Study on the Historical Distribution of Metals in Aquatic Sediments

In this study, the historical distribution of metals, phosphorous, and sulfur at four different depths in the sediments of different lakes formed in the course of an urban river (in Londrina, Parana State, Brazil) were determined. The transport of metals along the course of the river was observed mainly for Mn, Cr, and Zn. High concentrations of Pb in the Capivara Bay and Cr in the river were attributed to contamination from a battery plant and a tannery, respectively. The concentrations of heavy metals in the deepest layers of the sediments remain high several years after deposition.     

Two in one leachate plume in a karstic aquifer

Some sites formerly used for waste disposal purposes, even if they are closed, continue generating leachate that seeps into the ground and contaminates groundwater in the area where they are located. It is believed that the rainfall being in contact with waste becomes a source of leachate. This fluid seeps into the aquifer and may identify sources of pollution. A modeling work which determined the migration times of solutes in the karstic aquifer of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, is presented. Both existing and generated information was analyzed; a leachate plume was identified. The methodology used in the study is described, the application of which allowed concluding that this plume was generated from two sources: a waste disposal site and the oxidation lagoons located next to it. The procedure consisted of performing simulations considering the sources that contribute to the development of the pollution plume and forecasting their behavior. With the developed methodology, similar cases can be analyzed to avoid locating catchment zones of drinking water in inappropriate places and/or develop projects to place waste disposal sites that could affect existing catchment areas and to preserve this resource, essential for life.     

Long-term fluctuations in volcanic activity: implications for future environmental impact

Acidic crater lakes at persistently active volcanoes act as both an index and a moderator of volcanic processes. A catastrophic drop in lake level can therefore lead to serious local environmental damage. In the early 1990s, the crater lake at Poás volcano, Costa Rica diminished, and acid aerosols erupted with devastating consequences for local health, environment and economy. The first indications of this event can be  retrospectively identified to have started from 1985, on the basis of our unique 20-year data time series, which provides evidence for the shallow intrusion of magma. New data presented in this article show similar trends and we conclude that Poás has now entered another active period with renewed intrusion. Severe environmental damage in this region is expected within the next few years if the current trend continues.     

One‐year‐long runoff forecast by a single snowpack evaluation

A degree‐day‐based model is presented for a 1 year ahead runoff forecast, with 1 day time steps. The input information is a single snowpack evaluation collected at the beginning of the snowmelt season. The snow‐cover dynamics, the key information for long‐term snowmelt forecast, are described by the snow‐line dynamics, i.e. by the movements of the downhill snowpack limit. The snowmelt volume, estimated by the snow‐line dynamics, is the exogenous input of an autoregressive transformation model. The model is calibrated by a least‐squares procedure on the basis of observed daily runoff data and the corresponding measurements of the snowpack volume (one measurement per year). A real‐world case study on the Alto Tunuyan River basin (2380 km², Argentinean Andes) is presented. The 1 year ahead Alto Tunuyan River runoff patterns, computed for both calibration and validation periods, reveal high agreement with observed streamflows. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Mesozoic crustal extension along the southern Eurasian margin: evidence from volcanic rocks of the Bangong-Nujiang Suture zone, Tibet

The Mesozoic was a period of marginal basin formations, closures and reactivations along segments of the southern Eurasian margin. Remnants of some of these events are now preserved as exposures of Juras-sic-Cretaceous ophiolites and ophiolitic mélanges, thick sequences of Jurassic flysch deposits and Middle Cretaceous sedimentary and volcanic formations along the Bangong-Nujiang Suture Zone (BNS).