Cation Exchange Capacity of Phosphoric Acid and Lime Stabilized Montmorillonitic and Kaolinitic Soils

Studies on the chemically stabilized soils have shown that the effectiveness of treatment is largely dependent on soil??s natural environment. In this research, the time-dependent changes induced in permanent cation exchange capacity of lime and phosphoric acid treated soils, comprised mainly of montmorillonite and kaolinite minerals, were investigated. Also, in order to study the relationship between the exchange capacity and acidity/alkalinity of pore water, pH measurements were performed on cured samples. Based on the collected data, it was found that the pH of stabilized soils showed a tendency for reaching soil??s natural pH with increasing curing time. In addition, the increase in number of broken bonds around the edges of soil particles and also the formation of cementitious compounds that acquired negative charges contributed to achieving higher CEC_p values at longer curing periods. Nevertheless, the kaolinite mineral with pH-dependent structural properties, showed a rather limited behavior in the acidic medium. From engineering point of view, the lime treated samples revealed the highest degree of improvement with an approximately ten-fold strength increase in comparison to the natural soil over an 8?months curing period.     

Seismic hazard analysis of Mersin Province,Turkey using probabilistic and statistical methods

Nearly 108-km lengths of Mersin shores are composed of natural beaches. The region is located between major tourist centers. In the future, this region is thought to be built with a great number of tourist facilities. Turkey’s largest seaport, Ata? refinery (Mersin International Port) is located in Mersin. Recently, Mersin is becoming of great importance to Turkey as the latter plans to construct its second nuclear power plant in the region. Therefore, as nuclear power plants are built to withstand environmental hazards, it is very important to analyze the seismic risk of the areas where the nuclear power plant will be constructed. The region is located between the East Anatolian Fault Zone and Center Anatolian Fault Zone. Based on the Turkey Earthquake Regions Map, Mersin is divided into second-, third-, and fourth-degree earthquake regions. In this study, we sampled earthquakes of magnitude of 4.0 or greater between 01 Jan 1900 and 31 Dec 2010 in the area; seismic hazard of Mersin province was estimated with probabilistic and statistical methods. The study area was selected as the coordinates between 36.03° and 37.42° North and 32.57° and 35.16° East. On the study area, different scaled magnitude values in the last 110 years converted to a common scale (Mw) and earthquake catalog was re-compiled and also seismic sources that may affect the area was determined. In this study, the seismic hazards of the region were obtained using the methods of probability and statistics. This study used three different attenuation relationships. Using the attenuation relationships suggested by Boore et al. (Seismol Res Lett 68(1):128–153, 1997) and Kalkan and Gülkan (Earthquake Spectra 20:1111–1138, 2004), the largest ground acceleration which corresponds to a recurrence period of 475 years was found as 0.08–0.09 g and Akkar and Ça?nan (Bull Seismol Soc Am 100 6:2978–2995, 2010), 0.04 g for bedrock at the central district. When computing for seismic hazard curves, Mut district appears to have a greater seismic hazard compared with other districts. Moreover, according to the attenuation relationships, seismic hazard curves corresponding to a recurrence period of 475 years were obtained for the Mersin Central, Mut, Erdemli, Çaml?yayla, and Tarsus districts.     

Submarine and coastal karstic groundwater discharges along the southwestern Mediterranean coast of Turkey

A 120 km-long part of the southwestern coast of Turkey, with well-developed karst terrain in contact with the sea, has been investigated by systematic diving surveys to determine the submarine groundwater discharges (SGDs). The physical, chemical and isotopic data have been used to determine the rate of the fresh groundwater end member (FEM) and its temporal dynamics. About 150 SGDs have been detected by diving surveys employed mostly up to a depth of 30 m below sea level (bsl). Among those, 15 SGDs are in the form of coastal or submarine caves with entrances ranging between sea surface and 40 m bsl. The FEM contribution in SGDs ranges from a few percent to more than 80%. Stable isotope data suggest a range of mean recharge area elevations extending from the coast to more than 1,000 m inland. In many of the SGDs, the FEMs are characterized by tritium-based residence times ranging from recent to several decades. Hypothetical geochemical calculations of mixing between freshwater and seawater end members reveal that more than 45% of freshwater contribution is required for karst development in the SGDs. Models suggest a threshold pH of 7.6 or lower for the carbonate rock dissolution.     

