The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine: Multi-decadal whole-watershed experimental acidification

The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine (BBWM) is a long-term research site established to study the response of forest ecosystem function to environmental disturbances of chronic acidic deposition and ecosystem nitrogen enrichment. Starting in 1989, the West Bear (treated) watershed received bimonthly applications of ammonium sulfate [(NH₄)₂SO₄] fertilizer from above the canopy, whereas East Bear (reference) received ambient deposition. The treatments were stopped in 2016, marking the beginning of the recovery phase. Research at the site has focused on soils, streams, and vegetation. Here, we describe data collected over three decades at the BBWM—input and stream output nutrient fluxes, quantitative soil pits and soil chemistry, and soil temperature and moisture.     

The Natural Resource Management Planning Portal: Perspectives for NRM Planning and Reporting

Natural Resource Management (NRM) is often conducted as a partnership between government and citizens. In Australia, government agencies formulate policy and fund implementation that may be delivered on-ground by community groups (such as Landcare). Since the late 1980s, over AUS$8b of Commonwealth investment has been made in NRM. However, quantitative evidence of environmental improvements is lacking. The NRM Planning Portal has been developed to (1) provide an online spatial information system for sharing Landcare and agency data; and (2) to facilitate NRM priority setting at local and regional planning scales. While the project successfully federates Landcare NRM activity data, challenges included (1) unstructured, non-standardized data, meaning that quantitative reporting against strategic objectives is not currently possible, and (2) a lack of common understanding about the value proposition for adopting the portal approach. Demonstrating the benefit of technology adoption is a key lesson for digital NRM planning.     

Effect of Shale Reservoir Characteristics on Shale Oil Movability in the Lower Third Member of the Shahejie Formation,Zhanhua Sag

To reveal the effect of shale reservoir characteristics on the movability of shale oil and its action mechanism in the lower third member of the Shahejie Formation(Es3l), samples with different features were selected and analyzed using N2 adsorption, high-pressure mercury injection capillary pressure(MICP), nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR), high-speed centrifugation, and displacement image techniques. The results show that shale pore structure characteristics control shale oil movability directly. Movable oil saturation has a positive relationship with pore volume for radius > 2 μm, as larger pores often have higher movable oil saturation, indicating that movable oil is present in relatively larger pores. The main reasons for this are as follows. The relatively smaller pores often have oil-wetting properties because of organic matter, which has an unfavorable effect on the flow of oil, while the relatively larger pores are often wetted by water, which is helpful to shale oil movability. The rich surface provided by the relatively smaller pores is beneficial to the adsorption of immovable oil. Meanwhile, the relatively larger pores create significant pore volume for movable oil. Moreover, the larger pores often have good pore connectivity. Pores and fractures are interconnected to form a complex fracture network, which provides a good permeability channel for shale oil flow. The smaller pores are mostly distributed separately;thus, they are not conducive to the flow of shale oil. The mineral composition and fabric macroscopically affect the movability of shale oil. Calcite plays an active role in shale oil movability by increasing the brittleness of shale and is more likely to form micro-cracks under the same stress background. Clay does not utilize shale oil flow because of its large specific surface area and its block effect. The bedding structure increases the large-scale storage space and improves the connectivity of pores at different scales, which is conducive to the movability of shale oil.     

Tsunami risk assessment: economic,environmental and social dimensions

Natural Hazards - In this study, we present a novel methodology that may be used to analyze tsunami risk along coastal regions. The application of the proposed methodology is demonstrated for the...     

Petrography of Late Cambrian to Middle Ordovician radiolarian chert in Kazakhstan with special reference to the emergence of benthic animals in the pelagic realm

Upper Cambrian to Middle Ordovician radiolarian chert successions from Kazakhstan were studied to clarify the history of the emergence of benthic animals in ocean floor sediments. Radiolarian tests and clay were deposited for a period of 30 Myr without experiencing an influx of continent-derived coarse clastic materials. Red, grey and black cherts of the Upper Cambrian to the upper mid-Darriwilian are thinly laminated, and no trace of benthic animal activity is recognized in that time interval. Bioturbation structures and burrow traces in mid-Darriwilian stage red chert in Kazakhstan suggest that benthic animals colonized the location where radiolarian chert formed, but that there was a significant delay in colonization when compared with similar reported occurrences in Australia and Canada.     

