塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地沙尘气溶胶质量浓度垂直分布特征

 利用Grimm 1.108、Thermo RP 1 400 a以及TSP等仪器于2009年1月至2010年2月对塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地塔中不同高度沙尘气溶胶质量浓度进行连续观测,结合天气资料进行分析。结果表明:①80 m高度PM10质量浓度最高,80 m高度PM2.5和PM1.0质量浓度明显低于4 m高度PM10,80 m高度PM1.0质量浓度最低。频繁的沙尘天气是影响不同粒径的沙尘气溶胶浓度含量的主要因素。②夜间至日出,PM质量浓度逐渐降低,最低基本上出现在08:00,随后质量浓度逐渐增大,18:00前后浓度达到最高值,然后又逐步降低。其规律与风速的昼夜变化完全一致。③TSP月平均质量浓度高值主要集中在3—9月,其中4月和5月浓度最高,随后逐渐减低。3—9月也是PM月平均质量浓度的高值区域,4 m高度PM10月平均质量浓度最高发生在5月,其浓度为846.0 μg·m-3。80 m高度PM10浓度远高于PM2.5和PM1.0浓度,PM2.5和PM1.0浓度相差较小。风沙天气对大气中的不同粒径粒子的浓度含量影响较大,风沙天气越多,粗颗粒含量越高,反之则细颗粒越多。④沙尘天气过程中不同粒径沙尘气溶胶质量浓度变化具有晴天<浮尘天气<扬沙天气<沙尘暴天气的规律。各种沙尘天气中,PM10/TSP表现为晴好天气高于浮尘天气,浮尘天气远高于扬沙和沙尘暴天气。⑤沙尘天气过程中,沙尘气溶胶浓度随着粒径的减小,浓度逐渐降低。不同高度、不同粒径的沙尘气溶胶质量浓度每隔3~4 d形成一个峰值区,与每隔3~4 d出现沙尘天气强度增强过程直接相关。     

Heavy ion formation in Titan's ionosphere: Magnetospheric introduction of free oxygen and a source of Titan's aerosols?

Discovery by Cassini's plasma instrument of heavy positive and negative ions within Titan's upper atmosphere and ionosphere has advanced our understanding of ion neutral chemistry within Titan's upper atmosphere, primarily composed of molecular nitrogen, with ~2.5% methane. The external energy flux transforms Titan's upper atmosphere and ionosphere into a medium rich in complex hydrocarbons, nitriles and haze particles extending from the surface to 1200 km altitudes. The energy sources are solar UV, solar X-rays, Saturn's magnetospheric ions and electrons, solar wind and shocked magnetosheath ions and electrons, galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and the ablation of incident meteoritic dust from Enceladus’ E-ring and interplanetary medium. Here it is proposed that the heavy atmospheric ions detected in situ by Cassini for heights >950 km, are the likely seed particles for aerosols detected by the Huygens probe for altitudes <100 km. These seed particles may be in the form of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) containing both carbon and hydrogen atoms C_nH_x. There could also be hollow shells of carbon atoms, such as C₆₀, called fullerenes which contain no hydrogen. The fullerenes may compose a significant fraction of the seed particles with PAHs contributing the rest. As shown by Cassini, the upper atmosphere is bombarded by magnetospheric plasma composed of protons, H₂⁺ and water group ions. The latter provide keV oxygen, hydroxyl and water ions to Titan's upper atmosphere and can become trapped within the fullerene molecules and ions. Pickup keV N₂⁺, N⁺ and CH₄⁺ can also be implanted inside of fullerenes. Attachment of oxygen ions to PAH molecules is uncertain, but following thermalization O+ can interact with abundant CH₄ contributing to the CO and CO₂ observed in Titan's atmosphere. If an exogenic keV O+ ion is implanted into the haze particles, it could become free oxygen within those aerosols that eventually fall onto Titan's surface. The process of freeing oxygen within aerosols could be driven by cosmic ray interactions with aerosols at all heights. This process could drive pre-biotic chemistry within the descending aerosols. Cosmic ray interactions with grains at the surface, including water frost depositing on grains from cryovolcanism, would further add to abundance of trapped free oxygen. Pre-biotic chemistry could arise within surface microcosms of the composite organic-ice grains, in part driven by free oxygen in the presence of organics and any heat sources, thereby raising the astrobiological potential for microscopic equivalents of Darwin's “warm ponds” on Titan.     

