An Effective Approach to Rehabilitate Damaged Barrier System Against Piping and Contaminant Flow

The monitoring operation of an older impoundment (such as dams and waste barrier materials) during the service life of the structure cannot be overemphasized. Since older infrastructures seem to be more susceptible to piping and seepage failure, their construction design should be analyzed and monitored at places where a potential problem could occur. Once an impoundment is constructed without adequate filters layers and foundation treatments, then the prevention of piping or seepage may require an effective approach to constructing a cut-off wall to prevent eventual failure. In order to identify and understand theses failure modes, it is important to identify the physical parameters of the impoundment system, such as the zones of various soil gradations, the compaction of these zones, the hydraulic conductivity, the compatibility of the soil formations within and beneath the core or liner, as well as the cohesive and dispersive properties of soils at various location within the structure. Once these parameters are known and quantified, an adequate assessment of the structure’s susceptibility to piping or contaminant transport can be established. This type of an analysis will enable the proper design of a cut-off wall and predetermine the effectiveness of its long-term performance. The Vermont Waterbury Dam (built in 1938) is example of seepage related problem that implemented a cut-off wall design to prevent piping paths from undermining the structure. In this case, some forensic sampling had to be performed and the parameters of the soils as just mentioned were key factors in determining the wall design. In this paper, the Waterbury dam rehabilitation is investigated as case studies, in order to better understand how older designs and poor construction of impoundments can lead to piping condition in dams as well as failures in waste barrier systems. The Secant Cut-off wall (constructed at Waterbury Dam) is mentioned as a corrective measure taken for this dam and there is a brief discussion as to how this construction rehabilitation technique can be applied to waste barrier impoundments.     

西藏高原南部雅鲁藏布江缝合带地区地壳电性结构研究

为了探测西藏高原南部雅鲁藏布江缝合带地区地壳浅部和深部构造沿东西和南北方向的变化特征,在雅鲁藏布江缝合带地区布设了三条南北向剖面(错那—墨竹工卡、亚东—雪古拉、吉隆—措勤),采用超宽频带大地电磁测深方法进行了地壳、上地幔电性结构探测研究,发现该区主要电性结构特征为：1. 雅鲁藏布江缝合带附近表层发育大规模的高阻体,岩体延伸最深达30km以上,是冈底斯花岗岩体的反映. 2. 雅鲁藏布江缝合带的南部有小规模的良导体,在其下方和北侧发育有大规模良导体. 3. 沿剖面从南往北壳内普遍发育良导体,各良导体主体间是不连续的,规模逐渐增大,总体北倾,在缝合带附近产状较陡. 4. 在雅鲁藏布江缝合带附近良导体由西往东规模逐渐增大,导电性逐渐变好,相对雅鲁藏布江在剖面上的位置逐渐南移. 这些重要的电性特征可能是印度板块向北俯冲所形成的,深部大规模的良导体特征沿东西向的差异可能是板块碰撞引起物质沿东西向运移作用的结果.     

Greenhouse sensitivity experiments with penetrative cumulus convection and tropical cirrus albedo effects

