Experimental Investigation of Microstructure-Related Scale Effect on Tensile Failure of Coal

Natural Resources Research - We explored the microstructure-related scale effect on the tensile failure of coal. Disc specimens with different diameters (25 mm, 38 mm,...     

Correction to: Textural Quantification and Classification of Drill Cores for Geometallurgy: Moving Toward 3D with X-ray Microcomputed Tomography (μCT)

Natural Resources Research - The original version of the article unfortunately contained an error in Table 9. In article PDF, Table 7 was inadvertently repeated in place of...     

Diatom-inferred limnological changes in Lake Inawashiro-ko,Japan, over the past 1700 years

Journal of Paleolimnology - We inferred paleoenvironmental conditions in Lake Inawashiro-ko, Japan, over the past 1700 years, using diatom assemblages in the uppermost 2 m of...     

Late Holocene climate change inferred from the lithology and chemical stratigraphy of sediment cores from Swan Lake,Nebraska Sandhills,USA

Journal of Paleolimnology - Continuous sediment cores H1 (11.0 m long) and H2 (8.5 m long), collected from Swan Lake, in the Nebraska Sandhills (USA), contain a sandy silt...     

Correction to: Geochemical Prospectivity Mapping Through a Feature Extraction–Selection Classification Scheme

Natural Resources Research - The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake in the second part of Table 3. The data in last four rows of Table 3, i.e.,...     

Soil aggregate fraction 1-5 mm: An indicator for soil quality in rangelands

Aggregate size distribution affects the soil’s physical quality and fertility. Widely used aggregation indices include the size fractions <0.25 mm, >2 mm, and >8 mm, and the mean weight diameter of aggregates. A recent study from the semi-arid hilly rangeland of the Negev desert, Israel revealed considerable impact of the type of surface cover (shrub patches, trampling routes, and the remainder of the interpatch spaces) on these indices, but only limited impact of hillside aspect (north- vs. south-facing) and a small impact of livestock grazing. The aim of this study was to address the impact of these factors on the poorly studied mid-size aggregate fraction of 1-5 mm as a complementary index of the soil’s physical quality. The content and mean weight diameter of this fraction were analyzed by using the same set of soil samples. As a general trend, compared with the widely used aggregation indices, the content of this fraction was found to be more responsive to livestock grazing. Furthermore, both the content and mean weight diameter of this fraction were found to be highly responsive to type of cover. These effects reveal positive relationships between this fraction and the soil’s physical quality.     

Correction to: Projection of Iron Ore Production

Natural Resources Research - The original version of this article unfortunately contained an error in Equation&nbsp;3.     

Analysis of Petrophysical Characteristics and Water Movability of Tight Sandstone Using Low-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Natural Resources Research - Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) coupled with gas–water centrifugation&nbsp;(GWC) was performed to investigate petrophysical characteristics and...     

Untapped Economic Resource Potential of the Neoproterozoic to Early Paleozoic Volta Basin,Ghana: A Review

Natural Resources Research - The ~?115,000&nbsp;km2 Volta Basin of Ghana is one of the most studied geological terrains. However, unlike the Birimian and Tarkwaian which have been...     

Experimental Study of Coal–Gas Outburst: Insights from Coal–Rock Structure,Gas Pressure and Adsorptivity

Natural Resources Research - Coal–gas outburst is a complex dynamic phenomenon in underground coal mines that has occurred frequently over the past 150&nbsp;years. This phenomenon has...     

Global acceleration of lake sediment accumulation rates associated with recent human population growth and land-use changes

Journal of Paleolimnology - Sediment Accumulation Rate (SAR; measured as mm yr?1) and Mass Accumulation Rate (MAR; measured as g cm?2&nbsp;yr?1) data were collected from...     

A multi-proxy lake-sediment record of middle through late Holocene hydroclimate change in southern British Columbia,Canada

Journal of Paleolimnology - Analysis of the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of sedimentary carbonates in Turquoise Lake (N50.83°, W121.69°, 807&nbsp;m), southwestern British...     

Spatial distribution and carbon stock of the Saxaul vegetation of the winter-cold deserts of Middle Asia

Carbon stocks and carbon accumulation in the earth's drylands have gained increasing attention. The winter-cold deserts of Middle Asia, i.e. in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, cover an area of 2.5 million km². Within these deserts, the two Saxaul species White Saxaul (Haloxylon persicum Bunge ex Boiss. & Buhse) and Black Saxaul (Haloxylon aphyllum (Minkw.) Iljin) are dominant woody species with a potential distribution area of about 500,000 km². From the 1950s until today, the Saxaul vegetation has been degraded through logging and over-grazing. In this paper, we estimate the current and potential living above ground and below ground biomass of the Saxaul vegetation and its carbon stock. The living above ground biomass ranges between 1.5 t/ha and 3 t/ha. The potential carbon stocks above ground and below ground amount to 29.4–52.1 million t and 22–81.4 million t, respectively. Today, only 11%–28% of the potential biomass and carbon stock have remained. The carbon stock of the Saxaul vegetation is low compared to other ecosystems of the earth, but restoration and conservation of Saxaul vegetation is one way to sequester carbon through vegetation for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which do not have much other woody vegetation.     

