Interaction between Surface and Subsurface Waters: Case Study of a Region in Kazakhstan

The results of field studies are used to establish the factors that control the interaction between surface water and unconfined groundwater in the region, to study the process of their interaction, and to propose empirical relationships for transient flow. Combined model calculations were also made, and their results and other formulas were compared with the results of field studies conducted by other researchers in large river valleys under dry and moderate climate conditions.     

Bubble-induced porewater mixing: A 3-D model for deep porewater irrigation

Porewater data from vent sites of the northeastern shelf off Sakhalin Island, Sea of Okhotsk, exhibit bottom-water concentrations down to a sediment depth of up to 300 cm. Below this depth, solute concentrations rapidly change due to methanogenesis and anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO). The profile shapes suggest an irrigation-like process that mixes on a meter scale. At these sites active gas emanation into the overlying water column and near-surface gas hydrates are commonly observed. We propose that methane gas bubbles rise through the soft surface sediments and cause mixing of the porewater.Mathematically, the bubble-induced irrigation can be described by eddy diffusion enhancing the diffusive transport of solutes by several orders of magnitude. A 3-D numerical transport-reaction model was developed to investigate the parameters defining the mixing process, such as bubble rise velocity, tube size, tube distribution in the sediment, and ebullition frequency.Model consistency with the field data requires eddy diffusivities ?1 × 10⁵ cm²/a, tube densities of >4 tubes/m² (equivalent to a tube spacing of <40 cm), active gas seepage for more than a few weeks or months, and moderate to low diagenetic reaction rates of solutes. The corresponding methane gas fluxes that are predicted from the results of the model realizations range from 1 × 10³-5 × 10⁵ L/(m² a). Due to bubble mixing, solute fluxes in these sediments are increased by a factor of 3 and the maximum AMO rate by a factor of 7.     

Generation of correlated properties in heterogeneous porous media

The spatial distribution of rock properties in porous media, such as permeability and porosity, often is strongly variable. Therefore, these properties usefully may be considered as a random field. However, this variability is correlated frequently on length scales comparable to geological lengths (for example, scales of sand bodies or facies). To solve various engineering problems (for example, in the oil recovery process) numerical models of a porous medium often are used. A need exists then to understand correlated random fields and to generate them over discretized numerical grids. The paper describes the general mathematical methods required to do this, with one particular method (the nearest neighbor model) described in detail. How parameters of the mathematical model may be related to rock property statistics for the nearest neighbor model is shown. The method is described in detail in one, two, and three dimensions. Examples are given of how model parameters may be determined from real data.     

Regional conductance map of Andaman and Nicobar region

To image the electrical conductivity distribution, fluxgate magnetometers are operated at five sites in Andaman and Nicobar region. Transfer functions are estimated for the period range 8–128 min, from nighttime transient geomagnetic variations, using robust regression analysis. The observed induction arrows in Andaman Islands are found to point towards east despite deep sea located towards its west. This indicates that fore-arc basin (Andaman–Nicobar deep) is more conducting than the region of outer non-volcanic Island arc.Thin sheet model requires the conductance of 10,000–35,000 S (with increase conductivity towards the south) for explaining the observed induction pattern. The observed induction pattern at Andaman–Nicobar stations can be explained in terms of high conducting Cretaceous–Tertiary sediments filling the Andaman–Nicobar deep. High conductivity over Invisible bank has been attributed to the partial melts/volatile fluids derived from the subducting Indian plate that are intruding into the eastern margin of fore-arc basin through the West Andaman Fault (WAF).The induction pattern at Great Nicobar station (Campbell Bay) may be related to the highly conducting sediments filling the Mergui basin along with mafic intrusions. Also crustal transition occurs below the Mergui Terrace at the Malayan coast contributing to the enhanced conductivity anomaly.     