Forest operations,tree species composition and decline in rainfall explain runoff changes in the Nacimiento experimental catchments,south central Chile

Few long-term studies have explored how intensively managed short rotation forest plantations interact with climate variability. We examine how prolonged severe drought and forest operations affect runoff in 11 experimental catchments on private corporate forest land near Nacimiento in south central Chile over the period 2008–2019. The catchments (7.7–414 ha) contain forest plantations of exotic fast-growing species (Pinus radiata, Eucalyptus spp.) at various stages of growth in a Mediterranean climate (mean long-term annual rainfall = 1381 mm). Since 2010, a drought, unprecedented in recent history, has reduced rainfall at Nacimiento by 20%, relative to the long-term mean. Pre-drought runoff ratios were <0.2 under 8-year-old Eucalyptus; >0.4 under 21-year-old Radiata pine and >0.8 where herbicide treatments had controlled vegetation for 2 years in 38% of the catchment area. Early in the study period, clearcutting of Radiata pine (85%–95% of catchment area) increased streamflow by 150 mm as compared with the year before harvest, while clearcutting and partial cuts of Eucalyptus did not increase streamflow. During 2008–2019, the combination of emerging drought and forestry treatments (replanting with Eucalyptus after clearcutting of Radiata pine and Eucalyptus) reduced streamflow by 400–500 mm, and regeneration of previously herbicide-treated vegetation combined with growth of Eucalyptus plantations reduced streamflow by 1125 mm (87% of mean annual precipitation 2010–2019). These results from one of the most comprehensive forest catchment studies in the world on private industrial forest land indicate that multiple decades of forest management have reduced deep soil moisture reservoirs. This effect has been exacerbated by drought and conversion from Radiata pine to Eucalyptus, apparently largely eliminating subsurface supply to streamflow. The findings reveal tradeoffs between wood production and water supply, provide lessons for adapting forest management to the projected future drier climate in Chile, and underscore the need for continued experimental work in managed forest plantations.     

探秘“能源新星”——干热岩

干热岩是近些年逐渐发展起来的清洁能源，指埋藏于地球表面3000 m以深，不含或含少量水或蒸汽等流体，温度在180 ℃以上且渗透率极低的岩体。对干热岩的应用主要是建立增强型地热系统进行发电。目前对干热岩的研究尚处于起步阶段,干热岩的热源、热储、形成机理、埋藏机制等都未形成完整的理论体系，干热岩的开发过程也面临诸如储层改造、高温钻探以及随钻监测等一系列的技术“瓶颈”。干热岩资源储量大，开发利用过程低碳环保、节能高效，是国际社会公认的优质清洁能源，但是干热岩研究程度低，开发难度大，需要不断的知识积累和技术积累。本文从科普的角度列举了干热岩的相关研究现状及存在的问题，以期能让更多的人对这一“能源新星”加深了解。     

东海盆地中、新生代盆架结构与构造演化

基于地貌、钻井、岩石测年和地震等资料,分析盆地地层分布、盆架结构、构造单元划分和裂陷迁移规律,结果表明东海盆地由台北坳陷、舟山隆起、浙东坳陷、钓鱼岛隆褶带和冲绳坳陷构成,是以新生代沉积为主、中生代沉积为辅的大型中、新生代叠合含油气盆地;古元古代变质岩系构成了盆地的基底。该盆地不仅是印度-太平洋前后相继的动力体系作用下形成的西太平洋沟-弧-盆构造体系域一部分,而且也是古亚洲洋动力体系作用下形成的古亚洲洋构造域和特提斯洋动力体系作用下形成的特提斯洋构造域一部分,晚侏罗世至早白垩世经历了构造体制转换,盆地格局发生重大变革,早白垩世以前主要受古亚洲-特提斯洋构造体制影响的强烈挤压造山和地壳增厚作用演变为早白垩世以来主要受太平洋构造体制控制的陆缘伸展裂陷和岩石圈减薄作用,经历侏罗纪古亚洲-特提斯构造体制大陆边缘拗陷和白垩纪以来太平洋构造体制弧后裂陷两大演化阶段。白垩纪以来太平洋构造体制的弧后裂陷演化阶段可细分为早白垩世至始新世裂陷期、渐新世至晚中新世拗陷期和中新世末至全新世裂陷期。     

New Circulation Features in the Okhotsk Sea from a Numerical Model

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Using the eddy-permitting model, circulation in the Okhotsk Sea and in an adjacent area of the Pacific Ocean is retrospectively simulated from 1991 to...     

水平分支注浆孔卡埋钻事故处理实践

近年来煤矿奥灰治水注浆定向钻进技术发展迅速，多分支超深水平注浆孔数量激增。在水平注浆孔施工过程中，普遍存在地层漏失量大，泥浆突然失返，小径钻孔裸孔段长，水平段孔眼轨迹复杂，控制难度大，靶点技术误差要求严，定向仪器、工具等价格昂贵，施工风险相对较高，极易发生埋钻卡钻事故。一旦发生卡钻事故，就会面临着处理周期长、处理难度大等问题，传统的卡埋钻处理方法在水平注浆孔中应用效果不明显。通过采用空压机输送压缩空气，破坏水平孔着床的沉砂结构，将着床的沉砂吹出孔外或吹入地层裂隙，成功地实现了解卡。总结了水平注浆孔施工中卡埋钻事故的预防措施。