Spatial–temporal characteristics of surface water quality in the Taihu Basin,China

Taihu Basin is one of the most developed and industrialized regions in China. In the last two decades, rapid development of economy as well as an increase in population has resulted in an increase of pollutants produced and discharged into rivers and lakes. Much more attention has been paid on the serious water pollution problems due to high frequency of algal blooming. The dataset, obtained during the period 2001–2002 from the Water Resources Protection Bureau of the Taihu Basin, consisted of eight physicochemical variables surveyed monthly at 22 sampling sites in the Taihu Basin, China. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were used to identify the characteristics of the surface water quality in the studied area. The temporal and spatial variations of water quality were also evaluated by using the fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) method. PCA extracted the first two principal components (PCs), explaining 86.18% of the total variance of the raw data. Especially, PC1 (73.72%) had strong positive correlation with DO, and was negatively associated with COD_Mn, COD, BOD, NH₄ ⁺–N, TP and TN. PC2 (12.46%) was characterized by pH. CA showed that most sites were highly polluted by industrial and domestic wastewater which contributed significantly to PC1. The sites located in the west of Lake Taihu were influenced by farmland runoff which may contribute to nitrogen pollution of Lake Taihu, whereas the monitoring sites in the eastern of Lake Taihu demonstrated that urban residential subsistence and domestic wastewater are the major contaminants. FSE indicates that there is no obvious variance between 2001 and 2002 among most sites. Only several sites free from point-source pollution appear to exhibit good water quality through the studied period.     

Assessing agricultural drought management strategies in the Northern Murray–Darling Basin

Natural Hazards - The Northern Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) is a key Australian agricultural region requiring efficient Agricultural Drought Management (ADM), focused on resilience. Although a...     

Assessing precipitation variations in the Yangtze River Basin during 1979–2019 by vertically integrated moisture flux divergence

Natural Hazards - Spatiotemporal variations in precipitation are closely related to vertically integrated moisture flux divergence (VIMD), where the extremes further cause natural disasters. Based...     

Spatial–temporal trends of Late Mesozoic plume magmatism in the Arctic during formation of the Amerasian Basin

The spatial and temporal characteristics of magmatism caused by the Barents–Amerasian Jurassic–Cretaceous plume in conjunction with the geodynamics of destructive transformations of the lithosphere are presented here. The localities of manifestation of magmatism were concentrated mainly out of general contour of the areal occupied by the Siberian superplume, and they demonstrated certain gravitation to the Caledonide–Ellesmeride belts. This suggests an inherited position of both the J–K plume and the initial detachment zone produced by it: this led to formation of the Canadian Basin. The stages in the evolution and character of polycyclic multiphase plume magmatism are substantiated by the geochronology of magmatic provinces in the Arctic region during formation of the Amerasian Basin.     

Roles of climate changes and human interventions in land degradation: a case study by net primary productivity analysis in China’s Shiyanghe Basin

The Thornthwaite Memorial, Synthetic, and Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) models, with inputs from SPOT-VGT-S10 NDVI data, meteorological data (precipitation, temperature, solar radiation), and land use data were used to estimate the values of net primary productivity (NPP) from 1999 to 2007 in China’s Shiyanghe Basin. The human appropriation of NPP, which represents the difference between potential NPP predicted using the climatic models and actual NPP calculated using the CASA model, served as the indicator of human intervention in the evolution of productivity of the land. Analysis showed that 78.9% (~9,172 km²) of the degradation occurring in the Shiyanghe Basin was caused by human activities versus 15.0% (~1,752 km²) that was caused by climatic factors, whereas 16.9% (~6,404.5 km²) of the vegetation restoration resulted from human activities versus 49.7% (~18,881 km²) that resulted from climate changes. Human activity played a key role in vegetation restoration in the central areas of the basin and in determining land degradation in the southwestern and northeastern areas. In addition, climate significantly controlled the vegetation restoration in the southwestern and northeastern areas and controlled land degradation in the central area.     

