Geochemical evolution of groundwater in carbonate aquifers in Taiyuan, northern China

Thirty-nine samples of both cold and thermal karst groundwater from Taiyuan, northern China were collected and analyzed with the aim of developing a better understanding of the geochemical processes that control the groundwater quality evolution in the region’s carbonate aquifers. The region’s karst groundwater system was divided into three geologically distinct sub-systems, namely, the Xishan Mountain karst groundwater subsystem (XMK), the Dongshan Mountain karst groundwater subsystem (DMK) and the Beishan Mountain karst groundwater subsystem (BMK). Hydrochemical properties of the karst groundwaters evolve from the recharge zones towards the cold water discharge zones and further towards the thermal water discharge zones. In the XMK and the DMK, the hydrochemical type of the groundwater evolves from HCO₃-Ca·Mg in the recharge - flow-through zone, to HCO₃·SO₄-Ca·Mg/SO₄·HCO₃-Ca·Mg in the cold water discharge zone, and further to SO₄-Ca·Mg in the thermal water discharge zone. By contrast, the water type changes from HCO₃-Ca·Mg to HCO₃·SO₄-Ca·Mg in the BMK, with almost invariable TDS and temperatures all along from the recharge to the discharge zone. The concentrations of Sr, Si, Fe, F⁻ and of some trace elements (Al, B, Li, Mn, Mo, Co, Ni) increase as groundwater temperature increases. Different hydrogeochemical processes occur in the three karst groundwater sub-systems. In the XMK and the DMK, the geochemical evolution of the groundwater is jointly controlled by carbonate dissolution/precipitation, gypsum dissolution and dedolomitization, while only calcite and dolomite dissolution/precipitation occurs in the BMK without dedolomitization. The hydrogeochemical data of the karst groundwaters were used to construct individual geochemical reaction models for each of the three different karst groundwater sub-systems. The modeling results confirm that dedolomization is the major process controlling hydrochemical changes in the XMK and the DMK. In the thermal groundwaters, the dissolution rates of fluorite, siderite and strontianite were found to exceed those of the cold karst groundwater systems, which can explain the higher concentrations of F⁻, Fe and Sr²⁺ that are found in these waters.     

Effects of “Grain for Green” reforestation program on rural sustainability in China: an AHP approach to peasant consensus of public land use policies

Climate change will affect the regional ability to achieve the poverty reduction and sustainable development (SD) objectives. Thus, any action plans to achieve these objectives should make climate change policies an integral part of the development planning process. The best practices and measures of climate change policies should be implemented to ensure regional or community sustainability. In this paper, a case study that promotes the integration of carbon sequestration into sustainable forest management and rural development plan with multi-stakeholders participation is introduced. To achieve SD goals, appropriate tools and methods are required to address impacts of alternative forest land uses on carbon sequestration and rural sustainability, and to prioritise land use options. A range of forest land use scenarios that address various aspects of the forest carbon sequestration rate and rural sustainability are evaluated against a SD indicator system. Planting vegetation is one of the practical approaches in mitigating global warming by sequestrating carbon from the atmosphere to plant matter and soil. In order to protect environment, reduce excessive soil erosion, and decrease the propensity and frequency of flooding and other natural disasters, China has initiated nationwide pivotal projects such as “Grain for Green” to mitigate exacerbated environmental deterioration and degradation. Such ecological programs may affect the socio-economic livelihoods of peasants and the economic activities of the whole region. The impact and economic uncertainty associated with such projects urge policy makers to include all stakeholders in the decision making process so that an agreeable solution towards sustainable rural development can be identified. This study uses Liping County in Guizhou province as a case study to identify a consensus among peasants regarding planting selected tree-species. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used as a multicriteria decision making tool to rank sustainability criteria and determine the priority of options. The method helps policy makers to understand what the peasants want to achieve by participating in a Grain for Green program and what their priorities are with respect to particular types of vegetation. The case study finds that economic and financial concerns are the most important drivers of the decision of which trees to plant among the peasants who took part in the implementation of the Grain for Green program. As a result of this, Gingko, redpine, and Chinese chestnut were the predominant trees planted under the program. The integrated assessment based on the AHP method provides an effective tool to help understand how economic, social and environmental factors are related to each other in affecting the nature of rural sustainability.     

