Seeing through porous media: An experimental study for unveiling interstitial flows

We describe a novel inexpensive method, utilizing particle image velocimetry (PIV) and refractive index‐matching (RIM) for visualizing and quantifying the flow field within bio‐amended porous media. To date, this technique has been limited to idealized particles, whose refractive index does not match that of fresh water and thus requires specialized and often toxic or hazardous fluids. Here, we use irregularly shaped grains made of hydrogel as the solid matrix and water as the fluid. The advantage of using water is that it provides, for the first time, the opportunity to study both hydraulic and biological processes, which typically occur in soils and streambeds. By using RIM coupled with PIV (RIM‐PIV), we measured the interstitial flow field within a cell packed with granular material consisting of hydrogel grains in a size range of 1–8 mm, both in the presence and in the absence of Sinorhizobium meliloti bacteria (strain Rm8530). We also performed experiments with fluorescent tracer (fluorescein) and fluorescent microbes (Shewanella GPF MR‐1) to test the capability of visualizing solute transport and microbial movements. Results showed that the RIM‐PIV can measure the flow field for both biofilm‐free and biofilm‐covered hydrogel grains. The fluorescent tracer injection showed the ability to visualize both physical (concave surfaces and eddies) and biological (biofilms) transient storage zones, whereas the fluorescent microbe treatment showed the ability to track microbial movements within fluids. We conclude that the proposed methodology is a promising tool to visualize and quantify biofilm attachment, growth, and detachment in a system closer to natural conditions than a 2D flow cell experiment.     

Attenuation mechanisms in fractured fluid-saturated porous rocks: a numerical modelling study

Seismic attenuation mechanisms receive increasing attention for the characterization of fractured formations because of their inherent sensitivity to the hydraulic and elastic properties of the probed media. Attenuation has been successfully inferred from seismic data in the past, but linking these estimates to intrinsic rock physical properties remains challenging. A reason for these difficulties in fluid-saturated fractured porous media is that several mechanisms can cause attenuation and may interfere with each other. These mechanisms notably comprise pressure diffusion phenomena and dynamic effects, such as scattering, as well as Biot's so-called intrinsic attenuation mechanism. Understanding the interplay between these mechanisms is therefore an essential step for estimating fracture properties from seismic measurements. In order to do this, we perform a comparative study involving wave propagation modelling in a transmission set-up based on Biot's low-frequency dynamic equations and numerical upscaling based on Biot's consolidation equations. The former captures all aforementioned attenuation mechanisms and their interference, whereas the latter only accounts for pressure diffusion phenomena. A comparison of the results from both methods therefore allows to distinguish between dynamic and pressure diffusion phenomena and to shed light on their interference. To this end, we consider a range of canonical models with randomly distributed vertical and/or horizontal fractures. We observe that scattering attenuation strongly interferes with pressure diffusion phenomena, since the latter affect the elastic contrasts between fractures and their embedding background. Our results also demonstrate that it is essential to account for amplitude reductions due to transmission losses to allow for an adequate estimation of the intrinsic attenuation of fractured media. The effects of Biot's intrinsic mechanism are rather small for the models considered in this study.     

Methane in the hyporheic zone of a small lowland stream (Sitka, Czech Republic)

Methane concentrations and selected chemical parameters in interstitial water were examined along subsurface flowpath in two subsystems (hyporheic and parafluvial sediments) in the Sitka stream, Czech Republic. Interstitial methane concentrations exhibited a distinct spatial pattern. In the hyporheic downwelling zone where the sediments are relatively well oxygenated due to high hydrologic exchange with the surface water, low interstitial methane concentrations, averaging 9.3 μg CH₄/l, were found. In contrast, upwelling sediments and parafluvial sediments (active channel sediments lateral to the wetted channel) had significantly higher methane concentrations (p < 0.05, and p < 0.01, respectively), averaging 43.2 μg CH₄/l and 160.5 μg CH₄/l, respectively. Dissolved oxygen was the highest where surface water entered hyporheic/parafluvial sediments and decreased with water residence time in the sediments (p < 0.01). Nitrate concentrations decreased along the flowpath and were significantly lower at downstream end of the riffle (p < 0.001). Sulfate concentrations also show a slight decline with the water residence time, but differences were not significant. Effect of both nitrate and sulfate on methanogenesis is also discussed. The interstitial methane concentration significantly increased with surface water temperature (p < 0.001) and was negatively correlated with redox potential (p < 0.01) and dissolved oxygen (p < 0.05).     

