The dose-response relationship between No. 2 fuel oil and the growth of the salt marsh grass,Spartina alterniflora

The effect of No. 2 fuel oil on the biomass production of the salt marsh plant, Spartina alterniflora, was studied in a greenhouse dose-response experiment. S. alterniflora were transplanted into soil with 10 dosage levels of No. 2 fuel oil ranging from 0 to 456 mg g(-1) dry soil. Three months after transplantation, values for plant biomass, stem density, and shoot height decreased significantly with increasing fuel oil level in a dose-response fashion. Evapo-transpiration rates were correlated with the total biomass response. Relative to the control, a significant decrease in total (above- plus below-ground) plant biomass was observed at concentrations above 57 mg g(-1) dry soil. Within the 3-month experimental period, detrimental effects on below-ground biomass accumulation and bioluminescence of the marine bacterium Viberio fisheri in the Microtox Solid Phase Test were observed at oil concentrations >29 mg g(-1) dry soil, suggesting that biological effects of oil within the sediment matrix may be more pronounced than on above-ground biomass, requiring a dosage 228 mg g(-1) dry soil to elicit a significant detrimental effect. Hence, measurements of oil effects with biological end-points based solely on above-ground responses may underestimate the potential impacts of petroleum hydrocarbon spills, especially when the oil has penetrated the soil. While S. alterniflora was proved to be relatively tolerant to the No. 2 fuel oil spills, its effectiveness in phytoremediation operations may be limited at fuel oil levels 228 mg g(-1) dry soil, as both plant growth and microbial activity may be constrained.     

中东亚干旱半干旱区C3植物δ13 C值的分布 及其对气候的响应*

植物化石和土壤中的有机质碳同位素指标常用来反映古气候的变化,然而碳同位素这个指标在特定地区反映气候的定量关系缺乏检验。研究剖面选择自中国的秦岭(34°14'24″N,106°55'30″E)到蒙古人民共和国北部,接近贝加尔湖地区(51°35'08″N, 100°45'49″E)的研究剖面线,选择了3种C₃植物(Artemisia scoparia, Ajania achilleides 和 Artemisia frigida),在剖面线上沿南北方向上每隔4'到5'采取一个样点,共选取161个C₃植物茎叶样品进行了δ¹³ C值测定。同时收集了剖面线附近气象站的降水、气温等资料,用插值方法得到每个采样点的气温、降水数据。分析表明:C₃植物的δ¹³ C值分布范围为-30 ‰ ~-22 ‰ ,其平均值为-26.81 ‰ ,该平均值较全球C₃植物δ¹³ C平均值偏正。通过对比C₃植物δ¹³ C与年均温、年均降水量、生长季节的干燥度等随纬度的变化规律,发现C₃植物δ¹³ C、年均降水量、生长季节的干燥度有非常一致的变化趋势,而C₃植物δ¹³ C和年均温不具有一致性。通过一元回归分析也同样发现C₃植物δ¹³ C与年均降水量呈线性负相关关系(y=-0.0077x-24.838,n=161,R²=0.4418,p=0.01),与生长季节的干燥度呈线性正相关关系(y=0.7328x-28.806,n=161,R²=0.3685,p=0.01),而与年均温度没有明显的相关关系(y=-0.0461x-26.756,n=161,R²=0.0232,p=0.01)。在本研究区C₃植物δ¹³ C对年均降水量和生长季节的干燥度响应十分显著,而对温度的响应不明显。研究区具有明显的降水和温度的梯度分布特征,是验证植物碳同位素与气候关系的理想场所,而土壤中的有机质碳同位素与其地面上的植物碳同位素息息相关。研究也说明,在本研究区或其他气候植物组合相似的地区可以利用古土壤中的有机质碳同位素来定量或半定量地反映古气候的变化。     

Surface motion of a semi-cylindrical hill for incident plane SV waves： Analytical solution

Introduction Scattering of incident waves by local topographies is one of the most attractive topics in the field of engineering seismology. They can be resolved by either a numerical method or an analyti-cal method. The numerical methods include finite difference method, finite element method, boundary element method, etc. The analytical method is the wave function expansion method. Al-though numerical methods can be used for arbitrary-shaped topographies, the analytical solutions are still …     

Correlation of atmospheric visibility with chemical composition of Kaohsiung aerosols