Paleogeographic conditions in the West Siberian Basin during the Tithonian–Early Berriasian

Based on facies, structural, and general paleogeographic analyses, new models of the bottom topography and accumulation of the Tithonian–Early Berriasian Bazhenov Formation (West Siberian Basin) are proposed. According to these patterns, quite a low proportion of the terrigenous material in the high-carbon facies of the Bazhenov Formation can be explained by its accumulation in relatively deep troughs that frame the uplifted shallow-water central part of the West Siberian basin. In addition, the structure and dynamics of ocean currents are considered. During the Tithonian–Early Berriasian, these currents were related to the aeration stages of bottom waters enriched in hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. As a result of the convection of the water mass suffocation periods occurred.     

Areas of the U.S. wildland–urban interface threatened by wildfire during the 2001–2010 decade

The wildland–urban interface (WUI) is defined in terms of housing density and proximity to wildlands, yet its relevance seems to be only in conjunction with wildland fire threats. The objective of this paper is to (1) identify the WUI areas threatened from wildfire during the 2000’s and (2) quantify the values that were threatened. We use 1 km fire detection data generated using MODIS satellite imagery over a 10-year period combined with population densities to identify threatened areas of the WUI. We then use data on structures, structure content, and population to identify the people and property threatened from identified fires within the WUI. We find that 6.3 % of the U.S. population (17.5 million) resided within these areas and that 2.1 % of the population lived in WUI areas where more than one fire has occurred. However, we find that only a third of the affected population was threatened during daytime hours, as most leave the threatened portion of the WUI during peak ignition hours. The threatened area comprised 4.1 % of the coterminous USA and 44.9 % of the WUI. Within these areas were 7.8 million residential, commercial, industrial, governmental, religious, and educational structures, with a building and building content value estimated at $1.9 trillion. Overall, 7.3 % of residential structures in the USA were found within the WUI with wildfire activity; however, for some states, this number was as high as 25.4 %.     

Assessing the impact of climate change on Mogan and Eymir Lakes’ levels in Central Turkey

Global warming is likely to have significant effect on the hydrological cycle. Some parts of the world may see significant reductions in precipitation or major alterations in the timing of wet and dry seasons. Climate change is one of the serious pressures facing water resources and their management over the next few years and decades. As part of the southern belt of Mediterranean Europe, Turkey is highly vulnerable to anticipated climate change impacts. The changes in global climate will seriously affect inland freshwater ecosystems and coastal lakes. Mogan and Eymir Lakes located in Central Turkey are shallow lakes that may be impacted significantly by climate change. The interaction between the lakes and groundwater system has been modelled in order to analyse the response of lake levels to climate change over a planning period of 96 years, beginning from October 2004 and ending in September 2100. The impacts of the emission scenarios of A2 and B1 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on lake levels have been analyzed with the help of the lake-aquifer simulation model. The fluctuations in lake levels due to climate change scenarios are compared with the results of a scenario generated by the assumption of the continuation of the average recharge and discharge conditions observed for 1999 and 2004. The results show that very small, but long-term changes to precipitation and temperature have the potential to cause significant declines in lake levels and temporary drying of the lakes in the long-term. The impact of climate change on lake levels will depend on how these water resources are managed in the future.     

Condition of development of collapse structure in the southern–central Atlassic Tunisia case study to Gafsa Basin

The Bou Omrane is an example of southern–central Atlassic Tunisian folds, this massive is presented by an anticline delimited by a NE–SW thrust. The geometry study of this anticline (hinge and subvertical layers) associated to structural and stratigraphic correlation confirms the development of structures according to “fault propagation fold” model. Using numerical software Rampe 1.3.0, the balanced cross-sections demonstrate the complicated growth of Bou Omrane anticline. The resulted structure is obtained by thrusting on breakthrough coupled to blockage of ramp on the back limb. All these condition confirm the role of diversity of tectonics events and the inheritance tectonics notion associated with the reactivation of pre-existing faults on the genesis of folds and the development of collapse structures according to more than one decollement level.     

