Water balance in the playa-lakes of an arid environment,Monegros, NE Spain

The playa-lakes of the Monegros desert in north-east Spain are saline wetlands in an arid environment, a rare phenomenon in Europe. These extremely valuable habitats are threatened by changes associated with agricultural expansion and incorporation of new irrigated areas. An understanding of the present hydrologic regime will enable changes to be identified, particularly those brought about by flooding and pollution caused by irrigation surplus. This study sets out to show the results of applying a daily water balance in three selected playa-lakes. The balance was in two parts and consisted of: (1) the average balance for all the endorheic basin using the BALAN_11 program, and (2) the water balance in some playa-lakes, applying discharge flows obtained from the previous balance. The resulting volumes of water were converted to water depths and contrasted with reference volumes taken from field and Landsat images. The model was calibrated by applying various hypotheses of function which enabled the results to be adjusted. The proposed balance is an acceptable reproduction of field water measurements during this period, and underlines the consistency of the conceptual model. The methodology used is appropriate for understanding the playa-lakes function and for monitoring them for conservation purposes.     

Hydrogeochemistry and isotope analyses used to determine groundwater recharge and flow in low-gradient catchments of the province of Buenos Aires,Argentina

The region known as Pampa Plain, in Argentina, is a vast area characterized by slopes of less than 0.05%. The surface sediment is silty sand, mainly Aeolian, referred to as Pampean Loess, which is a phreatic aquifer unit of utmost importance for the water supply of the region. On account of the slight gradient, hydrogeological analyses using only hydraulic measurements are difficult to perform, often leading to confusing results. Thus, the study presented relies on hydrochemical modeling and isotopic determinations as well. The study area comprises three catchments in the inter-mountainous area corresponding to El Moro, Tamangueyú and Seco creeks, and covering 2,570 km² in the province of Buenos Aires. Measurements of piezometric levels and samples of groundwater, surface water and rainwater were carried out between January and March 2005. Major ion results were analyzed by means of hydrochemical graphs and hydrogeochemical modelling using NETPATH. The resulting data show that it is possible to identify local changes in recharge, flow direction and stream/groundwater relationship by using hydrochemical and isotopic information, which may become a useful and more precise tool for the study of particularly flat landscapes.     

Sediment Organic Carbon in Todos Santos Bay, Baja California, Mexico

Sediment grain size and organic carbon (OC) data collected over the past 50 years, together with δ¹³C values of OC in recently collected samples, were analyzed to improve understanding of sediment OC distribution and abundance in Todos Santos Bay. Sediments in the submarine canyon at the mouth of the bay and in quiet-water locations along the shore are fine grained, high in OC, and have generally low δ¹³C values; sediments in high-energy environments are low in OC and have high δ¹³C values. A bivariate isotopic mixing model indicates that none of the sediments contain >50% terrigenous OC (average ~30%), and that the terrigenous OC content of the sediments is a small proportion of the OC content of local soils. Sediment OC composition is apparently controlled by energy-related sorting and deposition, oxidation of much of the original terrigenous OC, and replacement of some terrigenous OC by marine OC.     

137Cs示踪的渤海湾黄骅港两侧海区的沉积特征

取自黄骅港防波堤两侧海区的7个无扰动柱状沉积物岩心的^137Cs示踪研究显示．该区^137Cs曲线可以分为3种类型：①不连续的^137Cs曲线（表层未检测到^137Cs）,②连续的^137Cs曲线（表层检测到^137Cs）,③未检测到^137Cs的曲线。^137Cs示踪的沉积速率结果显示：①NE向伸展的防砂堤截断原SE向的沿岸流后,造成了黄骅港防波堤两侧近岸差异性现代沉积过程,即堤北侧距岸约4km以内海区现代沉积速为0．69～1．12cm／a,堤南侧距岸约4km处的站位8以内无沉积物沉积;（2）防砂堤南侧的岸外10km、水深约-4m处,存在一个速率高达1．36cm／a的现代沉积中心。上述结果与前人的工作成果对比表明,黄骅港建港前后,现代沉积速率的空间分布特征发生了明显的变化,进一步说明与人类活动密切相关的地质环境变化主导了现在的地质环境变化．应当引起人们的更多重视。     

