Study on infiltration rate based on primary particle size distribution data in arid and semiarid region soils

Soil particle size distribution (PSD) is used to estimate some soil processes, soil moisture characteristics, and infiltration rate (IR). Prediction of infiltration rate from soil texture data requires an accurate characterization of PSD. The objective of this study was to determine more important primary particle diameters that control IR. The experiments were conducted using double-ring method with constant head of 5 cm in 15 different soils and three replications. The range of measured IR for studied soils varied from 1.6 to 30.66 cm h^?1. The results indicated that the primary PSD had a significant influence on IR. In other words, most D _n fractions had significant positive effect on the final IR. Among different fractions, D ₃₀, D ₄₀, and D ₆₀ showed higher relationships with IR than the others. These diameters are attributed to particles with diameter of 0.05, 0.08, and 0.16 mm, respectively. The results also showed that increasing the percent of sand have intensified influence on increasing the final IR. Reversely, clay and silt contents showed negative effects on final IR. Furthermore, the CaCO₃ had a meaningful effect on the IR that showed the importance of lime in arid and semiarid regions. Finally, it is revealed that the role of texture was important, especially in behavior of infiltration, runoff, and production capability.     

Immobilization of As and Pb in contaminated sediments using waste resources

As and Pb-contaminated sediment obtained from the Nakdong Lake and Yeongsan River in the Republic of Korea was stabilized using a combination of calcined oyster shell (COS), waste cow bone (WCB) and coal mine drainage sludge (CMDS). The effectiveness of the stabilization treatment was evaluated using the Korean Standard Test (KST). The KST tests were performed using 1 N HCl extraction fluid for As and 0.1 N HCl extraction fluid for Pb. Scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX) analyses were performed to investigate the mechanism responsible for As and Pb immobilization upon treatment. The treatment results showed that effective stabilization of As and Pb-contaminated sediment was obtained. Specifically, 10 wt% COS–5 wt% CMDS was the best treatment for As immobilization and 5 wt% COS–5 wt% WCB was the best treatment for Pb immobilization. The COS–WCB treatment outperformed the COS–CMDS treatment in immobilizing Pb in the contaminated sediment. SEM–EDX results indicated that Pb immobilization was strongly associated with Ca, Si, Al and P while As immobilization was strongly associated with Fe and O. Therefore, utilization of COS, WCB and CMDS is beneficial for the stabilization of contaminated sediment.     

Fault zone hydrogeology in arid environments: The origin of cold springs in the Wadi Araba Basin,Egypt

The role of faults in controlling groundwater flow in the Sahara and most of the hyper-arid deserts is poorly understood due to scarcity of hydrological data. The Wadi Araba Basin (WAB), in the Eastern Sahara, is highly affected by folds and faults associated with Senonian tectonics and Paleogene rifting. Using the WAB as a test site, satellite imagery, aeromagnetic maps, field observations, isotopic and geochemical data were examined to unravel the structural control on groundwater flow dynamics in the Sahara. Analysis of satellite imagery indicated that springs occur along structurally controlled scarps. Isotopic data suggested that cold springs in the WAB showed a striking similarity with the Sinai Nubian aquifer system (NAS) water and the thermal springs along the Gulf of Suez (e.g., δ¹⁸O = −8.01‰ to −5.24‰ and δD = −53.09‰ to −31.12‰) demonstrating similar recharge sources. The findings advocated that cold springs in the WAB represent a natural discharge from a previously undefined aquifer in the Eastern Desert of Egypt rather than infiltrated precipitation over the plateaus surrounding the WAB or through hydrologic windows from deep crystalline basement flow. A complex role of the geological structures was inferred including: (1) channelling of the groundwater flow along low-angle faults, (2) compartmentalization of the groundwater flow upslope from high-angle faults, and (3) reduction of the depth to the main aquifer in a breached anticline setting, which resulted in cold spring discharge temperatures (13–22°C). Our findings emphasize on the complex role of faults and folds in controlling groundwater flow, which should be taken into consideration in future examination of aquifer response to climate variability in the Sahara and similar deserts worldwide.     

Identifying and Removing the Silences of Roma Culture in Polish School Texts

The Roma are the largest and, some scholars would argue, the most marginalized group in Europe, an observation evident in an examination of school texts for Polish children. Using the concept of the “geographies of silence,” we discuss the nature of text and graphical silences and the reasons behind the paucity of text, photo, and map coverage. We conclude by presenting photos that could be used in future texts to better inform Polish youth about a much-neglected part of their culture.     

