Using MODFLOW code to approach transient hydraulic head with a sharp‐interface solution

Saltwater intrusion problems have been usually tackled through analytical models because of its simplicity, easy implementation and low computational cost. Most of these models are based on the sharp‐interface approximation and the Ghyben–Herzberg relation, which neglects mixing of fresh water and seawater and implicitly assumes that salt water remains static. This paper provides insight into the validity of a sharp‐interface approximation defined from a steady state solution when applied to transient seawater intrusion problems. The validation tests have been performed on a 3D unconfined synthetic aquifer, which include spatial and temporal distribution of recharge and pumping wells. Using a change of variable, the governing equation of the steady state sharp‐interface problem can be written with the same structure of the steady confined groundwater flow equation as a function of a single potential variable (?). We propose to approach also the transient problem solving a single potential equation (using also the ? variable) with the same structure of the confined groundwater flow equation. It will allow solving the problem by using the classical MODFLOW code. We have used the parameter estimation model PEST to calibrate the parameters of the transient sharp‐interface equation. We show how after the calibration process, the sharp‐interface approach may provide accurate enough results when applied to transient problems and improve the steady state results, thus avoiding the need of implementing a density‐dependent model and reducing the computational cost. This has been proved by comparing results with those obtained using the finite difference numerical code SEAWAT for solving the coupled partial differential equations of flow and density‐dependent transport. The comparison was performed in terms of piezometric heads, seawater penetration, transition zone width and critical pumping rates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accumulation features of trace elements in mass-stranded harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in the North Sea coast in 2002: the body distribution and association with growth and nutrition status

Body distribution and growth- and nutritional status-dependent accumulation of 21 trace elements were investigated in harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) stranded in the North Sea coast in 2002. Higher concentrations and burdens of Mn, Se, Mo, Ag, Sn, Hg, and Bi in the liver, Cd in the kidney, As in the blubber, and Co, Sr, and Ba in the bone were observed. Significant positive correlations of hepatic Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Hg, Tl, and Bi with standard body length were found, while significant negative relationships were detected for Mn, As, Rb, Sr, and Sb in the liver. Concentrations of Co, Se, Sr, Sn, Hg, and Bi in the liver, V, Sr, Ag, Sn, and Hg in the kidney, V, Mn, Co, Rb, Sr, Sn, Ba, and Pb in the blubber increased with decreasing blubber thickness of harbor seals, indicating enrichment of these elements in the target tissue by emaciation.     

About the effect of relative humidity on the indentation response of Meuse/Haute�CMarne argillite

The unsaturated poromechanical behavior of Callovo-Oxfordian argillite (also referred to as Meuse/Haute–Marne argillite) is analyzed by means of indentation tests at different hygrometries. Numerical simulations carried out with a finite element code are then used to simulate flat punch indentation tests at different controlled hygrometries. The numerical response F(h) is compared to experimental data in order to estimate the drained Young’s modulus E and the internal friction angle \Upphi\Upphi (at high confinement) by means of a back analysis. A linear decrease in the drained Young’s modulus and quasi-constant values of the internal friction angle are observed when the relative humidity ranges. Some predictions of the model are also presented to quantify the activation of hydraulic phenomena. Indeed, the maximal variation of the saturation and porosity relative to the initial state of the specimen are lower than 10% and 8%, respectively.     

Diffuse and concentrated recharge evaluation using physical and tracer techniques: results from a semiarid carbonate massif aquifer in southeastern Spain

In the high-permeability, semiarid carbonate aquifer in the Sierra de Gádor Mountains (southeastern Spain), some local springs draining shallow perched aquifers were of assistance in assessing applicability of the atmospheric chloride mass balance (CMB) for quantifying total yearly recharge (R _T) by rainfall. Two contrasting hydrological years (October through September) were selected to evaluate the influence of climate on recharge: the average rainfall year 2003–2004, and the unusually dry 2004–2005. Results at small catchment scale were calibrated with estimated daily stand-scale R _T obtained by means of a soil water balance (SWB) of rainfall, using the actual evapotranspiration measured by the eddy covariance (EC) technique. R _T ranged from 0.35 to 0.40 of rainfall in the year, with less than a 5% difference between the CMB and SWB methods in 2003–2004. R _T varied from less than 0.05 of rainfall at mid-elevation to 0.20 at high elevation in 2004–2005, with a similar difference between the methods. Diffuse recharge (R _D) by rainfall was quantified from daily soil water content field data to split R _T into R _D and the expected concentrated recharge (R _C) at catchment scale in both hydrological years. R _D was 0.16 of rainfall in 2003–2004 and 0.01 in 2004–2005. Under common 1- to 3-day rainfall events, the hydraulic effect of R _D is delayed from 1 day to 1 week, while R _C is not delayed. This study shows that the CMB method is a suitable tool for yearly values complementing and extending the more widely used SWB in ungauged mountain carbonate aquifers with negligible runoff. The slight difference between R _T rates at small catchment and stand scales enables results to be validated and provides new estimates to parameterize R _T with rainfall depth after checking the weight of diffuse and concentrated mechanisms on R _T during moderate rainfall periods and episodes of marked climatic aridity.     

