Hydrogeochemistry and environmental isotopes of ground water in Jeju volcanic island,Korea: implications for nitrate contamination

Ground water from springs and public supply wells was investigated for hydrochemistry and environmental isotopes of ³H, ¹⁸O and D in Jeju volcanic island, Korea. The wells are completed in a basaltic aquifer and the upper part of hydrovolcanic sedimentary formation. Nitrate contamination is conspicuous in the coastal area where most of the samples have nitrate concentrations well above 1 mg NO₃ N/l. Agricultural land use seems to have a strong influence on the distribution of nitrate in ground water. Comparison of stable isotopic compositions of precipitation and ground water show that ground water mostly originates from rainy season precipitation without significant secondary modification and that local recharge is dominant. ³H concentration of ground water ranged from nearly zero to 5 TU and is poorly correlated with vertical location of well screens. The occurrence of the ³H‐free, old ground water is due to the presence of low permeability layers near the boundary of the basaltic aquifer and the hydrovolcanic sedimentary formation, which significantly limits ground water flow from the upper basaltic aquifer. The old ground water exhibited background‐level nitrate concentrations despite high nitrate loadings, whereas young ground water had considerably higher nitrate concentrations. This correlation of ³H and nitrate concentration may be ascribed to the history of fertilizer use that has increased dramatically since the early 1960s in the island. This suggests that ³H can be used as a qualitative indicator for aquifer vulnerability to nitrate contamination. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Predicting ground water nitrate concentration from land use

Ground water nitrate concentrations on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, were analyzed to assess the effects of land use on ground water quality. Exploratory data analysis was applied to historic ground water nitrate concentrations to determine spatial and temporal trends. Maximum likelihood Tobit and logistic regression analyses of explanatory variables that characterize land use within a 1000-foot radius of each well were used to develop predictive equations for nitrate concentration at 69 wells. The results demonstrate that historic nitrate concentrations downgradient from agricultural land are significantly higher than nitrate concentrations elsewhere. Tobit regression results demonstrate that the number of septic tanks and the percentages of forest, undeveloped, and high-density residential land within a 1000-foot radius of a well are reliable predictors of nitrate concentration in ground water. Similarly, logistic regression revealed that the percentages of forest, undeveloped, and low-density residential land are good indicators of ground water nitrate concentration > 2 mg/L. The methodology and results outlined here provide a useful tool for land managers in communities with shallow water tables overlain with highly permeable materials to evaluate potential effects of development on ground water quality.     

脉冲型地震动潜在破坏势参数的相关性分析

为了在众多参数中挑选其中最有代表性的参数,来解释和反映脉冲型地震动对结构的潜在破坏能力,以338条脉冲型地震动记录作为研究对象,分析地震动参数与中低层结构响应的相关性。选取了14个常用地震动参数,对各地震动参数之间的相关性进行分析,从中选出7个代表性地震动参数;并将脉冲型地震动输入中低层结构模型中计算结构响应,分析代表性地震动参数与结构响应的相关性,与基于非脉冲型地震动的相关性计算结果进行对比。选用了3层和7层2个RC框架结构作为中低层结构代表,其基本周期为0.62s和0.89s。结果表明:对于脉冲型地震动,对于3层结构时与结构响应相关性最好的为EPV,对于7层结构时与结构响应相关性最好的为PGV,因此可以用PGV和EPV作为表征脉冲型地震动对中低层结构潜在破坏能力的参数;而对于非脉冲型地震动,与结构响应相关性最好的参数为PGV,可以用PGV作为表征脉冲型地震动对中低层结构的潜在破坏能力的参数。因此,通过地震动参数来解释和表征脉冲型地震动对结构的破坏能力是可行的。     

Selenium transport and transformation modelling in soil columns and ground water contamination prediction

Selenium transport and transformation were simulated in a soil column. A one‐dimensional dynamic mathematical and computer model is formulated to simulate, selenate, selenite, selenomethionine, organic selenium, and gaseous selenium. This computer model is based on the mass balance equation, including convective transport, dispersive transport, surface adsorption, oxidation and reduction, volatilization, chemical and biological transformation. The mathematical solution is obtained by the finite difference implicit method. The model was verified by comparison of model results with experimental measurements and also using mass balance calculations in each time step of calculation. For example after 4 days of simulation, the simulated value of adsorbed selenate for depth of 20 cm is 0·2 µmol kg^?1 and the measured value is 0·25 µmol kg^?1. Therefore simulated results are in good agreement with measured values. With this study and its results the distribution of various forms of selenium in soil column to ground water table can be predicted. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical implementation of a backward probabilistic model of ground water contamination

