Pollution Source Investigation and Water Quality Management in the Carp Lake Watershed,Taiwan

In this study, a full survey of pollutant sources and water quality was conducted, followed by the application of a water quality model (Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program, WASP) to establish strategies of water quality control in Carp Lake, Taiwan. Results of the field investigation show that both point and non‐point source (NPS) pollutants were responsible for the poor water quality. The contributions of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) from point source and NPS pollution were 45.9 and 55.1%, respectively. About 80% of total phosphorus (TP) were contributed by NPS. Additionally, point source and NPS pollution discharged 55.5 and 44.5% of NH₃–N load, respectively. The Carlson's Trophic State Index ranged from 61.9 to 69.2 showing serious eutrophic problems in Carp Lake. The calculated BOD, NH₃–N, and TP carrying capacity were approximately 2.8, 0.42, and 0.15 kg per day, respectively. However, the current pollutant loadings are approximately 3.0–5.5 times the calculated carrying capacity. With the help of the calibrated WASP model, remedial strategies for the lake water from short‐term to long‐term were developed. The completion of the small local sewer system to remove 80% of the point source pollution can serve as a short‐term goal while 40–60% of NPS removal by natural treatment systems may serve as a mid‐term goal. Furthermore, 80% of both source point and NPS pollution removal can be considered as a long‐term strategy. Results of heavy metal analysis show that the enriched sediment would be safe for agricultural applications.     

Prediction of probabilistic settlements via spectral stochastic meshless local Petrov–Galerkin method

This study introduces the prediction of probabilistic settlements with the uncertainty in the spatial variability of Young’s modulus to illustrate the preliminary development of a spectral stochastic meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (SSMLPG) method. Generalized polynomial chaos expansions of Young’s moduli and a two-dimensional meshfree weak–strong formulation in elasticity are combined to derive the SSMLPG formulation. Because of the local and truly meshless nature, the SSMLPG method is more computationally efficient than available stochastic numerical methods. Two examples further show that SSMLPG-based predictions remain sufficiently accurate even in case of scattered nodes. Therefore, the SSMLPG method can be a valuable alternative for solving stochastic boundary-value problems.     

An ab initio study of the O-H stretching frequency in tremolite

We have carried out a series of ab initio molecular orbital calculations for a cluster designed to model the OH site environment in tremolite to investigate the forces affecting the O-H stretch frequency in the crystal. The results of our calculations suggest that there are repulsive interactions between the hydrogen atom and silicon and oxygen atoms in the silicate ring adjacent to the OH site in tremolite. From our model calculations, we predict that the O-H stretching frequency of tremolite should first increase, then decrease, with applied pressure. This may affect the variation in H/D fractionation factors involving tremolite and other amphiboles with depth.     

Direct back analysis by the meshless local Petrov‐Galerkin method and Bayesian statistics

This study presents a preliminary development of a direct back analysis procedure by the meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method and Bayesian statistics and the application of resulting procedure to characterize soil properties using laboratory results. As compared to direct back analyses that are based on the finite element method (FEM), it is intended to show that MLPG‐based direct back analyses may be more suitable for some kinds of characterization problems; for example, involving a complex subsurface stratification or the characterization of soil properties of just an inclusion of a soil profile. The existing MLPG method is first slightly modified to analyse time‐dependent problems. Using the resulting method, quantities to be characterized are evaluated so that they give numerical results as close to measured data as possible. The Akaike information criterion is introduced for simplifying the evaluation. A one‐dimensional finite strain consolidation problem is introduced to do an error analysis for prediction by the proposed MLPG method. Another example illustrates experiences of performing an MLPG‐based direct back analysis. Comparison of MLPG‐based and FEM‐based direct back analyses is taken. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

台湾东部之地壳变动与花莲寿丰观测网

花莲寿丰测距网设置至今已有11年的观测成果，观测资料显示，菲律宾海板块一直以西北方向向台湾陆地挤压；1999年“921”集集大地震前两个月，挤压转至正西方向，因此，主压应力对台湾陆地之冲击最大，地震也最强，集集地震后至今所观测的资料显示，挤压方向转至西南方向且压力陆续增加。     

Bioremediation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene-contaminated groundwater using unique bacterial strains: microcosm and mechanism studies

