Petrology and geochemistry of potassic rocks in the Gölcük area (Isparta, SW Turkey): genesis of enriched alkaline magmas

The Lower Pliocene volcanic rocks occurring in the Gölcük area of SW Turkey exhibit alkaline major element trends with a general potassic character. The development of volcanism can be divided into 2 major stages such as trachytic ancient lavas/domes and tephriphonolitic, trachyandesitic to trachytic Gölcük eruptions (ignimbrites, lava/dome extrusions, phreatomagmatic deposits, and finally, young domes). Volcanic rocks consist primarily of plagioclase, clinopyroxene (which ranges in composition from diopside to augite and are commonly zoned), biotite, and phlogopite. Amphibole phenocrysts are restricted to the pyroclastic deposits. Pseudoleucites are also seen only in the lava/dome extrusions. Oxides and apatites are common accessory phenocryst phases. As would be expected from their potassic–alkaline nature, the volcanic rocks of the Gölcük area contain high amounts of LILE (Ba, Sr, Rb and K), LREE, and Zr. Concentrations of compatible elements such as Cr, Ni and V are very low, possibly indicating fractionation of olivine and clinopyroxene. Correlation of SiO₂, Rb/Sr and MgO with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.703506–0.704142) exhibit an increasing trend in the direction of crustal contamination. However, the isotopic compositions of Sr are not as high to indicate a high level of crustal contamination. Geochemical data are consistent with the derivation of Gölcük volcanic rocks from a metasomatized and/or enriched lithospheric mantle source during crustal extension in the area. This metasomatism was probably occurred by fluids released from the northward subduction between African and Eurasian plates during Tertiary, as the Gölcük volcanic rocks display features of island-arc magmas with having high Ba/Nb (>28) ratios, and Nb and Ti depletions. Lower Pliocene volcanism in the Gölcük was response to extensional tectonics.     

Oil decolorization properties of the Emirler clinoptilolite (Bigadiç, Turkey)

Oil decolorization properties of the Emirler clinoptilolite and its acid-activated forms were studied using neutralized cottonseed oil. Although the oil decolorization capacity of natural clinoptilolite is low, it can be improved by a factor of 1.8 after HCl activation under the optimized conditions (1M HCl, solid/liquid ratio = 1/20, T = 25°C, t = 1 hour). Acid activation increases the total specific surface area from 40 to 70 m²/g which is mostly realized with a pore diameter range smaller than 15 nm. The bleaching capacity of acid-activated clinoptilolite is comparable to that of natural bentonitic clays but it is 1.6 times lower than the capacity of activated bleaching earths such as Tonsil and others. However, the amount of oil absorbed by clinoptilolite during the bleaching process is almost half that compared with the commonly used natural and acid-activated clays.     

Artificial Recharge Of Urban Wastewater,The Key Component In The Development Of An Industrial Town On The Arid West Coast Of South Africa

