Modeling the Permeability Loss of Metallic Iron Water Filtration Systems

Over the past 30 years the literature has burgeoned with in situ approaches for groundwater remediation. Of the methods currently available, the use of metallic iron (Fe⁰) in permeable reactive barrier (PRB) systems is one of the most commonly applied. Despite such interest, an increasing amount of experimental and field observations have reported inconsistent Fe⁰ barrier operation compared to contemporary theory. In the current work, a critical review of the physical chemistry of aqueous Fe⁰ corrosion in porous media is presented. Subsequent implications for the design of Fe⁰ filtration systems are modeled. The results suggest that: (i) for the pH range of natural waters (>4.5), the high volumetric expansion of Fe⁰ during oxidation and precipitation dictates that Fe⁰ should be mixed with a non‐expansive material; (ii) naturally occurring solute precipitates have a negligible impact on permeability loss compared to Fe⁰ expansive corrosion; and (iii) the proliferation of H₂ metabolizing bacteria may contribute to alleviate permeability loss. As a consequence, it is suggested that more emphasis must be placed on future work with regard to considering the Fe⁰ PRB system as a physical (size‐exclusion) water filter device.     

Exponential time integrators for stochastic partial differential equations in 3D reservoir simulation

The transport of chemically reactive solutes (e.g. surfactants, CO₂ or dissolved minerals) is of fundamental importance to a wide range of applications in oil and gas reservoirs such as enhanced oil recovery and mineral scale formation. In this work, we investigate exponential time integrators, in conjunction with an upwind weighted finite volume discretisation in space, for the efficient and accurate simulation of advection–dispersion processes including non-linear chemical reactions in highly heterogeneous 3D oil reservoirs. We model sub-grid fluctuations in transport velocities and uncertainty in the reaction term by writing the advection–dispersion–reaction equation as a stochastic partial differential equation with multiplicative noise. The exponential integrators are based on the variation of constants solution and solve the linear system exactly. While this is at the expense of computing the exponential of the stiff matrix representing the finite volume discretisation, the use of real Léja point or the Krylov subspace technique to approximate the exponential makes these methods competitive compared to standard finite difference-based time integrators. For the deterministic system, we investigate two exponential time integrators, the second-order accurate exponential Euler midpoint (EEM) scheme and exponential time differencing of order one (ETD1). All our numerical examples demonstrate that our methods can compete in terms of efficiency and accuracy compared with standard first-order semi-implicit time integrators when solving (stochastic) partial differential equations that model mixing and chemical reactions in 3D heterogeneous porous media. Our results suggest that exponential time integrators such as the ETD1 and EEM schemes could be applied to typical 3D reservoir models comprising tens to hundreds of thousands unknowns.     

Soil Organic Carbon mapping of partially vegetated agricultural fields with imaging spectroscopy

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is one of the key soil properties, but the large spatial variation makes continuous mapping a complex task. Imaging spectroscopy has proven to be an useful technique for mapping of soil properties, but the applicability decreases rapidly when fields are partially covered with vegetation. In this paper we show that with only a few percent fractional maize cover the accuracy of a Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) based SOC prediction model drops dramatically. However, this problem can be solved with the use of spectral unmixing techniques. First, the fractional maize cover is determined with linear spectral unmixing, taking the illumination and observation angles into account. In a next step the influence of maize is filtered out from the spectral signal by a new procedure termed Residual Spectral Unmixing (RSU). The residual soil spectra resulting from this procedure are used for mapping of SOC using PLSR, which could be done with accuracies comparable to studies performed on bare soil surfaces (Root Mean Standard Error of Calibration = 1.34 g/kg and Root Mean Standard Error of Prediction = 1.65 g/kg). With the presented RSU approach it is possible to filter out the influence of maize from the mixed spectra, and the residual soil spectra contain enough information for mapping of the SOC distribution within agricultural fields. This can improve the applicability of airborne imaging spectroscopy for soil studies in temperate climates, since the use of the RSU approach can extend the flight-window which is often constrained by the presence of vegetation.     

