A nine-step approach for developing and implementing an “agricultural drought risk management plan”; case study: Alamut River basin in Qazvin,Iran

Occurrence of drought, as an inevitable natural climate feature, cannot be ceased while happening. However, costs of the consequences could be alleviated using mature scientific integrated approaches. To reduce the amount of damage, it is required to provide “Contingency” and “Mitigation” action plans. For this reason, development of efficient operating instructions for various regions based on weather conditions and field studies is needed as well as having a sophisticated understanding of socioeconomic situations. This paper describes an approach to provide the first national agricultural drought risk management plan for a river basin in Iran country as a pilot. The study lasted for 3 years as a national technical research project for the “soil conservation and watershed management research institute.” To reach the objectives, besides holding workshops and specialized think-tank meetings, field researches were done. Based on the socioeconomic data sources in the basin and the results of meetings by participation of local managers and residents, the final plan was developed. Moreover, in order to carry out this research, different climatic, agricultural and local information were collected in the watershed. In the next steps, potential risks and vulnerabilities of various agricultural sectors due to the hazard were evaluated. In this study, a nine-step approach to develop an agricultural drought risk management plan proposing different scientific–managerial phases based on the latest experts’ opinions, released international scientific best practices, and existing conditions governing the region was followed. With respect to the average income of US$ one million from agriculture and animal husbandry in the river basin, total drought loss varies from US$ 86,000 to US$ 258,000 for a range of light to very intense drought conditions, respectively. The setup of these nine executive phases defined monitoring, forecasting, and warning steps in working teams and managed the subprograms in partnership with stakeholders and decision-makers to mitigate the rate of drought damage from 30 to 47% (depending on the severity of the drought condition).

     

Heavy metal pollution and human health risk assessment for exposure to surface soil of mining area: a comprehensive study

Climate change projections indicate an increase in intense rainfall events with consequent river flooding, which could lead to devastating natural disaster     

Prediction of copper content in waste dump of Sarcheshmeh copper mine using visible and near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy

The pore structure characteristics of soil are closely related to soil engineering properties. For saline soil distributed in seasonally frozen areas, existing studies have focused on the influence of freeze–thaw cycles on pore structure, while the influence of soluble salt in the soil is not well understood. This study aims to explore the influence of salt content and salt type on the pore structure of freeze-thawed soil. Soil samples with different salt contents (0–2%) and types (bicarbonate salt and sulfate salt) were subjected to 10 freeze–thaw tests, and their pore size distributions (PSDs) were obtained by mercury intrusion porosimetry tests. In addition, the PSDs were quantitatively analyzed by fractal theory. For both salts, the PSDs of the tested soil samples were bimodal after the freeze–thaw cycles, and the porosity of saline soil samples increased with increasing salt content overall. However, the contents of various types of pores in soil samples with two salt types were quite different. The variation in bicarbonate salt content mainly affected the mesopore and macropore contents in the soil samples, and their change trends were opposite to each other. For soil samples with sulfate salt, the porosity and macropore content increased significantly when the salt content exceeded 1%. In addition, the pore structures in saline soil presented fractal characteristics after the freeze–thaw cycles, and the fractal dimension was positively correlated with macropore content. This study may provide references for understanding the engineering properties of saline soil in seasonally frozen areas at the microscale.     

SPATIAL VARIATION OF Zn GEOCHEMICAL FRACTIONS IN THE SURFACE SEDIMENTS OF THE STRAITS OF MALACCA: NATURAL OR ANTHROPOGENIC?

1INTRODUCTION Studiesonheavymetalcontaminationinsedi mentshavealwaysbeenfocusedonthecoastalandin tertidalareas(Sivalingam,etal.,1980;Ismail,1993;Ismail,etal.,1993;IsmailandRosniza,1997;Yap,etal.,2002a,2002b).Theheavymet alconcentrationsfoundinthesediments…     

Flood risk perception and its determinants among rural households in two communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan

Natural Hazards - Risk perception plays a vital part in flood risk management and mitigation strategies. Therefore, this study aims at first to measure the risk perception of the vulnerable...     

REE geochemistry of core sediments of Cauvery delta,India for provenance studies

Acta Geochimica - The rare earth element (REE) geochemical composition of sediments from two cores were used to investigate the provenances of the Late Pleistocene to Holocene sediments of Cauvery...     

