Hydrologic models coupled with 2D hydrodynamic model for high-resolution urban flood simulation

Natural Hazards - Floods are the most frequent natural disaster and pose a very challenging threat to many cities worldwide. Understanding the flood dynamic is essential for developing strategies...     

Groundwater metering: revisiting a ubiquitous ‘best practice’

Hydrogeology Journal - It is often taken for granted that metering is an unarguable ‘best practice’ when it comes to the quantitative management of groundwater resources. This paper...     

Salinity Distribution at Canal Istanbul and Its Possible Impacts on the Northern Marmara Sea

China Ocean Engineering - Turkey has announced its plan to construct a new waterway, Canal Istanbul, parallel to the Bosphorus. In this study, the influence of Canal Istanbul on salinity...     

Enzymatic activity in the rhizosphere of Spartina maritima: potential contribution for phytoremediation of metals

Extracellular enzymatic activity (EEA) of five enzymes (peroxidase, phenol oxidase, beta-glucosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase and acid phosphatase) was analysed in sediments colonised by Spartina maritima in two salt marshes (Rosário and Pancas) of the Tagus estuary (Portugal) with different characteristics such as sediment parameters and metal contaminant levels. Our aim was a better understanding of the influence of the halophyte on microbial activity in the rhizosphere under different site conditions, and its potential consequences for metal cycling and phytoremediation in salt marshes. Acid phosphatase and beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase presented significantly higher EEA in Rosário than in Pancas, whereas the opposite occurred for peroxidase. This was mainly attributed to differences in organic matter between the two sites. A positive correlation between root biomass and EEA of hydrolases (beta-glucosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase and acid phosphatase) was found, indicating a possible influence of the halophyte in sediment microbial function. This would potentially affect metal cycling in the rhizosphere through microbial reactions.     

Communities structure of the planktonic halophiles in the solar saltern of Sfax,Tunisia

The composition and distribution of the main planktonic halophilic micro-organisms (heterotrophic and autotrophic picoplankton, nanoplankton, phytoplankton, ciliates) and metazooplankton were investigated in six ponds of increasing salinity in the solar salt works of Sfax, Tunisia, from January to December 2003. Marked changes in the composition and biomass of the communities were found along the salinity gradient, especially at salinities of 150 and 350. Autotrophic picoplankton, nanoplankton, diatoms, dinoflagellates and ciliates characterized the less salted ponds. Planktonic biomass was the highest at intermediate salinity as a consequence of a bloom of Ochromonas. Species richness of phytoplankton, ciliates and zooplankton greatly decrease above a salinity of 150 and typical halophiles (Dunaliella salina, cyanobacteria, Fabrea salina and Artemia salina) were found between 150 and 350 salinity. In this environment, F. salina appeared more adapted than the brine shrimp to survive during phytoplankton blooms. The halophilic plankton was however almost entirely composed of heterotrophic prokaryotes in the crystallizers. We thus observed a progressive disappearance of the autotrophic planktonic communities along the salinity gradient. Multivariate analysis of the communities provides evidence that ponds represent discrete aquatic ecosystems within this salt works.     

Distribution of the organic matter in the channel-levees systems of the Congo mud-rich deep-sea fan (West Africa). Implication for deep offshore petroleum source rocks and global carbon cycle

The quantity and the source of organic matter preserved in the Recent turbiditic channel-levees systems around 4000 m-depth off the Congo River were determined using bulk geochemical approaches (Rock-Eval, elemental and isotopic analyses) as well as molecular and optical analyses on selected samples. These mud-rich sediments contain high amount of organic matter (3% Corg on average), the origin of which is a mixture of terrestrial higher-plant debris and deeply oxidized phytoplanktonic material. Although the relative contribution of continental source versus marine source of the organic matter cannot be precisely quantified, the continental fraction appears significant (at least 70–80%) especially for such depths and distances from the coast. The organic matter distribution appears very homogeneous at different scales, from the single turbiditic event to the entire levee, and changes in accumulation rates have a little impact on the quantity and quality of preserved organic matter.     