Ontogenetic Habitat Shifts of the Atlantic Tomcod (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Microgadus tomcod</Emphasis>) Across an Estuarine Transition Zone

Tomcod (Microgadus tomcod) in the St. Lawrence estuarine transition zone (ETZ) undergo an ontogenetic habitat shift. Older age classes, characterised by a male-dominated sex ratio, disperse downstream over the summer months to occupy the colder more saline waters of the estuary. Significant differences in length and mass along the salinity gradient were observed in September with upstream fish of any given age class generally exhibiting greater growth. These differences were not seen in early summer. Benthic amphipod δ ³⁴S signatures were strongly correlated with salinity and served to demonstrate that tomcod δ ³⁴S signatures were not in isotopic equilibrium in the more saline waters of the ETZ. Seasonal distributional patterns, growth dynamics and isotopic disequilibrium all indicate that the observed habitat shift may occur on an annual basis, following winter aggregation in warmer, less saline waters. Tomcod located in the downstream parts of the ETZ, predominantly males, were significantly more sexually developed than upstream tomcod for a given age. On the other hand, greater growth early in life is insured by occupying warmer, upstream waters during the summer months.     

A brief review of Agenian rhinocerotids in Western Europe

The Agenian is the earliest Neogene European Land Mammal Age. It encompasses the mammalian zones MN1 (23.03–22.7 Ma) and MN2 (22.7–20.0 Ma) and roughly coincides with the Aquitanian standard age. Agenian mammalian assemblages from Western Europe encompass a mixture of rhinocerotid taxa of Oligocene affinities and of Miocene newcomers, mostly recorded in France, Germany, Switzerland, and to a lesser extent, Spain. Rhinocerotidae are documented by seven species referred to five genera (Pleuroceros pleuroceros, Protaceratherium minutum, Plesiaceratherium aquitanicum, Mesaceratherium paulhiacense, Diaceratherium lemanense, D. asphaltense, and D. aginense), further attesting to a low suprageneric diversity. Their systematics, morphology, ecology, stratigraphical and geographical ranges are detailed in the present article. Occurrences and geographical ranges of all seven rhinocerotid species are illustrated on palaeogeographical maps of the circum-Mediterranean region at 23 Ma (MN1) and 21 Ma (MN2). The richest Agenian localities (Paulhiac, MN1; Laugnac, MN2) record a specific diversity similar to that of Orleanian rhinocerotid assemblages, with up to five/six associated species. All Agenian rhinocerotid species from Western Europe are endemic to the concerned region, which is consistent with the complete geographic isolation of Western Europe by earliest Miocene times. However, all five genera are documented by twin species in coeval localities of South and Central Asia, which implies (1) vicariant speciation events by latest Oligocene times and (2) the existence of intermittent pathways for terrestrial megamammals such as rhinocerotids during the concerned interval.     

Extension tardi-orogénique et formation des bassins intracontinentaux: le bassin stéphanien des Cévennes

Résumé

Le bassin carbonifère des Cévennes, voisin du décrochement sénestre de Villefort, a été étudié en intégrant les données sédimentologiques, les données structurales du socle et du remplissage, ainsi que les données de la pétrologie métamorphique du socle. Le remplissage du bassin est contrôlé par des failles subméridiennes induisant une subsidence localisée en début d’ouverture. Cette subsidence devient plus régionale en fin d’histoire. Un grenat mangane- sifère est associé aux minéraux du faciès schistes verts, des blastes d’andalousite recoupent l’ensemble. Cette association minéralogique indique un gradient de température de 50°C/km. Ce gradient est semblable au gradient estimé dans le bassin sur la matière organique. La schistosité porte trois familles de linéation : 1- une famille à biotite-chlorite-quartz, orientée N45 ± 20° et associée à la mise en place des nappes cévenoles; 2- une famille à minéraux phylliteux dont l’orientation est située autour de N90 et associée à l’ouverture du bassin; 3- une famille à minéraux phylliteux orientée NO horizontale sur des plans de schistosité redressés près de la faille de Villefort. La schistosité régionale est affectée par des plis asymétriques, des bandes de cisaillement et des zones cata- clasées, le tout ayant une cinématique en faille normale vers l’Est. Les relations entre ces différentes structures suggèrent un continuum de déformation depuis des niveaux ductiles jusqu’à des niveaux fragiles. Le remplissage du bassin est affecté par des décrochements parallèles à la faille de Ville- fort. Le bassin des Cévennes s’est donc ouvert dans un contexte extensif est-ouest sur une croûte épaissie. La région a ensuite été reprise par des décrochements nord-sud dont celui de Villefort.     

