Test of a distributed modelling approach to predict flood flows in the karst Suoimuoi catchment in Vietnam

The major obstacles for modelling flood processes in karst areas are a lack of understanding and model representations of the distinctive features and processes associated with runoff generation and often a paucity of field data. In this study, a distributed flood-modelling approach, WetSpa, is modified and applied to simulate the hydrological features and processes in the karst Suoimuoi catchment in northwest Vietnam. With input of topography, land use and soil types in a GIS format, the model is calibrated based on 15 months of hourly meteorological and hydrological data, and is used to simulate both fast surface and conduit flows, and groundwater discharges from karst and non-karst aquifers. Considerable variability in the simulation accuracy is found among storm events and within the catchment. The simulation results show that the model is able to represent reasonably well the stormflows generated by rainfall events in the study catchment.     

Development of an integrated conceptual model for the rational management of the transboundary Nestos River, Greece

This paper provides a detailed analysis of the geologic, hydrologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of Nestos River basin, which is formed within the Greek mountainous part of the river. The quantitative analysis was mainly based on the data of the river flow in different gauging points across the rivercourse as well as on the data of groundwater discharge from karst springs of the mountainous area while important conclusions were made regarding the hydraulic connection between the surface waters of the river and the groundwater of the karst aquifers of the basin. The qualitative analysis has shown that the quality of both surface waters and groundwaters of the investigated basin is high, whereas, no sources of contamination were indicated during this research. The possible effects of the two large dams of Platanovrisi and Thesavros are also analysed as they strongly affect the quantitative and qualitative regime of the river delta.     

Visual extinction towards the Omega Nebula (M17) and the ionization of nitrogen in the nebula

We estimate the absolute intensity of the Hα emission line in M17 based on spectroscopic observations with the 70 cm telescope of the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute and the 1.25 m telescope of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute’s Crimean Laboratory. The visual extinction, A _v , is derived for about 250 regions in the nebula via a comparison of the optical (Hα) and radio (21 cm continuum) emissions. The A _v values for the eastern, optically bright, part of the nebula are 2–6^m. For the western part, which is covered by a dark cloud, the extinction is A _v = 7?14.5^m. We derived I(Hα)/I([NII] λ6584) ratios and estimated the degree of ionization of nitrogen in the nebula; we find that most nitrogen is in the [NIII] state.     

High-resolution historical records from Pettaquamscutt River basin sediments: 2. Pb isotopes reveal a potential new stratigraphic marker

A high-resolution record of Pb deposition in Rhode Island over the past 250 yr was constructed using a sediment core from the anoxic Pettaquamscutt River basin. The sedimentary Pb concentration record shows the well-described maximum associated with leaded gasoline usage in the United States. Diminished Pb variability during recorded periods of local industrial activity (1735 to 1847) supports the greater importance of regional atmospheric lead transport vs. local inputs. The Pb isotopic composition at this site shows a clear maximum in anthropogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb in the mid-1800s. Similar peaks have also been observed in sediments from Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes, suggesting a common source. Possible causes for this event include mining and smelting of Pb ores in the Upper Mississippi Valley district, which accounted for almost all Pb production in the United States in that period. The timing of this event can provide an important stratigraphic marker for sediments deposited in the past 200 yr in the Northeastern United States. The downcore profile of anthropogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb provides a classic example of how changes in the mixture of ores for production of tetraethyl lead caused a regional-scale shift in the sedimentary record, and suggests that coal could have played a secondary role in Pb emissions after 1920.     

High-resolution historical records from Pettaquamscutt River basin sediments: 1. Pb and varve chronologies validate record of Cs released by the Chernobyl accident

Cesium-137 derived from the explosion of the Chernobyl reactor in 1986 was preserved in anoxic sediments from a coastal environment in southern Rhode Island. Although the radioactive plume was detected in surface air samples at several locations in the United States, this is the first known record of a Chernobyl ¹³⁷Cs peak in sediments from North America. The inventory of Chernobyl ¹³⁷Cs that was preserved in the Pettaquamscutt River is small compared to European counterparts and should only be detectable for the next 15-20 yr. However, the presence of two ¹³⁷Cs peaks (1963 and 1987) identifies a well-dated segment of the sediment column that could be exploited in understanding the decomposition and preservation of terrestrial and aquatic organic matter. Different methods for calculating the ²¹⁰Pb chronology were also evaluated in this study and checked against independent varve counting. The end result is a detailed chronology of a site well suited for reconstruction of historical records of environmental change.     

