The role of water resources in the evolution of the Israeli–Lebanese border

The current location of the border between Lebanon and Palestine, today's Israel, is a product of various competing forces. The Zionist Organization aspired to include the entire Galilee region up to the lower reaches of the Litani River (also known as the Kassimiyah River) within Palestine. The river itself was the desired northern border of the country. The Zionists supported their position by employing instrumental arguments that were largely related to the availability of water resources. On the other hand, residents of the upper Galilee, today's southern Lebanon, demanded that they be included with Lebanon. They used their trade links with Beirut, and cultural and familial ties with other parts of Lebanon to support their position. These instrumental and expressive arguments appear to have assisted in the demarcation of the border between Lebanon and Palestine. Currently, access to the water resources, not necessarily control over them, is likely to influence negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over the future of the Israeli-occupied security zone in southern Lebanon.     

Assessment of changes in the area of the water conservation forest in the Qilian Mountains of China’s Gansu province, and the effects on water conservation

The Qilian Mountains water conservation forest in Gansu province is an important ecological barrier surrounding the oasis in China’s Hexi Corridor. The water they provide is the basis for the existence and sustainable socioeconomic development of those oases. As a result of unsustainable use of the water conservation forest until the 1980s, the oasis ecosystems of the Hexi region were seriously damaged, and the oasis areas experienced deterioration of their ecological environment. In this paper, Landsat images were used to monitor the temporal and spatial changes in area of water conservation in Qilian Mountains of China’s Gansu province and to assess the effect on water conservation by analyzed relationship between water conservation forest area, climatic data and hydrological data. The results showed that the forest covered 15.1% of the study area in 2007 and has followed different trends during the study period. From 1978 to 1990, the forest area decreased; however, from 1990 to 2007, the forest area increased, with a faster rate of increase from 1990 to 2000, and the rate of increase averaged 2,733.89 ha per year since 1990. The water conservation forest appears to play an important role in flood control, runoff regulation, the prevention of soil erosion, and water conservation; and these benefits increase with an increasing area of forest.     

Characteristics of Piezometric heads and determination of fresh water–salt water interface in the coastal zone near Beihai,China

Changes in hydraulic heads with space and time and evolution of the location of fresh water–salt water interface are important for groundwater development in coastal aquifers. Measurements of piezometric heads at 11 well clusters consisting of three piezometric wells of different depths with a 5-day interval for 15 months show that the piezometric heads at nearly all the wells near the northwestern coast in Beihai decrease with increasing depth and increase with increasing distance from the coast. Changes in piezometric heads at the wells during the measurement period were caused by seasonal precipitation and induced by the tide. The depth of the sharp interface between fresh water–salt water can be estimated based on measurements of piezometric heads at a piezometric well tapping at a point in the salt water zone below the interface and measurements of the water table at the same well. The calculations of the interface for well H5 range from 40 to 80 m below sea level in the measurement period, which are believed to be more reasonable than those estimated with the Ghyben–Herzberg relation. An erratum to this article can be found at     

The economic impact of climate risks in China: evidence from 47-sector panel data, 2000–2014

Climate risks have significant economic impacts on the various sectors of an economy through direct and indirect channels. When aggregated, their impact can be underestimated or overestimated. This paper examines the impact of five types of climate risks on 47 sectors in China from 2000 to 2014 through the application of a threshold model. We find that: (1) the impact of the integrated climate risks index on sector output is linear. While rainstorms show a U-shaped relationship with output, the other four types of risks—droughts, typhoons, high temperatures and low temperatures freezing—have an inverted U-shaped relationship. (2) Climate risks indirectly influence sector output through capital stock in a significantly positive way. (3) The proportion of intermediate inputs leads to significant differences in the impact of climate risks on sectors. The results suggest that climate policies need to be sector- and risk-specific, as well as dynamic.

