Microbial populations in contaminant plumes

Received, May 1999/Revised, October 1999/Accepted, October 1999     

Nucleic-acid characterization of the identity and activity of subsurface microorganisms

Received, March 1999/Revised, May 1999/Accepted, June 1999     

Carbonate shedding and sedimentary cyclicities of a distally steepened carbonate ramp (Miocene, Great Bahama Bank)

Received: 10 May 1999 / Accepted: 16 October 1999     

Liquid hydrocarbon source-rock potential of mid-Cretaceous coals and coal measures in the Middle Benue Trough of Nigeria

Received: 23 March 1999 / Accepted: 25 August 1999     

Platform margin and oceanic sedimentation in a divergent and convergent plate setting (Jurassic, Pelagonian Zone, NE Evvoia, Greece)

Received: 25 June 1999 / Accepted: 30 November 1999     

Paleozoic amphibolite–granulite facies magmatic complexes in the hinterland of the Uralide Orogen

Received: 7 May 1999 / Accepted: 2 November 1999     

The significance of microbial processes in hydrogeology and geochemistry

2 (methanogenesis). In aquifers contaminated by anthropogenic contaminants, an excess of available organic carbon often exists, and microbial metabolism is limited by the availability of electron acceptors. In addition to changes in groundwater chemistry, the solid matrix of the aquifer is affected by microbial processes. The production of carbon dioxide and organic acids can lead to increased mineral solubility, which can lead to the development of secondary porosity and permeability. Conversely, microbial production of carbonate, ferrous iron, and sulfide can result in the precipitation of secondary calcite or pyrite cements that reduce primary porosity and permeability in groundwater systems. Received, January 1999/Revised, July 1999, August 1999/Accepted, October 1999     

Influence of dissimilatory metal reduction on fate of organic and metal contaminants in the subsurface

Geobacter become dominant members of the microbial community when Fe(III)-reducing conditions develop as the result of organic contamination, or when Fe(III) reduction is artificially stimulated. These results suggest that further understanding of the ecophysiology of Geobacter species would aid in better prediction of the natural attenuation of organic contaminants under anaerobic conditions and in the design of strategies for the bioremediation of subsurface metal contamination. Received, May 1999/Revised, October 1999/Accepted, October 1999     

Effects of horizontal strain in estimating specific storage and compaction in confined and leaky aquifer systems

 Mathematical and numerical distinctions are made between developments of governing equations involving groundwater flow and granular displacement where (1) only vertical strain and no change in total normal load are assumed, and (2) such limitations are eliminated. The former is referred to here as the Jacob-Terzaghi method; the latter is referred to as the Biot method. Numerical comparisons of drawdown, compaction, and strain are made for hypothetical confined and leaky aquifer systems for one- and three-dimensional strain problems. Simulation results indicate that incorporation of horizontal strain results in reduced drawdowns. Vertical compaction for a specified stress distribution is greatly reduced when horizontal strain is invoked. The distribution of strain components indicates that approximately two-thirds of the total volume strain originates from horizontal compaction in pumped aquifers. Incorporation of horizontal strain also affects the distribution of flux through the overlying confining layer as a function of distance from the pumping well and may ultimately affect the interpretation of aquifer-test data. Received, January 1999 / Revised, May 1999, August 1999 / Accepted, August 1999     

近期气候变暖念青唐古拉山拉弄冰川处于退缩状态

1999和2003年在念青唐古拉山冰川考察期间,采用GPS对拉弄冰川末端位置进行了测量,并将将测量结果与1970年航摄冰川末端位置进行对比分析.结果表明:1970-1999年拉弄冰川末端退缩了285m,平均年退缩量9.8m;1999-2003年拉弄冰川退缩13m,平均年退缩量3.25m.由于冰川对气候的响应有一定滞后性,近年来气候持续变暖将使拉弄冰川继续保持退缩状态.     

