Rip currents as a geological tool

This paper considers the nature and sedimentary significance of rip currents. Rip currents are the main factor responsible for the transport of coarse sediments from the littoral zone to greater depths. Such sediments, deposited outside the zone of wave deformation, may be identified as storm rip current increments within sediments deposited during fair weather. Composite beds deposited during a given wave cycle by storm rip currents are closely similar to ‘turbidites’ and many so called ‘fluxo-turbidites’ described from flysch deposits. Using data gathered in studies conducted on the modern Baltic coast, supplemented by experimental work and theoretical considerations, a sedimentary model is proposed. The model may be used to interpret possible rip current deposits among shallow water ‘turbidites’, and both modern storm sediments and ancient ‘tempestites’.     

Winter seabird distribution and abundance off south-western Greenland, 1999

South-western Greenland constitutes an internationally important wintering area for many seabird species. Several species of management concern have a predominantly near-coastal distribution, though available information about seabird numbers is mostly confined to offshore waters. Here we report on extensive aerial surveys conducted in March 1999, covering the coastal waters (up to 15-20 km from the mainland coast) and fjords of south-west Greenland. The most widespread and numerous species were estimated as 463 000 common eiders ( Somateria mollissima ), 153000 king eiders ( S. spectabilis ), 125000 thick-billed murres ( Uria lomvia ), 94 000 long-tailed ducks ( Clangula hyemails ), and 12 000 black guillemots ( Cepphus grylle ). A total of 19 bird species were recorded. The estimates for common eider and long-tailed duck approximately represent the entire winter population in south-western Greenland while estimates for the other species represent only an unknown proportion since their distribution continues further offshore. Waters around Nuuk and within the Julianehåbsbugten (Julianehåb Bay) area were identified as areas of high seabird density. A large proportion of the common eider population was aggregated in the fjord systems (22%), calling attention to the importance of fjords for this species. In contrast, pelagic seabird species appear to be absent from the fjords. The large winter population of common eider reveals the importance of south-western Greenland as a key wintering area for the eastern Canadian breeding population. The western Greenland breeding population is the only other contributor, probably amounting to no more than 15 000 pairs.     

Sorption of uranium(VI) at the clay mineral–water interface

Batch experiments were conducted to study the sorption of uranium on selected clay minerals (KGa-1b and KGa-2 reference kaolinite, SWy-2 and STx-1b reference montmorillonite, and IBECO natural bentonite) as a function of pH (4–9) and 0.001, 0.01, and 0.025 M NaCl in equilibrium with the CO₂ partial pressure of the atmosphere. Uranium concentrations were kept below 100 μg L⁻¹ to avoid precipitation of amorphous Uranium-hydroxides. Solely PTFE containers and materials were used, because experiments showed significant sorption at higher pH on glass ware. All batch experiments were performed over a period of 24 h, since kinetic experiments proved that the common 10 or 15 min are in many cases by far not sufficient to reach equilibrium. Kaolinite showed much greater uranium sorption than the other clay minerals due to the more aluminol sites available. Sorption on the poorly crystallized KGa-2 was higher than on the well-crystallized KGa-1b. Uranium sorption on STx-1b and IBECO exhibited parabolic behavior with a sorption maximum around pH 6.5. Sorption of uranium on montmorillonites showed a distinct dependency on sodium concentrations because of the effective competition between uranyl and sodium ions, whereas less significant differences in sorption were found for kaolinite. The presence of anatase as impurity in kaolinite enhanced the binding of uranyl-carbonate complexes with surface sites. The kinetic of uranium sorption behavior was primarily dependent on the clay minerals and pH. A multisite surface complexation model without assuming exchange is based on the binding of the most dominant uranium species to aluminol and silanol edge sites of montmorillonite, respectively to aluminol and titanol surface sites of kaolinite. For eight surface species, the log_k was determined from the experimental data using the parameter estimation code PEST together with PHREEQC.     

Hydrochemical evolution and arsenic release in shallow aquifer in the Titas Upazila,Eastern Bangladesh

Groundwater arsenic (As) concentrations above 10 μg/L (World Health Organization; WHO standard) are frequently found in the Titas Upazila in Bangladesh. This paper evaluates the groundwater chemistry and the mechanisms of As release acting in an underground aquifer in the middle-northeast part of the Titas Upazila in Bangladesh. Previous measurements and analyses of 43 groundwater samples from the region of interest (ROI) are used. Investigation is based on major ions and important trace elements, including total As and Fe in groundwater samples from shallow (8–36 m below ground level: mbgl) and deep (85–295 mbgl) tube wells in the aforementioned ROI. Principal hydrochemical facies are Ca–HCO₃, with circumneutral pH. The different redox-sensitive constituents (e.g., As, Fe, Mn, NH₄, and SO₄) indicate overlapping redox zones, leading to differences regarding the redox equilibrium. Multivariate statistical analysis (factor analysis) was applied to reduce 20 chemical variables to four factors but still explain 81% of the total variance. The component loadings give hints as to the natural processes in the shallow aquifers, in which organic matter is a key reactant. The observed chemistry of As, Fe, and Mn can be explained by simultaneous equilibrium between Fe-oxide and SO₄ reduction and an equilibrium of rhodochrosite precipitation/dissolution. A correlation test indicates the likeliness of As release by the reductive dissolution of Fe-oxides driven by the degradation of sediments organic matter. Other mechanisms could play a role in As release, albeit to a lesser extent. Reactive transport modeling using PHREEQC reproduced the observed chemistry evolution using simultaneous equilibrium between Fe-oxide and SO₄ reduction and the equilibrium of rhodochrosite dissolution/precipitation alongside organic matter oxidation.     

Vulnerability of groundwater in Quaternary aquifers to organic contaminants: a case study in Wuhan City,China

More than 30 organic contaminants were detected in shallow groundwaters at Wuhan, the largest city in central China. Seriously contaminated groundwaters were from densely populated, industrial and commercial areas. Abnormal concentrations were found in groundwater from Hankou, downtown Wuhan: trimethylbenzene up to 29 μg/L, tetramethylbenzene up to 866 μg/L, and trichloroethene up to 9.5 μg/L. Benzene, Toluene, Ethylene and Xylene (BTEX) contamination of groundwater is serious and widespread at Wuhan, ranging between 0.14 and 25.0 μg/L. Considering the hydrogeological conditions of most Chinese cities, DRAMIC, a modified version of the widely used DRASTIC model, was proposed by the authors for assessing vulnerability of groundwater to contamination. The factors D, R, A and I in DRAMIC model are the same as in DRASTIC. The factor topography is ignored. The factor soil media is substituted by a new factor aquifer thickness (M) and the factor hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer by a new factor impact of contaminant (C). The equation for determining the DRAMIC Index is: DRAMIC = 5D _R + 3R _R + 4A _R + 2M _R + 5I _R + 1C _R. The calculated DRAMIC Index can be used to identify areas that are more likely to be susceptible to groundwater contamination relative to each other. The higher the DRAMIC Index is, the greater the groundwater pollution potential. Applying DRAMIC, a GIS-based vulnerability map for Wuhan city was prepared. Interestingly, places such as downtown Hankou, where enhanced concentrations of BTEX have been detected, correspond quite well with those with higher DRAMIC ratings.