Regional variations in electricity demand elasticities: The situation in the Central United States

Within the sizable literature on electricity demand relatively little attention is given to regional variations in electricity demand elasticities. This paper investigates 39 electric utility companies having a total of 93 separate operating regions in order to assess the nature of regional electricity demand elasticity variations. Residential, commercial, and industrial demand functions are estimated for each operating region using a flow adjustment model of demand. The resulting electricity price, measure of economic activity, and natural gas price elasticities vary regionally, but not in a systematic manner. The demand elasticities found in each sector range from highly inelastic to highly elastic with the pattern of elasticity variations exhibiting few spatial trends or relationships. Comparisons between operating region results and more aggregated statewide results indicate that statewide and national analysis of electricity demand masks much regional detail — a result which has important implications for energy policy making.     

Carbon dioxide emission reduction quota allocation study on Chinese provinces based on two-stage Shapley information entropy model

Chinese central government made a commitment to achieve a 40–45% reduction in carbon dioxide (CO₂) per unit of GDP by 2020 compared with 2005. This targeted reduction was allocated averagely among all the provinces rather than individually according to different situations of each province. Though some research has been done regarding this rough allocation, two shortcomings in previous studies exist: Firstly, CO₂ marginal abatement cost (MAC) has been ignored as one of the CO₂ emission reduction allocation indexes. Secondly, either subjective or objective method has been used rather than comprehensively of both subjective and objective method to calculate the weight of each index in the previous studies. In order to fill the gaps, this paper builds a two-stage Shapley information entropy model to allocate CO₂ emission reduction quota among the Chinese provinces based on the equity and efficiency principles. Afterward, three CO₂ emission reduction quota allocation scenarios have been proposed. The results show that the CO₂ MAC is an indispensable index in CO₂ emission reduction quota allocation, because its value of CO₂ Shapley information entropy is the highest among five indexes. CO₂ emission reduction quota of lower-MAC provinces should be allocated larger, while the quota of higher-MAC provinces should be allocated smaller. Therefore, two suggested policies have been proposed: First, differential CO₂ emission reduction quota allocation should be proposed. Second, synergetic development should be promoted.     

B and Li isotopes as intrinsic tracers for injection tests in aquifer storage and recovery systems

Boron and Li isotopes have been tested as environmental tracers of treated sewage injected into a sandy aquifer (Shafdan reclamation project, Israel). During a 38 days injection test in a newly dug injection well, a conservative artificial tracer (Br⁻) was monitored together with δ¹¹B and δ⁷Li in the injectate, in the unsaturated soil zone (porous cup) and an observation well in the aquifer. In spite of B and Li concentrations in the injectate close to background values, significant shifts of the isotope signatures could be observed over the duration of the injection test. Boron isotope ratios show a breakthrough curve delayed with respect to Br⁻ breakthrough due to some reversible sorption on the aquifer material. No isotope fractionation was observed in the unsaturated or the saturated zone so that B isotopes can be considered as conservative in the investigated part of the aquifer system. Lithium isotopes are strongly fractionated, probably due to sorption processes. Lithium concentrations point to a Li sink in the system, δ⁷Li values vary strongly with a tendency of ⁷Li depletion in the liquid phase over the duration of the experiment. This is opposite to the expected preferential sorption of ⁶Li onto clay minerals. Boron isotopes reveals a valuable tracer of artificial recharge of freshwaters derived from treated sewage, both for short term tracer tests and for long-term monitoring of artificial recharge, even if in aquifers with higher clay contents, sorption-linked isotope fractionation cannot be excluded. More data are needed on Li isotope fractionation in natural groundwater systems to assess the potential of this tracer as monitoring tool.     

