RISK ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY FOR KARST AQUIFERS: (2) SOLUTE-TRANSPORT MODELING

Ground-water flow and solute-transport simulation modeling are major components of most exposure and risk assessments of contaminated aquifers. Model simulations provide information on the spatial and temporal distributions of contaminants in subsurface media but are difficult to apply to karst aquifers in which conduit flow is important. Ground-water flow and solute transport in karst conduits typically display rapid-flow velocities, turbulent-flow regimes, concentrated pollutant-mass discharge, and exhibit open-channel or closed-conduit flow. Conventional ground-water models, dependent on the applicability of Darcy`s law, are inappropriate when applied to karst aquifers because of the (1) nonapplicability of Darcian-flow parameters, (2) typically nonlaminar flow regime, and (3) inability to locate the karst conduits through which most flow and contaminant transport occurs. Surface-water flow and solute-transport models conditioned on a set of parameters determined empirically from quantitative ground-water tracing studies may be effectively used to render fate-and-transport values of contaminants in karst conduits. Hydraulic-flow and geometric parameters developed in a companion paper were used in the surface-water model, TOXI5, to simulate hypothetical slug and continuous-source releases of ethylbenzene in a karst conduit. TOXI5 simulation results showed considerable improvement for predicted ethylbenzene-transport rates and concentrations over qualitative tracing and analytical ground-water model results. Ethylbenzene concentrations predicted by TOXI5 simulations were evaluated in exposure and risk assessment models.     

Modeling photocatalytic destruction of the organic contaminants in continuous stir flow reactor

Thin-film technique is becoming an industry standard for the preparation of TiO₂-based photocatalyst for organic destruction. The catalyst provides several advantages over the conventional powder TiO₂ in the treatment of wastewater and groundwater. In this study, a continuous stir flow reactor model is developed capable of describing the photocatalytic process. The model incorporates the following fundamental mechanisms: adsorption, diffusion, liquid-film transfer, UV attenuation, and photocatalytic reaction. All of the simulation results indicate that there exists a highly nonlinear relation between each of these parameters and the destruction rate. Various incident light intensities also are incorporated to simulate the energy efficiency. The simulations illustrate that the photocatalytic model can be used to elucidate the effect of process variables. It is also possible to “custom-design” a catalyst for the treatment of a particular waste stream.     

Modeling rhizofiltration: heavy-metal uptake by plant roots

The discovery of phytoaccumulation potential of plant species has led to its application for remediation of heavy-metal-contaminated soil and wastewater, which is termed as phytoextraction/rhizofiltration. For prediction, analysis, planning and cost-effective design of such systems, mathematical models not only are used as a screening tool but also provide optimal parameters like harvesting time, irrigation schedule, etc. Several laboratory and field scale studies have been carried out in the past, and mathematical expressions have been developed by various researchers for different phenomena like metal adsorption in soil, plant root growth with time, moisture and metal uptake by plant root, moisture movement in unsaturated zone, soil moisture relationship, etc. The complete design of any such phytoremediation program would require the knowledge of behavior of heavy-metal movement in soil, water and plant root system. In this paper, a model for simulating heavy-metal dynamics in soil, water and plant root system is developed and discussed. The governing non-linear partial differential equation is solved numerically by implicit finite difference method using Picard's iterative technique, and the formulation has been illustrated using a characteristic example. The source code is written in MATLAB.     

Test of a Modelling System for Estimating Nitrogen Leaching – A Pilot Study in a Small Agricultural Catchment

Nitrogen leaching is a world-wide concern for the quality of ground- and surfacewater. Measures to abate this is still limited by a lack of understanding mechanisms behind all factors describing the leaching process, time lags between countermeasures and improvement in waterquality and spatial distribution of nitrogen leaching. The purpose of this study was to do an initial test of the SOILNDB model system which is built on the existing mechanistic SOIL and SOILN models and an automatic parameterization procedure for use of simplified input data. The test was done by simulating nitrogen leaching from each of the 150 fields in a small catchment during a three-year study period. The simulated mean root-zone nitrogen leaching rate from all the fields in the catchment was compared to measurements of nitrogen flow in the stream draining the catchment and showed good agreement in between-year dynamics.     

