Development of a GIS-based catastrophe theory model (modified DRASTIC model) for groundwater vulnerability assessment

This study developed a new paradigm for groundwater vulnerability assessment by modifying the standard DRASTIC index (DI) model based on catastrophe theory. The developed paradigm was called the catastrophe theory-based DI (CDI) model. The proposed model was applied to assess groundwater vulnerability to pollution index (GVPI) in Perak Province, Malaysia. The area vulnerability index was modeled by considering the DRASTIC multiple vulnerability causative factors (VCFs) obtained from different data sources. The weights and ranking of the VCFs were computed by using the inner fuzzy membership mechanism of the CDI model. The estimated vulnerability index values of the CDI model were processed in a geographic information system (GIS) environment to produce a catastrophe theory–DRASTIC groundwater vulnerability to pollution index (CDGVPI) map, which demarcated the area into five vulnerability zones. The produced CDGVPI map was validated by applying the water quality status–vulnerability zone relationship (WVR) approach and the relative operating characteristic (ROC) curve method. The performance of the developed CDI model was compared with that of the standard DI model. The validation results of the WVR approach exhibits 89.29% prediction accuracy for the CDI model compared with 75% for the DI model. Meanwhile, the ROC validation results for the CDI and DI models are 88.8% and 78%, respectively. The GIS-based CDI model demonstrated better performance than the DI model. The GVPI maps produced in this study can be used for precise decision making process in environmental planning and groundwater management.     

Hydraulic and flood-loss modeling of levee,floodplain, and river management strategies,Middle Mississippi River,USA

In this investigation, four scenarios were used to quantify the balance between the benefits of levees for flood protection and their potential to increase flood risk using Hazards U.S. Multi-Hazard flood-loss software and hydraulic modeling of the Middle Mississippi River (MMR). The goals of this study were (1) to quantify the flood exposure under different flood-control configurations and (2) to assess the relative contributions of various engineered structures and flood-loss strategies to potential flood losses. Removing all the flood-control structures along the MMR, without buyouts or other mitigation, reduced the average flood stages between 2.3 m (100-year flood) and 2.5 m (500-year), but increased the potential flood losses by $4.3–6.7 billion. Removing the agricultural levees downstream of St. Louis decreased the flood stages through the metro region by ~1.0 m for the 100- and 500-year events; flood losses, without buyouts or other mitigation, were increased by $4.3–6.7 billion. Removing the agricultural levees downstream of St. Louis decreased the flood stages through the metro region by ~1.0 m for the 100- and 500-year events; flood losses, without buyouts or other mitigation, were increased by 155 million for the 100-year flood, but were decreased by $109 million for the 500-year flood. Thus, agricultural levees along the MMR protect against small- to medium-size floods (up to the ~100-year flood level) but cause more damage than they prevent during large floods such as the 500-year flood. Buyout costs for the all the buildings within the 500-year floodplain downstream of urban flood-control structures near St. Louis are ~40% less than the cost of repairing the buildings damaged by the 500-year flood. This suggests large-scale buyouts could be the most cost-effective option for flood loss mitigation for properties currently protected by agricultural levees.     

Glaciomarine sedimentation and bottom current activity on the north-western and northern continental margins of Svalbard during the late Quaternary

Palaeo-bottom current strength of the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) and the influence of the Svalbard-Barents Sea Ice Sheet (SBIS) on the depositional environment along the northern Svalbard margins are poorly known. Two gravity cores from the southern Yermak Plateau and the upper slope north of Nordaustlandet, covering marine isotope stage (MIS) 1 to MIS 5, are investigated. Five lithofacies, based on grain size distribution, silt/clay ratio, content and mean of sortable silt (SS), are distinguished to characterise the contourite-dominated sedimentary environments. In addition, depositional environments are described using total organic carbon (TOC), total sulphur (TS) and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) contents of sediments. Facies A, containing coarse SS, suggests strong bottom current activity and good bottom water ventilation conditions as inferred from low TOC content. This facies was deposited during the glacial periods MIS 4, MIS 2 and during the late Holocene. Facies B is dominated by fine SS indicating weak bottom current and poor ventilation (cf. high TOC content of 1.2–1.6%), and correlates with the MIS 4/3 and MIS 2/1 transition periods. With an equal amount of clay and sand, fine SS and high content of TOC, facies C indicates reduced bottom current strength for intervals with sediment supply from proximal sources such as icebergs, sea ice or meltwater discharge. This facies was deposited during the last glacial maximum. Facies D represents mass-flow deposits on the northern Svalbard margin attributed to the SBIS advance at or near the shelf edge. Facies E sediments indicating moderate bottom current strength were deposited during MIS 5 and MIS 3, and during parts of MIS 2. This first late Quaternary proxy record of the WSC flow and sedimentation history from the northern Svalbard margin suggests that the oceanographic conditions and ice sheet processes have exerted first-order control on sediment properties.     

