Environmentally associated spatial changes of a macrozoobenthic community in the Saemangeum tidal flat,Korea

Estuarine tidal flats are both ecologically and economically important, hence developing methods to reliably measure ecosystem health is essential. Because benthic fauna play a central role in the food web of tidal flats, in this study we set out to quantitatively describe the intertidal zonation of macro-invertebrates and their associations with specific environmental parameters along three transects in the Saemangeum tidal flat, Korea. The abundance and biomass of intertidal fauna with respect to five environmental parameters (i.e., shore level, mud content, coarse sand content, water content, and organic content) were measured, to identify environmental factors that influence macrofaunal distribution in intertidal soft bottom habitats. A total of 75 species were identified, with dominant species showing distinct zones of distribution along all transects. The number of species recorded in each transect was found to be dependent on sediment characteristics and salinity. Cluster analysis classified the entire study area into three faunal assemblages (i.e., location groups), which were delineated by characteristic species, including (A) ‘Periserrula–Macrophthalmus’, (B) ‘Umbonium–Meretrix’, and (C) ‘Prionospio–Potamocorbula’. Four environmental variables (i.e., shore level, water content, mud content, and organic content) appeared to determine factors that distinguished the three faunal assemblages, based on the discriminant analysis. The faunal assemblage types of the sampled locations were accurately predicted from environmental variables in two discriminant functions, with a prediction accuracy of 98%. It should be noted that the zonation of benthos in the lower section (C) of Sandong had been affected by the construction of a nearby dike, while this parameter had remained essentially unchanged at the other two location groups (A–B). Overall, the zonation of benthos from the Saemangeum tidal flat was explained adequately by the measured environmental variables, implying that faunal assemblages are closely associated with certain combinations of abiotic factors. The identification of such reliable associations may facilitate the development of statistical models to predict faunal distributions based on environmental variables at both local and regional scales. The entire study area was embanked in 2006 (one year after this study), and an integrated plan was set into force to develop claimed land into industrial, residential and agricultural districts, which also included a partial restoration program of the tidal flats located near to the study area.     

陇中和鲁西南乡村居民对当地气候变化感知研究

基于问卷调查、气温和降水资料等气象资料以及农业灾害资料,分析甘肃省会宁县和山东省单县乡村居民对当地气候变化感知情况,探讨影响感知的因素.研究发现,绝大部分受访者在大部分情况下正确感知到气候变化,但感知及其影响因素较复杂.气候变化及其产生的影响是制约人们感知的最重要的要素,决定了感知的总体特征;感知也受相较调查时间而言较...     

Comparison of radiocarbon and OSL dating methods for a Late Quaternary sediment core from Lake Ulaan,Mongolia

Both radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating methods were applied to test their suitability for establishing a chronology of arid-zone lacustrine sediments using a 5.88-m-long core drilled from Lake Ulaan, southern Mongolia. Although the radiocarbon and OSL ages agree in some samples, the radiocarbon ages are older than the corresponding OSL ages at the 550-cm depth horizon (late Pleistocene) and in the 100–300-cm interval (early to late Holocene). In the early to late Holocene, radiocarbon ages are consistently older than OSL ages by 4,100–5,800 years, and in the late Pleistocene by 2,700–3,000 years. Grain-size analysis of early to late Holocene sediments and one late Pleistocene sediment sample (550-cm depth) indicates that eolian processes were the dominant sediment-transport mechanism. Also, two late Pleistocene sediments samples (from 400- to 500-cm depths) are interpreted to have been deposited by both eolian and glaciofluvial processes. Accordingly, the radiocarbon ages that were older than the corresponding OSL ages during the Holocene seem to have been a consequence of the influx of ¹⁴C-deficient carbon delivered from adjacent soils and Paleozoic carbonate rocks by the westerly winds, a process that is also active today. In addition to the input of old reworked carbon by eolian processes, the late Pleistocene sediments were also influenced by old carbon delivered by deglacial meltwater. The results of this study suggest that when eolian sediment transport is suspected, especially in lakes of arid environments, the OSL dating method is superior to the radiocarbon dating method, as it eliminates a common ‘old-carbon’ error problem.     