     

40Ar–39Ar dating of volcanic rocks of the Shyok suture zone in north–west trans-Himalaya: Implications for the post-collision evolution of the Shyok suture zone

⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar geochronological studies carried out on the Khardung volcanics of Ladakh, India and our earlier Ar–Ar results from the volcanics of the Shyok suture along with the available geological and geochemical data provide good constraints for post-collision evolution of the Shyok suture zone. Whole-rock samples from the Shyok volcanics yielded disturbed age-spectra and we have demonstrated earlier that the youngest tectonic event in the Shyok suture zone responsible for the thermal disturbance of these samples is Karakoram fault activation at ～14 Ma. Contrastingly whole-rock samples from the Khardung volcanics, which are in tectonic contact with these Shyok volcanics, and are exposed in the form of thick rhyolitic and ignimbritic flows, yielded undisturbed age-spectra and good plateau-ages. The whole-rock plateau-ages of two rhyolite samples are 52.8 ± 0.9 and 56.4 ± 0.4 Ma. We interpret these ages to be the time and duration of emplacement of these volcanics over thickened margin of the continental crust, which appears to be coeval with the initiation of the collision between the Indian and Asian plate. The lesser extent of post-emplacement isotopic re-equilibration in these samples unlike the Shyok volcanics indicate that these samples were present in different tectonic settings, away from the Karakoram fault, at the time of deformation in the Shyok suture zone. We propose that the two volcanic belts of contrasting nature were brought together in juxtaposition by the Karakoram strike slip faulting at ～14 Ma.     

Evaluation of water quality and protection strategies of water resources in arid–semiarid climates: a case study in the Yuxi River Valley of Northern Shaanxi Province, China

Water resource structure is one of the most important factors that constrain the economic development in arid–semiarid areas. Sustainable use of water requires a thorough understanding of the local geology and hydrology and developing of effective protection strategies. Discussed in this paper is a study on the phreatic water quality of the Yuxi River Valley of Shaanxi Province, China. The Yuxi River Valley passes through the Shaanbei energy base, which demands large quantities of high-quality water. A total of 129 water samples were collected in 4,938 km² in a recent study to delineate the areas with water suitable for drinking, industrial, and agricultural usage and areas with poor quality. The study indicates that the poor quality of water contains high concentrations of NH⁴⁺ and NO₂⁻¹, indicating possible contamination by waste disposal in the nearby cities and towns. A series of strategies are proposed to protect the water in the Yuxi River Valley, including proper treatment and recycling of the waste water in the cities and towns, strict control of the waste-water discharge from any new factories and mines, and prevention of groundwater contamination by wastes containing heavy metals.     

Effects of climate change on relationship between water and salts of waters ecosystems in arid zone, China

The process of salinization has increased dramatically over the past several decades in the northwest arid zone of China. Soil salinization has been recognized as a major environmental problem for many years in the Tarim River Basin. It is the key issue of solving the soil salinization problem to study interaction between water and salt in arid zone, which will provide useful principle and methodology to its solution. Taking Tarim River and Bosten Lake for example, by systematically collecting the basic data of hydrogeology, meteorology, and social economy, we analyzed the interaction of water and salt of Tarim River and Bostan Lake in natural and artificial conditions in aspects of basins, oases, lakes and marshes. The results showed that： （1） Temperature and precipitation are both increasing gradually in the whole Tarim River Basin, the climate tends to be come warmer and wetter, but the water quality condition is not optimistic; （2） At the end of the 1950s, mineralization degree was less than 1.0 g/L from the upper reaches to the lower reaches of the Tarim River. At present, it is more than 3.0 g/L in Alaer Lake （the upper reaches of the Tarim River） except in July, August and October, during which it is less than 1.0 g/L. In Qiala （the lower reaches）, it is more than 1.0 g/L except in March, moreover, it is about 5.0 g/L in July and December. The eco-water conveyance project implementation has still not improved Tarim River＇s water quality condition; （3） Bostan Lake was a tiny salt-water lake in the late 1950s, but the water-soil development of the oasis has aggravated the salinization in recent thirty years. Since the West Pumping Station was brought into operation in 1982, the Bostan Lake which accumulated salt has begun to be desalted. We consider that climate may not be the key factor for salinization in this area. Instead, socio-economic factors relevant to human activities should be mainly responsible for such changes, as is confirmed by our further analysis. In order to improve present situation of water-soil salinization, water resources utilization and management should be strengthened, highly efficient and water-saving irrigating technology should be spread,     