The importance of health co-benefits in macroeconomic assessments of UK Greenhouse Gas emission reduction strategies

We employ a single-country dynamically-recursive Computable General Equilibrium model to make health-focussed macroeconomic assessments of three contingent UK Greenhouse Gas (GHG) mitigation strategies, designed to achieve 2030 emission targets as suggested by the UK Committee on Climate Change. In contrast to previous assessment studies, our main focus is on health co-benefits additional to those from reduced local air pollution. We employ a conservative cost-effectiveness methodology with a zero net cost threshold. Our urban transport strategy (with cleaner vehicles and increased active travel) brings important health co-benefits and is likely to be strongly cost-effective; our food and agriculture strategy (based on abatement technologies and reduction in livestock production) brings worthwhile health co-benefits, but is unlikely to eliminate net costs unless new technological measures are included; our household energy efficiency strategy is likely to breakeven only over the long term after the investment programme has ceased (beyond our 20 year time horizon). We conclude that UK policy makers will, most likely, have to adopt elements which involve initial net societal costs in order to achieve future emission targets and longer-term benefits from GHG reduction. Cost-effectiveness of GHG strategies is likely to require technological mitigation interventions and/or demand-constraining interventions with important health co-benefits and other efficiency-enhancing policies that promote internalization of externalities. Health co-benefits can play a crucial role in bringing down net costs, but our results also suggest the need for adopting holistic assessment methodologies which give proper consideration to welfare-improving health co-benefits with potentially negative economic repercussions (such as increased longevity).     

The Meteoritical Bulletin,No. 96, September 2009

Abstract— The Meteoritical Bulletin No. 96 contains a total of 1590 newly approved meteorite names with their relevant data. These include 12 from specific locations within Africa, 76 from northwest Africa, 9 from the Americas, 13 from Asia, 1 from Australia, 2 from Europe, 950 from Antarctica recovered by the Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE), and 527 from the American Antarctic program (ANSMET). Among these meteorites are 4 falls, Almahata Sitta (Sudan), Sulagiri (India), Ash Creek (United States), and Maribo (Denmark). Almahata Sitta is an anomalous ureilite and is debris from asteroid 2008 TC3 and Maribo is a CM2 chondrite. Other highlights include a lunar meteorite, a CM1 chondrite, and an anomalous IVA iron.     

Experiments on the photophoretic motion of chondrules and dust aggregates—Indications for the transport of matter in protoplanetary disks

In a set of 16 drop tower experiments the motion of sub-millimeter to millimeter-sized particles under microgravity was observed. Illumination by a halogen lamp induced acceleration of the particles due to photophoresis. Photophoresis on dust-free chondrules, on chondrules, glass spheres and metal spheres covered with SiC dust and on pure SiC dust aggregates was studied. This is the first time that photophoretic motion of millimeter-sized particles has been studied experimentally. The absolute values for the photophoretic force are consistent with theoretical expectations for spherical particles. The strength of the photophoretic force varies for chondrules, dust covered particles and pure dust from low to strong, respectively. The measurements support the idea that photophoresis in the early Solar System can be efficient to transport solid particles outward.     

Parameters of very young and massive stars with dust shells

A radiative transfer model for newly formed hot stars surrounded by optically thick dust shells is applied to a number of compact infrared sources. The model parameters are derived by fitting the synthetic spectra to the observed one between 8 and 13 m and used to derive additional properties of the shells and the embedded stars.     