Cobalt zoning in microscopic pyrite from Kamoto,Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa)

The Kamoto deposit consists of two stratiform orebodies separated by a barren sedimentary unit. It is a copper and cobalt deposit, the main features of which are summarized in the first part of the paper. Above the upper orebody, dolostone beds are found, where pyrite is the only sulfide mineral. This pyrite was investigated with the help of a microprobe: all idiomorphic grains were found to be surrounded by a well-defined rim, where the cobalt content reaches 4%; framboidal grains were also found to be heterogeneous with respect to cobalt. The distribution of nickel and copper is described. These observations afford one more evidence that post-depositional events played an important role in the Mine Series of Katanga, especially with regard to heavy metals geochemistry.

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Resume Le gisement de Kamoto est constitué de deux corps minéralisés stratiformes séparés par une unité sédimentaire stérile. C'est un gisement de cuivre et de cobalt dont les principales caractéristiques sont brièvement résumées. Audessus du corps minéralisé supérieur, on trouve des couches de dolomie, où la pyrite est le seul sulfure présent. Cette pyrite a été étudiée à l'aide d'une microsonde: tous les grains idiomorphes y sont entourés d'une bordure bien nette, où la teneur en cobalt atteint 4%; les grains d'apparence framboïdale sont également hétérogènes au point de vue de leur teneur en cobalt. La distribution du nickel et du cuivre est décrite. Ces observations apportent um témoignage supplémentaire de l'importance des événements postérieurs au dépôt dans la «Série des Mines» katangaise, tout spécialement en ce qui concerne la géochimie des métaux lourds. Elles démontrent que le «système» constitué par la roche sédimentaire est resté ouvert pendant un certain temps après la sédimentation.

     

Evaluation of the spatial changes in seagrass cover in the lagoons of Lakshadweep islands,India, using IRS LISS III satellite images

A study was conducted in Lakshadweep islands to determine the feasibility of using Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites for detecting changes in the seagrass from other coastal features. IRS ID and IRS P6 LISS III having spatial resolution of 23.5 m with lower cost compared to all other contemporary satellites with the same spatial resolution have not been widely used for monitoring the changes in seagrass cover. In this context, the present study attempted to explore the effectiveness of LISS III data for mapping seagrasses and to inform the international community about the usefulness of these low-cost imageries for coastal resource monitoring. Supervised classification and change detection studies found a significant decrease in seagrass cover of 73.03 ha in the Lakshadweep group of islands. An overall accuracy of 67.5% was obtained for the change maps, and seagrass cover and its changes vary at different islands.     

Effects of the oophagous bivalve Acesta oophaga on the morphology and fecundity of its deep‐sea tubeworm host,Lamellibrachia luymesi

The deep‐sea bivalve Acesta oophaga lives attached to the anterior end of the vestimentiferan tubeworm, Lamellibrachia luymesi, at cold methane seeps. The bivalve is found almost exclusively on female tubeworms, where it consumes the lipid‐rich eggs of L. luymesi that are spawned year round (Biological Bulletin, 209, 2005, 87). It is apparent that A. oophaga benefits directly from this close association, but the consequences for the tubeworm host may be more complicated than just a simple predator–prey interaction. Since A. oophaga completely surrounds the tube opening and plume of the worm, it is likely that its presence would limit oxygen uptake by L. luymesi, thereby inhibiting worm growth and reproduction. We hypothesized that occupied tubeworms would compensate for this by growing larger plumes for oxygen uptake. To explore the effects of bivalve presence/absence on female tubeworms, several morphological features, including body size, plume length, tube diameter, and tube segment length, as well as instantaneous fecundity, were compared. Results suggest that the mere presence of A. oophaga has a significant impact on the morphology of its host worm, as all measures of worm size, except for tube segment length, were significantly greater with clams present. Additionally, instantaneous fecundity was 3.5 times higher in occupied worms, implying that tubeworms are not oxygen‐deprived or energy limited as a result of bivalve presence. Our findings suggest that the association between these two deep‐sea organisms may be a more complex form of symbiosis than the simple predator–prey relationship, as previously thought.