Experimental Study on Hydrocarbon Formation Due to Reactions Between Carbonates and Water or Water—Bearing Minerals in Deep Earth

In order to investigate the mechanism of formation of abiogenetic hydrocarbons at the depth of the Earth,experimental research on reactions between carbonates and water or waterbearing minerals was carried out at the pressure of about 1GPa and the temperature range of 800-1500℃.The reactions took place in an open and nonequilibrium state.Chromatographic analyses of the gas products indicate that in the experiments there were generated CH4-dominated hydrocarbons,along with some CO2 and CO.Accordingly,we think there is no essential distinction between free-state water and hydroxy in the minerals in the process of hydrocarbon formation.This study indicates that reactions between carbonates and water or water-bearing minerals should be an important factor leading to the formation of abiogenetic hydrocarbons at the Earth‘s depth.     

Water Security and the Countermeasures in South Asia Based on the “Belt and Road” Initiative

South Asia is the subregion of Asia with the most neighbors of China. Although the high mountains in the Great Himalayas spatially separate South Asia from East Asia along the border of China’s autonomous region of Tibet, the geographical items such as mountains and rivers link the countries in South Asia with China, resulting in a special and complex geopolitical environment and relationship. In this geopolitical relationship, the transboundary rivers are becoming a key issue of this region in an era of increasing water stress. Depleted and degraded transboundary water supplies have the potential to cause social unrest and spark conflict within and between countries in South Asia, and complicate the geopolitical relationship among them. In addition, the increasing impacts from climate change and human activities will definitely bring many transboundary eco-environmental issues in this region, projecting a big challenge to regional stability and development. The key issues related to the water resources supplement and exploration require the transboundary rivers to be a positive role in regional water resources utility and exploration, and the result will definitely affect regional relationship and water security. How to handle these issues and challenges will be a question for the countries in this region with a long time. Currently, the “Belt and Road” Initiative represents an opportunity to build a shared vision for common prosperity through regional cooperation and is a way to inject new positive energy into world peace and development. In the light of this, the countries with transboundary rivers in South Asia must come together to construct a cooperative mechanism of water security, and adopt a win-win cooperation for the use of transboundary rivers under the principles of “equal”, “equitable” and “reasonable”.     

Fluvial Fluxes of Water, Suspended Particulate Matter, and Nutrients and Potential Impacts on Tropical Coastal Water Biogeochemistry: Oahu, Hawai‘i

Baseflow and storm runoff fluxes of water, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and nutrients (N and P) were assessed in conservation, urban, and agricultural streams discharging to coastal waters around the tropical island of Oahu, Hawai‘i. Despite unusually low storm frequency and intensity during the study, storms accounted for 8–77% (median 30%) of discharge, 57–99% (median 93%) of SPM fluxes, 11–79% (median 36%) of dissolved nutrient fluxes and 52–99% (median 85%) of particulate nutrient fluxes to coastal waters. Fluvial nutrient concentrations varied with hydrologic conditions and land use; land use also affected water and particulate fluxes at some sites. Reactive dissolved N:P ratios typically were ≥16 (the ‘Redfield ratio’ for marine phytoplankton), indicating that inputs could support new production by coastal phytoplankton, but uptake of dissolved nutrients is probably inefficient due to rapid dilution and export of fluvial dissolved inputs. Particulate N and P fluxes were similar to or larger than dissolved fluxes at all sites (median 49% of total nitrogen, range 22–82%; median 69% of total phosphorus, range 49–93%). Impacts of particulate nutrients on coastal ecosystems will depend on how efficiently SPM is retained in nearshore areas, and on the timing and degree of transformation to reactive dissolved forms. Nevertheless, the magnitude of particulate nutrient fluxes suggests that they represent a significant nutrient source for many coastal ecosystems over relatively long time scales (weeks–years), and that reductions in particulate nutrient loading actually may have negative impacts on some coastal ecosystems.     

河海大学 Water Science and Engineering创刊

国家新闻出版总署日前正式批复,同意河海大学创办英文期刊Water Science and Engineerillg（水科学与水工程）。该刊为季刊,面向国内外公开发行,国内统一连续出版物号为：CN32-1785/YV。     

Effect of Soil–Water Characteristic Parameters on Saturation Line and Stability of Slope

Rainfall infiltration is the main factor that causes slope instability. To study the effect of hydraulic parameters on the final saturation line and stability of slopes, a numerical slope model is established with a saturated–unsaturated seepage analysis method. Analysis results show the following, (1) When parameter a increases, the effective rainfall duration decreases linearly, and the ultimate safety factor increases gradually; when parameter m increases, the effective rainfall duration increases linearly, and the ultimate safety factor decreases linearly; when parameter n increases, both the effective rainfall duration and the ultimate safety factor decrease first and then remain stable. (2) When the saturated permeability coefficient decreases, the effective rainfall duration presents a crescent trend, and the ultimate safety factor decreases first and then remains the same after rainfall intensity exceeds the saturated permeability coefficient of soil. (3) When rainfall intensity is less than the saturated permeability coefficient of soil, the location of the final saturation line rises as the saturated permeability coefficient decreases and is thus independent of parameters a, m, and n.     