Influence of food web structure on the biochemical composition of seston,zooplankton and recently deposited sediment in experimental freshwater mesocosms

The effects of food web structure on the quantity and biochemical composition of seston, zooplankton and recently deposited sediment in experimental freshwater mesocosms were examined. Food web structure was manipulated by addition of zooplanktivorous fish. Biochemical characterisations were carried out using lipid biomarkers (sterols, fatty acids, chlorophyll-derived compounds and long-chain alkanediols). Fish addition decreased zooplankton biomass and increased seston biomass and deposited sediment through a trophic cascade. Fish presence strongly influenced the biochemical characteristics of seston and sediment. In contrast, food web structure had a minor impact on the lipid biomarker composition of zooplankton. Although the relative abundance of sterols in the different compartments did not differ strongly between treatments, sterol profiles in seston and sediment depended on food web structure. The predominance of Δ⁷-sterols in seston and sediment in the fish treatment indicated a major contribution of Chlorophyceae. In contrast, the distribution of sterols in seston and sediment in the fishless treatment, dominated by cholesterol, indicated a major zooplanktonic input. The distribution of fatty acids and the relative abundance of chlorophyll-derived compounds and long-chain alkanediols agreed with the predominant contribution of phytoplankton or zooplankton to seston and sediment in the two treatments. The relative abundance of bacterial biomarkers suggested that the contribution of bacteria was rather low. The high relative abundance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and the absence of stanols in sediments suggested low microbial reworking of organic matter in the recently accumulated sediments. The trophic cascade, generated by the addition of fish, increased the relative abundance of PUFAs in deposited organic matter, thus enhancing sediment quality and potential degradability.     

The influence of volcanological and sedimentological processes on diamond grade distribution in kimberlites: examples from the EKATI Diamond Mine,NWT, Canada

The distribution of diamonds within individual kimberlite pipes is poorly documented in the public domain due to the proprietary nature of the data. The study of the diamond distribution within two pipes, Fox and Koala, from the EKATI Diamond Mine, NWT, Canada, in conjunction with detailed facies models has shown several distinct relationships of deposit type and grade distribution. In both pipes, the lithological facies represent grade units which can be distinguished from each other in terms of relative size and abundance of diamonds. A positive relationship between olivine grain size and abundance with diamond size and abundance is observed, indicating that sorting of fragmental kimberlites influences diamond distribution. Though surface geological processes do not control the diamond potential of the erupting magma, they can be responsible for concentrating diamonds into economically significant proportions. A good understanding of the eruption, transport and depositional processes responsible for the individual lithological units and the diamond distribution within them is important for successful resource estimation. This may lead to recognition of areas suitable for selective mining, making a marginal deposit economic.     

Age of the Vastan lignite in context of some oldest cenozoic fossil mammals from India

A highly diverse assemblage of mammal and other continental vertebrate fossils is reported in recent years from Vastan lignite mine (21°25′47″ N; 73°07′30″ E). Its importance in testing palaeobiogeographic hypothesis of mammalian dispersal in to or out of India has necessitated a definite age of the sequence. Nummulites burdigalensis is the only age diagnostic foraminifer in the section. This species is widespread in the Indian sedimentary basins and used to mark Early Eocene strata. In the present study two subspecies of Nummulites burdigalensis, viz., Nummulites burdigalensis burdigalensis and Nummulites burdigalensis kuepperi, are distinguished which led to further biostratigraphic refinement. Their concurrence in the section implies basal Cuisian age and shallow benthic zone SBZ 10 (most likely the lower part). The examination of this species from Kutch indicates the occurrence of evolutionarily advanced subspecies Nummulites burdigalensis cantabricus of middle Cuisian age (SBZ 11). Contrary to some recent reports, the study rules out the occurrence of N. globulus or any other Ilerdian foraminifer from the mine section.     

Quantities and Fluxes of Dissolved and Particulate Black Carbon in the Changjiang and Huanghe Rivers,China

Recent studies have suggested that large rivers play important roles in mobilizing and transporting black carbon (BC) from land to the ocean. However, the influence of the Changjiang and Huanghe, the two largest rivers in China, on the fate of BC has not been determined. In this paper, we present measurements of BC in both the dissolved and particulate phases in the Changjiang and Huanghe Rivers and in the coastal waters of the East China Sea (ECS). Our results show that dissolved black carbon (DBC) accounted for 3.0 ± 0.4 % and 4.8 ± 3.6 % of the total DOC pool in the Changjiang and Huanghe Rivers and 3.4 ± 0.6 % of the DOC pool in the coast of the ECS. In addition, particulate black carbon (PBC) accounted for 13 ± 0.9 % and 22 ± 11 % of the POC pool in the Changjiang and Huanghe Rivers, respectively. We calculate that the Changjiang and Huanghe transported 4.7 × 10¹⁰ gC and 1.7 × 10⁹ gC of DBC, and 2.0 × 10¹¹ gC and 1.2 × 10¹⁰ gC of PBC to the ECS and Bohai Sea in 2015. The large amounts of BC transported by the two rivers represent a major sink of anthropogenically derived organic carbon and could have a significant impact on the ecosystem and carbon cycling in China’s marginal seas.     