Results are presented from two versions of a global R15 atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) coupled to a nondynamic, 50-m deep, slab ocean. Both versions include a penetrative convection scheme that has the effect of pumping more moisture higher into the troposphere. One also includes a simple prescribed functional dependence of cloud albedo in areas of high sea-surface temperature (SST) and deep convection. Previous analysis of observations has shown that in regions of high SST and deep convection, the upper-level cloud albedos increase as a result of the greater optical depth associated with increased moisture content. Based on these observations, we prescribe increased middle- and upper-level cloud albedos in regions of SST greater than 303 K where deep convection occurs. This crudely accounts for a type of cloud optical property feedback, but is well short of a computed cloud-optical property scheme. Since great uncertainty accompanies the formulation and tuning of such schemes, the prescribed albedo feedback is an intermediate step to examine basic feedbacks and sensitivities. We compare the two model versions (with earlier results from the same model with convective adjustment) to a model from the Canadian Climate Centre (CCC) having convective adjustment and a computed cloud optical properties feedback scheme and to several other GCMs. The addition of penetrative convection increases tropospheric moisture, cloud amount, and planetary albedo and decreases net solar input at the surface. However, the competing effect of increased downward infrared flux (from increased tropospheric moisture) causes a warmer surface and increased latent heat flux. Adding the prescribed cirrus albedo feedback decreases net solar input at the surface in the tropics, since the cloud albedos increase in regions of high SST and deep convection. Downward infrared radiation (from increased moisture) also increases, but this effect is overpowered by the reduced solar input in the tropics. Therefore, the surface is somewhat cooler in the tropics, latent heat flux decreases, and global average sensitivity to a doubling of CO₂ with regard to temperature and precipitation/evaporation feedback is reduced. Similar processes, evident in the CCC model with convective adjustment and a computed cloud optical properties feedback scheme, occur over a somewhat expanded latitudinal range. The addition of penetrative convection produces global effects, as does the prescribed cirrus albedo feedback, although the strongest local effects of the latter occur in the tropics.Portions of this study are supported by the Office of Health and Environmental Research of the U.S. Department of Energy as part of its Carbon Dioxide Research Program, and by the Electric Power Research Institute as part of its Model Evaluation Consortium for Climate Assessment ProjectThe National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation     

Investigating the implications of meteorological indicators of seasonal rainfall performance on maize yield in a rain-fed agricultural system: case study of Mt. Darwin District in Zimbabwe

The study focuses on the impacts of climate variability and change on maize yield in Mt. Darwin District. The rainfall and temperature data for the period under study that is from 1992 to 2012 were obtained from Meteorological Services Department of Zimbabwe at daily resolution while crop yield data were obtained from Department of Agricultural, Technical and Extension Services (AGRITEX) and Zimbabwe Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) at seasonal/yearly resolution. In order to capture full rainfall seasons, a year was set to begin on 1 June and end on 31 July the next year. Yearly yield, temperature and rainfall data were used to compute time series analysis of rainfall, temperature and yield. The relationship between temperature, rainfall, quality of season (start, cessation, dry days, wet days and length) and yield was also investigated. The study also investigated the link between meteorological normal and maize yield. The study revealed that temperature is rising while rainfall is decreasing with time hence increasing risk of low maize yield in Mt. Darwin. Correlation between maize yield was higher using a non-linear (R ² = 0.630) than a linear regression model (R ² = 0.173). There was a very high correlation between maize yield and number of dry days (R = −0.905) as well as between maize yield and length of season (R = 0.777). We also observed a strong correlation between percentage normal rainfall and percentage normal maize yield (R ² = 0.753). This was also agreed between rainfall tessiles and maize yield tessiles as 50 % of the seasons had normal and above normal rainfall coinciding with normal and above normal maize yield. Of the 21 seasons considered, only one season had above normal rainfall while maize yield was below normal. The study concluded that there is a strong association between meteorological normal and maize yield in a rain-fed agricultural system. Climate information remains crucial to agricultural productivity hence the need to train farmers to access the information and use it for the benefit of their activities.

     

Morphologic evidence of active motion of the Zambapala Fault, Gulf of Guayaquil (Ecuador)

