Polarized EXAFS, distance-valence least-squares modeling (DVLS), and quantitative texture analysis approaches to the structural refinement of Garfield nontronite

This paper reports on the new application of polarized extended X-ray absorption fine structure (P-EXAFS) spectroscopy to fine-grained layer silicates taking the Garfield nontronite as a case study. Up to now application of P-EXAFS to structural studies of layer silicates has been restricted to single phyllosilicate crystals (Manceau et al. 1988; Manceau et al. 1990), but we show here that P-EXAFS can rigorously be applied to self-supporting clay films without loss of spatial resolution. The quantitative analysis of P-EXAFS requires however the preparation of highly oriented clay films, the orientation distribution of which can be assessed by texture goniometry. The Fe K-edge linear dichroism measurements were simulated by ab initio EXAFS modeling performed on a nontronite cluster whose structure was refined by distance-valence least-squares calculations. It is shown that ab initio modeling quantitatively accounts for the angular dependence of experimental EXAFS spectra. These calculations allowed for the identification of the fundamental character of single- and multiple-scattering paths of the photoelectron, and the structural interpretation of all spectral features observed up to 6.5?Å for the in-plane and out-of-plane radial structure functions of nontronite. In practice, P-EXAFS measurements allow the determination of the flattening angle of Fe(O,OH)₆ octahedra, cations distribution in the octahedral sheet with an enhanced sensitivity, and differentiation between dioctahedral and trioctahedral structures.     

Analytical Solutions for Determination of Non-Steady- State and Steady-State Capture Zones

This paper presents analytical solutions for determining non-steady-state capture zones produced by a single recovery well and steady-state capture zones produced by multiple recovery wells. Analysis of non-steady-slate capture zones is based on the lime-dependent location of caplure zone stagnation points and the geometric similarity between steady-slate and non-steady-state capture zones. The analytical solution of steady-state capture zones is obtained from spatial variations of discharge potential across the capture zone boundary. Both capture zone analyses are based on the assumptions of uniform flow field with a constant hydraulic conductivity, the Dupuit assumption of insignificant vertical flow, a negligible delayed yield, and a fully penetrating well with a constant pumping rate. For a ground water pump-and-trcat remediation program, the pumping rate and well location design variables can be adjusted to ensure containment of the ground water contaminant plume.     

Groundwater recharge mechanism in an integrated tableland of the Loess Plateau,northern China: insights from environmental tracers

Assessing groundwater recharge characteristics (recharge rate, history, mechanisms (piston and preferential flow)) and groundwater age in arid and semi-arid environments remains a difficult but important research frontier. Such assessments are particularly important when the unsaturated zone (UZ) is thick and the recharge rate is limited. This study combined evaluations of the thick UZ with those of the saturated zone and used multiple tracers, such as Cl, NO₃, Br, ²H, ¹⁸O, ¹³C, ³H and ¹⁴C, to study groundwater recharge characteristics in an integrated loess tableland in the Loess Plateau, China, where precipitation infiltration is the only recharge source for shallow groundwater. The results indicate that diffuse recharge beneath crops, as the main land use of the study area, is 55–71 mm yr^?1 based on the chloride mass balance of soil profiles. The length of time required for annual precipitation to reach the water table is 160–400 yrs. The groundwater is all pre-modern water and paleowater, with corrected ¹⁴C age ranging from 136 to 23,412 yrs. Most of the water that eventually becomes recharge originally infiltrated in July–September. The Cl and NO₃ contents in the upper UZ are considerably higher than those in the deep UZ and shallow groundwater because of recent human activities. The shallow groundwater has not been in hydraulic equilibrium with present near-surface boundary conditions. The homogeneous material of the UZ and relatively old groundwater age imply that piston flow is the dominant recharge mechanism for the shallow groundwater in the tableland.     

巴丹吉林沙漠南部高大沙丘包气带水分空间分布特征研究

水是影响沙漠生态系统的主要因子,决定着多年生植物的种类和数量。受恶劣的自然条件和研究手段限制,目前对沙漠地区包气带水分时空动态变化的研究相对薄弱。以巴丹吉林沙漠南部湖泊密集区为研究对象,通过随机采样和同一坡向剖面采样,综合运用DCCA和地统计学分析方法,揭示0～10 m较深层包气带沙丘水分的空间变化规律和局部控制因子对包气带水分的影响。结果表明,0～10 m沙丘包气带水分变化曲线呈指数、对数和对数正态分布3种类型,分别受地下水或下伏黏土层的毛管作用、湖心距和综合地形因子控制;影响沙漠包气带水分空间变化的主要局部控制因子与小流域的研究结果差异显著。地形、植被等局部控制因子影响对数分布型包气带水分的深度为表层1 m,而影响对数正态分布型的深度为3～4 m;沙丘水分随相对湖面高程空间变化差异显著,而空间相关距离则不显著。     

Chloride and the environmental isotopes as the indicators of the groundwater recharge in the Gobi Desert,northwest China

The long term recharge in Gobi Desert from Hexi Corridor to Inner Mongolia Plateau was estimated to be 1 mm year⁻¹ by using the chloride mass balance method from one unsaturated zone profile, which shows that no effective modern recharge is taking place. A good rainfall database from Zhangye provides definition of the stable isotopic composition of modern rainfall. The signature of groundwater from the late Pleistocene differs markedly from that of the Holocene, shown clearly by the compositions of −10.5‰ δ¹⁸O as compared with values of −7‰ at the present day. It is apparent that the groundwaters in the Minqin Basin, Ejina Basin and feeding the lake system of the Badain Jaran are part of a regional flow network related to a wetter past climate as source of recharge. The recharge source in the past and to a limited extent in the more arid conditions of the present day included the foothills of the mountains of the Tibetan Plateau. The tritium age determinations accurate to the year are impossible and of no meaning to groundwater studies. A tritium value in the groundwater means multiple recharge ages in this region.     

