Comparison of Trace Elements in Bottled and Desalinated Household Drinking Water in Kuwait

The levels of the trace elements aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), boron (B), barium (Ba), beryllium (Be), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), antimony (Sb), selenium (Se), strontium (Sr), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn) were determined in 93 brands of non‐carbonated (BW) and carbonated (CBW) bottled water available in Kuwaiti markets and in 321 samples of desalinated household water (HW) collected from 99 sampling locations, which covered 95% of Kuwait's residential areas. The study yielded a large range of results for most of these elements, and the difference between the lowest and highest measured values exceeded three orders of magnitude for some elements in a number of the BW and CBW brands. With a few exceptions, the results for the HW and BW were found to comply with the United States‐Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization guideline values. The elements Fe, Pb, Hg, and Ni exceeded these GVs in 8.5, 0.3, 1.2, and 1% of the HW samples, respectively. One brand of BW exceeded the GV for B, while the levels of B, Ba, Be, Fe, and Mn exceeded the GVs in 35, 15, 5, 75, and 25% of the CBW brands, respectively. Correlations were found between the levels of some elements and either the desalination plant that produced the HW or the country of origin of the BW or CBW. The levels of the elements Al, Cu, Fe, and Zn in HW were higher in the summer than in the winter, with 14, 14, 42, and 18% increases, respectively. Nutritional evaluation revealed that significant percentages of the DRIs of Cr, Cu, Fe, and Se can be provided by drinking 2 L of HW, and significant percentages of the DRIs of B, Cr, Cu, and Mo can be provided by drinking 2 L of BW.     

Treating Leather Tanning Wastewater with Stone Cutting Solid Waste

This paper presents a new environmental approach for reducing environmental impacts of two local Palestinian industries: It implements the principle of “treating waste by waste.” The technical feasibility of chromium removal from wastewater in leather making by its treatment with solid waste from stone cutting industry is demonstrated experimentally, and found to be an efficient approach. Nearly full removal of chromium is obtained at optimum operating conditions using sufficient mass of solid waste (limestone) and allowing enough contact time between the two wastes. This study investigated effects of various parameters on the percentage relative decrease in concentration by using ultra violet (UV)/Vis spectrophotometry. Kinetic curves showed that percentage relative decrease in concentration increased with time until approaching a plateau (adsorption capacity). The adsorption capacity increased with increasing limestone to liquid ratio (solid content), until nearly full removal of chromium was obtained when the solid content was 5 g/100 mL or higher. This was accomplished within few days when the particles were settled. The adsorption capacity was pH dependent; adsorption at pH < 5 was obtained, as a finding which was not reported by previous investigators for Cr(III) adsorption using other particles. The percentage removal was nearly doubled at higher pH values (>5). Further research work is proposed to distinguish between the contributions of the two removal mechanisms of precipitation and adsorption.     

Potential Occurrence of MTBE and BTEX in Groundwater Resources of Amman–Zarqa Basin,Jordan

This study investigates potential occurrence, distribution, and sources of the newly added gasoline oxygenate, methyl‐tert‐butyl ether (MTBE) and the petroleum derivatives benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes called collectively, BTEX, in Jordan's heavily populated Amman–Zarqa Basin (AZB). It presents the first data on the levels of MTBE and BTEX in the aquifers of this basin. One hundred and seventy‐nine (179) groundwater wells were sampled near petrol service stations, oil refinery storage tanks, car wrecks, bus stations, and chemical industries at different locations in the basin. Headspace GC and purge and trap GC–MS were utilized to determine the target substances in the samples. Concentrations of BTEX varied between no‐detection (minimum) for all of them to 6.6 µg/L (maximum) for ethylbenzene. MTBE was found in few samples but none has exceeded the regulated levels; its concentrations ranged between no‐detection to 4.1 µg/L. However, though the contamination levels are very low they should be considered alarming.     

Initial phase of the West Scotia mid-oceanic ridge opening

The first map illustrating the position of anomaly C12 extending in the NE-SW direction (25°) in the eastern peripheral part of the West Scotia Ridge is presented. Calculations of the paleomagnetic anomalies show that the spreading initiated in the period corresponding to Chron C12r (31.116?C33.266 Ma ago). Chron C11r (30.217?C30.627 Ma ago) was marked by a 200 km northwestward jump of the spreading axis. The calculation of the Euler poles and the rotation angles made it possible to reconstruct the zone of the initial breakup between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula along the western periphery of the continental Terror Rise.     

Virtual dipole moment variations through the Proterozoic-Phanerozoic eons

The international bank of virtual dipole moment (VDM) data, combined with materials from recent publications (3384 values in total), served as a basis for the analysis of the VDM??s distribution through the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic eons (0?C2.6 Ga). The VDM distribution obtained by the method of a moving average exhibits a positive linear trend from 3.7 × 10²² Am² 2.6 Ga ago to 5.8 × 10²² Am² at present. Against the background of this linear growth, fluctuations with a periodicity of approximately 390 Ma are defined. The obtained data substantially specify the available data on the behavior of the magnetic field during the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic eons and should be taken into consideration for modeling the physical processes in the development of the Earth in the geological past and predicting its ecological and energetic evolution in the future.     