Natural radioactivity of bricks and brick material in the Salihli-Turgutlu area of Turkey

Some of the rocks and soil-originated materials used in building construction are the serious natural radiation sources. Soil-originated bricks and roof-tiles and their raw material in the Salihli-Turgutlu area were tested in situ for natural radiation levels using a gamma-ray spectrometer. The concentrations of the radioelements ⁴⁰K, ²³⁸U and ²³²Th and air-absorbed radiation rates were measured for soil, raw material heaps, brick and roof-tile stacks and waste brick heaps. The radium-equivalent activity Ra_eq of the raw material varied between 187.9 and 216.4 Bq kg^?1. The external radiation hazard index H_ex values ranged between 0.51 and 0.58. For building material and its products, recommended Ra_eq and H_ex levels are 370 Bq kg^-1 and 1.0, respectively. On the other hand, both Ra_eq and H_ex values for waste brick heaps, containing broken brick pieces, coal pieces and ash, were higher than the recommended levels, i.e. Ra_eq values varied from 473.8 to 651.0 Bq kg^-1 and H_ex values were within the range 1.15–1.76. The annual dose rate and radium-equivalent activity values of the brick and roof-tiles were below the level of criteria. Annual dose rate ranged between 0.42 and 0.62 mSv y^?1 and radium equivalent activity was in the range 172.9–245.2 Bq kg^?1. The external and internal radiation hazard indices were all below the value of 1.0 for the Salihli-Turgutlu area bricks and roof-tiles. Results of this study were compared with results of previous studies. Natural radiation levels of construction raw material of study area are generally higher than of those of previous studies.     

Geoaccumulation and distribution of heavy metals in the urban river sediment

Current study presents the application of chemometric techniques to comprehend the interrelations among sediment variables whilst identifying the possible pollution source at Langat River,Malaysia.Surface sediment samples（0-10 cm）were collected at 22 sampling stations and analyzed for total metals（~（48）Cd,~（29）Cu,~（30）Zn,~（82）Pb）,pH,redox potential（Eh）,salinity,electrical conductivity（EC）,loss on ignition（LOI）and cation exchange capacity（CEC）.The principal component analysis（PCA）scrutinized the origin of environmental pollution by various anthropogenic and natural activities：four principal components were obtained with 86.34%（5 cm）and88.34%（10 cm）.Standard,forward and backward stepwise discriminant analysis effectively discriminate 2variables（84.06%）indicating high variation of heavy metals accumulation at both depth.The cluster analysis accounted for high input of Zn and Pb at LA8,LA 10,LA 11 and LA 12 that mergers three（5 cm）and four（10cm）into clusters.This is consistent with the contamination factor（C_1）that shows high Cd（LA 1）and Pb（LA 7,LA 8,LA 10,LA 11 and LA 12）contaminations at 5cm.These indicate that Pb and Zn are the most bioavailable metals in the sediment with significant positive linear relationship at both sediment depths.Therefore,this approach is a good indication of environmental pollution status that transfers new findings on the assessment of heavy metals by interpreting large complex datasets and predicting the fate of heavy metals in the sediment.     

Community structure of epiphytic algae on three different macrophytes at Acarlar floodplain forest （northern Turkey）

The aim of this study was to determine the species composition, biodiversity and, relative abundance of epiphytic algae and their relationship with environmental variables on three different macrophytes( Nymphaea alba, Ceratophyllum demersum, Typha latifolia) at Acarlar Floodplain Forest(AFF). Epiphytic algae were gathered monthly by collecting aquatic plants between November 2011 and October 2012, except in winter when there were no plants. In this study, 67 taxa on N. alba, 66 taxa on C. demersum and 66 taxa on T. latifolia were identified as epiphytic algae. The mean value of species richness was 17, that of diversity was 1.5 and that of evenness was 0.54 for epiphytic algae on N. alba, 17, 1.1, and 0.39 on C. demersum, and 18, 1.64, and 0.56 on T. latifolia, respectively. Oscillatoria sp. and Komvophoron crassum(Vozzen) Anagnostidis and Komárek were the most abundant and consistent epiphytic algal species, occurring in high abundance on all macrophytes. Results show that species composition of epiphytic algae was different, but diversity values were similar on all the macrophytes. The hydrological pulse is one of the most important factors determining the physical and chemical environment of the epiphytic algal community. However, substrate type also affected the colonization by F. capucina, O. sancta, P. catenata, and L. truncicola more than the epiphytic algal seasonality.     

Evaluation of image fusion methods using PALSAR,RADARSAT-1 and SPOT images for land use/ land cover classification

This research aimed to explore the fusion of multispectral optical SPOT data with microwave L-band ALOS PALSAR and C-band RADARSAT-1 data for a detailed land use/cover mapping to find out the individual contributions of different wavelengths. Many fusion approaches have been implemented and analyzed for various applications using different remote sensing images. However, the fusion methods have conflict in the context of land use/cover (LULC) mapping using optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images together. In this research two SAR images ALOS PALSAR and RADARSAT-1 were fused with SPOT data. Although, both SAR data were gathered in same polarization, and had same ground resolution, they differ in wavelengths. As different data fusion methods, intensity hue saturation (IHS), principal component analysis, discrete wavelet transformation, high pass frequency (HPF), and Ehlers, were performed and compared. For the quality analyses, visual interpretation was applied as a qualitative analysis, and spectral quality metrics of the fused images, such as correlation coefficient (CC) and universal image quality index (UIQI) were applied as a quantitative analysis. Furthermore, multispectral SPOT image and SAR fused images were classified with Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) method for the evaluation of their efficiencies. Ehlers gave the best score in the quality analysis and for the accuracy of LULC on LULC mapping of PALSAR and RADARSAT images. The results showed that the HPF method is in the second place with an increased thematic mapping accuracy. IHS had the worse results in all analyses. Overall, it is indicated that Ehlers method is a powerful technique to improve the LULC classification.     

