Leveraging HPC accelerator architectures with modern techniques — hydrologic modeling on GPUs with ParFlow

Computational Geosciences - Rapidly changing heterogeneous supercomputer architectures pose a great challenge to many scientific communities trying to leverage the latest technology in...     

Engaging with geodiversity—why it matters

The Conference, ‘Engaging with Geodiversity—Why it Matters’, December 2010, addressed the wider relevance of geodiversity in Scotland. A key challenge is to integrate geodiversity within existing policy relating to the way we work and live, and therefore to inform better the decisions we make about a sustainable future for our environment. This will require partnership working among the geoscience, geoconservation and voluntary sectors at both national and local levels, not only to demonstrate convincingly the economic, social, cultural and environmental values and benefits of geodiversity, but also to deliver real outcomes for both people and nature. The key drivers that provide particular opportunities, as well as challenges, for the integration of geodiversity are the development of an ecosystem approach and how society responds to climate change. Addressing these will be crucial from a geoconservation perspective to develop a wider understanding of the essential environmental role played by geodiversity and for the protection of key sites, both from a policy perspective in delivering economic, social and environmental benefits, and from an academic perspective in ensuring support for geoscience. The key message – that geodiversity matters – must be communicated strongly to the highest levels of government, among key interest groups and at a local community level.     

What has geography got to do with it? Using GWR to explore place-specific associations with prenatal care utilization

We use a geographically weighted regression (GWR) approach to examine how the relationships between a set of predictors and prenatal care vary across the continental US. At its most fundamental, GWR is an exploratory technique that can facilitate the identification of areas with low prenatal care utilization and help better understand which predictors are associated with prenatal care at specific locations. Our work complements existing prenatal care research in providing an ecological, place-sensitive analysis. We found that the percent of the population who was uninsured was positively associated with the percent of women receiving late or no prenatal care in the global model. The GWR map not only confirmed, but also demonstrated the spatial varying association. Additionally, we found that the number of Ob-Gyn doctors per 100,000 females of childbearing age in a county was associated with the percentage of women receiving late or no prenatal care, and that a higher value of female disadvantage is associated with higher percentages of late or no prenatal care. GWR offers a more nuanced examination of prenatal care and provides empirical evidence in support of locally tailored health policy formation and program implementation, which may improve program effectiveness.     

Treatment of agricultural wastes with biogas–vermitechnology

This Article deals with the utilization of agricultural waste such as cattle manure, swine manure, chicken manure and their mixtures. It is promising a simultaneous running of biogas processes and vermitechnology. A special biogas–vermitechnological shoulder was constructed. A special organic catalyst, which contained glucose and cellulose, was used in the biogas process, as a source of biogas bacteria and to alter C/N ratio of the fermented substrate, to C/N = 30/1. Swine manure shows a higher biogas yield and methane-in-biogas content than others. It is effective to mix different manures to increase biogas yield. Earthworms Eisenia Foetida were used in the vermitechnological stage. Using only cattle manure and in mixtures with leaves (4:1 wt) was processed to make vermicompost. The obtained biohumus was studied with a microscope. It was found to have a more homogenous and structured porosity surface. It was observed that the organic content increased in vermicompost. The ratio of humic and fulvic acids can be varied using rotted leaves as fillers. Atomic Absorption Spectrometry was used to determine the content of metals. It was observed that metals from manure (Sb, Rb, Sr) were accumulated in earthworms, therefore biohumus was purified from pollutants. The released heat from the biogas stage was used for the vermitechnology stage heating. Using the biogas heat, it is possible to conduct the vermiprocess, even in cold seasons.     