Vibration characteristics of a suspension bridge under traffic and no traffic conditions

This paper presents the variations of vibration under different traffic conditions on the Fatih Sultan Mehmet suspension bridge in Istanbul, Turkey.The main intention is to determine the vibration amplifications under heavy-traffic as opposed to no-traffic conditions. This is the first study in this particular area that has been performed on this bridge, over which an average of 200,000 cars pass daily. Two full-scale ambient vibration surveys were carried out on two different days to determine the response of the bridge to diverse traffic conditions. Initial measurements were taken as the bridge experienced heavy stress conditions caused by rush-hour traffic. Secondary measurements were recorded after closing the bridge to traffic. The data were analyzed to gauge the vibration effects of heavy-traffic conditions on the bridge and to determine the effects of different traffic conditions on the free vibration characteristics of the bridge. The analyses were performed utilizing different amplification methods. Results show that there are important differences in the amplifications of the vibration amplitudes. Especially heavy-traffic on the bridge causes the vibration response of the bridge to be intensified in comparison to no-traffic conditions. Additionally, predominant frequencies are shifted as a direct result of traffic load acting on the bridge. Even more importantly and is probably analogous for all long-span bridges, is the fact that any movement causing vibration on the bridge is carried and amplified along its length. These significant amplifications indicate the important effect of varying traffic loads and how the bridge responds to the diverse movements it experiences. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A strategy for automated analysis of passive microseismic data to image seismic anisotropy and fracture characteristics

Monitoring of induced seismicity is gaining importance in a broad range of industrial operations from hydrocarbon reservoirs to mining to geothermal fields. Such passive seismic monitoring mainly aims at identifying fractures, which is of special interest for safety and productivity reasons. By analysing shear‐wave splitting it is possible to determine the anisotropy of the rock, which may be caused by sedimentary layering and/or aligned fractures, which in turn offers insight into the state of stress in the reservoir. We present a workflow strategy for automatic and effective processing of passive microseismic data sets, which are ever increasing in size. The automation provides an objective quality control of the shear‐wave splitting measurements and is based on characteristic differences between the two independent eigenvalue and cross‐correlation splitting techniques. These differences are summarized in a quality index for each measurement, allowing identification of an appropriate quality threshold. Measurements above this threshold are considered to be of good quality and are used in further interpretation. We suggest an automated inversion scheme using rock physics theory to test for best correlation of the data with various combinations of fracture density, its strike and the background anisotropy. This fully automatic workflow is then tested on a synthetic and a real microseismic data set.     

Implications of 2007’s Earthquake Activity in Eğirdir Lake (SW Anatolia) Based on Moment Tensor Solutions and Inversion of Stress State

We analyzed the waveforms of the small- to moderate-sized earthquakes that took place in the northern part of the inner Isparta Angle (IA) to retrieve their source parameters and combine these results with the focal mechanism solutions of the larger events that occurred in 2007 in E?irdir Lake at the apex of IA. In total, source mechanisms of 20 earthquakes within the magnitude range 3.5 < M < 5.0 were calculated using a regional moment tensor inversion technique. The inversion of the focal mechanisms yields an extensional regime with a NNE–SSW (N38°E) trending σ ₃ axis. Inversion results are related to a mainly WNW–ESE oriented normal fault beneath E?irdir Lake. The R value of a NNE–SSW extensional regime is 0.562 showing a triaxial stress state in the region. The current stress regime results from complex subduction processes such as slab pull, slab break-off, roll-back and/or retreating mechanism along the Hellenic and Cyprus arcs and the southwestward extrusion of the Anatolian block since the early Pliocene.     

Hazards resulting from hydrological extremes in the upstream catchment of the Prut River

Taking into account the fact that during the last decades domestic readers were poorly familiar with the hydrology of this region, it was considered appropriate to study the extreme situations within the Prut basin. By means of very simple mathematical calculation we have highlighted the role of reservoirs in change of relationships between extreme rainfall and floods/droughts, estimate the confidence degree of these estimations, etc. The Prut watershed is characterized by a temperate-continental climate with excessive influences in the middle and lower parts. Probabilistic analysis of the annual maximum flow indicates high values in the summer. The high flows recorded in 2005, 2008, and 2010 were caused by the most serious floods for the last 35 years. The maximum flow values had an exceeding probability of 2–10%, which explained the frequency of the phenomenon. Only the historical value (4240 m³ s^–1) at Radauti-Prut exceeded the flow rate with 1% probability. The results obtained for the hydrometric station located downstream underlined the role of Stanca–Costesti Accumulation Lake in flood protection. Simple linear regression identified the strength of the relationship between the predictor variable (total monthly rainfall) and the criterion variable (average monthly flow). The indicator used in this study to highlight the size effect, R ² (the regression coefficient), is based on the degree of association between variables and describes the percentage of variability explained by each variable in relation to the other. The results indicated a large effect size at the Radauti–Prut station that decreased gradually downstream, as a result of the flow regularization function played by the reservoir. The minimum flow study revealed 7 consecutive years with drought, from 1982–1988. In the current period, the extremely severe drought began in the late autumn of 2011 and was maintained at the end of the winter, summer, and autumn of 2012.