The source of fluoride toxicity in Muteh area,Isfahan, Iran

Endemic dental fluorosis has been observed in most inhabitants of three villages of Muteh area, located in northwest of Isfahan province, with mottled enamel related to high levels of fluoride in drinking water (1.8–2.2 ppm). Forty-seven groundwater samples from six villages were collected and fluoride concentrations along with physico-chemical parameters were analyzed. Fluoride concentration in this area varies from 0.2 to 9.2 mg/l with highest fluoride level at Muteh gold mine (Chahkhatun mine). Fluoride concentration positively correlates with pH and HCO₃ ⁻ indicating that alkaline pH provides a suitable condition for leaching of fluoride from surrounding rocks. The district is mainly covered by three lithological units, namely, metamorphic and granite rocks, alluvial sediments, and carbonate rocks. Factor analysis shows that parameters can be classified into four components: electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), Cl⁻, Na⁺ and K⁺, pH and F⁻, SO₄ ²⁻and Mg²⁺, HCO₃ ⁻ and Ca₂ ⁺. The groundwaters from the three geological units were compared using Mann–Whitney U test. The order of median fluoride concentration is: metamorphic and granite rocks > alluvial sediments > carbonate rocks. Hence, the fluoride content is most probably related to fluoride-bearing minerals such as amphibole and mica group minerals in metamorphic and granitic rocks. The concentration of fluoride in drinking water wells located near the metamorphic complex in Muteh area is above 2 ppm.     

Estimation of evapotranspiration based on only air temperature data using artificial neural networks for a subtropical climate in Iran

This paper examines the potential for the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to estimate the reference crop evapotranspiration (ET₀) based on air temperature data under humid subtropical conditions on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea situated in the north of Iran. The input variables for the networks were the maximum and minimum air temperature and extraterrestrial radiation. The temperature data were obtained from eight meteorological stations with a range of latitude, longitude, and elevation throughout the study area. A comparison of the estimates provided by the ANNs and by Hargreaves equation was also conducted. The FAO-56 Penman–Monteith model was used as a reference model for assessing the performance of the two approaches. The results of this study showed that ANNs using air temperature data successfully estimated the daily ET₀ and that the ANNs with an R ² of 0.95 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.41 mm day^?1 simulated ET₀ better than the Hargreaves equation, which had an R ² of 0.91 and a RMSE of 0.51 mm day^?1.     

Some numerical issues using element‐free Galerkin mesh‐less method for coupled hydro‐mechanical problems

A new formulation of the element‐free Galerkin (EFG) method is developed for solving coupled hydro‐mechanical problems. The numerical approach is based on solving the two governing partial differential equations of equilibrium and continuity of pore water simultaneously. Spatial variables in the weak form, i.e. displacement increment and pore water pressure increment, are discretized using the same EFG shape functions. An incremental constrained Galerkin weak form is used to create the discrete system equations and a fully implicit scheme is used for discretization in the time domain. Implementation of essential boundary conditions is based on a penalty method. Numerical stability of the developed formulation is examined in order to achieve appropriate accuracy of the EFG solution for coupled hydro‐mechanical problems. Examples are studied and compared with closed‐form or finite element method solutions to demonstrate the validity of the developed model and its capabilities. The results indicate that the EFG method is capable of handling coupled problems in saturated porous media and can predict well both the soil deformation and variation of pore water pressure over time. Some guidelines are proposed to guarantee the accuracy of the EFG solution for coupled hydro‐mechanical problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The hydraulic conductivity of the fractures intersecting Cambrian sandstone rock masses, central Jordan

