Implementation of Solute Transport in the Vadose Zone into the “HYDRUS Package for MODFLOW”

The “HYDRUS package for MODFLOW” is an existing MODFLOW package that allows MODFLOW to simultaneously evaluate transient water flow in both unsaturated and saturated zones. The package is based on incorporating parts of the HYDRUS-1D model (to simulate unsaturated water flow in the vadose zone) into MODFLOW (to simulate saturated groundwater flow). The coupled model is effective in addressing spatially variable saturated-unsaturated hydrological processes at the regional scale. However, one of the major limitations of this coupled model is that it does not have the capability to simulate solute transport along with water flow and therefore, the model cannot be employed for evaluating groundwater contamination. In this work, a modified unsaturated flow and transport package (modified HYDRUS package for MODFLOW and MT3DMS) has been developed and linked to the three-dimensional (3D) groundwater flow model MODFLOW and the 3D groundwater solute transport model MT3DMS. The new package can simulate, in addition to water flow in the vadose zone, also solute transport involving many biogeochemical processes and reactions, including first-order degradation, volatilization, linear or nonlinear sorption, one-site kinetic sorption, two-site sorption, and two-kinetic sites sorption. Due to complex interactions at the groundwater table, certain modifications of the pressure head (compared to the original coupling) and solute concentration profiles were incorporated into the modified HYDRUS package. The performance of the newly developed model is evaluated using HYDRUS (2D/3D), and the results indicate that the new model is effective in simulating the movement of water and contaminants in the saturated-unsaturated flow domains.     

Effect of sediment resuspension on underwater light field in shallow lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River: A case study in Longgan Lake and Taihu Lake

Based on three continuous in situ underwater light field measurement under different wind waves conditions in Longgan Lake, Meiliang Bay of Taihu Lake in July 2003 and littoral zone near TLLER in July 2004, respectively, the effects of sediment resuspension caused by wind waves on PAR diffuse attenuation, absorption coefficients and euphotic depths are analyzed. In Longgan Lake, PAR diffuse attenuation coefficients during small, middle and large wind waves were 1.74, 2.02 and 2.45 m-1, respectively, and the corresponding PAR spectral diffuse attenuations ranged from 0.98 to 2.97, 1.34 to 3.95 and 1.80 to 5.40 m-1, respectively. In Meiliang Bay, PAR diffuse attenuation coefficients were 2.63, 3.72, 4.37 m-1 during small, middle and large wind waves. PAR diffuse attenuation coefficients increased by 41% and 66% from small to middle, large wind waves, respectively. Absorption coefficients integrated over the range of PAR of CDOM, phytoplankton were 0.26, 0.28 m-1; 0.76, 0.49 m-1, respectively during middle and large wind waves. Absorption coefficients integrated over the range of PAR of non-algal particulate matter and total suspended particulate matter increased from 0.94 to 1.73 m-1, and from 1.70 to 2.22 m-1, respectively during middle and large wind waves. Relative contributions of absorption coefficients of non-algal particulate matter to total absorption coefficient integrated over the range of PAR were 44.14%, 65.05%, respectively, during middle and large wind waves. PAR euphotic depths decreased by 0.40, 0.19, 0.20 m from middle to large wind waves in Longganhu Lake, Meliang Bay and littoral zone near TLLER. Significant correlations were found between transparency, PAR diffuse attenuation coefficients, euphotic depths and total suspended paniculate matter, wind velocity, wave height. Most significant correlations were found between transparency, PAR diffuse attenuation coefficients, euphotic depths and inorganic suspended paniculate matter but low correlations for chlorophyll a, dissolved organic carbon. Increase of total suspended paniculate matter, especially inorganic suspended paniculate matter caused by wind waves was the dominant factor affecting underwater light field in shallow lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River based on observations at three stations.     