Landslide susceptibility mapping using frequency ratio, analytic hierarchy process, logistic regression, and artificial neural network methods at the Inje area, Korea

Every year, the Republic of Korea experiences numerous landslides, resulting in property damage and casualties. This study compared the abilities of frequency ratio (FR), analytic hierarchy process (AHP), logistic regression (LR), and artificial neural network (ANN) models to produce landslide susceptibility index (LSI) maps for use in predicting possible landslide occurrence and limiting damage. The areas under the relative operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the FR, AHP, LR, and ANN LSI maps were 0.794, 0.789, 0.794, and 0.806, respectively. Thus, the LSI maps developed by all the models had similar accuracy. A cross-tabulation analysis of landslide occurrence against non-occurrence areas showed generally similar overall accuracies of 65.27, 64.35, 65.51, and 68.47 % for the FR, AHP, LR, and ANN models, respectively. A correlation analysis between the models demonstrated that the LR and ANN models had the highest correlation (0.829), whereas the FR and AHP models had the lowest correlation (0.619).     

Effects of natural and calcined poultry waste on Cd, Pb and As mobility in contaminated soil

The reuse of waste materials as soil additives could be a welcome development in soil remediation. The mobility of Cd, Pb and As in a contaminated soil was investigated using natural and calcined poultry wastes (eggshell and chicken bone), CaCO₃ and CaO at different application rates (0, 1, 3 and 5 %). The chemical composition accompanied with mineralogical composition indicated that CaCO₃ and CaO were the major components in natural and calcined eggshells, respectively, while hydroxyapatite (HAP) dominated the natural and calcined chicken bones. The results showed that soil pH tended to increase in response to increasing application rates of all soil additives. The effectiveness of the additives in reducing Cd, Pb and As mobility was assessed by means of chemical extractions with 0.1 N HCl for Cd and Pb or 1 N HCl for As, according to Korean Standard Test (KST) method. Both calcined eggshell and chicken bone were equally effective with CaO or CaCO₃ in reducing the concentration of 0.1 N HCl-extractable Cd from 6.17 mg kg^?1 to below warning level of 1.5 mg kg^?1, especially at the highest application rate. The application of calcined eggshell, CaO and CaCO₃ also decreased the concentration of 0.1 N HCl-extractable Pb from 1,012 mg kg^?1 to below warning level of 100 mg kg^?1. The Pb concentration decreased significantly with an increasing application rate of chicken bone, but remained above warning level even at the highest application rate. On the contrary, natural and calcined chicken bones led to a significant increase in the mobility of As when compared with the control soil. These findings illustrate that calcined eggshell in particular is equally effective as pure chemical additives in stabilizing Cd and Pb in a contaminated agricultural soil. The presence of As in metal-contaminated soils should be taken into consideration when applying phosphate-containing materials as soil additives, because phosphate can compete with arsenate on adsorption sites and result in As mobilization.     

Mineralogical and geochemical characterization of precipitates on stream receiving acid mine water, Korea

Seasonal variations of water chemistry occurred in acid mine drainage receiving mine and leachate water. Sulfate and metal concentrations were low in winter but high in spring and summer. Mine waters were highly acidic (up to pH 3.4) in nature with high concentrations of manganese, copper and zinc but high electrical conductivity and sulfate in leachate. The blue and brownish yellow precipitates were formed under different chemical environments of acid mine drainage. Brownish yellow (Munsell color 7.5YR 8/12), blue (Munsell color 2.5B 9/7) and light blue (Munsell color 2.5B 9/3) precipitates deposited on the stream bottom receiving acid mine water. The brownish yellow precipitates formed in the acid mine water, whereas the blue and light blue precipitates formed in the leachate water. The brownish yellow precipitates consisted mainly of ferrihydrite, whereas the blue and light blue precipitates consisted of glaucocerinite and/or woodwardite.     

