and by TeV Cherenkov telescopes using five years of ANTARES data taken from 2008 to 2012. The results are compatible with fluctuations of the background. Upper limits on the neutrino fluence have been produced and compared to the measured gamma-ray spectral energy distribution.Comment: 27 pages, 16 figure

Towards a modular language curriculum for using tasks

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) and task-supported language teaching (TSLT) are often seen as incompatible as they draw on different theories of language learning and language teaching. The position adopted in this article, however, is that both approaches are needed especially in instructional contexts where ‘pure’ task-based teaching may be problematic for various reasons. The article makes a case for a modular curriculum consisting of separate (i.e. non-integrated) task-based and structure-based components. Different curriculum models are considered in the light of what is known about how a second language is learned. The model that is proposed assumes the importance of developing fluency first. It consists of a primary task-based module implemented with focus-on-form (Long, 1991) and, once a basic fluency has been achieved, supported by a secondary structural module to provide for explicit accuracy-oriented work to counteract learned selective attention (N. Ellis, 2006): one of the main sources of persistent error. The article also addresses the content and grading of the task-based and structural modules. It considers the factors that need to be considered in the vertical and horizontal grading of tasks but also points out that, for the time being, syllabus designers will have to draw on their experience and intuition as much as on research to make decisions about how to sequence tasks. An argument is presented for treating the structural component as a checklist rather than as a syllabus so as to allow teachers to address selectively those features that are found to be problematic for their students when they perform tasks

Status and Recent Results of the Acoustic Neutrino Detection Test System AMADEUS

The AMADEUS system is an integral part of the ANTARES neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea. The project aims at the investigation of techniques for acoustic neutrino detection in the deep sea. Installed at a depth of more than 2000m, the acoustic sensors of AMADEUS are based on piezo-ceramics elements for the broad-band recording of signals with frequencies ranging up to 125kHz. AMADEUS was completed in May 2008 and comprises six "acoustic clusters", each one holding six acoustic sensors that are arranged at distances of roughly 1m from each other. The clusters are installed with inter-spacings ranging from 15m to 340m. Acoustic data are continuously acquired and processed at a computer cluster where online filter algorithms are applied to select a high-purity sample of neutrino-like signals. 1.6 TB of data were recorded in 2008 and 3.2 TB in 2009. In order to assess the background of neutrino-like signals in the deep sea, the characteristics of ambient noise and transient signals have been investigated. In this article, the AMADEUS system will be described and recent results will be presented.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures. Proceedings of ARENA 2010, the 4th International Workshop on Acoustic and Radio EeV Neutrino Detection Activitie