The Zambapala Fault Zone (ZFZ) is located at the link between the offshore structures of the Gulf of Guayaquil and the Guayaquil Caracas Megashear (GCM) that accommodates the northeastward motion of the North Andean Block. We use morphological observations of drainage offset to assess the active motion of the Zambapala Fault. The relation between the horizontal offset amount D of the stream channel and the upstream length L from the offset segment, and offset of beach morphology provide a measurement of the average slip rate of the motion of the fault to an accuracy of a fraction of millimeters per year. The drainage network is short, running down the southeastern slopes of the Zambapala Cordillera (297 m), a Quaternary dome uplifted along a positive flower structure. We measure the D (drainage offset along the fault)/L (drainage length from the fault) relation for the upper and more recent part of the drainage network. The relation suggests that the fault is active at present. Capture occurs along the middle slopes and channel straightening near the littoral plain, hiding part or most of the fault offset. The fault trace crosses the littoral plain, showing 35–40 m offset of the inner beach ridge, and delimiting variations of the beach morphology. The attribution of a maximum age of 5000–6000 years to the oldest beach ridge (the postglacial transgression) allows us to calculate a minimal mean slip rate of 5.8–8 mm year⁻¹. This result confirms that the Guayaquil Caracas Megashear extends to the Gulf of Guayaquil through the Zambapala Fault Zone, which accommodate at least 60–80% of the slip motion of the Guayaquil Carcas Megashear.     

Sediment hosted lead–zinc deposits of the Neoproterozoic Bambuí Group and correlative sequences, São Francisco Craton, Brazil: A review and a possible metallogenic evolution model

The Proterozoic sediment-hosted Zn–(Pb) sulfide and non-sulfide deposits of the São Francisco Craton, Brazil, are partially syn-diagenetic and epigenetic and were probably formed during extensional events. The majority of the deposits occur within shallow water dolomites. The Pb isotopic data of sulfides are relatively homogeneous for individual deposits and plot above the upper crust evolution curve of the Plumbotectonic model. Some of the deposits are characterized by highly radiogenic lead (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ≥ 21) originating from the highly radioactive crust of the São Francisco Craton. Pb and S isotopic data suggest the sources of metal and sulfur for the deposits to be the basement rocks and seawater sulfates in the sediments, respectively. The relatively high temperatures of formation (100 to 250 °C) and moderate salinity (3% to 20% NaCl equiv.) of the primary fluid inclusions in the sphalerite crystals suggest the participation of basinal mineralizing fluids in ore formation. The steep paleo-geothermal gradient generated by the radioactively enriched basement rocks probably assisted in heating up the circulating mineralizing fluids.     

Characteristics of summertime daily rainfall variability over South America and the South Atlantic Convergence Zone

Summary ?This paper presents an objective analysis of the structure of daily rainfall variability over the South American/South Atlantic region (15°–60° W and 0°–40° S) during individual austral summer months of November to March. From EOF analysis of satellite derived daily rainfall we find that the leading mode of variability is represented by a highly coherent meridional dipole structure, organised into 2 extensive bands, oriented northwest to southeast across the continent and Atlantic Ocean. We argue that this dipole structure represents variability in the meridional position of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ). During early and later summer, in the positive (negative) phase of the dipole, enhanced (suppressed) rainfall over eastern tropical Brazil links with that over the subtropical and extra-tropical Atlantic and is associated with suppressed (enhanced) rainfall over the sub-tropical plains and adjacent Atlantic Ocean. This structure is indicative of interaction between the tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. Composite fields from NCEP reanalysis products (associated with the major positive and negative events) show that in early and late summer the position of the SACZ is associated with variability in: (a) the midlatitude wave structure, (b) the position of the continental low, and (c) the zonal position of the South Atlantic Subtropical High. Harmonic analysis of the 200 hPa geopotential anomaly structure in the midlatitudes indicates that reversals in the rainfall dipole structure are associated primarily with variability in zonal wave 4. There is evidence of a wave train extending throughout the midlatitudes from the western Pacific into the SACZ region. During positive (negative) events the largest anomalous moisture advection occurs within westerlies (easterlies) primarily from Amazonia (the South Atlantic). In both phases a convergent poleward flow results along the leading edge of the low-level trough extending from the tropics into temperate latitudes. High summer events differ from those in early and late summer in that the rainfall dipole is primarily associated with variability in the phase of zonal wave 3, and that tropical-temperate link is not clearly evident in positive events. Received May 31, 2001; revised October 17, 2001; accepted June 13, 2002