Factors Controlling the Regional Distribution of Vanadium in Groundwater

Although the ingestion of vanadium (V) in drinking water may have possible adverse health effects, there have been relatively few studies of V in groundwater. Given the importance of groundwater as a source of drinking water in many areas of the world, this study examines the potential sources and geochemical processes that control the distribution of V in groundwater on a regional scale. Potential sources of V to groundwater include dissolution of V rich rocks, and waste streams from industrial processes. Geochemical processes such as adsorption/desorption, precipitation/dissolution, and chemical transformations control V concentrations in groundwater. Based on thermodynamic data and laboratory studies, V concentrations are expected to be highest in samples collected from oxic and alkaline groundwater. However, the extent to which thermodynamic data and laboratory results apply to the actual distribution of V in groundwater is not well understood. More than 8400 groundwater samples collected in California were used in this study. Of these samples, high (≥50 µg/L) and moderate (25 to 49 µg/L) V concentrations were most frequently detected in regions where both source rock and favorable geochemical conditions occurred. The distribution of V concentrations in groundwater samples suggests that significant sources of V are mafic and andesitic rock. Anthropogenic activities do not appear to be a significant contributor of V to groundwater in this study. High V concentrations in groundwater samples analyzed in this study were almost always associated with oxic and alkaline groundwater conditions, which is consistent with predictions based on thermodynamic data.     

Hydrophysical aspects of oxygen regime formation in a shallow ice-covered lake

Long-term observational data on a small, shallow Lake Vendyurskoe (Karelia) were used to analyze the space and time dissolved-oxygen dynamics in winter. Biochemical consumption was found to play a leading role in the reduction of dissolved-oxygen concentration in lake water in winter. The total decrease in the amount of dissolved oxygen since the beginning of under-ice period until mid-April was shown to amount to one third of the initial value. The year-to-year variations in winter oxygen consumption are ~10%, suggesting the process to be stable in the years of observations. The rate of oxygen consumption and variations in dissolved oxygen content of lake water in winter were evaluated. The analysis and literary data allow us to conclude that the hydrophysical processes taking place in shallow lakes in winter have a considerable effect on their oxygen regime.     

Numerical Modeling of Nitrate Removal in Anoxic Groundwater during River Flooding of Riparian Zones

A numerical study demonstrates the effects of flooding on subsurface hydrological flowpaths and nitrate removal in anoxic groundwater in riparian zones with a top peat layer. A series of two-dimensional numerical simulations with changing conditions for flow (steady state or transient with flooding), hydrogeology, denitrification, and duration of flooding demonstrate how flowpaths, residence times, and nitrate removal are affected. In periods with no flooding groundwater flows horizontally and discharges to the river through the riverbed. During periods with flooding, shallow groundwater is forced upwards as discharge through peat layers that often have more optimal conditions for denitrification caused by the presence of highly reactive organic matter. The contrast in hydraulic conductivity between the sand aquifer and the overlying peat layer, as well as the flooding duration, have a significant role in determining the degree of nitrate removal.     

Runoff Formation Model for the Amur River Basin

ECOMAG software complex was adapted to simulate river runoff in the Amur basin using data from global databases (relief, soils, landscapes). The results of model calibration and verification were used to give a statistical estimate of the efficiency of river runoff calculation over a long period based on standard data of meteorological and water management monitoring. The results of calculations using the developed runoff formation model were used in the space and time analysis of the formation conditions of 2013 flood in the Amur basin.     

Multidimensional Data Analysis in the Assessment of Ice-Jam Formation in River Basins

Water Resources - The analysis and evaluation of the factors that have an effect on the frequency of ice jams and the characteristics of the accompanying floods have been shown to remain an...     

鹤庆—剑川地区岩溶发育特征及其控制因素

滇中鹤庆—剑川地区碳酸盐岩岩溶极为发育,其空间展布广,以连续纯碳酸盐岩型岩溶层组类型为主,岩溶形态多样,包括溶蚀平原、溶丘谷地、溶丘洼地等类型.滇中鹤庆—剑川岩溶系统具有沿断裂走向展布的显著特点,同时沿断层、褶皱轴部和构造裂隙岩溶发育程度明显较大.结合区域地质构造背景,研究认为鹤庆—剑川地区岩溶系统的发育主要受控于物质...     

Side Bars in River Channels: the Conditions of Formation and Dynamics

The conditions governing side bar origination in canals and river channels are considered based on the analysis of the data of experiments conducted in the State Institute of Hydrology. The scheme of bed load transport for the side bar-type channel process is presented. The results of calculations using a formula proposed earlier to describe the velocity of side bar displacement are compared with the experimental and field data.     