Formation Conditions of Runoff and Hydrological–Morphological Processes in Deltas in Permafrost Zone: The Deltas of the Lena and Mackenzie Rivers

Water Resources - The article presents a study of the hydrological regime of the Lena and Mackenzie rivers, flowing in the zone of permafrost rocks of different types. Features typical of river...     

Space weather in the thermospheric–ionospheric domain over the Brazilian region: Climatology of ionospheric plasma bubbles in the subequatorial and low-latitude region

The climatology of ionospheric plasma bubbles is studied here by means of a comparison of the frequency of occurrence of the spread-F/plasma bubble events over the South American region using the images from two OI 630 nm imager systems located at the subequatorial station São João do Cariri—CA (7.4 S, 36.5 W, 20 S dip) and the low-latitude station Cachoeira Paulista—CP (22.5 S, 45 W, 33 S dip) in Brazil during the years of 2004 and 2005. The results are discussed in the light of current theory and geomagnetic parameters of the two observation stations.     

Charnock dynamics: a model for the velocity structure in the wave boundary layer of the air–sea interface

We present a unified model of the air–sea boundary layer, which takes account of the air–sea momentum exchange across the sea surface. The recognition of the importance of the velocity shears in the water (which comprise a frictional shear and the Stokes shear due to the wave motion) in determining the sea surface roughness is a distinctive feature of the analysis, which leads to a prediction of the Charnock constant (α) in terms of two independent parameters, namely the wave age and the ratio of the Stokes shear to the Eulerian shear in the water. This expression is used to interpret the large observational variability of the Charnock constant. The 10-m drag coefficient can also be expressed using similar reasoning, and the introduction of a relation in which the ratio of the frictional shear in the water to the frictional shear in the air decreases with the friction velocity yields predictive relations for the variation of the 10-m drag coefficient at very high wind speeds both in the open ocean and in wind–wave tanks. The physical interpretation of this relation is that the production of spray essentially returns momentum from the ocean to the atmosphere, and this process becomes progressively more important as the wind speed increases.     

A review of: “Finite-difference techniques for vectorized fluid dynamics calculations”

Abstract

Edited by D. L. Book. Springer-Verlag, New York, 1981. 226 pp., DM 72,—, $33.60. (ISBN 0 387 104828)     

A review of: “Transport and energy conversion in the heliosphere”

Lectures given at the CNRS Summer School on Solar Astrophysics, Oleron, France, 25-29 May 1998, edited by P.-P. Rozelot, L. Klein and J.-C. Vial, Lecture Notes in Physics: Vol. 553, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York, 2000. VIII+214 pp., DM 104.00, hardbound (ISBN 3-540-67595-7)     

On the dynamics and origin of the Pugachevo group of gas-water-lithoclast (“mud”) volcanoes on Sakhalin Island: Visual observations and orohydrography

Visual observations of the activities of three gas-water-lithoclast (“mud”) volcanoes in the Pugachevo group in the Makarov District of Sakhalin Island were used to analyze the dynamics of these volcanoes. Our analysis confirmed the previous inference that a multirank periodicity is present in the eruptions of the volcanoes, with the periodicity being comparatively frequent and low in magnitude for the eruptions (every 1–2 years) at the Glavnyi or Central volcano and a very long but violent (every 65–70 years) at all the three volcanoes. Comparison of this periodicity with a similar periodicity observed in natural seismicity in the adjacent, highly seismic Uglegorsk District shows that the two phenomena are relatively independent. The natural seismicity in the form of large earthquakes is superimposed upon the gas-water-lithoclast volcanism mostly to serve as a trigger. The high-rank periodicity of 65–70 years noted above may be related to 11–22-year cycles of solar activity. Analysis of the orohydrographic setting in the area shows that the location of the present low-lying basin with volcanoes inside was formerly occupied by a dome uplift with a major gas field that controlled the generation of these volcanoes; it continues to drive their activity, causing a continued gradual subsidence or collapse of the deep basin with volcanoes, thus providing evidence of the high gas potential in the area of study.     

