Modeling preferential water flow and solute transport in unsaturated soil using the active region model

Preferential flow and solute transport are common processes in the unsaturated soil, in which distributions of soil water content and solute concentrations are often characterized as fractal patterns. An active region model (ARM) was recently proposed to describe the preferential flow and transport patterns. In this study, ARM governing equations were derived to model the preferential soil water flow and solute transport processes. To evaluate the ARM equations, dye infiltration experiments were conducted, in which distributions of soil water content and Cl⁻ concentration were measured. Predicted results using the ARM and the mobile–immobile region model (MIM) were compared with the measured distributions of soil water content and Cl⁻ concentration. Although both the ARM and the MIM are two-region models, they are fundamentally different in terms of treatments of the flow region. The models were evaluated based on the modeling efficiency (ME). The MIM provided relatively poor prediction results of the preferential flow and transport with negative ME values or positive ME values less than 0.4. On the contrary, predicted distributions of soil water content and Cl⁻ concentration using the ARM agreed reasonably well with the experimental data, with ME values higher than 0.8. The results indicated that the ARM successfully captured the macroscopic behavior of preferential flow and solute transport in the unsaturated soil.     

Using a Thermal Proxy to Examine Sediment–Water Exchange in Mid-Continental Shelf Sandy Sediments

Fluid exchange across the sediment–water interface in a sandy open continental shelf setting was studied using heat as a tracer. Summertime tidal oscillation of cross-shelf thermal fronts on the South Atlantic Bight provided a sufficient signal at the sediment–water interface to trace the advective and conductive transport of heat into and out of the seabed, indicating rapid flushing of ocean water through the upper 10–40 cm of the sandy seafloor. A newly developed transport model was applied to the in situ temperature data set to estimate the extent to which heat was transported by advection rather than conduction. Heat transported by shallow 3-D porewater flow processes was accounted for in the model by using a dispersion term, the depth and intensity of which reflected the depth and intensity of shallow flushing. Similar to the results of past studies in shallower and more energetic nearshore settings, transport of heat was greater when higher near-bed velocities and shear stresses occurred over a rippled bed. However, boundary layer processes by themselves were insufficient to promote non-conductive heat transport. Advective heat transport only occurred when both larger boundary layer stresses and thermal instabilities within the porespace were present. The latter process is dependent on shelf-scale heating and cooling of bottom water associated with upwelling events that are not coupled to local-scale boundary layer processes.     

Theoretical study and simulation of moisture transport in unsaturated porous media by periodic homogenization

In this work, the macroscopic Richards equation for moisture transport is established in unsaturated porous media using periodic homogenization. By performing dimensional analysis on microscopic equations of moisture transfer, dimensional numbers characterizing moisture transport appear. The application of the asymptotic homogenization leads to the classical Richards equation, which is justified rigorously this way. Moreover, we obtain an accurate definition of the homogenized diffusion tensor of moisture involving the geometric properties of the microstructure and known transport properties of the material. A different behavior for the transport of water vapor between hygroscopic and super‐hygroscopic region is revealed. Finally, a simple 2D example where an analytical solution exists is addressed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于混合物理论的水力-化学-力学污染物输运模型研究

由于废弃物的堆积以及填埋场上覆盖层的重量,衬垫因此承受一定的压力,发生力学固结;由于黏土本身的结构特性,当污染物通过黏土垫层时可能会发生化学固结,而固结作用可直接对污染物的对流输运产生影响,也会引起土层体积和结构的变化,从而改变其固有的输运性质。从混合物理论出发,建立了水力-化学-力学作用下的溶质输运理论框架,统一地描述了水力-化学-力学作用下变形、水的吸附或解吸附、对流和扩散现象。将输运系数考虑为有效孔隙率的函数,由此反映固结对输运参数的影响。对所建立的数学模型进行无量纲化处理,并使用有限元软件COMSOL Multiphysics进行求解,最后进行了参数分析。研究结果表明,垫层土体中吸附水和自由水之间的化学势差异越大,层间吸附水的解吸附量越大;当土体的软硬性质不同时,当层间吸附水解吸附后,土体固结程度不同,从而对污染物输运过程的影响不同。而当垫层上覆荷载增大时,土体宏观孔隙的扩张的限制作用增强,从而对土体产生一种修复作用,抑制污染物在土体中的输运。     

