Geochemical characteristics and evaluation of minor and trace elements pollution in groundwater of Tuticorin city,Tamil Nadu,India using geospatial techniques

In this work the major and trace elements pollution levels in groundwater of Tuticorin city of Tamil Nadu was investigated. This coastal city with numerous large and small scale industries has increasingly affected the water quality by dumping effluents. The mean major and trace elements levels in groundwater in descending order: Si > Sr > Zn > Fe > Rb > Se > Al > Mn > Cu > As > Cr > Ba > V > Ni > Pb > Mo > Co > Sb > Cd > Ag. The concentrations of As, Se, Pb, Ba, Al, Fe and V (0.084, 0.150, 0.057, 0.837, 0.357 and 0.052) in some of the groundwater samples exceed the standard value of world health organization (WHO, 2004). Interrelationship between the elements was done by correlation matrix and factor analysis which indicates the contribution from industrial and irrigation fields. Spatial interpolation of inverse distance method (IDW) maps of all the elements suggested that discharge of effluents from chemical factory (STERLITE, TAC, SPIC, HEAVY WATER PLANT, NILA SEA FOODS), municipal wastewater, fertilizers were added to the natural sources. Results of this research suggests that proper measures should be taken to protect the vital groundwater resources in the Tuticorin city.     

Modelling combined open channel flow by artificial neural networks

Combined open channel flow is encountered in many hydraulic engineering structures and processes, such as irrigation ditches and wastewater treatment facilities. Extensive experimental studies have conducted to investigate combined flow characteristics. Nevertheless, there is no simple relationship that can fully describe the velocity profiles in a turbulent flow. The artificial neural network (ANN) has great computational capability for solving various complex problems, such as function approximation. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the applicability of the ANN for simulating velocity profiles, velocity contours and estimating the discharges accordingly. The velocity profiles measured by an acoustic doppler velocimeter in the open channel of the Chihtan purification plant, Taipei, with different discharges at fixed measuring section and different depths are presented. The total number of data sets is 640 and the data sets are split into two subsets, i.e. training and validation sets. The backpropagation algorithm is used to construct the neural network. The results demonstrate that the velocity profiles can be modelled by the ANN, and the ANN constructed can nicely fit the velocity profiles and can precisely predict the discharges for the conditions investigated. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The economics of the marine sector: general equilibrium and ecological analysis

Recent transfers of potential marine wealth to coastal states, resulting from the Third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, have enhanced our awareness that the marine sector might ultimately prove to be a new frontier. The objective of this paper is to initiate work toward the development of a systematic appraoch to the economics of this sector. To this end, the marine sector is assumed to be the fourth factor of production, taking its place with the traditional trio of land, capital and labor. The productivity of this sector is described and analyzed with the aid of a simple general equilibrium model.     

Focal mechanisms of recent earthquakes in the Southern Korean Peninsula

We evaluate the stress field in and around the southern Korean Peninsula with focal mechanism solutions, using the data collected from 71 earthquakes ( M_L = 1.9–5.2) between 1999 and 2004. For this, the hypocentres were relocated and well-constrained fault plane solutions were obtained from the data set of 1270 clear P -wave polarities and 46 SH / P amplitude ratios. The focal mechanism solutions indicate that the prevailing faulting types in South Korea are strike-slip-dominant-oblique-slip faultings with minor reverse-slip component. The maximum principal stresses (σ₁) estimated from fault-slip inversion analysis of the focal mechanism solutions show a similar orientation with E–W trend (269°–275°) and low-angle plunge (10°–25°) for all tectonic provinces in South Korea, consistent with the E–W trending maximum horizontal stress (σ_Hmax) of the Amurian microplate reported from in situ stress measurements and earthquake focal mechanisms. The directions of the intermediate (σ₂) and minimum (σ₃) principal stresses of the Gyeongsang Basin are, however, about 90 deg off from those of the other tectonic provinces on a common σ₂–σ₃ plane, suggesting a permutation of σ₂ and σ₃. Our results incorporated with those from the kinematic studies of the Quaternary faults imply that NNW- to NE-striking faults (dextral strike-slip or oblique-slip with a reverse-slip component) are highly likely to generate earthquakes in South Korea.     

Living with floods: victims' perceptions in Beijiang, Guangdong, China

This study revealed the collective values of the flood victims in the Beijiang area, Guangdong, China, as a result of a hazardous flood in 1994. The victims were sceptical of large flood-prevention engineering structures. They believed that flooding was unavoidable, but by extending support networks, applying hazard-resistant designs, and developing loss-sharing adjustments the disastrous effects of a flood could be mitigated. Seemingly, victims were prepared to live with floods and adopted functional adjustments to lessen flood impact.     

Long-term changes in water quality and phytoplankton characteristics in port shelter, Hong Kong, from 1988-1998.