Kirishites—high-carbonaceous hairlike fibers associated with volkhovites

Kirishites are highly carbonaceous hairlike fibers 30–100 μm in thickness and 3–30 mm long, which jut out as bunches on the surface of cinder and shungite fragments associated with volkhovites (Holocene tectitelike glasses corresponding to the rocks of kimberlite-lamproite-carbonatite series in composition). Kirishite fibers are zonal. Their inner (axial) zone is composed of high-nitrogen proteinlike compounds, whereas the outer zone is essentially carbonaceous, with a high content of organoelemental complexes (Si, Fe) and numerous micrometer-sized anomalies of major, volatile, trace, and ore elements. Longitudinal zoning is established in aposhungite kirishites: the consecutive change of maximum concentrations—K, Na, Cl, C, Mn → C, S, V, Ni, Cu, Zn → S, N, Ba, Te, Pb, Bi, Nd—is traced from the roots of fibers to their ends. It is suggested that as volkhovites were forming, fragments of cinder and shungite underwent partial melting. The highly carbonaceous compounds released due decompression and explosion were squeezed out from fragments and solidified as fibers during fall of fragments on the Earth’s surface.     

Sedimentation–consolidation modeling with an interaction coefficient

This paper examines the use of an interaction coefficient to couple sedimentation and consolidation phenomena with the conventional finite strain consolidation theory. A specific continuous interaction function was implemented and the resulted model was examined. The model was found to able to capture proper sedimentation–consolidation features. It was also determined that the structural and maximum suspension void ratios are the major factors controlling the shape of the void ratio profile. The model was compared with experimental data and other numerical models and qualitatively good agreement was obtained.     

Comparative 3D DEM simulations of sand–structure interfaces with similarly shaped clumps versus spheres with contact moments

Acta Geotechnica - Three-dimensional simulations of a monotonic quasi-static interface behaviour between initially dense cohesionless sand and a rigid wall of different roughness during tests in a...     

β—Correction Spectrophotometric Determination of Cadmium with Cadion

Cadmium has been determined by β-correction spectrophotometry with cadion,p-nitrobenzenediazoaminoaz-obenzone,and a non-ionic surfactant,tuiton X-100.The real absorbance of a Cd-cadion chelate in the colored solution can be accurately determined and the complex-ratio of cadion with Cd(II) has been worked out to be 2.Beer‘s law is obeyed over the concentration range of 0-0.20mg/1 cadmium and the detec-tion limit for cadmium is only 0.003mg/1.Satisfactory experimental results are presented with respect to the determination of trace cadmium in wastewaters.     

Geochemical sampling with special reference to environmental risk assessment

We usually conduct environmental investigation through sample study. Therefore, it is essential that samples should be representative, at all time, and of the object be studied. However, the issues of sample representativeness and sampling errors are often neglected by investigators. Based on modem geo-statistics and sampling theory, this paper addresses these issues in more detail and presents a case study related to environmental risk assessment. The issue of sample representativeness can be measured in the following three aspects： （1） whether the sample numbers are large enough to reflect the characteristics of the initial object being studied）; （2） whether the sample mass （or sample volume） is large enough to represent the original site （the local segment being sampled）; （3） whether assay portion is prepared well enough to depict the initial sample. Sample numbers are dictated by the confidence level, the variance of population and the acceptable estimation error as well as the homogeneity and the spatial continuity of population.     

Hydrothermal Formation of Lath-Shaped Trioctahedral Smectite with High Crystallinity

Lath-shaped and highly crystalline trioctahedral smectites were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. The quenched glasses with stoichiometrically dehydrated Na-smectite compositions were treated at （a） 500℃ and 100 MPa for 1 and 11 days; and （b） 300℃ and 100 MPa for 7 days. The crystallinity and particle size of products were dependent on the chemical composition of the starting glass, synthetic temperature and duration of hydrothermal treatment. The high structural ordering and large dimensions of the products were confirmed from the sharpness of XRD peaks; and hydration behavior under controlled relative humidity. Transmission electron microscopy was also performed for the characterization of the particle size of product. Particle sizes vary from ca. 10 nm to a few pm by changing the chemical compositions of the starting materials. The product with the highest structural ordering and largest dimension was obtained from Nao.33（Mg1.83Al0.67）Si4O11 glass treated at 500℃ and 100 MPa for 1 day. The obtained results also confirmed the metastability and compositional dependency in the formation of highly crystalline trioctahedral smectite at hydrothermal conditions.     