Cenozoic structural deformation and expression of the “Tan-Lu Fault Zone” in the West Sag of Liaohe Depression, Bohaiwan basin province, China

Based on the interpretation of 3D seismic data and structural mapping we analyzed the geometry and kinematics of the fault system and validated the expression of the “Tan-Lu Fracture Zone” in the West Sag of Liaohe Depression, Bohaiwan basin province. The Cenozoic structural deformation within the West Sag of Liaohe Depression can be divided into extensional structure system and dextral structure system. The extensional system is constituted by numerous NNE-NE trending Paleogene normal faults, where the Taian-Dawa fault (F1) is the master boundary fault (MBF) dominating the deposition during Paleogene so that the sag shows a complex half-graben with “boundary fault in the east and overlap in the west”. The dextral system is constituted by 2–3 dextral basement faults in NNE-NE trending (F2, F3, F4) and associated structure, and the time of structural action started in Oligocene and continued to Quarternary so that some associated secondary faults of the dextral system cut off the Neogene and Quaternary. Under the influence of the position and attitude of NNE-NE trending basement strike-slip faults, the central north part and the south part of the West Sag show obviously different structural features. The former appears to be a complex “graben” structure limited by the reversed strike-slip fault in the west and bounded by the inverted normal fault in the east, the latter remains the complex half-graben structure with “boundary fault in the east and overlap in the west”, and the graben was mildly reconstructed by one or two normal strike-slip faults. The dextral system within the West Sag is the element of the west branch fault of the Tan-Lu Fracture Zone, which is a deep fracture zone extending along the east of the Liaodongwan Gulf. The deep fracture zone branches off into two separate faults within the Liaohe Depression. The east branch goes through from northern part of the Liaodongwan Gulf to the East Sag of Liaohe Depression and links with the Denghua-Mishan Fault near Shenyang, and the west branch passes from northern part of the Liaodongwan Gulf to the West Sag and Damintun Sag of Liaohe Depression and links with the Yilan-Yitong Fault. The principal displacement zone of the west branch of the Tan-Lu Fracture Zone cuts off the master extensional fault (F1) within the West Sag of Liaohe Depression and induces many cover faults in EW trending within the Neogene and Quaternary.     

Mylonites of the South Armorican Shear Zone: Insights for crustal-scale fluid flow and water–rock interaction processes

Mylonites display petrographical and geochemical characteristics that can be related to syn-deformation fluid circulation. The South Armorican Shear Zone, a major structural feature of the Armorican Massif (France), is outlined by the presence of mylonitic rocks cropping out mostly in open quarries. These mylonites were essentially formed at the expense of peraluminous granitic bodies. Deformation occurred from ductile conditions in the biotite stability field (>400 °C) down to lower greenschist cataclasis and brecciation, where carbonation developed. U–Pb analyses on zircon and monazite define a minimum duration of 15 Ma for the deformation and hydrothermal history, between 315 Ma and 300 Ma. Fluid circulations are well documented, by way of petrographic observation (chlorite and carbonate crystallization), mineralogical composition analysis (muscovite chemistry), erratic mobility behavior of some elements (As, Sn, U for instance), and stable isotope composition analysis of the infiltrated rocks. High temperature deformation is not accompanied by alteration of the O isotope system, which implies either low fluid/rock ratio and/or the involvement of δ¹⁸O crustal fluids with a composition similar to that of the rocks. On the other hand, some low temperature mylonites show a drastic decrease in the δ¹⁸O values, which has to be related to the influx of surface derived waters. The heat source necessary for this crustal scale downward infiltration of fluids followed by upward motion was likely provided by the exhumation of lower crustal units in the South Armorican domain.     