Photoelectric observations of the flare star BD + 55° 1823

A light variation in Johnson'sV-band of flare star EV Lac has been registered by Pettersen (1980). The cycle length was 4 _. ^d 378 with amplitude about 0 _. ^m 07. A Fourier analysis programme has been applied on our measured data of the flare star BD+55°1823 in Johnson'sV andB bands. A period of 16^d and amplitude of 0 _. ^m 14 have been detected in theV-band.     

The shock-wave structure for arbitrary Prandtl numbers and high mach numbers

By use of a modified law of viscosity of the form =T ⁿ, wheren is a given function ofM, an analytical solution is obtained to the problem of strong shock waves. These analytical results agree very well with results obtained by using Boltzmann equation to the same problem.     

A GIS‐based multi‐criteria seismic vulnerability assessment using the integration of granular computing rule extraction and artificial neural networks

This study proposes multi‐criteria group decision‐making to address seismic physical vulnerability assessment. Granular computing rule extraction is combined with a feed forward artificial neural network to form a classifier capable of training a neural network on the basis of the rules provided by granular computing. It provides a transparent structure despite the traditional multi‐layer neural networks. It also allows the classifier to be applied on a set of rules for each incoming pattern. Drawbacks of original granular computing (GrC) are covered, where some input patterns remained unclassified. The study was applied to classify seismic vulnerability of the statistical units of the city of Tehran, Iran. Slope, seismic intensity, height and age of the buildings were effective parameters. Experts ranked 150 randomly selected sample statistical units with respect to their degree of seismic physical vulnerability. Inconsistency of the experts' judgments was investigated using the induced ordered weighted averaging (IOWA) operator. Fifty‐five classification rules were extracted on which a neural network was based. An overall accuracy of 88%, κ = 0.85 and R² = 0.89 was achieved. A comparison with previously implemented methodologies proved the proposed method to be the most accurate solution to the seismic physical vulnerability of Tehran.     

Statistical analysis of different chemical elements in groundwater of northwestern Saudi Arabia

A total of 72 water samples were collected from the sub-surface aquifer system in the Midyan basin and analyzed for 24 major, minor and trace elements. Histograms and normal quantile plots were used to delineate the sub-populations of the chemical constituents in the studied groundwater samples. Some of the elements such as Al, K, Ca, Mg, Na and Cl have concentrations that could be linked to the weathering of the surface rock strata. On the other hand, the elements like As, Pb and Sb have concentration, that can be linked to agricultural practices in the area. The use of simple statistical analysis, frequency histograms, and Q-Q plots were useful for the detection and evaluation of elemental constituents in the groundwater of the study area.     

Land cover change dynamics mapping and predictions using EO data and a GIS-cellular automata model: the case of Al-Baha region,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The present study designed to monitor and predict land cover change (LCC) in addition to characterizing LCC and its dynamics over Al-Baha region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, by utilizing remote sensing and GIS-cellular automata model (Markov-CA). Moreover, to determine the effect of rainwater storage reservoirs as a driver to the expansion of irrigated cropland. Eight Landsat 5/7 TM/ETM images from 1975 to 2010 were analyzed and ultimately utilized in categorizing LC. The LC maps classified into four main classes: bare soil, sparsely vegetated, forest and shrub land, and irrigated cropland. The quantification of LCC for the analyzed categories showed that bare soil and sparsely vegetated was the largest classes throughout the study period, followed by forest, shrubland, and irrigated cropland. The processes of LCC in the study area were not constant, and varied from one class to another. There were two stages in bare soil change, an increase stage (1975–1995) and decline stage (1995–2010), and the construction of 25 rainwater-harvesting dams in the region was the turning point in bare soil change. The greatest increase was observed in irrigated cropland after 1995 in the expense of the other three categories as an effect of extensive rainwater harvesting practices. Losses were evident in forest and shrubland and sparsely vegetated land during the first stage (1975–1995) with 5.4 and 25.6 % of total area in 1995, while in 1975, they covered more than 13.8 and 32.7 % of total area. During the second stage (1995–2010), forest and shrubland witnessed a significant increase from 1569.17 km² in 1975 to 1840.87 km² in 2010. Irrigated cropland underwent the greatest growth (from 422.766 km² in 1975 to 1819.931 km² in 2010) during the entire study period, and this agriculture expansion reached its zenith in the 2000s. Markov-CA simulation in 2050 predicts a continuing upward trend in irrigated cropland and forest and shrubland areas, as well as a downward trend in bare soil and sparsely vegetated areas; the spatial distribution prediction indicates that irrigated cropland will expand around reservoirs and the mountain areas. The validation result showed that the model successfully identified the state of land cover in 2010 with 97 % agreement between the actual and projected cover. The output of this study would be useful for decision makers and LC/land use planners in Saudi Arabia and similar arid regions.