Solution of Kepler’s Equation with Machine Precision

Astronomy Reports - An algorithm for the numerical solution of Kepler’s equation with machine precision is presented. The convergence of the iterative sequence of Newton’s method is...     

Chemical characterization of aquifers with the same geological origin

In the coastal aquifers of Kaluvelly （Bengal coast, India）, the over exploitation of the main aquifer （the Vanur sandstone） has created a piezometric depression. Water flows from the sea towards inland. A salinization problem is questioned. The geochemical study was dedicated to major, minor and trace elements as well as isotope ratios （δ^18O, δD, δ^37Cl and ^87Sr/^86Sr）. The catchment comprises a crystalline bedrock hinterland （chamockites） overlaid by sediment. The Vanur and Cuddalore sandstones, the two main layers, are issued from the decay of chamockites upland. The geochemical feature of a water body is linked both to the composition of the hosted rock and the interaction time between water and rock. In the deeper parts of the Vanur aquifer, a mixture with long-residence time groundwaters has been evidenced. These waters can originate from a pocket of water entrapped in the Vanur or from the charnockites downward. No seawater intrusion could be assessed. Piezometric data suggest a possible hydraulic connection between the Cuddalore and the Vanur aquifers. Major, minor element data and isotope ratios do not allow to distinguish between old waters from the different aquifers. Data evidence the heterogeneity of the charnokite formation which is characterized by high Ba contents. On the whole, the two sandstones are depleted compared to charnockites in alkaline and earth-alkaline elements, and enriched in less soluble element such as Th or Zr. Trace elements in groundwaters waters from the chamockite aquifer exhibit a high concentration of Ba as compared to Vanur and Cuddalore waters. As Ba is a soluble element, the concentration of Ba in waters is related to the concentration in the hosted rocks. The Li concentration, slightly higher in Vanur rocks, allows to distinguish waters from the deeper parts of the Vanur aquifer. For insoluble elements such as Ti, the hosted rock signature cannot be seen. The Ti concentration in water samples seems to rely on the reaction progress rather than on the available amount. Trace element data show that waters recovered from chamockites and sandstone aquifers present different geochemical features. The host rock signature can be seen in the chamockite and Vanur aquifers for some alkaline and alkaline-earth elements （mainly Ba and Li）.     

The Offset-Domain Prestack Depth Migration with Optimal Separable Approximation

The offset-domain prestack depth migration with optimal separable approximation, based on the double square root equation, is used to image complex media with large and rapid velocity variations. The method downward continues the source and the receiver wavefields simultaneously. The mixed domain algorithm with forward Fourier and inverse Fourier transform is used to construct the double square root equation wavefield extrapolation operator. This operator separates variables in the wave number domain and variables in the space domain. The phase operation is implemented in the wave number domain, whereas the time delay for lateral velocity variation is corrected in the space domain. The migration algorithm is efficient since the seismic data are not computed shot by shot. The data set test of the Marmousi model indicates that the offset-domain migration provides a satisfied seismic migration section on which complex geologic structures are imaged in media with large and rapid lateral velocity variations.     

Neutral Leaching of Low-Grade Pyrolusite with High Silica Content

Leaching studies of low-grade pyrolusite, containing 11.84% Mn with high silicon, were carried out using sodium sulfite as a reductant in ammonium sulfate medium. Various process parameters including temperature, leaching time, solid-liquid ratio, quantity of ammonium sulfate, as well as the amount of reducing agent were studied in detail. The manganese extraction yield was the response of the process. Temperature and reagent concentration exerted the most important positive effect on the manganese extraction. The optimized conditions showed that when the amount of reducing agent was a stoichonmetric amount, over 90% manganese extraction and the lowest impurities were achieved, the amount of heavy metal impurities in the manganese leaching liquid was less than 5 mg/L, and almost no iron and aluminum were extracted in 3 mol/L ammonium sulfate concentration at 100 ℃ in 45 min.     