Study on Soil and Water Loss Characteristic of the Railway Construction in Mountain Area

The factor of human project activity is often the immediate cause resulting in soil and water loss. The Baoji-Lanzhou second railway in construction is an example. The soil and water loss law caused by earth and stone mountain railway engineering construction in the northwestern China is studied systematically and that caused possibly by the road bed project, the road moat project, the field project, the tunnel project and the service road project in construction is probed. At the same time, the type, the intensity and influencing factor of soil and water loss in the northwest mountain railway construction are also studied.     

Theory on Water Phase Transitions Controlling Hydrothermal Mineralization

Please refer to the attachment(s) for more details.     

Research on Relationship Between Fluorine in Tap Water and That in Urine of Chinese Residents

In this study, the relationship between fluorine in drinking water and that in urine of urban residents in China is assessed. Fluorine concentrations in tap water and those in urine show a good correlation with a linear regression coefficient of 0. 9798, indicating that the fluorine concentrations in big cities under investigation are extremely low, and the main source of fluorine is tap water. The weather effect on the intake amount of fluorine is also discussed. When air temperature is above 15℃, people would intake more fluorine through drinking water with the rise of air temperature. When temperature is below 15℃, no remarkable relationship is observed between air temperature and the intake amount of fluorine. This phenomenon indicates that the main source of fluorine in China is tap water instead of foodstuff.     

Investigation on Soil–Water Characteristic Curves of Untreated and Stabilized Highly Clayey Expansive Soils

The examination of hydromechanical behavior of expansive soil lies mostly within the unsaturated soil mechanics framework, which renders the study of its soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) a necessity. This paper evaluates the correlations of two physicochemical properties, pH and surface conductance, with the behavior of the SWCCs of four natural expansive soils and four stabilized soils. The effects of chemical stabilization and curing time on the SWCCs are also analyzed. The SWCCs and the corresponding parameters were obtained from pressure plate tests and a fitting model. It was found that pH and surface conductance together showed a good correlation with the air-entry related parameter, α, because they determine the formation of the diffuse double layer around fine particles or aggregates. The macroscopic behavior, in terms of unconfined compressive strength, free swell and swell pressure at optimum moisture content (OMC), was also evaluated and good correlations of these property values with the matric suction values at OMC were observed for the four natural untreated soils, while no correlation existed for the stabilized soils. The results and the discussion provide new insight to address physicochemical mechanisms that determine the macroscopic behavior of expansive soil.     

Chronological Study of Coal-seam Water and its Implication on Gas Production in the South Qinshui Basin

The knowledge of the residence time of formation water is fundamental to understanding the subsurface flow and hydrological setting. To better identify the origin and evolution of coal seam water and its impact on gas storage and production, this study collected coalbed methane co-produced water in the southeast Qinshui Basin and detected chemical and isotopic compositions, especially 36Cl and 129I concentrations. The calculated tracer ages of 129I (5.2–50.6 Ma) and 36Cl (0.13–0.76 Ma) are significantly younger than the age of coal-bearing formation (Pennsylvanian - Cisuralian), indicating freshwater recharge after coal deposition. The model that utilises 129I/I and 36Cl/Cl ratios to constrain the timing of recharge and the proportion of recharge water reveals that over 60% of pre-anthropogenic meteoric water entered coal seams since 10 Ma and mixed with residue initial deposition water, corresponding to the basin inversion in Cenozoic. The spatial distribution of major ion concentrations reveals the primary recharge pathway for meteoric water from coal outcrops at the eastern margin to the basin center. This study demonstrates the occurrence of higher gas production rates from wells that accept water recharge in recent times and suggests the possible potential of the non-stagnant zones for high gas production.     

Impact of Vegetation on Main Hydrological Processes：A Field Study and Its Implication for Water Quality

The impact of vegetation cover on groundwater table was assessed with the observed water level fluctuations at two monitored wells in stalled on a bare ground and a vegetated land,respectively．Substantial differences in water table behavior were observed under two land cover scenarios．Ingeneral,the water level in the east grass (EG） well was lower and had much less response to rainfall events than the WNG well mainly due to the difference in the land cover．The effect of vegetation was to lower the water level in the EG well through ET and thus reduce groundwater recharge,which in turn reduced the chemical loads to the creek．The daily and accumulative ET values were estimated with both the Penman-Monteith method and a water table recession model．It is suggested that while the Penman-Monteith method closely modeled hourly ET cycles during the day,it underestimated actual ET during an intensive mid-summer growing period,and especially underestimated actual ET when the water table was close to the landsurface．With the water table recession model,the amount of ET was estimated at its maximum ET of 7．6 mm when the water table was near the groundsurface and then decreases exponentially to zero around day 33 during a dry period with the accumulative ET of 93．9 mm,or 2．84 mm／day．The results from this study clearly demonstrate that landuse and vegetation coverage have significant effects on ET,groundwater recharge and implications for a basin-scale water cycle and chemical loads to rivers and streams．     

