Field application at a DNAPL-contaminated site in Nanjing and discussion of a source search algorithm based on stochastic modeling and Kalman filter

Delineation of contaminant sources is vital for successful groundwater and soil remediation. With reliable source information, remediation time and cost can be dramatically reduced. An optimal contamination source search strategy incorporating Monte Carlo method, Kalman filtering and fuzzy set theory was applied to a contaminated site in Nanjing to define suspected multiple DNAPL source locations. Using the available nine sample data, the algorithm identified sources #1 and #4 as true sources, and sources #5 and #6 as false ones. The algorithm results for sources #2 and #3 were inconclusive. Three numerical experiments based on specific site conditions were then designed and conducted to determine the influencing factors on the algorithm’s convergence in sources #2 and #3. The numerical experiments tested the effect of multiple sources, the effect of the sources location in relation to the groundwater flow direction and the effect of a low permeability field on the convergence of the algorithm. Based on the numerical experiments and an understanding of the manufacturing site operations, sources #2 and #3 are likely to be true sources. Their moderate weights have been stabilized due to the existence of multiple true sources and the scarcity of informative sampling data, caused by the low permeability field. The moderate weight value of source #3 also includes a contribution from an overlapping plume caused by the sources’ parallel-to-flow layout pattern. It can be concluded that the algorithm works best for high permeability sites where potential source locations are scattered and source location patterns are orthogonal to the groundwater flow.     

Extracting sea level residual in tidally dominated estuarine environments

Sea level comprises a mean level, tidal elevation and a residual elevation. Knowledge of what causes maximum water levels is often key in coastal management. However, different methods to extract deviations in water level (residuals) from modelled and observed elevation can give different results. The Dee Estuary, northwest England is a macrotidal estuary that undergoes periodic stratification. It is used here to demonstrate methods to extract the residual water level in response to the following interactive processes: tidal, river-induced stratification and flow, meteorology and waves. Using modelling techniques, the interaction and contribution of different physical processes are investigated. Classical harmonic tidal analysis, model simulations and filtering techniques have been used to “de-tide” the total elevation for short-term (approximately month long) records. Each technique gives a different result highlighting the need to select the correct method for a required study. Analysis of the residual components demonstrates that all processes inducing residuals interact with the tide generating a semi-diurnal residual component. It is suggested that modelling methods enable the full effect of tidal interaction to remain in the residual, whilst harmonic tidal analysis (partly) modify and filtering methods (fully) remove this component of the residual. The analysis methods presented and their influences on the resultant residual are applicable to other study sites. However, when applied specifically to the mouth of the Dee Estuary, the external surge is found to be the main contributor to the total residual, whilst local wind and stratification effects are of secondary importance.     

Physically based simulation of dam breach development for Tangjiashan Quake Dam,China

Physically based modeling approach has been widely developed in recent years for simulation of dam failure process resulting from overtopping flow. Due to the lack of field data, there exist few applications to natural quake dams with complex erosion mechanisms. This paper presents a physically based simulation of the failure process of the Tangjiashan Quake Dam formed as a result of the “May 12, 2008” Wenchuan earthquake in China. The one-dimensional model adopted features as cost saving but enables capturing the main characteristics of the failure process, where selective sediment transport and gravitational slope collapse are accounted for. The simulated flow hydrograph and breach progression process are generally in good agreement with the observed data. Unsteadiness and non-uniformity are found to be substantial characteristics of breach progression during the failure process of natural quake dams. Sensitivity analysis showed that the Manning resistance coefficient and the erodibility coefficient in Osman and Thorne’s (J Hydraul Eng 114(2):134–150, 1988) model significantly influences the flow peak discharge but has less influence on its occurrence time, while the velocity lag coefficient associated with bed-load transport may affect the two breaching parameters substantially.     

Observations of martian gullies and constraints on potential formation mechanisms

The discovery of presumably geologically recent gully features on Mars (Malin and Edgett, 2000, Science 288, 2330-2335) has spawned a wide variety of proposed theories of their origin including hypotheses of the type of erosive material. To test the validity of gully formation mechanisms, data from the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has been analyzed to uncover trends in the dimensional and physical properties of the gullies and their surrounding terrain. We located 106 Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images that contain clear evidence of gully landforms, distributed in the southern mid and high latitudes, and analyzed these images in combination with Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) and Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) data to provide quantitative measurements of numerous gully characteristics. Parameters we measured include apparent source depth and distribution, vertical and horizontal dimensions, slopes, orientations, and present-day characteristics that affect local ground temperatures. We find that the number of gully systems normalized to the number of MOC images steadily declines as one moves poleward of 30° S, reaches a minimum value between 60°-63° S, and then again rises poleward of 63° S. All gully alcove heads occur within the upper one-third of the slope encompassing the gully and the alcove bases occur within the upper two-thirds of the slope. Also, the gully alcove heads occur typically within the first 200 meters of the overlying ridge with the exception of gullies equatorward of 40° S where some alcove heads reach a maximum depth of 1000 meters. While gullies exhibit complex slope orientation trends, gullies are found on all slope orientations at all the latitudes studied. Assuming thermal conductivities derived from TES measurements as well as modeled surface temperatures, we find that 79% of the gully alcove bases lie at depths where subsurface temperatures are greater than 273 K and 21% of the alcove bases lie within the solid water regime. Most of the gully alcoves lie outside the temperature-pressure phase stability of liquid CO₂. Based on a comparison of measured gully features with predictions from the various models of gully formation, we find that models involving carbon dioxide, melting ground ice in the upper few meters of the soil, dry landslide, and surface snowmelt are the least likely to describe the formation of the martian gullies. Although some discrepancies still exist between prediction and observation, the shallow and deep aquifer models remain as the most plausible theories. Interior processes involving subsurface fluid sources are generally favored over exogenic processes such as wind and snowfall for explaining the origin of the martian gullies.     