U-Pb zircon age from the base of the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in the Yangtze Gorges,South China： constraint on the age of Marinoan glaciation

The reported new U-Pb age by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP Ⅱ) on zircon was obtained from a tuff sample at the basal Doushantuo Formation in the Jiuqunao section, which situated at the western limb of the Huangling anticline in the Yangtze Gorges in Zigui, Hubei, South China. Eighteen spots of zircons were analyzed and they form two clusters: one includes three spots, with an inherited age of 784+ 15 Ma (MSWD=0.05); the other consists of 15 spots and gives a weighted mean ^206pb/^238U age of 628.3±5.8 Ma (MSWD=0.86). It is the first SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age obtained nearly the base of the Doushantuo Formation of Ediacaran and represents a maximum age of the Doushantuo Formation It also forms an age constraint on the upper limit age of the Nantuo (Marinoantype) glaciation.     

Methane fluxes on the water–atmosphere boundary in the Sea of Okhotsk

Doklady Earth Sciences - High variability in methane fluxes at the water–atmosphere boundary was found for the first time for the period 1990–2016 using expeditionary data. Variability...     

Runoff and water budget of the Liudaogou Catchment at the wind–water erosion crisscross region on the Loess Plateau of China

The objectives of this study were to examine the runoff characteristics and to estimate water budget at the wind–water erosion crisscross region on the Loess Plateau of China. A small catchment known as Liudaogou that has representative meteorological and hydrological conditions of the wind–water erosion crisscross region was chosen as the study location. A numerical model for rainfall-runoff was developed and verified; rainfall-runoff calculation for 5 years (2005–2009) was performed. The observed data and numerical result of the surface runoff were used for evaluating runoff characteristics and estimating the annual water budget. Runoff rate was proportional to average intensity of rain. Even though rainfall duration was for few minutes, surface runoff was generated by intensity of more than 2.6 mm × 5 min^?1, when rainfall duration exceeded 10 h; surface runoff was generated by an intensity of 0.6 mm × 5 min^?1, while annual runoff rate was 10–15 %. The unit area of 1 km² was adopted as the index area for estimating annual water budget. Runoff, evapotranspiration, variation of water storage, and habitant water consumption accounted for 20.4, 75.6, 0, and 4 % of the total annual precipitation, respectively. Results of this study provide the basis for further research on hydrology, water resources, and sustainable water development and utilization at the wind–water erosion crisscross region on the northern Loess Plateau where annual water resources are relatively deficient.     

The effects of pH on the adsorption of mercury on laterite from Guizhou Province, China

1 Introduction Because clay minerals have the characteristics ofadsorption, ion exchange capability and expandingcapacity, they are highly capable of adsorbing allkinds of pollutants in waters, thus making soilspossess self-purification functions. Clay m…     

Geology, Geochemistry and Minerogenesis of the Shijuligou Zinc–Copper Deposit in Gansu, China

Abstract: The Shijuligou deposit was separated by an arcuate ductile shear zone cross the center of the deposit region, resulting in the difference between the southern and northern ore bodies. The lead (Pb) isotopic data of ores of the Shijuligou copper deposit have averages of 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, and 208Pb/204Pb in 17.634, 15.444, and 37.312, respectively. It has been shown that ore-forming metals originated from intrusive and extrusive rocks in the upper part of ophiolites. The sulfur isotopic data of pyrite and chalcopyrite in the northern part change from +7.61‰ to +8.09‰ and +4.95‰ to +8.88‰ in the southern part. Isotopes of δ18O in the Shijuligou copper deposit are between +11.1‰ and +18.6‰, with the calculated δ18OH2O at +0.65‰. It is suggested that the mineralized fluid is a mixture of magma fluid, meteorological water, and seawater through circulating and leaching metals from the volcanic rocks. The zircon uranium-lead (U–Pb) dating of gabbro is 457.9±1.2 Ma, and the lower crossing age of the discordant and concordia curves of pyroxene spilite of zircon is 454±15 Ma. It is indicated that the Shijuligou deposit formed in a new ocean crust (ophiolite) of the back-arc basin in the late Ordovician. Mineralization should occur in the intermittence period after strong volcanic activity, and the age should be the late Ordovician. Moreover, the mineralization of ophiolite-hosted massive sulfide deposits in the ancient orogenic belt of the late Ordovician in the northern Qilian Mountains was controlled by the primary fault/fracture, with the forming of a metallogenic hydrothermal system by a mixture of volcanic magma fluid and seawater, which circularly leached the metallogenic metals from the volcanic rocks, resulting in their accumulation. The ore bodies were transformed with morphology and metallogenic elements. Jasperoid is an important sign for prospecting such deposits. There were many island arcs in the continent of China. This study provides evidence for understanding and exploration of ophiolite-hosted massive sulfide deposits in western China, especially in the area of northern Qilian Mountains.     