Formation of greigite under different climate conditions in the Yellow River delta

Formation and preservation of greigite can indicate the physicochemical characteristics of sedimentary environment. Presence of greigite can be diagnosed in the late Pleistocene fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary layers of 29.4–29.7 and 26.1–27.1 m in core ZK30 of the Yellow River delta, based on analysis of particle size, magnetic properties, scanning electron microscope(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) measurements. These layers are the transition zones from shallow marine facies to fluvio- lacustrine facies, and from fluvio-lacustrine facies to salt marsh facies in an ascending order, respectively. They are characterized by higher SIRM and SIRM/χ(30 kA m-1) values than those of other layers, suggesting the possible existence of greigite. Both SEM and XRD analyses confirm its presence. However, sediment layer of 29.4–29.7 m are coarser, and greigite coexists with pyrite, but sediment layer of 26.1–27.1 m are finer and the occurrence of greigite is not accompanied by pyrite. The different occurrence of greigite in the two layers suggests that different climate condition and sedimentary environment control its formation and preservation.     

Assessing the Sensitivity of a Model of Runoff Formation in the Ussuri River Basin

A physically based model of runoff formation with daily resolution has been developed for the upper part of the Ussuri basin with an area of 24400 km² based on ECOMAG hydrological modeling platform. Two versions of the hydrological model have been studied: (1) a crude version with the spatial schematization of the drainage area and river network based on DEM 1 × 1 km with the use of soil and landscape maps at a scale of 1: 2500000 and (2) a detailed version with DEM 80 × 80 m and soil and landscape maps of the scale of 1: 100000. Each version of the model has been tested for two variants of meteorological inputs: (1) meteorological forcing data (temperature, air humidity, precipitation) at eight weather stations and (2) with the involvement of additional data on precipitation collected at 15 gages in the basin. The model has been calibrated and validated over a 34-year period (1979–2012) with the use of runoff data for the Ussuri R. and its tributaries. The results of numerical experiments for assessing the sensitivity of model hydrological response to the spatial resolution of land surface characteristics and the density of precipitation gaging stations are discussed.     

Sensitivity Assessment of a Runoff Formation Model in the Mozhaisk Reservoir River Basin

Water Resources - The physically based model of river runoff formation with a daily resolution ECOMAG was adapted for the Mozhaisk Reservoir with an area of 1360 km2. A large series of numerical...     

Formation of a new delta-like object in the Kapchagai Reservoir on the Ili River

The formation processes of a new delta-like object with a hydromorphic landscape in the upper part of the Kapchagai Reservoir on the Ili R.—an internal delta—are considered. The quantitative characteristics of the development of this delta are evaluated using data of Landsat-2, 5, and 7 space images over period 1975–2012. These processes were found to accelerate considerably in the wet year of 2012, and intense under-flooding and salinization of nearby lands were revealed in the Chilikskii alluvial fan on the southern wing of the Kapchagai delta. A consequence of this accumulative process was found to be the development of planar channel deformations of the Ili R. 30 km upstream the Kapchagai delta.     

The Hydrological Regime and the Peculiarities of Formation of the Po River Delta

The peculiarities of the hydrological regime of the delta and near-shore zone of the Po River are discussed. The intrusion of salt seawater into the delta is described. The history of the Po Delta formation has been restored on the basis of the analysis of historical, archeological, and cartographic data. As shown, the peculiarities of hydrological and morphological processes in the Po River mouth are associated with natural and specifically with human-induced variations in sediment runoff of the river, with levee construction along branches, subsidence of deltaic deposits, and eustatic rise of the sea level.     

Mathematical Analysis of a Model of River Channel Formation

The study of overland flow of water over an erodible sediment leads to a coupled model describing the evolution of the topographic elevation and the depth of the overland water film. The spatially uniform solution of this model is unstable, and this instability corresponds to the formation of rills, which in reality then grow and coalesce to form large-scale river channels. In this paper we consider the deduction and mathematical analysis of a deterministic model describing river channel formation and the evolution of its depth. The model involves a degenerate nonlinear parabolic equation (satisfied on the interior of the support of the solution) with a super-linear source term and a prescribed constant mass. We propose here a global formulation of the problem (formulated in the whole space, beyond the support of the solution) which allows us to show the existence of a solution and leads to a suitable numerical scheme for its approximation. A particular novelty of the model is that the evolving channel self-determines its own width, without the need to pose any extra conditions at the channel margin.     

