地球與環境科學

本研究以希爾伯特－黃轉換 (Hilbert Huang Transform, HHT)，來分析311日本海嘯對台灣各港的水位變動影響。利用HHT將各港驗潮站資料分解成數個本質模態函數 (Intrinsic Mode Functions, IMF)，從中找出天文潮和海嘯影響的IMF。將主要的天文潮及趨勢線濾除後，可清楚看出海嘯影響水位的成份，進而分析各港口海嘯波抵達時間、振幅大小和主要頻率等。由 IMF 中可發現海嘯波來臨前海水水位退潮及急升狀況。此外，東部各港呈現出較為明顯的地震前導波(P波)所引起的高頻震盪波，與地震發生時間、P波傳遞速度、海水傳遞延遲及各港水位抬升時間都大致吻合，但較海嘯波到達時間大幅提前。上述研究結果，對瞭解海嘯波特性，將有所助益。

我們使用福爾摩沙衛星三號在冰島艾雅法拉火山2010年爆發期間（2010年3月5日～4月29日）測得的大氣資料，討論火山爆發對大氣對流層溫度變化的影響。初步獲得以下結論： 火山噴發能量大小與大氣層對流層頂降溫溫差成正比；火山噴發能量小，對流層溫度變化的影響多發生在低空處、火山噴發能量大，對大氣溫度影響高度偏高；以及火山噴發持續時間對溫度的影響也成正比關係。此外還討論了火山灰雲的分布影響溫度的變化情形：在迎風處火山灰雲聚集，其聚集處陽光被遮擋了，無法照射到地表，因此溫度較低。

當冷氣團從大陸移動到海面時，常會形成一些特殊的雲，常見的有雲街與胞狀雲。胞狀雲因其成雲機制與分布差異又可分為開放與封閉的形式。本實驗藉味噌湯不同加熱條件下所產生的圖形模擬大氣中胞狀雲的對流，並探討不同溫度與厚度下，味噌湯的加熱對流圖形差異與大小變化。 實驗發現味噌湯在低溫加熱時，其形成的圖形較類似開放胞，我們認為是溫度較低時，流體下沉的力量較向上對流的力量強，與形成開放胞的條件相同；高溫時，其圖形較類似封閉胞，我們認為是溫度較高時，流體向下對流的力量較向上的力量弱，符合形成封閉胞的條件。且流體厚度增厚時，所形成的對流胞大小也會增大。另外，流體在旋轉狀況下所形成的對流圖形更接近大氣胞狀雲的圖形。

本研究使用一規模較小的地震做為參考地震並得出其頻譜，將測站測得的美濃地震頻譜與之比較得出頻譜比，消除場址效應等非震源效應產生的影響，以探究美濃地震的破裂方向性。就每一對對震央方位角相差 180 度的地震而言，如果兩測站收到的頻譜比差距愈大，就表示地震的破裂方向越可能是該對測站的方向。 本研究的研究結果顯示測站距離對測站測得的頻譜比影響可忽略，且該方法用於尋找地震的破裂方向性確實可行。本研究得出美濃地震的破裂方向約在300到320度（即西偏北30~50度），且隨時間無明顯變化，與其他研究得出的結果相符。

浮石是一種多孔的火山碎屑岩，氣孔佔總體積很高的比例，因此能浮在水上。本研究針對臺灣新北市金山區神祕海岸所出露沉積層中的浮石進行探討，藉由閱讀文獻、實地考察、採樣、實驗分析等方式，來瞭解浮石的化學組成、礦物種類及可能形成機制與搬運途徑。依照化學成份分析及礦物種類比較結果顯示神祕海岸的浮石與日本、菲律賓的浮石較無關聯，最可能是來自台灣地區並由台灣北部大屯火山系或觀音山噴發所造成。至於其搬運方式，沉積物粒徑大小分析的結果顯示浮石是經由力量強大的海洋搬運作用攜至當地沉積。綜合上述，我們認為金山神祕海岸的浮石最有可能的生成方式為：1867年，由與大屯火山有相同岩漿系統的海底火山噴發出，接著此火山爆發所引發的海嘯將浮石帶至神祕海岸進行沉積。

近年來場址效應(Site Effect)的研究主要為探討地質造成之場址效應，不過現代，人類大多在建築物內活動，而建築物之場址效應也應該被受重視，本研究利用模擬波形探討建築物場址效應造成之放大效應，發現放大倍率會隨著不同樓層而跟著放大1到2倍。 中央氣象局致力研究地震預警系統，希望藉由預報來減少地震造成之損失，而其用於預估最大加速度之衰減式(Attenuation Relationship)考慮震源效應(Source Effect)與路徑效應(Path Effect)，而場址效應只利用經驗觀測值與預估值之比值表示。本研究以學校建築物做為研究區域，利用二階段衰減式作為模型提出三階段迴歸衰減式，加以考慮建築物造成之場址效應，在第三階段乘入利用模擬波形所得到之經驗場址效應放大倍率，最後利用線性迴歸修正，期望可有效預估建築物內之最大加速度，未來可用以建立建築物地震預警系統。

