Hydrochemistry and sediment characteristics of polar periglacial lacustrine environments on Fisher Island and Broknes Peninsula,East Antarctica

Fisher Island and Broknes Peninsula in the Larsemann Hills constitute part of a polar lowland periglacial environment between marine and glacial ecosystems. The landscape is characterized by gently rolling hills and broad valleys interspersed with lakes formed in glacially scoured basins. We analyzed the physieochemical parameters and the ionic constituents of water samples from 10 lakes in each of these two locations. Our results showed considerable differences between the two regions and demon- strated the influence of lithology and processes including weathering, evaporation, and atmospheric precipitation. All major cations and anions in the lake waters showed positive correlations indicating balanced ionic concentrations. Unconsolidated sediments were sparsely distributed and scattered over glacial deposits, valley fills, and occasional moraine ridges. The type and rate of sedi- mentation was mainly controlled by surface run-off and aeolian influx. The sediment samples from lake beds and the catchment area on Fisher Island were immature and poorly to very poorly sorted, consisting of gravelly sand with negligible silt and finer fractions. Sediments had a polymodal grain size distribution with the two major populations lying between -2 and 1 phi and be- tween 0 and 1.5 phi. The sediments were lithic arenite to arkosic in composition and the microtextures imprinted over quartz grains were dominated by mechanical textures resulting from several stages of glacial crushing and grinding. The presence of deep disso- lution cavities, cryptocrystalline precipitation, and euhedral crystal growth signified the effect of chemical activity after the deposition of grains in the lacustrine environment.     

Geospatial and geostatistical approach for groundwater potential zone delineation

Over the past few decades, groundwater has become an essential commodity owing to increased demand as a result of growing population, industrialization, urbanization and so on. The water supply situation is expected to become more severe in the future because of continued unsustainable water use and projected change in hydrometeorological parameters due to climate change. This study is based on the integrated approach of remote sensing, geographical information system and multicriteria decision‐making techniques to determine the most important contributing factors that affect the groundwater resources and to delineate the groundwater potential zones. Ten thematic layers, namely, geomorphology, geology, soil, topographic elevation (digital elevation model), land use/land cover, drainage density, lineament density, proximity of surface water bodies, surface temperature and post‐monsoon groundwater depth, were considered for the present study. These thematic layers were selected for groundwater prospecting based on the literature; discussion with the experts of the Central Ground Water Board, Government of India; field observations; geophysical investigation; and multivariate techniques. The thematic layers and their features were assigned suitable weights on Saaty's scale according to their relative significance for groundwater occurrence. The assigned weights of the layers and their features were normalized by using the analytic hierarchy process and eigenvector method. Finally, the selected thematic maps were integrated using a weighted linear combination method to create the final groundwater potential zone map. The final output map shows different zones of groundwater potential, namely, very good (16%), good (35%), moderate (28%) low (17%) and very low (2.1%). The groundwater potential zone map was finally validated using the discharge and groundwater depth data from 28 and 98 pumping wells, respectively, which showed good correlation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Causes of landslide recurrence in a loess platform with respect to hydrological processes

Irrigation-induced landslide is a recurring problem in the Heifangtai loess platform of northwest China. The landslide sites are characterized by a concave topography. Numerical modeling indicates that the groundwater table at the past-landslide site rises more quickly than the other natural platform borders under irrigation conditions. This is consistent with the field observations that seepage of the groundwater appeared in the hollow is higher than that of lateral slopes. In order to investigate the response of soil behavior due to rise in groundwater table, stress-path tests were performed on undisturbed specimens. It has been observed that the increase in pore water pressure in loess can trigger soil liquefaction and eventually results in landslide. Hence, the concave past-landslide site is much more prone to landsliding, which contributed to the landslide recurrence.     

Estimation of concentration and exposure doses due to radon by using CR-39 plastic track detectors in the residences of Sudhnuti, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

This paper presents the results of indoor radon concentration measurements in 120 dwellings of district Sudhnuti of Azad Kashmir. Measurements were taken with CR-39 passive alpha track detector. CR-39 based box type radon detectors were installed in a bedroom and living rooms of each house. The detectors were retrieved after exposing to indoor radon for period of 6 months and then etched in 6 M NaOH at 80°C for 16 h, the observed track densities were converted in to the indoor radon concentration. Indoor radon concentration varied from 20 ± 12 to 170 ± 4 Bq m⁻³ for the houses of the district Sudhnuti. Arithmetic mean (AM), geometric mean (GM) and geometric standard deviations (GSD) were found to be 82 ± 6, 77 ± 6 and 1.51, respectively. The minimum value of weighted average radon concentration was recorded in one of the house of Mang town, whereas the maximum value was found in the Pattan Sher Khan region. Doses due to indoor radon exposure vary from 0.50 ± 0.31 to 4.28 ± 0.11 mSv year⁻¹ AM, GM and GSD. of mean effective doses were found to be 2.06 ± 0.13, 1.95 ± 0.18 and 1.51, respectively. According to the recommendations made by the Health Protection Agency, UK (200 Bq m⁻³) all the houses surveyed are within the safe limits.     