Using δ18O and δ2H to Detect Hydraulic Connection Between a Sinkhole Lake and a First-Magnitude Spring

Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes were used in this study to detect a hydraulic connection between a sinkhole lake and a karst spring. In karst areas, surface water that flows to a lake can drain through sinkholes in the lakebed to the underlying aquifer, and then flows in karst conduits and through aquifer matrix. At the study site located in northwest Florida, USA, Lake Miccosukee immediately drains into two sinkholes. Results from a dye tracing experiment indicate that lake water discharges at Natural Bridge Spring, a first-magnitude spring 32 km downgradient from the lake. By collecting weekly water samples from the lake, the spring, and a groundwater well 10 m away from the lake during the dry period between October 2019 and January 2020, it was found that, when rainfall effects on isotopic signature in spring water are removed, increased isotope ratios of spring water can be explained by mixing of heavy-isotope-enriched lake water into groundwater, indicating hydraulic connection between the lake and the spring. Such a detection of hydraulic connection at the scale of tens of kilometers and for a first-magnitude spring has not been previously reported in the literature. Based on the isotope ratio data, it was estimated that, during the study period, about 8.5% the spring discharge was the lake water that drained into the lake sinkholes.     

Sedimentary evolution of Lake Van (Eastern Turkey) reconstructed from high-resolution seismic investigations

This paper presents results of a multi-channel seismic reflection survey at Lake Van and provides constraints on the sedimentary evolution of the lake. The geophysical data of the lake confirm the existence of three physiographic provinces: a shelf, a slope, and a deep, relatively flat basin. The most prominent features identified on the shelf and slope are clinoforms, submerged channels, as well as closely spaced lake floor depressions, reflecting a highly variable lake-level history. The morphological depressions are interpreted as resulting from subaquatic erosion by channelized, sediment-laden currents into horizontally bedded fan sediments. Submerged channels on the eastern shelf are interpreted as meandering-slope channels, probably as a consequence of a lake-level fall that exposed the shelf area. Clinoforms on the Eastern fan may represent relict deltas formed during stationary or slightly rising lake-level intervals. Merging subsurface imaging interpretation with morphological studies of exposed sediments reveals lake-level fluctuations of several hundreds of meters during the past ca. ~550 ka. The lake has three prominent basins (Tatvan, Deveboynu, and the Northern basin) separated by basement ridges (e.g., the Northern ridge). The seismic units in the Tatvan and Northern basins are dominated by alternations of well-stratified and chaotic reflections, while the Deveboynu basin subsurface consists mainly of chaotic units. The chaotic seismic facies are interpreted as mass-flow deposits, probably triggered by earthquakes and/or rapid lake-level fluctuations. The moderate-to-high-amplitude, well-stratified facies seen in the deeper parts of the basins are interpreted as lacustrine deposits intercalated with tephra layers. The occurrence of a clinoform in the deepest part of the lake suggests a major flooding stage of Lake Van more than ~400 ka ago. Seismic profiles from the deepest part of the lake basin show remarkably uniform and continuous stratigraphic units without any major erosional feature following the flooding event, indicating that the lake was never completely dry afterward and therefore significantly older than previously suggested.     

Influential factors on the levels of cation exchange capacity in sediment at Langat river

An exploratory study was carried out at 22 sampling stations along the Langat River, Selangor in order to investigate on the vitality of cation exchange capacity (CEC) in sediment (0–5 cm). Parameters such as pH, Eh, salinity, and electrical conductivity (EC) were determined. The CEC in sediment has been calculated by the determination of Ca²⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, and K⁺ using the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer, while the organic matter content in sediment was ascertained using the loss on ignition method. The characteristic of the sediment shows that pH (3.09–7.46), salinity (0.02–10.71 ppt), EC (3.39–517 μS/cm) and Eh (?16.20–253.10 mV) were substantially high in variation. This study also revealed that exchangeable Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ were controlled by organic matter contents, while exchangeable Na⁺ and K⁺ were influenced by salinity. Salinity was observed to play a major part in controlling all the exchangeable cations, as it gives strong significant correlations with Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, CEC, and organic matter at p?<?0.01. The presence of seawater, clay mineralogy, and organic matter proves that it does play an important role in determining the CEC and soon relates to the pollution magnitude in the sediment.