Analysis and interpretation of the October 21, 1766 earthquake in the Southeastern Caribbean

The October 21, 1766 earthquake is the most widely felt event in the seismic history of Trinidad and Venezuela. Previous works diverged on the interpretation of the historical data available for this event. They associated the earthquake either with the Lesser Antilles subduction zone, with strike-slip motion along El Pilar fault, or with intraplate deformation at the edge of Guyana shield. Isoseismal areas are proposed after a new search and analysis of primary and secondary sources of historical information. Two of the largest earthquakes of the twentieth century which occurred in the region, the 1968 (M _S 6.4, h = 103 km), and the 1997 (M _W 6.9, h = 25 km) events, for which both intensity data and instrumentally determined source parameters are available, are used to calibrate the isoseismal areas and to interpret them in terms of source depth and magnitude. It is concluded that the large extent of intensity values higher than V is diagnostic of the depth (85 ± 20 km) of the 1766 source, and of local amplifications of ground motion due to soft soil conditions and to strong contrasts of impedance at the edge of Guyana shield. It is proposed that the event occurred either in slab, or close to the bottom lithospheric interface between the Caribbean and South American plates (∼11°N; ∼62.5°W). The value of the magnitude is estimated at 6.5 < M _S < 7.5 depending on the source depth and on the decay of ground motion as a function of distance. Deep and intermediate depth earthquakes can induce important casualties in Trinidad, Venezuela, and Guyana, possibly more damaging than those induced by shallower earthquakes along the strike of El Pilar Fault.     

Assessment of the ecological quality status of soft-bottoms in Reunion Island (tropical Southwest Indian Ocean) using AZTI marine biotic indices

The ability of the two synthetic marine biotic indices, AMBI and M-AMBI, to account for changes in the ecological quality of coastal soft bottoms of Reunion Island according to disturbances was assessed from macrobenthic samples collected in five sectors between 1994 and 2004. Samples were collected under non-perturbed conditions and at two sites subjected to heavy organic enrichment. Both indices are based on a classification of macrofauna into ecological groups (EG), and their transfer to tropical waters required some adaptations. These indices proved efficient in detecting a degradation of habitat quality. Their use resulted in the classification of all sites sampled between 1996 and 1998 as "good" or "high". M-AMBI nevertheless tended to result in the attribution of a slightly worse ecological quality status than AMBI. Together with an update of the EG species list for the Indian Ocean area, our results support the extension of both indices for the assessment of tropical soft bottoms.     

Times of sand: Sedimentary history and archaeology at the Sigatoka Dunes,Fiji

The orthodox archaeological sequence at the Sigatoka Dunes site (VL 16/1) in Fiji proposes three phases of occupation spanning Fijian prehistory, each associated with a period of dune stability. It has been taken as the standard model of Fijian prehistory for more than 30 years. Recently, however, it has been argued that there is no stratigraphic support for three discrete levels and that the occupation history was fragmented, complex, and continuous within a volatile dune system. We present new data, from optical and radiocarbon dating, to argue that a three‐phase model, although somewhat more complex in detail, remains the most robust interpretation of site history. The longest stable phase (Level 2) began 2500–2300 cal yr B.P. and is possibly associated with relatively low ENSO frequency. Substantial sand dune accumulation began after ˜1300 cal yr B.P. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Colonisation of epilithic diatom population of the River Taff, South Wales, U.K.

1. A light and scanning electron microscopic study of the structure of epilithic diatom communities was carried out at two sites on the River Taff, South Wales, an upstream unpolluted site (Site 1) and a downstream polluted site (Site 2). 2. Community structure at the micro-scale revealed that, although communities at both sites were similar in terms of species present (similarity indices ranging between 0.44 and 0.96), they were very different with respect to their physical structure. 3. The traditional approach in studying epilithic diatom communities ignores information relating to community structure. The combination of light and scanning electron microscopy proved to be most useful for studying the epilithic diatom communities. 4. The examination of community succession on stone substrata showed that communities were highly dynamic on a weekly time scale, which suggests that the “age” of a substratum is a very important determinant of the attaching communities. A change from a prostate, two-dimensional community structure to an erect, three-dimensional community structure, and a shift from the dominance of epilithic diatoms to the dominance of epiphytic diatoms were noted. Such a change was more noticed at the polluted downstream site, possibly due to a higher rate of surface pre-conditioning and biofilm production at this site than at the unpolluted upstream site.