Ultrasound assisted extraction and determination of the carbohydrate fraction in marine sediments

In this paper, an ultrasound–acetic acid procedure for the simultaneous extraction and hydrolysis of carbohydrates in marine sediments prior to their colorimetric determination is described. The main advantage of the proposed procedure is the improved analytical accuracy achieved. Extraction and hydrolysis are quantitative since the oxidative reactions which cause the underestimation of the total carbohydrate amount are minimized. Moreover the procedure is fast, requiring only 5 h for the whole analysis (extraction, hydrolysis and colorimetric determination by the phenol-sulphuric acid method). The proposed procedure has recoveries generally higher than 80% and gives comparable results with the conventional 24 h HCl extraction.     

Assessing DOC export from a Sphagnum‐dominated peatland using δ13C and δ18O–H2O stable isotopes

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) originating in peatlands can be mineralized to carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄), two potent greenhouse gases. Knowledge of the dynamics of DOC export via run‐off is needed for a more robust quantification of C cycling in peatland ecosystems, a prerequisite for realistic predictions of future climate change. We studied dispersion pathways of DOC in a mountain‐top peat bog in the Czech Republic (Central Europe), using a dual isotope approach. Although δ¹³C_DOC values made it possible to link exported DOC with its within‐bog source, δ¹⁸O_H2O values of precipitation and run‐off helped to understand run‐off generation. Our 2‐year DOC–H₂O isotope monitoring was complemented by a laboratory peat incubation study generating an experimental time series of δ¹³C_DOC values. DOC concentrations in run‐off during high‐flow periods were 20–30 mg L^?1. The top 2 cm of the peat profile, composed of decaying green moss, contained isotopically lighter C than deeper peat, and this isotopically light C was present in run‐off in high‐flow periods. In contrast, baseflow contained only 2–10 mg DOC L^?1, and its more variable C isotope composition intermittently fingerprinted deeper peat. DOC in run‐off occasionally contained isotopically extremely light C whose source in solid peat substrate was not identified. Pre‐event water made up on average 60% of the water run‐off flux, whereas direct precipitation contributed 40%. Run‐off response to precipitation was relatively fast. A highly leached horizon was identified in shallow catotelm. This peat layer was likely affected by a lateral influx of precipitation. Within 36 days of laboratory incubation, isotopically heavy DOC that had been initially released from the peat was replaced by isotopically lighter DOC, whose δ¹³C values converged to the solid substrate and natural run‐off. We suggest that δ¹³C systematics can be useful in identification of vertically stratified within‐bog DOC sources for peatland run‐off.     

Spatial evolution of an AMD stream in the Iberian Pyrite Belt: process characterization and control factors on the hydrochemistry

ABSTRACT

This paper presents hydrochemical data of an AMD stream, Poderosa Creek, in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, obtained between its source, in the Poderosa Mine portal, and its confluence with the Odiel River. The main objective is to establish potential interdependent relationships between sulphate and metal loads and the following physico-chemical variables: pH, electrical conductivity (EC), redox potential (EH) and dissolved oxygen (DO). All the parameters show an overall increasing tendency from the tunnel exit to the confluence at the Odiel River. The TDS and EC are two relevant exceptions. They behave similarly, showing a decreasing trend and a strong inflection that describes a minimum immediately after the discharging point. Spatial analysis combined with statistical tools reveal typical AMD processes and the respective physico-chemical implications. Inputs with distinctive hydrochemical signatures impose relevant modifications in the Poderosa Creek waters. This indicates low hydrochemical inertia and high vulnerability to external stimuli.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor not assigned     

