Development of Layered Sediment Structure and its Effects on Pore Water Transport and Hyporheic Exchange

Hyporheic exchange is known to provide an important control on nutrient and contaminant fluxes across the stream-subsurface interface. Similar processes also mediate interfacial transport in other permeable sediments. Recent research has focused on understanding the mechanics of these exchange processes and improving estimation of exchange rates in natural systems. While the structure of sediment beds obviously influences pore water flow rates and patterns, little is known about the interplay of typical sedimentary structures, hyporheic exchange, and other transport processes in fluvial/alluvial sediments. Here we discuss several processes that contribute to local-scale sediment heterogeneity and present results that illustrate the interaction of overlying flow conditions, the development of sediment structure, pore water transport, and stream-subsurface exchange. Layered structures are shown to develop at several scales within sediment beds. Surface sampling is used to analyze the development of an armor layer in a sand-and-gravel bed, while innovative synchrotron-based X-ray microtomography is used to observe patterns of grain sorting within sand bedforms. We show that layered bed structures involving coarsening of the bed surface increase interfacial solute flux but produce an effective anisotropy that favors horizontal pore water transport while limiting vertical penetration.     

美国自然灾害的社会学研究

研究起始美国著名地球科学家普瑞斯说过：无论何时何地发生破坏性大地震,美国整个社会和经济组织都能感受到它的巨大冲击。面对这种损失巨大、影响面广的地震灾害,美国政府在其减灾计划中,强调了必须采取强力措施,“加强对国民进行地震及其危险性教育,以减轻地震对家庭、社会和国家的影响”。     

可视化通风机性能测试程序设计

介绍了用通风机性能曲线测定可视化计算机程序的设计。该程序基于Windows环境，采用C Builder5．0开发，可以实现数据的自动保存、处理，及性能曲线、结果报表输出，同时具有可视化的人机界面。应用该程序可以使通风机性能曲线测定试验更加简便易行，还可以使试验结果更加精确。     

大型烧结厂房爆破拆除设计与施工

所爆厂房由主厂房、环冷、除尘器、抽风机房组成，建筑面积近2万m^2，最大标高为43．5m，东边主厂房与高架通廊连为一体，东南8．6m为高压变电所；南边1．8m为80m高烟囱，2．5m处为架空管道，地下和地表运料通廊东西贯穿厂房，周围环境复杂。提出了先爆环冷和除尘器再处理抽风机房，最后爆破主厂房的总体爆破方案，采用爆破切割技术分离主厂房保留部分及高架通廊。采用了原地坍塌、定向倒塌和折叠爆破技术和施工工艺。爆破达到了预期效果，可供类似工程参考。     

Calculating overpressure from BLEVE explosions

Although a certain number of authors have analyzed the prediction of boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE) and fireball effects, only very few of them have proposed methodologies for predicting the overpressure from such explosions. In this paper, the methods previously published are discussed and shown to introduce a significant overestimation due to the erroneous thermodynamic assumptions—ideal gas behaviour and isentropic vapour expansion—on which they are based (in fact, they give the maximum value of overpressure which can be caused by a BLEVE). A new approach is proposed, based on the—more realistic—assumption of an adiabatic and irreversible expansion process; the real properties of the substance involved in the explosion are used. The two methods are compared through the application to a given case.     

Application of tracer ratio and inverse dispersion methods with boat-based plume measurements to estimate ammonia emissions from seabird colonies

Ammonia emissions from two contrasting seabird colonies in Scotland were measured, based on the determination of atmospheric concentrations downwind of the colonies. Atmospheric concentrations of ammonia (NH₃) across the downwind plume were compared with the inverse application of a Gaussian dispersion model (ID) to calculate the modelled NH₃ emission that would generate the measured cross-wind-integrated plume concentration. In parallel, a tracer gas (sulphur hexafluoride, SF₆) was released from the colonies with air samples taken to allow determination of SF₆ concentrations. On the basis of the known emission rate of SF₆, the magnitude of ammonia emissions was estimated by the cross-wind-integrated tracer ratio (TR) of NH₃/SF₆ concentrations. Coupled with data on annual bird attendance, the measurements indicate annual emissions from the Isle of May and the Bass Rock of 18 and 132 tonnes NH₃-N year^–1, respectively. The measured NH₃ emissions were compared with estimates of seabird nitrogen excretion to estimate the proportion of excreted N that is volatilised as NH₃ (F_Nr). The emission estimates of the two methods compared favourably, giving 4 and 6 kg NH₃-N h^–1 (F_Nr = 15%) for the Isle of May for the ID and TR methods, respectively, and 21 and 25 kg NH₃-N h^–1 (F_Nr = 50%) for the Bass Rock for the ID and TR methods, respectively. The results provide the first measurement-based estimates to allow regional up scaling of ammonia emissions from seabirds.     

Enzyme-Retted Flax Fiber and Recycled Polyethylene Composites

Municipal solid wastes generated each year contain potentially useful and recyclable materials for composites. Simultaneously, interest is high for the use of natural fibers, such as flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), in composites thus providing cost and environmental benefits. To investigate the utility of these materials, composites containing flax fibers with recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE) were created and compared with similar products made with wood pulp, glass, and carbon fibers. Flax was either enzyme- or dew-retted to observe composite property differences between diverse levels of enzyme formulations and retting techniques. Coupling agents would strengthen binding between fibers and HDPE but in this study fibers were not modified in anyway to observe mechanical property differences between natural fiber composites. Composites with flax fibers from various retting methods, i.e., dew- vs. enzyme-retting, behaved differently; dew-retted fiber composites resulted in both lower strength and percent elongation. The lowest level of enzyme-retting and the most economical process produces composites that do not appear to differ from the highest level of enzyme-retting. Flax fibers improved the modulus of elasticity over wood pulp and HDPE alone and were less dense than glass or carbon fiber composites. Likely, differences in surface properties of the various flax fibers, while poorly defined and requiring further research, caused various interactions with the resin that influenced composite properties.