Grounded or submerged bulk carrier: the potential for leaching of coal trace elements to seawater

This study investigates the potential for leaching of coal trace elements to seawater from a grounded bulk carrier. The coal type and ecological scenario was based on the grounding of the "Shen Neng" (April 2010) at Douglas Shoal located within the Great Barrier Reef (Queensland, Australia). The area is of high ecological value and the Queensland Water Quality Guidelines (2009) provided threshold limits to interpret potential impacts. Coal contains many trace elements that are of major and moderate concern to human health and the environment although many of these concerns are only realised when coal is combusted. However, "unburnt" coal contains trace elements that may be leached to natural waterways and few studies have investigated the potential ecological impact of such an occurrence. For example, coal maritime transport has increased by almost 35% over the last five reported years (Jaffrennou et al., 2007) and as a result there is an increased inherent risk of bulk carrier accidents. Upon grounding or becoming submerged, coal within a bulk carrier may become saturated with seawater and potentially leach trace elements to the environment and impact on water quality and ecological resilience. The worst case scenario is the breakup of a bulk carrier and dispersal of cargo to the seafloor.     

Adjoint simulation of stream depletion due to aquifer pumping

If an aquifer is hydraulically connected to an adjacent stream, a pumping well operating in the aquifer will draw some water from aquifer storage and some water from the stream, causing stream depletion. Several analytical, semi-analytical, and numerical approaches have been developed to estimate stream depletion due to pumping. These approaches are effective if the well location is known. If a new well is to be installed, it may be desirable to install the well at a location where stream depletion is minimal. If several possible locations are considered for the location of a new well, stream depletion would have to be estimated for all possible well locations, which can be computationally inefficient. The adjoint approach for estimating stream depletion is a more efficient alternative because with one simulation of the adjoint model, stream depletion can be estimated for pumping at a well at any location. We derive the adjoint equations for a coupled system with a confined aquifer, an overlying unconfined aquifer, and a river that is hydraulically connected to the unconfined aquifer. We assume that the stage in the river is known, and is independent of the stream depletion, consistent with the assumptions of the MODFLOW river package. We describe how the adjoint equations can be solved using MODFLOW. In an illustrative example, we show that for this scenario, the adjoint approach is as accurate as standard forward numerical simulation methods, and requires substantially less computational effort.     

Condensation and vaporization studies of CH3OH and NH3 ices: major implications for astrochemistry

In an extension of previously reported work on ices containing H2O, CO, CO2, SO2, H2S, and H2, we present measurements of the physical and infrared spectral properties of ices containing CH3OH and NH3. The condensation and sublimation behavior of these ice systems is discussed and surface binding energies are presented for all of these molecules. The surface binding energies can be used to calculate the residence times of the molecules on grain surfaces as a function of temperature. It is demonstrated that many of the molecules used to generate radio maps of and probe conditions in dense clouds, for example CO and NH3, will be significantly depleted from the gas phase by condensation onto dust grains. Attempts to derive total column densities solely from radio maps that do not take condensation effects into account may vastly underestimate the true column densities of any given species. Simple CO condensation onto and vaporization off of grains appears to be capable of explaining the observed depletion of gas phase CO in cold, dense molecular cores. This is not the case for NH3, however, where thermal considerations alone predict that all of the NH3 should be condensed onto grains. The fact that some gas phase NH3 is observed indicates that additional desorption processes must be involved. The surface binding energies of CH3OH, in conjunction with this molecule's observed behavior during warm up in H2O-rich ices, is shown to provide an explanation of the large excess of CH3OH seen in many warm, dense molecular cores. The near-infrared spectrum and associated integrated band strengths of CH3OH-containing ice are given, as are middle infrared absorption band strengths for both CH3OH and NH3.     

Experimental Study of Cement - Sandstone/Shale - Brine - CO2 Interactions

Background

Reactive-transport simulation is a tool that is being used to estimate long-term trapping of CO₂, and wellbore and cap rock integrity for geologic CO₂ storage. We reacted end member components of a heterolithic sandstone and shale unit that forms the upper section of the In Salah Gas Project carbon storage reservoir in Krechba, Algeria with supercritical CO₂, brine, and with/without cement at reservoir conditions to develop experimentally constrained geochemical models for use in reactive transport simulations.

Results

We observe marked changes in solution composition when CO₂ reacted with cement, sandstone, and shale components at reservoir conditions. The geochemical model for the reaction of sandstone and shale with CO₂ and brine is a simple one in which albite, chlorite, illite and carbonate minerals partially dissolve and boehmite, smectite, and amorphous silica precipitate. The geochemical model for the wellbore environment is also fairly simple, in which alkaline cements and rock react with CO₂-rich brines to form an Fe containing calcite, amorphous silica, smectite and boehmite or amorphous Al(OH)₃.

Conclusions

Our research shows that relatively simple geochemical models can describe the dominant reactions that are likely to occur when CO₂ is stored in deep saline aquifers sealed with overlying shale cap rocks, as well as the dominant reactions for cement carbonation at the wellbore interface.     

Endocrine disruption in a marine amphipod? Field observations of intersexuality and de-masculinisation

Intersexuality has been found in both males and females of the marine/estuarine amphipod, Echinogammarus marinus, at polluted and reference sites in East Scotland. Polluted sites had significantly more intersex specimens than reference sites, however the cause of intersexuality is unclear. Discriminant analysis of morphometric data showed that normal male specimens from the most polluted site resembled pooled intersex males, suggesting that subtle endocrine disruption (ED) maybe occurring in these otherwise apparently normal males. The main discriminating character was gnathopod size, recognised to be under androgenic gland control. The association of distinctive morphometry with intersexuality may provide a new approach to biomarkers of ED in crustaceans. The opportunities for other novel biomarkers, for example biochemical or behavioural markers, may also be explored through study of intersex animals.     

Population and resources in Mauritius

"The island of Mauritius was facing a crisis by the 1950s as the relationship between its population and resources became unbalanced....A two-pronged strategy was set in place to change the relationship between population and resources. Firstly, an aggressive family-planning policy was established, reducing population growth. Secondly, the economy was diversified with tourism, financial services and, especially, manufacturing in the Mauritius Export Processing Zone, creating extra finance and resources. The changes have not been cost-free but Mauritius ends the century, not as a classic case of overpopulation, but more [as] a model micro-state that has overcome many population and resource problems, largely through its own efforts."