Quantifying the transferability of hydraulic parameters using geostatistics: The Boom Clay Case

The Boom Clay is currently investigated as potential host formation for the deep disposal of high-level and/or long-lived radioactive waste in Belgium. As such, the formation is expected to play a role of natural barrier, to slow the migration of radionuclides towards the biosphere for a sufficiently long time when the man-made barriers are no longer effective. In this context, the Boom Clay aquitard requires to be precisely characterized in terms of hydrogeological parameters, to confirm its role of geological barrier between its surrounding aquifers. Therefore, hydraulic conductivity and migration parameters have been intensively measured over the years in a few boreholes in Belgium; the latter are mainly located in the Mol-Dessel area, assuming historically a good lateral continuity of the geology. Combining these measurements with more densely acquired geophysical information allows quantifying their spatial variability and consolidating the continuity assumption. From a methodological point of view, the modeling of hydrogeological parameters requires to solve several issues. First, it is required to find a consistent geo-reference coordinate system allowing to laterally correlate thin observations derived from boreholes separated by several tens of kilometers. Then, in order to provide a reliable 3D model, it is compulsory to integrate the correlation between the scarcely sampled target parameters (core measurements) and numerous geophysical logs (gamma ray, resistivity). Geostatistics provides a suitable framework to analyze and solve these issues. Finally, a 3D model of the target parameters is proposed, together with an uncertainty envelope. This uncertainty quantification is of significant added value to assess the efficiency of the geological barrier. Besides the actual modeling of target parameters, the paper also presents sampling recommendations for forthcoming boreholes.     

Nanofilms of adsorbed water in clay: Mechanism of formation and properties

The process of adsorption of water molecules by silicate surfaces of clay minerals is considered. The process leads to the formation of nano-thickness films of adsorbed water. An epitaxial mechanism of nanofilm formation is considered, consisting in the growth of structured hydrate layers under the effect of oxygen and hydroxyl surfaces of clay minerals. The difference between the sizes of hexagonal cells of the solid surface and the forming water film deforms hydrogen bonds and produces inner stress in both the film structure and the mineral lattice. The latter is reflected in the changing size of montmorillonite cell along the b-axis. The thickness of the newly formed adsorption water layer is shown to be controlled by the degree of hydrogen bond deformation, the stress developed inside the nanofilm, the cell size, and the rigidity (strength) of the mineral structure. The deformation of hydrogen bonds and water nanofilm structure determines its specific properties, i.e., wedging pressure, high viscosity, low temperatures of water freezing, dielectric conductivity, etc.     

GPR study of pore water content and salinity in sand

High‐resolution studies of hydrological problems of the near‐surface zone can be better accomplished by applying ground‐probing radar (GPR) and geoelectrical techniques. We report on GPR measurements (500 and 900 MHz antennae) which were carried out on a sorted, clean sand, both in the laboratory and at outdoor experimental sites. The outdoor sites include a full‐scale model measuring 5 × 3 × 2.4 m³ and a salinity site measuring 7.0 × 1.0 × 0.9 m³ with three buried sand bodies saturated with water of various salinities. Our studies investigate the capability of GPR to determine the pore water content and to estimate the salinity. These parameters are important for quantifying and evaluating the water quality of vadose zones and aquifers. The radar technique is increasingly applied in quantifying soil moisture but is still rarely used in studying the problems of water salinity and quality. The reflection coefficient at interfaces is obtained from the amplitude spectrum in the frequency and time domains and is confirmed by 1D wavelet modelling. In addition, the GPR velocity to a target at a known depth is determined using techniques of two‐way traveltime, CMP semblance analysis and fitting an asymptotic diffraction curve. The results demonstrate that the reflection coefficient increases with increasing salinity of the moisture. These results may open up a new approach for applications in environmental problems and groundwater prospecting, e.g. mapping and monitoring of contamination and evaluating of aquifer salinity, especially in coastal areas with a time‐varying fresh‐water lens. In addition, the relationship between GPR velocity and water content is established for the sand. Using this relationship, a subsurface velocity distribution for a full‐scale model of this sand is deduced and applied for migrated radargrams. Well‐focused diffractions separate single small targets (diameter of 2–3 cm, at a depth of 20–180 cm and a vertical interval of 20 cm). The results underscore the high potential of GPR for determining moisture content and its variation, flow processes and water quality, and even very small bodies inside the sand or soil.     

