Upscaling heterogeneity in aquifer reactivity via exposure-time concept: forward model

Reactive properties of aquifer solid phase materials play an important role in solute fate and transport in the natural subsurface on time scales ranging from years in contaminant remediation to millennia in dynamics of aqueous geochemistry. Quantitative tools for dealing with the impact of natural heterogeneity in solid phase reactivity on solute fate and transport are limited. Here we describe the use of a structural variable to keep track of solute flux exposure to reactive surfaces. With this approach, we develop a non-reactive tracer model that is useful for determining the signature of multi-scale reactive solid heterogeneity in terms of solute flux distributions at the field scale, given realizations of three-dimensional reactive site density fields. First, a governing Eulerian equation for the non-reactive tracer model is determined by an upscaling technique in which it is found that the exposure time of solution to reactive surface areas evolves via both a macroscopic velocity and a macroscopic dispersion in the artificial dimension of exposure time. Second, we focus on the Lagrangian approach in the context of a streamtube ensemble and demonstrate the use of the distribution of solute flux over the exposure time dimension in modeling two-dimensional transport of a solute undergoing simplified linear reversible reactions, in hypothetical conditions following prior laboratory experiments. The distribution of solute flux over exposure time in a given case is a signature of the impact of heterogeneous aquifer reactivity coupled with a particular physical heterogeneity, boundary conditions, and hydraulic gradient. Rigorous application of this approach in a simulation sense is limited here to linear kinetically controlled reactions.     

A soil alteration index based on phospholipid fatty acids

Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis has gained great importance in the study of soil microbial community structure. This structure can give indication of the soil status. Purpose of the present paper is to analyse PLFA patterns in altered agricultural soils in order to develop a soil status alteration index. Soils subjected either to intensive agricultural exploitation, or to overflow by municipal and industrial wastes, or to irrigation with saline waters were analysed for PLFA content and compared to adjacent untreated soils by means of different statistical techniques.

Principal component analysis separated PLFAs in three groups: unsaturated PLFAs (first axis, 48% of total variance), monounsaturated and cyclopropane PLFAs (second axis, 28% of total variance) and polyunsaturated PLFAs (third axis, 24% of total variance).

By means of canonical discriminant analysis, a soil alteration index (SAI) was produced from 15 PLFAs using two data sets. A third data set was used to test the SAI general validity together with other data sets reported in literature. The index validity was confirmed in most cases: SAI gave higher scores for control soils and was generally able to classify soils according to their reported degree of alteration.     

Erionite series minerals: mineralogical and carcinogenic properties

Erionite is a human and animal carcinogen and one of the most toxic minerals known. Erionite deposits have been reported in many countries; however, it is only in the area of three villages of Cappadocia, Turkey, that environmental exposure to erionite has been demonstrated to be the cause of an epidemic of the disease mesothelioma. In the USA, no cases of mesothelioma have been reliably proven to be the result of erionite exposure, though the possibility exists. Erionite samples from three villages of the Cappadocia region were characterized mineralogically and compared with three different standards from the USA. Micro morphological details of erionite minerals using a high-resolution field-emission SEM showed that microstructures of "bundles", "fibers", and "fibrils" are important physical properties of fibrous erionite minerals. Typical lung burden of erionite and asbestos fibers were compared in terms of number of fibers. Assuming the lung burden of fibers in a human mesothelioma victim is about 1 mg, and the hazardous fibers are approximately 1 mum in diameter and 10 mum long, that milligram contains approximately 40 million asbestos and 50 million erionite fibers. These microstructures of erionite minerals draw attention to the concepts of surface area or surface-area-to-volume ratio and their relationship to the carcinogenicity of the mineral. The larger surface area creates a wider platform for mineral-cell interaction and thus more possibilities of proliferative transformation of mesothelial cells. Consequently, understanding the exact mineralogical properties will help determination of the true carcinogenic mechanism(s) of the mineral for prevention and possibly treatment of malignant mesothelioma.     

末次冰期以来青州黄土光释光测年及其对古气候的指示

黄河下游湿润-半湿润地区的鲁中黄土-古土壤沉积,是记录东亚季风气候变化的良好载体。山东青州邵庄黄土剖面粗颗粒石英（63—90 µm）光释光年代和磁化率、粒度、色度以及主量元素测试结果表明：（1）邵庄黄土末次冰期以来（(51.3±2.5)— (8.1±1.1) ka）沉积连续;（2）与粒度、磁化率和色度指标相比,化学蚀变指数能够更灵敏地反映冰期-间冰期沉积旋回;（3）粒度结果表明“古土壤”层中值粒径（16.9—24.6 μm）明显高于下伏黄土层中值粒径（11.8—22.7 μm）,主要是因为近源沉积在总的沉积通量中所占比例在冰期-间冰期尺度上的变化;（4）灰黑色“古土壤”层底界年龄为(19.1±1.6) ka,明显老于黄土高原全新世古土壤层底界年代（约10—11 ka）,其既包含全新世沉积的加积型土壤,也包含下伏末次冰期黄土层基础上受风化、淋溶形成的非加积型土壤。虽然研究区的“古土壤”包含非加积型土壤,记录了间冰期风化成壤过程,但依然能够反映冰期-间冰期气候旋回,是东亚乃至全球气候变化的产物。     

遥感技术寻找内生金矿床的机理及方法探讨

论述了通过遥感技术寻找内生金矿床的可能性。首先 ,讨论了运用遥感技术寻找内生金矿床的基本原理 ;其次 ,提出了运用遥感技术寻找内生金矿床的一些具体方法步骤 ;最后 ;介绍了两个应用实例。     