Analysis on the sources of mercury in soils in the Chengdu Basin, China

Mercury is a pollutant of concern due to its toxic and bioaccumulative properties. Studies on the distribution and hazard of mercury in the environment are mainly focused on its forms, toxicity and the environment standard, and progresses and results have been achieved. But these studies in the past were concentrated on the scales of laboratory or smaller districts merely, such as a small unit of mineral area, vegetable base, paddy field, lake, etc. Multi-target regional geochemical survey carried out by China Geological Survey from the 1990s to now is a fundamental and commonweal geological survey, large-scale and systematical inquisition and research were conducted in 19 provinces （or municipalities directly under the Central Government） in the eastern overlay region of China, and the purpose is to provide the basic geochemical data for national economic construction, adjustment of industrial and agricultural structures and sustainable social development. Geochemical studies aim at investigating soils in these regions and 52 elements have been tested, producing a great amount of data at the same time. Methods： based on the data from 3061 samples of surface soil and 832 samples of deep soil from the project of multi-purpose geochemical survey in the Chengdu Basin, Sichuan, China, this paper describes the correlation relationship between Hg and other 48 elements and their spatial distribution in surface and deep soils of these areas by applying the method of linear regression and factor analysis.     

Seasonal statistical analysis of the impact of meteorological factors on fine particle pollution in China in 2013–2017

Based on long-term PM_2.5 data observed at high temporal and spatial resolution, the relationships between PM_2.5, primary emission, and weather factors in China during four seasons were examined using statistical analysis. The results reveal that primary emission plays a decisive role in the spatial distribution and seasonal variability of PM_2.5, except in western China, where PM_2.5 is controlled by dust weather. In addition to the accumulation of primary emissions, unfavorable meteorological conditions for the diffusion of air pollution lead to the occurrence of PM_2.5 pollution. The significant dynamic factors affecting PM_2.5 concentration are surface wind speed, planet boundary layer height, and ventilation coefficient, especially in winter. The ventilation coefficient is inversely correlated with PM_2.5. Better ventilation is more favorable for the dilution and outflow of local PM_2.5. However, in spring and autumn, ventilation coefficient and PM_2.5 are positively correlated over the southern regions with low emission, indicating that ventilation also affects the inflow of PM_2.5 from outside the region. Wind shear, 850 hPa divergence, and vertical velocity have insignificant effects on the long-term variations in PM_2.5. The significant thermal factor is 850 hPa temperature in winter, except in the Pearl River Delta and Xinjiang regions. In spring, the influence of each thermal factor is weak. In summer, the influences of temperature and humidity are more significant than in spring. In autumn, the influence of humidity is relatively obvious, compared with other thermal factors. The correlation coefficients between multi-factors regressed and observed PM_2.5 concentrations pass the 95% confidence test, and are higher than that of single-factor regression over most regions. The observed data from December 2016 to February 2017 were chosen to test the regression equation. The test result reveals that the regression equation is effective for predicting PM_2.5 concentrations over regions with high primary emission.     

Formation of the disk structure and jets in the symbiotic system Z and during periods of activity in 2006–2010

We present an analysis of spectrophotometric observations of the latest cycle of activity of the symbiotic binary Z And from 2006 to 2010. We estimate the temperature of the hot component of Z And to be ≈150 000−170 000 K at minimum brightness, decreasing to ≈90 000 K at the brightness maximum. Our estimate of the electron density in the gaseous nebula is N _e = 10¹⁰−10¹² cm⁻³ in the region of formation of lines of neutral helium and N _e = 10⁶−10⁷ cm⁻³ in the region of formation of the [OIII] and [NeIII] nebular lines. A trend for the gas density derived from helium lines to increase and the gas density derived from [OIII] and [NeIII] lines to simultaneously decrease with increasing brightness of the system was observed. Our estimates show that the ratios of the theoretical and observed fluxes in the [OIII] and [NeIII] lines agree best when the O/Ne ratio is similar to its value for planetary nebulae. The model spectral energy distribution showed that, in addition to a cool component and gaseous nebula, a relatively cool pseudophotosphere (5250–11 500 K) is present in the system. The simultaneous presence of a relatively cool pseudophotosphere and high-ionization spectral lines is probably related to a disk-like structure of the pseudophotosphere. The pseudophotosphere formed very rapidly—over several weeks—during a period of increasing brightness of Z And. We infer that in 2009, as in 2006, the activity of the system was accompanied by a collimated bipolar ejection of matter (jets). In contrast to the situation in 2006, the jets were detected even before the system reached its maximum brightness. Moreover, components with velocities close to 1200 km/s disappeared at the maximum, while those with velocities close to 1800 km/s appeared.     

