T.M. No. 131 - November 1962 



Littoral Studies Near San Francisco Using Tracer Techniques 

 by Adel M. Kama I 



A method of assaying naturally radioactive thorium for detecting 

 the direction of littoral drift along a coast was investigated and 

 applied to the California coast from the Russian River mouth to 

 Point San Pedro. The method proved to be very quick for qualitative 

 results and rather simple compared to mi nera log ica I analysis. The 

 method involved collection of surface and deep samples along the 

 coast under study. Heavy minerals for a limited size fraction of 

 the sand samples were separated and radioactivity present counted 

 by use of a 2-channel gamma-ray spectrometer. One channel was ad- 

 justed on the 0.238 Mev. peak from Pb^'^ in the thorium series and 

 the other on the 0.118 Mev. peak from Ra^^° in the uranium series. 



T.M. No. 132 - November 1962 



Waves in Inland Reservoirs (Summary Report on Civil Works Investi- 

 gation Projects CW-164 and CW-165 prepared by representatives of 

 the Missouri Division and Fort Peck District, the Southwestern 

 Division and Tulsa District, the Beach Erosion Board and Office, 

 Chief of Engineers. 



The report summarizes wave observations in Fort Peck Reservoir 

 and Lake Texoma, the latter formed by Den i son Dam. It briefly 

 reviews certain investigational programs and publications pertinent 

 to wave study in inland reservoirs, and summarizes analytical studies 

 made to adapt, modify, or supplement procedures used in estimating 

 wave characteristics corresponding to wind and related factors to 

 conform with observations in the two reservoirs. It presents pro- 

 cedures for quantitatively determining wave characteristics, and 

 briefly outlines additional investigations needed to further improve 

 methods and criteria. Certain general guidance and approximate for- 

 mulas are presented for interim use in estimating wind tide effects 

 in deep reservoirs. 



T.M. No. 133 - February 1963 



Higher Approximation to Nonlinear Water Waves and the Limiting 

 Heights of Cnoidal, Solitary, and Stokes' Waves by E. V. Lai tone 



To obtain first and second approximations to solitary and cnoidal 

 waves, the shallow-water expansion method of Friedrichs and Keller 

 is carried to the fourth order. It is shown that the rigorous first 

 approximation to these finite amplitude waves of permanent form is 

 identical to the solution first given by Korteweg and de Vries in 

 1895. The second approximation, however, results in some new ex- 

 pressions for predicting behavior of long waves in shallow water. 

 Limiting heights are found to be 8/11 of free water depth for the 



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