Application of bacteria-plant association in biodegradation of diesel oil pollutants in soil

The bacteria and plants were associated to remove diesel oil pollutants from soil.Three efficiently degrading bacteria(named strains Q10,Q14 and Q18,respectively) were isolated.Two plants(alfalfa and Indian mustard) were selected to form the association.Biodegradation of diesel oil pollutants in soil was accelerated by bacteria-plants association.The main results are summarized as follows.The plants-bacteria association was more effective in biodegradation of diesel oil pollutants in soil than in respective experiments carried out with plants or bacteria alone.Strain Q18-Indian mustard association resulted in the maximum diesel oil reduction(69.18%).The activities of catalase and polyphenol oxidase in soil were enhanced and microbial populations in soil,especially in rhizosphere,were also stimulated in the treatment of bacteria-plant association.Overall,the soil conditions might be improved by alfalfa or Indian mustard to benefit the growth of bacteria,which resulted in degradation of diesel oil pollutants more effective by the bacteria-plant association.The bacteria-plants association may be a better approach to the removal of diesel oil pollutants from soil.     

Evaluation of the possible slip surface of a highly heterogeneous rock slope using dynamic reduction method

A new method, the dynamic reduction method (DRM) combined with the strain-softening method, was applied to evaluate the possible slip surface of a highly heterogeneous rock slope of the Dagangshan hydropower station in Southwest China. In DRM, only the strength of the failure elements is reduced and the softening reduction factor K is adopted to calculate the strength parameters. The simulation results calculated by DRM show that the further slip surface on the right slope of the Dagangshan hydropower station is limited in the middle part of the slope, while both SRM (strength reduction method) and LEM (limit equilibrium method) predict a failure surface which extends upper and longer. The observations and analysis from the three recorded sliding events indicate that the failure mode predicted by DRM is more likely the scenario. The results in this study illustrate that for highly heterogeneous slopes with geological discontinuities in different length scales, the proposed DRM can provide a reliable prediction of the location of the slip surface.     

南天山西段南缘断裂构造特征及对乌什凹陷发育的控制

乌什凹陷位于南天山西段以南,新生代受南天山崛起的陆内造山作用制约,与库车坳陷有相同的成盆动力学背景。因乌什凹陷南有温宿凸起阻挡了挤压应力的传播,东与库车坳陷间有北西向的构造变换带(西秋里塔格构造带)所隔,新生代变形与库车地区有不同的特征。以吉迪克组的泥岩层为滑脱面,乌什凹陷的中-新生界可分为上、下两个构造层,总体看上构造层以背冲构造为特征,下构造层则发育基底卷入的对冲构造。乌什凹陷的这一变形特征还与新生代挤压应力场自东向西迁移和走滑作用吸收了部分冲断变形有关,反映了南天山新生代构造对海西-印支期碰撞构造的继承性。文章简述了南天山造山带的构造演化,介绍了乌什凹陷周缘的主要断裂的特征,恢复了乌什凹陷中-新生代的演化并与库车坳陷进行了对比。在此基础上探讨了乌什凹陷的成盆动力学机制,分析了乌什凹陷与南天山造山带的耦合演化,指出该区的油气勘探应以三叠系为主要目的层。     

Overexploitation status of groundwater and induced geological hazards in China

During the process of urbanization and industrialization, groundwater has been extensively overexploited, with the direct result of continuously decreasing groundwater level, followed by the appearance of large scale of depression cones, which is furthermore followed by land subsidence, seawater intrusion, and increasing difficulties in subsequent groundwater exploitation. This paper makes an analysis on the geological disasters caused by overexploitation of groundwater. The consumption and overexploitation status of groundwater in representative regions in China is discussed first, with the distribution and development of depression cones elaborated the next. And the problems of land subsidence, seawater intrusion, and increasing difficulties caused by overexploitation of groundwater are analyzed at last. Results show that overexploitation of groundwater is positively related to economic development. Moreover, geological disasters such as land subsidence and seawater intrusion caused by long term of overexploitation also aggregate, posing threats, and losses to people’s lives and production. According to the analysis, the fundamental resolution for overexploitation of groundwater as well as consequential geological damages is to properly control city size and to utilize groundwater rationally and efficiently.     

Development of computing environment for the seismic performance assessment of reinforced concrete frames by using simplified nonlinear models

A computing environment for the seismic performance assessment of reinforced concrete frames has been developed in Matlab in combination with OpenSees. It includes several functions which provide calculations of the moment-rotation relationship of plastic hinges in columns and beams, rapid determination of simplified nonlinear structural models, the post-processing of the results of analyses and structural performance assessment with different methods. The user can add new functions to the PBEE toolbox in order to support additional procedures for the seismic performance assessment of RC frames, or can just change the rules for determining the moment-rotation relationship of plastic hinges in columns and beams, which are the main source of uncertainty in simplified nonlinear models. In the paper, the capabilities of the computing environment (PBEE toolbox) are first explained by focusing on the procedures for determining the moment-rotation relationship of plastic hinges. Different examples are then presented, starting with a comparison between the calculated response of a four-storey RC frame building and the response obtained in a pseudo-dynamic experiment. The calculated response was determined with the two different structural models which are later on used for the demonstration of the seismic performance assessment of the same structure by the N2 method. Lastly, seismic performance assessment of an eight-storey frame is performed by using incremental dynamic analysis with consideration of the modelling uncertainties.     

乌鲁木齐城市地域结构问题初探

对乌鲁木齐城市地域结构各种特征的分析,发现此城市地域具有的历史和民族特征及其现代城市特征,并针对乌鲁木齐城市地域结构和发展中出现的问题提出若干解决对策。