Geochemical and geochronological characteristics of the Um Rus granite intrusion and associated gold deposit,Eastern Desert,Egypt

The Um Rus tonalite-granodiorite intrusion(~6 km2)occurs at the eastern end of the Neoproterozoic,ENE-trending Wadi Muba rak shear belt in the Central Eastern Desert of Egypt.Gold-bearing quartz veins hosted by the Um Rus intrusion were mined intermittently,and initially by the ancient Egyptians and until the early 1900 s.The relationship between the gold mineralization,host intrusion,and regional structures has always been unclear.We present new geochemical and geochronological data that help to define the tectonic environment and age of the Um Rus intrusion.In addition,field studies are integrated with EPMA and LA-ICP-MS data for gold-associated sulfides to better understand the formation and distribution of gold mineralization.The bulk-rock geochemical data of fresh host rocks indicate a calc-alkaline,metaluminous to mildly peraluminous,I-type granite signature.Their trace element composition reflects a tectonic setting intermediate between subduction-related and within-plate environments,presumably transitional between syn-and post-collisional stages.The crystallization age of the Um Rus intrusion was determined by in situ SHRIMP 206 Pb/238 U and 207Pb/235U measurements on accessory monazite grains.The resultant monazite U-Pb weighted mean age(643±9 Ma;MSWD 1.8)roughly overlaps existing geochronological data for similar granitic intrusions that are confined to major shear systems and are locally associated with gold mineralization in the Central Eastrn Desert(e.g.,Fawakhir and Hangaliya).This age is also consistent with magmatism recognized as concomitant to transpressional tectonics(D2:~650 Ma)during the evolution of the Wadi Mubark belt.Formation of the gold-bearing quartz veins in NNE-SSW and N-S striking fault segments was likely linked to the change from transpressional to transtensional tectonics and terrane exhumation(D3:620-580 Ma).The development of N-S throughgoing fault arrays and dike swarms(~595 Ma)led to heterogeneous deformation and recrystallization of the mineralized quartz veins.Ore minerals in the auriferous quartz veins include ubiquitous pyrite and arsenopyrite,with less abundant pyrrhotite,chalcopyrite,sphalerite,and galena.Uncommon pentlandite,gersdorffite,and cobaltite inclusions hosted in quartz veins with meladiorite slivers are interpreted as pre-ore sulfide phases.The gold-sulfide paragenesis encompasses an early pyrite-arsenopyrite±loellingite assemblage,a transitional pyrite-arsenopyrite assemblage,and a late pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-sphalerite±galena assemblage.Free-milling gold/electrum grains(10 sμm-long)are scattered in extensively deformed vein quartz and in and adjacent to sulfide grains.Marcasite,malachite,and nodular goethite are authigenic alteration phases after pyrrhotite,chalcopyrite,and pyrite and arsenopyrite,respectively.A combined ore petrography,EPMA,and LA-ICP-MS study distinguishes morphological and compositional differences in the early and transitional pyrites(PyⅠ,PyⅡ)and arsenopyrite(ApyⅠ,ApyⅡ).Py I forms uncommon small euhedral inclusions in later PyⅡand Apy II.PyⅡforms large subhedral crystals with porous inner zones and massive outer zones,separated by narrow As-rich irregular mantles.The Fe and As contents in PyⅡare variable,and the LA-ICP-MS analysis shows erratic concentrations of Au(<1 to 177 ppm)and other trace elements(e.g.,Ag,Te,and Sb)in the porous inner zones,most likely related to discrete sub-microscopic sulfide inclusions.The outer massive zones have a rather homogenous composition,with consistently lower abundances of base metals and Au(mean 1.28 ppm).The early arsenopyrite(Apy I)forms fine-grained euhedral crystals enriched in Au(mean 17.7 ppm)and many other trace elements(i.e.,Ni,Co,Se,Ag,Sb,Te,Hg,and Bi).On the other hand,ApyⅡoccurs as coarsegrained subhedral crystals with lower and less variable concentrations of Au(mean 4 ppm).Elevated concentrations of Au(max.327 ppm)and other trace elements are measured in fragmented and aggregated pyrite and arsenopyrite grains,whereas the undeformed intact zones of the same grains are poor in all trace elements.The occurrence of gold/electrum as secondary inclusions in deformed pyrite and arsenopyrite crystals indicates that gold introduction was relatively late in the paragenesis.The LAICP-MS results are consistent with gold redistribution by the N-S though-going faults/dikes overprinted the earlier NNW-SSE quartz veins in the southeastern part of the intrusion,where the underground mining is concentrated.Formation of the Um Rus intrusion and gold-bearing quartz veins can be related to the evolution of the Wadi Mubarak shear belt,where the granitic intrusion formed during or just subsequent to D2 and provided dilatation spaces for gold-quartz vein deposition when deformed by D3 structures.     