Assessing land use impacts on flood processes in complex terrain by using GIS and modeling approach

A distributed hydrologic modeling and GIS approach is applied for the assessment of land use impact in the Steinsel sub-basin, Alzette, Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. The assessment focuses on the runoff contributions from different land use classes and the potential impact of land use changes on runoff generation. The results show that the direct runoff from urban areas is dominant for a flood event compared with runoff from other land use areas in this catchment, and tends to increase for small floods and for the dry season floods, whereas the interflow from forested, pasture and agricultural field areas contributes to the recession flow. Significant variations in flood volume, peak discharge, time to the peak, etc., are found from the model simulation based on the three hypothetical land use change scenarios.     

东海区带鱼伏季休渔效果及其资源的合理利用

根据2002-2003年东海区带鱼年龄鉴定资料,并引用以往的带鱼渔业生物学研究结果,作为估算带鱼死亡系数和建立动态综合模型所需的有关参数值估算的依据,从而运用Ricker动态综合模型分析了在现行渔业条件下东海区带鱼伏季休渔效果和带鱼资源利用状况以及变更渔业利用情况对带鱼渔业所产生的影响。结果表明:在现行渔业下(tc=0.5a,F=2.61/a),东海区实施3个月的伏季休渔制度能使年平均资源量增加87%,年产量增加29%,渔获平均体重增加42%;带鱼资源的利用虽处于捕捞过度状态之中,但尚能承受较大的捕捞压力,资源结构利用不合理之处是捕捞大量的幼鱼群体,渔获个体依然过小,渔获平均体重仅为75g/ind.;单位补充量渔获量(Y/R)随tc变化的影响大于随F的变化,建议在维持现有伏季休渔制度下,应逐渐降低捕捞强度,并以提高起捕规格放大网目尺寸作为今后一个时期首选的渔业管理目标,应是较为现实的资源合理利用措施。     

Measurement of respiration amount of white birch(Betula platyphylla) population in the mountainousregion of Beijing

Ｍｅａｓｕｒｅｍｅｎｔｏｆｒｅｓｐｉｒａｔｉｏｎａｍｏｕｎｔｏｆｗｈｉｔｅｂｉｒｃｈ（Ｂｅｔｕｌａｐｌａｔｙｐｈｙｌｌａ）ｐｏｐｕｌａｔｉｏｎｉｎｔｈｅｍｏｕｎｔａｉｎｏｕｓｒｅｇｉｏｎｏｆＢｅｉｊｉｎｇＦａｎｇＪｉｎｇｙｕｎ，ＷａｎｇＸｉａｏｋｅ（...     

A Simulation of Temporal and Spatial Variations in Carbon at Landscape Level: A Case Study for Lake Abitibi Model Forest in Ontario,Canada

Using a case study of the Lake Abitibi Model Forest (LAMF), this study aims to assess the temporal and spatial variability in carbon storage during 1990–2000, and to present a comprehensive estimation of the carbon budget for LAMF's ecosystems. As well, it provided the information needed by local forest managers to develop ecological and carbon-based indicators and monitor the sustainability of forest ecosystems. Temporal and spatial carbon dynamics were simulated at the landscape level using ecosystem model TRIPLEX1.0 and Geographical Information System (GIS). The simulated net primary productivity (NPP) and carbon storage in forest biomass and soil were compared with field data and results from other studies for Canada's boreal forests. The results show that simulated NPP ranged from 3.26 to 3.34 tC ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in the 1990s and was consistent with the range measured during the Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Studies (BOREAS) in central Canada. Modeled NPP was also compared with the estimation from remote sensing data. The density of total above-and belowground biomass was 125.3, 111.8, and 106.5 tC ha⁻¹ for black spruce, trembling aspen, and jack pine in the LAMF ecosystem, respectively. The total carbon density of forested land was estimated at 154.4 tC ha⁻¹ with the proportion of 4:6 for total biomass and soil. The analysis of net carbon balance of ecosystem suggested that the LAMF forest ecosystem was acting as a carbon sink with an allowable harvest in the 1990s.