Risk Assessment of Coal Floor Water Inrush from Underlying Aquifers Based on GRA–AHP and Its Application

Ground water inrush from underlying coal seam aquifers is a serious geohazard during coal mining in China. In order to effectively predict coal floor water inrush, the evaluation index system and evaluation standard for coal floor water inrush, containing quantitative indexes and qualitative indexes, is established on the base of conditions of aquifer and aquiclude, geologic structure and mining disturbance. Simultaneously, grey relational analysis and analytic hierarchy process are used to establish an evaluation model which efficiently overcomes the uncertainty between indexes of water inrush effects and really reflects the degree of importance for each index of water inrush effects. The model is applied to the typical working face of Yuzhou coalfield in the north of China to demonstrate the evaluation process. Compared to the water inrush coefficient method which is widely used for evaluating coal floor water inrush, the presented evaluation model in this paper accords more with the susceptibility of coal floor water inrush by multi-factor and is of nonlinear dynamic characteristics of highly complicated formation mechanism. This method offers a new tool in the assessment of ground water inrush in mine.     

Exploration of Water Resource and Multiple Model for Water Resource Development in Karst Areas with the Preferred Plane Theory

According to the theory of preferred plane, preferred planes (faults) always control the distribution of bedrock fissure water and hold abundant groundwater. Thus, the exploration of fissure or karst water can be converted into searching for the watery preferred plane (WPP). In the paper, the characteristic of watery preferred planes is analyzed and a series of superior indices has been set up. It is introduced that WPPs are determined by the methods of geological analysis, superior index and complex geophysical analysis. Meanwhile, new multiple model for water resource development in the water-scarce areas of karst mountainous regions are advanced.     

Proceedings of the Brain Storming Session on “Water Resources of Eastern (West Bengal,Bihar and Jharkhand) and North-Eastern States of India”

Landslides are amongst the major disasters that have occurred in Karabük, Turkey. Due to the rapid increase in population movement to new habitats in urban areas, the need for engineering structures will increase. This condition has led to the construction of arts, cultural facilities and housing in insecure regions these days. The excavations to prepare the construction site, the external loads due to heavy structures and the changes in coverage of the earth surface are among the reasons for landslides in such areas. In this study, the landslides that occurred due to unsupported excavation for the construction of Karabük university stadium were analyzed using the three softwares like Plaxis, Geoslope and Slide. The study area is critical in terms of slope problems. Mass movement in the stadium occurred in high plasticity clay units containing sand and silt. For this reason, it is necessary to carry out detailed studies before the construction of engineering structures. The landslide considered in the study were analyzed using finite element (FE) analysis and slice method. These approaches are used for evaluating the stability of natural slope by considering a failure mechanism, which is known as the plastic limit condition. Regarding safety factors calculated using the different numerical solutions confirm that the results obtained are similar. In addition, the landslide area is close to the predicted simulation results.     

The Effects of Water Content and Dry–Wet Cycles of Weak‐Interlayer Soil on Stability of Clastic Rock Slope

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - The goal of this paper was to study the effect of water content change of weak interlayer soil on the stability of clastic rock slope. Direct shear tests...     

Water geochemistry and boron isotope in the Xijiang River,SW China

During the last decade boron isotopic compositions have been successfully used as a geochemical tracer in oceanic paleo-pH reconstruction and paleo-climatologic studies. All the pH-proxy investigations were based on the assumption that the boron concentra…     

Water／Rock Interactions and Changes in Chemical Composition During Zeolite Mineralization

Systematic analysis and comparative study of the chemical compositons of rocks and ores from the main types of zeolite deposits in the surroundings of the Songliao Basic have shown that the process of formation of zeolite from volcanic and pyroclastic rocks is generally characterized by the relative purification of SiO2,i.e.,SiO2/Al2O3 ratios tend to increase,alkali eart elements (CaO MgO)and H2O are relatively enriched,and the alkali metals(K2O Na2O)are depleted in their total amount.The alkali metals K and Na follow different rules of migration and enrichment during the formation of mordenite and clinoptilolite.In the process of formation of mordenite more Na^ will be imported and K^ will be lost remarkably.On the contrary,in the process of formation clinoptilolite more K^ will be incorporated and Na^ will become obviously depleted.