Atlantis, an industrial town on the somewhat bleak and undeveloped west coast of South Africa, is entirely dependent on groundwater resources for its water supply. With a population of more than 67,000 people and about 140 factories, Atlantis requires a reliable supply of potable water of about 1.5᎒⁶m³/a. The demand is met through artificial recharge of a local, shallow, sandy aquifer that supplies the town's water. A well designed stormwater drainage system and scientifically based water-quality management strategy allow for the recharge of all urban stormwater runoff and treated domestic sewage effluent. Extensive research and sound planning have meant that no water is wasted, for even the water that is unacceptable for recharge in the main aquifer is recharged in strategic localities to counter saline intrusion. The Atlantis Water Resource Management Scheme serves as a good example of what can be achieved when hydrogeologists, engineers, and urban managers integrate their skills. RÉSUMÉ: Atlantis, ville industrielle sur la côte occidentale presque désertique et sous-développée de l'Afrique du Sud dépend totalment des ressources en eau souterraine pour son alimentation en eau. Avec une population de plus de 67.000 habitants et environ 140 usines, Atlantis a besoin d'une alimentation sûre en eau potable d'environ 1,5 million de m³ par an. La demande est satisfaite grâce à la recharge artificielle d'un aquifère sableux local et superficiel qui alimente la ville en eau. Un système de collecte des eaux pluviales bien conçu et une stratégie rigoureuse de gestion de la qualité de l'eau prend en compte tous les ruissellements urbains d'eau pluviale et les effluents d'eaux usées domestiques. Une recherche d'envergure et une planification permettent de ne pas perdre d'eau, dans la mesure où celle qui n'est pas bonne pour la recharge de l'aquifère principal est utilisée pour contrer l'intrusion saline en des sites stratégiques. Le schéma d'aménagement et de gestion des eaux d'Atlantis est un bon exemple de ce qui peut être fait lorsque des hydrogéologues, des ingénieurs et des urbanistes mettent en commun leur savoir-faire. RESUMEN: Atlantis, una ciudad industrial en la algo desolada y poco desarrollada costa oeste de Sudáfrica, depende enteramente de los recursos de agua subterránea para su abastecimiento. Con una población de más de 67000 habitantes y cerca de 140 industriales, Atlantis requiere un suministro garantizado de agua potable de alrededor de 1.5᎒⁶m³ por año. Esta cifra se consigue mediante recarga artificial de un acuífero local, arenoso y poco profundo, que suministra el agua a la ciudad. Un sistema de renaje de las aguas de tormenta bien diseñado y una estrategia científica de gestión de la calidad del agua permiten la recarga de la totalidad de la escorrentía urbana durante las tormentas y del efluente de aguas residuales domésticas tratado. La investigación y planificación intensivas han permitido que no se malgaste nada de agua, ya que incluso aquella que no es aceptable para recarga en el acuífero principal, sí se recarga en localidades estratégicas, para contrarrestar la intrusión marina. El Atlantis Water Resource Management Scheme (Esquema de Gestión de los Recursos de Agua de Atlantis) sirve como un buen ejemplo de lo que se puede conseguir cuando hidrogeólogos, ingenieros y urbanistas integran sus cualidades.     

Characterization of contact properties in biocemented sand using 3D X-ray micro-tomography

The mechanical efficiency of the biocementation process is directly related to the microstructural properties of the biocemented sand, such as the volume fraction of calcite, its distribution within the pore space (localized at the contact between grains, over the grain surfaces) and the contact properties: coordination number, contact surface area, contacts orientation and types of contact. In the present work, all these micromechanical properties are computed, for the first time, from 3D images obtained by X-ray tomography of intact biocemented sand samples. The evolution of all these properties with respect to the volume fraction of calcite is analyzed and compared between each other (from untreated sand to highly cemented sand). Whatever the volume fraction of calcite, it is shown that the precipitation of the calcite is localized at the contacts between grains. These results are confirmed by comparing our numerical results with analytical estimates assuming that the granular medium is made of periodic simple cubic arrangements of grains and by considering two extreme cases of precipitation: (1) The calcite is localized at the contact, and (2) the grains are covered by a uniform layer of calcite. In overall, the obtained results show that a small percentage of calcite is sufficient to get a large amount of cohesive contacts.

     

Characterization of microstructural and physical properties changes in biocemented sand using 3D X-ray microtomography

An experimental study has been performed to investigate the effect of the biocalcification process on the microstructural and the physical properties of biocemented Fontainebleau sand samples. The microstructural properties (porosity, volume fraction of calcite, total specific surface area, specific surface area of calcite, etc.) and the physical properties (permeability, effective diffusion) of the biocemented samples were computed for the first time from 3D images with a high-resolution images obtained by X-ray synchrotron microtomography. The evolution of all these properties with respect to the volume fraction of calcite is analysed and compared with success to experimental data, when it is possible. In general, our results point out that all the properties are strongly affected by the biocalcification process. Finally, all these numerical results from 3D images and experimental data were compared to numerical values or analytical estimates computed on idealized microstructures constituted of periodic overlapping and random non-overlapping arrangements of coated spheres. These comparisons show that these simple microstructures are sufficient to capture and to predict the main evolution of both microstructural and physical properties of biocemented sands for the whole range of volume fraction of calcite investigated.     

