A comprehensive and systematic approach to developing and documenting conceptual models of contaminant release and migration at the Hanford Site

The U. S. Department of Energys Richland Operations Office has initiated efforts to adapt and implement the features, events, and processes (FEP) methodology used in scenario development for nuclear waste disposal programs to the environmental management and remediation problems facing the Hanford site. These efforts have shown that modification of the FEPs methodology to incorporate the use of process relationship diagrams (PRD) is effective in facilitating the development of conceptual models and selection of potentially relevant factors (i.e., FEPs) to be incorporated into a specific environmental assessment. In adopting this methodology for Hanford, a master PRD was created to provide a structure to identify these factors and to illustrate the relationships among them. The organizational framework of the master PRD was developed to match the organization of current Hanford site-wide environmental assessment activities and to facilitate screening of the FEPs relevant to the specific assessments needed for the site.     

Shallow Drainage Flows

Two-dimensional sonic anemometers and slowresponse thermistors were deployedacross a shallow gully during CASES99. Weak gully flow of a few tenths of m s^-1 anda depth of a few metres develops in the earlyevening on most nights with clear skies.Flow down the gully developed sometimes evenwhen the opposing ambient wind exceeded10 m s^-1 at the top of the60–m tower. Cold air drainage fromlarger-scale slopes flows over the top ofthe colder gully flow. The gully flowand other drainage flows are generally eliminated in the middle of the night in conjunctionwith flow acceleration abovethe surface inversion layer and downwardmixing of warmer air and highermomentum. As the flow decelerates later inthe night, the gully flow may re-form.The thin drainage flows decouple standard observational levels of3–10 m from the surface.Under such common conditions, eddy correlationflux measurements cannot be used toestimate surface fluxes nor even detect thethin gully and drainage flows. The gentlegully system in this field program is typical ofmuch of the Earths land surface.     

Variations des teneurs en éléments mineurs (Cd,In, Ge,Ga, Ag,Bi, Se,Hg, Sn) des minerais de Pb-Zn de la province polymétallique des Andes du Pérou Central

About 1,500 samples of Pb and Zn concentrates and ores from 89 ore deposits of the polymetallic province of the Andes of central Peru have been analyzed. The distributions of Cd, In, Ge, Ga, Ag, Bi, Se, Hg, and Sn in these ore deposits can be reported on the basis of

the typology of ore deposits, i.e., some types of ore deposits (syndiagenetic without associated volcanism and volcano-sedimentary of Triassic-Lias, exhalative sedimentary of Upper Jurassic) show very characteristic minor and trace element patterns;

the temperature of ore formation that controls the abundance of Bi and Hg, in general, and of Ag, Se, and Sn in the Tertiary hydrothermal deposits;

the age and nature of the country rock, e.g., an In, Ga, and Sn positive anomaly and Cd negative anomaly appears in the deposits with Paleozoic country rock;

the geographic position of ore deposits, e.g., in the northern part of the province an In, Ga, Ge, and Cd positive anomaly appears.

     

Surface fluxes estimation over agricultural areas. Comparisonof methods and the effects of land surface inhomogeneity

Summary  The Bowen Ratio-Energy Balance (BREB) and the aerodynamic method were used to estimate turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heat flux over an irrigated agricultural area (IAA) and over two dry agricultural areas (DAA1 and DAA2). These turbulent fluxes were analysed and particular attention paid to two specific areas. First, a quantitative analysis of sensible and latent heat fluxes obtained by the BREB method was carried out, taking into account different soil type, vegetation and surface conditions. The results showed that in IAA latent heat flux was higher than sensible heat flux, except in summer months, while in DAA1 and DAA2, sensible heat flux was higher except in the months when the vegetation was at the stage of maximum development. Second, sensible and latent heat fluxes estimates from the BREB method were compared with those obtained from the aerodynamic method. In this comparison factors such as soil type, soil vegetation cover, homogeneity or inhomogeneity of terrain and mesoscale effects such as orography and wind patterns were taken into account. The results show that in conditions of light wind, the two methods only concur if the condition of horizontal homogeniety is fulfilled. The influence of inhomogeneity seems to decrease and agreement between methods improves, if the wind is stronger and the effects of meso and synoptic scales are predominant. Received May 18, 1999/Revised March 15, 2000     

Hydrogeological origin of the CO2-rich mineral water of Vilajuïga in the Eastern Pyrenees (NE Catalonia,Spain)

The mineral water of Vilajuïga village in Alt Empordà (NE Catalonia, Spain) owes its uniqueness to an emanation of geogenic CO₂ that modifies groundwater hydrochemistry to produce a differentiated HCO₃–Na- and CO₂-rich groundwater among the usual Ca–HCO₃ type found in this region. A hydrogeological conceptual model attributes its occurrence to the intersection of two faults: La Valleta and Garriguella-Roses. The former provides a thrust of metamorphic over igneous rocks, formed during the Paleozoic, over a layer of ampelitic shale that, from a hydrogeological perspective, acts as a confining layer. The Garriguella-Roses normal fault, which originated during the Neogene, permits the degassing of geogenic CO₂ that is attributed to volcanic activity occurring in the Neogene. Groundwater mixing from the metamorphic and igneous rock units plus the local occurrence of CO₂ creates a HCO₃–Na water that still holds free-CO₂ in solution. Interaction with the gas phase is restricted at the intersection of the two faults. Radiocarbon dating, after correcting for geogenic dead carbon, estimates an age of 8,000 years BP. The low tritium content (0.7 TU) indicates that Vilajuïga water is a mix of “older” groundwater recharged in the metamorphic rocks of the Albera range and “younger” groundwater from the igneous rocks of the Rodes range, over a recharge area of 45 km² and a maximum elevation of 600 m. Given its origin as rare groundwater in the southern slope of the Eastern Pyrenees, purposeful monitoring is necessary to evaluate the groundwater vulnerability and anticipate impacts from nearby wells and climate-change effects.