This paper outlines the hydraulic characteristics of fractured rock masses and their implication in engineering works. The hydraulic behavior of subsurface fracture systems has been evaluated by means of hydraulic testing using packer tests and by fracture analysis. A comparison of the borehole results with those of surface fracture mapping provides a reasonable correlation between the two methods of measuring fractured rock hydraulic conductivity. The mean hydraulic conductivity value obtained from the boreholes is 36.5 LU (9.26᎒^-5 m/s), while the mean value of hydraulic conductivity obtained from field mapping of fracture data is in the order of 1᎒^-5 m/s. Based on the hydraulic conductivity values the sandstone rock mass can be considered medium to highly conductive; nevertheless, it seems to be almost impervious at greater depth. The empirical relationships which have been derived between hydraulic conductivity and both rock quality designation (RQD) and rock mass rating (RMR) indices indicated that the mean value of hydraulic conductivity of the rock mass could be estimated to be in the order of 10^-5 m/s, which is confirmed by the packer tests.     

Dispersive Particle Transport: Identification of Macroscale Behavior in Heterogeneous Stratified Subsurface Flows

Dispersive mass transport processes in naturally heterogeneous geological formations (porous media) are investigated based on a particle approach to mass transport and on its numerical implementation using LPT3D, a Lagrangian Particle Tracking 3D code. We are currently using this approach for studying microscale and macroscale space–time behavior (advection, diffusion, dispersion) of tracer plumes, solutes, or miscible fluids, in 1,2,3-dimensional heterogeneous and anisotropic subsurface formations (aquifers, petroleum reservoirs). Our analyses are based on a general advection-diffusion model and numerical scheme where concentrations and fluxes are discretized in terms of particles. The advection-diffusion theory is presented in a probabilistic framework, and in particular, a numerical analysis is developed for the case of advective transport and rotational flows (numerical stability of the explicit Euler scheme). The remainder of the paper is devoted to the behavior of concentration, mass flux density, and statistical moments of the transported tracer plume in the case of heterogeneous steady flow fields, where macroscale dispersion occurs due to geologic heterogeneity and stratification. We focus on the case of perfectly stratified or multilayered media, obtained by generating many horizontal layers with a purely random transverse distribution of permeability and horizontal velocity. In this case, we calculate explicitly the exact mass concentration field C(x, t), mass flux density field f(x, t), and moments. This includes spatial moments and dispersion variance ² _x (t) on a finite domain L, and temporal moments on a finite time scale T, e.g., the mass variance of arrival times ² _T (x). The moments are related to flux concentrations in a way that takes explicitly into account finite space–time scales of analysis (time-dependent tracer mass; spatially variable flow through mass). The multilayered model problem is then used in numerical experiments for testing different ways of recovering information on tracer plume migration, dispersion, concentration and flux fields. Our analyses rely on a probabilistic interpretation that emerges naturally from the particle approach; it is based on spatial moments (particle positions), temporal moments (mass weighted arrival times), and probability densities (both concentrations and fluxes). Finally, as an alternative to direct estimations of the flux and concentration fields, we formulate and study the Moment Inverse Problem. Solving the MIP yields an indirect method for estimating the space–time distribution of flux concentrations based on observed or estimated moments of the plume. The moments may be estimated from field measurements, or numerically computed by particle tracking as we do here.     

Sketch maps for searching in spatial data

Much research has been conducted on the use of sketch maps to search in spatial databases, nevertheless, they have faced challenges, such as modeling of the data abstraction level, aggregated features in sketches, modeling of semantic aspects of data, data redundancy, and evaluation of the results. Considering these challenges, in this article a new solution is presented for searching in databases based on data matching. The main difference between this solution and the other approaches lies in the parameters introduced to match data and how to solve the matching problem. Using geometrical, topological, and semantic parameters in the matching, as well as performing the matching process in the two phases of partial and global, has resulted in an of about 78%. The evaluation process is performed based on the matching parameters and the matching procedure; finally, the result is acceptable compared to previous implementations.