Upscaling local-scale transport processes in large-scale relief dynamics

The objective of this paper is to discuss the form and parameters of the macroscopic continent-scale erosion law. The law comes from a spatial integration of local transport processes on the resulting topography. It thus depends on the relief/drainage organization that results from the development of geomorphic instabilities such as differential incisions.Assuming local transport processes to depend on local slope and water discharge, we have calculated topographic evolution to derive the characteristic time scales of erosion dynamics. We especially focused on the case of a declining plateau which presents two main phases: a first phase when the drainage pattern establishes, and a declining phase when topography decreases almost exponentially in the absence of tectonic input. The latter phase is characterized by a time scale which depends on the system size, on the organization of the drainage network, and on the parameters of the transport process. We show that the macroscopic erosion law has the characteristics of an abnormal diffusion whose basic time-length exponent a is determined by the parameters of the fluvial process. This result sheds new light on the observed negative correlation between current denudation rates and drainage areas in world-wide fluvial watersheds.     

北欧海深层水的研究进展简

As a connection region between North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, the Nordic Sea plays a critical role in global climate system. In the Nordic Seas, surface water converts into intermediate water and deep water after cooling and other effects. These waters transport southward, and enter into North Atlantic as a form of overflow, therefore, they are the main source of the North Atlantic Deep Water(NADW), which play a key role in global ocean conveyor. The causes and processes of the deep water formation in the Nordic Seas are still uncertain. Based on a review of current and historical research results of the deep water in the Nordic Seas, the most important process for deep water formation convection is addressed. Factors and physical processes that may have impact on deep water formation are summarized. The transport of deep water in the Nordic Seas is summed up. Multi year variation of the deep water is described with the aim of giving some instructions and research directions to the readers.     

Sublimation pressure and sublimation enthalpy of H2O ice Ih between 0 and 273.16 K

The sublimation of water in the region of extremely low pressures and temperatures meets increasing interest for the exploration of icy cosmic bodies. At temperatures below 130 K, the shape of the sublimation curve of H₂O is not known; neither experimental data nor theoretical treatments exist for this region. Based upon theoretical upper and lower bounds for the heat capacity of water vapor in this range, a narrow region in the pressure-temperature diagram is identified which must necessarily enclose the sublimation curve down to virtually any lower pressures and temperatures. Within this region, an approximate sublimation curve is computed from the 2006 Gibbs potential of ice Ih, using available heat capacity data points of water vapor between 10 and 130 K. The theoretical zero-point limiting law of the sublimation pressure is derived. Valid between 20 and 273.16 K, correlation equations for the sublimation enthalpy and the sublimation pressure are fitted to the computed data. All quantities are expressed in the 1990 temperature scale ITS-90. Under cosmic conditions, our results suggest that the sublimation of ice is unlikely below 50 K and impossible below 23 K.     

Effectiveness of time-series analysis for thermal plume propagation assessment in an open-loop groundwater heat pump plant

Thermal perturbation produced in the subsurface by open-loop groundwater heat pumps (GWHPs) represents a complex transport phenomenon that is affected by several factors, including intrinsic characteristics of the exploited aquifer, abstraction and reinjection well features, and the temporal dynamics of the accessed groundwater. Post-GWHP water may have become warmed or cooled before being reinjected into the aquifer, thereby creating a thermal plume, known as the thermal affected zone (TAZ), which can alter aquifer temperature. The TAZ is propagated mainly by advection, after which the plume tends to degrade via conductive heat transport and convection within moving water. Groundwater monitoring and multiparametric probes are used to check the dynamics of plume propagation and whether a system’s thermal plumes are generating unsuitable interference with wells, subsurface infrastructure, or land use. Analyses of time-series groundwater monitoring data can be used to monitor TAZ movement. In this paper, the thermal plume velocity was calculated by both an analytical solution and cross-correlation. Cross-correlation calculated between temperature measured in the reinjection well and control downstream piezometers can reveal plume dynamics and demonstrate the importance of advective transport in aquifer heat transfer.     