Floods and floodplain changes of the River Morava,the Strážnické Pomoraví region (Czech Republic) over the past 130 years

Abstract

The development of the River Morava floodplain has been influenced by several natural and anthropogenic factors. This paper focuses on variations in flood activity and channel changes of the River Morava in the region of Strá?nické Pomoraví (southeastern Czech Republic). Floods are analysed in terms of measured peak water stages, H_k (Rohatec, 1886–1920) and peak discharges Q_k (Rohatec/Strá?nice, 1921–2010) evaluated with respect to their N-year return period (H _N or Q_N ). The frequency of floods with Q_k ≥ Q ₂ reaches a significant maximum in March, followed by July. According to flood series compiled from 1881 onwards, their frequency peaked in the 1961–1970 decade with the most severe events occurring in July 1997 (Q ₁₀₀), March 2006 and June 2010 (Q ₅₀). During the study period the natural dynamics of the original anabranching channel patterns were significantly modified by human intervention, such as the abandonment of some anabranching channels, channel straightening, enlargement of the main channel, flood-dike construction, and the creation of the Ba?a shipping channel. These changes resulted in decreased frequency and a reduction in the extent of floodplain inundations compared to the period prior to channel modifications in the 1930s.

Citation Brázdil, R., Má?ka, Z., ?ezní?ková, L., Soukalová, E., Dobrovolný, P. & Matys Grygar, T. (2011) Floods and floodplain changes of the River Morava, the Strá?nické Pomoraví region (Czech Republic) over the past 130 years. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(7), 1166–1185.     

Protection of chemolithoautotrophic bacteria exposed to simulated Mars environmental conditions

Current surface conditions (strong oxidative atmosphere, UV radiation, low temperatures and xeric conditions) on Mars are considered extremely challenging for life. The question is whether there are any features on Mars that could exert a protective effect against the sterilizing conditions detected on its surface. Potential habitability in the subsurface would increase if the overlaying material played a protective role. With the aim of evaluating this possibility we studied the viability of two microorganisms under different conditions in a Mars simulation chamber. An acidophilic chemolithotroph isolated from Río Tinto belonging to the Acidithiobacillus genus and Deinococcus radiodurans, a radiation resistant microorganism, were exposed to simulated Mars conditions under the protection of a layer of ferric oxides and hydroxides, a Mars regolith analogue. Samples of these microorganisms were exposed to UV radiation in Mars atmospheric conditions at different time intervals under the protection of 2 and 5 mm layers of oxidized iron minerals. Viability was evaluated by inoculation on fresh media and characterization of their growth cultures. Here we report the survival capability of both bacteria to simulated Mars environmental conditions.     

Late Holocene beetle assemblages and environmental change in Gammelhemmet,northern Sweden

Analysis of insect fossil remains retrieved from a bog close to the abandoned farm at Gammelhemmet, near Lycksele in Swedish Lapland, enabled the reconstruction of environmental changes at the site over the last 2500 years. These results represent the first late Holocene palaeoentomological succession studied for insect remains in the Västerbotten interior, and they provide new evidence for landscape change in the area. Around 2000 years ago, at the end of the early Iron Age, disappearance of the tree and leaf litter fauna and an increase in aquatic species indicate the expansion of wetlands in the area. Patches of a multi‐aged mixed woodland with a diverse assemblage of forest‐dwelling beetles succeeded the wetland ～1500 years ago, at the beginning of the late Iron Age. A marked change to open and drier conditions, and the presence of species often found in grassland and cultivated ground took place during the post‐Medieval period. Our evidence indicates drainage of the area prior to the 18th century, placing the initiation of agricultural activities in Gammelhemmet earlier than the documentary record. Our research shows the potential of the use of fossil insects for understanding environmental change and also human impact on the landscape, even of limited scale, from natural contexts.