Geochemical evolution of groundwater in the Cambrian–Vendian aquifer system of the Baltic Basin

The shallowly buried marginal part of the Cambrian–Vendian confined aquifer system of the Baltic Basin is characterised by fresh and low δ¹⁸O composition water, whereas the deeply settled parts of the aquifer are characterized by typical Na–Ca–Cl basinal brines. Spatial variation in water geochemistry and stable isotope composition suggests mixing origin of the diluted water of three end-members—glacial melt water of the Weichselian Ice Age (115 000–10 000 BP), Na–Ca–Cl composition basin brine and modern meteoric water. The mixing has occurred in two stages. First, the intrusion and mixing of isotopically depleted glacial waters with basinal brines occurred during the Pleistocene glacial periods when the subglacial melt-water with high hydraulic gradient penetrated into the aquifer. The second stage of mixing takes place nowadays by intrusion of meteoric waters. The freshened water at the northern margin of the basin has acquired a partial equilibrium with the weakly cemented rock matrix of the aquifer.     

Variability of the blazar 3C 454.3 during 2007–2010

Results are presented of multicolor observations of the blazar 3C 454.3 carried out at the Astronomical Institute of St. Petersburg State University and the Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2007–2010. The color variability of the blazar is analyzed. Several outbursts were observed. The existence of two variable synchrotron sources is inferred. The first is responsible for the small-amplitude flux variability, and the second for flares. In each flare, the relative spectral energy distribution (SED) of the variable source is found to be constant. All the SEDs are power laws, but with different spectral indexes in different flares. This indicates the impossibility of explaining the global variability only via a difference in Doppler boosting due to variations of the angle between the line of sight and the velocity of the electrons responsible for the synchrotron radiation. The polarimetric and photometric observations are used to derive the absolute SED of constant component. A comparison of the observed SEDs for different brightness levels with the SED of the constant componentmakes it possible to explain the observed color variability as due to the superposition of a bluer variable source with a constant SED and variable flux onto the constant component.     

Temporal and spatial changes in coastline movement of the Yangtze delta during 1974–2010

The evolution of the Yangtze delta, where the largest economic zone (e.g. Shanghai) in China is located, directly affects the regional economic development and ecoenvironment. The mean high tide lines as the coastline delineated from multi-temporal remote sensing data of Landsat during 1974–2010 at intervals of about 8 years were used to examine the shoreline progradation and recession of the Yangtze delta in the past four decades. Our results show that significant parts of the shoreline in the Yangtze delta in the past four decades and particularly after the operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), the world’s largest hydropower project ever built, experienced continual progradation despite a substantial decrease in the Yangtze sediment input. During 1974–2010, the area of the Yangtze subaerial delta increased by 667 km² with a net progradation rate of 18.5 km²/yr, and the maximum progradation occurred at the eastern parts of Chongming Island and Nanhui bank, where the coastline advanced seaward about 8 and 6 km, respectively, with mean net progradation rates of 0.22 and 0.17 km/yr, respectively. An important (probably dominant) reason for the Yangtze shoreline progradation despite markedly decreased riverine sediment supply is coastal engineering, such as sea reclamation works, filling project, and wharf constructions.     

The place of ecological–geophysical studies in the system of urban ecology

According to the forecasts of the World Health Organization, 70% of the world’s population will have lived in large and small cities by 2050. This means that more than two-thirds of the planet’s population will become a part of new natural-technical formation, that is, geobiotechnoecosystems. Such ecosystems are characterized by profound changes in natural properties during active human impacts and by acquiring new qualities. The changes manifest themselves in all ecological functions of the terrestrial spheres: the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the lithosphere, including a change in the geophysical (energetic) potential as well. The presented material can be considered as a basis for the formation of Geophysical Urban Ecology, which is a new scientific and practical field.     