渤海湾盆地埕岛油田缝洞型潜山油气藏构造及储层特征

埕岛油田古潜山油气藏为典型的缝洞型碳酸盐岩油气藏。埕岛地区经历了多期次的构造运动,并经受了多期次的断裂与剥蚀作用,为油气成藏创造了良好条件。埕岛油田古潜山可以划分为三个构造单元,即埕北20断层下降盘的西排山,上升盘的中排山和东排山,三个潜山带成帚状敛于凸起最南端,为几个二级构造单元交汇处,构造应力较发育。埕岛油田有三种储集空间类型:晶间孔隙、溶蚀孔洞和裂缝。     

幔源CO_2释出机理、脱气模式及成藏机制研究进展

针对幔源CO2如何从地幔岩浆中脱出并进入沉积地层中形成CO2气藏聚集这一关键问题,总结了国内外研究进展和前缘方向。研究表明,地幔深部的碱性玄武岩浆和碱性岩浆才是深部流体和CO2等挥发份大量赋存、渗滤和释出的场所。浅成侵入岩、次火山岩和火山通道等是CO2释放和聚集的有利位置,岩浆期后和岩浆衰弱期的热液活动阶段是CO2大量释放和聚集的有利时期。幔源CO2进入沉积盆地中具有3种脱气模式,即沿岩石圈断裂直接脱气模式、热流底辟体脱气模式和壳内岩浆房-基底断裂组合脱气模式。CO2的固有物化性质决定其运移相态多样,具有运移和聚集过程同步的特征。只有在满足大量的化学消耗及地层水或原油的溶解和耗散之后才能形成CO2有效聚集。幔源CO2成藏和分布主要受岩浆气源体和气源断裂体系的控制。今后,在超临界CO2及其对油气运移聚集的作用、CO2与深大断裂及火山岩的关系、CO2脱气运移机制、CO与常规烃类油气的耦合差异成藏机制等方面仍需要进一步的研究和探索。     

Hybrid seismic modeling based on discrete-wave number and finite-difference methods

Any calculation of seismic wave propagation comprising the seismic source, the travel path, and the receiver site in a single finite-difference (FD) model requires a considerable amount of computer time and memory. Moreover, the methods currently available for including point sources in the 2D FD calculations are far-field approximations only. Therefore we have developed a new hybrid method for treating the seismic wave fields at localized 2D near-surface structures embedded in a 1D background medium, and excited by a point source. The source radiation and propagation in the background model is solved by the discrete-wave number (DW) method, while the propagation in the local 2D structure is calculated by the FD method. The coupling between the two sets of calculations is performed on a rectangular excitation box surrounding the local structure. We show the usefulness of the method in ground-motion studies where both near-field source effects and local site effects are important. Technical problems connected with the inconsistency between the 3D source radiation and the 2D FD calculation are minor for the relatively distant in-plane point explosive sources, but are more serious for the in-plane dislocation sources.     

Croatia as a Danube country

Among the three principal regional units of Croatia, i.e. the elongated and spacious Adriatic littoral (with numerous islands), the relatively small and narrow mountainous belt (the Croatian transit doorway) and the Pannonian/peri-Pannonian region, the latter is the largest and accounts for 54 percent of the surface area and 66 percent of the population of Croatia (1991 census). It is part of the Pannonian (or Carpathian) basin, or the central Danube basin, so that Croatia is simply by its position a Danube country. Its Danube character is also highlighted by the fact that the Pannonian/peri-Pannonian region of Croatia through the Sava and Drava Rivers is directly linked to the navigable Danube, which is the historical and ethnic eastern boundary of Croatia. Croatia is an old historical Danube nation and country, although it has nominally appeared as a state after the break-up of Yugoslavia, and its international recognition as an independent state (1992).