Ecological effects analysis of land use change in coal mining area based on ecosystem service valuing: a case study in Jiawang

Land use change is one of the uppermost driving forces of regional ecosystem change, and has a huge impact on the environmental balance. Mining areas with intensive resources exploitation and utilization have undergone different kinds of environmental influences, such as water pollution and land use cover change. The extensive coal mining in China has led to significant regional land use change resulting in major ecological damage. The objective of this study was to form a clearer picture of the regional ecological environmental situation for promoting ecological protection and improvement by ecosystem service valuing. The case study area was selected at Jiawang town, which has undergone extensive coal mine exploitation for many decades. The study investigated the relationship between land use change and ecological environment, and described the ecosystem service value variations in Jiawang, based on remote sensing and GIS technology. After modification of regional ecosystem service value coefficients, the method was used to evaluate the conditions in the study area from 1990 to 2005 based on the land use/cover information interpreted from TM/ETM+ images. The characters and changes of ecosystem service values were then analyzed both quantitatively and spatially.     

The effects of soil sand contents on characteristics of humic acids along soil profiles

It is generally accepted that the compositions and properties of soil organic matter (SOM) are influenced by many factors. In order to reveal the effects of soil texture on characteristics and dynamics of SOM and its sub-fraction, humic acid (HA), along two soil profiles, a yellow soil profile and a purplish soil profile, under the same climate and vegetation conditions were determined. Results indicate that the decomposition and humification degrees of SOM and HA of the purplish soils are higher than those of the corresponding yellow soils indicated by A/O–A ratios of HAs, TOCs and HA yields of bulk soil samples, nevertheless, the development degree of the purplish soil is lower than that of the yellow soil. The variations of E₄/E₆ ratios of HAs along the soil profiles indicate the overall molecular sizes of HAs decreased downward along the soil profiles. A/O–A ratios of HAs decreased downward along both the soil profiles indicate that humification processes decrease downward along both the soil profiles. Leaching of SOM shows significant effects on the distribution and characteristics of HAs in the yellow soil profile but the purplish soil profile, which is consistent with the higher hydrophobicity of HAs in purplish soils, shows that the distribution characteristics of SOM along the soil profiles are a complex result of the combination of soil texture and characteristics of SOM itself. The remarkably different sand contents are concluded tentatively as one of reasons to the different distributions and dynamics of HAs along the soil profiles, however, to profoundly understand the evolution and transport of SOM along soil profiles needs more researches.     

The effect of annealing on the luminescence decay-time of synthetic calcite:Mn

Calcite was synthesized by four methods, and the luminescence decay-time was measured for nine samples before and after heating hydrothermally in the temperature range 200–400°C. Decay-time data were collected between room temperature and approximately 15 K. The decay time at room temperature is approximately 50 ms, with little difference between a given calcite before and after hydrothermal treatment. The decay time at 15 K is always greater than at room temperature as the effect of thermal quenching diminishes. Differences in decay time before and after heating are more apparent at low temperature owing to this reduction in thermal quenching. The decay time decreased significantly in two samples, and an increase in decay time was observed in the remaining seven samples following heating. Among the latter group, the change in decay time was insignificant in three samples. The results are compared with previous data in which it was shown that the effect of heating is to increase the intensity of luminescence.     

岩浆-流体过渡和阿尔泰三号伟晶岩脉之成因

本文对新疆阿尔泰可可托海的三号伟晶岩形成的物理化学条件、特别是流体-熔融包裹体进行了研究，证明岩浆的确可以分出热液，对于三号伟晶岩脉来说，这种热液组分主要是NaCl－CO2－H2O流体。     

Magma type and genesis of the basic-ultrabasic layered intrusions in Panzhihua-Xichang area,Southwest China

The layered intrusions in the Panzhihua-Xichang area may be grouped into two types: basic rock masses represented by the Panzhihua rockbody and basic-ultrabasic rock masses represented by the Hongge rockbody. Their major difference lies in that the former has poorly developed ultramafic facies, while the latter is characterized by well developed mafic facies and ultramafic facies. There exists apparent rhythmic stratification in the rock masses, which can be basically divided into four grades in terms of superimposition relationship and multicycle characters. Both direct and indirect evidence suggest that the magma responsible for the layered intrusions in this area should be a transition-type alkaline olivine basalt magma derived directly from partial melting of the upper mantle. In rhythmic cycles of various grades, the magmatic evolution is characterized obviously by periodicity and early enrichment of Fe and Ti, which is evidently different from the evolution of the Skaergaard magma in which Fe and Ti are enriched at the late stage. The FCA diagram can be used to describe the unique evolutionary trend of magma in this area. It is demonstrated in this diagram that the enrichment of Fe and Ti is consistent with the increase of basicity. In the upper magmatic chamber, the evolutionary trend of magma is conditioned by the difference in pressure, and this enables magma to form different types of rock assemblage. In the Fo-Di-An system, when the pressure exceeds 5 x 18⁸ Pa, forsterite is incompatible with anorthite, and the rock facies sequence of Hongge type might form; when the pressure is lower than 5 x 10⁸ Pa, forsterite can coexist with anorthite, and the rock facies sequence of Panzhihua type is likely to form if the magma is relatively rich in Mg and Fe components.     