This study analysed monthly physico-chemical and phytoplankton data collected from 10 marine monitoring stations in Port Shelter Hong Kong, from 1988 to 1998. Cluster analysis based on all water quality parameters measured shows that the 10 monitoring stations can be grouped into three clusters: Cluster I consists of stations located in Outer Port Shelter; Cluster II consists of stations located in Inner Port Shelter and Cluster III consists of a single station in Hebe Heaven, a well-sheltered Bay in Inner Port Shelter. Factor analysis shows high positive loadings for nutrients and nutrient ratios in the first two factors of the three clusters, which indicates that the stations of the three clusters were primarily grouped according to their respective nutrient conditions. In Inner Port Shelter, and particularly Station PM5 in the sheltered Hebe Haven, the influence of surface runoff and pollution loading from the surrounding catchment area was apparent. Five stations located along a transect from Inner to Outer Port Shelter were selected for trend analysis. An increasing trend for temperature and a decreasing trend for pH are observed in all Stations except PM10 which is at the mouth of Port Shelter. The results of canonical analysis revealed that temperature and pH could also play an important role in determining the density and biovolume of the minor algal groups in Port Shelter.     

Evaluation of response and energy in actively controlled structures

A computational method of energy evaluation is derived to study the elastic responses and energy distribution of actively controlled single‐degree‐of‐freedom (SDOF) structures during earthquakes. Contrary to the common perception that applying active control force pumps energy into the structure, the applied control force can actually reduce the energy in the structure by reducing the input energy from earthquakes to the structure. In addition, applying control force can dissipate a large amount of energy in the structure when this control force is applied in the direction opposite to the displacement and velocity responses. To demonstrate this energy mechanism in active controlled structures, the two most popular control algorithms, optimal linear control (OLC) and instantaneous optimal control (IOC) algorithms, are used to calculate the control response and energy spectra. One‐step time delay is incorporated into the algorithms to take into consideration the practical aspect of active control. The effects of different earthquakes and damping ratios on control energy and response spectra are studied. These studies show that both OLC and IOC are very effective in reducing the structural displacement and velocity responses by reducing the input earthquake energy as well as dissipating a large amount of energy in the structure. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High-Mg potassic rocks from Taiwan: implications for the genesis of orogenic potassic lavas

Taiwan is an active mountain belt formed by oblique collision between the Luzon arc and the Asian continent. Regardless of the ongoing collision in central and southern Taiwan, a post-collisional extension regime has developed since the Plio–Pleistocene in the northern part of this orogen, and led to generation of the Northern Taiwan Volcanic Zone. Emplaced at 0.2 Ma in the southwest of the Volcanic Zone, lavas from the Tsaolingshan volcano are highly magnesian (MgO≈15 wt.%) and potassic (K₂O≈5 wt.%; K₂O/Na₂O≈1.6–3.0). Whereas these basic rocks (SiO₂≈48 wt.%) have relatively low Al₂O₃≈12 wt.%, total Fe₂O₃≈7.5 wt.% and CaO≈7.2 wt.%, they are extremely enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE, e.g. Cs, Rb, Ba, Th and U). The Rb and Cs abundances, >1000 and 120 ppm, respectively, are among the highest known from terrestrial rocks. In addition, these rocks are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREE), depleted in high field strength elements (HFSE), and display a positive Pb spike in the primitive mantle-normalized variation diagram. Their REE distribution patterns mark with slight Eu negative anomalies (Eu/Eu*≈0.90–0.84), and Sr and Nd isotope ratios are uniform (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr≈0.70540–0.70551; ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd≈0.51268–0.51259). Olivine, the major phenocryst phase, shows high Fo contents (90.4±1.8; 1σ deviation), which are in agreement with the whole rock Mg-values (83–80). Spinel inclusions in olivine are characterized by high Cr/Cr+Al ratios (0.94–0.82) and have compositions similar to those from boninites that originate from highly refractory peridotites. Such petrochemical characteristics are comparable to the Group I ultrapotassic rocks defined by Foley et al. [Earth-Sci. Rev. 24 (1987) 81], such as orogenic lamproites from central Italy, Span and Tibet. We therefore suggest that the Tsaolingshan lavas resulted from a phlogopite-bearing harzburgitic source in the lithospheric mantle that underwent a recent metasomatism by the nearby Ryukyu subduction zone processes. The lavas exhibit unique incompatible trace element ratios, with Rb/Cs≈8, Ba/Rb≈1, Ce/Pb≈2, Th/U≈1 and Nb/U≈0.8, which are significantly lower than the continental crust values and those of most mantle-derived magmas. Nonmagmatic enrichment in the mantle source is therefore required. Based on published experimental data, two subduction-related metasomatic components, i.e., slab-released hydrous fluid and subducted sediment, are proposed, and the former is considered to be more pervasive for causing the extraordinary trace element ratios observed. Our observations lend support to the notion that dehydration from subducting slabs at convergent margins, as a continuing process through geologic time, can account for the fractionation of these elemental pairs between the Earth's crust and mantle.