Modelling of solute and water transport in semi-permeable clay membranes: comparison with experiments

Theories of osmosis in groundwater flow are increasingly used to explain anomalies of salinity in clayey environments. However, predictive modelling through mathematical analysis can hardly be found in literature. In this paper, a model of chemical osmosis based on non-equilibrium thermodynamics, is used to predict the evolution of pressure and salinity in a clay membrane. Analysis of this model reveals simplifications that hold for specific situations. Two experiments from literature serve to show that the analytical modelling solution agrees with numerical and experimental results. Moreover, it is shown that the commonly applied Boussinesq approximation necessarily does not hold when osmosis is involved. Indeed, the clay system must be able to store the excess flow of water induced by osmosis.     

Lead concentrations in the northeast Pacific: evidence for global anthropogenic perturbations

Lead concentrations were determined by isotope dilution mass spectrometry in 34 surface- and deep-water samples collected in the northeast Pacific between Hawaii and California and off the California coast using a deep-water sampler protected against fouling by contamination from the ship and hydrowire. Measured concentrations lie more than one order of magnitude below previously published open ocean values and they show that in most cases 90% or more of the total lead is in a dissolved form. Lead concentrations are about 10-fold higher in surface and thermocline waters than in deep waters; values drop as low as 1 ng/kg (5 pmol/kg) below 3500 m depth. Lead profiles thus appear different compared to those of most trace metals, which show enrichment in deep waters compared to surface concentrations. Lead concentrations in surface waters increase from 5 to 15 ng/kg (25 to 75 pmol/kg) along a transect starting from a location 200 km off the California coast and continuing towards the center of the North Pacific Gyre. This increase is congruent with that observed for²¹⁰Pb concentrations in the same waters sampled at the same time.Lead is supplied to the open North Pacific largely from the atmosphere, at a rate of about 60 ng/cm² yr, which exceeds the prehistoric oceanic output flux of authigenic lead recorded in pelagic sediments about tenfold. This excess originates from emissions from smelters and combustion of leaded gasoline, overwhelming natural lead inputs that entered the ocean during prehistoric time probably largely through rivers. Vertical lead concentration profiles below the surface mixed layer are probably not in steady state. There, concentrations must be increasing in response to the increase of anthropogenic inputs because the estimated lead residence times are more than 20 years in the thermocline and about 80 years in deep waters. Based on an estimated 10-fold input and concentration increase since the mid-eighteenth century in the surface mixed layer in the central northeast Pacific, it is calculated that the 10 ng/kg average concentration between 100 and 900 m is 2 to 5 times larger, and the 1.8 ng/kg average concentration between 900 and 5000 m depth is about 2 times larger than it was in the mid-eighteenth century. Profiles of lead concentrations in the North Atlantic are expected to be shifted generally to larger values by a factor of 2 to 3 compared to those in the North Pacific because of the effects of greater industrial lead contamination, while lead concentration profiles in the South Pacific are expected to be shifted generally to lower values compared to the North Pacific by about this same factor because of the effects of lesser industrial lead contamination.     

Pure forsterite in Nyiragongo lavas: evidence for subsolidus oxidation of volcanic rocks

Some volcanic rocks from Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo contain highly oxidized olivine crystals.These olivines crystals are made of two phases,dark olivine on backscattered electron images of pure forsterite composition and grey Mg-poor areas made of olivine and iron-rich oxides.Calculation of the initial composition confirms that they are primary olivine with late separation of two different olivine compositions.Pure forsterite is enriched in SiO₂ but contain...     

Investigation of liquefaction and pore water pressure development in layered sands

This paper presents the results of shaking table model tests which were carried out to investigate the pore water pressure generation and related liquefaction mechanism in layered sand deposits. The experiments were performed on uniform sand columns, silt interlayered sand columns and two layered sand columns deposited at various relative densities and subjected to different input excitations. During the experiments excess pore water pressures were measured by pore pressure transducers installed at three different depths and, surface settlements and thickness of water film developed under less permeable inclusions were measured by a digital camera. The experimental results are discussed and compared to demonstrate the effects of relative density, input acceleration and presence of a silt seam on the generation of excess pore water pressure in sand deposits subjected to dynamic loading. The results showed that the presence of a less permeable silt interlayer within the sand deposit and existence of a loose sand layer underlying dense sand deposits can have significant effect on the pore water pressure generation mechanism.     