Fish Assemblage Responses to Water Withdrawals and Water Supply Reservoirs in Piedmont Streams

Understanding effects of flow alteration on stream biota is essential to developing ecologically sustainable water supply strategies. We evaluated effects of altering flows via surface water withdrawals and instream reservoirs on stream fish assemblages, and compared effects with other hypothesized drivers of species richness and assemblage composition. We sampled fishes during three years in 28 streams used for municipal water supply in the Piedmont region of Georgia, U.S.A. Study sites had permitted average withdrawal rates that ranged from < 0.05 to > 13 times the stream’s seven-day, ten-year recurrence low flow (7Q10), and were located directly downstream either from a water supply reservoir or from a withdrawal taken from an unimpounded stream. Ordination analysis of catch data showed a shift in assemblage composition at reservoir sites corresponding to dominance by habitat generalist species. Richness of fluvial specialists averaged about 3 fewer species downstream from reservoirs, and also declined as permitted withdrawal rate increased above about 0.5 to one 7Q10-equivalent of water. Reservoir presence and withdrawal rate, along with drainage area, accounted for 70% of the among-site variance in fluvial specialist richness and were better predictor variables than percent of the catchment in urban land use or average streambed sediment size. Increasing withdrawal rate also increased the odds that a site’s Index of Biotic Integrity score fell below a regulatory threshold indicating biological impairment. Estimates of reservoir and withdrawal effects on stream biota could be used in predictive landscape models to support adaptive water supply planning intended to meet societal needs while conserving biological resources.     

Importance of Riparian Forests in Urban Catchments Contingent on Sediment and Hydrologic Regimes

Forested riparian corridors are thought to minimize impacts of landscape disturbance on stream ecosystems; yet, the effectiveness of streamside forests in mitigating disturbance in urbanizing catchments is unknown. We expected that riparian forests would provide minimal benefits for fish assemblages in streams that are highly impaired by sediment or hydrologic alteration. We tested this hypothesis in 30 small streams along a gradient of urban disturbance (1–65% urban land cover). Species expected to be sensitive to disturbance (i.e., fluvial specialists and “sensitive” species that respond negatively to urbanization) were best predicted by models including percent forest cover in the riparian corridor and a principal components axis describing sediment disturbance. Only sites with coarse bed sediment and low bed mobility (vs. sites with high amounts of fine sediment) had increased richness and abundances of sensitive species with higher percent riparian forests, supporting our hypothesis that response to riparian forests is contingent on the sediment regime. Abundances of Etheostoma scotti, the federally threatened Cherokee darter, were best predicted by models with single variables representing stormflow (r² = 0.34) and sediment (r² = 0.23) conditions. Lentic-tolerant species richness and abundance responded only to a variable representing prolonged duration of low-flow conditions. For these species, hydrologic alteration overwhelmed any influence of riparian forests on stream biota. These results suggest that, at a minimum, catchment management strategies must simultaneously address hydrologic, sediment, and riparian disturbance in order to protect all aspects of fish assemblage integrity.     

渭河关中段水文情势改变程度分析

利用林家村、魏家堡、咸阳、临潼和华县5个水文站资料,借助有序聚类分析法检测渭河流域关中段流量突变点,并在此基础上采用变化范围法(RVA)分析渭河流域关中段的水文情势改变程度,定量评价变化程度较高的水文参数。突变点分析表明,渭河关中段径流在1986年发生突变,可以认为1958-1985年水文情势受人类活动影响较小,近似天然状态。对1986年前后两个时期的水文情势进行对比分析,结果表明,5个水文站中不同的水文参数改变程度不同。总体来看,5个站点的水文情势均发生较为显著的改变,其中林家村、魏家堡和咸阳3个站点差异最显著,主要是受宝鸡峡引渭工程的影响。通过对人类活动影响前后水文情势对比分析,更加深入了解目前渭河水文情势状况,为进一步计算生态基流提供科学依据。     

Size assessment in simulated territorial encounters between male green frogs (Rana clamitans)

We examined the ability of male green frogs to assess the size of an opponent based on the dominant frequency of their advertisement call, which is negatively correlated with size, using synthetic stimuli to simulate intruders of different sizes. In one field playback experiment, we broadcast a pair of stimuli representing a small and a large male; in a second experiment, we broadcast calls of a medium and a large male. In both experiments, males produced calls with significantly lower dominant frequencies in response to each stimulus. Contrast analyses revealed that males lowered the dominant frequency of their calls more in response to the large-male stimulus than in responses to the small- and medium-male stimuli. In the second experiment, males also responded to the large-male stimulus by calling at higher rates. There were no differences in mean note duration or the number of moves made toward or around the playback speaker in response to any stimulus. Thus, the frequency of an opponent's calls elicits a differential modification of calling behavior, primarily in the form of differential dominant frequency alteration, suggesting that males use dominant frequency to assess the size of opponents during aggressive encounters. Received: 17 April 1998 / Accepted after revision: 7 October 1998     

次生石英岩型非金属矿床蚀变建造的矿物学研究

本文总结了火山成因的次生石英岩型非金属矿床中蚀变矿物的共生组合类型及在空间上的分带,主要蚀变矿物的矿物学特征(包括标型特征)及其形成与转变;指出这些特征和转变在不同方面指示成矿原岩性质,矿床形成温度,成矿溶液物化条件的变化过程。