Quantifying the loss of available groundwater resource associated with point-source contamination in unused aquifers

Cost-benefit analysis can be used to identify the optimum remedial strategy for contaminated groundwater, but requires that the benefits of remedial action be quantified. When the groundwater is located in an unused part of an aquifer, it can be difficult to estimate the economic loss of resource. ‘Option values’, which represent the value placed on groundwater for possible future use, may be used. Calculation of the overall loss requires consideration of the spatial (physical) extent of an aquifer where groundwater use is constrained by the presence of contamination and economic elements. An approach is presented for estimating the spatial element, represented as the annualised abstraction loss from the groundwater resource. Two distinct components have been identified based on the potential restriction on location of a new abstraction well: (1) the direct resource loss, which relates to the contaminated zone of the aquifer within which new abstraction is no longer an option, and, (2) the indirect location loss, which relates to the loss of an opportunity to site a new abstraction well in the surrounding uncontaminated aquifer due to the presence of the plume. Methods are presented for their calculation and the approach is illustrated with a case study.     

Recent stress field in the east of the Russian Plate and the Urals from macro- and mesostructural evidence

This paper presents the first cartographic reconstruction of the recent stress field for the southeastern Russian Plate and the southern Urals based on computer analysis of the extensive body of measurements of mesostructural kinematic markers. Comparison of this reconstruction with macro- and mesostructural data on the dynamics of recent dislocations at the platform leads to the following conclusions: (1) spatial variations of the stress field reflect the pressure on the platform’s lithosphere from the Caucasus-Kopet Dagh collisional orogen and the intraplate linear rise of the recent Urals, presumably related to the Central Asian collision zone; (2) when passing through the heterogeneous crust of the platform, the collision stresses were distorted: in the vertical section, compression decreased upward (especially in strike-slip-stress regime) and even gave way to extension above uplifting hanging wall of thrust faults and crests of swells; in plan view, compression (including in the strike-slip-stress regime) increased at basement uplifts; on the contrary, extension increased near syneclises, as well as lateral squeezing directed here along strike-slip faults; (3) reconstructions based on data variable in scale and type (results of macro- and mesostructural observations processed by differing statistical means with leading use of computer programs) do not contradict but supplement one another. Taken together, they represent the complete pattern of the recent stress state; (4) our results can be used for applied purposes to introduce clarity into the kinematics of the known faults, especially for revealing strike-slip offsets and how the intraplate earthquakes relate to faults and flexures of a certain kinematics. In general, they indicate that tectonodynamic analysis is promising for solving regional tectonic problems.     

The impact process in aeolian saltation: two-dimensional simulations

ABSTRACT
A critical event in the trajectory of a sand grain saltating in air is its interaction with the surface. We examine the phenomenon of grain-bed impacts in two dimensions using a combination of dynamical computer simulations, analytical models and physical reasoning. The results indicate that the grain-bed collisions can be treated as two-body collisions with the bed particle assuming an effective mass greater than its true mass. Also, the presence of geometrical surface irregularities has a strong bearing on the interaction between saltating and surface grain populations, as well as on the formation of small-scale bedforms.     

Variational stabilization of the ionic charge densities in the electron-gas theory of crystals: Applications to MgO and CaO

The electron-gas theory of crystals is extended to include the effects of many-body forces that arise from both electrostatic and overlap interactions. These effects are incorporated through a self-consistent spherical relaxation of the ionic charge distributions such that the crystal binding energy is minimized. This variational model is used to compute the elastic constants and equations of state of MgO and CaO, and we compare its results to those derived from earlier electron-gas models. In the variational model, the anion charge distributions are markedly more sensitive to the local crystal environment than they are in the PIB or other electron-gas models. We find that for these oxides the variational model gives the best overall agreement with experiment for lattice constants, equations of state, dissociation energies, and elastic moduli.     

Two classes of glitches in the pulsar B1822-09

A large glitch has been detected in the pulsar B1822-09 (J1825-0935) using the LPA antenna of the Pushchino Observatory. This glitch occurred on January 15, 2007 and had a relative amplitude of Δν/ν ～ 1.2 × 10^?7 and a shape typical of classical glitches; i.e., it corresponded to a sudden, jump-like increase in the rotational velocity of the star within a day. The detection of this large, typical glitch together with the series of unusual, slow glitches discovered earlier in 1995–2004 indicates the existence of two classes of glitches in the rotational frequency of this pulsar. The presence of various classes of glitches in a single pulsar provides new possibilities for studying the mechanisms giving rise to glitches, which are a source of information about the internal structure of the neutron star. A possible interpretation of these results is discussed.     

