Kinetics of redox cycling of iron coupled with fulvic acid

The kinetics of conversion of iron(III) (hydr)oxides to ferrous iron mediated by fulvic acid have been investigated in order to improve the understanding of the redox cycling of iron at the oxic-anoxic boundary in natural waters. Under the conditions similar to natural waters, fulvic acid is able to reduce the iron(III) (hydr)oxide. The kinetics of the reaction depend on the reactivity of iron(III) (hydr)oxides and the reducing power of the fulvic acid. The rate of reaction is 60 nm/h obtained under following conditions: total concentration of Fe(III) 1.0 × 10^–4 M, pH 7.5, fulvic acid 5 mg/L. The rate is considered as a net result of reduction and oxidation in the > Fe^III-OH/Fe(II) wheel coupled with fulvic acid. In a real natural water system, reductants other than fulvic acid may be of importance. The results obtained in the laboratory, however, provide evidence that the Fe(OH)₃(s)/Fe(II) redox couple is able to act as an electron-transfer mediator for the oxidation of natural organic substances, such as fulvic acid by molecular oxygen either in the absence of microorganisms or as a supplement to microbial activity.     

秦岭南缘勉略带构造属性及晚古生代地质背景:来自碎屑锆石U-Pb年代学的制约

勉略构造带作为秦岭造山带内重要的构造边界,关于其构造属性及晚古生代以来的地质背景,一直是学术界争论的焦点。碎屑锆石U-Pb年代学在限定地层单元的最大沉积年龄、研究区域构造岩浆事件及约束构造地质背景等方面行之有效。基于此,通过对勉略带内五郎坪北侧两河口变沉积地层和侵入其中的变形花岗岩脉体进行LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年代学研究。获得2件变形花岗岩脉的结晶年龄均为406±1Ma。碎屑锆石主年龄谱分别为422～456Ma和558～826Ma,峰值年龄为441Ma和771Ma、813Ma,次级年龄谱分别为942～1495Ma和1658～2981Ma,峰值年龄不明显。依据最小一组碎屑锆石的峰值年龄(441Ma),和侵入其中的变形花岗岩脉(406±0.6Ma),限定该变沉积地层形成时代为406～441Ma(S_1-D_1)。碎屑锆石年龄谱显示该套变沉积地层物质来源较为复杂,其中秦岭造山带及扬子板块北缘早古生代、新元古代岩浆岩为其提供了74%±的物源,古老变质基底为其提供了26%±的物源。通过与区域上已有资料对比,认为勉略构造带内晚古生代沉积地层形成环境与邻区大致相同,且本次所获得的变沉积岩碎屑锆石年龄谱也与邻区泥盆系相似。综合认为,勉略构造带与邻区在晚古生代应属同一构造环境,晚古生代"勉略海盆"应当包括整个南秦岭。     

Global climatic change – the latest scientific understanding

IPCCs statement in its 1995 report (IPCC 1996) that a human influence was discernible in global climate has been widely quoted but often misunderstood. The character of the evidence underpinning this detection statement is explained so that its strengths and weaknesses can be better understood and the subtleties of its message better appreciated. To demonstrate the close linkage between the government-approved summary and the underlying chapters of the IPCC report the detailed evolution of the detection statement from first draft through to the form finally approved by the IPCC is described.     

A multivariate statistical and geostatistical study on the geochemistry of allochtonous karst bauxite deposits in Hungary

A geochemical evaluation of the Szc-Halimba-Kisld area, Hungary, covering an area of more than 200 km² is presented using different statistical and geostatistical methods. The study area is a representative example of allochtonous karst bauxite accumulation. The three groups of deposits studied here have been explored and mined since 1950. Several thousand boreholes have been drilled, and bauxite cores were analyzed for the five main chemical components. A total of 80,000 pleces of analytical data were processed, followed by a geological examination of borehole logs and of mining excavations.The quantitative geochemical evaluation of the data set led to both geochemical and practical results: The geochemical behavior of the allochtonous, clastic karst bauxite deposits differs essentially from that of the autochtonous and parautochtonous ones, as well as that of the lateritic bauxite deposits. The deposits of the study area can be split into several subsequent geochemical-sedimentological units, each representing an event of bauxite transport and accumulation. Clear regional patterns can be revealed in the composition of these units. The geostatistically measured chemical variability of the geochemical units is rather different, the lowest units showing the smallest variability. The interrelations of the main chemical components are weaker and more irregular in the studied deposits than in the autochtonous lateritic bauxite deposits. Additional local genetic features, such as transport routes, can be delineated by the methods applied. Within each deposit, local changes of chemical composition and of its variability can be determined more precisely. These results can be used in bauxite prospecting and exploration, because areas of high or low bauxite quality can be predicted.     