Backward location and travel time probabilities can be used to characterize known and unknown sources or prior positions of ground water contamination. Backward location probability describes the position of the observed contamination at some time in the past; backward travel time probability describes the amount of time prior to observation that the contamination was released from its source or was at a particular upgradient location. The governing equation for backward probabilities is the adjoint of the governing equation for contaminant transport, but with new load terms. Numerical codes that have been written to solve the forward equations of contaminant transport, e.g., the advection-dispersion equation, can also be used to solve the adjoint equation for location and travel time probabilities; however, the interpretation of the results is different and some new approximations must be made for the load terms. We present the governing equations for backward location and travel time probabilities, and provide appropriate numerical approximations for these load terms using the cell-centered finite difference method, one of the most popular numerical methods in ground water hydrology. We discuss some additional numerical considerations for the backward model including boundary conditions, reversal of the flow field, and interpretation of the results. We illustrate the implementation of the backward probability model using hypothetical examples in one- and two-dimensional domains. We also present a three-dimensional application of a pump-and-treat remediation capture zone delineation at the Massachusetts Military Reservation. The illustrations are performed using MODFLOW-96 for flow simulations and MT3DMS for transport simulations.     

稳定同位素技术在地表水硝酸盐污染研究中的应用

地表水硝酸盐污染已成为全球面临的主要水环境问题之一,为了有效控制地表水中硝酸盐污染,确定地表水中硝酸盐的来源以及研究其在环境中的迁移转化过程就显得尤为重要.硝酸盐稳定氮(¹⁵N)、氧(¹⁸O)同位素作为一种有效的示踪技术在识别地表水中硝酸盐的来源及迁移转化过程中已得到了广泛的应用,但是硝酸盐在迁移转化过程中,¹⁵N、¹⁸O同位素会因为多种因素而发生分馏,同位素值发生变化使得这种技术的应用存在一定的局限性.本文系统总结了不同来源硝酸盐δ¹⁵N、δ¹⁸O值的组成特征及其影响因素,分析了在不同土地利用类型流域内,利用硝酸盐¹⁵N、¹⁸O同位素技术开展硝酸盐来源识别、负荷估算和反硝化作用评估的方法和研究进展.基于已有研究成果,提出在未来的研究过程中,一方面应以流域为单元,选择适当的研究方法并结合多种辅助指标研究多因素共同作用下NO₃^-污染源的δ¹⁵N-NO₃^-和δ¹⁸O-NO₃^-值的变化规律;另一方面应对比流域污染源详细的调查数据,分析现有负荷估算模型存在的不确定性,并构建合适的负荷计算模型;最后,应深入开展同位素在确定流域和河流中反硝化发生的范围、地点和程度方面的研究,特别是掌握河流系统中沉积物-水体中氮的循环过程.     

Correlation between ground failure and soil conditions in Adapazari, Turkey

Ground failure in Adapazari, Turkey during the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake (M_w=7.4) was severe. In four central downtown districts, where more than 1200 buildings collapsed or were heavily damaged, hundreds of structures tilted and penetrated into the ground due in part to liquefaction and ground softening. Based on a multi-institutional subsurface investigation program, soil conditions along four lines in which ground failure was surveyed after the earthquake are classified into four generalized subsurface site categories. This classification is primarily based on the presence or absence of shallow and intermediate depth liquefiable soils. Observations of ground failure are found to correlate well with site categories that are susceptible to liquefaction according to current state-of-the-art methods without strict adherence to the Chinese criteria. Soils that liquefied were found to meet the liquid limit and liquidity index conditions of the Chinese criteria. However, soils that liquefied did not typically meet the clay-size condition for liquefiable soils by the Chinese criteria.     