Horticultural Reform in the European Union and New Zealand: Further developments towards a global fresh fruit and vegetable complex

The coincidental reregulations of horticultural industries in the European Union (EU) and New Zealand (NZ) are the context for this study of the development possibilities for the global fresh fruit and vegetable (FF&V) complex. Both regions developed specific post-war regulatory frameworks that have provided considerable periods of market and organisational stability. Presently, the FF&V industries in both the EU and NZ are experiencing regulatory restarts, in which the uniformities of the domestic commodity chains are being removed and new growth opportunities are being afforded. These opportunities privilege different nodes within the commodity chains, leading to direct and - more profoundly - indirect impacts. The analysis is based upon interviews with key informants in the EU and NZ, supported by secondary data. At the time of this analysis the reregulations are in their formative stages and so the paper attempts to expose the origins and developments thus far, and to sketch the potential outcomes in a broad sense. In both regions FF&V marketing organisations are privileged and effectively relieved of their former grower-community responsibilities. They are thus able to exploit new value-adding opportunities and pursue strategies focused upon fruit quality rather than quantity, the spread of risk, and brand marketing.     

Comparison of respiratory and growth characteristics of two co-occurring shrubs from a cold desert,Coleogyne ramosissima (blackbrush) and Atriplex confertifolia (shadscale)

Coleogyne ramosissima Torr. (blackbrush) and Atriplex confertifolia [Torr. & Frem.] Wats. (shadscale) are cold desert shrubs from different families. Despite very different life histories they often grow in close geographic proximity in the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau between 800 and 2000 m elevation. The purpose of this study is to compare the ecophysiology of slow growing and reproducing blackbrush with the ecophysiology of faster growing and reproducing shadscale. Metabolic heat and carbon dioxide production rates were measured on leaf tissue from wild plants and on lab-grown seedlings at temperatures from 10 to 35 °C at 5 °C intervals. Heat of combustion, ash content, and carbon and nitrogen contents were also measured. Substrate carbon conversion efficiencies and anabolic (or growth) rates were calculated from the respiration data. The growth rate of blackbrush was found to be approximately half that of shadscale because of lower respiration rate, but blackbrush begins growing earlier in the spring and can grow at higher temperatures when water is available. Blackbrush was observed to reproduce heavily when winter and spring precipitation is abundant.     

Laboratory analysis of the effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide on respiration in biological soil crusts

Metabolic activity of Biological Soil Crusts (BSCs) is principally dependent on moisture availability, but also on temperature and light conditions. Less understood is how BSCs respond to elevated atmospheric CO₂. This paper reports laboratory experimental results of elevated atmospheric CO₂ on carbon fluxes for cyanobacterial BSCs. The study uses newly designed dynamic gas exchange chambers in which the internal atmosphere was controlled. CO₂ flux was monitored during controlled experiments in two phases under simulated rainfall events (2 & 5 mm plus control with no wetting) each lasting 3 days with a dry period in between. Phase 1 subjected crusts to 392 ppm CO₂ (representing ambient level) in dry air; in phase 2, the CO₂ concentration was 801 ppm. Both phases exhibited significant efflux (respiration) of CO₂ immediately after wetting, followed by substantial influx (sequestration) of CO₂. Samples subject to 2 mm wetting sequestered an order of magnitude more C under elevated CO₂ than at ambient CO₂; for samples subject to 5 mm wetting, this increase was threefold. The findings highlight the role of BSCs in future carbon budgets by enabling greater sequestration into dryland soils even under enhanced atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, following both light and heavy rainfall events.     

Changes in water quality and runoff in the Upper Oder River Basin

The aim of the study is the analysis of runoff and water quality changes in the Upper Oder River Basin above the Krapkowice gauging station (catchment area A = 10 720.6  km²).The issue of water quality is of particular importance to Poland, which has comparatively poor water resources compared with many countries of the European Union (EU). What is more, large pollutant loads in the upper course of the Oder pose huge problems for water consumers and users in its middle and lower course (including Germany) and pollute the Baltic Sea.Changes in 7 indices of water pollution, including BOD₅ and COD (synthetic indices), sulphates, chlorides and suspended matter (mineral substances) and nitrates and phosphates (biogenic substances), were investigated for 8 monitoring sites. The study spans the period before and after political transformation in Poland and the Czech Republic, which significantly altered the economies of these countries. In addition, the patterns of runoff changes were analysed at 3 gauging stations: Chałupki, Krzyżanowice and Miedonia, which were also water quality monitoring points. The analysis encompassed 2 periods: 1970–2000 and 1991–2000.The results demonstrated that poor water quality in the Oder improved significantly during the 1990s, as the result of closure of many industries and plants, improvement of sewage treatment and noticeable increases in runoff causing greater dilution of pollutants.As the EU Water Framework Directive is implemented, better water and sewage management can be expected that will contribute to further improvement of water quality in the Oder. However, problems that remain to be solved are the issues of saline mine waters and surface washings and the long-term accumulation of many hazardous substances in bottom sediments in rivers and reservoirs.     