Effects of crab burrows on pore water flows in salt marshes

Macro-pores such as crab burrows are found commonly distributed in salt marsh sediments. Their disturbance on the soil structure is likely to influence both pore water flows and solute transport in salt marshes; however, the effects of crab burrows are not well understood. Here, a three-dimensional model simulated tidally driven pore water flows subject to the influence of crab burrows in a marsh system. The model, based on Richards’ equation, considered variably saturated flow in the marsh with a two-layer soil configuration, as observed at the Chongming Dongtan wetland (Shanghai, China). The simulation results showed that crab burrows distributed in the upper low-permeability soil layer, acting as preferential flow paths, affected pore water flows in the marsh particularly when the contrast of hydraulic conductivity between the lower high-permeability soil layer and the overlying low-permeability soils was high. The burrows were found to increase the volume of tidally driven water exchange between the marsh soil and the tidal creek. The simulations also showed improvement of soil aeration conditions in the presence of crab burrows. These effects may lead to increased productivity of the marsh ecosystem and enhancement of its material exchange with coastal waters.     

Aliphatic hydrocarbon concentrations in short sediment cores from the southern Okinawa Trough: Implications for lipid deposition in a complex environment

Seven short sediment cores from the southern Okinawa Trough were collected and analyzed for the aliphatic hydrocarbon concentrations by capillary gas chromatography to explore the deposition of hydrocarbons to this area. For all cores studied, ratios of Σhydrocarbons/TOC, (nC₂₇+nC₂₉+nC₃₁)/TOC, terrigenous/aquatic, and diploptene/ΣC_25–33n-alkanes fluctuated around a mean value with coefficients of variation ranging from 9.0% to 19.7%, 4.9% to 20.0%, 27.3% to 129%, and 3.8% to 163%, respectively. For the nC₃₁/(nC₂₇+nC₂₉+nC₃₁) ratio, only station 21 showed fluctuation. Moreover, the carbon preference indexes in the C₂₅–C₃₃n-alkane range also exhibited fluctuating values with coefficients of variation of 1.9–14.4%. These results indicate that concentrations of hydrocarbon inputs to the sampling sites vary with time; this may result from complex current flow and sediment transport, leading to variable lipid deposition. In addition, significant correlation between diploptene (hop-22(29)-ene) and higher plant n-alkanes was found for cores 21, 42 and 46, indicating that diploptene was predominantly from higher plant sources. However, no correlation between diploptene and higher plant n-alkanes was found for cores 20, 36, 43 and 44; autochthonous sources of diploptene in these cores were quite probable.     

新建人工深水湖泊沉积物上覆水和孔隙水中溶解性有机质的光谱特征

为了揭示湖库内源性污染物的分布、来源、组成及垂向分布特征,以新建人工深水湖泊龙景湖为研究对象,采用紫外-可见光谱和三维荧光光谱技术,研究了该湖泊以成湖前用途划分的3个特征区域(原河道底部、新淹没区底部和新淹没区边坡)的沉积物上覆水和孔隙水中的溶解性有机质(DOM)的光谱特征.结果表明,孔隙水中的DOM芳香性和腐殖化程度高于上覆水;孔隙水中疏水组分含量大于上覆水,且水体中可能存在内源孔隙水释放的低分子量DOM.龙景湖上覆水和孔隙水中的DOM主要源于水体自身的微生物,自生源特征明显,且可能存在新近释放到水体的有机质.龙景湖沉积物上覆水和孔隙水中的DOM以类腐殖酸和类蛋白质为主,且随着深度增加,类腐殖酸峰强度增强,与龙景湖的建湖背景有明显联系.     