Potential use of organic waste substances as an ecological technique to reduce pesticide ground water contamination

The heavy use of pesticides in agriculture has meant that the fate due to their movement after their application continue to be a real problem for the environment. In this work, a viable eco-remediation technique based on the use of natural organic substances (NOS) that characterize the Mediterranean region is proposed to demonstrate the efficiency of endosulfan sulphate removal from water. Experimental results showed that the pH of pesticide solutions and temperature negatively affect the adsorption process. According to adsorption kinetic data, 5 h were considered as the equilibrium time for realizing adsorption isotherm. The Freundlich isotherm model describes better the adsorption process of endosulfan sulphate on NOS tested. The Freundlich constant K_f depended mainly on the nature of each adsorbent and ranged from 5.56 for straw to 13.54 for date stones. The adsorption tests gave very satisfying results and point to the possible application of these supports as an ecological remediation technique to reduce pesticide contamination of aquatic ecosystems.     

长周期地震动强度指标与SDOF体系残余变形相关性分析

为分析两类长周期地震动作用下如何选取合理的强度指标作为结构抗震设计的输入,从2011年东日本9.0级地震、2003年十胜冲8.0级地震和2016年熊本7.3级地震数据库中选取90条可靠的远场长周期地震动。从1994年美国北岭6.7级地震和1999年台湾集集7.6级地震数据库中选取60条近场长周期地震动,以SDOF体系为研究对象,讨论了阻尼比、屈服刚度折减系数和强度折减系数对残余变形与18个地震动强度指标的相关系数的影响,对比分析了两类长周期地震作用下相关系数之间的异同。研究结果表明:在考虑近场长周期地震动作用时,建议应根据结构周期的大小来选择合适的强度指标作为地震动的输入。远场长周期地震动作用下,以PGA、PGV和PGD为代表的强度指标与残余变形的相关程度均较高,PGV稳定性略好于PGA和PGD,建议PGV作为地震动输入的控制指标。残余变形相关系数受阻尼比、屈服刚度折减系数以及强度折减系数影响不大。     

Characteristics of organic matter as indicators of pollution from small‐scale livestock and nitrate contamination of shallow groundwater in an agricultural area

The main purpose of this study was to examine the hydrogeochemical factors leading to nitrate contamination of shallow groundwater in an agricultural area. Another purpose was to identify relationships between variations in organic matter levels (as estimated by the BOD and COD parameters) of groundwater that transports effluent from small‐scale livestock holdings. Major cations, anions, BOD and COD of organic matter and total coliforms were analysed. It was found that groundwaters beneath cultivated areas and areas carrying livestock had higher concentrations of calcium, nitrate and chloride than did freshwater. Above all, the nitrification process increased concentrations of nitrate. Nitrate levels were depressed in some places where the groundwater was low in dissolved oxygen. Groundwaters affected by livestock activities showed high concentrations of organic matter (BOD, COD) and high microbial concentrations (as indicated by total coliforms). The COD/BOD ratio increased in the downward direction. It was inferred that this was due to the faster loss of easily biodegradable organic matter compared with non‐biodegradable organic matter proceeding away from a discharge. Accordingly, it is possible to trace effluent in a small area back to a point source by monitoring the COD/BOD ratio of groundwater. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

宝鸡地震台地电阻率与水位变化关系的分析

针对宝鸡地震台地电阻率在每年的6~8月份出现明显变化的现象,在环境、气象等因素调查的基础上,利用水平介质模型反演该台电性分层结构,计算了地下水位变化对其视电阻率的影响,认为主要是6~8月份,该台站测区浅表水位的明显下降变化直接或间接造成了地电阻率的变化。     

Correlation study between ground motion intensity measure parameters and deformation demands for bilinear SDOF systems

The correlation between ground motion intensity measures （IM） and single-degree-of-freedom （SDOF） deformation demands is described in this study. Peak ground acceleration （APG）, peak ground velocity （VPG）, peak ground displacement （DPG）, spectral acceleration at the first-mode period of vibration [As（T1）] and ratio of VPG to APG are used as IM parameters, and the correlation is characterized by correlation coefficients p. The numerical results obtained by nonlinear dynamic analyses have shown good correlation between As（T1） or VPG and deformation demands. Furthermore, the effect of As（T1） and VPG as IM on the dispersion of the mean value of deformation demands is also investigated for SDOF systems with three different periods T=0.3 s, 1.0 s, 3.0 s respectively.     