The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation of visibility with chemical composition of Kaohsiung aerosols. Daytime visibility was observed around noon at two observation sites in metropolitan Kaohsiung, Taiwan in the years of 1999 and 2000. Both seasonal and diurnal variation patterns of visibility were observed in the region. Ambient aerosols were sampled and analyzed for 11 constituents, including water-soluble ionic species (Cl⁻, NO₃⁻, SO₄⁻², NH₄⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, Ca⁺², and Mg⁺²) and carbonaceous contents (OC, EC, and TC), to characterize the chemical composition of Kaohsiung aerosols. Furthermore, a stepwise multiple linear regression model was developed to elucidate the influence of aerosol species on visibility impairments. The results showed that sulfate was the dominant species that affected both light scattering coefficient and visibility. On average, the percentage contributions of visibility degrading species to light scattering coefficient were 29% for sulfate, 28% for nitrate, 22% for total carbon, and 21% for PM_2.5-remainder. An empirical regression model of visibility based on sulfate, nitrate, and relative humidity was also developed. The model showed that sulfate in PM_2.5 was the most sensitive species to visibility variation, suggesting that the reduction of sulfate in PM_2.5 could effectively improve the visibility of metropolitan Kaohsiung. During the investigation period, an event of Asian dusts intruded metropolitan Kaohsiung and dramatically increased the aerosol loadings, especially in the coarse particles. However, local visual air quality did not degrade accordingly during the Asian dust event because both visibility and light scattering coefficient are affected mainly by the fine particles. The results are discussed in detail in the paper.     

Vertebrate burrows in late Pleistocene paleosols at Korean Palaeolithic sites and their significance as a stratigraphic marker

A vertebrate burrow-bearing layer of late Pleistocene age is commonly found at many Paleolithic archaeological sites in Korea. The burrows are straight to slightly curved in horizontal (plan) view and gently inclined in lateral (sectional) view. They are interpreted as having been produced by rodent-like mammals based on their size and architecture. The significance of such burrow-bearing layers as a characteristic stratigraphic marker unit is demonstrated by high burrow abundance, consistent stratigraphic position, lack of stratigraphic recurrence at these sites, and widespread geographic extent. Three dating methods, tephrochronology, radiocarbon, and OSL dating, were used to infer the age of these burrow-bearing layers. The dating results indicate that they were formed between ca. 40,000 and 25,000 yr (MIS 3−2), and this suggests that this layer can be used as a stratigraphic time-marker in late Pleistocene paleosol sequences for this region.     

Analysis of rock drainage and cooling experiments for underground cryogenic LNG storage

Hydrogeological monitoring was conducted around a pilot cavern for underground cryogenic LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) storage. The monitoring was mainly focused on the operation of a drainage and recharge system. After the operation of the drainage system commenced, the drainage rate decreased rapidly in the initial stages and then decreased gradually. Hydrogeological monitoring revealed that the rock drainage system operated effectively. During drainage, the water table was maintained below the cavern roof. The recharge for ice-ring formation was performed in two phases. The first phase involved the cessation of pumping in downward-drainage holes and the second involved the closure of upward boreholes. Since the water table was maintained below the cavern roof, artificial recharge was planned at first. However, it was not implemented due to heavy rainfall in the recharge stage. On the basis of hydrogeological monitoring and hydraulic tests, it was found that the fractures above the roof and on the right wall of the pilot cavern mainly affected seepage into the cavern and thermal variation due to the storage of liquid nitrogen. Thermal variation was examined by the thermometers installed around the pilot cavern. The cooling and thawing processes reveal the characteristics of thermal distribution in the rock and the 0 °C isotherm. The cooling phase lasted for six months, and the 0 °C isotherm progressed in time after the injection of liquid nitrogen into the cavern. The isotherm propagated up to about 4 m from the floor and the sidewall of the cavern and about 3 m from the cavern roof. The cooling rate of the rock mass above the cavern roof was lower than that of the other cavern sides due to the gaseous space in the upper part of the containment. The fractures were analyzed and considered for thermal modeling. A two-dimensional finite element analysis was performed to compare the field monitoring at the pilot cavern. The numerical modeling shows the distance between the ice ring and heat transfer pattern of the fractures around the pilot cavern. The propagation of the measured and calculated 0 °C isotherm reveals that the water-conveying joint on the right wall might affect thermal propagation through a thermal pipe.     