High chloride concentrations in the soil and groundwater under an oak hedge in the West of France: an indicator of evapotranspiration and water movement

Chloride is a major anion in soil water and its concentration rises essentially as a function of evapotranspiration. Compared to herbaceous vegetation, high transpiration rates are measured for isolated trees, shelterbelts or hedgerows. This article deals with the influence of a tree hedge on the soil and groundwater Cl^? concentrations and the possibility of using Cl^? as an indicator of transpiration and water movements near the tree rows. Cl^? concentrations were measured over 1 year at different depths in the unsaturated zone and in the groundwater along a transect intersecting a bottomland oak hedge. We observed a strong spatial heterogeneity of Cl^? concentrations, with very high values up to 2 g l^?1 in the unsaturated zone and 1·2 g l^?1 in the upper part of the groundwater. This contrasts with the low and homogeneous concentrations (60–70 mg l^?1) in the deeper part of the groundwater. Cl^? accumulation in the unsaturated zone at the end of the vegetation season allows us to identify the active root zone extension of trees. In winter, upslope of the tree row, downwards leaching partly renews the soil solution in the root zone, while the slow water movement under the trees or farther downslope results in Cl^? accumulation and leads to a salinization of the soil and groundwater. This salinization is of the same order as experimental conditions produce negative effects on oak seedlings. The measurement of Cl^? concentrations in the unsaturated zone under tree rows at the end of the vegetation season would indicate whether certain topographic, pedological or climatic conditions are likely to favour a strong salinization of the soil, as observed in the present study. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrologic significance of carbon monoxide concentrations in ground water

Dissolved carbon monoxide (CO) is present in ground water produced from a variety of aquifer systems at concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 20 nanomoles per liter (0.0056 to 0.56 microg/L). In two shallow aquifers, one an unconsolidated coastal plain aquifer in Kings Bay, Georgia, and the other a fractured-bedrock aquifer in West Trenton, New Jersey, long-term monitoring showed that CO concentrations varied over time by as much as a factor of 10. Field and laboratory evidence suggests that the delivery of dissolved oxygen to the soil zone and underlying aquifers by periodic recharge events stimulates oxic metabolism and produces transiently high CO concentrations. In between recharge events, the aquifers become anoxic and more substrate limited, CO is consumed as a carbon source, and CO concentrations decrease. According to this model, CO concentrations provide a transient record of oxic metabolism affecting ground water systems after dissolved oxygen has been fully consumed. Because the delivery of oxygen affects the fate and transport of natural and anthropogenic contaminants in ground water, CO concentration changes may be useful for identifying predominantly anoxic ground water systems subject to periodic oxic or microaerophilic conditions.     

Paleomagnetic evidence of northward movement of the Pacific plate in deep-sea cores from the Central Pacific Basin

Seven deep-sea sediment cores recovered in the central equatorial Pacific collectively span a magneto- and biostratigraphically determined age interval ranging from about 0.1 to 21 m.y. B.P. Measured values of paleomagnetic inclination and their systematic variation with depth in these cores denote relative motion between the central Pacific lithosphere and the magnetic field of the earth. Assuming that the position of the earth's dipole field remained essentially parallel to the present spin axis during the interval, the data provide evidence of a marked decrease in the northward rate of plate motion from about 11 cm/yr to about 6 cm/yr at approximately 12 m.y. B.P. This date of change of motion as well as the northward direction and overall average rate of about 8 cm/yr throughout the last 21 m.y., agree reasonably well with results of other studies of the tectonic history of the Pacific plate and ridge system. More significantly, however, these preliminary results demonstrate the usefulness of the paleomagnetic record in deep-sea sediment cores spanning sufficiently long intervals of time as an aid in reconstructing plate motions.     