The seventh facet of uncertainty: wrong assumptions,unknowns and surprises in the dynamics of human–water systems

ABSTRACT

The scientific literature has focused on uncertainty as randomness, while limited credit has been given to what we call here the “seventh facet of uncertainty”, i.e. lack of knowledge. This paper identifies three types of lack of understanding: (i) known unknowns, which are things we know we don’t know; (ii) unknown unknowns, which are things we don’t know we don’t know; and (iii) wrong assumptions, things we think we know, but we actually don’t know. Here we discuss each of these with reference to the study of the dynamics of human–water systems, which is one of the main topics of Panta Rhei, the current scientific decade of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), focusing on changes in hydrology and society. In the paper, we argue that interdisciplinary studies of socio-hydrological dynamics leading to a better understanding of human–water interactions can help in coping with wrong assumptions and known unknowns. Also, being aware of the existence of unknown unknowns, and their potential capability to generate surprises or black swans, suggests the need to complement top-down approaches, based on quantitative predictions of water-related hazards, with bottom-up approaches, based on societal vulnerabilities and possibilities of failure.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor S. Weijs     

A review of: “Dynamics,transport and photochemistry in the middle atmosphere of the southern hemisphere”

Abstract

edited by A. O'Neill, NATO ASI series C: vol 321. Kluwer, 1990, VII + 257 pp., US $ 89, £50, Hardback. (ISBN 0-792-30977-4).     

Quartz OSL dating of archaeological sites in Xiao Qaidam Lake of the NE Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and its implications for palaeoenvironmental changes

In the past decades, archaeologists have found evidences for prehistorical human activity in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP). In 1982, some Paleolithic stone tools were found in a section from a terrace of the Xiao Qaidam Lake in the Qaidam Basin, NE of the QTP. The age of this Paleolithic site has remained unknown by far. Some believed that the age of human inhabitation in this Paleolithic site was about 30 ka. In this study, quartz optically stimulated luminescence was used to date 10 samples collected from four sections in the Xiao Qaidam Lake, using the single-aliquot regeneration-dose protocol. The two samples from section XCDH2, which is from a lake terrace about ～7–8 m above the present lake level and in which the top gravel layer contains stone tools, were not well-bleached before deposition. Their ages (>101 and >159 ka) determined by SAR should be considered minimums. OSL dating results of six samples from two sections (XCDH1 and XCDH3) of an adjacent lake terrace, which is ～12 m above the present lake level, suggest two possibilities for the age of the tool-bearing gravel layer: (1) younger than ～3 ka if the lake terrace of XCDH2 is younger than the terrace represented by XCDH1 and XCDH3; or (2) between ～3 and 11 ka if these two terraces are part of the deposit of the same time period. In either case, the age of the archaeological layer should be much younger than the previously proposed ～30 ka. As the climate in the early Holocene after 11 ka was increasingly warm and the Xiao Qaidam Lake area could be suitable for human inhabitation then, we deduce that the age range of ～3–11 ka is more likely the time frame for this archaeological site. The age of 3.1 ± 0.3 ka for the surface of terrace XCDH1/XCDH3 suggests a significant lake level decrease after this time and a corresponding arid event at ～3 ka; the lake level did not reach this level again after that time. Section XCDH4 is more than 40 m above the present lake level, and two samples gave ages of 37 ± 4 and 51 ± 4 ka. These two dates and the dates from the other sections demonstrate that two lake levels higher than present existed for Xiao Qaidam Lake, one at ～12 m and dated ～3–11 ka and the another at >40 m and dated ～37–51 ka.     