Factors Controlling In Situ Biogeochemical Transformation of Trichloroethene: Column Study

In situ biogeochemical transformation involves biological formation of reactive minerals in an aquifer that can destroy chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethene (TCE) without accumulation of intermediates such as vinyl chloride. There is uncertainty regarding the materials and geochemical conditions that are required to promote biogeochemical transformation. The objective of this study was to identify amendments and biogeochemical conditions that promote in situ biogeochemical transformation. Laboratory columns constructed with plant mulch were supplemented with different amendments and were operated under varying conditions of water chemistry and hydraulic residence time. Four patterns of TCE removal were observed: (1) no removal, (2) biotic transformation of TCE to cis‐1,2‐dichloroethene (cis‐1,2‐DCE), (3) biogeochemical transformation of TCE without accumulation of reductive dechlorination products, and (4) mixed behavior where a combination of patterns was observed either simultaneously or over time. Principal coordinates analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) identified factors that promoted biogeochemical transformation: (1) high influent sulfate concentration, (2) relatively high hydraulic retention time, (3) supplementation of mulch with vegetable oil, and (4) addition of hematite or magnetite. The combination of the first three factors promoted complete sulfate reduction and a high volumetric sulfate consumption rate. The fourth factor provided a source of ferrous iron and/or a surface to which sulfide could react to form reactive iron sulfides. Many columns demonstrated either no TCE removal or a biotic TCE transformation pattern. Modification of column operation to include all four factors identified above promoted biogeochemical transformation in these columns. These results support the importance of the factors in biogeochemical transformation.     

Factors Controlling In Situ Biogeochemical Transformation of Trichloroethene: Field Survey

We have previously defined in situ biogeochemical transformation as the biogenic formation of reactive minerals that are capable of abiotically degrading chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethene without accumulation of degradation products such as vinyl chloride (AFCEE et al. 2008 ). This process has been implemented in biowalls used to intercept contaminated groundwater. Abiotic patterns of contaminant degradation were observed at Altus Air Force Base (AFB) and in an associated column study, but not at other sites including Dover AFB. These abiotic patterns were associated with biogenic formation of reactive iron sulfide minerals. Iron sulfides in the form of small individual grains, coatings on magnetite, and sulfur‐deficient pyrite framboids were observed in samples collected from the Altus AFB biowalls and one of the EPA columns. Larger iron sulfide grains coated with oxide layers were observed in samples collected from Dover AFB. Altus AFB and the EPA column differed from Dover AFB in that groundwater flow at Dover AFB was relatively slow and potentially reversing. High volumetric sulfate consumption rates, an abiotic pattern of trichloroethene (TCE) degradation, and the formation of small, high surface area iron sulfide particles were associated with relatively high rates of TCE removal via an abiotic pattern. Geochemical modeling demonstrated that iron monosulfides such as mackinawite were near saturation, and iron disulfides such as pyrite were supersaturated at all sites. This environmental condition can be supportive of nucleation of small particles rather than crystal growth leading to larger particles. When nucleation is dominant, small, high surface area, and reactive particles result. When crystal growth dominates the crystals are larger and have lower specific surface area and reactivity. These results taken together suggest that creation of a dynamic environment can promote biogeochemical transformation based on generation of reactive iron sulfides.     

Nucleation and Evolution of Sliding in Continental Fault Zones under the Action of Natural and Man-Made Factors: A State-of-the-Art Review

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - Abstract—A review is presented of the state-of-the-art publications concerning the nucleation and evolution of fault slip in the Earth’s crust....     

准南白杨河矿区煤层气成藏模式及主控因素

为了建立矿区范围内的煤层气成藏模式,查明控气主要因素,对后期井网布置、钻井、压裂、排采等提供重要依据。基于新疆阜康白杨河矿区的地质条件和煤层气特征,进行成藏模式的系统研究,结合灰色关联理论分析,总结出成藏主控因素。研究结果显示:矿区内42#目标煤层厚度大、煤层含气量高,与煤层埋深呈正相关性;煤层直接顶底板的砂岩致密性好,形成较好的封盖条件。综合分析认为矿区南部位于单斜底部,埋深大、煤层厚、含气量高,封盖条件好,是煤层气富集的有利区域,并提出了致密顶底板、单斜构造和水文地质条件的联合封闭成藏模式。     

Comparison of River Terraces in the Middle Reach Valleys of the Yellow River and Analysis on the Multi-Gradational Features of Tectonism in the Formation of Terrace Series