Statistical Multivariate Analysis in the Assessment of River Water Quality in the Vicinity of KRS Dam, Karnataka, India

Surface water quality assessment is a basic and critical tool for informing sustainable management of water resources. The aim of this study is to evaluate the reservoir and river water quality of the Cauvery River in the vicinity of the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam, Karnataka, India. The results will assist water management in the study area for varied future demands including, irrigation, industries, and river conservation. Ecologically important parameters such as dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, and physico-chemical parameters were analyzed. The results were compared with standard permissible limits. The differences in various parameters were statistically significant (P < 0.01) when comparing the upstream and downstream stretches of the river, particularly in summer. To identify a good technique for water quality assessment, all of the water quality parameters have been calculated by correlating various parameters and comparing them over two critical dry seasons. The dendrogram of the water-quality parameters clearly indicate that river water is safe for drinking, fishing, irrigation, and industrial purposes.     

中国科技资源配置效率测度及其时空格局演变特征(英文)

According to the connotation and structure of science and technology resources and some relevant data of more than 286 cities at prefecture level and above during 2001–2010, using modified method—Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA), science and technology(ST) resource allocation efficiency of different cities in different periods has been figured out, which, uncovers the distributional difference and change law of ST resource allocation efficiency from the time-space dimension. Based on that, this paper has analyzed and discussed the spatial distribution pattern and evolution trend of ST resource allocation efficiency in different cities by virtue of the Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis(ESDA). It turned out that:(1) the average of ST resource allocation efficiency in cities at prefecture level and above has always stayed at low levels, moreover, with repeated fluctuations between high and low, which shows a decreasing trend year by year. Besides, the gap between the East and the West is widening.(2) The asymmetrical distribution of ST resource allocation efficiency presents a spatial pattern of successively decreasing from Eastern China, Central China to Western China. The cities whose ST resource allocation efficiency are at higher level and high level take on a cluster distribution, which fits well with the 23 forming urban agglomerations in China.(3) The coupling degree between ST resource allocation efficiency and economic environment assumes a certain positive correlation, but not completely the same. The differentiation of ST resource allocation efficiency is common in regional development, whose existence and evolution are directly or indirectly influenced by and regarded as the reflection of many elements, such as geographical location, the natural endowment and environment of ST resources and so on.(4) In the perspective of the evolution of spatial structure, ST resource allocation efficiency of the cities at prefecture level and above shows a notable spatial autocorrelation, which in every period presents a positive correlation. The spatial distribution of ST resource allocation efficiency in neighboring cities seems to be similar in group, which tends to escalate stepwise. Meanwhile, the whole differentiation of geographical space has a diminishing tendency.(5) Viewed from LISA agglomeration map ofST resource allocation efficiency in different periods, four agglomeration types have changed differently in spatial location and the range of spatial agglomeration. And the continuity of ST resource allocation efficiency in geographical space is gradually increasing.     

The measure and characteristics of spatial-temporal evolution of China’s science and technology resource allocation efficiency

According to the connotation and structure of science and technology resources and some relevant data of more than 286 cities at prefecture level and above during 2001-2010, using modified method—Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), science and technology (S&T) resource allocation efficiency of different cities in different periods has been figured out, which, uncovers the distributional difference and change law of S&T resource allocation efficiency from the time-space dimension. Based on that, this paper has analyzed and discussed the spatial distribution pattern and evolution trend of S&T resource allocation efficiency in different cities by virtue of the Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA). It turned out that: (1) the average of S&T resource allocation efficiency in cities at prefecture level and above has always stayed at low levels, moreover, with repeated fluctuations between high and low, which shows a decreasing trend year by year. Besides, the gap between the East and the West is widening. (2) The asymmetrical distribution of S&T resource allocation efficiency presents a spatial pattern of successively decreasing from Eastern China, Central China to Western China. The cities whose S&T resource allocation efficiency are at higher level and high level take on a cluster distribution, which fits well with the 23 forming urban agglomerations in China. (3) The coupling degree between S&T resource allocation efficiency and economic environment assumes a certain positive correlation, but not completely the same. The differentiation of S&T resource allocation efficiency is common in regional development, whose existence and evolution are directly or indirectly influenced by and regarded as the reflection of many elements, such as geographical location, the natural endowment and environment of S&T resources and so on. (4) In the perspective of the evolution of spatial structure, S&T resource allocation efficiency of the cities at prefecture level and above shows a notable spatial autocorrelation, which in every period presents a positive correlation. The spatial distribution of S&T resource allocation efficiency in neighboring cities seems to be similar in group, which tends to escalate stepwise. Meanwhile, the whole differentiation of geographical space has a diminishing tendency. (5) Viewed from LISA agglomeration map of S&T resource allocation efficiency in different periods, four agglomeration types have changed differently in spatial location and the range of spatial agglomeration. And the continuity of S&T resource allocation efficiency in geographical space is gradually increasing.