The influence of channel morphology on bedload path lengths: Insights from a survival process model

Tracer studies are a commonly used tool to develop and test Einstein-type stochastic bedload transport models. The movements of these tracers are controlled by many factors including grain characteristics, hydrologic forcing, and channel morphology. Although the influence of these sediment storage zones related to morphological features (e.g., bars, pools, riffles) have long been observed to “trap” bedload particles in transport, this influence has not been adequately quantified. In this paper we explore the influence of channel morphology on particle travel distances through the development of a Bayesian survival process model. This model simulates particle path length distributions using a location-specific “trapping probability” parameter (p_i ), which is estimated using the starting and ending locations of bedload tracers. We test this model using a field tracer study from Halfmoon Creek, Colorado. We find that (1) the model is able to adequately recreate the observed multi-modal path length distributions, (2) particles tend to accumulate in trapping zones, especially during large floods, and (3) particles entrained near a trapping zone will travel a shorter distance than one that is further away. Particle starting positions can affect path lengths by as much as a factor of two, which we confirm by modelling “starting-location-specific” path length probability distributions. This study highlights the importance of considering both tracer locations and channel topography in examinations of field tracer studies. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

应用核磁共振技术分析干盐湖地区地下卤水空间分布特征——以昆特依干盐湖为例

昆特依干盐湖位于柴达木盆地西北部,为特大型综合盐类矿床.大盐滩是昆特依干盐湖内最大的盐滩,地下赋存有一定量的卤水矿床,但该矿床的水文地质条件差,主要卤水矿层含水性弱,开采难度大.核磁共振找水方法作为当今世界上唯一的直接找水地球物理新方法,具有高分辨力、高效率、信息量丰富和解的唯一性等优点,本文运用该方法对昆特依干盐滩地区地下卤水空间分布特征进行研究,通过对核磁共振数据进行处理与反演,结合已有的地质与钻井资料,对测点进行综合地质-地球物理解释,获得以下认识:1)大盐滩0~130 m深度范围内,共存在3个卤水含水层,主要呈扁平状或漏斗状、近似层状展布,W1为晶间潜卤水层,渗透系数较大,颗粒较粗,单位体积含水量为0.4%~2.7%,W2和W3为晶间承压卤水层,渗透系数较小,颗粒较粗,单位体积含水量分别为0.2%~1.1%和0.1%~0.8%;2)大盐滩地区存在两个卤水富集区,分别为研究区西南部沉积盆地中心的Ⅰ号富卤区和盆地东北部的Ⅱ号富卤区;3)根据区域内卤水富集分布以及构造情况,划定大盐滩向斜沉积中心、大盐滩北侧F1~F8及遥F6断裂发育区和冷湖构造带为区域内主要的找矿找水远景区;4)GMR核磁共振系统在干盐滩地区理论探测深度为130 m,该系统不仅可以有效地探测自由水,而且可以依据束缚水的分布解译地下各类含水盐类矿物和含水黏土矿物的存在与分布.     

A Genetic Programming–Based Model for Colloid Retention in Fractures

Understanding the behavior of colloids in groundwater is critical as some are pathogenic while others may facilitate or inhibit the transport of dissolved contaminants. Colloid behavior in saturated fractured aquifers is governed by the physical and chemical properties of the groundwater-particle-fracture system. The interaction between these properties is nonlinear, and there is a need for a mathematical model describing the relationship between them to advance the mechanistic understanding of colloid transport in fractures and facilitate modeling in fractured environments. This paper coupled genetic programming and linear regression within a multigene genetic programming framework to develop a robust mathematical model describing the relationship between colloid retention in fractures and the physical and chemical parameters that describe the system. The data employed for model development and validation were collected from a series of 75 laboratory-scale colloid tracer experiments conducted under a range of conditions in three laboratory-induced discrete dolomite fractures and their epoxy replicas. The model sufficiently reproduced the observed data with coefficients of determination (R²) of 0.92 and 0.80 for model development and validation, respectively. A cross-validation demonstrated the model generality to 86% of the observed data. A variance-based global sensitivity analysis confirmed that attachment is the primary retention mechanism in the systems employed in this work. The model developed in this study provides a tool describing colloid retention in factures, which furthers the understanding of groundwater-particle-fracture system conditions contributing to the retention of colloids and can aid in the design of groundwater remediation strategies and development of groundwater management plans.