东亚夏季风水汽输送带及其对中国大暴雨与洪涝灾害的影响

东亚夏季风每年给中国东部地区带来充沛的降水，是中国水资源的主要来源，同时也常常给中国造成严重的洪涝灾害。东亚夏季风水汽输送的强度、影响范围和持续性在极端暴雨过程中起着关键的作用。这支夏季风气流的水汽输送带可称为东亚季风水汽输送带，与国际上近期提出的"大气河"概念相近，但又不完全相同。东亚夏季风水汽输送带是东亚夏季风最具地区性的特征，也是东亚地区夏季大暴雨和洪涝的制造者。本文根据近百年来的资料，综合评述了东亚夏季风水汽输送带的特征和形成原因，并以海河、黄河、淮河与长江近百年最强的5次持续大暴雨过程为例，分析了季风水汽输送带的重要作用。最后，提出气候变暖可以通过4个方面影响全球水循环，包括气候变暖后大气可容纳更多的水汽、大气环流发生变化、辐射强迫改变以及气溶胶影响的区域性等，这些变化都会对季风水汽输送带产生重要影响。     

岩溶区地下水数值模拟研究进展

岩溶含水介质的不均一性导致岩溶地下水流动、溶质运移和热量迁移的数学模拟研究成为地下水模拟的难点。本文综述了岩溶区地下水流模拟的几种方法,重点阐述了等效多孔介质法、双重连续介质法和三重介质法的定义、发展过程和适用范围,并回顾了这几种方法的研究成果。从等效多孔介质法到三重介质法,模拟精度不断提高,适用范围也逐渐由大区域实际问题向小区域理论研究过渡。介绍了溶质运移模拟和热迁移模拟的研究方法及实例。溶质运移模拟以对流弥散方程为基础,其中尺度效应是溶质运移模拟的重点研究问题;热量迁移模拟应考虑地下热水密度变化对地下热水运动的影响。溶质运移模拟和热量迁移模拟往往是将迁移模型和已经调试成功的地下水流动模型相耦合,从而达到模拟溶质及热量迁移的目的。由于溶质运移和热量迁移的复杂性,现阶段水流模型多数处于等效多孔介质模型阶段。综合理论及实际应用,指出精确刻画裂隙及管道和注重基础数学算法是岩溶水数值模拟进步的关键。      

东亚夏季风水汽输送带及其对中国大暴雨与洪涝灾害的影响

东亚夏季风每年给中国东部地区带来充沛的降水，是中国水资源的主要来源，同时也常常给中国造成严重的洪涝灾害。东亚夏季风水汽输送的强度、影响范围和持续性在极端暴雨过程中起着关键的作用。这支夏季风气流的水汽输送带可称为东亚季风水汽输送带，与国际上近期提出的"大气河"概念相近，但又不完全相同。东亚夏季风水汽输送带是东亚夏季风最具地区性的特征，也是东亚地区夏季大暴雨和洪涝的制造者。本文根据近百年来的资料，综合评述了东亚夏季风水汽输送带的特征和形成原因，并以海河、黄河、淮河与长江近百年最强的5次持续大暴雨过程为例，分析了季风水汽输送带的重要作用。最后，提出气候变暖可以通过4个方面影响全球水循环，包括气候变暖后大气可容纳更多的水汽、大气环流发生变化、辐射强迫改变以及气溶胶影响的区域性等，这些变化都会对季风水汽输送带产生重要影响。     

Response of hydrothermal activity in different types of soil at ground surface to rainfall in permafrost region

In order to understand the hydrothermal activity mechanism of active layers to rainfall in permafrost regions caused by humidification of climate, the differences of ground surface energy balance and hydrothermal activity in different types of shallow soil with the consideration of rainfall were discussed. Based on the meteorological data in 2013 observed at Beiluhe observation station of Tibet Plateau, three types of shallow ground soil (i.e., sandy soil, sandy loam and silty clay) were selected to compare the differences in the water content and energy balance at the ground surface, dynamic processes of water and energy transport in active layers and coupling mechanism under rainfall condition in the plateau using a coupled water-vapor-heat transport model. The results show that the increase of soil particle size leads to the increase of surface net radiation and latent heat of evaporation, but the decrease of soil heat flux. The difference of surface energy balance, especially the sensible heat flux and latent heat of evaporation, are larger in the warm season but smaller in the cold season. The liquid water transport under hydraulic gradient and the water-vapor transport under thermal gradient are obvious as the particle size in soil increases. However, the water-vapor flux under thermal gradient increases but the liquid water flux under hydraulic potential gradient decreases. As a result, the water content in shallow soil decreases accordingly but it increases slightly at the depth of 25 ~75 cm. Moreover, with the increase of soil particle size, the thermal conductivity of soil, convective heat transfer under rainfall and surface evaporation increase, but the soil heat conduction flux and soil temperature gradient decrease. Thus, soil temperature in sandy soil is much higher than that of sandy loam and silty clay at the same depth. The permafrost table declines with the increase of the thickness of active layer, which is unfavourable to permafrost stability. The results can provide theoretical reference for stability prediction and protection of permafrost caused by humidification of climate.     