Vertically persistent sedimentary facies boundaries along growth anticlines and climate-controlled sedimentation in the thrust-sheet-top South Pyrenean Tremp-Graus Foreland Basin

Compression of the thrust sheet underlying the central South Pyrenean Tremp-Graus Foreland Basin led to weak folding of the overlying basin fill during deposition of Eocene sediments. From the distribution of sedimentary facies and the presence of these folds, it is interpreted that thrusting of deep-seated competent units was accommodated by weak synsedimentary folding with a shorter wavelength at shallower levels. This led to differential subsidence at the surface but no unconformities are observed. The slower subsidence along the active anticlines locally influenced the distribution of sedimentary facies: lateral boundaries between different sedimentary facies are found to extend (sub)vertically up to more than 60 metres within narrow zones a few 100 m to 1.5 km wide. The growth folds thus led intermittently to the fixation of the position of facies boundaries, including a fixation of the coastline, over long periods (104 to 105 years). Sediment transport paths were also influenced by the slight folding of the surface. The orientation of the weak ‘en echelon’ anticlines and of related facies boundaries agrees with the inferred compressional pattern during the Eocene. Explanations for the regular occurrence of 50–60 m thick sedimentary cycles in terms of tectonic pulses or orbitally driven climatic changes and resulting pulses in sediment yield are discussed. For cycles of shorter length (10–15 m), with durations of the order of tens of thousands of years, it is inferred that these are due to regular climatic changes, probably related to orbital forcing, and resulting cyclic alternations of arid and wet periods. Such periodic changes of climate would have caused the intermittent waxing and waning of coarse-grained sediment     

Array Signal Processing for Radio Astronomy

Radio astronomy forms an interesting application area for array signal processing techniques. Current synthesis imaging telescopes consist of a small number of identical dishes, which track a fixed patch in the sky and produce estimates of the time-varying spatial covariance matrix. The observations sometimes are distorted by interference, e.g., from radio, TV, radar or satellite transmissions. We describe some of the tools that array signal processing offers to filter out the interference, based on eigenvalue decompositions and factor analysis, which is a more general technique applicable to partially calibrated arrays. We consider detection of interference, spatial filtering techniques using projections, and discuss how a reference antenna pointed at the interferer can improve the performance. We also consider image formation and its relation to beamforming.     

THE USE OF FOREST STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION FOR INTERPRETING VEGETATION-ENVIRONMENT RELATIONSHIPS

Species structural and functional characteristics are used in concert with forest composition to examine links between the physical environment and vegetation along an elevational transect of thirty forest stands in Yosemite National Park, California. The structural/functional approach promotes communication by allowing direct analysis and presentation of ecologically significant information. Patterns of leaf persistence, shade tolerance/twig thickness, and windthrow susceptibility are related to changes along the altitudinal gradient as an illustration of the interpretive capabilities of the technique.     

A Regularized Image Restoration Algorithm for Lossy Compression in Astronomy

Astronomical images currently provide large amounts of data. Lossy compression algorithms have recently been developed for high compression ratios. These compression technique introduce distortion in the compressed images and for high compression ratios, a blocking effect appears. We propose a modified compression algorithm based on the hcompress scheme, and we introduce a new decompression method based on the regularization theory The image is restored scale by scale in a multiresolution scheme and the information lost during the compression is recovered by applying a Tikhonov regularization constraint. The experimental results show that the blocking effect is reduced and some measurements made on a simulated image show that the astrometric and the photometric properties of the restored images are improved.