Comparison of response of moss,lichens and attic dust to geology and atmospheric pollution from copper mine

Different sampling media (moss, lichen and attic dust) were used for monitoring the distribution of 15 elements, including certain trace elements, in the vicinity of an intensively exploited copper mine in the east of the Republic of Macedonia. Moss species (Hypnum cupressiforme and Campothecium lutescens), epiphytic lichens (Hypogymnia physodes and Evernia prunastri) and attic dust were collected for comparative analysis for monitoring air pollution. In both cases (lithological and anthropogenic affected areas) for the distribution of elements, the sampling media follows the expression capabilities: attic dust > moss > lichens. Enrichment factors M/L—moss vs. lichen, for plant response to elements distribution and D/L—attic dust vs. lichen, for historical response of elements distribution were significant for Cu and Ni, which were singled out as the main markers for anthropogenic and geogenic distribution. The factor analysis highlighted geogenic (F1: Ni-Cr-Cd-Fe-Al-K-Mn-Zn) and anthropogenic (F2: As-Cu-Pb) association of elements from three types of media samples. For anthropogenic affected areas, T value and F value for Cu content were significant at p < 0.05 and higher enrichment factors were obtained for lichen, moss and attic dust media (3.8, 5.0 and 5.7, respectively). Spatial distribution for element deposition (with emphasis on Cu and Ni) is not disturbed by the significant differences in the sampling media matrix. Treated sample materials (attic dust, moss, lichen) are shown to be useful in determining an anthropogenic impact, as well as the chemical properties or geological background on orographic diverse terrain in the presence of complex geological structure.     

Responses of microorganisms and enzymes to soil contamination with metazachlor

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, with the aim of describing the influence of metazachlor on counts and biodiversity of soil microorganisms, soil enzymatic activity, physicochemical properties of soil and yield of spring oilseed rape. The first experimental factor was soil contamination with increasing rates of metazachlor: 0 (soil without the herbicide), 0.333 (recommended by the manufacturer), 6.666, 13.332, 26.665, 53.328, 106.656 and 213.312 mg kg^?1 dm of soil, while the second factor comprised two dates of determination: 30 and 60 days after starting the experiment. The tested herbicide had an adverse effect on reproduction of all analyzed microorganisms: oligotrophic bacteria and their endospore forms, Azotobacter spp. bacteria, organotrophic bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi. The values of the colony development and eco-physiological diversity indices decreased under the influence of excessive doses of the herbicide. Also, significant fluctuation in the enzymatic activity of soil was observed in response to the higher doses of metazachlor and depending on the date of determinations. The herbicide had an invariably negative influence on the activity of soil enzymes, causing the inhibition of dehydrogenases, catalase, urease, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase and β-glucosidase. The physicochemical status of soil depended significantly on the degree of soil contamination with the herbicide, same as the yield of spring oilseed rape.     

Economic benefit assessment of the geo-hazard monitoring and warning engineering system in the Three Gorges Reservoir area: a case study of the landslide in Zigui

The completion and operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir in China have increased the frequency of geo-hazards and dangers in the area. To monitor and to warn of geo-hazards effectively, the Chinese government has invested billions of funds for constructing a monitoring and warning engineering system. Similar to other social infrastructure investments, a reasonable assessment of investment returns is necessary. Therefore, this study proposes an economic benefit assessment model, which considers both the expected and the actual values. The economic benefit of the geo-hazard monitoring and warning engineering in the Three Gorges Reservoir areas is evaluated. Based on the engineering characteristics, the model reasonably defines the frontier of the input and output and adds the casualties and the losses of ecological environment into the economic benefit evaluation index system. A case study on the Zhangjiawan landslide in Guojiaba Town, Zigui County, was conducted. The evaluation results show that (1) land has the largest benefit in direct reductional loss (total of 56.7 %), while the largest indirect reductional losses of the hazard-bearing bodies are in agricultural production and ecological environment (total of 97.6 %); (2) the costs-to-expected return ratio of landslide monitoring and warning engineering is 1:280, whereas the cost-to-actual benefit ratio is 1:30; (3) the accumulation of relevant information and the public knowledge of geological disasters should be strengthened.

     

Theory of Accretion onto Neutron Stars

Hydrodynamically stationary, spherically symmetric accretion onto a neutron star is examined taking the reverse effect of radiation into account. It is assumed that the plasma flow is adiabatic and that radiation is generated in a thin surface layer of the neutron star, where incoming particles are slowed down. It is shown that for stationary accretion, neither a stop, nor a substantial slowing down of the accretion flux is possible for any physically allowed conditions far from the neutron star.     

Seismic wavefield modeling based on time-domain symplectic and Fourier finite-difference method

Seismic wavefield modeling is important for improving seismic data processing and interpretation. Calculations of wavefield propagation are sometimes not stable when forward modeling of seismic wave uses large time steps for long times. Based on the Hamiltonian expression of the acoustic wave equation, we propose a structure-preserving method for seismic wavefield modeling by applying the symplectic finite-difference method on time grids and the Fourier finite-difference method on space grids to solve the acoustic wave equation. The proposed method is called the symplectic Fourier finite-difference (symplectic FFD) method, and offers high computational accuracy and improves the computational stability. Using acoustic approximation, we extend the method to anisotropic media. We discuss the calculations in the symplectic FFD method for seismic wavefield modeling of isotropic and anisotropic media, and use the BP salt model and BP TTI model to test the proposed method. The numerical examples suggest that the proposed method can be used in seismic modeling of strongly variable velocities, offering high computational accuracy and low numerical dispersion. The symplectic FFD method overcomes the residual qSV wave of seismic modeling in anisotropic media and maintains the stability of the wavefield propagation for large time steps.     