Heat transport in serpentinites

The thermal transport properties thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity were examined for a variety of serpentinites as a function of temperature at ambient pressure. The thermal transport properties of serpentinites show an extraordinary behavior. Besides the common 1/T decrease in thermal transport properties with increasing temperature, which can be related to an increase in phonon–phonon interactions with increasing temperature, an oscillation of thermal conductivity is observed with maxima around 450 and 850 K. This oscillation is linkable to water release of surficially bounded water and water in pores (450 K) and the dehydration of serpentinite (850 K). The oscillations are explained by advective heat transfer during dehydration, reaching up to 30% of the overall heat transport. The dehydration of serpentinites was examined by XRD and Thermo-Gravimetry and Differential Thermal Analysis/Differential Scanning Calorimeters (TG/DSC) investigations, indicating that the dehydration reaction is kinetically hindered and the crystallization of the product phases are observed at ≈1060 K, more than 200 K above the equilibrium of dehydration reactions. The conductive heat transfer by phonons shows a minor temperature variation and dominates thermal diffusivity. Ultrasonic sound velocities as a function of temperature [J. Geophys. Res. 102 (1997) 3051] were used to derive the mean free path length of phonons, which decreases from 0.28 to 0.2 nm at high temperatures. This is in the same order of magnitude as the interatomic distance of O–O, Al–O and Si–O restricting the minimum distance for phononic movement. A high anisotropy in thermal transport properties of single crystallites is concluded from its structure and elastic behaviour. However, the examined samples are macroscopically isotropic. The pressure and temperature dependence of conductive heat transport of an average serpentinite is given by λ=(1/(A+BT))(1+βP) W/m K, with A=0.3638 m K/W, B=0.000244 m/W and β=0.148 GPa⁻¹.     

THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF AN IMPERVIOUS,HEATED-CYLINDER ‘GROUNDWATER VELOCIMETER’

An isothermally heated, impervious cylinder, which is placed normal to the path of flowing groundwater, is theoretically evaluated for its potential to serve as a kind of ‘groundwater velocimeter’. The essential task is to determine whether the variation in heat output along the cylinder perimeter is sufficiently large to permit measurement for typical groundwater velocities. Using finite elements, the governing equations of advective thermal transport in saturated porous media are solved to obtain the variation in heat output along the circumference of the heated cylinder. An annular region of different hydraulic conductivity is assumed to separate the cylinder from the surrounding formation. The creation of such a region during placement of a cylinder is inevitable. A parametric study led to the following conclusions: (1) A smaller cylinder radius is preferable since the time to achieve a particular degree of asymmetry in heat output is then greatly reduced. (2) An annular region of lower hydraulic conductivity, relative to formation, reduces output asymmetry by no more than 25%, but if hydraulic conductivity is increased, output asymmetry can increase several times. (3) For annular regions having a higher hydraulic conductivity than the surrounding formation, annular thickness is not important. (4) The least groundwater speed which may be accurately measured by such a device will depend heavily upon instrumentation but is tentatively placed at about 5⋅0×10⁻⁵ cm/s. Theoretical results are approximately confirmed by preliminary experiments with a prototype device which has been constructed so as to directly measure the expected variation in thermal output. Partial construction details are provided.     

Modeling the effects of the variability of temperature-related dynamic viscosity on the thermal-affected zone of groundwater heat-pump systems

Thermal perturbation in the subsurface produced in an open-loop groundwater heat pump (GWHP) plant is a complex transport phenomenon affected by several factors, including the exploited aquifer’s hydrogeological and thermal characteristics, well construction features, and the temporal dynamics of the plant’s groundwater abstraction and reinjection system. Hydraulic conductivity has a major influence on heat transport because plume propagation, which occurs primarily through advection, tends to degrade following conductive heat transport and convection within moving water. Hydraulic conductivity is, in turn, influenced by water reinjection because the dynamic viscosity of groundwater varies with temperature. This paper reports on a computational analysis conducted using FEFLOW software to quantify how the thermal-affected zone (TAZ) is influenced by the variation in dynamic viscosity due to reinjected groundwater in a well-doublet scheme. The modeling results demonstrate non-negligible groundwater dynamic-viscosity variation that affects thermal plume propagation in the aquifer. This influence on TAZ calculation was enhanced for aquifers with high intrinsic permeability and/or substantial temperature differences between abstracted and post-heat-pump-reinjected groundwater.