Estimating groundwater recharge in a cold desert environment in northern China using chloride

Understanding sources and rates of recharge to the Badain Jaran Desert in northern China is important for assessing sustainability of the area’s oasis lake ecosystem and its water resources in general. For this purpose, direct recharge was investigated with the chloride mass balance method for 18 unsaturated zone profiles (6–16 m depth). Spatial variability is low across the area (range in mean Cl in profiles: 62–164 mg/L Cl), largely attributable to the uniformity of sandy unsaturated zone conditions. No strong correlations between environmental factors of profile locations and recharge rates were found, though a weak relationship between recharge and vegetation density was suggested. The study area’s complex dune morphology appears to have no measurable impact on recharge variability. Mean estimated diffuse recharge is 1.4 mm/year (1.0–3.6 mm/year for 95% confidence level), approximately 1.7% of mean annual precipitation. Temporal fluctuations in recharge due to climate variability are apparent and there is good correspondence in temporal trends over a time span of 200–300 years. Water balance considerations indicate that direct recharge is insufficient to support the numerous perennial lakes in the study area, suggesting that diffuse recharge presently plays a minor role in the overall water balance of the desert’s shallow Quaternary aquifer.     

Strengthening crushed coarse aggregates using bio-grouting

This paper focuses on using urea hydrolysis as a bio-grouting process to increase the strength of crushed aggregates commonly used in stone columns. Various reagent phases (2, 4, 6 and 12 phases) consisted of alternately percolating solutions containing bacterial suspension and cementation solution through the soil column. In addition, a multi-soil lift strategy with options of up to four soil lifts was undertaken to test the applicability of bio-grout to cement crushed aggregate columns. While the average amount of calcium carbonate precipitation was roughly unchanged in both techniques, the distribution within the crushed aggregate columns was heterogeneous. However, the distribution of the precipitated calcium carbonate is almost uniform in crushed aggregates treated by a two-soil lift strategy and a four-phase treatment strategy. It is also deducted that both techniques can be combined to gain a uniform calcium carbonate and strength along a long sand/stone column. Furthermore, a one-soil lift resulted in higher strength than using multi-soil lifts, and a maximum strength of approximately 2.3 MPa was achieved using 4-reagent phase treatment strategy. Scanning electron microscopy and electron dispersive spectroscopy analysis validate that calcium carbonate was deposited as white crystals on the surface of the crushed aggregate particles.     

Relationships between riparian evapotranspiration and groundwater depth along a semiarid irrigated river valley

Evapotranspiration (ET) from riparian vegetation can be difficult to estimate due to relatively abundant water supply, spatial vegetation heterogeneity, and interactions with anthropogenic influences such as shallower groundwater tables, increased salinity, and nonpoint source pollution induced by irrigation. In semiarid south-eastern Colorado, reliable ET estimates are scarce for the riparian corridor that borders the Arkansas River. This work investigates relationships between the riparian ecosystem along the Arkansas River and an underlying alluvial aquifer using ET estimates from remotely sensed data and modelled water table depths. Results from a calibrated, finite-difference groundwater model are used to estimate weekly water table fluctuations in the riparian ecosystem from 1999 to 2009, and estimates of ET are calculated using the Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) model with over 200 Landsat scenes covering over 30 km² of riparian ecosystem along a 70-km stretch of the river. Comparison of calculated monthly SSEBop ET to estimated alfalfa reference ET from local micrometeorological station data indicated statistically significant high linear correspondence (R² = .87). Daily calculated SSEBop ET showed statistically significant moderate linear correspondence with data from a local weighing lysimeter (R² = .59). Simulated monthly SSEBop ET values were larger in drier years compared with wetter years, and ET variability was also larger in drier years. Peak ET most commonly occurred during the month of June for all 11 years of analysis. Relationships between ET and water table depth showed that peak monthly ET was highest when groundwater depths were less than about 3 m, and ET values were significantly lower for groundwater depths greater than 3 m. Negative sample Spearman correlation highlighted riparian corridor locations where ET increased as a result of decreased groundwater depths across years with different hydroclimatic conditions. This study shows how a combination of remotely sensed riparian ET estimates and a regional groundwater model can improve our understanding of linkages between riparian consumptive use and near-river groundwater conditions influenced by irrigation return flow and different climatic drivers.     

Biostratigraphic and biogeographic implications of a hadrosaurid (Ornithopoda: Dinosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Almond Formation of Wyoming,USA

The results of Barnum Brown's 1937 expedition to the Almond Formation of Wyoming consisted of two unidentified ceratopsian skulls and a partial hadrosaurid specimen (AMNH 3651). The hadrosaurid is here attributed to the Maastrichtian genus Saurolophus, verifying previous biostratigraphic correlations of this formation using ammonite zones. Fossiliferous lower Maastrichtian formations occurring latitudinally between those of Alberta, Canada, and southwestern Texas, USA, such as the Almond Formation, are essential for testing the effects and duration of apparent hadrosaurid faunal segregation earlier in the Campanian, and indirectly aiding in the placement of faunal boundaries that are currently unknown for the late Campanian. The discovery of Saurolophus in Wyoming, a close relative of the Campanian genus Prosaurolophus, affirms that the segregation of hadrosaurid faunas established in the late Campanian (～75 Ma) continued for at least 3 million years. Combining occurrences of Saurolophus from Mongolia and the Moreno Formation of California with those of Alberta, Canada, this genus appears to have had one of the largest geographic ranges of any equivalent clade of hadrosaurid dinosaur, although species level distributions are still uncertain.