Comparison between VES and 2D imaging techniques for delineating subsurface plume of hydrocarbon contaminated water southeast of Karbala City,Iraq

Shallow vertical electrical sounding (VES) technique with Schlumberger electrode array (maximum distance between current electrodes was 50 m) through 25 VES points distributed on five traverses. Two 2D imaging lines with Wenner electrode array 30 m each corresponding to two VES traverses were conducted near well water contaminated with hydrocarbon materials at Karbala Governorate, Iraq. It is found that these techniques can give good results in delineating contaminated and clear zones but the 2D imaging technique was better in delineating the boundaries of the contaminated water plume and gave clear image of the subsurface distribution of the contaminated water vertically and horizontally.     

Estimation of the methane flux from mud volcanoes along Chishan Fault,southwestern Taiwan

Because of the increasing public awareness of the greenhouse effect, geological emissions of methane (GEM) have gained more attention. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change included GEM in the natural sources of methane category in the Fourth Assessment Report in 2007. The methane flux from mud volcanoes (MVs) is the second leading source within GEM. However, given that gas flux from MVs has been measured directly only in Sicily and Azerbaijan, the global methane estimation is still a conservative assumption based on limited data. The behavior of MV activities is seldom reported. This study attempts to estimate annual methane emissions through MVs by using a video recorder to record MV activities along the Chishan Fault and determining the bubble size and flux rate of each MV. Observation results, after a 1 year observation period, indicate that the annual emissions of the 19 MVs along the Chishan Fault are 0.1–0.2% of the global methane flux from MVs, highlighting that the methane emission from these MVs should not be neglected. In addition, the continuous monitoring of a particular MV disclosed periodic characteristics of MV activities. These results manifest the spatial and temporal variations of MV activities along the Chishan Fault. The spatial variations are related to the extensional kinematics of the Chishan fault, while the temporal variation relates to the earth-tide-related MV activities. The estimated annual methane emissions from the study are far more than those of previous studies and are still considered conservative. Results of this study may provide valuable information for researchers attempting to estimate the quantity of GEM.     

Changing roles controlling alternating marine and aeolian deposition and formation of Quaternary sequences in Hergla coastal escarpment (north-eastern Tunisia)

This work is meant to set a new stratigraphic framework of the Quaternary Hergla Sea Cliff deposits in eastern Tunisia including vital precisions concerning depositional environments and climatic conditions. Infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) data previously obtained at the Hergla region show that the Khniss unit is Tyrrhenian in age (MIS 5.5), while the Rejiche unit dates to the MIS 5.3/5.1 undifferentiated by the IRSL for the marine deposits and attributed to the MIS 4 for the dunes continental deposits. The sedimentological studies showed that the whole of the marine units of the Upper Pleistocene of Hergla were deposited in a shallow marine environment and also highlighted at least two major transgressive cycles interrupted by drops of the sea level leading to emergence. The first cycle corresponds to the Khniss unit deposit. The second cycle corresponds to the transgression of the Rejiche unit. The end of the MIS 5.5 is marked by a lagoonal sedimentation with a regressive tendency followed by an emergence period materialized by the presence of a paleosol. During the MIS 5.3/5.1, the marine deposits of the Rejiche unit correspond to infratidal carbonate sediments subjected to storms currents. They are characterized by the reworking of lithoclasts, due to the action of the storm currents. Eventually, the study of cements in the continental deposits of the Rejiche unit indicates a late evolution in a continental vadose environment, subjected to the action of meteoric waters. In terms of climatic conditions, the MIS 5.5 was hotter and wetter than the subsequent MIS 5.3/5.1.