本研究主要探討地震造成的纜車晃動，藉由自製的地震模擬器與纜車系統，探討各因素對纜車晃動之影響，設計纜車系統和車廂的減震裝置。研究結果顯示：一、地震時纜車斷電停駛位置愈靠近塔柱、相同長度纜繩上車廂個數較多、纜車重量較重、纜車臂較短，纜車晃動時間相對較短。二、所設計之減震裝置中，利用夾層中鋼珠轉動，使地震時只有外層纜車晃動而內層纜車輕微滑動的「雙層纜車」效果最佳。纜車系統塔柱則可參照建築物設置隔震元件，以減緩纜車晃動。本研究結果可望為未來應用之參考。

Diarrhoea is an infectious disease that claims many lives (particularly among infants) and is known among many other infectious diseases, to have a relationship with climate. This projects quantifies this relationship by comparing health insurance treatment claims for diarrhoea and anti-diarrheal drug sales data from the private health sector with temperature and rainfall data provided by the South African Weather Service. The data were then analysed and show that incidence is highly seasonal and varies among regions with different seasonal climates. The results show that climate variability can explain 73% of diarrhea incidence variation with rainfall explaining 8% and minimum temperature explain the other 65 %. Preliminary predictions of future monthly percentage increases in incidence were then made for a series of time ranges. This project demonstrates that with predicted climate data one can predict future variations of diarrhoea allowing the health sector to be adequately prepared.

近年來的研究(Pun et al.2013)指出，西北太平洋颱風主要發展區的海洋熱力條件有越來越溫暖的趨勢。本研究透過分析1993-2011年7-10月，在120-170°E北部 (19-26°N )及南部 (10-19°N)颱風主要發展區增強的category1-5颱風，觀察並分析其長期以來所行經之海表面溫度、海洋暖水層熱力狀況及垂直風切與颱風強度的關係。比較後發現，長期以來，北部海域颱風的強度受風切影響較大，呈現減弱的趨勢；而南部海域颱風的強度則受海洋熱力條件影響較大，呈現增強的趨勢。根據擴大分析熱力條件影響較大的南部颱風主要發展區(1993-2012，4-21°N)的結果顯示，生成於此海域的颱風個案，長期以來所行經海洋的暖水層有增厚的現象，研判其為造成本區域颱風增強的重要因素。

Tradescantia (Tradescantia fluminensis) is the worst weed in New Zealand. By smothering and shading out seedlings, Tradescantia prevents forest regeneration. Current control methods are ineffective and simultaneously cause harm to native forest. In 2011 Neolema ogloblini, a Brazilian beetle was introduced into New Zealand as a biological control for Tradescantia. To be successful in New Zealand, a country with different environmental factors, the beetles’ ranges of preference (temperature and light intensity) had to be investigated. A gender specific trait also identified, to enable desired sex ratios within founding populations to be selected. [18] This would ensure that the beetles are not released in areas of physiological stress, and can be optimised to have the greatest impact on Tradscantia. To establish how the intensity of light affects the distribution and amount of Tradescantia eaten by N.ogloblini a choice chamber investigation was conducted. Different layers of shade cloth provided a range of light intensities 150-3450Lux (likely to be found under forest canopy where Tradescantia is problematic). Thirty beetles of a range of sizes and approximately same maturity were randomly distributed through the chambers. Each chamber contained a shoot of Tradescantia with 5 leaves. After a 24hour period the number of beetles in each chamber were counted and the amount of surface area of the leaves eaten measured. The effect of temperature on the amount of leaf surface area eaten was investigated by selecting 90 beetles of a range of sizes and withholding food for 24hours. Five beetles were placed in each of three containers containing two leaves. Each trial container was precooled/warmed to the test temperature before the beetles were added. Leaves of a similar size, shape, mass and maturity were used. All leaves were genetically identical and collected from the same location. Sets of three containers were held in the dark at the following temperatures for 24hours: 9°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C and 35°C. The surface area of leaf eaten at each temperature (mm2) was calculated. Lastly, microscopic dissections were conducted, using 32 beetles ranging in size, to establish if length (measured from the top of the head to the base of the abdomen) could be used as a phenotypic marker to identify beetle gender. While only a very weak positive relationship between increasing light intensity and the number of beetles was found a significantly higher area of leaf was eaten at a light intensity of 3450Lux compared to 150Lux. The amount of leaf area eaten is significantly reduced at temperatures of 15˚C and below, and significantly increased at 35˚C. There is no significant difference in the amount of leaf area eaten when comparing temperatures between 20-30˚C. Females have on average a larger body length (median=4.92mm) than the males (median=4.215mm). Therefore, sites with warmer temperatures in dappled light conditions (3450Lux) should be prioritised for the release of N.ogloblini, as this is the location in New Zealand at which their use as a biological control will be optimised. Beetle length can be confidently used to select desired gender ratios.