     

西风带与季风对中国西北地区的水汽输送

利用美国国家环境保护委员会/国家大气研究中心(NCEP/NCAR)再分析气候资料,分析了西风带与季风对我国西北地区水汽输送的作用。分析表明,大气水汽输送在西北地区的3个分区特征非常明显:高原切变线以南,主要是来自西南季风的水汽输送;高原切变线以北,主要是来自西风带的水汽输送;高原切变线向东北方向的延长部位是一鞍型区,为西风带与西南季风的共同影响区。青藏高原东部的西南季风气流有绕行和向北翻越青藏高原的水汽输送;而在青藏高原中西部地区,主要是由青藏高原周边向主体的水汽输送,没有明显的翻越青藏高原的水汽输送。在青藏高原以北的大部分地区以对流层中层的水汽输送为主;在青藏高原南部以低层水汽输送为主。在青藏高原以北的大部分地区,水汽输送为辐散,即输入的水汽又被扩散出去了;在青藏高原主体和我国西北地区东部为水汽输送的辐合区。西风带的水汽输送为我国西北大部分地区提供了基本的水汽来源,西风变化对其水汽输送通量散度年际变化有直接的作用;南亚夏季风通过西南季风气流水汽输送直接影响我国西北地区南部和东部,并且,其变化通过环流结构调整影响西风带的波动,进而影响西风带对西北地区的水汽输送。     

Modelling of rock alteration due to coupled heat and mass transport

 A three-dimensional computer model is presented for studying the interaction of heat and mass transport regarding the temporal and spatial evolution of sandstones. The model simulates coupled heat and reactive mass transport in porous rocks. In general, mineral solubilities in water are low. Therefore, large fluid volumes are required to flow through the rock to explain observed mineral cements in sandstones. Besides mass transport, pore fluids transport heat which modifies rock temperatures. Very high flow rates result in strong temperature modifications and, therefore, enhance diagenesis. Low flow rates often cannot account for observed cementation. The model results show the effect of advective, convective and conductive heat transport on temperature and diagenetic evolution of sandstones for two different flow systems in a simple geological environment. Received: 6 August 1996/Accepted: 18 December 1996     

A review on using heat as a tool for studying groundwater–surface water interactions

In terms of the research on groundwater–surface water heat-tracing methods, investigation of the interactions within the compound system of the groundwater–surface water–hyporheic zone can effectively reveal the relevant physicochemical processes and microbial properties. The evaluation of these properties represents a key component in qualitative and quantitative research on groundwater–surface water interactions. Therefore, this paper reviews the research results on groundwater–surface water interactions achieved by related researchers using heat as a natural tracer over the last decade. In connection with the application of heat-tracing theory to the basic principles of hyporheic exchange between groundwater and surface water, research on groundwater–surface water interaction through one-dimensional steady-state and transient-state heat transport analytical models, techniques to collect and analyze temperature time series data, and numerical simulation technology is reviewed. In addition, directions for future research using groundwater–surface water heat-tracing methods are suggested. First, hypothetical, difficult temperature boundary and hydrogeological conditions require further research. Second, hydrodynamic exchange capacity and the processes of heat exchange and solute concentration exchange in the hyporheic zone alongside riverbeds should be appropriately and accurately measured under multi-scale influences. Third, the overall study of the heat transport process inside the hyporheic zone induced by complex riverbed forms should be performed, and the response mechanism of riverbed hyporheic exchanges driven by riverbed form, the hydrodynamic force of surface water, and sediment permeability should be revealed. The objectives and goals of this paper are to encourage scholars interested in analyzing groundwater–surface water interactions using heat as a tracer to creatively solve practical problems and to improve the ecological functions of river aquatic habitats through new research results.     

中国西北地区水汽的平流输送和辐合输送

分析了中国西北地区上空的水汽汇聚过程———平流输送与辐合输送,为西北地区降水过程数值模拟的参数化提供依据.分析表明:中国西北大部分地区为负的水汽平流输送,从上风方向得到的水汽输入小于水汽输出,是水汽的净流失区;中国西北地区中部为大范围负的水汽辐合输送,当地的水汽由风场向外扩散,加剧了当地的水分流失,是水汽扩散区;在水汽净输送的年际变化中,中国西北地区小于华北地区,平流输送呈上升趋势,辐合输送下降,平流的相对贡献在增加;在与大气环流系统的关系中,中国西北地区水汽的平流输送主要受西风带影响,辐合输送与南亚夏季风有显著相关.变化趋势表明西风的作用在加强.