An experimental study of the solubility and speciation of the Rare Earth Elements (III) in fluoride- and chloride-bearing aqueous solutions at temperatures up to 300 °C

The solubility of REE(III) fluoride solids was determined in fluoride- and chloride-bearing solutions at 150, 200 and 250 °C and saturated water vapor pressure. These experimental data, together with experimental data from previously published studies, were used to evaluate formation constants for chloride- and fluoride-bearing aqueous species of the entire REE(III) group at temperatures up to 300 °C. The data show that the stability of these species differs significantly from that predicted theoretically. For example, contrary to the theoretical predictions, LREEF²⁺ species are more stable than HREEF²⁺ species at elevated temperature. The behavior of the chloride-bearing species is similar. Parameters for the Helgeson–Kirkham–Flowers (HKF) equation of state were determined for REEF²⁺, REECl²⁺ and REECl₂⁺ complexes using these experimental data and permit calculation of formation constants of these species at conditions not investigated experimentally. These data now permit the mobility of all REE in fluoride- and chloride-bearing hydrothermal systems to be reliably evaluated at intermediate temperatures and pressures.     

Spread-F during the magnetic storm of 22 January 2004 at low latitudes: Effect of IMF-Bz in relation to local sunset time

The paper describes the results of spread-F at low latitude stations around the world during the magnetic storm starting at 0130 UT on 22 January 2004. The storm can be divided into two phases, first phase up to 1000 UT when interplanetary magnetic field IMF-Bz was highly fluctuating around a small positive value and the second phase after a sudden large southward turning of IMF-Bz at 1030 UT. The first phase produced strong spread-F at Jicamarca, Sao Luis, and Ascension Island and caused complete inhibition of spread-F at Thumba and Waltair in India. It generated weak spread-F at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and strong spread-F at Hainan and Chung Li. The strong spread-F at Hainan and Chung Li were caused by the positive IMF-Bz during the first phase of the storm and not by the negative pulse of IMF-Bz at 1000 UT.     

Sandstone alterations triggered by fire-related temperatures

The aim of the study was to identify and describe changes in two different sandstone types when undergoing different environmental and extreme temperature regimes to assess the possibility of finding insolation weathering and how these sandstones would behave during and after a fire. The first step was the simulation in the laboratory of temperature regimes up to 60 °C which would correspond to extreme events that could be found in insolation cycles even in Central Europe and the second one was the temperature above 200 °C simulating in laboratory conditions the thermal regime of a potential fire situation at temperatures up to 200, 400, 600 and 800 °C. Heating the samples above 400 °C led to gradual changes in mineral composition, colour, surface roughness and physical properties reaching, eventually, total rock breakdown through spalling and granular disaggregation. The different behaviour of sandstones exposed to high temperatures is mainly caused by their different mineral composition with various ratios of minerals that are more or less chemically stable at high temperatures as well as by the differences in the porosity.     

Adsorption of copper and zinc onto natural clay in single and binary systems

Calcareous and smectitic clay samples from the Coniacian–Lower Campanian system, Tunisia, were used as adsorbents for the removal of copper and zinc from aqueous solutions in single and binary systems. Calcareous clay sample was treated with acetic acid to obtain carbonate-free sample that was also used for metals removal. The adsorption of metal ions onto natural clay was tested in a batch method by mixing 1 g/L of each sample with a metal ion solution of zinc (300 μmol/L) and/or copper 600 μmol/L under the operating pH of 6, and agitation speed of 200 rpm within the equilibrium time of 60 min at 25 °C for single and binary systems. Our results showed that natural clay samples were mainly composed of silica, alumina, iron, and magnesium oxides. Adsorption data showed that the studied clay samples removed substantial amounts of heavy metals in single and mixed systems. Initial solution pH and carbonates contents enhanced the removal capacities of the studied clay samples, confirming their strong influencing effects. Thermodynamic parameters indicated an endothermic adsorption for metals removal by calcareous clay, but exothermic process for the smectitic sample. These results suggest that the Late Cretaceous clays, Tunisia, can be effectively used as natural adsorbents for the removal of toxic heavy metals in aqueous systems.