Consequences of change and variability in sea ice on marine ecosystem and biogeochemical processes during the 2007–2008 Canadian International Polar Year program

Change and variability in the timing and magnitude of sea ice geophysical and thermodynamic state have consequences on many aspects of the arctic marine system. The changes in both the geophysical and thermodynamic state, and in particular the timing of the development of these states, have consequences throughout the marine system. In this paper we review the ??consequences?? of change in sea ice state on primary productivity, marine mammal habitats, and sea ice as a medium for storage and transport of contaminants and carbon exchange across the ocean-sea-ice-atmosphere interface based upon results from the International Polar Year. Pertinent results include: 1) conditions along ice edges can bring deep nutrient-rich ??pacific?? waters into nutrient-poor surface waters along the arctic coast, affecting local food webs; 2) both sea ice thermodynamic and dynamic processes ultimately affect ringed seal/polar bear habitats by controlling the timing, location and amount of surface deformation required for ringed seal and polar bear preferred habitat 3) the ice edges bordering open waters of flaw leads are areas of high biological production and are observed to be important beluga habitat. 4) exchange of climate-active gases, including CO₂, is extremely active in sea ice environments, and the overall question of whether the Arctic Ocean is (or will be) a source or sink for CO₂ will be dependent on the balance of competing climate-change feedbacks.     

The impact of scour processes on a smothered reef system in the Irish Sea

The Irish Sea, like many marine areas, is threatened by anthropogenic activities. In particular the Pisces Reef system, a series of smothered rocky reefs are subject to fishing pressures as a result of their position within a Nephrops norvegicus fishery. In an area of sediment deposition and retention the reefs modify the environment by increasing the energy of near-bottom currents which results in localised scouring. This is the first study to attempt to characterise and investigate the ecological functioning of the Pisces Reef system. A multidisciplinary approach was essential for accurate investigation of the area. To facilitate more effective management of the benthic habitats of the Reef system, this study integrates acoustic, seismic, grab sampling and video ground-truthing methods for benthic habitat discrimination. Orientation of the scour hollows also suggest that seabed features could be used to infer dominant flow regimes such as the Irish Sea Gyre. The data revealed significant geology–benthos relationships. A unique biotope was described for the reef habitat and it was demonstrated that scouring may influence community composition through disturbance mechanisms. This study provides preliminary information required for management of a unique habitat within a uniform region.     

Downvalley fining of hillslope sediment in an alpine catchment: implications for downstream fining of sediment flux in mountain rivers

The size distributions of sediment delivered from hillslopes to rivers profoundly influence river morphodynamics, including river incision into bedrock and the quality of aquatic habitat. Yet little is known about the factors that influence size distributions of sediment produced by weathering on hillslopes. We present results of a field study of hillslope sediment size distributions at Inyo Creek, a steep catchment in granitic bedrock of the Sierra Nevada, USA. Particles sampled near the base of hillslopes, adjacent to the trunk stream, show a pronounced decrease in sediment size with decreasing sample elevation across all but the coarsest size classes. Measured size distributions become increasingly bimodal with decreasing elevation, exhibiting a coarse, bouldery mode that does not change with elevation and a more abundant finer mode that shifts from cobbles at the highest elevations to gravel at mid elevations and finally to sand at low elevations. We interpret these altitudinal variations in hillslope sediment size to reflect changes in physical, chemical, and biological weathering that can be explained by the catchment's strong altitudinal gradients in topography, climate, and vegetation cover. Because elevation and travel distance to the outlet are closely coupled, the altitudinal trends in sediment size produce a systematic decrease in sediment size along hillslopes parallel to the trunk stream. We refer to this phenomenon as ‘downvalley fining.’ Forward modeling shows that downvalley fining of hillslope sediment is necessary for downstream fining of the long-term average flux of coarse sediment in mountain landscapes where hillslopes and channels are coupled and long-term net sediment deposition is negligible. The model also shows that abrasion plays a secondary role in downstream fining of coarse sediment flux but plays a dominant role in partitioning between the bedload and suspended load. Patterns observed at Inyo Creek may be widespread in mountain ranges around the world. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

The relationships between tropical Atlantic sea level variability and major climate indices

Relationships were examined between variability in tropical Atlantic sea level and major climate indices with the use of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter and island tide gauge data with the aim of learning more about the external influences on the variability of the tropical Atlantic ocean. Possible important connections were found between indices related to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the sea levels in all three tropical regions (north, equatorial, and south), although the existence of only one major ENSO event within the decade of available altimetry means that a more complete investigation of the ENSO-dependence of Atlantic sea level changes has to await for the compilation of longer data sets. An additional link was found with the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) in the equatorial region, this perhaps surprising observation is probably an artifact of the similarity between IOD and ENSO time series in the 1990s. No evidence was obtained for significant correlations between tropical Atlantic sea level and North Atlantic Oscillation or Antarctic Oscillation Index. The most intriguing relationship observed was between the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation and sea level in a band centered approximately on 10°S. A plausible explanation for the relationship is lacking, but possibilities for further research are suggested.