Seasonal variations of atmospheric sulfur dioxide and dimethylsulfide concentrations at Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean

Daily measurements of atmospheric sulfur dioxide (SO₂) concentrations were performed from March 1989 to January 1991 at Amsterdam Island (37°50 S–77°30 E), a remote site located in the southern Indian Ocean. Long-range transport of continental air masses was studied using Radon (²²²Rn) as continental tracer. Average monthly SO₂ concentrations range from less than 0.2 to 3.9 nmol m^-3 (annual average = 0.7 nmol m^-3) and present a seasonal cycle with a minimum in winter and a maximum in summer, similar to that described for atmospheric DMS concentrations measured during the same period. Clear diel correlation between atmospheric DMS and SO₂ concentrations is also observed during summer. A photochemical box model using measured atmospheric DMS concentrations as input data reproduces the seasonal variations in the measured atmospheric SO₂ concentrations within ±30%. Comparing between computed and measured SO₂ concentrations allowed us to estimate a yield of SO₂ from DMS oxidation of about 70%.     

弹性波的三维有限元模拟

本文讨论了弹性波瞬态传播问题的三维有限元计算方法及当前存在的实际困难.针对要求计算机内存大和计算时间长的问题,采取了改进措施.由于采用了集中质量矩阵和修正的中心差分时间积分显格式相结合的方法,可以使计算机内存和计算时间大为减少;由于采用结点定位法,最适合用于目前发展的并行计算机系统,可使计算速度大大增快;还采用了有效激发震源法,有效激发区是随时间步进的增加而逐步增大,这不仅能节省计算时间,而且使波场的传播过程一目了然,本文计算了由两种介质组成的三维楔形问题,得到若干典型剖面的瞬时波场图及随时间变化的合成地震图.     

The hydrogeochemistry of methane: Evidence from English groundwaters

The presence of methane (CH₄) in groundwater is usually only noticed when it rises to high concentrations; to date rather little is known about its production or natural ‘baseline’ conditions. Evidence from a range of non-polluted groundwater environments in England, including water supply aquifers, aquicludes and thermal waters, reveals that CH₄ is almost always detectable, even in aerobic conditions. Measurements of potable waters from Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic carbonate and sandstone aquifers reveal CH₄ concentrations of up to 500 μg/l, but a mean value of < 10 μg/l. However, aquiclude and thermal waters from the Carboniferous and Triassic typically contain in excess of 1500 μg/l. Such high concentrations have so far only been found at redox (Eh) potentials below 0 mV, but in general CH₄ concentration and Eh value are poorly correlated. This suggests a lack of thermodynamic equilibrium, which is confirmed by comparing pe values calculated from the redox couple C(4)/C(− 4) with those derived from Eh. Genesis of CH₄ appears to occur on two timescales: a rapid if low rate of production from labile carbon in anaerobic microsites in the soil, and a much longer, millennium scale of production from more refractory carbon. Methane is rarely measured in groundwater; there is no single ionic determinand which acts universally as a proxy, but a combination of high HCO₃ and low SO₄ concentrations, or the reverse, is an indication that high amounts of CH₄ may be present.     

Carbon, sulfur and O2 across the Permian–Triassic boundary

A model for the carbon and sulfur cycles across the Permian–Triassic boundary has been constructed from carbon and sulfur isotopic data. Results indicate a drop in global organic matter burial, the formation of an anoxic deep ocean, and a large drop in atmospheric oxygen over the time span 270 to 240 Ma. Much of these changes were probably due to a drop in terrestrial productivity and preservation and an increase in global aridity.     

Can stable isotopes be used to monitor landfill leachate impact on surface waters?

Bacterially mediated methanogenesis in municipal solid waste landfills has been shown to cause an enrichment of carbon stable isotope ratios of dissolved inorganic carbon and hydrogen stable isotope ratios of water in landfill leachate. In the present study, we investigate the universality of this enrichment in leachate obtained from four diverse landfill sites in New Zealand. At each site, surface water samples upstream and downstream of landfills were analysed to examine the applicability of stable isotope ratios as a tool for monitoring leachate contamination in landfill-associated streams. The design of leachate collection systems, operational history, and landfill location appeared to strongly influence leachate isotopic values and the effectiveness of isotope ratios as an environmental monitoring tool for surface water.     

Speciation of adsorbed arsenate on the surface of hydrous iron oxide

Adsorption of arsenate on hydrous iron oxide is an important process controlling geochemical cycling of arsenic in environment as well as the fate of arsenic-bearing mining wastes. The widely accepted view on the mechanism of adsorption is that arsenate is adsorbed via bidentate binuclear inner-sphere complexation. In this study, we characterized the arsenate-hydrous iron oxide sorption solids synthesized at pH=3-8 using Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy （FTIR） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. It has been determined that poorly crystalline ferric arsenate developed on the surface of iron oxide when arsenate was sorbed at acidic pH, while at alkaline pH the adsorption of arsenate was via bidentate complexation.