Linear regression relationships between NDVI, vegetation and rainfall in Etosha National Park, Namibia

Estimations of 10-day interval green vegetation cover and biomass, 10-day interval cumulative rainfall, as well as annual rainfall are compared with 10-day interval and rainy season NDVI and MVC using linear regression analysis. Raw data were smoothed by averaging and removing dry season outliers. Results indicate that the ability of NDVI and MVC to predict green vegetation cover, cumulative rainfall and annual rainfall is poorer for raw data than for averaged, outlier-removed data. It is recommended that the standard error of the raw data predictions are used to indicate the fundamental error in these relationships, and that the equations of the averaged, outlier-removed data are used to indicate the fundamental strength of NDVI or MVC in predicting vegetation or rainfall. The practical use of integrated rainy season MVC images are discussed.     

Links Between Weather Phenomena and Characteristics of Refractivity Measured by Precipitation Radar

Refractivity depends on meteorological parameters such as temperature and water vapour pressure and can be measured using a weather radar. A realistic atmospheric simulation from the Meso-NH numerical model is used in order to describe and establish the relation between refractivity and the dynamic and thermodynamic phenomena responsible for the development and propagation of convection. These investigations lead to discussion of the complementarity between the refractivity and the convective available potential energy. The relation observed between the refractivity signal and the meteorological parameters calls the refractivity measurement into question, since it is based on phase differentiation with time and space and can be degraded by phase aliasing problems. These aliasing problems increase with the radar frequency (perceptible in the S-band, serious in the C-band, and more serious in the X-band) and also with the integration range and sampling time. Thus, a statistical approach permits us to simulate the possibility of measuring the refractivity with operational radar during convective events. A typical case in the south-east region of France is selected to simulate measurements by radar (S-band, C-band, X-band) in convective systems, in order to evaluate the measurement feasibility, particularly in terms of phase ambiguity, related to temporal and spatial sampling, of a future implementation of the refractivity measurement over the French operational radar network. This numerical statistical approach is completed with a similar study using in-situ measurements performed at the Trappes station. The seasonal and diurnal dependencies of aliasing are investigated, leading to clarification of the impact of the turbulent fluxes on the refractivity measurement.     

ENSO nonlinearity in a warming climate

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is known as the strongest natural inter-annual climate signal, having widespread consequences on the global weather, climate, ecology and even on societies. Understanding ENSO variations in a changing climate is therefore of primordial interest to both the climate community and policy makers. In this study, we focus on the change in ENSO nonlinearity due to climate change. We first analysed high statistical moments of observed Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) timeseries of the tropical Pacific based on the measurement of the tails of their Probability Density Function (PDF). This allows defining relevant metrics for the change in nonlinearity observed over the last century. Based on these metrics, a zonal “see-saw” (oscillation) in nonlinearity patterns is highlighted that is associated with the change in El Niño characteristics observed in recent years. Taking advantage of the IPCC database and the different projection scenarios, it is showed that changes in El Niño statistics (or “flavour”) from a present-day climate to a warmer climate are associated with a significant change in nonlinearity patterns. In particular, in the twentieth century climate, the “conventional” eastern Pacific El Niño relates more to changes in nonlinearity than to changes in mean state whereas the central Pacific El Niño (or Modoki El Niño) is more sensitive to changes in mean state than to changes in nonlinearity. An opposite behaviour is found in a warmer climate, namely the decreasing nonlinearity in the eastern Pacific tends to make El Niño less frequent but more sensitive to mean state, whereas the increasing nonlinearity in the west tends to trigger Central Pacific El Niño more frequently. This suggests that the change in ENSO statistics due to climate change might result from changes in the zonal contrast of nonlinearity characteristics across the tropical Pacific.