Solution mechanisms of H2O in depolymerized peralkaline melts

Solubility mechanisms of water in depolymerized silicate melts quenched from high temperature (1000°-1300°C) at high pressure (0.8-2.0 GPa) have been examined in peralkaline melts in the system Na₂O-SiO₂-H₂O with Raman and NMR spectroscopy. The Na/Si ratio of the melts ranged from 0.25 to 1. Water contents were varied from ∼3 mol% and ∼40 mol% (based on O = 1). Solution of water results in melt depolymerization where the rate of depolymerization with water content, ∂(NBO/Si)/∂X_H2O, decreases with increasing total water content. At low water contents, the influence of H₂O on the melt structure resembles that of adding alkali oxide. In water-rich melts, alkali oxides are more efficient melt depolymerizers than water. In highly polymerized melts, Si-OH bonds are formed by water reacting with bridging oxygen in Q⁴-species to form Q³ and Q² species. In less polymerized melts, Si-OH bonds are formed when bridging oxygen in Q³-species react with water to form Q²-species. In addition, the presence of Na-OH complexes is inferred. Their importance appears to increase with Na/Si. This apparent increase in importance of Na-OH complexes with increasing Na/Si (which causes increasing degree of depolymerization of the anhydrous silicate melt) suggests that water is a less efficient depolymerizer of silicate melts, the more depolymerized the melt. This conclusion is consistent with recently published ¹H and ²⁹Si MAS NMR and ¹H-²⁹Si cross polarization NMR data.     

WATER QUALITY STUDIES IN MALAYSIAN DISUSED MAN MADE LAKFS FOR SUITABILITY OF AN AQUACULTURE PROJECT

A study has been conducted on the status of water quality in two disused man made lakes, which have potential for cage aquaculture project. This study highlights the quality of water analyzed with reference to various physical - chemical parameters in two selected lakes and their suitability for fish farming. A number of parameters were measured including the amount of NH3 - N, NO3 - N, NO2 - N and total phosphorus while in - situ measurement including DO, pH, temperature, conductivity, TDS and Secchi disk visibility. Beside the physical -chemical of water, the location, morphometry and climate conditions were also investigated. The chemical data analyzed for six months indicated that Lake A and Lake B are characterized by relatively high DO, slightly neutral pH and low TSS. The concentration of NH3 -N and NO2 -N was very low （0. 058 mg/L and 0. 04 mg/L, respectively） and total phosphorus was usually in low concentration and sometimes would seem negligible. Besides, NO3 - N occurred in slightly higher concentration （1.75 mg/L）. Results obtained indicated that the study site has high potentiality for development of inland fisheries practices.     

Critical rainfall statistics for predicting watershed flood responses: rethinking the design storm concept

Recent advances have been made to modernize estimates of probable precipitation scenarios; however, researchers and engineers often continue to assume that rainfall events can be described by a small set of event statistics, typically average intensity and event duration. Given the easy availability of precipitation data and advances in desk‐top computational tools, we suggest that it is time to rethink the ‘design storm’ concept. Design storms should include more holistic characteristics of flood‐inducing rain events, which, in addition to describing specific hydrologic responses, may also be watershed or regionally specific. We present a sensitivity analysis of nine precipitation event statistics from observed precipitation events within a 60‐year record for Tompkins County, NY, USA. We perform a two‐sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) test to objectively identify precipitation event statistics of importance for two related hydrologic responses: (1) peak outflow from the Six Mile Creek watershed and (2) peak depth within the reservoir behind the Six Mile Creek Dam. We identify the total precipitation depth, peak hourly intensity, average intensity, event duration, interevent duration, and several statistics defining the temporal distribution of precipitation events to be important rainfall statistics to consider for predicting the watershed flood responses. We found that the two hydrologic responses had different sets of statistically significant parameters. We demonstrate through a stochastic precipitation generation analysis the effects of starting from a constrained parameter set (intensity and duration) when predicting hydrologic responses as opposed to utilizing an expanded suite of rainfall statistics. In particular, we note that the reduced precipitation parameter set may underestimate the probability of high stream flows and therefore underestimate flood hazard. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.