In-situ ultrasonic calibrations of pressure and temperature in a hinge-type double-stage cubic large volume press

Here, simultaneous in-situ calibration of pressures and temperatures was performed in a hinge-type second-stage cubic large volume press (LVP) up to 15 GPa and 1400 K by an acoustic travel-time approach. Based on the recently reported P-t S and P-T-t P -t S equations for Al2O3 buffer rod, the cell pressures and temperatures in the chamber of LVP were in-situ determined, in comparison with those by conventional off-line (or fixed-points) pressure calibration method and direct thermocouple measurement, respectively. It is found that the cell pressures of the LVP chamber are significantly reduced after annealing at simultaneous high pressures and high temperatures, owing to the stress relaxation as accumulate in the LVP chamber. This acoustic travel-time method is validated to be a good way for precise determination of thermal (cell) pressures at high temperature conditions, and is of great importance and necessity to conduct in-situ physical property measurements under extreme high P-T conditions, especially when the precious synchrotron X-ray/neutron diffraction beams are not available.

Using Acoustic Travel Time to Monitor the Heat Variability of Glacial Fjords

Monitoring the heat content variability of glacial fjords is crucial to understanding the effects of oceanic forcing on marine-terminating glaciers. A Pressure-sensor equipped Inverted Echo Sounder (PIES) was deployed mid-fjord in Sermilik Fjord in southeast Greenland from August 2011 to September 2012 alongside a moored array of instruments recording temperature, conductivity and velocity. Historical hydrography is used to quantify the relationship between acoustic travel time and the vertically-averaged heat content, and a new method is developed for filtering acoustic return echoes in an ice-influenced environment. We show that PIES measurements, combined with a knowledge of the fjord’s two-layer density structure, can be used to reconstruct the thickness and temperature of the inflowing water. Additionally, we find that fjord-shelf exchange events are identifiable in the travel time record implying the PIES can be used to monitor fjord circulation. Finally, we show that PIES data can be combined with moored temperature records to derive the heat content of the upper layer of the fjord where moored instruments are at great risk of being damaged by transiting icebergs.

Monitoring Inflow Dynamics in a Multipurpose Dam Based on Travel-Time Principle

Understanding inflow dynamics in a dam lake forms the basis for optimal dam operation and management practices. However, methods pertaining to adequately determining negative inflows and addressing them, as well as quantifying uncertainties in dam inflow, have been scarcely investigated. In this study, the inflow was observed using two pairs of fluvial acoustic tomography (FAT) systems placed diagonally in a dam lake, forming a crossed-shaped pattern. The “travel-time” principle is the primary approach for measuring the inflow by FAT. The novelty of this study is in discussing the inflow characteristics within a slow water-flow environment monitored by FAT. Based on the reciprocal sound transmission, we upgraded an equation to estimate the flow direction; this newly proposed generalized equation can be used in a fluctuating flow environment. We also discussed the sound propagation characteristics for slow flow velocities. Finally, we demonstrated that a small inaccuracy in the acoustic signal, even by a sub-millisecond, can cause significant errors in measurements. One of the novel findings of this study is the detection of internal waves using the improved flow direction equation and acoustic travel-time records. Overall, this study presents a promising approach for inflow measurements under extremely slow flow conditions.

On the Predictability of Sea Surface Height around Palau

As part of the Flow Encountering Abrupt Topography (FLEAT) program, an array of pressure-sensor equipped inverted echo sounders (PIESs) was deployed north of Palau where the westward-flowing North Equatorial Current encounters the southern end of the Kyushu–Palau Ridge in the tropical North Pacific. Capitalizing on concurrent observations from satellite altimetry, FLEAT Spray gliders, and shipboard hydrography, the PIESs’ 10-month duration hourly bottom pressure p and round-trip acoustic travel time τ records are used to examine the magnitude and predictability of sea level and pycnocline depth changes and to track signal propagations through the array. Sea level and pycnocline depth are found to vary in response to a range of ocean processes, with their magnitude and predictability strongly process dependent. Signals characterized here comprise the barotropic tides, semidiurnal and diurnal internal tides, southeastward-propagating superinertial waves, westward-propagating mesoscale eddies, and a strong signature of sea level increase and pycnocline deepening associated with the region’s relaxation from El Niño to La Niña conditions. The presence of a broad band of superinertial waves just above the inertial frequency was unexpected and the FLEAT observations and output from a numerical model suggest that these waves detected near Palau are forced by remote winds east of the Philippines. The PIES-based estimates of pycnocline displacement are found to have large uncertainties relative to overall variability in pycnocline depth, as localized deep current variations arising from interactions of the large-scale currents with the abrupt topography around Palau have significant travel time variability.