Iron isotopic analyses of geological reference materials on MC-ICP-MS with instrumental mass bias corrected by three independent methods

Here we report iron (Fe) isotopic data of three pure Fe solution standards (IRMM-014, GSB Fe, and NIST 3126a) and five widely used geological reference materials (RMs) from the United States Geological Survey and Geological Survey of Japan obtained on a Neptune Plus multi-collector–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS) in our laboratory over the past 3 years. The instrumental mass bias was corrected by three independent methods: sample-standard bracketing (SSB), Ni doping?+?SSB, and ⁵⁷Fe–⁵⁸Fe double spike?+?SSB. Measurements reveal that both the Ni doping and double spike methods helped calibrate short-term fluctuations in mass bias. Collectively, almost all measurements of RMs yielded δ⁵⁶Fe within?±?0.05 of recommended values, provided that each sample was measured four times on MC-ICP-MS. For the first time, new recommended values for NIST SRM3126a are reported (δ⁵⁶Fe?=?0.363?±?0.006, 2SE, 95% CI; and δ⁵⁷Fe?=?0.534?±?0.010, 2SE).     

Effects of natural attenuation processes on groundwater contamination caused by abandoned waste sites in Berlin

The aim of this research project is to identify, characterize and quantify natural attenuation (NA) processes in groundwater affected by emissions of abandoned waste disposal sites in Berlin-Kladow/Gatow, Germany. It is part of the funding priority called KORA established by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) to explore the extent to which NA can be used for remedial purposes for varied forms of soil and groundwater contamination. Information on the emission behaviour of individual parameters is generated on the basis of hydrogeochemical comparison of 20 years old and new data. Using groundwater-modelling and CFC-analysis, information on the transport and retention of pollutants in groundwater is compiled. The microbial colonization of contaminated aquifers is characterized by molecular biological methods [polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)] to differentiate between contaminated and not contaminated zones.     

Chromium speciation in oxide-type compounds: application to minerals,gems, aqueous solutions and silicate glasses

Cr K-edge XANES spectra were obtained for a variety of Cr-bearing model compounds containing Cr(II), Cr(III), Cr(IV), Cr(V) and Cr(VI), in which the Cr-site symmetry is D4h, Oh and Td. The centroid position of the pre-edge feature is a better indicator of the Cr valence than the edge position. In Cr-rich oxides, higher-energy transitions must be excluded in order to refine a robust valence for Cr. The pre-edge for chromates is not unique and varies as a function of the CrO₄ ^2? moiety distortion, which is often related to Cr-polymerization (monochromate vs. dichromate). Both the analogy with the Mn K-pre-edge information and ab initio FEFF calculations of the pre-edge feature for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) confirm the experimental trends. This methodology is applied to the Cr K-edge pre-edge feature collected in gems (emerald, spinel and ruby), the layered minerals fuchsite and kämmererite, two Cr-bearing aqueous solutions and a set of sodo-calcic silicate glasses used for bottling sparkling white wine. In emerald and fuchsite, the Cr-site is differently distorted than its ruby or spinel counterpart. In a Cr(III)-bearing aqueous solution and sodo-calcic glass, no evidence for Cr(III) with Td and C3v symmetry is detected. However, minor amounts of chromate moieties (most likely monomeric) are detected in a glass synthesized in air. Preliminary spectra for the wine bottle glass suggest that only trace amounts of chromates might possibly be present in these glasses.     

Assessing the vulnerability of social–environmental system from the perspective of hazard,sensitivity, and resilience: a case study of Beijing,China

Despite a recent increase in the number of vulnerability analyses there has been relatively little discussion of vulnerability assessment of social–environment system, especially when they face multiple hazards. In this study, we developed an applicable and convenient method to assess vulnerability of social–environment system at a regional scale. Vulnerability is quantified by measuring three critical elements (i.e. hazards, sensitivity, and resilience) through some key variables. The results showed that vulnerability is high in Miaofeng Mountain in Mengtougou District, the hills of Pinggu County and the riparian zones of the lower courses of the Beiyun and Yongding Rivers; but low in the city of Beijing and the southwestern part of the Fangshan District. Areas of very high, high, medium, and low-vulnerability account for 6.19, 25.48, 33.06, and 35.27% of the total area, respectively. The degree of vulnerability decreases in a northwest direction in mountainous areas and declines from watercourses to riparian zones along a lateral direction in the plain. Some adaptive strategies are also proposed.     

Dehydration—Melting Experiments on the Khondalite Series,North Segment of Helan Mountain—I.Determination of Critical Melt Fraction

Dehydration-melting experiments were conducted on granulite and Al-gneiss,the two most representative rock-types of the khondalite series in the northern segment of the Helan Mountain.The critical melting fraction was determined to be 30% in volume,which is of great significance with respect to the P-T-t path of metamorphism and granite generation in the region.