Groundwater at many military factory, munition storage and maneuver sites is contaminated by explosives chemicals that were released into the subsurface. The 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is among the most common explosive pollutants. In this study, two TNT-degrading strains, isolated from TNT-contaminated soils and wastewater sludge, were applied for TNT biodegradation. Based on the 16S rDNA sequence analyses, these two bacterial strains were identified as Achromobacter sp. and Klebsiella sp. via biochemical and DNA analyses. Microcosm study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of TNT biodegradation under aerobic conditions. Results indicate that TNT degradation by-products were detected in microcosms (inoculated with Achromobacter sp. and Klebsiella sp.) with cane molasses addition. Klebsiella sp. and Achromobacter sp. used TNT as the nitrogen source and caused completely removal of TNT. Two possible TNT biodegradation routes could be derived: (1) part of the TNT was transformed to nitrotoluene then transformed to nitrobenzene followed by the nitro substitute process, and trinitrobenzene, dinitrobenzene, and nitrobenzene were detected; and (2) TNT was transformed via the nitro substitute mechanism, and dinitrotoluene followed by nitrotoluene isomers were detected. The initial TNT degradation involved the reduction or removal of the nitro substitute to an amino derivative or free nitrite. Results show that the second route was the dominant TNT biodegradation pathway. The produced by-products were also degraded without significant accumulation during the degradation process. These findings would be helpful in designing a practical system inoculated with isolated TNT degradation strains for the treatment of TNT-contained groundwater.     

Characterizing soil properties by the meshless local Petrov-Galerkin method

This study presents a preliminary development of a direct back analysis procedure by the meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) method and its application to characterize soil properties using in-situ test results. As compared to a direct back analysis based on the finite element method (FEM), it is intended to show that doing a direct back analysis by the MLPG method may reduce the computation costs or treat with the non-homogeneity of characterized soil properties more easily. Taking a two-dimensional (2D) solute transport problem as an illustration, an MLPG1 model of such a problem is derived to predict the solute concentration with trial coefficients of dispersion. To account for the non-homogeneity of these coefficients, variation of them is described by the moving least-squares interpolation. The Akaike information criterion is then introduced to find those coefficients of dispersion with which errors between predicted and measured data are minimized. A benchmark problem is studied to test the precision of numerical results provided by the proposed MLPG1 model. Another example illustrates the experiences of doing an MLPG-based direct back analysis. Comparison of MLPG-based and FEM-based direct back analyses is taken.     

Geochemical behavior of 210Pb and 210Po in the nearshore waters off western Taiwan

Dissolved and particulate (210)Pb and (210)Po were determined at 15 stations along the coastline off western Taiwan in April 2007. The (210)Pb activities in dissolved and particulate phases fell within a relatively small range of 2.4-5.2 dpm 100 L(-1) and 1.0-3.2 dpm 100 L(-1), respectively. The dissolved and particulate (210)Po activities also fell within a small range of 0.8-3.4 dpm 100 L(-1) and 1.1-2.9 dpm 100 L(-1), respectively. The correlation of the distribution coefficients (K(d)) of (210)Pb and (210)Po with particle concentration in turbid waters are not as evident as in the open ocean. The mass balance calculation shows that the residence times of (210)Pb and (210)Po with respect to particle removal from the nearshore waters ranges from 3 to 15 days and from 14 to 125 days, respectively. The flux of particulate organic carbon was estimated by (210)Po proxy and ranged from 4.8 to 33.7 mmol-C m(-2) d(-1).     

A Rupture Model for the 1999 Chi-Chi Earthquake from Inversion of Teleseismic Data Using the Hybrid Homomorphic Deconvolution Method

This study investigates the kinematics of the rupture process of the M _L 7.3 Chi–Chi, Taiwan, earthquake on September 21, 1999. By applying the proposed hybrid homomorphic deconvolution method to deconvolve teleseismic broadband P-wave displacement recordings of the earthquake, this study derives the apparent source time functions (ASTFs) at ten stations located around the epicenter. To further characterize the fault, the kinematic history of the rupture was inverted from ASTFs using a genetic algorithm, coupled with nonlinear iterative technique. The calculated ASFTs reveal that the total rupture event lasted for approximately 27 s. Static slip distribution images indicate that most slip occurred at shallower portions of the fault plane, especially 20–55 km north of the epicenter. The maximum slip reached 20 m at 45 km north of the epicenter, and the average slip throughout the observed rupture area was approximately 2 m. Large asperities on the fault appeared at 25–35 km and 40–50 km north of the hypocenter, and coincided with relatively high rupture velocity. This suggests that the earthquake’s energy may have been released quickly. The rupture velocity decreased upon encountering an asperity, and increased again after passing the asperity. This implies that the rupture required more time to overcome the resistances of the asperities. The maximum rupture velocity was 3.8 km/s, while the average rupture velocity was approximately 2.2 km/s. The rise time distribution suggests that larger slip amplitudes generally correspond to shorter rise times on the subfaults.