Rapid erosion of the coast of Sagar island, West Bengal - India

The coastal zone of the Sagar island has been studied. The island has been subjected to erosion by natural processes and to a little extent by anthropogenic activities over a long period. Major landforms identified in the coastal area of the Sagar island are the mud flats/salt marshes, sandy beaches/dunes and mangroves. The foreshore sediments are characterized by silty, slightly sandy mud, slightly silty sand and silty sand. Samples 500 m inland from high waterline are silty slightly sandy mud, and by clayey slightly sandy mud. The extent of coastline changes are made by comparing the topographic maps of 1967 and satellite imageries of 1996, 1998 and 1999. Between 1967 and 1999 about 29.8 km² of the island has been eroded and the accreted area is only 6.03 km². Between 1996 and 1998 the area underwent erosion of 13.64 km² while accretion was 0.48 km². From 1998 to 1999, 3.26 km² additional area was eroded with meager accretion. Erosion from 1997 to 1999 was estimated at 0.74 km² /year; however, from 1996 to 1999, the erosion rate was calculated as 5.47 km²/year. The areas severely affected by erosion are the northeastern, southwestern and southeastern faces of the island. As a consequence of coastal erosion, the mud flats/salt marshes, sandy beaches/dunes and mangroves have been eroded considerably. Deposition is experienced mainly on the western and southern part of the island. The island is built primarily by silt and clay, which can more easily be eroded by the waves, tides and cyclonic activities than a sandy coast. Historic sea level rises accompanied by land subsidence lead to differing rates of erosion at several pockets, thus periodically establishing new erosion planes.     

Sequence and isotope stratigraphy of Late Triassic distal periplatform limestones from the Northern Calcareous Alps (Kälberstein Quarry, Berchtesgaden Hallstatt Zone)

Received: 24 September 1998 / Accepted: 14 November 1999     

Some constraints on geochemical features in the Triassic mantle of the easternmost Austroalpine–Southalpine domain: evidence from the Karawanken pluton (Carinthia, Austria)

Received: 2 November 1998 / Accepted: 30 November 1999     

Slope sediments of a Paleocene ramp-to-basin transition in NE Egypt

Received: 9 November 1998 / Accepted: 6 October 1999     

Natural arsenic in Triassic rocks: A source of drinking-water contamination in Bavaria, Germany

 The aquifer system of the Upper Triassic Keuper Sandstone, an important source of drinking water in northern Bavaria, is affected by elevated arsenic concentrations. Within the study area of 8000 km², no evidence exists for any artificial source of arsenic. Data from about 500 deep water wells show that in approximately 160 wells arsenic concentrations are 10–150 μg/L. The regional distribution of arsenic in the groundwater shows that elevated arsenic concentrations are probably related to specific lithofacies of the aquifers that contain more sediments of terrestrial origin. Geochemical measurements on samples from four selected well cores show that arsenic has accumulated in the rocks. This indigenous arsenic is the source of arsenic in the groundwater of certain facies of the middle unit of the Keuper Sandstone. Received, June 1998 / Revised, January 1999, May 1999 / Accepted, June 1999     

基于3S技术的小流域水土流失过程数值模拟与定量研究

运用3S技术和不同水蚀区修正的土壤流失方程,对金沙江流域龙川江上游的水土流失量和需要治理的面积进行了数值模拟和定量研究.结果表明:①旱年1998年土壤流失总量为840069.19t,流失总面积为2293.7841km2;涝年1999年土壤流失总量为8690182.6t,流失总面积为2293.7841km2;1999年和1998年强度、重度和剧烈以上流失面积分别达85%和66.8%,该项指标1999年明显强于1998年.②从流失面积来看,1999年中度以上流失面积占流失总面积的35.2%,而1998年只占26%.③1988年和1999年防治强度分级中急需治理和需要治理的面积占总面积的比例分别为16.27%和14.63%.④模拟计算结果与实测值接近,说明该方法对西南红壤季风区的水土流失定量监测与分析具有准确、实用和方便的特点.     

