Influence of a coarse interlayer on seawater intrusion and contaminant migration in coastal aquifers

Vertical 2D slice laboratory experiments were carried out in homogenous and layered sand tanks to elucidate the effects of a highly permeable (coarse‐grained sand) interlayer on seawater intrusion and transport of contaminants to a coastal sea. Tidal fluctuations produced oscillations in the seawater–freshwater transition zone, fluctuations of the contaminant infiltration rate and a zigzag contaminant plume outline. The seawater wedge became discontinuous at the (vertical) edges of the interlayer because of increased lateral movement of the seawater–freshwater interface within the interlayer. The contaminant plume formed a tail within the interlayer depending on the tidal stage, and similar to the wedge, its movement was accentuated. A simple analytical model that neglected vertical flow reliably predicted steady‐state seawater intrusion into the coastal aquifer. Numerical modeling was used to gain insight into the groundwater hydrodynamics and contaminant migration. The numerical results confirmed the experimental findings, i.e. that a highly permeable interlayer can provide a rapid transit path for contaminants to reach the seaward boundary and that the interlayer amplifies the effects of tidal fluctuations, resulting in wider transition zones for the seawater wedge and contaminant plume. Numerical simulations further showed that, with increasing interlayer hydraulic conductivity, the maximum seawater intrusion distance inside the interlayer increases approximately linearly. For the fixed‐head contaminant injection condition used, the model showed that contaminant infiltration increases approximately logarithmically with increasing interlayer hydraulic conductivity (other factors held fixed). Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new standardized Palmer drought index for hydro‐meteorological use

Accepting the concept of standardization introduced by the standardized precipitation index, similar methodologies have been developed to construct some other standardized drought indices such as the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI). In this study, the authors provided deep insight into the SPEI and recognized potential deficiencies/limitations in relating to the climatic water balance it used. By coupling another well‐known Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), we proposed a new standardized Palmer drought index (SPDI) through a moisture departure probabilistic approach, which allows multi‐scalar calculation for accurate temporal and spatial comparison of the hydro‐meteorological conditions of different locations. Using datasets of monthly precipitation, temperature and soil available water capacity, the moisture deficit/surplus was calculated at multiple temporal scales, and a couple of techniques were adopted to adjust corresponding time series to a generalized extreme value distribution out of several candidates. Results of the historical records (1900–2012) for diverse climates by multiple indices showed that the SPDI was highly consistent and correlated with the SPEI and self‐calibrated PDSI at most analysed time scales. Furthermore, a simple experiment of hypothetical temperature and/or precipitation change scenarios also verified the effectiveness of this newly derived SPDI in response to climate change impacts. Being more robust and preferable in spatial consistency and comparability as well as combining the simplicity of calculation with sufficient accounting of the physical nature of water supply and demand relating to droughts, the SPDI is promising to serve as a competent reference and an alternative for drought assessment and monitoring. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Higher tritium concentrations measured in permafrost thaw lakes in northern Alberta

Tritium concentrations were measured in a survey of 24 lakes, 15 wetlands, and 133 groundwaters in the oil sands region of northeastern Alberta and compared with both recent precipitation and precipitation sampled during the 1960s tritium peak caused by atmospheric thermonuclear weapons testing. Water samples from lakes included a group of 14 thaw lakes that had higher runoff attributed to melting of permafrost in peat plateaus within their watersheds. While tritium in all lakes was found to be intermediate between recent and 1960s concentrations, the thaw lakes were found to be significantly enriched in tritium compared with other lakes, as were unfrozen wetlands characterized by a thick sequence of low‐hydraulic conductivity peat. The results provide further evidence of different water sources to the thaw lakes and may indicate that melting of modern permafrost in part formed since the 1950s is occurring in these systems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constitutive modelling of fine-grained gassy soil: A composite approach