Geochemical characteristics of the metapelites from the Xingxingxia group in the Eastern Segment of the Central Tianshan: Implications for the provenance and paleoweathering

Clastic sedimentary rocks record a number of in-formation about the compositions and paleoweathering conditions of the source areas, and the tectonic setting of the depositional basin[1―6]. The traditionallypetrological study commonly utilizes the major com-ponents (Quartz, Feldspar and Lithics) of the silici-clastic sedimentary rocks to investigate the source rock composition and tectonic setting[7]. However, thepetrological method is somewhat limited, because many of the mafic components f…     

Groundwater–surface water interactions in a river estuary and the importance of geomorphology: Insights from hydraulic,thermal and geophysical observations

This study presents the groundwater flow and salinity dynamics along a river estuary, the Werribee River in Victoria, Australia, at local and regional scales. Along a single reach, salinity across a transverse section of the channel (~80 m long) with a point bar was monitored using time-lapse electrical resistivity (ER) through a tidal cycle. Groundwater fluxes were concurrently estimated by monitoring groundwater levels and temperature profiles. Regional porewater salinity distribution was mapped using 6-km long longitudinal ER surveys during summer and winter. The time-lapse ER across the channel revealed a static electrically resistive zone on the side of the channel with a pronounced cut bank. Upward groundwater flux and steep vertical temperature gradients with colder temperatures deeper within the sediment suggested a stable zone of fresh groundwater discharge along this cut bank area. Generally, less resistive zones were observed at the shallow portion of the inner meander bank and at the channel center. Subsurface temperatures close to surface water values, vertical head gradients indicating both upward and downward groundwater flux, and higher porewater salinity closer to that of estuary water suggest strong hyporheic circulation in these zones. The longitudinal surveys revealed higher ER values along deep and sinuous segments and low ER values in shallow and straighter reaches in both summer and winter; these patterns are consistent with the local channel-scale observations. This study highlights the interacting effects of channel morphology, broad groundwater–surface water interaction, and hyporheic exchange on porewater salinity dynamics underneath and adjacent to a river estuary.     

A review of: “Gravity currents: In the environment and the laboratory”

Abstract

By J. E. Simpson, Ellis Horwood Limited, $59.95 (£35.00) 244 pp. (ISBN 0-853 12-972-x).     

Rating of seismicity and reconstruction of the fault geometries in northern Tien Shan within the project “Seismic Hazard Assessment for Almaty”

The project “Seismic Hazard Assessment for Almaty” has a main objective to improve existing seismic hazard maps for the region of northern Tien Shan and especially for the surroundings of Almaty and to generate a new geodynamic model of the region.In the first step a composite seismic catalogue for the northern Tien Shan region was created, which contains about 20,000 events and is representative for strong earthquakes for the period back to the year 500. For the period of instrumental observation 1911–2006 the catalogue contains data for earthquakes with a body wave magnitude larger than 4. For smaller events with magnitudes up to 2.2 the data are only available since 1980. The composite catalogue was created on the basis of several catalogues from the United States Geologic Survey (USGS), local catalogues from the Kazakh National Data Centre (KNDC) and the USSR earthquake catalogue. Due to the different magnitudes used in several catalogues a magnitude conversion was necessary.Event density maps were created to rate the seismicity in the region and to identify seismic sources. Subsurface fault geometries were constructed using tectonic model which uses fault parallel material flow and is constrained by GPS data. The fault geometry should improve the estimation of the expected seismic sources from seismic density maps.First analysis of the earthquake catalogue and the density maps has shown that nearly all large events are related to fault systems. Annual seismicity distribution maps suggest different processes as the cause for the seismic events. Apart from tectonics, also fluids play a major part in triggering of the earthquakes.Beneath the Issyk-Kul basin the absence of strong seismic activity suggests aseismic sliding at the flat ramp in a ductile crust part and low deformation within the stable Issyk-Kul micro-continent which underthrust the northern ranges of Tien Shan. First results suggest a new partition of the region in tectonic units, whose bounding faults are responsible for most of the seismic activity.     

A review of: “Advances in Helio- and asteroseismology”

Abstract

Edited By J. Christensen-Dalsgaard and S. Frandsen. D. Reidel, xxi + 604 pp., Hardb. Dfl. 230.00, us$ 109.00 (ISBN 90-277-2614-0), Paperb. Dfl. 95.00 US$ 49.00 (ISBN 90-277-2615-9).