Diffraction of SH-waves by topographic features in a layered transversely isotropic half-space

The scattering of plane SH-waves by topographic features in a layered transversely isotropic (TI) half-space is investigated by using an indirect boundary element method (IBEM). Firstly, the anti-plane dynamic stiffness matrix of the layered TI half-space is established and the free fields are solved by using the direct stiffness method. Then, Green’s functions are derived for uniformly distributed loads acting on an inclined line in a layered TI half-space and the scattered fields are constructed with the deduced Green’s functions. Finally, the free fields are added to the scattered ones to obtain the global dynamic responses. The method is verified by comparing results with the published isotropic ones. Both the steady-state and transient dynamic responses are evaluated and discussed. Numerical results in the frequency domain show that surface motions for the TI media can be significantly different from those for the isotropic case, which are strongly dependent on the anisotropy property, incident angle and incident frequency. Results in the time domain show that the material anisotropy has important effects on the maximum duration and maximum amplitudes of the time histories.     

Selection between the generalized Pareto and kappa distributions in peaks-over-threshold hydrological frequency modelling

Hydrologists use the generalized Pareto (GP) distribution in peaks-over-threshold (POT) modelling of extremes. A model with similar uses is the two-parameter kappa (KAP) distribution. KAP has had fewer hydrological applications than GP, but some studies have shown it to merit wider use. The problem of choosing between GP and KAP arises quite often in frequency analyses. This study, by comparing some discrimination methods between these two models, aims to show which method(s) is (are) recommended. Three specific methods are considered: one uses the Anderson-Darling goodness-of-fit (GoF) statistic, another uses the ratio of maximized likelihood (closely related to the Akaike information criterion and the Bayesian information criterion), and the third employs a normality transformation followed by application of the Shapiro-Wilk statistic. We show this last method to be the most recommendable, due to its advantages with sizes typically encountered in hydrology. We apply the simulation results to some flood POT datasets.

EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis; ASSOCIATE EDITOR E. Volpi     

Brittleness characteristics of tight oil siltstones

Rock brittleness directly affects reservoir fracturing and its evaluation is essential for establishing fracturing conditions prior to reservoir reforming. Dynamic and static brittleness data were collected from siltstones of the Qingshankou Formation in Songliao Basin. The brittle–plastic transition was investigated based on the stress–strain relation. The results suggest that the brittleness indices calculated by static elastic parameters are negatively correlated with the stress drop coefficient and the brittleness index B₂, defined as the average of the normalized Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio, is strongly correlated with the stress drop. The brittleness index B₂, Young’s modulus, and Poisson’s ratio correlate with the brittle minerals content; that is, quartz, carbonates, and pyrite. We also investigated the correlation between pore fluid and porosity and dynamic brittle characteristic based on index B₂. Pore fluid increases the plasticity of rock and reduces brittleness; moreover, with increasing porosity, rock brittleness decreases. The gas-saturated siltstone brittleness index is higher than that in oil- or water-saturated siltstone; the difference in the brittleness indices of oil- and water-saturated siltstone is very small. By comparing the rock mechanics and ultrasonic experiments, we find that the brittleness index obtained from the rock mechanics experiments is smaller than that obtained from the ultrasonic experiments; nevertheless, both decrease with increasing porosity as well as their differences. Ultrasonic waves propagate through the rock specimens without affecting them, whereas rock mechanics experiments are destructive and induce microcracking and porosity increases; consequently, the brittleness of low-porosity rocks is affected by the formation of internal microcrack systems.     

PTB220型气压传感器调整方法

1概述目前内蒙古自动站气压传感器使用的输出方式有两种：RS232串行输出和模拟电压输出。当对气压传感器进行检定后,如果发现各检定点测量误差的总平均大于±0.3 hPa,则需要进行调整。     

Hydrogeophysical approach for contamination assessment in NamSon landfill,Hanoi, Vietnam

Self potential (SP) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) methods are used together with the results of groundwater samples hydrogeochemical analysis to assess the impact of the water leak from the landfill garbage site at NamSon located in Northern Hanoi on causing pollution to the surrounding environment and affecting geological structure. Selected survey area covers an area of 180 × 300 m lying in the low land of the NamSon site with a slope ranging about 8 m in direction NW–SE. There are three geophysical measurements lines denoted as T1, T2 and T3. Processing 180 SP data points has allowed to draw maps of equipotential epoch in the two periods in 2015 and 2016. The maps show four zones of SP positive anomalies with maximum amplitudes of about +20 mV where the groundwater flow direction is downward and five zones of SP negative anomalies with minimum values in a range from ?180 to ?260 mV where the groundwater flow direction is upward. Resistivity values of the subsurface layers of soils and rocks have been aquired from 2D inverse model for measuring ERT in March 2015 and March 2016. The results of the ERT allowed to define the low resistivity in the range 15–20 Ωm related to leachate plume from NamSon landfill site. Results of the physico-chemical analysis of groundwater samples from the existing six boreholes show increases in concentration of the measured pollutant parameters indicating contamination of the groundwater as a result of solid waste leachate accumulation. This result is affirmative evidence for the survey results by geophysical technique. The rapid decrease in quality of groundwater over the last year is probably due to the influence of the leachate from the NamSon landfill site.