Fine-grained marine sediments containing large undissolved gas bubbles are widely distributed around the world. Presence of the bubbles could degrade the undrained shear strength (s_u ) of the soil, when the gas pressure u_g is relatively high as compared with the effective stress in the saturated soil matrix. Meanwhile, the addition of bubbles may also increase s_u when the difference between u_g and pore water pressure u_w becomes smaller than the water entry value, causing partial water drainage from the saturated matrix into the bubbles (bubble flooding) during globally undrained shearing. A new constitutive model for describing the two competing effects on the stress-strain relationship of fine-grained gassy soil is proposed within the framework of critical state soil mechanics. The gassy soil is considered as a three-phase composite material with compressible cavities, which allows water entry from the saturated matrix. Bubble flooding is modelled by introducing an additional positive volumetric strain increment of the saturated clay matrix, which is dependent on the difference between pore gas and pore water pressure based on experimental observations. A modified hardening law based on that of the modified Cam clay model is employed, which in conjunction with the expression for bubble flooding, can describe both the detrimental and beneficial effects of gas bubbles on soil strength and plastic hardening in shear. Only two extra parameters in addition to those in the modified Cam clay model are used. It is shown that the key features of the stress-strain relationship of three fine-grained gassy soils can be reproduced satisfactorily.     

Carboniferous eclogite and garnet–omphacite granulite from northeastern Hainan Island,South China: Implications for the evolution of the eastern Palaeo‐Tethys

High‐P (HP) eclogite and associated garnet–omphacite granulite have recently been discovered in the Mulantou area, northeastern Hainan Island, South China. These rocks consist mainly of garnet, omphacite, hornblende, quartz and rutile/ilmenite, with or without zoisite and plagioclase. Textural relationships, mineral compositions and thermobarometric calculations demonstrate that the eclogite and garnet–omphacite granulite share the same three‐stage metamorphic evolution, with prograde, peak and retrograde P?T conditions of 620–680°C and 8.7–11.1 kbar, 820–860°C and 17.0–18.2 kbar, and 700–730°C and 7.1–8.5 kbar respectively. Sensitive high‐resolution ion microprobe U–Pb zircon dating, coupled with the identification of mineral inclusions in zircon, reveals the formation of mafic protoliths before 355 Ma, prograde metamorphism at c. 340–330 Ma, peak to retrograde metamorphism at c. 310–300 Ma, and subsequent pegmatite intrusion at 295 Ma. Trace element geochemistry shows that most of the rocks have a MORB affinity, with initial ε_Nd values of +2.4 to +6.7. As with similar transitional eclogite–HP granulite facies rocks in the thickened root in the European Variscan orogen, the occurrence of relatively high P?T metamorphic rocks of oceanic origin in northeastern Hainan Island suggests Carboniferous oceanic subduction leading to collision of the Hainan continental block, or at least part of it, with the South China Block in the eastern Palaeo‐Tethyan tectonic domain.     

并行处理技术在地理信息数据处理中的应用

随着地理信息存储量的飞速增长,传统的单进程、集中式的数据处理方式已不能满足基于网络的地理信息服务的效能要求。分析对比了OpenMP,MPI和MapReduce等主流并行编程模式,将关系型数据库与分布式空间数据管理系统相结合,提出了面向并行处理的地理信息存储模型和数据组织模型,将该模型与传统模型进行了对比分析,并基于MapReduce实现了地理空间数据并行处理框架,选取了矢量数据装载、影像数据装载以及数据切片作为典型数据处理案例开展对比实验,该技术方案的处理效率均数倍于传统技术方案。实验表明,该模型能够很好地支持并行处理框架,可为分布式环境下数据处理中心构建提供一个有效解决方案。     