Rječina River sediments (Croatia): from captured spring to polluted prodelta

Surface sediments (fraction <63 μm) from the source to the mouth of the Rječina, short (18.3 km) karst allogenic river in Croatia, which is an important source of drinking water, were studied to investigate their mineral (by XRD) and chemical (by ICP-MS) composition to check possible anthropogenic influence at the lower course due to paper industry and mills, and in the prodelta area from untreated municipal sewage and the large harbor of Rijeka town. In all analyzed sediment samples and in the sandstone source, rock quartz is a major mineral, while feldspar and mica group minerals are less abundant. Chlorite is a minor or trace mineral in all samples. Calcite and dolomite are abundant in the river prodelta, reflecting changes in bedrock lithology from flysch to carbonates. In river sediments, Fe is the most abundantly analyzed element, while Ca is the most abundant in prodelta sediments. Concentrations of Al, Mn, Ni, Cr, Co, La and Nd decrease downstream, while Mg, S, Na, B, Pb, Zn, As, Sn, U, Mo, Hg and Ag have relatively higher concentration in prodelta sediments. The results are compared with sediments of other rivers in the area: Raša, Rižana and Dragonja, as well as with those of the Rosandra Creek (Italy). Sediments in the Raša River showed similar behavior as those in the Rječina, as the highest concentration of metals was found in the restricted upper part of the estuary, characterized by rapid deposition of clay particles and terrestrial sedimentary organic matter. The comparison also showed that the most contaminated were the sediments from the Rižana, followed by those from the Rječina and Rosandra Creek, which had similar results. Among the studied elements, As was present in all sediment samples at concentrations >6 ppm that might have the lowest toxic effects. At the lower Rječina and in prodelta sediments, Pb was also present at slightly elevated concentrations (>31 ppm) that could cause such effects. Concentrations of Zn in the prodelta correspond to those occurring in moderately polluted sediments (90–200 ppm). In the prodelta sediments, Hg is slightly below toxicity threshold (1 ppm), while Ag is present at toxicity threshold (0.5 ppm) or close to it. Rječina River could act as a good illustrative example for behavior of toxic metals in allogenic karstic rivers, in which accumulation of anthropogenically introduced pollutants usually occurs in their estuaries, as a result of transport and deposition of fine particles.     

The effect of Cl on Pt solubility in haplobasaltic melt: Implications for micronugget formation and evidence for fluid transport of PGEs

Platinum solubility was determined in a haplobasaltic, diopside-anorthite melt at 1523 K and 0.2 GPa as a function of oxygen fugacity and chlorine content. Synthetic glass powder of an An₄₂Di₅₈ composition was sealed in a platinum or platinum-iridium alloy capsule and equilibrated with a solid CaCl₂ and MgCl₂ chlorine source, water and the noble-metal capsule. All experiments were run in an internally-heated pressure-vessel equipped with a rapid-quench device with oxygen fugacity controlled by the water content and intrinsic hydrogen fugacity of the autoclave (MnO-Mn₃O₄). Resultant glasses were analyzed by isotope dilution ICP-MS and LA-ICP-MS to determine the solubility and distribution of Pt and assess potential Cl-complexation of Pt in the melt.Experiments with run durations longer than 96 h show Pt solubilities consistent with solubilities determined for the equivalent Cl-free diopside-anorthite system, under the same P-T conditions. These results indicate that chlorine has no discernable effect on Pt solubility and there is no evidence of Pt-Cl complexing in the silicate melt from 0.6 to 2.75 wt% Cl (saturation).However, products from short run duration experiments (<96 h) contain Pt concentrations which are orders of magnitude higher than those of the Pt-free starting glass and of the experimental products of the longer run duration experiments. These anomalously high levels are most pronounced in the shortest experiments and Pt concentration decreases with increasing run duration. It is suggested that this excess platinum is dissolved within the Cl-bearing fluid during the heating stages of the experiment and is left behind as the fluid dissolves into the melt leaving small amounts of Pt as “micronuggets”, increasing the bulk Pt concentration. With increasing run duration the platinum appears to migrate out of the melt, back to the capsule walls, decreasing the amount of Pt contained within the glass. This behavior offers compelling evidence that Cl-bearing fluids have the capacity to transport significant amounts of Pt under magmatic conditions.Mass balance calculations on the excess amount of Pt in the glass (above inherent solubility) in short duration experiments lead to an estimation of Pt concentration in the Cl-bearing fluid ranging from tens to a few hundred ppm, versus ppb levels in the melt. The correspondingly high estimated apparent partition coefficients of 10³-10⁴ suggest that Cl-bearing fluids can be highly efficient at enriching and transporting platinum in mafic magmatic-hydrothermal ore-forming systems. These values strongly contrast with recent experimental results in felsic systems, highlighting the potential importance of melt composition on partitioning, the need for composition specific partitioning experiments, as well as a detailed understanding of Pt distribution in experimental products.