Technology and Its Application： MIS with Geographical Information

Despite the constant expansion of the application of GIS, in recent years, the data process-ing ability of the application system developed with GIS_Tool is quite limited. Management information system with the geographical information can not only be used to deal with data commonly, but also deal with digitized maps as GIS_Tool does. Thus it can help the user develop an application system high-qual-ified both in maps and traditional data. This paper, by taking the method of integrated MapInfo in the application of Visual Basic as an example, mainly illustrates two technological problenm-integrated map technology and the multiuserization of Maplnfo geographical information. And also the concrete solu-tions to the problems are provided.     

Seismic Analysis of Shear-Wall Structures with Vertically Installed Dampers

Theapplicationofreinforcedconcrete(RC)shear wallbuildingsisquitecommoninseismicare as.Shearwalls,withlargerigidityandhigh strength,aretheprimarymembersforresistinghori zontalloadsinbuildingstructures.Butunderthe forceofasevereearthquake,shearwallsareprone…     

Metal dispersion in groundwater in an area with natural and processed black shale – Nationwide perspective and comparison with acid sulfate soils

Black shale is often rich in sulfides and trace elements, and is thus a potential environmental threat in a manner similar to acid sulfate soils and active or abandoned sulfide mines. This study aims at characterising how exposed and processed (mined and burnt) black shale (alum shale) in Degerhamn, SE Sweden, affects the chemistry (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Ca, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, K, Si, Na, Sr, S, U, V and Zn) of the groundwater. There were large variations in groundwater chemistry between nearby sampling points, while the temporal variations generally were small. Acidic groundwater (around pH 4), found in deposits of burnt and carbonate-poor shale where the conditions for sulfide oxidation were favourable, was strongly elevated in Al, U and several chalcophilic metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni and Zn). Cadmium and U were also, together with Mo, abundant in many of the near-neutral waters, both in the non-mined black shale bedrock and in the deposits of burnt shale. An extrapolation to a national level suggests that the dispersion of Ni from naturally occurring black shale is similar to that from anthropogenic point sources, while for Cd and As it is assessed to be approximately one tenth of that from point sources. The processed shale was, however, a much larger source of metals than the black shale bedrock itself, showing this material’s potential as a massive supplier of metals to the aquatic environment. A comparison of waters in contact with the processed Cambrian–Ordovician black shale in Degerhamn and acid sulfate soils of the region shows that these two sulfide-bearing materials, in many respects very different, delivers basically the same suite of trace elements to the aquatic environment. This has implications for environmental planning and protection in areas where these types of materials exist.     

Quaternary Lake Deposits of Nam Co, Tibet, with a Discussion of the Connection of Nam Co with Ring Co-Jiuru Co

Shorelines are widespread and lake deposits and lake geomorphology are well developed on the northern Tibetan Plateau. Through field observations of lacustrine deposits of Nam Co-the highest and largest Quaternary lake in Tibet, the authors found four-step shore terraces composed of sands and clays with well-developed horizontal bedding and 3-12 m, 15-22 m, 25-30 m and 35-45 m higher than the lake surface respectively, lacustrine deposits resting on the bedrocks and 60-150 m higher than the lake surface, and up to -50 levees composed of oblate lakeshore gravels. Moreover they found lacustrine and lakeshore deposits making up the terraces and levees on the bottoms of wide dividing valleys connecting Nam Co with the Rencoyuema, Rencogongma and Jiuru Co northwest of Nam Co (the valley bottoms are 20 m, 90 m and 60 m higher than the above-mentioned three lakes) and on slopes north of it, i.e. terraces II and III of Nam Co. Thus they confirm that Nam Co and Ring Co-Jiuru Co had connected with each other seve