The isotopic–geochronological age of trap formation rocks in the sedimentary section of the Baikit anteclise

The Lower Cambrian Usol’e Formation in the Kamov arch of the Baikit anteclise includes stratiform intrusions confined to several levels. According to isotopic?geochronological investigations, the age of stratiform intrusions composed of olivine dolerites is estimated to be 256.0 ± 3.2 Ma.     

Geological and isotopic constraints on the origin of the Anle carbonate-hosted Zn–Pb deposit in northwestern Yunnan Province,SW China

The Anle Zn–Pb deposit, hosted by Upper Cambrian dolostone, is located in the southern Songpan–Ganzi Block in southwest China. In this deposit, ore bodies occur as stratiform lenses and consist of galena, sphalerite and pyrite as ore minerals, and quartz, dolomite and calcite as gangue minerals. The mineralization shows mainly vein, banded and brecciated structures. Four ore bodies have been found in the Anle deposit, with a combined 2.0 million tonnes (Mt) of sulfide ores at average grades of 1.64 wt.% Pb, 6.64 wt.% Zn and 45 g/t Ag. Brown, brownish-yellow and yellow sphalerite samples have δ⁶⁶Zn values ranging from + 0.08 to + 0.10‰ (average + 0.09‰, n = 3), + 0.12 to + 0.38‰ (average + 0.24‰, n = 8) and + 0.40 to + 0.50‰ (average + 0.46‰, n = 3), respectively. We interpret the progressively heavier Zn isotopes from brown to yellow sphalerite as being led by kinetic Raleigh fractional crystallization. Calcite samples have δ¹³C_PDB and δ¹⁸O_SMOW values ranging from − 4.8 to − 0.2‰ (average − 1.7‰, n = 7) and + 17.9 to + 21.4‰ (average + 19.6‰, n = 7), respectively. Whole-rock δ¹³C_PDB and δ¹⁸O_SMOW values of the Cambrian ore-hosting dolostone range from + 0.1 to + 1.1‰ (average + 0.6‰, n = 3) and + 23.2 to + 24.1‰ (average + 23.6‰, n = 3), respectively. This suggests that carbon in the ore-forming fluids was provided by the host dolostone through carbonate dissolution. δ³⁴S_CDT values of sulfide samples range between − 1.3‰ and + 17.8‰ with an average value of + 6.3‰ (n = 25), lower than evaporites (such as barite + 19.8‰) in the overlaying Lower Ordovician sedimentary strata. The data suggest that sulfur in the hydrothermal fluids were derived from evaporites by thermo-chemical sulfate reduction (TSR). ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios for sulfide minerals range from 17.63 to 17.86, 15.58 to 15.69 and 37.62 to 37.95, respectively. The data are similar to those of the age-corrected Cambrian ore-hosting dolostone (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 17.70–17.98, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.58–15.65 and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 37.67–38.06), but lower than those of age-corrected Ordovician sandstone and slate (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.54–19.58, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.73–15.81 and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.44–39.60). This indicates that ore Pb was most likely to be derived from the Cambrian ore-hosting dolostone. Therefore, our new geological and isotopic evidence suggests that the Anle Zn–Pb deposit is best classified to be an epigenetic carbonate-hosted Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposit.     