新疆西天山松湖铁矿床火山岩年代学和岩石地球化学

新疆西天山阿吾拉勒铁成矿带内众多铁矿床的围岩火山岩时代、岩石成因和构造背景迄今尚未得到很好地约束。文章对该铁成矿带内的松湖铁矿床围岩粗面英安岩和流纹岩进行了锆石LA_ICP_MS U_Pb测年和地球化学研究。粗面英安岩和流纹岩的锆石206Pb/238U加权平均年龄分别为(326.8±2.7)Ma和(327.3±1.7)Ma。粗面英安岩和流纹岩准铝质,均富集轻稀土元素、Rb、K、Zr、Hf,显示中等Eu负异常,亏损Ba、Sr、P、Ta、Nb和Ti。锆石饱和温度计算结果显示,粗面英安岩的母岩浆温度较高(774~812℃,平均792℃),流纹岩母岩浆的温度较低(713~790℃,平均750℃)。粗面英安岩具有非常低Sr高Yb的特征,Nb/Ta比值为10.8~11.4,具有较高的w(Th)(≥8.1×10-6)和高的Th/Ce比值(≥0.31);流纹岩具有低Sr低Yb特征,Nb/Ta比值为8.5~9.7,w(Th)(≥5.3×10-6)较高,Th/Ce比值为0.14~0.75,据此推测粗面英安岩母岩浆可能是上地壳部分熔融的产物,流纹岩母岩浆可能源于比粗面英安岩母岩浆更深的地壳的部分熔融。松湖铁矿区粗面英安岩和流纹岩具有弧火山岩的地球化学特征,结合构造环境判别图解和区域地质情况,推断其形成于大陆弧环境。     

塔里木盆地西南凹陷古新统巨厚海相石膏岩沉积特征及环境意义

塔里木盆地(简称塔,下同)西南凹陷古新世阿尔塔什组发育巨厚层海相石膏岩,夹薄层泥岩、粉砂岩及灰岩,是塔西南凹陷断续海侵环境下多期次蒸发沉积的产物。野外调查显示,该层海相石膏岩出现于皮拉里、阿尔塔什、麻扎塔格及大山口地区的阿尔塔什组露头剖面。石膏岩在凹陷内分布广泛,在西昆仑山前、南天山山前及麦盖提斜坡带均有发育且沉积厚度比较稳定。石膏岩中主要盐类矿物为石膏、硬石膏。扫描电镜分析发现,石膏岩中尚含石盐、钙芒硝及含钾镁的硫酸盐等;石膏岩样品中石盐、石膏、硬石膏等多呈细晶或自形微晶,推测阿尔塔什组沉积期,古盐湖曾出现过富钾卤水;通过对皮拉里剖面石膏岩样品进行地球化学分析,揭示该地区古新世古盐湖演化过程中出现2个相对富钾峰值。在古盐湖演化过程中,由于多期次特提斯海水的侵入,凹陷内部阿尔塔时期发育了碎屑岩—巨厚层石膏岩—碎屑岩的沉积韵律,古盐湖卤水表现为淡—咸—淡的变化规律。伴随着阿尔塔时期4次大规模的海侵,石膏岩沉积从西昆仑山前扩展到麦盖提斜坡地带,海侵范围也逐渐扩大。在阿尔塔什组顶部发育中厚层灰岩,显示在阿尔塔什组沉积晚期,塔西南凹陷沉积环境从●湖相逐渐向浅海相环境演变。     

便携式Li-K分析仪的研制及其在锂辉石中锂的分析应用

我国锂钾主要矿产资源大多分布在西部偏远地区,其勘查找矿或综合利用迫切需要现场快速分析技术的支持。本文介绍了自行开发的便携式Li-K分析仪的主要性能及其在锂辉石中锂的分析应用。Li-K分析仪是一种基于大气压的液体阴极辉光放电光谱仪,以待测液体为放电阴极,实现了样品中Li、K等元素的原子化和激发。该仪器以光纤传导CCD光谱仪作为检测器,其波长范围为345~1015 nm,分辨率3 nm;以Li 670.78 nm和K 769.90 nm分析谱线,在仪器最佳工作条件下测定Li、K的精密度(RSD,n=14)均低于2%,检出限为0.03μg/m L,检测范围0.1~10μg/m L。研究表明,不同酸度和酸的类型对谱线强度影响较大,且存在显著的样品基体效应,标准曲线法分析锂辉石中Li的结果偏差高达267%;而标准加入法可克服基体效应的影响,获得与ICP-OES一致性较好的分析结果,为现场开展固体样品中Li的测定奠定了基础。