Late Santonian–Early Maastrichtian calcareous nannofossils from marly deposits near Kerman (Central Iran)

For the first time, the calcareous nannofossils of marly deposits near Kerman (Bardsir area) have been studied. This study presents the integrated (calcareous nannofossils) biostratigraphy of the Bardsir section in the Kerman basin, Central Iran. In most parts of Central Iran, the Upper Cretaceous sequence is complete and continuous and is divided into two groups: Cenomanian–Touronian flysch and Campanian–Maastrichtian flysch. Flyschs composed of sets of green marl sequences (Coniacian–Santonian) have been separated to reduce the basin depth and refer to the relative calm. Bardsir is located 57.6 km from Kerman (Central Iran). The lithology of this area includes light green marl with layers of calcareous siltstone, limestone, and flysch rocks. In this study, 24 samples were taken and prepared with smear slide. Most species were photographed with a light microscope. As a result of this study, 30 genera and 42 species of nannofossils have been identified. A high-resolution calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphic study has been carried out, allowing the division of the studied section into eight biozones of Late Santonian to Early Maastrichtian age (CC17–CC24).     

Geochemical modeling,fate distribution,and risk exposure of potentially toxic metals in the surface sediment of the Shyok suture zone,northern Pakistan

The objective of the current study was to assess the contamination of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in weathered surface sediment, along stream tributaries, and surrounding area of the river Chitral, Shyok suture zone district Chitral, Pakistan. To understand the geochemical features of 113 sediment, samples were collected from the Mirkhani and Drosh area. Then, different statistical tools including the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), and ecological risk assessment (ERA) were used to unravel the origin, intensity, and exposure level of PTMs to control risk and restore the ecosystem within the study area. The results for the PTMs namely nickle (Ni), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and cobalt (Co) in Mirkhani and Drosh were in the following ranges: 10–150, 15–210, 15–250, 0.08–1.00, 10–70, 76–240 and 14–51; and 13–240, 17–210, 15–150, 0.08–0.60, 7–140, 47–150 and 13–36 mg/kg, respectively. In consequence, the potential ecological risk caused by Pb, Ni, Cu, Co, Cr, and Zn is reflected by the percentages of samples with an ecological risk index (ERI) greater than one which were 100%, 91%, 100%, 100%, 92%, and 100%, respectively. However, the overall mean decreasing order of ecological risk of PTMs in the district Chitral was Pb > Ni > Cu > Co > Cr > Zn > Cd. Moreover, the PCA yielded 78% variability which indicated that mineral prospects play an important role in the contamination of sediment. Furthermore, the mineral phases of Pb and Zn suggested supersaturation, while that for Cd revealed unsaturation. The results of Igeo, ERI, and CA indicated contamination of PTMs in the study area. The ERI value of Pb, Ni, Cu, Co, Cr, and Zn was higher than 1 suggesting an ecological risk in the study area. Moreover, the current study showed the dominance of geogenic contamination with major contributions from ultramafic rock and known mineral prospects. Therefore, contaminated sediment of the Shyok suture zone is extremely detrimental to the aquatic ecosystem of the study area.     

A comprehensive study on the surface chemistry of particulate matter collected from Jeddah,Saudi Arabia

In this work, the X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) technique is utilized to analyze the surface chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) which was collected from various locations at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The main elements found on the surface of PM are carbon (C), oxygen (O) and silicon (Si) with combined percentage of 89.4–94.9 while traces of nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), aluminum (Al), sodium (Na), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mg), and sulfur (S) were also present. The analyzed XPS chemical state of C, O and Si was further used to determine their bonding with other elements occurring over the surface of PM. Carbon was found in the form of carbides (18.86%), fluorides (2.39%) and carbonates (78.75%); oxygen was observed as oxides (21.05%) and hydroxides (73.42%) of other metals; and silicon was detected as silicones (12.16%), nitrides (82.53%) and silicates (5.25%). The particle size of a PM is also of great concern for health issues, and thus has been investigated by the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). The Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) was employed for cross verification of detected elements by XPS.     

Outlining a stepwise,multi-parameter debris flow monitoring and warning system: an example of application in Aizi Valley,China

In recent years, the increasing frequency of debris flow demands enhanced effectiveness and efficiency of warning systems. Effective warning systems are essential not only from an economic point of view but are also considered as a frontline approach to alleviate hazards. Currently, the key issues are the imbalance between the limited lifespan of equipment, the relatively long period between the recurrences of such hazards, and the wide range of critical rainfall that trigger these disasters. This paper attempts to provide a stepwise multi-parameter debris flow warning system after taking into account the shortcomings observed in other warning systems. The whole system is divided into five stages. Different warning levels can be issued based on the critical rainfall thresholds. Monitoring starts when early warning is issued and it continues with debris flow near warning, triggering warning, movement warning and hazard warning stages. For early warning, historical archives of earthquake and drought are used to choose a debris flow-susceptible site for further monitoring. Secondly, weather forecasts provide an alert of possible near warning. Hazardous precipitation, model calculation and debris flow initiation tests, pore pressure sensors and water content sensors are combined to check the critical rainfall and to publically announce a triggering warning. In the final two stages, equipment such as rainfall gauges, flow stage sensors, vibration sensors, low sound sensors and infrasound meters are used to assess movement processes and issue hazard warnings. In addition to these warnings, community-based knowledge and information is also obtained and discussed in detail. The proposed stepwise, multi-parameter debris flow monitoring and warning system has been applied in Aizi valley China which continuously monitors the debris flow activities.