Simultaneous stabilization of arsenic, lead, and copper in contaminated soil using mixed waste resources

In the present study, stabilization treatment using waste resource stabilizers was performed for soil contaminated with As and heavy metals (Pb and Cu). Calcined oyster shell (COS) and coal mine drainage sludge (CMDS) were used as a mixed stabilizing agent for a wet-curing duration of 28 days. After the stabilization treatment, the treatment process efficiency was evaluated by the results of various batch- and column-leaching tests. Neutral and weak acid extraction methods, such as water-soluble extraction and SPLP, did not exhibit satisfactory results for heavy metal stabilization, even if they showed very low leachability. On the other hand, TCLP and 0.1 M HCl extraction showed that the stabilizers significantly reduced the amount of heavy metals leached from the soil, which strongly supports the thesis that the stabilization treatment is efficient in the acidic leaching conditions that were explored. Specifically, in the 0.1 M HCl extraction, the reduction efficiencies of As, Pb, and Cu leachings were more than 90 %, compared with control experiments. This study demonstrates that the application of waste resources for the stabilization of As and heavy metals is feasible. However, some limitations observed in the experiments should be considered in future studies, such as the mobilization of alkali-soluble elements, and in particular, exchangeable fractions of Cu. In addition, the treatment efficiency can be evaluated by different leaching methods, which suggests that multidirectional approaches are required for the proper evaluation of stabilization treatment.     

雷达资料在云南一次强降水过程中的三维变分同化试验

鉴于云南观测信息相对不足、局地强降水突出的现状,利用WRF(Weather Research and Forecasting)模式及其变分同化系统进行雷达反射率因子和反演风场的三维变分同化试验。通过对2012年9月12日00:00—13日00:00发生在云南的一次强降水过程进行数值模拟和对比分析,结果表明,同时同化雷达反演风场和基本反射率因子,对区域模式同化系统中风矢量、相对湿度、位势高度几个基本分析量都有明显影响。雷达资料的同化,有利于区域模式初始场中强降水区域的上游中低层空气湿度增加、水汽输送增强和强降水发生区域的风场辐合加强,从而改善区域模式对强降水落区、强度的预报质量。对于切变线等天气尺度系统影响下的强降水过程,雷达资料的同化持续时间选取3 h、同化间隔为1 h较适宜。另外,雷达反演风场和基本反射率因子的同化均对降水预报改善有明显贡献,且多种资料的同化效果好于单一资料同化。     

准噶尔盆地陆东-五彩湾地区石炭系火山岩电性与地震响应特征

勘探实践证实,准噶尔盆地石炭系已成为一套现实勘探层系;陆东-五彩湾地区石炭系火山岩体规模大、分布广,是重要的天然气储集体;火山岩储层有效性主要受不整合、岩性、岩相控制,识别火山结构、火山岩岩性、岩相成为判别储层有效性的关键.由于主要目的层巴塔玛依内山组特殊的三段式火山岩组合层序结构,为通过测井、地震物探手段识别火山岩岩...     

郯庐断裂带新近纪以来的挤压构造与合肥盆地的反转

郯庐断裂带于新近纪以来呈现强烈的逆冲活动,使得先存的伸展性断层产生了一系列逆冲反转构造.该逆冲活动使合肥盆地东部边缘地层被明显掀斜并产生断弯褶皱.与此同时,合肥盆地也相应遭受了挤压而反转,在合肥盆地内形成了一系列NW向左行平移断层和NNE向的宽缓褶皱构造.这些构造对油气二次运移和圈闭有利.在太平洋板块向西俯冲产生的弧后扩张使中国东部大陆受到挤压的区域动力学背景下,郯庐断裂的逆冲活动和合肥盆地反转构造在近EW向挤压应力下形成.