PAC改性粘土处理蓝藻水华对水环境的影响

利用改性粘土治理蓝藻水华堆积的湖泊近岸区域以及发生水华的养殖水体成为应急治理蓝藻的重要措施,然而负载有毒藻体的改性粘土沉积水体可能引发的安全性风险尚缺乏研究.选取PAC改性粘土作为研究对象,通过模拟实验,研究改性粘土处理蓝藻水华后沉积水体对负载的藻细胞结构、水体营养盐与藻毒素的释放与削减以及对其他水体功能性细菌(硝化、反硝化细菌)的影响.结果表明,PAC改性粘土的施用对低水华水体蓝藻细胞的去除率为96.04%±0.99%,高水华水体与低水华水体施用的去除率之间差异不显著,PAC改性粘土的施用能够在较长的时间内有效地控制水体中的蓝藻浓度.透射电镜结果表明,PAC改性粘土沉降蓝藻第4 d后,蓝藻细胞膜出现了一定程度的不完整,细胞内规则的类囊体片层结构出现了实质性损伤.随着粘土负载蓝藻细胞的损伤,水体中的总可溶性氮浓度迅速上升,但总可溶性磷浓度仍可在较长一段时间内维持在较低水平.PAC改性粘土施用后,水体的总细菌数与空白对照组趋于一致,但硝化、反硝化细菌数却呈显著下降趋势.PAC改性粘土施用下的藻毒素释放风险主要集中在高水华水体.高水华水体中,PAC改性粘土施用导致藻毒素MC-LR和MC-RR加速释放,其最高峰值分别达到空白对照组的1.69±0.09和2.04±0.09倍,但水体MC-LR浓度达到安全限(1μg/L)的时间明显比空白对照组早8 d.此外,PAC改性粘土的施用并没有导致水体中Al~(3+)和Cl~-浓度超标.     

珠江口沉积物溶解性有机质来源及光谱特征的空间变化

作为海陆交互作用的重要区域,河口在海洋碳循环中扮演着重要角色.近年来,溶解性有机质(dissolved organic matter,DOM)在河口区的来源、降解和保存一直是关注的热点.本研究结合三维荧光光谱和紫外可见吸收光谱,对珠江口3个沉积柱(SI、S2、S3站位,盐度依次增加)孔隙水溶解性有机质的空间分布和来源进...     

Spectral characteristics of dissolved organic matter in sediment pore water from Pearl River Estuary

As key parts of land-sea transition zones,estuary ecosystems play a very important role in the ocean carbon cycle processes.The sources,degradation,and preservation of dissolved organic matter(DOM)in estuaries have long been the subject of intense study.To examine the aforementioned issues,this study examined three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy to determine the spatial distribution and sources of DOM in the pore water of three sedimentary cores from the Pearl River Estuary(S1,S2 and S3,with increasing salinity).Using the parallel factor analysis(PARAFAC)method to analyze the three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum data,five fluorescent components were obtained—three humic-like components(C1,C3,and C4),and two protein-like components(C2 and C5).C2 exhibited a significant positive correlation with the sediment microbial deoxyribose nucleic acid(DNA)concentration(R~2=0.69,P<0.01),indicating that the protein-like component C2 might be derived from the catabolism of in situ microbes.C5 displayed a relatively weak correlation with DNA concentration(R~2=0.40,P<0.05),presumably due to the incorporation of phenolic compounds,which have a fluorescence peak very similar to that of protein-like components.The source of humic-like fluorescent components is extremely complex.The content at station S1 was relatively high(1.45–8.83 R.U.),which implies that terrestrial inputs had a significant influence.The three humic-like components showed similar distributions at S2 and S3,and the fluorescence intensity was rather low;this result indicates that the DOM at these two stations was more likely affected by the metabolism of algae and microorganisms.The humification index(HIX)and the fluorescence intensity of protein-like components increased and decreased,respectively,with depth.There was a significant positive correlation between the relative content of protein-like components and the spectral slope ratio(SR),which indicates that DOM transitioned from low-molecular-weight protein-like components in the surface sediment to high-molecular-weight humic-like components in the subsurface.This study provides valuable information for understanding the pore water size/reactivity(PWSR)model of DOM and its biochemical processes occurring in estuary sediments.     

鄱阳湖沉积物间隙水中磷的含量及其分布特征

根据2010年1月对鄱阳湖各站点沉积物的采样分析,研究了鄱阳湖沉积物间隙水中总溶解性磷(DTP)与可溶性正磷酸盐(DIP)的含量及其分布特征,并对各站点表层沉积物间隙水中DTP和DIP的含量及其沉积物中TP与IP的含量进行了相关性分析.结果表明,鄱阳湖各站点表层沉积物(0 -2cm)间隙水中DTP的平均含量为0.134...     