Where the Yellow River flows through the Haiyuan-Tongxin arc-form tectonic region on the northeastern side of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau, as many as 10～21 basis and erosion terraces have been produced, among which the biggest altitude above river level is 401m and the formation age of the highest terrace is 1.57 Ma B.P. Based on comparative analysis of the Yellow River terraces located separately in the Mijiashan mountain, the Chemuxia gorge, the Heishanxia gorge and the other river terraces in the vast extent of the northern part of China, it has been found that the tectonic processes resulting in the formation of the terrace series is one of multi-gradational features, i.e., a terrace series can include the various terraces produced by tectonic uplifts of different scopes or scales and different ranks. The Yellow River terrace series in the study region can be divided into three grades. Among them, in the first grade there are 6 terraces which were formed separately at the same time in the vast extent of the northern part of China and represent the number and magnitude of uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau since 1.6 Ma B. P. ; in the second grade there are 5 terraces which were separately and simultaneously developed within the Haiyuan-Tianjingshan tectonic region and represent the number and magnitude of uplift of this tectonic region itself since 1.6Ma B. P.; in the third grade there are 10 terraces which developed on the eastern slope of the Mijiashan mountain and represent the number and amplitude of uplift of the Haiyuan tectonic belt itself since 1.6Ma B.P. Comparison of the terrace ages with loess-paleosoil sequence has also showed that the first grade terraces reflecting the vast scope uplifts of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau are very comparable with climatic changes and their formation ages all correspond to the interglacial epochs during which paleosoils were formed. This implies that the vast extent tectonic uplifts resulting in river down-cutting are closely related to the warm-humid climatic periods which can also resnit in river downward erosion after strong dry and cold climatic periods, and they have jointly formed the tectonic-climatic cycles. There exists no unanimous and specific relationship between the formation ages of the second and third grade terraces and climatic changes and it is shown that the formation of those terraces was most mainly controlled by tectonic uplifts of the Tianjingshan block and the Haiyuan belt. The river terraces in the study region, therefore, may belong to 2 kinds of formation cause. One is a tectonic-climatic cyclical terrace produced jointly by vast extent tectonic uplifts and climatic changes, and the terraces of this kind are extensively distributed and can be well compared with each other among regions. Another is a pulse-tectonic cyclical terrace produced by local tectonic uplifts as dominant elements, and their distribution is restricted within an active belt and can not be compared with among regions.     

黄河中游河流阶地的对比及阶地系列形成中构造作用的多层次性分析

黄河在流经青藏市原东北缘海原－同以弧形构造区的过程中,发育了多达10－21组的斯座和侵蚀型阶地,其最大拔河高度为40lm,最高阶地的发育年代为1．57MaBP。通过对该区米家山、车木峡和黑山峡河口3处黄河阶地以及我国北方大范围内河流阶地的对比分析发现,河流阶地系列形成中在构造作用上具有多层次性特征,即它包含了不同范围或规模和不同级次构造隆升作用所导致的阶地。研究区的黄河阶地系列可以划分为3个层次。其中,第一层次的阶地共有6级,为我国北方大范围内同期形成的阶地,它们代表1．6Ma以来青藏高原阶段性隆升的次数,其隆升幅度由西向东逐渐减小;第二层次的阶地共有5级,为海原－天景山构造区内同期发育的阶地,它们代表1．6Ma以来该构造区本身自隆升的次数和幅度;第三层次阶地为发育在米家山东坡的10级不同期阶地,它们代表1．6Ma以来海原构造山地独自的抬升的次数和幅度。阶地发育时间与黄土－古土壤序列的对比还表明,反映青藏高原大范围构造隆升的第一层次阶地与气候变化之间有很好的可对比性,其形成年代均与相应古土壤发育时间的间冰期对应,暗示导致河流下切的在范围构造抬升与强干冷期后同样可导致河流下切的气候暖湿期紧密相关,它们共同组成了构造－气候旋回。第二层次和第三层次阶地的形成时间与气候变化之间无统一特定的关系,显示它们的形成更主要的受控于天景山块体和海原构造带的隆升作用。因此,研究区的河流阶地主要可分为2种成因类型。一种是在大范围构造抬升和气候变化联合作用下形成的构造－气候旋回阶地,此类阶地分布范围广,具有区域间的可对比性;另一种是以局部构造抬升为主导因素形成的脉动式构造旋回阶地,此类阶地的分布受 控于活动构造带,在构造区带内自成体系,不具有区域间的可对比性。