Paleozoic convergence processes in the southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt:Insights from U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from West Junggar,northwestern China

The West Junggar orogen,located in the southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB),preserves an abundant record of tectonic processes associated with the evolution of the Junggar Ocean.In this study,we use detrital zircon U–Pb age data from Ordovician to Carboniferous sandstones in the southern and central West Junggar domains,complemented by literature data,to better constrain the tectonic evolution of the southwestern CAOB.The Kekeshayi,Qiargaye,and Laba formations in the southern West Junggar domain were deposited during the Darriwilian-Sandbian,Katian-Aeronian,and Homerian-Emsian,respectively.Detrital zircon provenances of these formations display a marked shift from the southern West Junggar domain to the Paleo-Kazakhstan Continent(PKC).This suggests that the southern West Junggar intra-oceanic arc might have gradually accreted to the northern margin of the PKC prior to the Emsian,which has significantly contributed to the lateral growth of the PKC.The Carboniferous strata,Xibeikulasi,Baogutu,and Tailegula formations,in the central West Junggar domain represent a coherent sequence of volcaniclastic turbidites and were deposited in a progressively shrinking remnant oceanic basin during the Visean to Moscovian.They contain unimodal detrital zircon distributions and are derived from the local and coeval magmatic rocks in the central West Junggar domain.We propose that the final closure of the Junggar Ocean likely occurred in the end of the Late Carboniferous in response to regional amalgamation events in the southwestern CAOB,which marks the final assembly of the Kazakhstan Orocline.The central and southern West Junggar domains underwent individual evolution in the Paleozoic,and were recombined by the significant intra-continental reworking along the large-scale strike-slip faults.     

The influence of volcanism on paleoclimate in the northeast of China： Insights from Jinchuan peat, Jilin Province, China

Just like contemporary sediments, peat itself is a good repository of information about climate change, the effects of volcanic activity on climate change have been truly recorded in peat, since it is a major archive of volcanic eruption incidents. A section of sand was identified as tephra from the Jinchuan peat, Jilin Province, China, for the grains look like slag with surface bubbles and pits, characterized by high porosity, and loose structure with irregular edges and corners. According to the peat characteristics of uniform deposition, the tephra was dated at 2002–1976 a B.P. by way of linear interpolation, so the time of volcanic eruption was 15 B.C.–26 A.D. (the calibrated age). While the geochemical characteristics of tephra in this study are quite the same as those of tephra from the Jinlongdingzi volcano at Longgang and from alkaline basaltic magma, with the contents of SiO₂<55%, and the similar contents to Al₂O₃ and Fe, but the contents of Na₂O>K₂O. We speculated that the tephra in this study came from the Longgang volcano group. Compared with 11 recorded volcanic eruption events as shown on the carbon and oxygen isotope curves of the Jinchuan peat cellulose, it is obviously seen that adjacent or large-scale volcanic eruptions are precisely corresponding to the minimum temperature and humidity. It seems that these volcanic eruptions indeed affected the local climate, leading to the drop of regional temperature and humidity. As a result, there was prevailing a cold and dry climate there, and all these changes can be well recorded in peat. So the comparison of volcanic eruption events with information about climate change developed from peat, can provide strong evidence for the impact of volcanism on climate change.     

Influence of emission from copper–nickel smelters on the chemical composition of lake water: Acidification forecast

The influence of the emission of sulfur dioxide and solid substances from Pechenganickel and Severonickel copper–nickel combines (Murmansk oblast) on the chemical compositions of lake water and the development of acidification is analyzed. The temporal dynamics of ∼100 lakes, studied in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2009, and the response of the chemical composition of the lake water to the impact of acid-forming substances depending on the load level (the distance of combines), geologically controlled sensitivity of catchment areas of the lakes studied to acid deposition, and the lake areas is discussed. The likely further changes in sulfate concentration and pH value in the lake water under the scenarios of increase/decrease of sulfur dioxide emissions from smelter are estimated.