Randpazifische Tektonik und Vulkanismus im südlichen Chile

Zusammenfassung Die Struktur des südlichen Chile zwischen 37° und 42° S wird beschrieben. Die Anden gingen teils aus einer jurassisch-unterkretazischen Eugeosynklinale, teils aus magmatischer Regeneration gondwanischer Relikte hervor. Es überwiegt E-vergenter Falten- und Schuppenbau. In den Längstalbecken begann die Senkung im Eozän auf vorwiegend präkambrischem Sockel. Die Küstenkordillere besteht großenteils aus präkambrischen Para-Serien, welche seit der Oberkreide in die randpazifische Tektonik einbezogen wurden. Im Schelfgürtel herrscht seit der Oberkreide Sedimentation auf instabilem, antithetisch brechendem Sockel. Die Andesit-Förderung erfolgte längs geradliniger Fronten, welche sich mehrfach verlagerten. Beim Erdbeben von 1960 wurde der Krustenblock zwischen Kontinentalrand und Anden als Ganzes westwärts bewegt und gekippt. Ein Krustenmodell wird entworfen und dessen Entwicklung unter dem Aspekt der Kontinentaldrift Südamerikas diskutiert.

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The structure of Southern Chile between 37° and 42° S is described. The Andean cordillera is the result partly of a Jurassic-lower cretaceous eugeosyncline and partly of magmatic regeneration of gondwanian residues. Eastoverturned fold and imbricate structure predominates. In the basins within the longitudinal valley subsidence started in the Eocene mainly on a precambrian basement. The coast range consists mostly of precambrian para-series, which were included in the marginal pacific tectonics since the Upper Cretaceous. In the shelf region sedimentation takes place since the Upper Cretaceous on an unstable, antithetic breaking basement. Andesites erupted along straight fronts, which changed position several times. During the earthquake in 1960 the crustblock between the continental margin and the main cordillera moved westwards and tilted as a whole. A crust-model is traced out; its development is discussed under the aspect of the continental drift of South America.

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Résumé Ce traité comprend la structure du Chili méridional entre 37° et 42° S. La cordillère des Andes résulte d'une part d'un eugéosynclinal jurassique-crétassique inférieur, d'autre part d'une régénération magmatique des restes gondwaniens. Dans cette cordillère une structure plissée et écailleuse prédomine qui est déversée vers l'Est. Dans les bassins de la vallée longitudinale le sous-sol dont le socle était surtout précambrien, avait commencé à se tasser pendant l'époque de l'Eocène. La cordillère côtière se compose en grande partie de para-séries précambriennes, qui furent comprises dans la tectonique pacifique marginale depuis le Crétacé supérieur. Dans la région de la plate-forme continentale il y a une sédimentation depuis le Crétacé supérieur; le socle y était instable et se cassait antithétiquement. Les points d'éruptions des andésites s'alignaient; ces fronts tout droits changeaient de places plusieurs fois. Pendant le tremblement de terre en 1960 tout le bloc crustal qui se trouvait entre le talus continental et la cordillère des Andes fut mis en mouvement vers l'Ouest et basculé entièrement. Un modèle de l'écorce est tracé dont le développement est discuté sous l'aspect de la translation continentale de l'Amérique du Sud.

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Influence of macrofauna long-term natural variability on benthic indices used in ecological quality assessment

An essential prerequisite for the assessment of the ecological quality of marine ecosystems is the understanding of the natural variability and its effect on the performance of quality indices. This study is focused on the long-term natural variability of diversity, biotic and multimetric indices by using long-term macrofauna data of a coastal area in the southern North Sea (1978-2005). The univariate and most biotic and multimetric indices respond significantly on specific natural disturbance events such as cold winters, but the strength of response varied between indices as well as between events. As a result, the ecological quality status can decrease over a range of 3 (out of 5) classification units. The overall ecological quality was good to high, but an increase of indices occurred from the mid 1980s onwards due to changes in the climate regime. This long-term variability has to be considered within ecological quality assessment schemes.