Origin of petroleum in the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian South Oman Salt Basin

The South Oman Salt Basin (SOSB) is host to the world’s oldest known commercial deposits. Most of the South Oman oils have been proven to be associated with the source rocks of the Neoproterozoic to Cambrian Huqf Supergroup, but the assignment of oils to specific Huqf intervals or facies has been hampered by the geochemical similarity of the organic matter across the entire Huqf sequence, possibly as a consequence of limited change in the local palaeoenvironment and biota over the time of its deposition. This study was conducted to establish improved correlations between organic-rich rock units and reservoir fluids in the SOSB through detailed molecular and isotopic analysis of the Huqf Supergroup, with special emphasis directed towards understanding the Ara carbonate stringer play.Unusual biomarkers, tentatively identified as A-norsteranes, show distinctive patterns among carbonate stringer oils and rocks different from those observed in Nafun sediments and Ara rocks from the Athel basin. These putative A-norsteranes form the basis for new oil-source correlations in the SOSB and provide for the first time geochemical evidence of a self-charging mechanism for the carbonate stringer play. The paucity of markers specific to the Nafun Group (Shuram, Buah and Masirah Bay formations) confounds attempts to quantify their respective contributions to Huqf oil accumulations. Nafun inputs can only be determined on the basis of subtle differences between Nafun and Ara biomarker ratios. The most useful geochemical characteristics delineating Nafun Group organic matter from Ara Group intra-salt source rocks included: low relative abundance of mid-chain monomethyl alkanes (X-compounds); low relative abundance of gammacerane, 28,30-dinorhopane, 25,28,30-trinorhopane and 2-methylhopanes; low C₂₂T/C₂₁T and high C₂₃T/C₂₄T cheilanthanes ratio values. Based on these parameters, molecular evidence for major contributions of liquid hydrocarbons from Nafun Group sediments (Shuram, Buah and Masirah Bay formations) is lacking. Our results suggest that the majority of SOSB hydrocarbon accumulations originate from within the Ara group, either from the carbonate stringers or from the package of sediments that comprises the Thuleilat, Athel Silicilyte and U shale formations. Subtle aspects of the composition of some carbonate stringer and post-salt Huqf oils could suggest some degree of sourcing from the Nafun rocks but stronger evidence is needed to confirm this.     

Arman’ Flora of the magadan region and development of floras in the North Pacific during the Albian-Paleocene

The Arman’ Flora from volcanogenic-sedimentary deposits in the Arman’ River basin and Naraula Formation in the Nel’kandzha-Khasyn interfluve includes 82 species of fossil plants comprising liverworts, horsetails, ferns, caytonealeans, cycadaleans, ginkgoaleans, czekanowskialeans, conifers, gymnosperms incertae sedis, and angiosperms. The Arman’ Flora appears to be of Turonian-Coniacian age, as it is close to the reliably dated Penzhina and Kaivayam floras from the Northwest Kamchatka and to Tyl’pegyrgynai Flora of the Pekul’nei Ridge. The dating is consistent with isotopic dates (⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and U-Pb SHRIMP) characterizing the age of plant-bearing sequences. Based on the considered position of the Arman’ Flora in the scheme of Cretaceous florogenesis, a leading role in that florogenesis was played by the gradual invasion of floras by new, angiosperm dominated, plant communities. These communities initially populated unstable habitats in the coastal lowlands of Northeast Asia and Alaska, gradually invading with time the Asiatic intracontinental areas. The peculiar combination of Early and Late Cretaceous plants characteristic of the Arman’ Flora is strong evidence that Cenophytic plant communities dominated by angiosperms colonized areas still populated in the Late Cretaceous by Mesophytic communities. Absence of Mesophytic and Cenophytic taxa mixing in the Arman’ Flora burials suggests a replacement of plant communities as whole rather than of separate plants by more advanced taxa.