Strontium-isotope studies of “brown water” (organic-rich groundwater) from Denmark

 Groundwater from some Quaternary and upper Tertiary aquifers in western Jutland, Denmark, is heavily influenced by "brown water", i.e., groundwater with a high content of naturally occurring dissolved organic matter. Stable-isotope analyses (¹⁸O/¹⁶O and D/H) indicate that both Quaternary and upper Tertiary aquifers are dominated by meteoric water. However, strontium-isotope analyses make it possible to distinguish between water samples from Quaternary and Miocene aquifers. Relatively low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios, i.e., ∼0.7083, in Sr-rich water samples indicate that the majority of dissolved Sr in groundwater from Miocene as well as Quaternary strata is probably derived from Miocene marine skeletal carbonate matter in the subsurface. This situation is probably the result of Quaternary glacial reworking of upper Tertiary material and/or hydraulic contact between Quaternary and Miocene aquifers. A positive correlation between Sr contents and non-volatile organic carbon indicates that the remarkably high contents of organic matter recorded in these aquifers almost certainly are derived from Miocene sources as well. Received, February 1999 / Revised, July 1999 / Accepted, July 1999     

新疆玛纳斯湖近50年来的变迁

利用近30年来共8期覆盖新疆玛纳斯湖地区的遥感影像(1972MSS、1976MSS、1989TM、1999ETM、2000CBERS、2001CBERS、2003CBERS和2004CBERS),最新实测的精度达到1 m分辨率的地形等高线数据、野外测量数据,结合20世纪50年代野外实地调查资料等前人研究成果,对玛纳斯湖及周围湖泊演化进行了分析。结果表明:①玛纳斯湖并非迁移湖泊而是古玛纳斯湖群的一部分;玛纳斯湖及周围湖泊自第四纪中期以来一直处于萎缩消亡状态,新构造运动使古玛纳斯湖群萎缩分裂后,残留的各小湖泊在近现代也相继萎缩、消亡;②近50年来湖泊演化可分为两个阶段:湖泊萎缩、干涸的逆向演化阶段(1949-1999/2001)和湖泊恢复的正向演化阶段(1999/2001-至今),人类活动与气候变化的叠加是湖泊演化的主要驱动力。     

Modeling microbial processes in porous media

 The incorporation of microbial processes into reactive transport models has generally proceeded along two separate lines of investigation: (1) transport of bacteria as inert colloids in porous media, and (2) the biodegradation of dissolved contaminants by a stationary phase of bacteria. Research over the last decade has indicated that these processes are closely linked. This linkage may occur when a change in metabolic activity alters the attachment/detachment rates of bacteria to surfaces, either promoting or retarding bacterial transport in a groundwater-contaminant plume. Changes in metabolic activity, in turn, are controlled by the time of exposure of the microbes to electron acceptors/donor and other components affecting activity. Similarly, metabolic activity can affect the reversibility of attachment, depending on the residence time of active microbes. Thus, improvements in quantitative analysis of active subsurface biota necessitate direct linkages between substrate availability, metabolic activity, growth, and attachment/detachment rates. This linkage requires both a detailed understanding of the biological processes and robust quantitative representations of these processes that can be tested experimentally. This paper presents an overview of current approaches used to represent physicochemical and biological processes in porous media, along with new conceptual approaches that link metabolic activity with partitioning of the microorganism between the aqueous and solid phases. Received, January 1999 · Revised, June 1999, July 1999 · Accepted, October 1999     

Sensitivity analysis for the EPIK method of vulnerability assessment in a small karstic aquifer, southern Belgium

Applying the EPIK parametric method, a vulnerability assessment has been made for a small karstic groundwater system in southern Belgium. The aquifer is a karstified limestone of Devonian age. A map of intrinsic vulnerability of the aquifer and of the local water-supply system shows three vulnerability areas. A parameter-balance study and a sensitivity analysis were performed to evaluate the influence of single parameters on aquifer-vulnerability assessment using the EPIK method. This approach provides a methodology for the evaluation of vulnerability mapping and for more reliable interpretation of vulnerability indices for karst groundwater resources. Received, March 1999/Revised, December 1999, February 2000/Accepted, February 2000