Collection of intact sediment cores with overlying water to study nitrogen- and oxygen-dynamics in regions with seasonal hypoxia

Settled particles of fresh, labile organic matter may be a significant source of oxygen demand and nutrient regeneration in seasonally-hypoxic regions caused by nutrient inputs into stratified coastal zones. Studying the dynamics of this material requires sediment sampling methods that include flocculent organic materials and overlying water (OLW) at or above the sediment–water interface (SWI). A new coring device (“HYPOX” corer) was evaluated for examining nitrogen- (N) and oxygen-dynamics at the SWI and OLW in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOMEX). The HYPOX corer consists of a “Coring Head” with a check-valve, a weighted “Drive Unit,” and a “Lander,” constructed from inexpensive components. The corer collected undisturbed sediment cores and OLW from sediments at NGOMEX sampling sites with underlying substrates ranging from sand to dense clay. The HYPOX corer could be deployed in weather conditions similar to those needed for a multi-bottle rosette water-sampling system with 20 L bottles. As an example of corer applicability to NGOMEX issues, NH₄⁺ cycling rates were examined at hypoxic and control sites by isotope dilution experiments. The objective was to determine if N-dynamics in OLW were different from those in the water column. “Ammonium demand,” as reflected by potential NH₄⁺ uptake rates, was higher in OLW than in waters collected from a meter or more above the bottom at both sites, but the pattern was more pronounced at the hypoxia site. By contrast, NH₄⁺ regeneration rates were low in all samples. These preliminary results suggest that heterotrophic activity and oxygen consumption in OLW in the hypoxic region may be regulated by the availability of NH₄⁺, or other reduced N compounds, rather than by the lack of sufficient labile organic carbon.     

Key factors affecting prediction of seismic pore water pressures in silty sands based on damage parameter

The paper provides insight into factors affecting the prediction of seismic pore-water pressure build up in clean sands and sand–silt mixtures for modeling purposes. Laboratory pore pressure measurements were conducted using stress-controlled undrained cyclic simple shear (CSS) tests carried out on both reconstituted and undisturbed specimens of silty sands under different initial conditions (density state, effective vertical stress, initial fabric and fines content). Test results were interpreted by using a damage concept-based model which is actually implemented for clean sands in non-linear time domain site response analysis codes. In the present work, such a model was properly modified for sands having fines contents higher than 35%. The general applicability of the modified procedure for predicting pore water pressure response of silty sands under irregular shear stress loading using data from stress-controlled CSS tests was also verified and all factors affecting calibration parameters of the model were throughly analyzed.     

Hillslope water tracks in the High Arctic: Seasonal flow dynamics with changing water sources in preferential flow paths

Preferential subsurface flow paths known as water tracks are often the principal hydrological pathways of headwater catchments in permafrost areas, exerting an influence on slope physical and biogeochemical processes. In polar deserts, where water resources depend on snow redistribution, water tracks are mostly found in hydrologically active areas downslope from snowdrifts. Here, we measured the flow through seeping water track networks and at the front of a perennial snowdrift, at Ward Hunt Island in the Canadian High Arctic. We also used stable isotope analysis to determine the origin of this water, which ultimately discharges into Ward Hunt Lake. These measurements of water track hydrology indicated a glacio‐nival run‐off regime, with flow production mechanisms that included saturation overland flow (return flow) in a low sloping area, throughflow or pipe‐like flow in most seepage locations, and infiltration excess overland flow at the front of the snowdrift. Each mechanism delivered varying proportions of snowmelt and ground water, and isotopic compositions evolved during the melting season. Unaltered snowmelt water contributed to >90% of total flow from water track networks early in the season, and these values fell to <5% towards the end of the melting season. In contrast, infiltration excess overland flow from snowdrift consisted of a steady percentage of snowmelt water in July (mean of 69%) and August (71%). The water seeping at locations where no snow was left in August 2015 was isotopically enriched, indicating a contribution of the upper, ice‐rich layer of permafrost to late summer discharge during warmer years. Air temperature was the main driver of snowmelt, but the effect of slope aspect on solar radiation best explained the diurnal discharge variation at all sites. The water tracks in this polar desert are part of a patterned ground network, which increases connectivity between the principal water sources (snowdrifts) and the bottom of the slope. This would reduce soil–water interactions and solute release, thereby favouring the low nutrient status of the lake.