Contribution of baseflow nitrate export to non-point source pollution

As a common pollutant of nitrogen in groundwater, nitrate contamination has become a major concern worldwide. Baseflow, one of the dominant hydrological pathways for nitrate migration to streamflow, has been confirmed as a leading nitrate source for stream water where groundwater or subsurface flow contaminated heavily by nitrate. That is, sufficient improvements of water quality may not be attained without proper management for baseflow, even if non-point sources (NPS) pollutants discharged through surface runoff are being well managed. This article reviews the primary nitrate sources, the main factors affecting its transport, and the methodologies for baseflow nitrate estimation, to give some recommendations for future works, including: (1) giving sufficient consideration for the effects of climatological, morphological, and geological factors on baseflow recessions to obtain more reliable and accurate baseflow separation; (2) trying to solve calibration and validation problems for baseflow loads determining in storm flow period; (3) developing a simple and convenient algorithm with certain physics that can be used to separate baseflow NPS pollution from the total directly in different regions, for a reliable estimation of baseflow NPS pollution at larger scale (e.g., national scale); (4) improving groundwater quality simulation module of existing NPS pollution models to have a better simulation for biogeochemical processes in shallow aquifers; (5) taking integrated measures of “source control”, “process interception” and “end remediation” to prevent and control NPS nitrate pollution effectively, not just only the strict control of nutrients loss from surface runoff.     

Modeling decadal timescale interactions between surface water and ground water in the central Everglades, Florida, USA

Surface-water and ground-water flow are coupled in the central Everglades, although the remoteness of this system has hindered many previous attempts to quantify interactions between surface water and ground water. We modeled flow through a 43,000 ha basin in the central Everglades called Water Conservation Area 2A. The purpose of the model was to quantify recharge and discharge in the basin's vast interior areas. The presence and distribution of tritium in ground water was the principal constraint on the modeling, based on measurements in 25 research wells ranging in depth from 2 to 37 m. In addition to average characteristics of surface-water flow, the model parameters included depth of the layer of ‘interactive’ ground water that is actively exchanged with surface water, average residence time of interactive ground water, and the associated recharge and discharge fluxes across the wetland ground surface. Results indicated that only a relatively thin (8 m) layer of the 60 m deep surfical aquifer actively exchanges surface water and ground water on a decadal timescale. The calculated storage depth of interactive ground water was 3.1 m after adjustment for the porosity of peat and sandy limestone. Modeling of the tritium data yielded an average residence time of 90 years in interactive ground water, with associated recharge and discharge fluxes equal to 0.01 cm d⁻¹. ³H/³He isotopic ratio measurements (which correct for effects of vertical mixing in the aquifer with deeper, tritium-dead water) were available from several wells, and these indicated an average residence time of 25 years, suggesting that residence time was overestimated using tritium measurements alone. Indeed, both residence time and storage depth would be expected to be overestimated due to vertical mixing. The estimate of recharge and discharge (0.01 cm d⁻¹) that resulted from tritium modeling therefore is still considered reliable, because the ratio of residence time and storage depth (used to calculated recharge and discharge) is much less sensitive to vertical mixing compared with residence time alone. We conclude that a small but potentially significant component of flow through the Everglades is recharged to the aquifer and stored there for years to decades before discharged back to surface water. Long-term storage of water and solutes in the ground-water system beneath the wetlands has implications for restoration of Everglades water quality.     

Heterogeneity and thermal modeling of ground water

Heat transport in aquifers is becoming an increasingly important topic due to recent growth in the use of ground water in thermal applications. However, the effect of heterogeneity on heat transport in aquifers has yet to be examined in the same detail as it has been for solute transport, and it is unclear what effect this may have on our ability to create accurate models. This study examines this issue through stochastic modeling using the geostatistics for two aquifers with low and high degrees of heterogeneity. The results indicate that there is considerable uncertainty in the distribution of heat associated with injection of warm water into an aquifer. Heterogeneity in the permeability field was also found to slightly reduce the ability to recover this introduced heat at a later time. These simulations also reveal that hydrodynamic macrodispersion is an important consideration in some heat flow problems.     

The inverse problem and ground water management

The response of groundwater basins to natural and anthropogenic inputs depends on many interrelated factors such as the values of groundwater flow and mass transport parameters. This work presents a theoretical analysis of the impact of parameter uncertainty on groundwater management decisions. It is shown that under classical, Bayesian, and deterministic assumptions about the parameter structure, the resulting management decisions could be very different. This underscores the importance of adopting the proper parameter structure and the need for using consistent methods to solve the inverse problem.