Characteristics of tephra in Holocene lake sediments on King George Island, West Antarctica: implications for deglaciation and paleoenvironment

Several reworked tephra layers in gravity-flow deposits are present in lacustrine core sediments collected from Hotel and Rudy Lakes on King George Island, South Shetland Islands, maritime sub-Antarctica. This study tests the values of tephra for establishing regional tephrochronologies for lakes in ice-covered landscapes in the vicinity of volcanoes. The tephra record is more abundant in a long Hotel Lake core (515 cm long). This study uses volcanic glass samples from five tephra layers of Hotel Lake and from one tephra layer of Rudy Lake. Morphologically, tephras are mixtures of basaltic and pumice shards, both having various degrees of vesicularity. Major element analyses of glass shards reveal that the majority of the glass fragments belong to basic glass (<60 wt% SiO₂), compositionally ranging from basalt to low-silica andesite and subalkaline series medium-K tholeiites, probably sourced from Deception Island located 130 km southwest of King George Island. Less than 20% of tephra belongs to silicic glass and occurs in three tephra horizons E of Hotel Lake. However, source volcano(es) for about 10% of basic tephra and silicic tephra are not readily identified from nearby volcanic centers. Except for the studied tephra in Rudy Lake, all tephra samples in Hotel Lake are not ashfall deposits but reworked and redeposited pyroclasts derived from retreating ice sheet, resulting in the occurrence of geochemically equivalent tephra samples in different tephra horizons. The dating of the studied tephra horizons represents the timing of deglaciation rather than that of volcanic eruptions. The result of this study implies that combined with sedimentological information more chemical criterion is necessary to study tephrochronology and regional correlation and to understand paleoenvironmental changes using tephra.     

Evaluation of groundwater quality in coastal areas: implications for sustainable agriculture

Seawater intrusion is a problem in the coastal areas of Korea. Most productive agricultural fields are in the western and southern coastal areas of the country where irrigation predominantly relies on groundwater. Seawater intrusion has affected agricultural productivity. To evaluate progressive encroachment of saline water, the Korean government established a seawater intrusion monitoring well network, especially in the western and southern part of the peninsula. Automatic water levels and EC monitoring and periodic chemical analysis of groundwater help track salinization. Salinization of fresh groundwater is highly associated with groundwater withdrawal. A large proportion of the groundwaters are classified as Na–Cl and Ca–Cl types. The Na–Cl types represent effects of seawater intrusion. The highest EC level was over 1.6 km inland and high Cl values were observed up to 1.2 km inland. Lower ratios of Na/Cl and SO₄/Cl than seawater values indicate the seawater encroachment. A linear relation between Na and Cl represents simple mixing of the fresh groundwater with the seawater. The saline Na–Cl typed groundwaters showed Br/Cl ratios similar to or less than seawater values. The Ca–HCO₃ type groundwaters had the highest Br/Cl ratios. Substantial proportions of the groundwaters showed potential for salinity and should be better managed for sustainable agriculture.     

Modeling errors in upward continuation for INS gravity compensation

Accurate upward continuation of gravity anomalies supports future precision, free-inertial navigation systems, since the latter cannot by themselves sense the gravitational field and thus require appropriate gravity compensation. This compensation is in the form of horizontal gravity components. An analysis of the model errors in upward continuation using derivatives of the standard Pizzetti integral solution (spherical approximation) shows that discretization of the data and truncation of the integral are the major sources of error in the predicted horizontal components of the gravity disturbance. The irregular shape of the data boundary, even the relatively rough topography of a simulated mountainous region, has only secondary effect, except when the data resolution is very high (small discretization error). Other errors due to spherical approximation are even less important. The analysis excluded all measurement errors in the gravity anomaly data in order to quantify just the model errors. Based on a consistent gravity field/topographic surface simulation, upward continuation errors in the derivatives of the Pizzetti integral to mean altitudes of about 3,000 and 1,500 m above the mean surface ranged from less than 1 mGal (standard deviation) to less than 2 mGal (standard deviation), respectively, in the case of 2 arcmin data resolution. Least-squares collocation performs better than this, but may require significantly greater computational resources.